who besides Nintendo

[Manji]

just having fun with the idea and thinking about how a company like Nintendo is able to sustain themselves (especially during the N64 era) through good reputation, great first/second party developer talent and strong brands like Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Pokemon, Fire Emblem, etc. and they dont always have to rely on third party support. but it got me wondering, what other game developer could hyphothetically do the same?

Sega did and still could i think(old smilebit, overworks, sonic team). although my choice would be Capcom. they have great talent and generally create decent - AAA quality games on regular basis spanning into nearly all genres.

[Wavelength]

Re: who besides Nintendo

Sega threw away a lot of goodwill by not supporting their consoles and technology properly. They did make a lot of good first-party games but the most visible ones were the Sonic series and those have seriously languished.

Nintendo is starting to get more and more third-party support, and it's a good thing too, because no video game company could ever survive without third-party support. Offhand I am guessing that in the post-SNES era they have always had the lowest games-purchased-per-console ratio of any "successful" system, so they'll always place last in the console wars. However, as long as they don't lose money on the consoles themselves, it could still be a profitable niche.

Strange as it sounds, I think Namco-Bandai might be able to make something work. Some of their franchises are so beloved by certain fans that no matter what their console was, their fans would buy it to play the exclusive games. Square Enix could probably pull something off too, if they wanted to.

However, in the end, a console manufacturer's job is to be a console manufacturer, and secondarily a coordinator (with third parties) and marketer. Some tech experts are still wondering why Microsoft joined the console game, given that their expertise is Software, not Hardware. As such, they made a lot of mistakes on their first two consoles, and even the most diverse next-gen game library out there is barely keeping their gaming division competitive. So I don't really think Capcom, Namco, Square, or any other software companies should even consider entering the console market.

[Big Country]

Re: who besides Nintendo

Well, I think Capcom defitinally could. ( Defitinally in Japan also ).

But they have some of the most popular series going for them: Resident Evil, Monster Hunter ( That is pretty big now ), Streetfighter, I know there is a lot more. But I just woke up and my brains not functioning.

[Crimson Knight]

Re: who besides Nintendo

I'm sure any company can get into consoles. I think it's the fear of changing or being different that keeps most companies from doing so now though, because even after 10+ years, there's a certain profitable way you do business. If you go against the model, you run the risk of going under. It's gonna take something like the Phantom and then some to break the horde now.

[Wavelength]

Re: who besides Nintendo

Also, the more ocnsoles out there, the harder it's going to be for each one (and its respective company) to survive. Unless companies start making "mini-consoles" or something that are set up for very particular types of games and can stay lean on every other feature. Anyone have an idea how that might work?

[marcus]

Re: who besides Nintendo

The reason Nintendo has stayed in the console business for so long is because they don't lose money on their console. The Genesis was more powerful than the NES and the SNES but it used a relatively cheap processor (derived from the Amiga which is why it was so awesome) so the cost stayed low. The Saturn was actually more powerful than the PS1 but when you factor in the cost of the system plus Sega's **** poor marketing it bombed. The dreamcast was also an incredibly powerful system but by releasing it so early they failed to anticipate what made the other systems so great (PS2 had dvd support, Nintendo had a cheap console and franchises backing it, and the Xbox bought in a lot of older gamers and eventually online). Most 3rd party developers said to themselves "why worry with a barebones system when we have 3 other systems to worry about?"

I honestly believe there's no more room for anymore consoles as the market is pretty secure. As much as people hate Microsoft, they did an incredibly smart move when they broke into the market by bringing online capabilities to people's couches. They weren't the first, but they perfected it first. Unless a new company has something potentially awesome to introduce (like virtual reality or something) then a new console just won't sell well because buyers are already split on the idea of owning 3 and reputation alone already puts new players at a disadvantage.

[Red Dragon]

Re: who besides Nintendo

Steam.

Or whoever made steam, I forget.

If they just ported what they have on the PC to a console they could be like X-Box 360 only without the billion-dollar company behind it.

[Perversion]

Re: who besides Nintendo

The dreamcast was also an incredibly powerful system

I'm not sure, processor-wise, how the Dreamcast compares to the other consoles of last generation, but I DO know that graphic-wise, the Dreamcast blows the PS2 out of the water. Everything on the DC looked so smooth, as opposed to all the jaggy edges on most (if not all) PS2 games. Graphic-wise, I think, to my untrained eye, it looks about on par with the original Xbox and the Gamecube, although Ninja Gaiden and Chronicles of Riddick probably look better than anything on the DC. All I know is, the first time I played PSO (on a standard def TV), I was blown away with how good it looked.

[gray]

Re: who besides Nintendo

also, the dreamcast never competed against the x-box or gamecube directly. the ps2 was its murderer

[Stormy]

Re: who besides Nintendo

Valve built Steam (and Half-Life of course).

I agree with marcus, I don't think there is room for another console right now. If one of the three was to go away (and that doesn't look likely to happen soon) then someone else could take their place, or even make a comeback (Sega? Atari?).

[Manji]

Re: who besides Nintendo

i agree there isnt any room for another console, i was just thinking of what company is strong enough to support themselves like a Nintendo does. any even slightly famed japanese developer (Treasure, GameArts, Red Entertainment) has a chance of being a success in Japan at the very least. however, i think bigger companies like Square or Capcom could really pull it off because they have larger support base. i was curious though how Nintendo has done it so successfully, and it comes down to the overall quality of games and recognizable game characters, like Capcom has in Mega Man, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Strider, etc. Capcom to me just seems to have everything they might need.

maybe Namco because they have good ones too. Klonoa, Soul Calibur, Tales games... they are pretty consistent and are well respected. Konami, Sega or Square, any big name developer i guess.

Unless companies start making "mini-consoles" or something that are set up for very particular types of games and can stay lean on every other feature. Anyone have an idea how that might work?

i think this would be really cool. i would buy a Capcom mini-console that showcased exclusive games and this was pretty much was i was getting at.

i like Nintendo because they are a gamer's game company. Sony or Microsoft are corporate juggernauts, which is ok as long as those third parties keep them sitting pretty.

[John Mora]

Re: who besides Nintendo

You'd just have to be happy with spending, like, $150-$200 on a system that might only play two or three games.

[Manji]

Re: who besides Nintendo

i think i could do that

[Toaster]

Re: who besides Nintendo

This is a terrible idea.

[Ryner]

Re: who besides Nintendo

i like Nintendo because they are a gamer's game company

That's a BS statement. They stopped being a gamer's game company when they decided they wanted to expand their market with the Wii and it's stupid motion sensor crap.