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| Nintendo's Final Console
I am sure everyone here would love to know what Nintendo's final console will be, the truth is, you already know. Yes, I am talking about the Nintendo Gamecube. This console has been said to be Nintendo's last, according to a reliable source who received this info from a CEO at Nintendo. While the CEO did not confirm this, he hinted that this is the truth. Overall, this story has about a 75 percent chance of being true.
The reason, if you can't put it together for yourself is simple, money. Video game hardware costs money, a lot of money. Nintendo's competitors have money, in fact they have plenty of money from other business ventures while Nintendo has a pure video game focus. Sony is one of the biggest electronics manufacturers in the world, Microsoft has Bill Gates gigantic supply of money behind it, and Nintendo has reputation for good games. Hardware costs so much, in fact, that most companies lose money on these at first. Even now, Microsoft is losing money for every system it sells, and Sony and Nintendo have razor thin profit margins, the real money is in the games, and companies know that. Microsoft is losing millions to get their name out there and get good games.
If Nintendo does do this, it will probably be for the best, Sega has profitted immensely from the same move. And Nintendo has already lost money because of one factor, the DVD abilities of the Gamecube. While other systems can play DVDs, Nintendo's does not, and for a reason that seems understandable, but actually hurts them. They put the games on such small discs to prevent piracy, but in truth, not having a DVD player hurts them more than the piracy issue. While they are trying to get some adult games, they do not have an adult audience. If a person wants a game system, they will figure that a DVD player will cost them another $100 separate so why not get a PS2 or XBox for $50 more and comes with a DVD player.
So to wrap up, Nintendo looks like it is getting out of the hardware business, so we can expect to see Mario on another system if this holds true, we'll find out.
In Reply:
You guys make some good points, but here is my view(which is why it was an editorial and not a news story). Anyway, if you had read the Q&A section you would have heard this same thing before, out of the three responses i have received from this they are all they same views. You guys are correct nintendo is in NO WAY in the hole or losing money. However, for the most part, these profits are not coming from Gamecube, they are coming from GameBoy and GBA. Those alone put them above Sony and Microsoft. Also, as for great games, yes Gamecube has great games, but not enough of them, one reason for that is because they do not have as much 3rd party support, where a lot of good games come from. So what is concluded is that if the consoles follow a pattern, it will be their next system will probably make no money overall, they might not lose any but they might not make any.(This doesn't count GBA and Gameboy). Anyway, if you are a businessman or know any ask them if they want to break even, any of them who are relatively smart will say no, why spend time on something that you will end up where you started. However, they could choose to do that system just to keep their name out there, but then that system may be their last. Only time will tell.
-Rory
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