22 replies to this topic

[Nintyfan86]

Hello Everyone,

 

People are buying phones/tablets, and playing the no/low cost garbage they have. This is taking away from, and arguably, changing the landscape of the industry. AAA publishers are also eating away at the industry by recycling garbage and making it impossible for the smaller devs to make headway with new concepts on consoles (spare a few). 

 

Those free games are ad based, and this makes up for a large chunk of their revenue. The hardware is subsidized with the data plans. Here is a concept I was toying around with and I was using Nintendo's product's as an example:

 

A $99 Wii U, and a $50 3ds. These are heavily ad supported, with mandatory time spent viewing ads, maybe 10 seconds between applications. You can pay the full price, and remove the ads. Games are priced at $free-10 with the ad scheme. Again, you can pay the full price to remove the ads. 

 

My hypothesis is that this would make the install base explode, provided Nintendo could secure the proper marketing tactics. The problem is that this is easily copied. However, Nintendo has an advantage with software, and an actual incentive to be very far ahead at first. 

 

So yes, you will get a bunch of crap software, just like with Droid/IOS, but you will also have the decent-to-great stuff that we have now. The only difference is, they have an optional way to adjust to changing market conditions.

 

This sounds insane to stupid. Just think about it for a second and then respond:).

[Mignaga]

I would be totally against something like that. There's already enough ads that I see every day when I'm not playing games, I don't need more when I'm playing them.

[grahamf]

I don't want ads interrupting my gameplay. Do you really want to have a boss battle interrupted because there are single women in your area?

[Mitch]

Just buy the dirt cheap ad model and install adblocker

 

[SteventheSlayer]

If this ever happens it would kill any desire for me to buy consoles.

[Tom]

I'm pretty sure the Nokia N-Gage did something like that.

 

Also I paid the extra money to not have ads on my Kindle Paperwhite.

[iEatTacos]

If you don't want the ads that's why you pay full price. But I get what you're saying, OP, this seems like a solid way to get people on board with Nintendo hardware. But I'm waiting for their inevitable NINTENDO PHONE. The one phone to rule them all

[Nintyfan86]

If you don't want the ads that's why you pay full price. But I get what you're saying, OP, this seems like a solid way to get people on board with Nintendo hardware. But I'm waiting for their inevitable NINTENDO PHONE. The one phone to rule them all

Yes sir! The ad revenue is for Nintendo and third parties. The full price customers, the market that is continuously buying stuff as it is, would not change a bit. 

 

However, the market is changing. Nintendo would not need, or want, to directly compete with MS and Sony on their terms. This would be a proverbial kick in the nuts. 

 

The Nintendo Phone would be in direct competition with the red ocean. I like the idea, but I feel like Nintendo would be in way over their heads (in everything but games). 

[Nollog]

When's the last time you heard someone say something good about the Ouya?

[grahamf]

When's the last time you heard someone say something good about the Ouya?

I think when it was a concept.

[Nintyfan86]

But unlike Ouya, you have everything available on the console. It would create a massive install base with all games. Nothing would change for those that buy games and consoles. We would have better third party support. Theoretically.

[Mushlikeahusky1]

This is a good idea but poor execution would kill it. It would annoy people to death and it makes Nintendo seem like douche bags in the long run 

[Nintyfan86]

This is a good idea but poor execution would kill it. It would annoy people to death and it makes Nintendo seem like douche bags in the long run

Could you elaborate?

[grahamf]

Ever played a Zyinga game?

[Nintyfan86]

Ever played a Zyinga game?

I have watched people play them, and I never thought the ads were too intrusive. Let me flesh this out a little:

 

You buy a Wii U for $99.00 flat with ad support at retail. You then either pay the $200 difference at retail to receive an unlock code tied to your NNID and console, and you have no ads. Games at retail are full price (no getting around this with discs and cases, and shelf space has to be factored in). 

 

The games on the eshop are $0-10 dollars for every AAA, honest to goodness console game. The ads would be annoying, like an interruption between 20 minutes of playtime for this version. Almost like a limited commercial break. 

 

HOWEVER...you can pay MSRP at the store or on the eshop for the full game and skip the ads altogether. 

 

I saw Ouya being brought up, but this would be a little different, as Ouya would not really have the reach that Nintendo could have. Imagine, a Console and handheld within impulse range for many people (OK, credit card impulse range), with a flood of publishers eager to make ad revenue. Nintendo makes money every time the machine turns on. Alternatively, people like us pay full price.

 

Point being, the ads would not need to be obtrusive. Purist will keep buying. The people who bite at $99 will probably make enough ad revenue in some cases to buy 3 or 4 consoles. 

[Mushlikeahusky1]

Could you elaborate?

Okay look if microsoft came out tomorrow and said we are adding ads to every game we own and dropping the Xbox One price to 299.99 but you have to watch ads EVERYONE WOULD HAVE A FIELD DAY! If Nintendo did the same thing they would consider Nintendo a failure and this would be them giving up.

I have watched people play them, and I never thought the ads were too intrusive. Let me flesh this out a little:

 

You buy a Wii U for $99.00 flat with ad support at retail. You then either pay the $200 difference at retail to receive an unlock code tied to your NNID and console, and you have no ads. Games at retail are full price (no getting around this with discs and cases, and shelf space has to be factored in). 

 

The games on the eshop are $0-10 dollars for every AAA, honest to goodness console game. The ads would be annoying, like an interruption between 20 minutes of playtime for this version. Almost like a limited commercial break. 

 

HOWEVER...you can pay MSRP at the store or on the eshop for the full game and skip the ads altogether. 

 

I saw Ouya being brought up, but this would be a little different, as Ouya would not really have the reach that Nintendo could have. Imagine, a Console and handheld within impulse range for many people (OK, credit card impulse range), with a flood of publishers eager to make ad revenue. Nintendo makes money every time the machine turns on. Alternatively, people like us pay full price.

 

Point being, the ads would not need to be obtrusive. Purist will keep buying. The people who bite at $99 will probably make enough ad revenue in some cases to buy 3 or 4 consoles. 

I like this idea but again it wouldn't work. It might sell well but itll kill Nintendo's reputation in the core gaming community.

[grahamf]

Seeing someone play a game is different from actually playing it. If I was to go play Café World again I'll have three popups before the game starts, and five more in the following half hour. For the ads to be able to subsidize the console that much they will have to be pretty intrusive.

[Mewbot]

I don't want ads interrupting my gameplay. Do you really want to have a boss battle interrupted because there are single women in your area?

I have watched people play them, and I never thought the ads were too intrusive. Let me flesh this out a little:

 

You buy a Wii U for $99.00 flat with ad support at retail. You then either pay the $200 difference at retail to receive an unlock code tied to your NNID and console, and you have no ads. Games at retail are full price (no getting around this with discs and cases, and shelf space has to be factored in). 

 

The games on the eshop are $0-10 dollars for every AAA, honest to goodness console game. The ads would be annoying, like an interruption between 20 minutes of playtime for this version. Almost like a limited commercial break. 

 

HOWEVER...you can pay MSRP at the store or on the eshop for the full game and skip the ads altogether. 

 

I saw Ouya being brought up, but this would be a little different, as Ouya would not really have the reach that Nintendo could have. Imagine, a Console and handheld within impulse range for many people (OK, credit card impulse range), with a flood of publishers eager to make ad revenue. Nintendo makes money every time the machine turns on. Alternatively, people like us pay full price.

 

Point being, the ads would not need to be obtrusive. Purist will keep buying. The people who bite at $99 will probably make enough ad revenue in some cases to buy 3 or 4 consoles. 

What about people without internet? They would buy the console for 90 bucks and never see an ad.

[grahamf]

What about people without internet? They would buy the console for 90 bucks and never see an ad.

Exactly. This would mean that either Nintendo would be forced to require the console to be always online, or significantly increase the amount of advertising on the console to offset the people that don't connect the console. And people are already annoyed with the amount of Xbox advertising, which only brings in a pittance and mostly serves to remind people of the games available for the system. Nintendo would have to make the ads much more intrusive to make a profit, and they will vary depending on the adverser.

[Nintyfan86]

Very good points. The main purpose of this concept is to see if the mobile concept could work. There would need to be tweaks to the model, but overall, it seems like you guys are saying it would be a negative situation.

I want to see risk come down for developers, and something like this seems like the only viable option.

I would imagine 2 versions of the system could be available. One that works without internet.