Pachter Unimpressed by Nintendo: 'I don't know why Iwata is still employed'
Says PS4 only beating Xbox One on price
Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter has, as is his wont, made some big statements about the present and future state of the console market. Among them is a severe finger-wagging for Nintendo and its president, Satoru Iwata, in particular.
"I don't know why Iwata is still employed," Pachter told the Game Monetization USA Summit in San Francisco. In particular, he was referring to Nintendo's refusal to put its content on mobile devices such as phones and tablets, a move he says would generate huge revenues and bring new fans to Nintendo.
Pachter characterised the Wii U's performance as "underwhelming" and said that while some strong games releases could turn its fortunes around, he considered it unlikely.
Of Sony and Microsoft, Pachter was bullish about the potential of the PS4, he cited price as the main difference between it and the Xbox One. "Microsoft loses the next generation unless they cut price. If Microsoft drops its price to $399, I expect the sales to be equal to the PS4," he said. Pachter expects a future model of the Xbox One to include a TV tuner to bolster its use as a multimedia device.
He doesn't think there's much growth left in the console market. "I don't think you're ever going to see 500 million consoles out there," he said. He expects sales of around 30 million for the Wii U, 100m - 120m for the PS4 and 90m - 110m for the Xbox One. Furthermore, he said he expects the next generation of consoles to be the last and for PC to move into prime place.
Source: GamesIndustry
"I don't know why Iwata is still employed," Pachter told the Game Monetization USA Summit in San Francisco. In particular, he was referring to Nintendo's refusal to put its content on mobile devices such as phones and tablets, a move he says would generate huge revenues and bring new fans to Nintendo.
Pachter characterised the Wii U's performance as "underwhelming" and said that while some strong games releases could turn its fortunes around, he considered it unlikely.
Of Sony and Microsoft, Pachter was bullish about the potential of the PS4, he cited price as the main difference between it and the Xbox One. "Microsoft loses the next generation unless they cut price. If Microsoft drops its price to $399, I expect the sales to be equal to the PS4," he said. Pachter expects a future model of the Xbox One to include a TV tuner to bolster its use as a multimedia device.
He doesn't think there's much growth left in the console market. "I don't think you're ever going to see 500 million consoles out there," he said. He expects sales of around 30 million for the Wii U, 100m - 120m for the PS4 and 90m - 110m for the Xbox One. Furthermore, he said he expects the next generation of consoles to be the last and for PC to move into prime place.
Source: GamesIndustry
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Comments
DrkStr 6 Dec 2013 12:56
1/2
Has anybody counted the number of times this guy has been right?
I seem to think they could be counted on the thumbs of one hand.
I seem to think they could be counted on the thumbs of one hand.
Kaihaku 6 Dec 2013 20:52
2/2
I don't know why Pachter is still considered newsworthy.
Yes. It's true, Nintendo needs to have a mobile strategy. It's a major over sight that they don't... But releasing their library of games wholesale? That's cannibalism. The first time that Sega released their classics on a new platform it was exciting, after the twentieth time significantly less so.
Nintendo needs a real mobile strategy. One that gets their brand out there and leads back to their core business. Back in the day, Mario Teaches Typing did nothing to compete with Nintendo's core business but it did lead people back to Nintendo. That's what Nintendo needs to do with the mobile market, get their name out there and lead consumers back to them.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about... Imagine a dungeon chamber designer app similar to Clash of Clans where the "dark lord" gets more resources for each minute it takes an adventurer to clear the room (with a big bonus for defeating the adventurer), the catch being that the adventurer is a real player running through a challenge dungeon made up of app designed rooms in a Legend of Zelda game.
Patcher is right that Nintendo needs a mobile strategy...but his thoughts on what it show a decided lack of business sense. Nintendo shouldn't cannibalize it's library, it should produce new content that keeps mobile users thinking about the Wii U and 3DS.
Yes. It's true, Nintendo needs to have a mobile strategy. It's a major over sight that they don't... But releasing their library of games wholesale? That's cannibalism. The first time that Sega released their classics on a new platform it was exciting, after the twentieth time significantly less so.
Nintendo needs a real mobile strategy. One that gets their brand out there and leads back to their core business. Back in the day, Mario Teaches Typing did nothing to compete with Nintendo's core business but it did lead people back to Nintendo. That's what Nintendo needs to do with the mobile market, get their name out there and lead consumers back to them.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about... Imagine a dungeon chamber designer app similar to Clash of Clans where the "dark lord" gets more resources for each minute it takes an adventurer to clear the room (with a big bonus for defeating the adventurer), the catch being that the adventurer is a real player running through a challenge dungeon made up of app designed rooms in a Legend of Zelda game.
Patcher is right that Nintendo needs a mobile strategy...but his thoughts on what it show a decided lack of business sense. Nintendo shouldn't cannibalize it's library, it should produce new content that keeps mobile users thinking about the Wii U and 3DS.