Nintendo Comment On Alleged Problems

Thanks to GMR Magazine for their feature interviewing Nintendo executives about alleged issues with their console strategy, as "a sentiment spreading throughout the industry holds that Nintendo is marching its own way right out of the home-console business." Perrin Kaplan of Nintendo suggests there are three ways to look at her company's position: "One would be how we are doing financially, and we're clearly No. 1. Second, where are we perceptionwise, and we suffer being third there. And then the third is the actual reality of the market share, and I'd say that we're No. 2 worldwide." She also takes Xbox to task, suggesting Microsoft's console may be too adult-oriented: "They chose to pick a certain segment of the demographic, and Microsoft is having a heck of a time expanding out of that. That's their niche, the older guy."

Comments

Sounds right to me

[semprebon]

When we got a console for our kids, we picked GameCube over XBox for because GameCube seemed to have more kid-friendly games, so there is some truth in what he says.

On the other hand, being percived as more mature can't hurt XBox sales in the long run as those kids get older.

Nintendo isn't clueless after all

[cdneng2]

Perrin's pretty much hit the nail on the head on Nintendo's position in the console wars. It would seem that Nintendo's future looks much brighter for the holiday season... Let's see... #1 selling console in the United States right now, at $99. They probably have the largest number of anticipated games coming out for Xmas.... They're probably the "second" console of choice for gamers who want more then one console... plus they've got a stranglehold as being the "family" friendly game console.
Microsoft has been and will always be losing money on Xbox. Sony is losing profit in hardware sales because their console sales have eroded. Nintendo's has increased.
MSFT's marketing machine in North America is much more refined then even Sony's is. However, they also spent millions more then anyone else has in marketing (just because Bill can). Considering that Nintendo spends a fraction of MSFT's marketing cost promoting the Xbox, Nintendo's market cost per console sales makes it easier to sell the Cube at $99.
Also, Nintendo is in a nice niche right now. It doesn't need to compete for the "older" gamers. Why spend the marketing money? Let MSFT and Sony spend millions in marketing to slug it out for what's left of a saturated "older" gamer market.

and the problem is?

[li99sh79]

"They chose to pick a certain segment of the demographic, and Microsoft is having a heck of a time expanding out of that. That's their niche, the older guy."

uhm, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't "older" guys (and when I say older I'm talking twenties and thirties) the ones with the most disposable income and the time to actually play games? It seems to me that Microsoft is, or is trying to at least, steal away the "Nintendo" generation. The kids who grew up playing NES and SNES. Worked with me at least. It might be a niche, but it's a hell of a niche to have cornered.

-sam

Rated "E" mean "Everyone"

[Snowmit]

Game Cube is having serious issues with their appeal to the older, say teenage to adult, crowd. Many of my gaming comrades believe that the game cube controller is shaped in a perculiar way for a reason ; to be shoved up the mother's cervix in order to reach it's intended audience.

Oh, puu-leeze. The only people concerned with "looking adult" are teens who are so worried about looking like a kid that they deny themselves fun things because a kid might enjoy them too. Real adults have stopped caring about whether or not we look like kids and will do fun things because they are fun. Nintendo's games are fun. And cheap!