Bill Gates: Nintendo strongest foe

[Gaijin von Snikbah]

In a video interview with Japanese TV at CES, Bill Gates shows his opinion on Nintendo.

 

"The strength of Nintendo...in the portable space, has been very impressive. It's surprised a lot of people, I think, that and the Wii. We see Nintendo as our toughest competition."

 

The interview can be found on YouTube.

[NintendoRevo]

"The strength on Nintendo in the portable space". OK i can see why the Wii surprised him. These people only "accept" raw power and awesome graphics so i don't think he really understand what Nintendo tries to do with Wii. But portable? What the hell surprised him on that? Its happening for the last 20 years.

[Cube]

He's surprised that the DS is doing better than the PSP, basically. (so, same reason you said)

[fukudasolokomalakikenanze]

Oh, Mr Gates, you suddenly realise you've lost ONE PRECIOUS US dollar of revenue at the hands of Nintendo? Oh no, you are now in serious risk of declaring bunkrupcy and living in the poverty lines.

[david.dakota]

Bill Gates has made it clearly obvious in the past that Microsoft would like to purchase Nintendo. As far as i'm concerned that is Gates' agenda when he discusses Nintendo.

[Mikey]

If Bill Gates purchased Nintendo, then Nintendo as we know it would probably die. Rushed games, crap games, no innovation. That is unless Nintendo were left alone to fuction as they do now though in terms of game making.

[Cold Fire]

Hell would freeze over and all life on earth would be long dead before Nintendo (a traditional Japanese company which almost constantly makes a profit) sold itself out to an evil American corporation.

 

There are so many safe guards in place at Nintendo to stop hostile takeovers etc that it is completely ridiculous to talk about it.

[Tellyn]

In other words, "If Nintendo keep selling Wiis at this rate, then we'll have lost the console war. Time for a buyout."

[Nintendork]

Ahahah Japanese business is not compatible with US business.

There are completely different cultures- and as you point out Nintendo is highly profitable.

 

Literally everyone in the company from head to toe would have to agree to the buy out- and basically that is not possible. Where as in the States capitalist business models are slightly simpler where shareholders are the decision makers and it is a much less personal thing.

In Japan business is just as ruthless- they drive bargains just as well as Microsoft, it's just less about balls and more about money there. If you get me.

 

Nintendo will never sell- they are very smart, I do question Iwata's leadership skills- but he's a rookie in comparison to Yamauchi.

[Tellyn]

Ahahah Japanese business is not compatible with US business.

There are completely different cultures- and as you point out Nintendo is highly profitable.

 

Literally everyone in the company from head to toe would have to agree to the buy out- and basically that is not possible. Where as in the States capitalist business models are slightly simpler where shareholders are the decision makers and it is a much less personal thing.

In Japan business is just as ruthless- they drive bargains just as well as Microsoft, it's just less about balls and more about money there. If you get me.

 

Nintendo will never sell- they are very smart, I do question Iwata's leadership skills- but he's a rookie in comparison to Yamauchi.

 

Satoru-san is better than Yamauchi, Yamauchi never played a game in his life, fact.

[Nintendork]

He came up with the concept of a mass market device with less buttons.

He apparently had an assistant to help him play Go! on the NES back in the 80s.

 

He told the guy where to move and he did it. There is some documentary about it. But literally the interviewer (some blonde) tries really hard to get an interview, failing miserably. Not worth watching unless you are bored.

[mcj metroid]

"The strength on Nintendo in the portable space". OK i can see why the Wii surprised him. These people only "accept" raw power and awesome graphics so i don't think he really understand what Nintendo tries to do with Wii. But portable? What the hell surprised him on that? Its happening for the last 20 years.

 

everyone was suprised with the ds.I actually thought the psp would win at one time.I think if they care about horsepower as much as you say that they would have thought that as well.it was a shock victory

[Nintendork]

I was gonna get a PSP, then they delayed it 6 months, charged £40 more than the States and it had fuck all games. Nothing felt cooler than Wipeout on the bus with custom soundtracks.

 

Mario Kart DS pak please.

[Jasper]

I do think that Iwata has shown some skill. He has polished Ninjtendo's kiddie-image and shown the world two very good selling devices that game like hell. They defeated the concurrence and fougth Sony in the strugle for Handhelds, even though PlayStation is a great name. And he did in less than four years. Wich is great. He polished Nintendo again and made it a company for everyone again, not restricted to kids. Wich I like.

[fanman]

Back to the bill gates interview, it sounds more like a stab at sony than a compliment to nintendo, although compliment is in there... somewhere.

[Charlie]

Nintendo will never sell- they are very smart, I do question Iwata's leadership skills- but he's a rookie in comparison to Yamauchi.

 

Nintendo was falling apart over the last years of Yamauchi, the GameCube wasn't really that big a success in terms of sales. Then Iwata took over, took the limelight completely off the GC and onto the DS and now the Wii. Look how well the DS is doing. Yamauchi thought he knew what gamers wanted, he didn't, he thought they didn't care about online game, they obviously do. Iwata actually plays games.

[Tellyn]

Very true. Iwata also made games didn't he before becoming President? I like Iwata-san, he seems like a friendly guy. Except when he kept saying 'That's my game!' as a catchphrase at E3.

[david.dakota]

Some of you have picked up on my comment and we're slowly going back to the whole "Nintendo will do a sega" era some time ago, and thats certainly not what i'm getting at. Bill Gates has on numberous occasions suggested he would purchase Nintendo given half the chance - however this chance has never come his way.

 

Cold Fire picked up on the fact that towards the end of Yamauchi's leadership he instigated a shares buyback programme to ensure that any hostile takeover bids never get off the ground.

[Tyson]

Very true. Iwata also made games didn't he before becoming President? I like Iwata-san, he seems like a friendly guy. Except when he kept saying 'That's my game!' as a catchphrase at E3.

 

I think he was in Hal Labs before he joined Nintendo.

[Goron_3]

everyone was suprised with the ds.I actually thought the psp would win at one time.I think if they care about horsepower as much as you say that they would have thought that as well.it was a shock victory

 

 

You're not the only one who thought that. When they showed DS, i thought (as well as most of my neutral friends) that the PSP would easily outsell DS. Sony missed out on a BIG oppotunity tbh.

[Jonwah]

Bill Gates clearly sees Sony as a big initial threat based on their previous success, blowing all competition away with both the PS1 and PS2. Saying Nintendo are their biggest competators is clearly just psychological. If the boss of mircrosoft says Nintendo are his biggest rivals, then they must be surely! Wow, we'd rather buy a Wii instead of a PS3 now he's said that. Since apparently Sony are already losing the race. According Bill.

 

On another note, I too was incredibly shocked that the DS was so successful. To begin with I was hanging my head in shame over the DS I thought it was a stupid idea and the technically impressive PSP would wipe the floor with it. Since gamers are often massive graphics whores. But I think nintendo proved that the non-gamer is a more valuble asset than a hardcore gamer (hence the wii's demographic too)