Should I stay or should I go?
31 May 05

Man, I'm stupid. I probably don't have to tell any of you that. I saw that Forrester Research has put together a 3 page long "quick take" on Nintendo. They're charging $50 for it. I could pump out one of those a week. I'm tempted to spend the money to get it to see if they really have that much that I couldn't do. Fortunately, I'm a gamer, so that'd be turning down a game to get a report. Not likely. Still, if anyone needs some gaming analysis done cheap, let me know.

Don't worry, I'll still be doing this site. It seems most people and companies like going to reputable professionals for their analytical needs. Go figure.

Anyway, their executive summary implies Nintendo should at least consider dumping the mainline console hardware business. Certainly its reasonable to look at that. It would be a bonus for gamers as that would be one less console they have to buy (and the assorted accessories). The question is would the move actually benefit Nintendo?

It's not as simple as it sounds. Yes, Nintendo would have access to a larger installed base of gamers. It would be easier for most of those gamers to now enjoy Nintendo properties. But Nintendo would give up a lot as well. They would give up all the hardware and accessories sales. They would give up licensing fees for third party games and accessories.

Those might balance out, but there's one thing that's not quite so clear. Sure Zelda would sell big, but would Nintendo be able to hold on to its fan base for smaller titles? Right now Nintendo created games stand out as quality titles on the Gamecube. They also stand out due to the less crowded release schedule on the cube.

It's unclear that Mario Golf would fare as well when competing against Tiger Woods, Ubi Golf, Links, Hot Shots and Outlaw Golf on the PS3. It's not that it wouldn't sell, but would it sell as well or better? Nintendo's hits may be system sellers, but the real money comes from all the other games that perhaps wouldn't appear as AAA titles on the multiplatform market.

Sega fans haven't proven themselves to be overly loyal to Sega as a software company. Arguably Sega quality had gone down, but without the nifty sheen of exclusivity, titles have had to perform more on their merits. Then there's the question of production schedules. Without the steady income streams from other titles and licensing fees, would continual delays be as easy for management to swallow? Usually when schedules are compressed quality suffers.

I may not like Nintendo's strategy (at least as much as they've announced thus far) for the next generation, but I'll probably be one of the last to call for them to go software only. Of course, I might just be trying to back up my assertion that competition is good for gamers.

Jason