Nintendo Predictions

How will the company fair in 2006? PC Magazine predicts that the company will fade from the home console market if the Revolution is not a hit. From the article: “Expect Nintendo’s delayed Zelda title to be the must-play game next spring, but unless the Revolution is a home run, Nintendo will fade by the fall. That will allow Sony and Microsoft to battle it out for the console crown.”

The article does predict Nintendo to continue to dominate Sony in the handheld market though. What do you predict?

[Source: PC Magazine]

18 Comments

  1. I remember back in 1984 during video game crash, some people predict that NES 8-bit will be not be hit. Few years later, they were wrong.

    Time will tell..

  2. I am sick to the back teeth of these “Nintendo is doomed” articles. If Nintendo drop out of the home console market, we’ll be left with nothing but the odd innovation like Katamari and millions of sequels (even worse than what we have now). The Revolution will not do as badly as the XBox 360 in Japan, so there’s a good market there. The features they’re offering are attractive (backwards compatibility etc, we all know what’s in store), and it’ll be cheap.

    As David said, time will tell and they’ve proved analysts wrong before, I doubt they’ll fail in any of their current markets

  3. I reckon Ninty will get back to number 1, honestly I do. It won’t happen overnight but a Revolution means a revolution doesn’t matter how you look at it. A multi-billion dollar company would not use that term loosely, period. They have something special planned.

  4. No Way is Nintendo dropping out of the console market because the revolution does not look anything like a failure and if for some bizarre incident it does fail then I am sure that they will eventually come back into it after a year or two in the handheld only market.

  5. Nintendo will always dominate in the handheld market.

    Also, Nintendo can always be in the home console market too. The money gained from the handhelds can help, so they wont vanish.

    btw, the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are way overpriced. im surprised that many people bought them.

    and one more thing. Nintendo is like God in Japan.

  6. These business people look at everything completely flat on the page. There was an article in businessweek about ‘Nintendo’s Profits Down 19%’ or something. They don’t know ANYTHING about what Nintendo is doing. They also failed to mention that the profits are down in all systems, that all current-gens are ending their run, and that Nintendo (strangely enough) IS MAKING a profit atall. They write articles about the 360 and PS3 and MIGHT slip in a “Nintendo is planning on releasing a system called Revolution.” and then they continue their paper on Microsoft’s prowess. They claim that the Revolution is ‘shrouded in mystery’ and no one knows ‘anything about it.’ Oh, except for that controller. That’s not big video game news. Oh, and the virtual console. I’ve never read anything about THAT. The simple fact is, the majority of business people reading those business articles DON’T CARE about Nintendo, and are interested in the 360 and PS3 just because they are the spawn of giant companies. Sure Nintendo is big, but they ain’t no Microsoft. They don’t read the many official-information filled speeches and articles straight from the mouth of Ninty about what they are planning on doing in the future of their business. Nintendo isn’t the dying company here BY ANY MEANS. They are the only video game company CHANGING a DYING MARKET. Face it people. Video games are steadily getting more and more expensive (for the same game with better graphics) and the people making them aren’t focused on that strange phenomena “FUN” anymore. Maybe these business people aren’t looking at the fact the Microsoft and Sony’s systems only survive BECAUSE they are funded by giant companies. The systems themselves are mostly unprofitable! And they tell us Ninty’s profits are down 19%. Maybe they should look into what the video game industry is ACTUALLY DOING and not just try to please their Sony and Microsoft-investing readers.

  7. Previous post actually referred to a Wall Street Journal article, I messed up my source.

  8. As Reggie has mentioned again and again, Nintendo’s strategy is not to compete against MS or Sony.
    This means that Nintendo won’t have the no. 1 console (in sales), but will keep its head securely above water while one of the two giants reports big losses next year.
    And, of course, Nintendo will continue dominating the hand-held market.

    At least that’s my prediction…

  9. I would say both of “the two giants” (MS AND Sony) will be reporting big losses next year.

    Both systems (PS3 and 360) are quite significant loss-leaders. Much more so than when PS2 and XBox were first introduced.

    The stakes just keep getting higher and higher. But then, the rewards are far greater for Sony (adoption of a HD movie format ie blu ray) and MS (some kind of media extender pipe-delivery thingymajig).

  10. I think that Nintendo will do great with the rev.

    1. lower prices
    2. the controller
    3. great games
    4. going for a larger crowed (young and old, boy and girl)
    5. backwards compatibility
    6. online play

    I would love to see Nintendo be on top again, and be the only next gen console to have a profit.

  11. Actually Nintendo could get no. 1 again. Sony and Microsoft will void eachother by competing head to head and then Ninty will slip in as the 2nd console of choice (being cheap/affordable) and be purchased by both 360 and Ps3 owners, therefore owning the marketplace. I firmly believe that most 360 and Ps3 owners will choose to own a Rev aswell because it will offer a completely different play experience that will compliment and offer an alternative.

    See? If I didn’t jumble my words too much I think it’s pretty clear that it’s possible.

  12. OK fellas, here is my take. I own a 360 (and I love it by the way). I got it on launch night. I also owned the original Xbox. You could classify me as a 360 Fanboy. That being said, I have become very interested in the Revolution. The thing that really got me interested was the rumor about the low price (as low as $99 before too long). At that price, heck, I’ll buy a Rev to go with my 360. I would love to take a trip down memory lane and play the new and old Zelda’s, Mario’s and Mario Karts.

    I think Nintendo is smart to try to be an “AND” system – a system that people will own along with their 360 or PS3.

    Best of luck to Nintendo. I will be keeping my eye on the Revolution.

  13. I predict that predictions are pointless.

  14. I agree with their view on the handheld market – the PSP will be lucky to dominate now that the DS has such a good footing. Unless that have a MAJOR price cut, it will stay being second fiddle.

    The Revolution will not be the end of Nintendo. Even if they don’t take the console crown, the machine is still pushing them into a slightly different market, and will sell well. The DS has proved the business model that innovation sells…

    But we could all be wrong. Only time will tell.

  15. I think the author of that article is basing this on how Nintendo handled the GC. I can’t blame him for thinking that because when I look back at the GC, Nintendo really screw up a lot. Pretty much on all fronts, besides the profits, they messed up.

    For the REV to fade away by the fall, it must end up not getting games that exploit and show to the world what the system can do.

    This is why it’s so important that Nintendo comes out with 3 or 4 games at launch that really show what the REV can do. Can’t expect people to pick it up if there aren’t any games that validate the controller.

    The only way I can see Nintendo becoming #1 is for them to not mess up like they did with the GC during the first year and for the 360 and PS3 to make mistake after mistake.

    I don’t see the REV fading unless all goes wrong.

    Nintendo is competing with the 360 and PS3 regardless of whatever Nintendo says.

  16. “Nintendo is competing with the 360 and PS3 regardless of whatever Nintendo says.”

    No they aren’t. I really doubt there are many people who will be on the fence and have to decide on ONE console between the Rev and the 360 and PS3. Thats what competition is where you have to choose 1 or the other. Yes, the Rev will be compared with the other consoles but it won’t be competing with the others directly. I think, most gamers will either buy all 3 because they are super hardcore (no competition present in this scenario) or if they only buy 2, it will likely be either the 360 OR PS3 AND the Rev (no competition here either) or they will only buy 1 console and in this case its likely because they are a super fanboy who would never have bought a Rev anyway (still not any competition happening in this case).

  17. Yeah, sure, 2 consoles, I will buy a Revolution and …. wait, there is nothing else barely interesting for me 😎

  18. To “PC” blabla magazine :
    Does game was really cool on the Mac or Pc(?)when the Nes was released ? let us free to take THE controller we want and wait … real player have fun with all game and all controller.Litte player take mouse ass and controller not made for everybody,right ?I don’t care with the future of nintendo they are everywhere since maybe one century…Pc player will use the revolution controler but not like me , funk you ! ;op

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