Gamecube production halted!

[Radeon350]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/949543.asp?0dm=C21BT&cp1=1

GameCube production halted

Nintendo clears console inventory, hints at new product

By Michiyo Nakamoto
FINANCIAL TIMES

TOKYO, Aug. 7 ? Nintendo is to press the pause button on production of
its Game Cube consoles while it clears inventory of unsold machines,
the company?s president said on Thursday. But Satoru Iwata promised
the struggling games company was developing a radical new product to
be announced next year ? however he gave few details save to say it
would be a departure from mainstream gaming consoles ?that will have a
big impact on the world?.

THE HALT IN PRODUCTION will last until autumn as Nintendo struggles
against competition from Sony?s PlayStation 2, the leading console in
the global market, and Microsoft?s XBox. PlayStation 2 has shipped
more than 51m units since its launch in 2000 compared with under 10m
for Nintendos competing Game Cube, which was launched in 2001.

Mr Iwata, who gave no figures on how much inventory was left to clear,
acknowledged that the group had stumbled with the Game Cube console
and conceded that it had made a strategic mistake by not ensuring that
it had a consistent flow of attractive software for the Game Cube.
But he cast doubt on the ability of Nintendo?s competitors to continue
attracting users with games that are becoming more and more
graphically sophisticated and difficult to play.
?Games that are sophisticated require a lot of time and energy,? he
said. As games became more complicated, players were given up playing
and this was leading to the gradual shrinkage of the market, he
warned.
?We are thinking of launching a completely different kind of game. We
are confident that we can develop a product that anyone can enjoy and
that will provide people with a new kind of excitement,? he said.
Advertisement

Mr Iwata declined to provide any more details about what kind of new
product Nintendo is working on, saying only that the company would
make a further announcement with details next spring.
He did, however, suggest that the new console would aim to return the
games industry to its roots of providing fresh excitement through
games that can be enjoyed by anyone, including those who do not
normally play video games.
Investors are concerned that Nintendo has not risen to the challenge
provided by competitors, such as Sony and Microsoft, by targeting the
casual user, which is where most of the growth in games demand has
been coming from.

Earlier this year, Nintendo?s share price plunged on news that Sony
would launch a handheld game, challenging Nintendo in a market that it
has dominated. It was hit again when Sony announced a new
multi-function machine that would combine a DVD recorder with the
PlayStation.
Nintendo?s share price, which closed at Y9,690 on Thursday, is 19 per
cent below this year?s high of Y11,890.
Nintendo?s mission is to develop simple games that anyone can enjoy,
and by doing so bring back those people who have given up playing
games into the market. If Nintendo succeeds in doing that, it might
even achieve sales of Y1,000bn, Mr Iwata said. That compares with
sales last year of Y504bn.

 

[Scott H]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/949543.asp?0dm=C21BT&cp1=1

GameCube production halted

Nintendo clears console inventory, hints at new product

By Michiyo Nakamoto
FINANCIAL TIMES

TOKYO, Aug. 7 ? Nintendo is to press the pause button on production of
its Game Cube consoles while it clears inventory of unsold machines,
the company?s president said on Thursday. But Satoru Iwata promised
the struggling games company was developing a radical new product to
be announced next year ? however he gave few details save to say it
would be a departure from mainstream gaming consoles ?that will have a
big impact on the world?.

THE HALT IN PRODUCTION will last until autumn as Nintendo struggles
against competition from Sony?s PlayStation 2, the leading console in
the global market, and Microsoft?s XBox. PlayStation 2 has shipped
more than 51m units since its launch in 2000 compared with under 10m
for Nintendos competing Game Cube, which was launched in 2001.

Hmm, take this lightly folks, remember, the NY Times said Nintendo was
going to buy Sega while Sega was still producing Dreamcasts too.

 

[Davidgilmour2003]

doen't that mean that the console is like ..... dead..... ?

Radeon350 schreef:

 

[SewerFiss]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/949543.asp?0dm=C21BT&cp1=1

Jeez, what a load of propaganda from...oh, the *MICROSOFT*-NBC network.
Man...

First of all, the production halt in the headline is only until Autumn
acording to the article, that's...uh, six weeks away. This is totally
standard procedure for Microsoft and Sony as well as Nintendo (or any other
electronics manufacturer, for that matter) to make a large production run at
a time andf then sit on them until the stock runs low. What, like the
companies are supposed to make a single new system every time someone orders
one?

As for the rest of the article, it seems to be imaginitively cobbled togther
from this Reuters wire article:

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=KTPCAKQ5NRUR4CRBAE0CFEY?
type=topNews&storyID=3236829

I'm not even a Nintendo fanboy (thanks for crossposting this into the Sega
group for no apparent reason, by the way), but come on, it doesn't take a
genius to see the shit oozing out between the seems of this article you
posted. I mean, I guess I can't blame a little troll for trying to do his
job by posting it and really I can't even blame Microsoft for being the
shady corporate scum everybody knows they are and managing to exploit their
media ownership to put such crap into the "news," but I just hope the
readers of these newsgroups will be bright enough to not sweat over it and
so not spawn a 200 post thread that I have to wade through for the next
month and half (coincidentally, just when Nintendo produces the next batch
of Gamecubes, apparently).


....word is bondage...

 

[Shadow]

doen't that mean that the console is like ..... dead..... ?

No. It means they have too many units in storage and need to sell off the
excess.

 

[aep]

Not necessarily. It could be just too many unsold GC sitting around and
they'd resume production after a few months.

And you believe that do you?

Andrew.

 

[Brad Bishop]

Not necessarily. It could be just too many unsold GC sitting around and

they'd resume production after a few months.

That's what it means, according to the article.

I think that, unfortunately, the CG is on it's way out. From the overtones
of the article and other ariticles that I have read, it sounds like Nintendo
realizes that they really have hosed up the GameCube.

I didn't buy a GameCube because I didn't think that the N64 had enough
support for it and it didn't look like the GC was having any better of a
run. I think people will stay away once they perceive a product (or line of
products) to be in the non-popular / unsupported category. Unfortunately,
this is what Nintendo has done to themselves.

It's a shame because it seemed like it had (still has, but it is dying)
great potential. As much as others have complained about the kiddie games, I
liked the look of their games (I suppose that it seems odd that I didn't buy
it, then). It looked like playing a cartoon - fun.

Enjoy!

Brad

 

[Scott H]

Jeez, what a load of propaganda from...oh, the *MICROSOFT*-NBC network.
Man...

First of all, the production halt in the headline is only until Autumn
acording to the article, that's...uh, six weeks away. This is totally
standard procedure for Microsoft and Sony as well as Nintendo (or any other
electronics manufacturer, for that matter) to make a large production run at
a time andf then sit on them until the stock runs low. What, like the
companies are supposed to make a single new system every time someone orders
one?

As for the rest of the article, it seems to be imaginitively cobbled togther
from this Reuters wire article:

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=KTPCAKQ5NRUR4CRBAE0CFEY?
type=topNews&storyID=3236829

I'm not even a Nintendo fanboy (thanks for crossposting this into the Sega
group for no apparent reason, by the way), but come on, it doesn't take a
genius to see the shit oozing out between the seems of this article you
posted. I mean, I guess I can't blame a little troll for trying to do his
job by posting it and really I can't even blame Microsoft for being the
shady corporate scum everybody knows they are and managing to exploit their
media ownership to put such crap into the "news," but I just hope the
readers of these newsgroups will be bright enough to not sweat over it and
so not spawn a 200 post thread that I have to wade through for the next
month and half (coincidentally, just when Nintendo produces the next batch
of Gamecubes, apparently).

Agreed, if anything can be gleened from this article, it's that Nintendo
*might* be redesigning the Gamecube a little bit and re-releasing it.
Possibly something with DVD playback or maybe even something better. Hell,
if Sony can remake the PS2 into something with TIVO and make new regular PS2
with progressive scan and get away with it, surely nobody will feel "ripped
off" if Nintendo remakes the Gamecube right?

 

[Phillip Roncoroni]

No. It means they have too many units in storage and need to sell off the
excess.

BECAUSE the system is selling like garbage.

 

[Roj]

Not necessarily. It could be just too many unsold GC sitting around and
they'd resume production after a few months.

Um, it's August. This is not a month typical of
unsold-inventory-after-the-holiday-buying-spree.

let's face it:

The thing was always an "also ran" compared to both the X-Box and PS2.

 

[Robert P Holley]

Jeez, what a load of propaganda from...oh, the *MICROSOFT*-NBC network.
Man...

Actually I first saw the news from here.
http://news.com.com/2100-1043-5059951.html

First of all, the production halt in the headline is only until Autumn
acording to the article, that's...uh, six weeks away. This is totally
standard procedure for Microsoft and Sony as well as Nintendo (or any other
electronics manufacturer, for that matter) to make a large production run at
a time andf then sit on them until the stock runs low. What, like the
companies are supposed to make a single new system every time someone orders
one?

Perhaps but this article stated that "Nintendo stopped producing GameCube at
the beginning of this year." so I think it's much longer than six weeks
you're estimating.

 

[wrestleantares]

I don't think the GameCube sucks or is crappy or anything,

Neither do I. However, just a bit of anecdotal evidence: while I do
have several great titles for the GC, there has been absolutely
nothing that has piqued my interest since Zelda.

I've got some games I want in the near future, but that dry spell is
an awful long one, considering the PS2 and XBOX had several in the
same time frame that I wanted/got.

 

[Brad Bishop]

Perhaps but this article stated that "Nintendo stopped producing GameCube
at

the beginning of this year." so I think it's much longer than six weeks
you're estimating.

The other thing about this is that it's pretty obvious, retail-wise, that
Nintendo has a winner with the GameBoy series and, as of late, the GameBoy
Advance SP.

It's also pretty obvious, retail-wise, that the GameCube is in 3rd place and
not holding on all that well. I'm sure people can bring up anecdotal
evidence that when they go to their local store it's shelves are filled
(because GameCube is doing so well) or empty (because GameCube is doing so
well) of GameCube titles and people are clammoring around it. That may be
your experience but it isn't for the other 99% of us.

I don't think the GameCube sucks or is crappy or anything, I think it's just
losing out to a more popular competitor (for whatever reasons). Sony's
Playstation2 is obviously doing well. The XBox is doing fairly well as a 2nd
place condendor even though it's numbers aren't all that great either with
MS losing money over the deal. They're still in the game, though. It really
looks like Nintendo is going to let the GameCube follow the N64's path by
having it *there* in the stores kind of withering on the vine. The product
will be available for a while but there won't really be a promise of any
compelling reason to buy it (unless you already have one or are looking for
a discounted game system).

Have a great weekend!

Brad

 

[Brad Bishop]

Neither do I. However, just a bit of anecdotal evidence: while I do
have several great titles for the GC, there has been absolutely
nothing that has piqued my interest since Zelda.

I've got a similar problem for my PS2. I've felt like buying a new game for
a while now but there is nothing that strikes me as fun.

There seems to be 3 game types out there:
* Racing - I like racing games as much as the next guy. I don't like every
game to be a racing game, though.
* Fighting / Movie (it's like you're playing a semi-interactive movie) - I
like to watch movies, not play them. With the cut-scenes taking me from one
place to another, I feel like I'm watching a boring movie that I have to
play.
* Platform games - These game are OK, but, like the other two games, they're
all basically the same.

The last time I really felt like this was 1984ish when there were a ton of
games available and there was so much crap out there that no one could
figure out what the good games were.

I think that the developers/producers have really hosed up their market by
allowing themselves to be pigeon-holed into a few game types and, from what
it would appear, just re-using their engines over and over again. It reminds
me of all of the different types of Monopoly games currently floating about.
I like Monopoly. It's a good game. There is some novelty in Springfieldopoly
(The Simpsons Monopoly) but it's pretty obvious that it's the same game
underneath the different artwork. I don't expect to have much of a different
experience between the two so I just don't buy the next X-opoly game.

I want new/fun games, not another retread. It doesn't have to be 3D. It
doesn't have to use a whole lot of space on the CD/DVD. It just needs to be
fun. The enhanced graphics should *add* to the game, not just be there as a
gimmick.

I suspect that we're in for a downturn in the video gaming community, in
general. Although people in the specific newsgroups will rattle on about
frames per second, the average buyer really doesn't care and I don't think
that they'll keep funding games that play the same and only slightly better
in graphics (which seems to be the trend). Even here at work, where there
are some hard-core gamers, they seem to grow weary their new $50 games
within about a 2-week period. They also seem to be buying fewer games and
becoming, in general, increasingly frustrated in their satisfaction of the
games.

Bomberman, to me, is an excellent example of a fun game that is simple,
doesn't over use graphics, replayable, and original. I originally bought it
for my TurboGrafx based only on others saying, "This game is great!" It was.
I played quite a bit of it and often return to it (on the PS now). Then they
released Bomberman 3Dish adventure games. They lost me there.

You Don't Know Jack is another great (unique) game. It came out of no-where.

I still play Robotron.

I remember playing/enjoying Miner 2049er.

The current crop bores me and lacks imagingation.

I do have to give GameCube credit in that there are a few that (although I
have not played them, they do look interesting/fun) tempt me to buy one:
Rogue Squadron, Mario Sunshine, Zelda (they are reusing it a bit but these
look entertaining).

Enjoy!

Brad

 

[Gene Poole]

No. It means they have too many units in storage and need to sell off the
excess.

BECAUSE the system is selling like garbage.
[/QUOTE]
is it?

got any numbers/links?

 

[Steve Linberg]

I don't think the GameCube sucks or is crappy or anything,

Neither do I. However, just a bit of anecdotal evidence: while I do
have several great titles for the GC, there has been absolutely
nothing that has piqued my interest since Zelda.[/QUOTE]

I've got to say the other thing is the price of the games - just WAY too
expensive. I think the gaming industry has gotten itself into a bad
spot because the technology is so advanced - what games are CAPABLE of
is so advanced - that it takes a gigantic staff of really talented
people to make a good game, with big marketing behind it and so forth.
The days of two or three programmers plus an artist making good games
are long gone.

This drives the price up. So I read on Penny Arcade that Mario Golf is
a lot of fun and great for having friends over with and so on. And then
I see it at Media Play for $50. Are you kidding me? My wallet stays in
my pocket. $30, ok, I'd probably get it. $40, it better be Game of the
Year. $50? I'll wait a few years and scoop it up when it hits the
bargain bin, thanks.

 

[Gene Poole]

I don't think the GameCube sucks or is crappy or anything, I think it's just
losing out to a more popular competitor (for whatever reasons). Sony's
Playstation2 is obviously doing well. The XBox is doing fairly well as a 2nd
place condendor even though it's numbers aren't all that great either with
MS losing money over the deal. They're still in the game, though.

this always strikes me as funny, and seems like people either hold MS
and Nintendo to two different standards, or talk out of both sides of
their mouths.

MS is doing great, only the xbox isn't selling that much!

Nintendo is doing lousy. they're still around, and selling just as much
as MS, but come on...they're dead in the water!

I hate spin.

as far as I can tell (unless I'm wrong, which is entirely possible as
I've been absent for like a month here) the GC and Xbox, overall, have
pretty much the same sales. yet one os doomed while the other is a smash
success. I don't get it.

 

[Paolo T]

Not necessarily. It could be just too many unsold GC sitting around and
they'd resume production after a few months.

Assuming that the overstock does clear itself.

And with the number of highstreet stores that don't stock it, then
this becomes a very difficult job to do indeed.

 

[Robert P Holley]

Neither do I. However, just a bit of anecdotal evidence: while I do
have several great titles for the GC, there has been absolutely
nothing that has piqued my interest since Zelda.

I've got to say the other thing is the price of the games - just WAY too
expensive. I think the gaming industry has gotten itself into a bad
spot because the technology is so advanced - what games are CAPABLE of
is so advanced - that it takes a gigantic staff of really talented
people to make a good game, with big marketing behind it and so forth.
The days of two or three programmers plus an artist making good games
are long gone.

This drives the price up. So I read on Penny Arcade that Mario Golf is
a lot of fun and great for having friends over with and so on. And then
I see it at Media Play for $50. Are you kidding me? My wallet stays in
my pocket. $30, ok, I'd probably get it. $40, it better be Game of the
Year. $50? I'll wait a few years and scoop it up when it hits the
bargain bin, thanks.[/QUOTE]

In reality, compared to game prices from as far back as 1996, games are
cheaper today. Why? Because $50 back then was a lot more money than it is
today. Heck, N64 games were sometimes $60 a pop.

 

[El Guapo]

Um, it's August. This is not a month typical of
unsold-inventory-after-the-holiday-buying-spree.

Umm... this was for the April - June period, remember?

let's face it:

The thing was always an "also ran" compared to both the X-Box and PS2.

That "also ran" has sold as many machines as the XBox.