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U-turn; Video gamesThe Economist. 405.8813 (Dec. 1, 2012):
p73(US).Article
COPYRIGHT 2012 Economist Intelligence Unit N.A.
Incorporatedhttp://store.eiu.com/Texto completo:
Much is riding on the success of Nintendo's latest console
IN THE neophilic world of video games, Nintendo is the oldest of
the old hands. The company got its start sellingplaying cards in
1889. In 1974 it secured the Japanese distribution rights to the
Magnavox Odyssey, the world'sfirst games console. A decade later,
its own console--the Nintendo Entertainment System--sold like hot
cakes inboth Japan and the West, and the firm has been a giant of
the industry ever since.
So plenty of hype surrounded the American launch of the Wii U,
Nintendo's newest console, on November 18th(Europeans are due to
get the machine on November 30th; the Japanese must wait until
December 8th). Early salesseem strong. That will be a cause for
relief at Nintendo's Kyoto headquarters, for the firm is struggling
to adapt toa fast-changing world. In April it reported its first
annual loss in its half-century as a public company, finishingthe
year {Yen}43 billion ($530m) in the red.
That may seem odd: after all, the Wii U's predecessor, the Wii,
was hailed as a masterpiece. Launched in 2006, itwas pitched at
"casual" gamers, rather than hardened gaming enthusiasts. Cute
design, motion-sensitivecontrollers and friendly games such as "Wii
Fit" and "Wii Party" appealed to children, women and even the
old.The Wii became the best-selling console of its generation,
beating both Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony'sPlayStation 3 (see
chart).
But casual gamers tended to spend less on games than the more
dedicated players with Microsoft and Sonymachines. They had less to
spend on, too: Nintendo struggled to attract interest from
third-party publishers, saysPiers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at IHS.
The Wii's comparatively lacklustre hardware did not help. Nor did
itsunderwhelming online social tools.
At the same time, Nintendo's new audience was being lured away
by games designed for smartphones or webbrowsers on PCs. A typical
Wii game costs $50, but many mobile or browser-based games are
either free to playor cost a few dollars.
With all that in mind, Nintendo says it wants to make the Wii U
appealing to committed gamers as well as a morecasual crowd. The
console has many fancy features, not least a smartphone-style
controller with an integratedtouch screen, as well as improved
social options. But concerns remain about its hardware, especially
because newproducts from Microsoft and Sony could arrive as soon as
next year.
Some games-watchers argue that consoles are doomed, due to be
replaced by smartphones and televisions that canstream games over
the internet in the same way that services like Netflix stream
films. Some argue that Nintendoshould follow its erstwhile rival
Sega out of consumer hardware altogether, earning its living purely
from itsstrong stable of intellectual property, such as the Mario
and Zelda gaming franchises.
For now, at least, such talk is overcooked. Streaming games
remain a nifty idea more than a market-ready product,and
smartphones are not a substitute for gaming on a giant screen. But
change comes quickly in the gamesbusiness, and the Wii U is
fighting for a share of a market that, at best, is unlikely to grow
as fast in the future asit has in the past.
Citao da fonte (MLA 7a edio)"U-turn; Video games." The Economist
1 Dec. 2012: 73(US). Academic OneFile. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
Document URLhttp://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
