nintendo skips E3 this year

[Knuckle Duster]

The usual doom and gloom Nintendo discussions are always comical. Nintendo is not having the typical one big conference and that is somehow bad. Microsoft and Sony both will have officially announced their new consoles away from E3 yet that is acceptable? Explain.

People who can look outside of the box see the insignificance in the lack of one big Nintendo press conference. Apparently all three companies understand E3 isn't the end all, be all for gaming announcements. If it were as monumental as people suggest, Sony wouldn't have officially announced its system on their own nor would Microsoft schedule their console reveal for next month.

Being frank, the past few E3's have been lack luster to say the least.

Sony and Microsoft will showcase their consoles, and their software lineup. Nintendo will have a booth for the press to wander in and play it's software without any broad announcement for them to focus and draw attention for.

The doom and gloom is justified, we're looking at a company that is barely going to break even, and keep pace with it's Gamecube hardware. The market has moved on so that kids are gaming and sharing features online with things like Skylanders, and they're perfectly fine with playing games on an iPad. Older kids want to emulate the habits of teenagers to be cool and will carry on their Xbox or Playstation loyalty... I've seen more than my fair share of 10 year olds running around talking about Call of Duty because they look up to the mountain dew chugging 15 year old with the headset on as he curses at his highschool buddies.

It's Nintendo doing the same old thing, they expect adults to open their wallets, and buy their toys (which are now expensive, and offer no media center features, or software selection) to get the kids excited. Milking nostalgia from their legacy as a company that knows how to make great games. The problem is that there's nothing new or appealing about it.


What most of you are missing in the middle of this doom and gloom argument?

Japan. There are almost no games announced as coming out for the Wii U in Japan right now. It's worse there than anywhere else despite having Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter. So, yeah. It's justified. The market has changed. E3 should matter to them. It's a chance to step in the right direction and show off reasons to buy their hardware.

[Lan Di]

Mock my words, Nintendo will eventually discontinue the WiiU, abandon the home console business, and concentrate on handhelds. If I'm wrong, then oh well. Nintendo wont be at E3 because THEY AIN'T GOT SHIT to combat Sony and Microsoft for 2013. Fuckin' HD Windwaker cannot save the Wii-U. Microsoft will release the new cheaper Xbox 360 for $99.00 link--->http://www.oxm.co.uk/51962/rumour-xb...-360-stingray/ later this year and this will leave the WiiU in a truly fucked up situation. If the WiiU actually survives and becomes profitable, that will indeed be either be a miracle, or Nintendo finally decided to get it's head out of it's arrogant ass.

[JCU]

E3 is supposedly the big time for video games yet both MS and Sony decided to bypass this event for revealing their new console(s) and I would think the reveal of a next generation console would be done where it will most benefit exposure. When both companies do indeed show off their new console(s) at E3 I think it will feel like watching a blockbuster movie for the second time. Of course Nintendo needs to change it's position with the Wii U but it's not as if gamers aren't aware of what's to come. We get directs every now and again that keeps everyone abreast of the situation.

The person above me thinks Nintendo won't be at E3. Can someone enlighten him.

[Lan Di]

The person above me thinks Nintendo won't be at E3. Can someone enlighten him.

Hey, call me Lan Di . JCU, I understand that Nintendo will be behind closed doors, and will not have a command presence like M$ and Sony. Outwardly, Nintendo will have kiosks and stuff, but that's about it. This is like showing up for a job interview and not really selling yourself for the position. Nintendo will be the job applicant speaking gibberish and not will not get noticed, while Sony and M$ will convince the whole world that they have what it takes to get the job done.

I'm sorry if I stepped on some Nintendo fanboy toes.

[kool kitty89]

Should have paid miyamoto more. Nintendo used to produce good quality games on their own which they could release exclusively for their consoles. In my opinion once you have to rely on third party support, you're already failing. The game system is nothing without good games.

Unless there's direct collaboration of some sort with those 3rd parties as such. (including commissioned/outsourced stuff, but also 3rd party developed stuff with some other sort of ties to the hardware manufacturer)

Sony and Microsoft will showcase their consoles, and their software lineup. Nintendo will have a booth for the press to wander in and play it's software without any broad announcement for them to focus and draw attention for.

The doom and gloom is justified, we're looking at a company that is barely going to break even, and keep pace with it's Gamecube hardware. The market has moved on so that kids are gaming and sharing features online with things like Skylanders, and they're perfectly fine with playing games on an iPad. Older kids want to emulate the habits of teenagers to be cool and will carry on their Xbox or Playstation loyalty... I've seen more than my fair share of 10 year olds running around talking about Call of Duty because they look up to the mountain dew chugging 15 year old with the headset on as he curses at his highschool buddies.

Hardware wise, they've finally moved away from the ancient Gamecube tech . . . if it wasn't for the weak CPU, the WiiU would have been a decent jump ahead from last-gen hardware at least (more-so than the Wii vs 6th gen at least), though still quite low-end and underpowered compared to even budget-build gaming PCs. (and obviously weaker than the upcoming Sony and MS offerings too . . . though they'd have had a 1 year lead at least, and potentially could have had the best versions of multiplatform console releases for that year -on top of potential added hardware gimmicks)

From what I've gathered on the issue, the weak CPU may have been more a power consumption (and heat -and form factor) related decision than a technical issue of CPU stability/yields. Had the performance been more like the preproduction development systems (going by developer comments), the platform would have a lot more potential for mainstream games. (a fair number of which would be CPU bottlenecked)


Nintendo has never been a master of 1st party software . . . at least in terms of volume, and certainly nowhere near enough to drive any of its platforms single-handedly (though they certainly made up a chunk of must-have titles and killer apps for their consoles). So if that quality and low quantity is maintained, they'll still have to see decent 3rd party support on top of that. (as it it, they do seem to be lagging on the 1st party front too, though)
The rising competition in the handheld market has obviously hurt them too, losing their former monopoly on that front. (I kind of wonder if they've considered competing more directly with the phone/tablet-gaming market . . . or focusing more on the niche of handheld consoles specifically -as of yet, there still isn't particularly good support for proper handheld controls on android/apple mobile platforms, and the touch interface alone has real limitations)

[JCU]

All three companies need to be held to the same criteria though and all three seem to be going against the grain when it comes to E3. Lets face it and realize E3 isn't what is used to be. The last few have been disappointing to say the least.

Sony and MS will have the atypical one big conference a piece while Nintendo will break it down into small presentations instead of one. Six of one and a half dozen of the other......

[Knuckle Duster]

All three companies need to be held to the same criteria though and all three seem to be going against the grain when it comes to E3. Lets face it and realize E3 isn't what is used to be. The last few have been disappointing to say the least.

Sony and MS will have the atypical one big conference a piece while Nintendo will break it down into small presentations instead of one. Six of one and a half dozen of the other......

We're saying is that Nintendo is obviously in dire straights, and it can't afford to step away from an all encompassing trade show filled with the customers it needs to reach out to, for the sake of smaller direct conferences and news feeds that reach out to customers who already bought their hardware; without looking even more clueless toward the current gaming market.

Whether or not E3 is important or useless to everybody is not the point. It's easiest to see the potential usefulness of it for anybody in Nintendo's situation.

[Drakon]

Unless there's direct collaboration of some sort with those 3rd parties as such. (including commissioned/outsourced stuff, but also 3rd party developed stuff with some other sort of ties to the hardware manufacturer)

Well okay fine, but nintendo used to hire a lot of game development talent, which produced their best titles and is the real reason why they succeeded at all. Without good games a console is like an expensive brick.

Hey, call me Lan Di . JCU, I understand that Nintendo will be behind closed doors, and will not have a command presence like M$ and Sony. Outwardly, Nintendo will have kiosks and stuff, but that's about it. This is like showing up for a job interview and not really selling yourself for the position. Nintendo will be the job applicant speaking gibberish and not will not get noticed, while Sony and M$ will convince the whole world that they have what it takes to get the job done.

I'm sorry if I stepped on some Nintendo fanboy toes.

You speak the truth.

[Bottino]

Unless there's direct collaboration of some sort with those 3rd parties as such. (including commissioned/outsourced stuff, but also 3rd party developed stuff with some other sort of ties to the hardware manufacturer)



Hardware wise, they've finally moved away from the ancient Gamecube tech . . . if it wasn't for the weak CPU, the WiiU would have been a decent jump ahead from last-gen hardware at least (more-so than the Wii vs 6th gen at least), though still quite low-end and underpowered compared to even budget-build gaming PCs. (and obviously weaker than the upcoming Sony and MS offerings too . . . though they'd have had a 1 year lead at least, and potentially could have had the best versions of multiplatform console releases for that year -on top of potential added hardware gimmicks)

From what I've gathered on the issue, the weak CPU may have been more a power consumption (and heat -and form factor) related decision than a technical issue of CPU stability/yields. Had the performance been more like the preproduction development systems (going by developer comments), the platform would have a lot more potential for mainstream games. (a fair number of which would be CPU bottlenecked)


Nintendo has never been a master of 1st party software . . . at least in terms of volume, and certainly nowhere near enough to drive any of its platforms single-handedly (though they certainly made up a chunk of must-have titles and killer apps for their consoles). So if that quality and low quantity is maintained, they'll still have to see decent 3rd party support on top of that. (as it it, they do seem to be lagging on the 1st party front too, though)
The rising competition in the handheld market has obviously hurt them too, losing their former monopoly on that front. (I kind of wonder if they've considered competing more directly with the phone/tablet-gaming market . . . or focusing more on the niche of handheld consoles specifically -as of yet, there still isn't particularly good support for proper handheld controls on android/apple mobile platforms, and the touch interface alone has real limitations)

Rep'd.
Also, i have never been a huge Nintendo enthusiastic, as most of their games never appealed to me that much. However, i think that everyone that's into gaming , and especially most of us who really enjoys old-school ones, wants Nintendo kicking around.
No Sega and Nintendo?Just Sony and Microsoft?

[TVC 15]

I dont think I've ever seen a company flap its arms around so much whilst failing to execute on any strategy. I think Nintendo just did a Sega Saturn and rushed whatever luke-warm leftovers they had to the dinner party.

[JCU]

We're saying is that Nintendo is obviously in dire straights, and it can't afford to step away from an all encompassing trade show filled with the customers it needs to reach out to, for the sake of smaller direct conferences and news feeds that reach out to customers who already bought their hardware; without looking even more clueless toward the current gaming market.

Whether or not E3 is important or useless to everybody is not the point. It's easiest to see the potential usefulness of it for anybody in Nintendo's situation.

People act as if Nintendo will be absent from E3 and that simply isn't the case. I'm getting the impression that a few here didn't read much past the headlines of Nintendo not having one large press conference. Reading the press releases from Nintendo is self explanatory.

[sketch]

We're saying is that Nintendo is obviously in dire straights, and it can't afford to step away from an all encompassing trade show filled with the customers it needs to reach out to, for the sake of smaller direct conferences and news feeds that reach out to customers who already bought their hardware; without looking even more clueless toward the current gaming market.

Whether or not E3 is important or useless to everybody is not the point. It's easiest to see the potential usefulness of it for anybody in Nintendo's situation.

I don't know how important E3 is these days, but I agree it's a bad sign Nintendo isn't showing up. They might not have much up their sleeve that will generate much excitement. I also agree they are in trouble. The Wii U seems to have met with a lukewarm response, and that's in an environment where there is no "next gen" competition. It's not going to get better for them when the PS4 and XboxWhatever come out. Historically, this has never been a problem for Nintendo, as they've always had a monopoly on handhelds that has made them tons of money. This has seen them through the console misfires (N64, Gamecube). However, that's no longer the case. They still hold a monopoly on the dedicated gaming handheld, but that market is shrinking as it competes with tablet and phone gaming. A smaller market means smaller revenues. Even though the 3DS is selling well, it can't match the success of the original DS. The market for dedicated handhelds is on the downhill side, and may go the way of the digital camera. Even worse, the competition from tablets/phones has divided developer resources, as people realize they can make tons of money in those arenas. The tablet/phone market has also given rise to the indie developer, something that has been traditionally left out of handhelds and which may reinvigorate gaming.

I don't think Nintendo is going to go away any time soon, but they are in serious trouble and need to reevaluate their business. This is going to be a difficult time for all of the "big three" console makers, as the market in general definitely seems to be shifting and dollars for gaming in general are shrinking. There may well be some casualties in the next "next gen" console wars.