At a conference in Tokyo, Iwata told investors that he was taking responsibility for the 3DS's slow sales, along with a 50 percent reduction in pay as a result.
Iwata's last annual compensation was ¥137 million, or $1.8 million (including salary and performance-based "variable compensation"). He didn't announce specifics of the cut, but we can expect both the base salary and the bonus to be lower, since lower performance is the whole reason for this exercise. Other "representative directors," including Senior Managing Directors Shigeru Miyamoto and Shinji Hatano, will take 30 percent pay cuts, and other execs will lose 20 percent off their salaries.
Analyst David Gibson tweeted from the conference that Nintendo cited a missed opportunity to cut the GameCube's price as motivation to jump on the 3DS price cut.
You do not cut your CEO's pay by 50% and other executives' pay by 20-30% unless things, frankly, aren't financially going according to plan.
Its probably because the average Non-Gamer consumer will not see much of a difference between the DS and the 3DS.. Sure its 3D but most people can do without that... Gamers will see value in the 3DS.
Last I checked gamers liked machines that played games, mainly because there are games on it that you can play. I dunno, that seems like a pretty basic principle to me. Like, I wouldn't own a toaster if sliced bread and toaster pastries were a distant promise.
I still think they should have a small team working to port over Gamecube games in 3D. They could port the games relatively easy and make tons of money. I'd buy them all just to have something to play.
Of course, they still need a consistent flow of new games, but remakes are never a bad thing. They have a much shorter development cycle so they can come out more often. I'd pay lots of money for Wind Waker in 3D, and I'm sure so would many other people.
Man, Nintendo needs to get with the times. Everybody knows that the proper response to financial disasters is to give your executives bonuses, and then fire half of your employees.
I still think they should have a small team working to port over Gamecube games in 3D. They could port the games relatively easy and make tons of money. I'd buy them all just to have something to play.
Of course, they still need a consistent flow of new games, but remakes are never a bad thing. They have a much shorter development cycle so they can come out more often. I'd pay lots of money for Wind Waker in 3D, and I'm sure so would many other people.
I want all the Zelda games in 3D... even the old ones...
I still think they should have a small team working to port over Gamecube games in 3D. They could port the games relatively easy and make tons of money. I'd buy them all just to have something to play.
Of course, they still need a consistent flow of new games, but remakes are never a bad thing. They have a much shorter development cycle so they can come out more often. I'd pay lots of money for Wind Waker in 3D, and I'm sure so would many other people.
I'm not overly sure that it would be that easy. Afterall, I think the 3DS is less powerful then the GC, and they seem to be concentrating on N64 (or lower) remakes (Zelda, Excitebike, Star fox etc.) Still, it would be nice.
After all the relative flop that's been the 3DS so far, they should rebrand themselves as NintenD'oh!
At least Nintendo are now selling the console at a loss, which is a good thing for Joe Bloggs.
They'll have to focus on quality first and third party software to bring in the megabucks, which is what's important.
If with the holiday lineup and price cut it doesn't pull it's finger out then this thing'll probably never go anywhere. I still like mine though and I have fun with it I even
At least Nintendo are now selling the console at a loss, which is a good thing for Joe Bloggs.
They probably aren't. The thing costs $101 to make, and while there are other costs involved(marketing and the like), they're probably still making a profit per unit.
They probably aren't. The thing costs $101 to make, and while there are other costs involved(marketing and the like), they're probably still making a profit per unit.
Well, the new price is $150 isn't it? Well, the shops take a cut of that money too. And there's the cost of shipping to consider too. And maintaining the online features and stuff.
They probably aren't. The thing costs $101 to make, and while there are other costs involved(marketing and the like), they're probably still making a profit per unit.
Well, the new price is $150 isn't it? Well, the shops take a cut of that money too. And there's the cost of shipping to consider too. And maintaining the online features and stuff.
Plus $101 is the base price of the components, Foxconn or whoever isn't putting that thing together for the good of their health (never mind that of their employees), they're making an earner as well after paying off their own overheads.
Although they would get the parts cheaper if they bought it in bulk, which they probably do.
One piece of good news is that there doesn't seem to be a file size limit on eShop downloads. The 3D golf game is a lot larger in file size then the puny 40MB limit on wiiware titles. So Telltale is better placed to port their games now! Yay! Monkey Island on 3DS now please.
I just mean that if Zelda 1 was remade in 3D it'd have that paper-popup-book look and feel, if it retained its pixel look. You could have things vanishing into the distance and perspective instead of the top-down isometric look.
I bought Kirby's Dreamland and Link's awakening today. I would have bought mario land too, but then I'd have to pay an extra tenner, as that's the minimum top-up amount. ¬_¬
If you hold down the select button, the game is surrounded by a gameboy (or a purple GBC for link's awakening), which is pretty decent. And it's in 3D too (well, the Gameboy screen is back a bit) which makes it more realistic. I can't believe how colourful Link's awakening is when played on a properly backlit screen rather then my old GBA. Fantastic.
There were 2 releases of the SP. One with a lamp and one with a backlit screen comparable to the original DSPhat (which apparently is much dimmer than the DSlite, or DSi's). Mine is the lamp....which is awful.
Oh, I had the back lit screen one and a lamp one. I think they went with the lamp one was because since the SP was supposed to be a 3D console, like the 3DS, they used the lamp lighting. It would also explain why later versions of the GBA:SP only had one screen inside of them instead of the 2 the original models had (which I had an original one but it was stolen).
Well, I had an original GBA. I upgraded to an SP about a year and a half ago (from what I gather, it's the lamp model). But the colours seem to be much more vibrant.
Oh, I had the back lit screen one and a lamp one. I think they went with the lamp one was because since the SP was supposed to be a 3D console, like the 3DS, they used the lamp lighting. It would also explain why later versions of the GBA:SP only had one screen inside of them instead of the 2 the original models had (which I had an original one but it was stolen).
From the looks of things I was partially right on it being a smart strategy.
(The first part of what I said, though right in theory, failed because there were not enough first adopters so there was excess supply, which then leads to retailers not buying new stock, and trying to sell old stock for reduced price)
The whole point of the price drop, according to that article is to boost install base.
Nintendo are probably banking on the idea that by the time their new games come out by the end of the year, there will be more people with 3DSs to buy them.
That simultaniously helps out 3rd parties, and gives them a bit more confidence,and hopefully there will be less delays and cancellations, (which looks like the big issue here, especially in Europe since the next decent 3DS game is out in SEPTEMBER, a whole month of nothing away.)
Obviously the more games bought, the more profit made (or less losses if you look at it
that way).
They make some of the money they loss on the hardware back on the software, (ala the PS3), then in the long term, as each unit gets cheaper to produce, they rake in a little bit more.
And hopefully by the end of the year, the eShop will also have more stuff on there for people to buy as well.
The main thing that irritates me with Nintendo 3DS so far, is its bizarre pacing of its digital content.
I can see why they release everything slowly since, they are trying to maximise sales for each peice of software (and probably have deals and stuff to make that limit releases), but the problem with that, is that according to the sales data, they don't really have many people to sell to.
It would make more sense to try to put a lot of stuff on there, and let people buy what they want, (like the app store).
More choice, more likely to have stuff that people like, more likely to spread the word.
(Get some more free aps on there. Like that dsi flipbook thing, that is not available on the 3DS at the moment. Or at least make a quick 3DS port...)
And it keeps people busy between retail releases, which due to you know, the lack of good retail stuff, would seem quite important.
Also, where is the AR stuff? You have the neat AR stuff bundled in, and then nothing else is made to compliment it! I know there are a few things floating around, but you would have thought camera and AR stuff would have been the first things you would want to push onto the store...
(I would have legitimately bought an expansion to the 3DS AR game, so long as it is fairly priced)
Anyway, no more talk about this from me, its quite tiring.
That new Mario game looks fantastic.
Sure its nothing new, but from the trailer it looks like the level design will be top-notch!
Which lets be honest here, is what we really want from a Mario game.
And Luigi's Mansion 2. Instabuy for me.
Loved the first, (though I found it a bit hard (I suck I know!)).
I just mean that if Zelda 1 was remade in 3D it'd have that paper-popup-book look and feel, if it retained its pixel look. You could have things vanishing into the distance and perspective instead of the top-down isometric look.
EDIT: Ninja'd. Yes. What he said.
The first game's screens would be like looking down into a 3D box with a little link running around in it going about his business kicking ass and saying "well excuuuuuuuuse me princess" I personally think it would be a pretty interesting way to make the game.
Nintendo's been toying with a 3D handheld ever since the SP. 3D was a design feature they intended to incorporate on the GBA but ended up cutting. I've read this multiple times, I just can't remember where.
I thought that was fairly common knowledge. The point of the GBA SP was to be a 3D GBA and that's why a few GBA games (I mean a few) had the setup for 3D, but then they never activated it. Since the 3D option of the SP was removed pretty late in the SP making life cycle that the few devs who did work on the 3D just masked it up and let it go unnoticed. IT was likt he GameCube was also supposed to be a 3D console, but due to high 3D TV prices they canned the feature, so they just hid that feature of the GameCube. Infact Luigi's Mansion was made for a 3D experience.
The best thing about the GBA:SP was if you had an early early model like my friend did the back screen broke very easily. That was how I originally found out about the GBA:SP having two screens. I originally thought then that it was for just lighting purposes (as I was like 11-12 years old when the SP came out). But his screen broke and when we tried to fix it there were two screens!
So can we all agree Capcom appears to be hypocritical.
They say the fans didnt support this well and it wouldnt be profitable.
Well here it is, the fans are supporting it, and it is profitable, and nothing.
I want to get my hands on it but there's a good chance the music will be available freely within a month. I kind of want the poster and packaging though.
Yeah, I'd be happy with £15 (plus packaging of course) for the two. That'd cover the cost of getting the game in the first place. I mightn't put it on till I get back from my holiday though (In a weeks time. I leave tomorrow.)
Comments
But as long as I get Star Fox 64 3D, then I'm good.
Well darn. Lets see if this price cut for the 3ds will help them out any.
Of course, they still need a consistent flow of new games, but remakes are never a bad thing. They have a much shorter development cycle so they can come out more often. I'd pay lots of money for Wind Waker in 3D, and I'm sure so would many other people.
I want all the Zelda games in 3D... even the old ones...
I'm not overly sure that it would be that easy. Afterall, I think the 3DS is less powerful then the GC, and they seem to be concentrating on N64 (or lower) remakes (Zelda, Excitebike, Star fox etc.) Still, it would be nice.
After all the relative flop that's been the 3DS so far, they should rebrand themselves as NintenD'oh!
They'll have to focus on quality first and third party software to bring in the megabucks, which is what's important.
If with the holiday lineup and price cut it doesn't pull it's finger out then this thing'll probably never go anywhere. I still like mine though and I have fun with it I even
Well, the new price is $150 isn't it? Well, the shops take a cut of that money too. And there's the cost of shipping to consider too. And maintaining the online features and stuff.
The original source on this is Bloomberg Japan, but because I don't speak Japanese here it is reported second hand.
Plus $101 is the base price of the components, Foxconn or whoever isn't putting that thing together for the good of their health (never mind that of their employees), they're making an earner as well after paying off their own overheads.
One piece of good news is that there doesn't seem to be a file size limit on eShop downloads. The 3D golf game is a lot larger in file size then the puny 40MB limit on wiiware titles. So Telltale is better placed to port their games now! Yay! Monkey Island on 3DS now please.
Also: This.
Paper Zelda?
I dont see the Legend of Zelda series using the Paper Mario series well.
I think he meant it will look like a Paper Mario game, because can you imagine this in 3D?
Everything would look like a pop-up book, ala Paper Mario.
EDIT: Ninja'd. Yes. What he said.
If you hold down the select button, the game is surrounded by a gameboy (or a purple GBC for link's awakening), which is pretty decent. And it's in 3D too (well, the Gameboy screen is back a bit) which makes it more realistic. I can't believe how colourful Link's awakening is when played on a properly backlit screen rather then my old GBA. Fantastic.
What now?
(The first part of what I said, though right in theory, failed because there were not enough first adopters so there was excess supply, which then leads to retailers not buying new stock, and trying to sell old stock for reduced price)
http://www.1up.com/news/iwata-salary-cut-half-3ds-price-drop-explained
The whole point of the price drop, according to that article is to boost install base.
Nintendo are probably banking on the idea that by the time their new games come out by the end of the year, there will be more people with 3DSs to buy them.
That simultaniously helps out 3rd parties, and gives them a bit more confidence,and hopefully there will be less delays and cancellations, (which looks like the big issue here, especially in Europe since the next decent 3DS game is out in SEPTEMBER, a whole month of nothing away.)
Obviously the more games bought, the more profit made (or less losses if you look at it
that way).
They make some of the money they loss on the hardware back on the software, (ala the PS3), then in the long term, as each unit gets cheaper to produce, they rake in a little bit more.
And hopefully by the end of the year, the eShop will also have more stuff on there for people to buy as well.
The main thing that irritates me with Nintendo 3DS so far, is its bizarre pacing of its digital content.
I can see why they release everything slowly since, they are trying to maximise sales for each peice of software (and probably have deals and stuff to make that limit releases), but the problem with that, is that according to the sales data, they don't really have many people to sell to.
It would make more sense to try to put a lot of stuff on there, and let people buy what they want, (like the app store).
More choice, more likely to have stuff that people like, more likely to spread the word.
(Get some more free aps on there. Like that dsi flipbook thing, that is not available on the 3DS at the moment. Or at least make a quick 3DS port...)
And it keeps people busy between retail releases, which due to you know, the lack of good retail stuff, would seem quite important.
Also, where is the AR stuff? You have the neat AR stuff bundled in, and then nothing else is made to compliment it! I know there are a few things floating around, but you would have thought camera and AR stuff would have been the first things you would want to push onto the store...
(I would have legitimately bought an expansion to the 3DS AR game, so long as it is fairly priced)
Anyway, no more talk about this from me, its quite tiring.
That new Mario game looks fantastic.
Sure its nothing new, but from the trailer it looks like the level design will be top-notch!
Which lets be honest here, is what we really want from a Mario game.
And Luigi's Mansion 2. Instabuy for me.
Loved the first, (though I found it a bit hard (I suck I know!)).
The 3DS could really do with a killer RPG.
(The DS had great RPGs)
The first game's screens would be like looking down into a 3D box with a little link running around in it going about his business kicking ass and saying "well excuuuuuuuuse me princess" I personally think it would be a pretty interesting way to make the game.
Nintendo's been toying with a 3D handheld ever since the SP. 3D was a design feature they intended to incorporate on the GBA but ended up cutting. I've read this multiple times, I just can't remember where.
I thought that was fairly common knowledge. The point of the GBA SP was to be a 3D GBA and that's why a few GBA games (I mean a few) had the setup for 3D, but then they never activated it. Since the 3D option of the SP was removed pretty late in the SP making life cycle that the few devs who did work on the 3D just masked it up and let it go unnoticed. IT was likt he GameCube was also supposed to be a 3D console, but due to high 3D TV prices they canned the feature, so they just hid that feature of the GameCube. Infact Luigi's Mansion was made for a 3D experience.
A lot of this was explained in an Iwata asks.
This geek.com article covers the jist of it. http://www.geek.com/articles/games/iwata-gamecube-and-game-boy-advance-sp-were-both-3d-capable-2011017/
The best thing about the GBA:SP was if you had an early early model like my friend did the back screen broke very easily. That was how I originally found out about the GBA:SP having two screens. I originally thought then that it was for just lighting purposes (as I was like 11-12 years old when the SP came out). But his screen broke and when we tried to fix it there were two screens!
So can we all agree Capcom appears to be hypocritical.
They say the fans didnt support this well and it wouldnt be profitable.
Well here it is, the fans are supporting it, and it is profitable, and nothing.
So I'm keeping my disc sealed away, just in case it does go up in value.
(But at the current value, I don't think its all that worth selling)