Nintendo, What went wrong

[Thief]

Outside of missing dual analog setup, the N64 controller seemed more functional to me.

[Gogogadget]

Well, the NES had a giant robot, the SNES had a giant bazooka, the N64 had no games.

All odd gimmicks in their own right but they never forced them upon you like they do now, but those gimmicks cleverly hide the fact that Nintendo completely fail to ever produce anything worthwhile or good.

[Thief]

Him, yes, that's right. Forgot that the NES was originally pushed via that Rob the Robot gimmick. But did that Rob the Robot gimmick actually contribute to more NES sales?

[Axl Stone]

Hmm, kinda. Every Nintendo consoles has it's fair share of gimmicks, but they never used to get in the way as much as they do now.

I never saw the accessories on the older consoles as gimmicks because they weren't necessary, the Wiimote and the WiiU pad are gimmicks because they are the main focus of their consoles.

[Gogogadget]

Him, yes, that's right. Forgot that the NES was originally pushed via that Rob the Robot gimmick. But did that Rob the Robot gimmick actually contribute to more NES sales?

Probably not, however it was an excellent trick to get the NES into toy stores when just the words "video games" would sent retailers into shock at how much the industry had shot itself in the foot.

I never saw the accessories on the older consoles as gimmicks because they weren't necessary, the Wiimote and the WiiU pad are gimmicks because they are the main focus of their consoles.

Well, they are all technically 'gimmicks', just that the console itself didn't require you to utilise said gimmick other than those light gun games that had no controller support but who would complain at that? Light guns are a great gimmick.

[EclecticGroove]

Well, they are all technically 'gimmicks', just that the console itself didn't require you to utilise said gimmick other than those light gun games that had no controller support but who would complain at that? Light guns are a great gimmick.

Right, but that's all fine. It's one thing to ask people to buy an accessory to use for certain kinds of games (Light guns, Skylanders, Guitar Hero, etc).
It's a very different situation when talking about forcing them to have no choice, ever, but to have a gimmick tied to the console.

Although I do have to wonder if the success of Pokemon Go is going to maintain its popularity... and if so, how is that going to change Nintendo's focus, if at all.

[JCU]

Look at what it cost the average gamer in order to play the latest Nintendo console (Wii u) with a non-gimmick controller. You couldn't even make a dent in the total price by selling that awful game pad since you need it to some degree.

[NeoZeedeater]

But did that Rob the Robot gimmick actually contribute to more NES sales?

It's impossible to measure but I think ROB helped generate a lot of awareness of the system in the early years. In my experience back in '86, the NES stood out as "that new game system with the robot". It was a major feature of the early commercials. Mario didn't seem to gain massive mainstream popularity until a bit later with the SMB/Duck Hunt bundle.

[Gentlegamer]

ROB definitely helped Nintendo get retailer buyers to purchase the system for their stores off the "it's a toy" angle in a time when video games were retail poison.

[EyeDeeNo76]

Nintendo announces mini NES, launching this fall.

[Mad Moham]

Pokémon Go seems to be doing pretty well right now. I would never have imagined it would catch on in such a short space of time.

[NeoVamp]

Nintendo announces mini NES, launching this fall.

I hope this gets hacked so we can have one that has ALL the great games on it instead of just a couple.

[midnightrider]

ROB definitely helped Nintendo get retailer buyers to purchase the system for their stores off the "it's a toy" angle in a time when video games were retail poison.

Professor Terguson: I know that's the popular version of what went on there, and a lot of people would like to believe that.

Ask Coleco(I think, otherwise Mattel, I get the "vision" consoles confused) how poisonous it was to them.

[JCU]

Professor Terguson: I know that's the popular version of what went on there, and a lot of people would like to believe that.

Ask Coleco(I think, otherwise Mattel, I get the "vision" consoles confused) how poisonous it was to them.

There was a point when hardware and software were quite cheap but certain persuasions want you to believe you couldn't walk into a store and find anything to do with gaming. To listen to some people the shelves were bare until 1986 when the NES was offered.

[segarule]

Nintendo announces mini NES, launching this fall.

What if Sega launch Mini SMS?