Nintendo says that sales of its GameCube console are coming in we (1 Viewer)

[Allen_Appel]

Allen, you said "if they abandoned hardware" originally. So now you're changing it to "if they abandoned hardware except handhelds"? That's quite different to what you said before.

It was my understanding we were discussing the GameCube or future Nintendo home-consoles. Surely nobody is suggesting that Nintendo is suffering in the handheld console market.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Im still amazed that so far no-one has really mounted a serious challenge to Nintendo by releasing a killer handheld system ...

People have tried - Atari's Lynx, Sega's GameGear and Nomad, Tiger's Game.com NEC portable TurboGrafx 16 - but the early ones were too expensive/bulky despite being in color/spiffier, and the later ones' libraries couldn't compare. And I think the Nomad was a Toys R Us exclusive.

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Sony within the next year or so comes up with a way to make a "Playstation Walkman" that can sell for the same price as a GBA SP. I think it's more likely that you'll see more all-in-one devices like the N-Gage or Palm devices crowd into the market, though - when the price of a color Palm that can play MP3s gets into the GBA range, it could become a pretty appealling platform.

 

[Masood Ali]

An update on the N-Gage - Nokia Europe reps, when asked about the price of the unit, said it would debut at under 500 Euros.

So who wants to shell out $499 for Nokia's GBA eater?

 

[Chris Duran]

Here's some sales figures from the Gamecube and past Nintendo home systems:

2001 Fiscal report:
March 31, 2001 - March 31, 2002
3.8 million consoles sold

2002 Fiscal report:
March 31, 2002 - March 31, 2003
5.6 million consoles sold

Total GCN sales confirmed by Nintendo for their investors:
9.4 million consoles sold

GCN vs past Nintendo consoles in terms of percentage

GCN: 9,400,000
58,870,000 game units sold
Drop of 71.5% in console user-base. Drop of 73.5% in game units sold (remember GCN has reached over just 1 year.)
6.26 games attach rate

N64: 32,920,000 (28.5%)
224,290,000 game units sold
Gain of 3% in console user-base. Gain of 17.8% in unit sales.
6.81 games attach rate

SNES: 31,930,000 (29.4%)
184,210,000 game units sold
Drop of 25% in console user-base. Drop of 32% in game unit sales.
5.76 games attach rate

NES: 42,560,000 (22.0%)
274,150,000 game units sold
6.44 games attach rate

Based on 2003 fiscal press release, 2002 fiscal report and 2001 fiscal report.

CONSOLES sales no GBA, GB, GBASP listed.

 

[CameronS]

And speaking of the complaints about Nintendo using the smaller disc for their Gamecube games....

Wouldn't it be cool if the successor to the Game Boy Advance played GAMECUBE DISCS? They are just the right size. Hmmm...

edit: I just noticed Allen said the same thing

 

[Joe Szott]

Now if the GBA2 played GC discs/games, that I would buy for $150...

 

[MikeAlletto]

Now if the GBA2 played GC discs/games, that I would buy for $150...

I don't know, I mean how easy would it be to play 3d based games on a small portable screen? Not to mention having to manage all those buttons. I would think it would be rather annoying.

 

[DaveGTP]

Im still amazed that so far no-one has really mounted a serious challenge to Nintendo by releasing a killer handheld system ... maybe Microsoft and/or Sony will at some point.

Most recently, it was called the Neo Geo Pocket Color And the Bandai Wonderswan Color in Japan, with portable FF games. Both crushed by the giant mini system.

A portable that played the same games as the current console (gamecube discs) would really clinch the market. It seems like the GBA player is almost a way to do this without losing the addtn'l revenue of doing a Gamecube portable. They don't do it probably because of the massive revenue generated from GBC/GBA. I heard that they developed a handheld N64 that will never see the light of day for profit reasons like this.
I think the Game boy player may teeter some extra people over the edge on buying a GC. If my fiancee hadn't bought hers last year, I would be buying one to go with my few GBA games that I really want on a bigger screen. Dragon Warrior remixes on the TV where they belong, yeyah.

 

[Dalila]

Actually, no one has as I stated before ever mounted a "credible" effort to try and topple the GameBoy.

The wonderswan was never meant to try and take the market, as it was not billed that way. In addition, even so in Japan it still took 20% of N's GB market share.

The neo-geo pocket, again a product from a small company with limited resources, and titles.

Only semi-serious attempt was made wayyyy back in time by Atari and Sega, but again neither devoted much resources to it, and at the time Nintendo had a number of companies locked up. So again... not a "credible" attempt.

I said this before, I will say it again... If a company, especially say one like SONY... (I pick Sony over MS b/c they have the credibility with the Japanese gamer)... were to put forth a credible portable system... Nintendo's days could possibly be numbered.

The Game Boy has always been their most lucrative product, and even helped float them over the troubled N64 times.

The way to hurt Nintendo (from a corporate standpoint)is through the Game Boy/GBA/GBASP.

 

[paul h]

As far as i see it Nintendo have drip fed us hand held technology in the same way mobile phones have, i can well believe they had a portable N64 or at least the technology sometime back. Every new Gameboy they bring out slowly ups the performance but not in any huge leaps and without serious competition they dont need to ... IMHO Sony are in the perfect position to challenge them now, with an enormous catalogue of PSOne titles to tap into and the huge brand name that Playstation has.

 

[BrianB]

I heard that they developed a handheld N64 that will never see the light of day for profit reasons like this.

Got a link? I know people have created their own hacky "portable" N64s & PSXs, but I've never heard of Nintendo seriously developing anything themselves.

As an aside, I'd love to see how the control was planned for it

 

[Masood Ali]

It's true, Sony could develop a portable PSOne, but I would be concerned about the size. My guess is it would be at least 6.5"x5"x1.5", and last maybe 3 hours per charge max. Not exactly shirt-pocket material; mainly because they're limited by the size of a CD.

Nintendo could probably manufacture a portable N64 but would also be limiting its portability by the large size and weight of N64 carts.

I would expect, as others have mentioned, that the next big portable from Nintendo will play GC mini-DVDs as they are a perfect size for portable media.

 

[DaveGTP]

The portable N64 was just one of those stories you read about. Reportedly developed by R&D but never produced. Can't remember the webpage that talked about it (they didn't have any pictures or anything anyway). I fully believe it. A lot of nifty gadgets like that are developed in R&D that never see the light of day. I would probably buy a truly portable PSX just for the RPGs.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

GameBoy Extra Advance will probably basically be an N64. Design it now, tweak it later, and when you think it needs to go to market turnaround is quick

 

[Mark Evans]

Ha, funny this topic started up recently.

GameSpot just posted up a news item today saying that Nintendo is now lowering its royalty fees to encourage more third party developers to, well, develop and to keep themselves in competition.

Quick, everybody start complaining about how if Nintendo was really smart they'd put out Eternal Darkness 2 please .

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I think the company that made ED (Silicon Knights) stopped working on other stuff to finish ED and is now trying to finish those other things first.

Nintendo could make a portable with the power of an N64 with min-DVDs as the media, much like how the GBA is pretty much a portable SNES (from a software and feature standpoint).

 

[Dave F]

I'd love to see how the control was planned for it.

It'd probably be mistaken for a weapon if you tried to bring it on a plane in the U.S.

-Dave

 

[Jason Seaver]

It's true, Sony could develop a portable PSOne, but I would be concerned about the size. My guess is it would be at least 6.5"x5"x1.5", and last maybe 3 hours per charge max. Not exactly shirt-pocket material; mainly because they're limited by the size of a CD.

Well, it can be done, although the CD sticks out and it only runs for two hours.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Well, I think we can ALL agree that the NGage is no threat

 

[paul h]

Wonder if Sony could use the Minidisc format ...
At a reasonable price i think the NGage could get a decent userbase though its more likely to attract the people that have to have the latest phone!