Hardware In Nintendo We Trust

[matt1tude]

Lets take a break and change the topic of specs for a little while.

With specs of the Wii U being pretty much a bit of a mystery and all we have to go on is speculation. However the one thing we can be sure of is that Nintendo builds it's consoles to last. Aside from the Wii's non-softmod related bricks and disc drive issues. Nintendo consoles are known to be built superbly to last, they are able to keep the costs down for us, the consumer and yet use quality materials that is built for longevity.

For example today I had unknowingly knocked my wii remote off the arm of the chair and into a tub of chinese made liquid that was left over from the evenings takeaway (doh!) It had be there for a good half hour before I noticed. But the question is did I panic? Not in the slightest, because it was Nintendo made. I took it apart, cleaned up, dried it out, put it back together and shazzam it still worked. Now had that been anything else I'd have sh!t myself.

What do you guys think, compared to other consoles past to present are Nintendo consoles the better quality in terms of materials used to build it?

(Edit: a bit of rewording to clear things up)
*removed (no pun intended) as I guess it's not needed*

 

[Snailface]

I would argue that Nintendo's handhelds have taken a steep drop-off in quality in the last few years but their consoles have been rock solid ever since the snes.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

I'm pretty sure Nintendo doesn't make any hardware components, other companies do.

 

[Veho]

Once upon a time, Nintendo consoles were tought durable bricks that could withstand a meteorite strike. Nowadays, not so much. I wouldn't place that much faith in their build quality any more.

 

[RchUncleSkeleton]

Of course I think Nintendo build high quality durable products. The only times I've even seen a Nintendo product fail is when is had been severely mistreated and abused or the one time my brothers Super NES went kaput but if I had the knowledge I do now it was probably a simple $2 fix. I don't understand what "pun" you mean in your "no pun intended" quote though.

Edit: okay, I lied! The hinge on the Ds lite is a known design flaw but I think only about 1/4 of all ds lite units are affected by it.

I'm pretty sure Nintendo doesn't make any hardware components, other companies do.

the same can be said for Sony and Microsoft. Of course they don't manufacture their own components but they do choose them and arrange how they are built etc.

 

[weavile001]

the nintendo controllers are hard to break
but nothing compared to the old nokia mobile phones.

 

[Snailface]

I'm pretty sure Nintendo doesn't make any hardware components, other companies do.

Some of the blame can be levied on Chinese manufacturing but some is bad design on Nints. For instance: 3ds screen scratching, dslite hinge cracking (overtightening hinge, probably design related), 3dsXL flimsy thin back cover that shifts around when you change sd cards etc. etc.

 

[Gahars]

I don't understand what "pun" you mean in your "no pun intended" quote though.

Using "specs" and "speculation" in the same sentence, I presume.

Seems like a missed opportunity to me. You could have gone with the totally appropriate pun "specs-ulation".

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

I'm pretty sure Nintendo doesn't make any hardware components, other companies do.

Some of the blame can be levied on Chinese manufacturing but some is bad design on Nints. For instance: 3ds screen scratching, dslite hinge cracking (overtightening hinge, probably design related), 3dsXL flimsy thin back cover that shifts around when you change sd cards etc. etc.

Yeah, but OP was focusing on how Nintendo makes good hardware, which...they don't. They order good hardware and they have ok designs. Obviously there are a lot of issues with their designs recently though, mostly in the handheld market. As you mentioned, the DS hinge problems and the 3DS screen scratches and stuff.

 

[RchUncleSkeleton]

I don't understand what "pun" you mean in your "no pun intended" quote though.

Using "specs" and "speculation" in the same sentence, I presume.

Seems like a missed opportunity to me. You could have gone with the totally appropriate pun "specs-ulation".

yeah... I just don't see the point in making it out to be a pun when it's almost non-existent and not really even a pun in the first place. I guess I just have a different sense of humor.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Admittedly build quality has gone downhill a bit. Not into the "feels like cheap Chinese plastic" category but enough that it's noticeable. My GBC works just as good as it did from day one, my DS Phat is still working despite a large amount of abuse, and I've got a functioning Gamecube (well now a Dustcube) and Wii. Controller wise, all my Gamecube controllers work, all my Wii remotes work.

But I hear a lot of all-too-common horror stories about their newer handhelds. DS Lites will have hinges and/or triggers fail after two years, same with DSi's. The 3DS got a lot of flack for having the screens scratch each other and shoddy circle pads or triggers.

For the Wii U, I still don't expect "cheap Chinese plastic", I never would from Nintendo, but there is a noticeable shift in the quality of their electronics.

 

[bolton2]

No complaints on Nintendo products for me. Everything from my original NES, down to the Nintendo Wii in consoles work with no problems. All of my handhelds from the original Gameboy down to the 3ds work great as well. My original pin connector on my NES still plays older games I add to my collection and still without blowing into the cartridges.

Keep nintendo products in good shape, and they will last anything short of an atomic bomb lol. I also repair older electronics, and I can tell you about all the N64, NES, SNES consoles and games I thought were done, only to submerge them in water in anger and clean the living hell out of them to magically somehow work again

So for me, Nintendo scores a win in my book, but always have since 1987

 

[Rydian]

My GBC worked until I cracked the screen. My DSi needed shoulder button repair and got it still under warranty.

 

[yuyuyup]

Nintendo has good customer service, which is good because my launch Wii overheated and melted the graphics chip creating artifacts in game, my Lite d-pad wore out and began malfunctioning, and my 3DS XL had a jittery stylus error (which many others have replicated.) So no, I wouldn't put Nintendo build quality on such a pedestal. I'm sorry if my response is off topic, please report me for immediate embarrassing mod action.

Lots of people seem to believe original NES systems are built to last, my NES did not hold up, nor did a used one I bought. I did not mistreat it at all.

 

[Catastrophic]

It's not just Nintendo, everything from phones to consoles have become a lot less durable due to more sensitive hardware. The reason phones like Nokia were so though built back then is because they were built for the sole purpose of being a phone. These days, any phone that can't run Angry Birds or doesn't have a touch screen is considered a lame, cheap phone. Same can be said for gaming consoles. We have the PS3 playing Blue-Rays and movies from drives, the 3DS with dual camera, 2 screens and sleek clamshell design and the PS Vita with 3G wireless internet and tons of more gizmos.

 

[mightymuffy]

Going purple/hyperventilating trying to get old NES carts working aside, you're right! A wiimote like you say, drop it and it's no big deal, but yeah I've shit myself a couple of times dropping my PSP or similar... ditto the PS3 pad to be honest, it just feels a bit flimsy in comparison!
Like has been said though, the DS was a turn for the worse, my household has broken 3 of them, whereas the GBC/GBA SP are still going strong.....

 

[Guild McCommunist]

It's not just Nintendo, everything from phones to consoles have become a lot less durable due to more sensitive hardware. The reason phones like Nokia were so though built back then is because they were built for the sole purpose of being a phone. These days, any phone that can't run Angry Birds or doesn't have a touch screen is considered a lame, cheap phone. Same can be said for gaming consoles. We have the PS3 playing Blue-Rays and movies from drives, the 3DS with dual camera, 2 screens and sleek clamshell design and the PS Vita with 3G wireless internet and tons of more gizmos.

Really these are just modern technologies that we come to expect. In all honesty it's like having a TV without a remote.

Touch screens, internet access (WiFi and/or 3G), and cameras are almost as essential as headphone jacks. I mean you can still get cheap "dumb phones" but there's a reason smartphones are so praised. They do everything. They've completely revolutionized industrialized society and how we think and work. Their effects seep into gaming as well. Every console from now to oblivion will have internet access. Every handheld will have a touchscreen. Until technology itself becomes so advanced that these are obsolete, they will live on.

 

[gamefan5]

A freaking TV (not the freaking lightweight plasma tv we see nowadays) dropped on my GCN one day. Got a dent. However. it's still working flawlessly to this day.
However in the department handheld, it's different.
All my friends DS (the first one) are broken. My 2 DS lites hinge got broken although they still work.
My 2 3DS's are still living. Same for my wii.
Old consoles are still living. Know someone that owns a freaking NES and color TV (you know, the first nintendo console contrary to popular belief). They still work. XD
I know we're talking abot Nintendo but as for the other companies.
Other consoles owned by my family. XD
First Xbox got hit by RLOD. XD
2nd still works.
As for PS3, well it works. 1st build too. XD

 

[matt1tude]

To answer a few questions the pun thing. It was incase some people took it as a pun when it wasn't intended to be one, just a mere coincidence. Also about me saying Nintendo makes the best hardware, what I meant to say is they choose the better quailty hardware to form their console I just worded it wrong.

Well seeing as a number of you have revealed a number of flaws in recent consoles I will add a question mark to the end of the thread title.

(Edit: Scratch that forgot you can't edit thread title lol atleast I can't)

 

[2ndApex]

Everything I've owned up to the Gamecube has been ridiculously sturdy but I can't say the same about my DSL and Wii. I have the way too common broken hinge and white top screen issue on my DS Lite that makes it practically unusable right now and my Wii recently broke it's disc drive. The 3DS has been pretty though, I hope I can say the same about the Wii U.