Michael Pachter talks about Nintendo

[J-Mirage]

A portion of an IndustryGamers interview with Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter...

IndustryGamers: Last year, the Wii was saved during the holidays by the price cut and New Super Mario Bros Wii. Do you see anything giving the Wii a similar shot in the arm this holiday?

Pachter: I don't think that Nintendo has the resolve to cut the price of the Wii heading into the holidays. Recent sales levels have been weak by Nintendo standards, with monthly Wii unit sales averaging just over 300,000 per month in the U.S. However, that's still on par with Xbox 360 sales, and until Microsoft or Sony cuts price further, the Wii should be able to hold its own. With all that said, I think we'll see Nintendo maintain price until early next year, and I think we'll see Walmart implement a similar promotion to last year's $50 gift card with the purchase of a Wii. That suggests that sales will pick up dramatically, as the effective price for a console, two pieces of software and Wii Motion Plus will be $149.99.

IG: Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway is leaving, following last year's departure of Denise Kaigler. It seems the NoA executive structure is in disarray. Do you think this is connected to the slowing Wii sales? What does it say about Nintendo's current position?

Pachter: I don't know where Cammie went, but she is a capable executive, and my guess is that she left for a better opportunity. By the time this is published, we may know where she landed, but I believe the press release said that she left for a better opportunity. Denise lives in Boston, and was commuting to the West Coast for the Nintendo job, and my understanding is that the burden was too great on her and her family. She landed a great job with 38 Studios, and appears to be thriving. I feel sorry for Reggie, who lost George Harrison and Perrin Kaplan in the relocation to San Francisco, and then lost Denise and Cammie over the next couple of years. He's a really bright (and nice) guy, but I think that the strain of doing three jobs might get to him if he doesn't fill the positions pretty soon.

Shockingly, my phone hasn't been ringing . . . As far as the Wii's current position, they're holding their own. They had such a phenomenal start that nobody should have expected them to sustain it for more than four years. They are definitely behind the technology curve, and with $500 flat screen 1080p TVs out there (I just bought a 40" Dynex for my play room for $479), I think that a greater number of households are ready for a full-HD experience. Again, playing the broken record, that's why I thought we would have seen a Wii HD by now--consumers are ready for it, and slowing Wii sales reflects that.

IG: We recently broke the story about the PSP2 being in developers' hands. We're surprised Sony still hasn't announced it – TGS would have been a good venue given that PSP already does great in Japan. When do you think Sony will finally push the PSP business forward? What do you think their game plan is?

MP: I'm completely baffled by Sony's PSP strategy. They owned the portable entertainment market with the Walkman, and sat back and watched as Nintendo dominated games and Apple dominated music. They never quite got it right with an MP3 player, and their initial effort in games was a bit too pricey and sophisticated for the majority of the portable gaming market (kids under 13). They have a new ad campaign with a kid as spokesperson, so I suppose we should wait and see if it works. I continue to think pricing is an issue, but if the 3DS comes out at $249, the $169 PSP might seem like a bargain. If Sony were really smart, they'd emulate the 3DS and put a 3D screen on the PSP2.

Source

My answer: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=255853

 

[DSGamer64]

Wii sales this holiday season are not looking too hot in my opinion, there isn't much coming out that I would call big titles.

 

[SnAQ]

Things would probally be ALOT diffrent if Zelda was to be released before christmas this year, but it´s Nintendo and people always buy Nintendo

 

[Hadrian]

I've decided to get a job as a games market analyst, all my CV needs is for me to add the words "likes to state the obvious". The part about being arrogant was already there.

 

[J-Mirage]

Wii sales this holiday season are not looking too hot in my opinion, there isn't much coming out that I would call big titles.

The actual sells of Wii/PS3 are worthy of GameCube. Better remember what Iwata said in 2004

 

[nando]

she commuted from boston to sf?

stupid bitch hasn't heard about relocating?

 

[J-Mirage]

IT´S PACH $ ATTACK!

 

[ap831]

Who is this guy and why should I care?

 

[ZaeZae64]

If Sony were really smart, they'd emulate the 3DS and put a 3D screen on the PSP2.

Er.....What?

 

[J-Mirage]

Who is this guy and why should I care?

It´s a super analist with more power than Psyco Mantis.

 

[Hadrian]

stupid bitch hasn't heard about relocating?

Less of the stupid bitch, at least she hasn't put her career first instead of her family.

It would mean them losing their friends, husband having to get a new job, kids having to start at another school just for a job. While many would love to work for Nintendo she probably has other aspirations outside of work.

 

[DiscostewSM]

If Sony were really smart, they'd emulate the 3DS and put a 3D screen on the PSP2.

Er.....What?

He meant "do like the 3DS is doing".

 

[TM2-Megatron]

People still let this asswipe talk?

 

[Deleted_171835]

I should be a gaming analyst.
I'll make money while talking about stuff that's almost second-nature to me.
Plus, I probably know more than him.

Correction:

Plus, I probably do know more than him.