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Cisco Eyeing Tivo/Nintendo for Buyout?
We've already covered Cisco's push into the home electronics market, but CNet is reporting that they may be planning even bigger purchases to come. The article speculates that Cisco may be planning on purchasing Tivo or Nintendo to add to their growing portfolio of companies. From the article: " Another possible acquisition candidate for Cisco is Nintendo, the No. 3 game console maker in the U.S. A stretch? Not really. Microsoft, which is emerging as a key competitor to Cisco in the home entertainment market, is already in this market with the Xbox 360. Gaming has already proved to be a strong application for broadband, so it makes sense that Cisco would want to own a game device to help drive more traffic on its network. With its popular GameBoy product, Nintendo would also provide Cisco an entree into the mobile-handheld market." Some commentary at GameDailyBiz, which finds it unlikely that Nintendo would sell to Cisco.
Didn't Microsoft try to buyout Nintendo a while ago and get spit on?
Easy BitCoins
Am going to have to get another CCNA (Certified Cicso Nintendo Administrator) certification.
Is it just me, or do you hate it when people say "Is it just me..."?
TiVo is sueing Dish over "time warp" patent. Smith Barney thinks TiVo has a 70-90% chance of winning the case. Why would TiVo enter any equity agreement when it is likely to be worth much more soon after the trial ( March 2006 )?
you know... wrote the thong song.
So if Cisco were to buy TiVo what would be the result? Here are some possibilities:
1. Mandatory Jazz music soundtrack while in Menus and while fast forwarding.
2. Higher cost (everything is worth more with a Cisco label on it).
3. Different TiVo features will now be ala-carte, pay extra for HMF (again), pay extra for IR Blaster funcionality.
4. The only networking configurations that will be supported is if EVERY piece networking & voice component in your house is a Cisco product, your'e on your own if you have a D-Link or SMC broadband router or a Motorla set top box.
Amusing, but the real question is: Who's writing this CRAP?
Many a-company has tried to purchase Nintendo. The answer has always been "No". While Nintendo may be third in the American console market, this soundly ignores the presence of the Nintendo DS as well as Nintendo's strength in Japan. Not to mention that Nintendo is the only company that is profitable as just a game company. The other players are running on ultra-tight margins (Microsoft loses money) while Nintendo sits back and enjoys a stogie.
This has got to be some of the worst rumor-mill crud that Slashdot has ever reported. I'd complain about CNet reporting it, but we lost them a LONG time ago.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Cistendo? Nintenco? Nincisco? Nisco? Nintencis?
"There's some denial about the interview after the fact now"
It's a known outright fabrication. The only source for it was a supposed issue of Wired that doesn't contain it.
Cisco would want to own a game device to help drive more traffic on its network.
What network is that? I thought they made hardware. Wouldn't the traffic be carried by the DSL or cable providers?
Seriously, I could not imagine a worse scenario. Nintendo is the only game company left who places fun, gameplay, and design over advertising, hype, and corporate greed. The gaming industry is dying slowly and turning into a mini-hollywood and the pervasiveness of ad's in games and lack of innovation in favor of sequels and making the biggest grab for money and power does nothing to further gaming.
Nintendo stays true to its roots, and wavers for no one or no money. They have a quirky business set-up but it works, to turn that into a carbon copy American corporation would ruin everything that makes Nintendo Nintendo. I would be deeply saddened to hear news of Cisco purchasing Nintendo, and I can only hope that the Revolution is a great success and sale of the company would be out of the question. That would be the darkest day in gaming of all time.
http://teasphere.wordpress.com - A little spot of tea
Uhm, yeah. That makes just about as much sense as an asphalt producer buying Ford so that its cars would drive up the demand for pavement.
As someone who has been working in Japan for several years, in the game industry, I cant begin to explain how ridiculous this sounds.
Nintendo is a 107 year old company. It has been lead by the same family for generations, and their mployees are extremely proud. They were there before video games existed, and they most likely will be there long after video games are gone.
I am not sure if its a cultural thing, but the assumption that everything is for sale is quite irritating.
Market Capitalization-? symb=CSCO
t ory=7930
Cisco= $114 billion- http://money.cnn.com/quote/snapshot/snapshot.html
Nintendo= $18.5 billion- http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?s
I don't think Nintendo is going to buy Cisco.
It would be just like Palm and 3COM, elagant and beatuful designs crushed under a layers and layers of clueless management and indecision strangling innovation until the design is irrelavant.
Why don't they buy SEGA instead. We can finally get ehternet adaptors for our dreamcasts!
Cisco is all about the network.
Theory 1:
I bet small changes could be made to Tivo to make it much more of a video on demand box. These changes could be done in such a way that the Tivo is much more dependant on the network for it's content. High network utilization is good for Cisco.
Thoery 2:
They own Scientific Atlanta which (last I knew) is one of the major vendors of cable set-top boxes. Including Tivo in a set-top box would be good for sales I would think, even if it's just because Tivo has a good "brand."
Theory 3: (Theory 1 + Theory 2) = Theory 3.
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
Part of it is the pride they have in being an independent company since 1889. In Nintendo's eyes, Cisco is a fucking infant.
-=-=-=-=-=
I'd rather be flamed than ignored.
I vote that someone buy both TiVo and Nintendo. I don't care that Microsoft is pushing for the X-Box an all-in-one media center. The holy grail of media centers will be my new NinTeVo Revolution Series 3.
I'm looking forward to the Japanese imports such as "Doodle Doodle Doodle" where you have to draw mustaches as fast as you can on the incoming TV feed.
If this signature is witty enough, maybe somebody will like me.
Yeah but selling NOA is not selling the entire company. NOA technically is a seperate entity. Not saying they will sell it. But if they do, that part is what they will sell.
Just off the top of my head, I know they own Scientific Atlanta, which is pretty much the big gun of set-top CATV boxes. They've lost a little to Motorola in the digital cable area, but they're still a major player.
Conclusion: the Empire squashes the Federation like a bug. Accept it.
First of all, how is Cisco competing with anyone in the home entertainment market? Because of Sci-Atlanta and Linksys? Yes, you can play games on the internet via a Linksys router, and watch cable TV via a cable box. These do not make you a player in the home entertainment industry. In fact, Sci-At has been making cable boxes for DECADES, and I never search out their brand over someone elses. Does anyone even CARE who makes a cable box?
As for the purchase of Nintendo... I say fat chance. Aside from the fact that Nintendo is no small company (in Japan, they are still QUITE large) with a LOT of IP to purchase in the deal, I believe the cultural background of Nintendo would prevent them from selling to such a company... or really selling at all unless they were in dire straights.
Honestly, the whole article doesn't really seem to have much base in reality. Can anyone enlighten me if I missed out on something really big?
Disney/Pixar to buy out Nintendo so Apple can aquire a games console platform to move into the living room. Taco Bell to buy out Depends diapers for adults because the two seem to go hand in hand after a stuffed burrito. See, I can do it too, it's a lot of fun.
Cisco want a 100+ year old playing card company anyway?
If you ignore the other uses of a tool, does that make the tool less useful, or you less useful?
The cartridges were *big*. :-o
NINTENDISCO!!!
Well, certainly Nintendo would owe it to shareholders to consider any offers. Whether the Japanese investing market is given these considerations is another matter. I suspect the management of Japanese companies has considerably more power than in US chartered corporations. The fact that the DS is doing well and that Nintendo is turning a profit is only a sign that the company is valuable, not that it is priceless.
Even if Nintendo was in the number one spot, they'd still be the primary purchasing target, for obvious reasons. Sony and MS are simply to big to purchase. Infinium is simply 90 percent hype, 10 percent delivery. However, the company isn't a good matchup for Nintendo. Cisco would have to substantially be involved with the design of whatever next hardware comes out to make anything positive happen for either side. I don't know the Cisco culture, but I'd imagine there'd be some communication problems if they tried it.
I wouldn't be surprised however if Cisco purchased Alienware.
I Browse at +4 Flamebait
Open Source Sysadmin
Cisco should buy Nabisco too! Then they could call the company: Ninabicisco!
After that, it's only a matter of buying the rights to John Travolta's movies, and they could then be a true media company:
Ninabicidisco. Home entertainment, home networking, home food, and home music. A true media conglomerate.
Uh, no.
Nintendo has reported a whopping 1 quarter in the last, like, 75 years where they didn't show a profit.
They are the market leader in handheld consoles...and have been for about 20 years. They have beaten Sega, Atari, and Sony at this game. Not to mention numerous others like the n-gage and wonderswan.
Unlike the competition, they only sell thier consoles at a profit. Sony and MS take a hit - either initially or during the entire lifepan of the system.
They aren't going anywhere.
If I said I was going to purchase Nintendo, would you write a slashdot story about me? I didn't think so, because I couldn't buy Nintendo. Neither could Cisco.
Thanks a lot. Now I have the image of a sweaty Italian plumber dressed like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
I shan't be sleeping tonight...
It had information that the driver needed but its reason d'etre (pretentious moi!) was the longer scenic routes that were offered as an alternative. While we are at it the early US car companies financed roads as well.
Help fight continental drift.