This thread isn't to complain about Nintendo

Rather it's a thread to praise them.

It's remarkable really, that Nintendo is still the only dedicated gaming company making consoles. Everyone else (Sega, Hudson, Atari) has all gone third-party (a few of them even went defunct after they went third-party).

What exactly sets Nintendo apart from all the other dedicated console game companies that dropped out?

Please help out our The History Of Video Games page.

Persistency. The one and only reason that sums up all the reasons and factors.

That said however, as I am not capable of generating praise for a company that constantly eludes my gaming radar, I have not much to say about it.

Same as usual.... Wing it.

Smash Bros

Oh really when?

Remind me what systems are the sixth generation again?

Anyone who assigns themselves loads of character tropes is someone to be worried about.

PS 2, Gamecube, and classic Xbox.

I think Nintendo's still in the business because they've still got lots of cash in the bank. For every struggle they faced (Virtual Boy, Gamecube, early 3DS and Wii U sales), there was always something to offset their losses (the Wii and its motion control craze, the Game Boy and the DS families of systems). They always had something to keep raking in the money for them.

The rest of the guys bowed out of the console business because of many bad financial decisions. I bet Sega would still be making consoles if the Saturn and 32X were never conceptualized (among other things).

edited 25th Feb '14 2:11:48 PM by MrYoshbert

Eh.

A focus on profitability (one that they've unfortunately abandoned for Wii U, at least to the degree that it worked for GC and Wii). If your product is profitable per-unit and isn't being oversupplied, you can function at any sales level. Obviously revenue streams are important for keeping a company functioning, but Nintendo is still a very small company in the big picture. If you're making a profit and enough revenue to sustain yourself, then you can live to fight another day.

That's part of the big problem with the losses that the Wii U is incurring. They really need to get those under wraps to build on future health, that or diversify revenue streams (which they are starting with this talked-of "Quality of Life" platform).

Persistency (as said above) and the first-aid kit that is the handheld gaming console.

They also unleashed the wrath of the previously-latent "casual" market with the DS (Nintendogs) and Wii (Wii Sports). That doesn't hurt.

I wonder if the Wii U would be making profit if they hadn't cut the price...

edited 25th Feb '14 2:05:45 PM by NesClassic

🏳️‍⚧️she/her | Vio Rhyse Alberia

Innovations and knowing their market, mostly. (Granted the Kinect was likely in development beforehand, but the PS Move is basically the Wii remote with a ping pong ball on the end.)

Nintendo dominates the handheld market. A market that could dry up with newer and newer phones that are stronger than any 3DS.

Combine that with a dozen or two widely known and widely played franchises that only exist on Nintendo consoles.

edited 25th Feb '14 2:08:33 PM by stephanreiken

The EyeToy camera for the PS 2 was conceptualized in 1999, and the accompanying tracking wand was patented in 2004.

And the Wiimote patent?

I have a message from another time...

Pokemon. As long as they have that, their handheld dominance won't go away.

As for the consoles, persistence, stubbornness, brand recognition, and reluctance to follow the flow. The first two are obvious. Brand recognition gets them loyal Nintendo customers in general and the ones that came for Mario and Zelda. As for reluctance, Nintendo will never be able to make a console as powerful as what Sony and Microsoft have coming out. They're not big enough, and lackluster online would kill off any hopes of that. Instead, they forge their own path to make whatever tickles their fancy, whether it's dual screens, touch screens, motion controls, balance boards, gamepad, and whatever else comes out. Whether successful or not, they will catch people's attention, and when you're pumping out something unique you're guaranteed to get some sort of following. So even if the Wii U is marked as a failure, which it won't, a few innovative tricks, quality of games from notable franchises, and Wii/DS cash reserves will keep Nintendo in the console business for some time at least.

I'd also point out Nintendo's usual philosophy is to only release systems when the tech is cheap enugh that they dont take a bath on it if it fails. (the Gamercube wasnt a success from a sales point of view, but Nintendo made profit on every single one of them)

Playstation and Xbox tend to take the opposing approach of putting out the newest and greatest at great loss to their bottom line (as both ps4 and xbox one cost a ton more to build than they sell them for) and hope the software makes up for it.

edited 25th Feb '14 2:51:04 PM by midgetsnowman

2001, apparently. It was going to look like a standard controller, at that.

On topic, I'd say that legacy is a powerful weapon.

Nostalgia. and Pokemon, yeah. As long as those two factors exist to draw in fanboys, the company won't die.

"And you must be Jonathan Joestar!" - Sue

They have girl fans as well.

I have a message from another time...

At the end of the day, their games are fun, and even if they're not Number 1 because of it, it's enough for them to succeed.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

Which is not to say that the other guys' games aren't fun.

I have a message from another time...

Nintendo is stuck in a weird rut. They really get along on nostalgia, a powerful legacy, and quality. As a whole, you buy Nintendo for Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon.^note Yeah, there's more, I know That's what you want and unfortunately, that's all you may ultimately get for your Nintendo system. They're going to be good games, if maybe a little too familiar for many of us.

edited 25th Feb '14 5:14:53 PM by Rotpar

"But don't give up hope. Everyone is cured sooner or later. In the end we shall shoot you." - O'Brien, 1984

x3 Exactly. They've continued to put out quality games, and they're a lot more consistent about it than some other companies have been. Also, their management doesn't suck. Looking at you, Square.

I think they've got their place in the industry as a whole, and it drives me crazy when people complain about how they haven't failed yet. They do their job well, after all. Just because those people think their games are for babies or whatever doesn't mean everyone else does. And you know, the "it's so kiddy!" excuse doesn't hold much water when it comes to games. Even if the story or the premise is childish (which is not inherently a bad thing!), the game itself can still be fun to play.

Which isn't to say that EVERYTHING Nintendo makes is "kiddy." They've got stuff like Fire Emblem and Metroid, and even things like Pokémon have plenty of darker bits. I've always considered their stuff to be more all-ages than meant strictly for kids.

edited 25th Feb '14 5:18:31 PM by SapphireBlue

Three things.

1) Nintendo's a good developer. Not every game they've made turned out great, but as a general rule, if you pick up a Nintendo game, you can expect it to be good

2) They've always had a good quality/price ratio. Gameboy especially. Their systems have always relatively cheap compared to their competitors. They've also been fairly sturdy, not succumbing to things like the red ring of death.

3) They're usually one of the first to do new ideas right. First great 3d platform (Mario 64) First good use of motion controls. Heck, their just about the only company before smartphones to do mobile gaming right.

[edit]

Sega made a lot of really bizarre decisions, like not having any communication between Sega of Japan and America.

edited 25th Feb '14 5:20:16 PM by Alichains

I'd say morality, personally. When they bring a company under their wing, they don't (completely) turn it to shit.

Waitasec...

...Hudson used to make consoles?

Insert witty 'n clever quip here.

Yeah Hudson and NEC made the Turbo Grafx-16/PC Engine.

Hudson was a first party developer of PC Engine titles but they still made NES games at the time.

NEC and Hudson had a partnership to create that console.

Batman Ninja more like Batman's Bizarre Adventure

Huh. I guess I never really considered who the developer of the Turbografix could be.

Insert witty 'n clever quip here.