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[onQ123]

Wii was pretty much a relaunch of the Gamecube in a new formfactor with new controller & disc format & they knocked it out the park. They slipped up again with the WiiU but quickly recovered with the Switch.

Microsoft made a nice recovery when they cut their losses with the original Xbox then jumpstarted the next generation early with the Xbox 360 having a head start on Sony & Nintendo. (Might be a good idea to try that again MS )


Sony actually recovered in the same generation with the PS3 because at the end of the generation they was on fire & pretty much lead to the success of PS4 & PS5.

 

[SF Kosmo]

On the flip side Ninentdo is better at dropping the ball after a success than anyone else. They're really an incredible roller coaster of good and bad decisions.

 

[onQ123]

On the flip side Ninentdo is better at dropping the ball after a success than anyone else. They're really an incredible roller coaster of good and bad decisions.

Wii U is the only time you can really say they dropped the ball though. Other times like N64 & Gamecube they was just up against PS1 & PS2.

 

[NikuNashi]

On the flip side Ninentdo is better at dropping the ball after a success than anyone else. They're really an incredible roller coaster of good and bad decisions.

Thats because they never play it safe, they go all in on their ideas and some and hits and some misses, they should be applauded for that.

 

[Captain Toad]

Xbox 360. It almost sold as much as PlayStation. Impressive as the previous generation PlayStation out sold them 6 and a half times over.

 

[Aenima]

First few years of the PS3 to the last few years of the PS3.

 

[anthony2690]

Xbox 360. It almost sold as much as PlayStation. Impressive as the previous generation PlayStation out sold them 6 and a half times over.

I always wondered if all the Xbox 360 repairs/replacements inflated numbers at all.

Then again in the UK atleast, I think the Xbox 360 was most people's first console to play games online (I am aware Dreamcast, PS2 and original Xbox all offered online gaming too, but I didn't know anyone personally that actually played these consoles online)

 

[RCU005]

I wish Microsoft recovered in all its glory the right way, which is by investing in creating new studios instead of buying entire publishers to harm the industry.

People often say: “ But Sony also buys studios”, but if you look at the studios Sony has purchased since the beginning, they are all practically studios that have mostly (or only) done games for PlayStation, or at the very least, their major success was with them.

It’s clear that Microsoft’s main intention is to remove those games from PlayStation (or in COD’s case, remove control). 70+ Billion dollars is way too much money to make at least 10 studios and create new technologies.

Nintendo on the other hand surprises me. I want a high-spec console from them, but they have found success in two consoles that are the opposite. I guess we will never see Zelda, Star-Fox, Metroid, etc with graphics such as Demon’s Souls Remake, Final Fantasy XVI, etc.

For me, the best console is the one that has the games that I like the most. Currently is Sony, and Nintendo because they have classics. I hope Xbox does great games (for my taste) sometime.

 

[onQ123]

Xbox 360. It almost sold as much as PlayStation. Impressive as the previous generation PlayStation out sold them 6 and a half times over.

That was the same generation that Nintendo went from the Gamecube that might have sold even less than the OG Xbox to Wii which was pretty much the same CPU & GPU that was in the Gamecube but Nintendo's new approach got them a extra 100 million units sold with them processors lol.

 

[Three]

Would NMS count?

 

[Captain Toad]

I always wondered if all the Xbox 360 repairs/replacements inflated numbers at all.

Then again in the UK atleast, I think the Xbox 360 was most people's first console to play games online (I am aware Dreamcast, PS2 and original Xbox all offered online gaming too, but I didn't know anyone personally that actually played these consoles online)

That's likely one factor. I know I had three RRODs, but only one which wasn't under warranty.

There's also the full year head start and significantly cheaper price.

But, those first years of 360 were a high for Xbox they haven't touched since. It was the only time I considered Xbox my primary console and PlayStation secondary. That changed near the end as the 360 exclusives dried and up and Sony first-party developers started hitting a whole 'nother level.

 

[Captain Toad]

Would NMS count?

If we're talking games, then FFXIV. I played 1.0 at its absolute lowest. After the launch when everyone gave up and A Realm Reborn had yet to be revealed. There were literally just a few people playing on the entire server whenever I was on.

 

[March Climber]

First few years of the PS3 to the last few years of the PS3.

"It only does everything" with Kevin Butler was probably one of the best video game ad runs of all time.

 

[onQ123]

I wish Microsoft recovered in all its glory the right way, which is by investing in creating new studios instead of buying entire publishers to harm the industry.

People often say: “ But Sony also buys studios”, but if you look at the studios Sony has purchased since the beginning, they are all practically studios that have mostly (or only) done games for PlayStation, or at the very least, their major success was with them.

It’s clear that Microsoft’s main intention is to remove those games from PlayStation (or in COD’s case, remove control). 70+ Billion dollars is way too much money to make at least 10 studios and create new technologies.

Nintendo on the other hand surprises me. I want a high-spec console from them, but they have found success in two consoles that are the opposite. I guess we will never see Zelda, Star-Fox, Metroid, etc with graphics such as Demon’s Souls Remake, Final Fantasy XVI, etc.

For me, the best console is the one that has the games that I like the most. Currently is Sony, and Nintendo because they have classics. I hope Xbox does great games (for my taste) sometime.

Buying RARE when they was pretty much in house Nintendo was probably the dirtiest thing they have done next to what they are doing now with Activision

 

[Black_Stride]

The fact the Xbox division still even exists let alone that the Series S|X are actually doing pretty good is proof Microsoft are devil worshippers.

Xbox One:

• Announced with a conference that was 90%....TV, TV, TV, TV.
• Had insane DRM at launch
  • No used games
  • No sharing games
  • Always online
• Was weaker than PS4.
• Was more expensive than PS4.
• Came with a camera no one actually wanted.
• Said camera had to be plugged in and it ate already limited GPU power.
• Looked like a VCR.
• Did I mention TV?

<---Still bought one at launch.


From Software.
Until it was recently announced most of the internet didnt even know about Armored Core, let alone Otogi or Kings Field
Demons Souls and Dark Souls was a rebound and a half for From Software.

 

[blacktout]

The 3DS went from a disastrous launch that necessitated a massive price cut to selling 75 million units and keeping Nintendo afloat during the bleak Wii U era.

 

[Deerock71]

It all boils down to the puncher vs. the boxer, and Nintendo is the George Foreman of hardware producers.

 

[kyussman]

I feel Nintendo always have the popular software so when they do fail with the delivery system it's easier to recover with their next effort.

 

[onQ123]

Would NMS count?

Yes

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Gamecube had better games than the Wii, but the sales don't lie...

 

[DeathGuise]

Anyone who shits on the GameCube doesn't know the difference between unit sales and ultra-quality gaming

 

[Spaceman292]

Thats because they never play it safe, they go all in on their ideas and some and hits and some misses, they should be applauded for that.

No they shouldn't. Innovation is dumb. The best games come when they play it safe.

 

[onQ123]

Gamecube had better games than the Wii, but the sales don't lie...

But Wii can play every Gamecube game (The oldest model anyway)

 

[onQ123]

Anyone who shits on the GameCube doesn't know the difference between unit sales and ultra-quality gaming

Who shits on it?

 

[Badlucktroll]

I wish Rare was still with Nintendo and making stuff for switch. The games we would be getting….

 

[kazuyamishima]

The PS3 did it in the same generation.

 

[ACESHIGH]

I am not sure at Wii u to Switch. They killed their home console for that a d Wii U games are a significant part of the switch first party output.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

Wii was not a "recovery" from the Gamecube outside of cash brought in, it was a pivot because they couldn't figure out a way to compete so basically quit and branched off.

Same reason why Wii U isn't a "recovery" for the same reason since it was Nintendo's exist out of the home console market. At least for now, but maybe there will be a home SKU this time for the Switch 2, or maybe they'll just do a new gimmick.

I find it interesting Nintendo not killing themselves throwing money down a hole for a failing strategy, and instead pivoting when something didn't work, the opposite of what Sega did, we have to act like the move was amazing. Any company well-run would do the same thing, Nintendo pivoted from something they messed up on or didn't work, said ok, we can't do it this way let's give up and do a new strategy. That's "prevent bankruptcy" 101.

The 3DS went from a disastrous launch that necessitated a massive price cut to selling 75 million units and keeping Nintendo afloat during the bleak Wii U era.

This would be a better example of a recovery.

 

[Killer8]

I'm not sure if i'd say any Nintendo console was a true fumble. If the GameCube was one, then the N64 was surely one too since Nintendo had been on a downward sales trajectory following the SNES. The GameCube had relatively low sales and leaked marketshare to Sony even harder than the N64 did, however it was also only a couple of million sales behind the original Xbox - and I don't see many people proclaiming that to be a failure. The GameCube was also mildly profitable for Nintendo. They were able to re-use much of the R&D for the GameCube hardware for the Wii - it was basically just an overclocked GC chip with extra RAM - which saved on costs later down the line.

The Wii U was unquestionably a sales disaster and the greatest fumble they ever did was its name. I remember Reggie struggling to answer basic questions about how Wii U sets itself apart from the Wii in the consumer's eyes. Is it an attachment to the Wii? A new console? I still get people to this day buying Wii U games from me on eBay, who then have to get refunds because they didn't realize the game won't work on their Wii. However, the Wii U laid the spiritual groundwork for the Switch - the idea of a home console which is also portable. If the Wii U didn't exist, I doubt that the Switch would have later on. So in that sense it's hard to consider it as a fumble. Possibly just 5 years ahead of its time.

 

[rabbity-thing]

Wii U is the only time you can really say they dropped the ball though. Other times like N64 & Gamecube they was just up against PS1 & PS2.

Nah. The N64 was a hard fumble. The PS1 had the uphill battle here considering they were a newcomer going toe to toe with Sega and Nintendo. The Gamecube's an odd duck, though. It definitely suffered from being designed to look like a toy. Not to mention the fact that the PS2 was also a DVD player. Anyone choosing between the two had to really love Mario Sunshine if they were going to pick up the Gamecube (I kid, obviously, but c'mon... Mario Sunshine.)

 

[BlackTron]

Wii was not a "recovery" from the Gamecube outside of cash brought in, it was a pivot because they couldn't figure out a way to compete so basically quit and branched off.

I think that to most people, cash in would be the most definitive indicator of recovery. But I guess if you change the definition of "recovery" it could mean anything.

I think GC to Wii definitely represents a recovery, one of the most dramatic of all time, for Nintendo as a company. Pivoting is just how they did it. The story with 3DS is an example of a specific platform recovering. Maybe PS3 is another example with its rocky start.

 

[NomenNescio]

No one beats Sony's comeback from PS3 launch. That shit was EPIC.

 

[spons]

This shit right here. I don't think it even launched properly here as much as they put it out a year after release in the rest of the world with a disgruntled look on their face.

 

[kiphalfton]

Nintendo shouldn't be praised for their business approach.

Essentially if a console fails, they just port the games to the next console. This is why it feels like there's barely any forward progress. Cuz they're always depending on their previous consoles games to drive their current console forward.

 

[Rat Rage]

Nintendo's always been carried hard by Miyamoto and his world class, second-to-none game development posse a.k.a Sakurai, Aonuma and all of the unsung legendary heroes at Nintendo EAD, SPD, EPD.

Without them, Nintendo as a company would've gone to shit a long time ago.

 

[onQ123]

Nah. The N64 was a hard fumble. The PS1 had the uphill battle here considering they were a newcomer going toe to toe with Sega and Nintendo. The Gamecube's an odd duck, though. It definitely suffered from being designed to look like a toy. Not to mention the fact that the PS2 was also a DVD player. Anyone choosing between the two had to really love Mario Sunshine if they were going to pick up the Gamecube (I kid, obviously, but c'mon... Mario Sunshine.)

N64 wasn't really a fumble PS1 was just in the way

Wii was not a "recovery" from the Gamecube outside of cash brought in, it was a pivot because they couldn't figure out a way to compete so basically quit and branched off.

Same reason why Wii U isn't a "recovery" for the same reason since it was Nintendo's exist out of the home console market. At least for now, but maybe there will be a home SKU this time for the Switch 2, or maybe they'll just do a new gimmick.

I find it interesting Nintendo not killing themselves throwing money down a hole for a failing strategy, and instead pivoting when something didn't work, the opposite of what Sega did, we have to act like the move was amazing. Any company well-run would do the same thing, Nintendo pivoted from something they messed up on or didn't work, said ok, we can't do it this way let's give up and do a new strategy. That's "prevent bankruptcy" 101.



This would be a better example of a recovery.

How the hell is going from 24 million to over 100 million using the same processors not a recovery?

 

[lachesis]

Well, on the flip side, they now have everything in one basket. They used to have their stuff on 2 fronts - and their amazing portable market carried them in the years of loss... but they now have this hybrid. If anything, the next platform may prove to be very risky.

 

[Ozzie666]

FFXIV A Realm Reborn.

 

[onQ123]

NES 61m
SNES 49m
N64 32m
GameCube 24m
Wii 101m

Nintendo was losing 10 million or more with every new console until Wii came along & broke the cycle. How is that not a recovery?

 

[Oof85]

No one beats Sony's comeback from PS3 launch. That shit was EPIC.

Nah, the one thing that will always make Nintendo's comebacks look better is the fact that they almost always have to do it alone.

3P walk hand in hand with Sony like Sony took them to prom.

Nintendo? Treated like an afterthought and oddity for the most part.

Sony's comeback is always going to be tainted by the fact that the greater industry WANTS them to do well.
Even if PS6 flops, the industry would roll out that little known Mase song Welcome Back once they got things rolling again.

Nintendo? Theme music would be Me against the world.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

N64 wasn't really a fumble PS1 was just in the way

How the hell is going from 24 million to over 100 million using the same processors not a recovery?

This is basically saying that RadioShack gives up on electronics because it failed, pivots to be a clothing company and finds success, that would not be recovering from their fumbles, that would be considered RadioShack abandoning what made it what it was into being a different company, which has the same name.

Numerical marketshare in this instance is even more pointless because Wii wasn't considered an actual competitor, it had the GC inside of it (originally) but it wasn't in aiming for the same market, in the "real" gaming space journalists were not considering a proper console and neither were many gamers but the "HD Twins" were, and almost everything around the traditional industry was centered on 360 and PS3, but not the Wii.

People see that the wii was successful, but let's not pretend people also considered it a loss of form, and people considered it being a fad that chased after junk shovelware for grannies, and we all know that's the reputation the Wii hd whether it was fair or not. It was considered a step back, even from some hardcore Nintendo fans surprisingly, and that image problem was one of the reasons that people were not running out to get Wii U's outside the launch window (excluding the people confused about what it was.) and resulted in business as usual because the Kinect demographics wasn't buying Nintendo anymore.

Wii was a strange time.

 

[Yoboman]

Wii U is the only time you can really say they dropped the ball though. Other times like N64 & Gamecube they was just up against PS1 & PS2.

Nah that was dropping the ball hard. Going with cartridges for N64 was idiotic, and mini discs not much better for GameCube. Plus poor relationship management with third parties, and unusual controller designs that didn't catch on

 

[vodka-bull]

Guys, don‘t forget the virtual boy. Coming from this disaster Nintendo actually recovered big time with the N64.

 

[onQ123]

This is basically saying that RadioShack gives up on electronics because it failed, pivots to be a clothing company and finds success, that would not be recovering from their fumbles, that would be considered RadioShack abandoning what made it what it was into being a different company, which has the same name.

Numerical marketshare in this instance is even more pointless because Wii wasn't considered an actual competitor, it had the GC inside of it (originally) but it wasn't in aiming for the same market, in the "real" gaming space journalists were not considering a proper console and neither were many gamers but the "HD Twins" were, and almost everything around the traditional industry was centered on 360 and PS3, but not the Wii.

People see that the wii was successful, but let's not pretend people also considered it a loss of form, and people considered it being a fad that chased after junk shovelware for grannies, and we all know that's the reputation the Wii hd whether it was fair or not. It was considered a step back, even from some hardcore Nintendo fans surprisingly, and that image problem was one of the reasons that people were not running out to get Wii U's outside the launch window (excluding the people confused about what it was.) and resulted in business as usual because the Kinect demographics wasn't buying Nintendo anymore.

Wii was a strange time.

None of what you're saying has anything to do with the topic .

Nintendo always made their consoles for fun games & Wii continued that

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Best strategy for Nintendo is to make systems that have a mobile component to them. I dont think they've ever had a bad selling mobile device. Their pure consoles are hit and miss. And given they focus on last gen tech since the Wii days, a pure console would be lacking big time in power.

Their console sales are a roller coaster ride.

Consoles
NES success
SNES success
Virtual Boy probably worst selling gadget from any of the main makers ever. Sold 770,000 units according to wiki lasting only a year per region
N64 success I think at 32M units. Meh compared to NES and SNES
GC meh
Wii success
Wii U awful. By far the worst selling console since DC days
Switch success

Handhelds
I think all of them sold great. Switch can be here too as it's a hybrid.

 

[onQ123]

Guys, don‘t forget the virtual boy. Coming from this disaster Nintendo actually recovered big time with the N64.

Now that was a fumble

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Going from Shawn Layden to Jim Ryan was subtly the most impressive upgrade we have ever seen.

 

[onQ123]

Nah, the one thing that will always make Nintendo's comebacks look better is the fact that they almost always have to do it alone.

3P walk hand in hand with Sony like Sony took them to prom.

Nintendo? Treated like an afterthought and oddity for the most part.

Sony's comeback is always going to be tainted by the fact that the greater industry WANTS them to do well.
Even if PS6 flops, the industry would roll out that little known Mase song Welcome Back once they got things rolling again.

Nintendo? Theme music would be Me against the world.

Let's be honest most 3rd Party companies had their biggest hits because of PlayStation before smartphones came along & PC recovered from all the piracy

 

[Knightime_X]

Nintendo's 2 biggest fumbles with gamecube is trying to be overly family friendly, which killed any chances of getting big seller games like GTA san andreas, etc.
And even IF they didn't try so hard at being family friendly, it didn't help them using mini dvd which prevented games like GTA from coming in the first place.

Wii U was a terrible name and weaker than peewee herman.

N64 could have 1 shotted playstation if it went CD, and SNES-CD would have stopped playstation as we know it from existing altogether.
Nintendo had multiple opportunities to make short work of sony multiple times over, but herp-derp decisions stopped that.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

None of what you're saying has anything to do with the topic .

Actually it does.

Handhelds
I think all of them sold great. Switch can be here too as it's a hybrid.

GBC sold well relatively to competitors but Nintendo decided to combine that with GB later on for a reason. GBC was a big outlier they didn't want on the charts and comparisons.

Also Virtual Boy was meant to be a portable too, 90s marketing is always fun.

Let's be honest most 3rd Party companies had their biggest hits because of PlayStation before smartphones came along & PC recovered from all the piracy

PC has a crap ton of big hits. Many PC third-parties never touched the playstation.

N64 could have 1 shotted playstation if it went CD,

There is no situation the N64 would have beaten the PS1 even if it had CD, because all the other problems would not have changed, including the ones that Sony took advantage of to get the support they did. If it was only about CD several devs would have ran to the Saturn.