Gaming In Store Representation Helping Kill Nintendo Home Consoles?

[XDel]

I read the op. Many of us have observations and it is not factual. A general rule is demand determines supply for stores. People discuss "no ads" but if you tune in to channels like Disney Junior you will find commercial carpet bombing. Basically pointing out what the Wii U offers and emphasizing it is a distinct/upgraded system.

That is the target audience. True, stores do not feature the Wii U and the games are presented with Wii games. Most stores I go to are set up this way. Trailers are displayed if there is a display unit. Also, the demo unit is tucked away out of site. I went to Wal-Mart and saw a tv with chairs and a ps3!!! Prominently featured in the center of the electronics department. Behind the register. One way to think of it is demand. Nintendo pushes Wii still, sticks Wii mini now, and why buy a game on a $300 system when you have a Wii and the game seems the same except a "U" in the name?

I love my Wii U. I accept it is another GameCube though.

I do believe there is ground though to much of what I have observed, and also the fact that since after the SNES, it has become common for the media to dig it's claws into Nintendo before it has even released its system. Now a days it is common for the media to bash on Nintendo for not conforming to the current trends established by other companies. In times when attempts at innovation are met with despotism, you know it's a bad sign.
Mind you, I know that Sony and Microsoft get their fare share of bad wrap too, but not to the degree that Nintendo does. No matter what, Microsoft and Sony products are never discussed as the end of the companies, but as a, which of these two systems will win the console wars, Nintendo never seems to be seriously included in that conversation, nor do I feel it should be honestly, Nintendo is Nintendo, I wish Sony was Sony, and Microsoft was Microsoft like Sega used to be Sega, but this is not so. The differences between Microsoft and Sony systems are are par with the differences between Nvidia and AMD GFX chip sets. They do more or less the same thing, one has a few strengths where the other does not and vice versa, but in the end they do pretty much the same thing. The Wii and especially the Wii U, though based upon established technologies within our main stream, do indeed come together to form a unique and quite entertaining entertainment piece that fits like hand and glove like no other. Never has a touch screen tablet been so much fun for me. It's nice to have a perfect controller built into the tablet, and I can not say enough about the way it interfaces with the TV. It's like having a DSi on crack, but with Deus Ex to boot!

As for the Wii U only being marketed on kids channels and what not, I honestly would not know. I do not subscribe to internet, I just use it where I can. I do not order Cable TV or even watch local access, only what I grab what I can when I can off the net. I don't keep a cell phone, and I don't read the news, or bother with the junk mail that comes courtesy of my local utility companies, despite me telling them clearly I did NOT want SPAM in my physical mail box, but company policy holds say over individual will once more.

So anyhow, on to the subject of supply and demand. Well in today's world of created aka prefabricated demand (again study Edward Bernays "amongst others", are a bit about marketing science), the word demand kind of looses the meaning it had, especially in comparison to the great depression and before. The very fact that the store you walked into had chairs, a TV, and a PS3 set up to entice customers was further proof of this. They could have easily have done the same exact thing with The Wii, or the XBOX for that matter, but instead chose the PS3 for what ever reason.

It's called persuasion, a common tool used in politics and marketing. A means to implant ideas and opinions into ones mind, and to induce acceptance of said assumptions, without the natural will of resistance and personal research. Propaganda, marketing, public relations, opinion making, omission of detail and fact, call it what you will, it's all the same. How else do they get young kids to sign up for a war in a place they know nothing about. Or how is it that over night, everyone starts where the same shirt, or the same shoes, or saying the same mindless slogan I.E. "who's your daddy", or vote for a bill that promises rights, but in actuality, revokes rights and liberties. Just as some examples.

Sorry, not to get long winded, it's really not an important topic in the grand scheme of things anyhow, but I do think there is some merit to my observations.


Anyhow, yes, I agree, the Wii U is the new Gamecube, and though this time, unlike the Gamecube, I did not torture my self with the regret of waiting till the system was on it's way out to give it a try. I was AMAZED when I first laid hands on a Gamecube controller, and the games! Though they were few, they were amongst the best I have ever played. My XBOX received more love than it deserved and for far too long.

 

[calmwaters]

tl;r Where should I start?

Yes, Sony and Microsoft's systems both had regular DVD playback, while Nintendo had mini-DVDs. People complained about this, so it probably wasn't hard for the media to portray Nintendo as evil for not having DVD playback. And here's some thought food: Nintendo was portrayed as being evil for not having an organized internet system on the Wii, and then again for the Wii U for not having a powerful enough graphics engine. I offer proof here that the only thing gamers are interested in is the console's internet system and its graphics engine. This might explain why Call of Duty rules supreme in the pop culture of games. The internet gameplay stays the same, while the graphics become increasingly better. Gone are the days when people liked playing Moonwalker and The Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction.

And yes, I've been going into stores lately and seen the Wii U games mixed with the Wii games. But I have gone into stores and seen Wii U boxes and I wonder, "why don't people see these and think they are a console?" Because the boxes are kind of big to just be an add-on to the Wii. It's kind of like saying that the Xbone is just an add-on to the 360; the box is just big enough for that. Anyway, people might still think it's an add-on because the U titles are mixed in with the Wii games. And just to show how stupid some people can be: they believe what the media tells them instead of what's on the shelves. It's because of this misinformation that the U is suffering.

You said one sentence about Nintendo not properly preparing third party developers for the U's release. Why should Nintendo have to prepare anybody for anything? They're busy releasing their own titles; they don't have time to baby game developers. It's been painfully made aware to me that these developers are a bunch of lazy ass bitches. And they are even more so now than they were when the last generation started. Plus they're not really taking any chances at releasing a game on the U because the media still portrays Nintendo as a kid-friendly (aka casual) console. Which is kind of a bum rap in itself since the thing Nintendo needs for the media to portray them as hardcore (aka adult-friendly) is for those people to release actual games (not ports, not fucking ports) on the system. Since you brought up this preparation issue, I might add that Microsoft and Sony didn't prepare their third party developers for their console releases.

And as you mentioned, most games feature a press-any-button-for-this-action system that is designed for lazy players. Honestly, explain to me why you push the B or X button to jump when the jump button has been assigned to A? Didn't you read the instruction manual or is it somehow tedious and therefore boring to always press the A button to jump? See, the Wii Remote/Nunchuk has everything it'll ever need: four buttons, a joystick, a d-pad;, and, instead of the C-stick, it has the built-in capability of moving the camera angle, courtesy of the Remote. But then how many of you used the C-stick on a regular basis when you played PS2/Xbox/GameCube games? And the other thing people complained about the GameCube controller was the Z button on top; I have a controller that has two Z buttons in case I should like to use my left hand instead of my right. It's a nice convenience. I'm not saying that original GameCube controllers are evil because they don't have this function.

As for Wii U games being announced that they won't be released is disturbing; it's been a year, and people are hearing rumors that games won't be released on the U, let alone released at all? It sounds like a conspiracy to kill Nintendo: people who would've bought those games for the U would be tricked by this misinformation into buying them for the PS4.

That's enough thought from me tonight.

Is there one thing you are trying to say op, or is this a multiple topic post?

I'll pick out one thing from your post. WHO PRE-ORDERS A WII U GAME? Sure not me. It's not like there's going to be a bum rush on the Wii U version of any game. I went to gamestop to buy call of duty Ghosts on release day. No, I didn't pre-order it. They had it in stock, as a matter of fact, the clerk didn't even know where to find it. I was the first one person to purchase the Wii U version of that game in that store at about 6:00 PM.

I picked that out of your thread because somebody closed the other thread about pre-orders, while I was reading it.

This is one post, but instead of making several threads about the content, it is more... convenient... to have it in one. Besides, you and other users pride yourselves on your ability to read threads and post relevant thoughts about it. So, people pre-order Xbone games; people pre-order PS4 games; why shouldn't people pre-order U games? Is Nintendo that really different to deserve such treatment? I don't pre-order games myself; it's not something I feel obligated to do. But there are people who like pre-ordering games, and a U game is the same thing as a video game.

 

[Gahars]

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I am here, live, with a special report. The victim complex surrounding particular Nintendo enthusiasts seems to have grown like a tumor, pulsating and expanding with each and every minor quibble aimed at the Japanese video game developer. As it continues to spread and engulf calm and rationality in its terrible maw, I'll offer an up close look at this horror that will surely be the end of us all.

tl;r Where should I start?

Yes, Sony and Microsoft's systems both had regular DVD playback, while Nintendo had mini-DVDs. People complained about this, so it probably wasn't hard for the media to portray Nintendo as evil for not having DVD playback. And here's some thought food: Nintendo was portrayed as being evil for not having an organized internet system on the Wii, and then again for the Wii U for not having a powerful enough graphics engine. I offer proof here that the only thing gamers are interested in is the console's internet system and its graphics engine. This might explain why Call of Duty rules supreme in the pop culture of games. The internet gameplay stays the same, while the graphics become increasingly better. Gone are the days when people liked playing Moonwalker and The Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction.

Today, the victim complex's growth took a particularly strangle path. It now, somehow, contends that people have portrayed Nintendo as "evil" in the past. Evil. Yes, the very same word that would be used to describe men like Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin.

As it turns out, wanting a company to offer certain features means you think they are evil.

The victim complex's sole witness, one Straw Mann, could not be found for comment.

And yes, I've been going into stores lately and seen the Wii U games mixed with the Wii games. But I have gone into stores and seen Wii U boxes and I wonder, "why don't people see these and think they are a console?" Because the boxes are kind of big to just be an add-on to the Wii. It's kind of like saying that the Xbone is just an add-on to the 360; the box is just big enough for that. Anyway, people might still think it's an add-on because the U titles are mixed in with the Wii games. And just to show how stupid some people can be: they believe what the media tells them instead of what's on the shelves. It's because of this misinformation that the U is suffering.

In yet another development, this particular complex has shielded itself from the knowledge that Nintendo itself is a part of "the media." Readers at home might remember that Nintendo, as a company, has entire departments dedicated to promoting their products and educating customers on the merits of their systems. Reasonable readers might even assume that it's a company's responsibility to sell their wares.

Evidently, this assumption is now considered wrong.

Now Nintendo has absolutely no culpability whatsoever in promoting their own products, and is instead the victim of "the media" for no particular reason whatsoever. Perhaps an angry titan of this nebulous media seeks vengeance for a slight on the field of battle; at this stage, we can only speculate.

You said one sentence about Nintendo not properly preparing third party developers for the U's release. Why should Nintendo have to prepare anybody for anything? They're busy releasing their own titles; they don't have time to baby game developers. It's been painfully made aware to me that these developers are a bunch of lazy ass bitches. And they are even more so now than they were when the last generation started. Plus they're not really taking any chances at releasing a game on the U because the media still portrays Nintendo as a kid-friendly (aka casual) console. Which is kind of a bum rap in itself since the thing Nintendo needs for the media to portray them as hardcore (aka adult-friendly) is for those people to release actual games (not ports, not fucking ports) on the system. Since you brought up this preparation issue, I might add that Microsoft and Sony didn't prepare their third party developers for their console releases.

The complex then sputtered about for some time, lashing out blame at 3rd party developers and the media once more. Refusing to accept any sense of responsibility on Nintendo's part, it contends that it is, in fact, everyone's responsibility but Nintendo's to ensure that Nintendo consoles are worth buying.

It also went on to deny the fact that Sony and Microsoft both approached developers and publishers about the design and makeup of their new consoles. This fact, coupled with the knowledge that both companies heavily promote third party titles and pay generous sums for exclusive content, was deemed inconvenient.

And as you mentioned, most games feature a press-any-button-for-this-action system that is designed for lazy players. Honestly, explain to me why you push the B or X button to jump when the jump button has been assigned to A? Didn't you read the instruction manual or is it somehow tedious and therefore boring to always press the A button to jump? See, the Wii Remote/Nunchuk has everything it'll ever need: four buttons, a joystick, a d-pad;, and, instead of the C-stick, it has the built-in capability of moving the camera angle, courtesy of the Remote. But then how many of you used the C-stick on a regular basis when you played PS2/Xbox/GameCube games? And the other thing people complained about the GameCube controller was the Z button on top; I have a controller that has two Z buttons in case I should like to use my left hand instead of my right. It's a nice convenience. I'm not saying that original GameCube controllers are evil because they don't have this function.

[Editor's Note: This is wrong, and this publication calls upon the complex to retract this ludicrously statement because come on, man, seriously.]

As for Wii U games being announced that they won't be released is disturbing; it's been a year, and people are hearing rumors that games won't be released on the U, let alone released at all? It sounds like a conspiracy to kill Nintendo: people who would've bought those games for the U would be tricked by this misinformation into buying them for the PS4.

That's enough thought from me tonight.

The complex ended its inane, intermittently incomprehensible rant with yet another baseless conspiracy, ignoring... well, in this intrepid reporter's opinion, it'd be easier to list what the complex didn't ignore.

Finally, this terrible growth spurt was over...

This is one post, but instead of making several threads about the content, it is more... convenient... to have it in one. Besides, you and other users pride yourselves on your ability to read threads and post relevant thoughts about it. So, people pre-order Xbone games; people pre-order PS4 games; why shouldn't people pre-order U games? Is Nintendo that really different to deserve such treatment? I don't pre-order games myself; it's not something I feel obligated to do. But there are people who like pre-ordering games, and a U game is the same thing as a video game.

...Or so we thought. The complex contradicted itself and offered one last spasm, apparently not having read the quoted text at all and jumping to a completely nonsensical conclusion. It is worth pointing out that the poster known as SickPuppy never once said that people shouldn't be allowed to preorder Wii U games. Even a cursory glance shows that SickPuppy merely stated that Wii U preorders are pointless endeavors; never once did he assert that they shouldn't be allowed at all.

The expansion has halted for now. Breath a sigh of relief, hug your children, and pray, folks. There is no telling just when and how it will start again, nor how long it will take for its wrath to subside.

Reporting live from the carcass of civil discussion, this is Gahars, signing out.

 

[calmwaters]

This just in: Nintendo has released a statement apologizing to consumers for the inconveniences they suffered throughout the past decade. These include, but are not limited to, bad management of their software; a poorly devised method of playing with friends; introduction of foreign objects into an established system. And by releasing this statement, Nintendo hopes to realize their dream that they may one day restore consumer confidence, both in their company practices and in their appeal to the masses.

Author's Note: Nintendo bears no ill will against any party which is affected by their business practices, but rather seeks to encourage those parties to do whatever they wish to support them. Nintendo itself sets a good example in their releasing of software to show support for their system. Make no mistake about it: when the time comes, others will follow Nintendo's example and show support for the system by releasing their own software. But this time might come sooner than anyone might think or could predict: even Nintendo cannot guarantee when and how others will begin to show support for the system.

But, the time to act is now! Even as I type these words, I can imagine the anger and suffering endured by thousands of average, ordinary people around the world who wish for the elite to follow Nintendo's example. They wish for their suffering to be over. As do I. I cannot bear to hear of people suffering; in this case, I wish for an absolution of the elite's desires. Put an end to the suffering by choosing to follow or not follow Nintendo's example. I will understand; I will even continue to support them.

 

[Foxi4]

Please never add DVD to Ninty. People I know just watch Netflix 24/7 on their Wii's.

Why would you not want an additional function free of charge when the used drive is perfectly compatible with DVD's? In fact, it's also compatible with BluRay's, DVD's are old technology at this point. "Having friends that watch Netflix" is anecdotal evidence, moreover, they don't exactly have a choice, do they? You get the added benefit of being able to watch movies on discs... and... no sacrifices are required because the hardware literally can do that already. Explain to me how this is a flaw that you have to "beg not to implement".

 

[UltraMew]

Why would you not want an additional function free of charge when the used drive is perfectly compatible with DVD's? In fact, it's also compatible with BluRay's, DVD's are old technology at this point. "Having friends that watch Netflix" is anecdotal evidence, moreover, they don't exactly have a choice, do they? You get the added benefit of being able to watch movies on discs... and... no sacrifices are required because the hardware literally can do that already. Explain to me how this is a flaw that you have to "beg not to implement".

Because all they do with their Wii's is watch TV. It's a game console, not a NetfliXBox, ok?

 

[a9cito]

Microsoft and Sony attack Nintendo... however every one copy Nintendo hardware... the dildo thing from ps3 and now the second screen for vita and smarthphones in xbox. No one put some motion detector until nintendo, so microsot put kinect after the wii... Every one wants the nintendo is market. Yes you can say anything to attack but if in some moment analyze all the info and history you will know the truth behind.... Why none one talks about the permananent loses from microsoft and sony with their video game consoles? about the fact that some executives a trying to close or separate that divisions for the money loses (ps3 and 360 too) no one talks about it.

 

[Foxi4]

Because all they do with their Wii's is watch TV. It's a game console, not a NetfliXBox, ok?

GBATemp users say the darndest things. Hey UltraMew, did you hear the news? There's a whole wide world beyond the tip of your nose!

It's not your stinking business what people do with their systems and Nintendo should be glad that they bought theirs, for whatever purpose, which is why a wide array of functionality is important. Maybe those users would play more often if the system had sodding games worth buying - until those pop up, god bless for every single sale.

People can really be close-minded sometimes.

I won't even comment much on a9cito's "copying" allegations since Nintendo does the exact same thing and nobody minds, not to mention that his examples are ridiculous.

 

[emigre]

I think Nintendo are to blame for killing Nintendo home consoles.

 

[calmwaters]

GBATemp users say the darndest things. Hey UltraMew, did you hear the news? There's a whole wide world beyond the tip of your nose!

It's not your stinking business what people do with their systems and Nintendo should be glad that they bought theirs, for whatever purpose, which is why a 1.) wide array of functionality is important. Maybe those users would play more often if the system had sodding games worth buying - until those pop up, god bless for every single sale.

People can really be close-minded sometimes.

I won't even comment much on a9cito's "copying" allegations since Nintendo does the exact same thing and nobody minds, not to mention that his examples are ridiculous.

1.) I swear more people would've bought a Xbox 360 if it had been able to make mocha cappucinos for them in the morning.

Anyway, it's more popular to watch Netflix on your 360 than on your Wii. I never heard of people who watched Netflix on the Wii; it's fairly surprising to me. I know it was on there, but still.

I hear ya about closed minded people: I would never have bought my GameCube if the only games I would play on it were Mario games (or any other Ninty franchise).

Hehe Gahars: I read a comment all the way through before replying to it. Can I get a cookie? Pretty please?

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I read "DVD bandwagon" and gave up on this article.

 

[Foxi4]

I read "DVD bandwagon" and gave up on this article.

Can I just say...

>RARARA WHO NEEDS BLURAY AND DVD WHEN YOU HAVE STREAMING EEEEEDIOTS! ;O;
>RARARA DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SUXXORZ I WANT MY CARTRIDGES AND DISCS STAT, SCREW THE ESHOP! ;O;

Just a recurring theme I noticed in this kind of Nintendo-centric threads.

 

[matt1tude]

Wow all this bullshit and consistant negativity is giving me a headache. If you people who don't have a Wii U and don't want a Wii U or dislike Wii U and have nothing positive to say then please proceed to piss off to your own relative sections and let us Wii U owners who enjoy the console, enjoy and talk about decent shit rather than this boring crap. It's becoming extremely off putting coming to this site now just to see the same old shit.

Even Miiverse has become more interesting than the Wii U section of this site

 

[Wisenheimer]

Why would you not want an additional function free of charge when the used drive is perfectly compatible with DVD's? In fact, it's also compatible with BluRay's, DVD's are old technology at this point. "Having friends that watch Netflix" is anecdotal evidence, moreover, they don't exactly have a choice, do they? You get the added benefit of being able to watch movies on discs... and... no sacrifices are required because the hardware literally can do that already. Explain to me how this is a flaw that you have to "beg not to implement".

It is not "free of charge". Nintendo has to pay a licensing fee to use DVD and Bluray technology. On the first xbox, you had to pay $20 to activate DVD playback capabilities. They royalty rate to allow both bluray and DVD playback would probably be around $20 today.

So, they could either charge consumers an extra $20 for features that most probably do not need or activate it over the eshop and be accused of nickle-and-diming consumers for a feature that should be included "for free" (the ignorant consumer not being aware of the royalty cost).

Nintendo has always been about affordable hardware for families. They want to sell you their art, not a canvas with an elaborate frame that adds little to the actual art.

 

[matt1tude]

Seriously though people bitching about Nintendo not including DVD/BR playback on their consoles is ridiculous. For one if people haven't got a DVD player by now then they never will, they are cheaper than than a DVD itself these days. Secondly digital media is taking over with Netflix, Lovefilm, Hulu etc.. so why waste time and money for something thats on it's way out. Itd be like people bitching that the n64 didn't have VHS playback.

 

[Foxi4]

It is not "free of charge". Nintendo has to pay a licensing fee to use DVD and Bluray technology. On the first xbox, you had to pay $20 to activate DVD playback capabilities. They royalty rate to allow both bluray and DVD playback would probably be around $20 today.

So, they could either charge consumers an extra $20 for features that most probably do not need or activate it over the eshop and be accused of nickle-and-diming consumers for a feature that should be included "for free" (the ignorant consumer not being aware of the royalty cost).

Nintendo has always been about affordable hardware for families. They want to sell you their art, not a canvas with an elaborate frame that adds little to the actual art.

We explored the subject of DVD/BluRay licenses and established that the cost is marginal while the benefits outweigh the costs. The biggest turn-off is not the aditional cost but the fact that a part of your profits go to the respective consortiums - this means Sony, among others. Nintendo strays from the standard not to fuel the competition and to cut costs - the end user's convenience is the last thing that's on their mind in this regard. BluRay compatibility is one of the industry standards - standards which Nintendo traditionally ignores. Developing a custom storage medium also costs money and yet Nntendo resorts to that - you not only "pay" for licensing fees, you also pay for Nintendo's custom disc standard development, so it all equalizes.

 

[Wisenheimer]

We explored the subject of DVD/BluRay licenses and established that the cost is marginal while the benefits outweigh the costs. The biggest turn-off is not the aditional cost but the fact that a part of your profits go to the respective consortiums - this means Sony, among others. Nintendo strays from the standard not to fuel the competition and to cut costs - the end user's convenience is the last thing that's on their mind in this regard. BluRay compatibility is one of the industry standards - standards which Nintendo traditionally ignores. Developing a custom storage medium also costs money and yet Nntendo resorts to that - you not only "pay" for licensing fees, you also pay for Nintendo's custom disc standard development, so it all equalizes.

I honestly think the cost to develop a custom disk standard is negligible because all the tech is already available for cheap thanks to blurays. Nintendo does not have to pay to develop a video compression format or any of that jazz. They just have to develop their own encoding scheme and probably can have them produced alongside bluray players in factories with little or no retooling.

Also, compared to the competition it is not really any additional cost, because Sony and Microsoft use special disk manufacturing techniques and encoding techniques to ensure that someone with a blu-ray pressing machine or home recorder cannot burn copies of game disks.

They basically got one of the blu-ray patent holders (Panasonic) to make them a generic blu-ray format without any of the royalty costs.

 

[Foxi4]

I honestly think the cost to develop a custom disk standard is negligible because all the tech is already available for cheap thanks to blurays. Nintendo does not have to pay to develop a video compression format or any of that jazz. They just have to develop their own encoding scheme and probably can have them produced alongside bluray players in factories with little or no retooling.

That's sort of the problem - they have to come up with discs and encoding systems that are "different enough" not to be infringing on any copytights and at the same time "similar enough" for the drives to read without too many alterations of the firmware. It takes both software and hardware engineering, working on new logic for the drive, new copy protection measures (of the disc itself, not limited to anti-piracy measures) that aren't standard for BluRay and so on.

Also, compared to the competition it is not really any additional cost, because Sony and Microsoft use special disk manufacturing techniques and encoding techniques to ensure that someone with a blu-ray pressing machine or home recorder cannot burn copies of game disks.

That's true, I suppose, but it's only a matter of anti-piracy itself.

They basically got one of the blu-ray patent holders (Panasonic) to make them a generic blu-ray format without any of the royalty costs.

That's the problem though - Panasonic is not the one and only owner of BluRay. Much like DVD, BluRay is taken care of by a consortium of companies which took part in its creation - The BDA (BluRay Disc Association), which consists of 18 board members including Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, TDK etc. and various contributors.

It's set up that way to standardize and popularize the use of this medium rather than hog onto a given patent - anyone's "welcome" to use BluRay in their products for a small fee, and I mean really small as far as the world of business is concerned.

Let's have a read: http://www.blu-raydisc.info/flla-faq.php

Following Format licenses are $30,000 for one business category and $60,000 for the multiple business categories per each for the 5-year Agreement;ROM2 and ROM3 (excluding the Commercial Audiovisual Content Category). [...] There is also a Format Maintenance & Development Fee of $50,000 for BD-ROM3. This fee is a onetime fee and is due at the time of completing your very first 3D BD product Test Verification. You are responsible to pay this fee if your business category is either “BD-ROM Movie Player/BD-ROM Game Console/BD-ROM Test Player” or “BD-ROM PC Application Software”, before you can do any commercial shipment of your 3D products.

In other words, to bear the BluRay logo and be compatible with all BluRay standards including BluRay movies, both 2D and 3D, Nintendo would have to pay a whooping... $60,000 each 5 years and a $50,000 one-time fee for the BD-ROM3 standard, just because. Is it too much to ask for of a multi-million company? Or am I missing some additional cost here?

 

[Wisenheimer]

That's sort of the problem - they have to come up with discs and encoding systems that are "different enough" not to be infringing on any copytights and at the same time "similar enough" for the drives to read without too many alterations of the firmware. It takes both software and hardware engineering, working on new logic for the drive, new copy protection measures (of the disc itself, not limited to anti-piracy measures) that aren't standard for BluRay and so on.

That's true, I suppose, but it's only a matter of anti-piracy itself.

That's the problem though - Panasonic is not the one and only owner of BluRay. Much like DVD, BluRay is taken care of by a consortium of companies which took part in its creation - The BDA (BluRay Disc Association), which consists of 18 board members including Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, TDK etc. and various contributors.

It's set up that way to standardize and popularize the use of this medium rather than hog onto a given patent - anyone's "welcome" to use BluRay in their products for a small fee, and I mean really small as far as the world of business is concerned.

Let's have a read: http://www.blu-raydisc.info/flla-faq.php

In other words, to bear the BluRay logo and be compatible with all BluRay standards including BluRay movies, both 2D and 3D, Nintendo would have to pay a whooping... $60,000 each 5 years and a $50,000 one-time fee for the BD-ROM3 standard, just because. Is it too much to ask for of a multi-million company? Or am I missing some additional cost here?

You are missing the royalty costs. For every piece of software pn every single unit that plays bluray movies Nintendo would have to pay several dollars in royalties. The same is true for every physical blu-ray drive.

Between the royalty fees for the blu-ray and DVD technologies, plus the royalties on the playback software, Nintendo would probably be looking at about $20 per unit.

Lets assume Nintendo was optimistic and expected to sell 100 million Wii U's. That would work out to something like $2 billion USD in royalty fees, with some of it going to Nintendo's competitors. It would also mean either charging customers $2 billion more for their gaming systems or taking a $2 billion loss in revenue for their shareholders.

 

[Foxi4]

You are missing the royalty costs. For every piece of software pn every single unit that plays bluray movies Nintendo would have to pay several dollars in royalties. The same is true for every physical blu-ray drive.

Between the royalty fees for the blu-ray and DVD technologies, plus the royalties on the playback software, Nintendo would probably be looking at about $20 per unit.

Lets assume Nintendo was optimistic and expected to sell 100 million Wii U's. That would work out to something like $2 billion USD in royalty fees, with some of it going to Nintendo's competitors. It would also mean either charging customers $2 billion more for their gaming systems or taking a $2 billion loss in revenue for their shareholders.

I find it difficult to believe that companies from behemoths like Microsoft to small fries like DVD/BluRay player manufacturers are okay with the licensing fees and Nintendo isn't.

I'm aware of the per-unit fees, however I'm also pretty sure that $20 a unit is a bit of a stretch and the actual cost is lower, but I won't speak up on the matter until I find conclusive evidence that this is the case - the BDA site doesn't mention such royalties so I can't quote anything - it must be a part of the actual agreement.

Edit: Welp, I found this.

If it's anything to go by, they'd pay $9.50 for each "BD player" and $0.11 for each pressed BluRay disc unless they went to BD4C which has lower rates. That's pretty acceptable if you ask me, and I'm willing to wager that a BD game console isn't far off that mark price-wise.