Iwata is ‘One of World’s Best CEOs’

[Hal_9Million]

Yamauchi was wise to retire and hand the job onto someone younger with fresh ideas. Maybe Ken Kutaragi should do the same and let someone else helm SCE.

[Jasper]

Yamauchi was wise to retire and hand the job onto someone younger with fresh ideas. Maybe Ken Kutaragi should do the same and let someone else helm SCE.

 

Leave Ken where he is - that'll keep Nintendo aiming for world domination with nothing in between today and the day they control all those pesky whips (remote-controller, that is). If Kutaragi goes on like this, he"ll kill the playstation brand in a matter of years. Not that anyone should miss them - Microsoft is there to take over and do it even better.

[The Lillster]

Jasper, the problem is, people will keep buying the playstation brand,no matter what.

[Mikey]

He turned things around, no doubt, but it's not like Nintendo were going out of business. Nintendo have always made a profit.

[DCK]

Jasper, the problem is, people will keep buying the playstation brand,no matter what.

Somehow I don't think so. The Playstation used to be about accesible gaming, but isn't close to that anymore. Only the really hardcore fans are buying it now.

 

Besides that, the Xbox has built up a certain fame, and the Wii is getting there too. The Playstation isn't the only video game console around, not even for the main audience.

[Jasper]

Jasper, the problem is, people will keep buying the playstation brand,no matter what.

 

Now let's look at history. Somebody back in the day told me that people will keep buying Nintendo-products, no matter what. And then came PlayStation. It's so simple: PlayStation 2 is favorable, but right now it's got to much problems to tackle with the Xbox360 - wich has gained huge popularity. Right now, all Sony can do is lose. They won't get the same market share as the PS2 anymore. The 'they'll buy it, no matter what'-time is over. People don't stay fooled.

 

You asume that they'll win again because they've done it before, but Nintendo won once, too - and they didn't keep their thing even though they had the better console, did they?

[The Lillster]

I want to believe you, but I know some people who won't buy the Wii for the simple fact that it's made by Nintendo.

 

And these people age between 18 - 35.

 

So unless Sony leaves the console business, these people arn't gonna buy a Nintendo console.

 

Of course this is anecdotal evidence, but I bet there are lots of people like that.

[DCK]

I want to believe you, but I know some people who won't buy the Wii for the simple fact that it's made by Nintendo.

Somehow I don't think those are the people that make a console a success; they're not an awfully large group.

[Jasper]

Somehow I don't think those are the people that make a console a success; they're not an awfully large group.

 

Completely right, DCK. They are just a small group of the entire population in gaming. yes, there are always people who don't buy Nintendo - but on the other hand, this forum is full of those people who'll never buy a PlayStation. Okay, not completely right, but then again: I've only bought Nintendo products up untill now, and I think there are many of us out there that do the same. Sorry, lilster, you've yet to convince me.

[The Lillster]

Jasper, i'm not trying to convince anyone. I'm saying it the way it is.

 

Do you really think I give a shit about which system sells more!

 

I don't.

 

Obviously I want Nintendo to do well, because I like the company.

 

If they end up in 2nd or 3rd place, so be it!

[Anakenobi]

Jasper, i'm not trying to convince anyone. I'm saying it the way it is.

 

You're saying it the way it WAS. Things change.

 

Once upon a time, before 1983 Atari was synonymous with videogames. In 1985 up to 1989, people used to say "he's/she's playing Nintendo". Nintendo was synonymous with the word videogames. Then Sony came along in 1997 and the Playstation brand name was identified with videogames.

 

It's 2007 and the Playstation brand name is suffering the same fate as Atari and Nintendo. It's the way it works. Atari started selling crappy games (E.T. the extra terrestrial anyone?) and people put them aside. Nintendo wanted to control their own cartridge format instead of adopting the popular CD format and after they lost third party support, people stopped supporting Nintendo. Now Sony want people to spend a small fortune on a "computer" and plenty of those people are finding BETTER options to spend their money on.

 

It's silly to think that the Playstation brand name will not suffer the same fate as the other has-been dominant gaming brands. In fact, people have already moved on to other brands. Some new ones (Xbox360) and even to some older ones (Nintendo).

[Jasper]

Jasper, i'm not trying to convince anyone. I'm saying it the way it is.

 

Do you really think I give a shit about which system sells more!

 

I don't.

 

Obviously I want Nintendo to do well, because I like the company.

 

If they end up in 2nd or 3rd place, so be it!

 

Like Anakenobi said, you're seeing the facts from a few years ago. They're not right at the present moment anymore. We all see what's happening to the PlayStation brand? You say it the way it is, well, you've probably been blind all those years because whezn I see a detoriation of a brand, I know.

[The Lillster]

The PS3 isn't really a bad product, it's just too expensive for most people.

 

And everyone I know who owns a PS3 thinks it's awesome.

 

BUT... they also think Wii and X360 is good too, with just a few saying they hate both because their biased.

 

Basicly what i'm trying to say is the Playstation brand is still strong. But the Wii and the 360 will also do well (obvously).

[Fierce_LiNk]

To be honest, it's not a console war Sony can win.

 

Yeah, they may finish on top, but they're losing considerable ground to both Microsoft and Nintendo. Last generation, they launched first, had the best support, and had the mainstream appeal. This generation has seen a turnaround. The 360 has been out for quite some time, advertisements have been going strong and it also has the benefit of a cheaper price tag. Sure, you may end up having to buy extras, but people do not look at this. They look at the 'raw' price of the system. You may have to buy peripherals to enjoy the 360 (like paying for wireless and LIVE), but the initial price is still cheaper, and that's what consumers will see on shop shelves.

 

The Wii is also doing something different, and also with a cheaper price tag. Support is getting better and better, and Nintendo have finally learned how to advertise.

 

Trouble is, for quite some time now, gamers are buying more than one system. A single system is simply not enough to fulfill many needs anymore. Myself, I'm happy with the Wii, and I seriously doubt I'll purchase another system. The Wii is different, and so it suits the 'ideal' of being an additional system if you already have a 360 or a PS3. Different sets of games, Nintendo exclusives, etc.

 

This generation, I think it's forcing consumers to choose between the 360 and the PS3. Nintendo have put themselves to one side and gone to do something different, which will put them into a category of its own. However, personally, I think the 360 and PS3 are trying to aim for the same audience and that's where things will get interesting.

 

Even if the PS3 finishes on top, Sony are and will lose more ground to Microsoft. The only territory the 360 just can't seem to penetrate is Japan.

[4q2]

He turned things around, no doubt, but it's not like Nintendo were going out of business. Nintendo have always made a profit.

 

It depends on what you consider the meaning of 'going out of business' is.

Nintendo have never really been a 'loss leading' company & I agree they wont go bankrupt with that nice little kitty of cash they have sat on for years, but I could see them dropping out of a specified market if it wasnt going well for them.