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Sales Data Indicates GameCube Underperforming
MikeT writes "FileFront is reporting that Nintendo's GameCube underperformed in 2004 and this holiday season by almost half! While Nintendo's spokespeople remain mum, the reporter from FileFront claims that Nintendo's beloved console's numbers are dwindling, quoting industry professionals and reputed sales figures. Clip: "The early word hardly looks promising. Market information group NPD Funworld put GameCube console sales at 350,000 for November 2004, far behind Xbox's 708,000 and PS2's 694,000."" We ran a related story recently discussing the possibility of UK retailers dumping the system.
Where were the Gamecube's must-have titles this Christmas? Metroid Prime 2 was pretty much the only even vaguely significant name. The PS2 had San Andreas and it's usual hordes of 3rd-party games, the X-Box had Halo 2 and KOTOR 2. The Gamecube had a sequel to a game whose first incarnation, despite critical praise, had received distinctly divided opinion from customers. With fewer and fewer third party and cross-platform titles, epic waits between increasingly formulaic first-party titles (cf. Mario Sunshine and Mario Kart Double Dash) and still no online services worth mentioning, you have to wonder whether Nintendo actually want to stay competative in the "desktop" console market.
Yes, Nintendo is still profitable for the moment, but I'm starting to doubt whether they really have the drive they'll need to stay that way, in a world of ever-increasing development costs and customer expectations.
Oh well, I guess I'm about to lose yet more karma to the usual slashdot Nintendo-fanboy horde. Let them go on modding down the truth until the day the facts finally hit home.
I don't think this is really a big surprise, For quite some time Nintendo has been the Apple of the games industry; high quality products that typically only sell to a niche fanbase.
Both Apple and Nintendo have wildly sucessful portable units, both typically release their products in a variety of colors, both remain profitable, both won't be going away any time soon.
In addition to the already stated points about how there wasn't really anything to buy for the GameCube this Christmas aside from Metroid Prime 2 (which had a very hard time against the overwhelming hype over GTA:SA and Halo 2), you can really blame the retailers. They've long since relegated the GameCube to 3rd place, and they'll only market it as an afterthought.
Next time you see an ad on TV for Walmart's electronics section, note what logos you see in the background. It's always the Xbox and the PS2. Walk into an EB or a GameStop, and the GameCube section is always in the back (not really a smart move from a merchandising perspective). Up until recently, the GameCube was always neck-and-neck with the Xbox, but just like how the media loves to see a hero fall, the game retailer executives love to see a new player take an old one down. They were happy to see Sega fall, and they helped.
What's interesting is that the GameCube's underwhelming performance is contributing more to the "Nintendo is doomed!" naysayers, and yet the hot holiday item this year was the Nintendo DS...
"Mod, mod, mod...and another troll bites the dust."
Sorry Beny but it seems like you aren't up to speed on your console history. Better luck next time.
Oh - why did you mention the store you were in and the time you were in? Who cares?
THIS ACCOUNT IS OFFICIALLY RETIRED/RETARDED.
Karma be damned...
I don't know what the deal is, but Nintendo needs to get their fucking act together with the GCN.
Look back at the SNES days: a huge number of games spanning every genre. Awesome first and third party support. Far, far fewer instances of Nintendo's franchise whoring. The SNES has, in my opinion, the best game lineup any console's ever had. Even today, I find myself spending more time with SNES9x than I do my GCN.
What the hell has Nintendo done? Is there a cultural difference at the company? Do developers have the perception that everything on the GCN needs to be aimed at the 10-and-under crowd?
Nintendo's got the hardware - the Gamecube is so sleek and well-made that it makes the PS2 and Xbox sseem downright amateurish in comparison. Their stance on online support is asinine. Yes, having a bunch of friends over to play is more fun than online multiplayer, but for many of us that don't have gamer friends, live far away from our gamer friends, or aren't 8 years old, having our friends over after school to play Pokemon, at the very least online multiplayer would let us play)!
The fact that the GCN's sales are poor shouldn't suprise anyone. In this generation of the consoles wars, Nintendo strutted out with the most awesome equipment there was, and then promptly impaled themselves on their own sword.
I think it's too late for the GCN. Let's hope Nintendo stops catering to the Pokemon demographic with the Revolution, and goes back to their old SNES days.
Year to date console sales as of 12/26: ...looks like the GC isn't doing that bad. The Xbox on the otherhand...
Nintendo DS 1,286,074
GameBoy Advance SP 2,530,961
PlayStation 2 2,691,666
GameCube 696,839
PlayStation Portable 352,295
GameBoy Advance 198,025
Xbox 37,083
PSone 14,029
Swan Crystal 7,464
If you think education is expensive, you should try ignorance -- Derek Bok, president of Harvard
No one looks at sales numbers and says, "I think this bestselling console will be my favourite." No one goes, "Well, you know, I would've bought a Gamecube, but they're losing in the marketplace, you know? It's got all these games I lust after, but, it's just not the #1 console." You have already made your decision about which console(s) to like, based on factors which are actually important.
Just enjoy your fucking games, however you play them. Shut up about numbers. They don't fucking matter.
I love Nintendo. From the SNES to the N64 to the Gamecube, not to mention the Gameboy series, I've never really found a need to look toward other consoles for my enjoyment (well, except dancing.* Damn you, DDR!)
For all that, I have many reasons to scoff at them. Someone commented once, long ago, that it looked like they had very different companies running the Gamecube and the Game boy divisions.
Here we have the Game Boy. People wanted it slimmer. Alrighty, here's a Game Boy Pocket. People want color. Game Boy Colors are now for sale! And when they came out with the Game Boy Advance, everyone was drooling and patting them on the back and giving them 'at a boys'... except for one thing: "I can't play in the dark!"
Boom, Game Boy Advance SP. It seems that the Game Boy side listens, and listens well.
The Gamecube side doesn't seem to hear much. Someone earlier in this thread posted the numbers in Japan, where the XBox doesn't hold a candle to the Gamecube. Hell, the Dreamcast was selling better. It seems that they are doing all they can to appeal to the Japanese consumers with inventive, quirky games (Monkey Ball (yes, third party,) Donkey Konga,) while ignoring the fact that Japan and America are two very different markets.
Don't get me wrong; I love Mario. I can't wait for the next Zelda (you're going to see a huge sales jump when that comes out.) I just picked up Pokemon Colosseum. But when you look at American gamers as a whole, they are into the more 'mature' games- Grand Theft Auto, Halo, etc. Nintendo, while not a kiddie console by any means, still has most of it's appeal to the younger generation.
Where's another Eternal Darkness? I recently picked that up, and have played through it once. If that had been a 3rd generation game, I don't think anything could have trumped it. The controls, the story, the entire thing is awesome. It only lacked in the graphics department (flat textures, bumpy character models.) If it had come out later, nothing would have rivaled it.
One of my other things about Nintendo is that they should be leading any kind of gaming revolution (pun intended.) They have their big fat cash cow, the Game Boy, so they should be able to pump some money into new ideas, and be able to take the financial hit if it happens. But they're being a bit too careful.
Of course, I still hold the opinion that the Gamecube is a throw-away product. It was meant to try and make up for the tragedies of the N64, while still being careful. Even if they don't sell the most, they are still making a large wad of cash, because they aren't shorting themselves on the console price. I think they're using the GCN to test the waters, see where edges are, and the info they gather now will be used to make the Revolution trump everything when it comes out.
*Yes, I know there's that new dance game for the Gamecube, but the song list looks like a Billboard Top 40. It looks for shit. I want my quirky Japanese songs, dammit!
I think Nintendo didn't push the cube this xmas on purpose. I think what they really wanted to do is push the DS. If they can effectively cut off the PSP from making inroads into the portable market, then Nintendo will have secured their profits for many years to come. Ofcourse, this is only one man's theory.
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