Since the 80’s, Nintendo have been releasing several different consoles, each introducing a rich experience. From their humble beginnings with the original Nintendo to today, with the Wii U; it’s an accomplishment to survive so long in an industry that is unforgiving. We have seen many companies driven to rethink the console market, with most notably Sega bowing out of the console wars and returning to strictly game development. But why does Nintendo refuse to quit? With companies like Sony and Microsoft running rampant in the console market, offering up triple A titles out the ying yang that Nintendo don’t have, it makes you wonder, how is Nintendo managing to stay afloat? I think I may know their secret, or at least what I think is there secret!
HANDHELD
Nintendo have always been giants when it came to handheld consoles, with many people stating that Nintendo have undoubtedly mastered the handheld market. I myself have very fond memories of the original Gameboy, which has brought me much comfort and even helped me with my health. But Nintendo hasn’t gone unopposed, with Sega in the 90’s and the Game Gear, to Sony last decade with the PSP and this decade with the Playstation Vita. The handhelds from Sony are undoubtedly stronger then what Nintendo has offered, yet they still find themselves overpowered; why is that?
I believe that a lot of this is due to the fact that Nintendo pays attention to their fans. They are gamers themselves, and they know that we come to expect accessibility when talking about handheld titles and they deliver. A lot of their first party handheld games allow you to save anywhere, letting those that need to quickly get back to real-life to save their progress. But what about third-party titles that require you to locate a designated save point? (I’m looking at you Tales of the Abyss) The 3DS features an awesome feature that simply allows you to close the flip-screen, without shutting off the game. When you open it again, the game will begin where you left off, almost like you had saved. Of course, the down fall to this is that the battery still drains, so if you don’t quickly put it to charge when the machine indicates the battery is low, you will lose progress. Luckily, the 3DS has a fair battery life of around 6-8 hours, which covers most of an average day.
CONSOLES
It’s no secret, Nintendo hasn’t been the strongest of the consoles, often being outshone by both Sony and Microsoft. For example, this is the first generation that Nintendo will be introducing High Definition to its games; something that both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 did last generation. But in my opinion, something that puts Nintendo above and beyond their competition is their ability to innovate with each home console. When they introduced the Wii; Nintendo was really pushing out motion control. Granted, Sony had motion control for their Playstation 2 but it wasn’t until the release of the Wii, in 2006, that motion controls really took off. It even caused Sony to revisit the motion control market with their Playstation 3, and also Xbox 360 implementing their own version of motion control, via the Kinect. Many could argue that it was Nintendo’s achievement at motion control and getting it right that made both Sony and Microsoft rethink the motion control functions. In fact, the same could be said about the Wii U, which introduced the ability to play games on the Game Pad, remotely, allowing others to watch television. A year later, Xbox introduces Smart Glass with a very similar feature as the Game Pad and then Playstation 4, making the Playstation Vita capable of playing PS4 games. But something that Nintendo does, that both Microsoft and Sony have failed at the last generation has been backwards compatibility. Nintendo have been consistent with making sure that their new console is backwards compatible with the previous generation, expanding the initial library.
All in all, it can be argued that Nintendo is an innovator and that despite not having stellar third-party support, they still make very good quality games and really push forward with the consumer firmly in mind. However, there is still one very important thing that I haven’t touched on, something that I’m sure every gamer will agree on.
FRANCHISES
Nintendo have arguably some of the most charming and lovable franchises out there today. From the Italian plumber known as Mario to the sword wielding elf in Link, Nintendo’s army charges forward each generation with guns blazing. They have arguably mastered the platform genre, with Mario, and because of that are tirelessly trying new things with their mascot, which nine times out of ten works. There is just a certain charm in each game that Nintendo releases that makes them amazing to play, even though at the end of the day, it’s the same platforming genre of Mario, or another quest with Link. Nintendo really put their heart and soul into every game that they make, and really makes sure that they produce a product that they themselves will enjoy playing.
In conclusion, Nintendo lack the power that both Sony and Microsoft have at their disposal when it comes to the next generation of gaming. What Sony and Microsoft lack is that family friendly, amazingly charming franchises that are always pulling people in with each generation. It’s these things that are the reasons that Nintendo have survived for so long and have been unmatched. I am a Sony driven writer myself, but I can not ignore what Nintendo is doing and there is a special spot, just for the big N in my heart.
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