Nintendo

Some light reading.

February 6, 2005 by Tony Leave a Comment

I know it might be hard to believe, gamers do have other interests. For me, I am fascinated by the financial world, with a particular interest in the world of investing. I’m pretty green (pun somewhat intended) when it comes to investing, but over the past 3+ years, I’ve been doing dollar based investing through ShareBuilder (a great service and a great way to get your feet wet). I’ve done fairly well, but I’ve got a lot to learn. As such, I try to follow as much stock-related news as I can. Currenlty, I’m subscribed to the Motley Fool newsletter for their insight and tips. It’s nothing great, but a couple weeks ago, this article was highlighted. As I read it, I was reminded of this, which I read over at Video-Fenky. I think these articles really get to the point of what can and needs to be changed over at Nintendo.

I think we can also throw this little tidbit (hat tip, Joystiq) as well. Nintendo has definitely embraced the kid-friendly image but maybe the embrace has turned into a bear hug and Nintendo can’t let it go.

Hope springs eternal

August 17, 2004 by Tony Leave a Comment

Every once and a while, an article like this (via IGN) catches my eye and my heart at the same time. Getting my Gamecube online is defintely something I have been hoping for for a while, but so far no luck. So I read the article, hoping for a glimmer of hope, and all I get is:

Unfortunately, Nintendo filed the patent in question for the ill-fated 64DD and not for the GameCube. The 64DD was meant to add mass storage capabilities to the N64, but it never caught on.

Blasted! Oh well, hope does spring eternal.

Nintendo and Microsoft

August 4, 2004 by Tony Leave a Comment

So now that I’ve had time to think about the news story I linked to earlier, I wanted to comment on it. I know it’s older news, supposedly Bill Gates tried and failed at buying Nintendo a few years back, hence the Xbox. He knew that there is a lot of money to be made in the living room and wanted a piece of that action. Say what you will about him, he didn’t get where he is by luck alone. He knows what he’s doing.

Anyway, I’ve thought about what could come of a merger like Nintendo + Xbox. Here are a few thoughts I’ve had:

Online – Like it or not, Nintendo has dropped the ball here. With only 2 games utilizing the broadband adapter to play online is pretty sad. While there aren’t a lot of games that could utilize it, an online Pikmin, Animal Crossing, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, or any sports game would be great. By combining Xbox Live’s success with Nintendo games, possibilities are endless. A 16 player F-Zero race online would rock.

Franchises – Nintendo has tons of them, Xbox really only has HALO. Bring Zelda and Mario in the fold would be perfect. With Nintendo’s knack for making fun games and the power of the Xbox would be unbelievable.

Fan base – Nintendo fanboys are fickle creatures. I’m sure most of them would feel that Nintendo sold-out and they’d be mad. But most of us would realize the possibilities and embrace the change. For one reason or another, I don’t want to see the PS3 win the next console race and an Xbox/Nintendo combo could easily knock it off its high horse.

There are other positives, and I’m sure an equal number of negatives, but I’m an optimist so I try to look past that. Either way, I doubt it will happen and we’ll have a 3 console race once again. I can’t see it going past that, though. Someone will have to drop out. Who will it be?