Iwata: "We don't care about what other companies are doing"
Nintendo is focused on creating unique experiences for Wii U
Nintendo's Satoru Iwata has expressed a lack of concern for the strategies of the Wii U's apparent competitors.
Speaking to CNN, Nintendo's president admitted that the company hasn't yet established what makes its new console unique. However, Iwata regards the company's strategy as fundamentally different to that of Sony or Microsoft.
"We just don't care too much about what other companies are doing or are trying to do," he said. "Our primary focus is to think about and actually carry out something which [another] company's hardware can never realise.
"We are trying to provide consumers gaming experiences that can only be available on Nintendo platforms."
Iwata's comments follow a Nintendo Direct presentation that paid little attention to the Wii U's integrated tablet controller - effectively its unique selling point. Nevertheless, Iwata believes that the games Nintendo showed reinforce the idea that, "software sells hardware."
"The number of hardware selling and the number of people who can experience the unique attractions of the Wii U are going to increase, and thereby the knowledge and the understanding about the Wii U system shall naturally expand.
"Starting from this summer, Nintendo is preparing for a very strong first-party software line-up that people really want to try out. By selling the software, we'd like to expand the hardware sales of the Wii U system. That's our message."
Though I'd say a little bit of 'care' wouldn't go a miss. We can learn so much from our rivals and use those inspirations or techniques to make our own prospects and ideas better.
They really need to start using the controller properly to justify the cost to the consumer. Apart from the Wii U being a "Nintendo IP" machine that spits out very similar renditions of the same old same old, the value judgement for the consumer is ridiculous. Ł50 more and you will be able to get a PS4 which tramples the Wii U in almost all arenas from both a technical and a services point of view.
And this: Frankly worrying. This concept should have been sorted out before launch not a year after it has been released. I'm finding it hard to understand what Nintendo have been doing with their time whilst they let the Wii die in it's final years.
Perhaps someone should tell Iwata.
Besides one of the main components of the competitive rivalry aspect of Porter's 5 is innovation. You can't innovate if you don't know what the competition is doing.
What Iwata is trying to say is that they are not a 'me-too' company. They do their own thing. They stay competitive by being innovative and offering exclusive content. Exclusive content is a huge aspect of competitive rivalry in itself.
But this has always been how Nintendo operates as a video game company...on both the software and hardware side.
I wonder when they're going to start doing that? Are they even looking at what Sony and MS are doing? It doesn't seem like it.
The consumer in me LOVES hearing things like this. It's what I love about Nintendo.
The business analyst in me cringes, because it goes against anything shareholders want to hear. Pachter's gonna have a field day.
One more thing. If the late Steve Jobs had said that "We don't care about what other companies are doing," would it have even been a headline? I am not saying Iwata is anything like Jobs, just showing you that CEOs that think like this are few and far between.
Full Disclosure
Long Apple
Long Nintendo
It's clear that one reason the Wii U isn't flying off store shelves is some folks are waiting for that game until they do buy and they don't just want an HD reboot of WIndwaker or games still in the "coming soon!" stage. Even if they were to chop up a Zelda or Metroid into chapter form, release it it by bit and later, stick the game onto a disc, that would be more acceptable to "we're working on it.. so please keep waiting. Meanwhile, buy a 3DS - it has much better games we also make!"
Well, the payoff is generally spectacular when Nintendo's gambles succeed, but for me, it's all about those third party games on the way more than it is another Donkey Kong, Smash Bros. or new Mario Kart...
I really wish they announced a 3DS with dual analog sticks and extra shoulder buttons (ZL and ZR). This would make it the perfect portable gaming machine. If they did this I would pick one up right away.