Nintendo claims 85% of industry growth
by Blake Snow 
{ Oct 13th 2006 at 4:00PM }
In addition to September's 38% NPD growth announcement today, Nintendo is claiming responsibility for 85% of the year-to-date industry growth in a somewhat backwards way. From the company's press release regarding newly announced NPD data: "Through September's end, the U.S. industry overall shows revenue growth of 11 percent when compared with the same period in 2005. Nearly all of the growth comes from the portable DS – without it, the industry would report a mere 1.6 percent growth over the past nine months."In the same press release, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime states the data "sets the stage" for Wii's ability to succeed this next-generation. While there's no denying the DS has sold well being the snazzy lil' handheld it is (6.2M US units to date), hypothetically removing the system from industry sales to prove a point seems a bit irregular because the alternative doesn't exist. Assuming DS didn't exist, gamers could still buy other hardware and software to fill the entertainment void and potentially grow the industry.
But alas, the DS is doing very well. Claim 85% of the growth, throw confetti in the air, and be done with it.
Read Nintendo's prior math skills:
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DocFlashdarryme_10ateTPEE @ Oct 13th 2006 4:05PM
NINTENDO IS FOR LAMES. I WANT TO HAVE KAZ'S BABY
Marty @ Oct 13th 2006 4:10PM
Well if the amount of people who came out and swarmed GameStops and EB Games stores this morning is any indication of how successful the Wii will be, Nintendo is in for a very lucrative Holiday season, and hopefully us gamers are in for some great games from them as well!
mstockmyer @ Oct 13th 2006 4:13PM
Yes, but if the DS (and its unique library of games) didn't exist, I wouldn't have bought anything in its place.
There's no "fixed" amount of dollars in the marketplace to buy games with. It's very elastic, and can be changed (up *or* down) based on the products made available by the gaming companies.
LaughingTarget @ Oct 14th 2006 11:26AM
I wouldn't call the Wii pre-orders a swarming. Many stores still had pre-orders available after the initial line was finished.
I also have to agree that, while the DS is kicking serious butt, it wasn't ultimately responsible for the growth. While the growth would have been reduced a bit, it would defenitely not have been a 1:1 drop.
reguy @ Oct 13th 2006 4:17PM
@marty
well i think the wii has alot of hype right now so it will have a great xmas but come next august i dont see it selling so hot. besides how do you play fighting, basketball, and rpgs with that wiimote?
clo1_2000 @ Oct 13th 2006 4:18PM
I called the 25 stores in my area and all of them sold out :( I had an emergency come up at work and couldn't make it down till 9:00 a.m. and both places had over 40 people in line.
Kevin @ Oct 13th 2006 4:21PM
@reguy
Maybe you have heard of the classic controller?
How about innovation? Scary huh...
Sam Goldman @ Oct 13th 2006 4:23PM
No Child Left Behind FTW!!!!!!!
Martin S. @ Oct 13th 2006 4:27PM
is it nintenditis... do I have fanboy disease... or do I keep sensing this negative tone in the posts recently when dealing with nintendo.
alot of... well it may be selling... but that doesn't mean blah blah blah...
like your whole hypothetical rambling... if the DS didn't exist... then some other magical handheld would have swooped in and sold like digital hotcakes.
the point is that the DS DOES exist... it IS kicking ass... and destroying the PSP in sales... you know, the OTHER handheld that would exist in your "Its a Wonderful Life" take on this post... is the DS George Bailey... is the PSP Mr. Potter..?
and I hate the lack of total education from some of these posters... how's blah blah blah gonna work.. fighting... basketball... rpgs... on the wiimote.
watch a video... or go to that gay music concert tour thing and play it..
then comment
Proud to be a Wiitard @ Oct 13th 2006 4:24PM
reguy:
fighting: either with the classic controller, using gestures, or hold remote in one hand, nunchuck in the other, and punch
basketball: why you would question this, I havent a clue. move your player with the analog stick on the nunchuck. with the remote you can either use it to physically pass (swing left to pass left, right to pass right, etc) or use the pointer feature to point where you want to pass
rpgs: depends on the type. I assume you mean traditional type rpgs (turn based, etc) in which case it makes the MOST sense. move your character with the analog on the nunchuck, use the pointer to choose your actions on screen (choose battle commands, make choices in conversation, etc) you can even use the pointer to click on the npc you want to talk to.
Poot @ Oct 13th 2006 4:24PM
The Wii uses other controllers than the remote.
You're not going to be waving your wand with every game.
No pun intended. I'll be here all week. Thank you.
aegies @ Oct 13th 2006 4:28PM
is it considered growth if a significant majority of ds lite purchasers are already ds owners? that seems more like product replacement than product expansion.
SupaDave @ Oct 13th 2006 4:35PM
I think Nintendo is pretty spot on with this. The handheld market is not split. If the DS wasn't here would all these "non-gamers" bought PSP's or GameBoys? I doubt it.
Grows may have been a bit higher than 1.6%, but I am pretty sure it would have been no where nearly 11%. If it was not for the DS these gamers wouldn't have bought anything in it's place.
Marty @ Oct 13th 2006 4:38PM
@reguy
Why next August? Every time there's good news about Nintendo, and they succeed in each step of the way to their console's release, there's always some naysayer, eager to backpeddle their doom and gloom stories to the next important step in the console's life span.
First it was that the Wii wasn't anything special (back when it was the revolution), then it was that the buzz wouldn't last up til launch, now it is that the novelty of it will wear off by this time next year... Please. There's no need to hate. If you don't like it, then don't buy it. But stop embarrassing yourself by trying to cast everything in a negative light without solid evidence of why you think that way.
If things continue the way they are, even more developers will be working on how you play games in a new way soon, and people will be having a lot of fun with it when the games are released. And like a few people above mentioned, there is always the classic controller for those games whose control would be impossible to translate into physical movements of the Wiimote.
> @ Oct 13th 2006 4:39PM
Yea, Reggie must be smokin' something; this is just stupid Nintendo hype/Pr which fanboys will eat up.
Nintendo is good at handhelds no doubt..but, they still have to prove themselves in the console arena. They havent had a relevant console since SNES. And, next gen. isnt gonna be won during one xmas holiday season.
People seem to have given WiiCube the next gen. crown already ..based, on what? Hype? PR? Because DS has sold well?
> @ Oct 13th 2006 4:43PM
Think about it like this: PS2 dominated last/current gen .. using Reggie's logic, they should have dominated the handheld market ..it didnt turn out that way; its not a given.
Mullinator @ Oct 13th 2006 4:47PM
People havn't given the Wii the crown >. They are just excited. It's new, it's exciting, and Nintendo has now garnered a reputation as being the Rebel Alliance to Sony's Galactic empire. Whether it's true or not people love that idea.
Marty @ Oct 13th 2006 4:53PM
Why is this "stupid Nintendo PR?" It certainly seems to be somewhat true, as they have already started trying to include non-gamers into the mix with the DS. To my knowledge, they have had a lot of success with this, and like others have stated, I don't see a lot of non-gamers picking up PSP's or Game Boy Micro's.
Nobody is trying to crown anyone the king of "next gen" yet... Who said they were?
There is this thing called 'momentum,' and right now, I think Nintendo has it. They are clearly rolling along at a much faster, smoother pace than the boys over at Sony, and I think that is starting to make some people nervous about their devotion to all things PlayStation.
reguy @ Oct 13th 2006 4:49PM
wow you ninty fans sure do get defensive. i cant question your all powerful system without getting mud thrown my way. but whatever man. heres something else for you to hate me for - the wii wont sell 100 million systems for its lifetime. something the ps1 and ps2 did.
jharr @ Oct 13th 2006 4:49PM
I had a question for those of you that are planning to buy a Wii. I have a 360 and I have been considering getting a Wii. I have heard some good things from a couple Gamestop managers that have played it. I think that the controller is interesting but I want a game that would really exploit it's abilities. I looked at some of the launch games and I don't know which ones would really take full advantage of the remote other than Wii Sports. Are there games that are really going to make use of the motion sensing? What would be some good games to pick up if I decided to buy one?
Marty @ Oct 13th 2006 4:53PM
And >, using your logic, PS3, PS4, PS5, etc, etc, ad infinitum will always remain on top, which is surely not true. The bad thing about being on top of the market is that there's nowhere to go but down.
Marty @ Oct 13th 2006 4:53PM
"the wii wont sell 100 million systems for its lifetime. something the ps1 and ps2 did." - reguy
People don't get riled up about this stuff because they are diehard fans... they just don't like people getting on here making up crazy predicitions like this. I mean, who are you, Nostradamus? How could you ever know if this will happen or not?
Sony may not lose their position as #1 in the next generation, but eventually, they will no longer be the best. It happened to Atarti, Sega, and Nintendo, and like I said, there's no where to go but down when you are on top. Accept it, because that is the truth.
Mullinator @ Oct 13th 2006 7:40PM
lol reguy, I wouldn't be calling Ninteno fans as defensive when it is you who comes and starts hurling around insults around.
Either you are unecessarily offensive and insulting, or it is in fact YOU who is on the defensive. Why else are you commenting in a pure Nintendo article when you don't even like Nintendo?
reguy @ Oct 13th 2006 5:11PM
@ marty
well man, i gotta hand it to you, you are ninty inside and out. im not here to to start a ps vs nintendo pointless battle, i was once a nintendo guy, back in the 80's and early 90's. like some other poster said before i just dont like people saying the wii has won ps3 is dead when nothing has happended yet.
i mean its great to be excited but didnt nintendo even say the wii is a second system? to say its got a crown just seems like fanboy garbage at best esp when you marty are the one telling me the future is unknown. how about this, the wii bombs because men dont want to buy cosmetics? then what?
Koekoenutt @ Oct 13th 2006 5:30PM
@reguy
It has been a concern for a few majority of people that fighting games will be wierd at first for the Wii and its controller. Its not that difficult to understand how it would work though, or the concept of the classic controller. (Even though no one wants to pay extra for a different controller) Im sure if developers actually use their minds and innovation, they can create an easy setup with the Wii.
The thing that bothers me is that you wonder how it would be used to RPGs. Makes me wonder if you even read up on anything or just quick to comment something irrevelant. When Nintendo announced the new controller for the "Revolution", They said their main attractions for it were for FPS and RPGs.
You dont need the nunchuck, you can play a RPG with one hand. Its not that hard to understand really. Thats the way they designed it, so that some games.. especially RPGs.. you can relax and play with one hand.
idioteraser @ Oct 13th 2006 5:42PM
Nintendo never said that. Microsoft and some crappy ass analysts who said the PSP would outsell the DS said the Wii would be a second system.
There is no evidence that DS owners are buying DS lites in large numbers. Any frigging game store that sells used systems will tell you they have shelves of used psps but no shelf of used DSs. All the used DSs get sold out within a short period of time.
When you look at who is in the lines everyweek to buy DS lites or DSs if they have them in Japan most of those people would tell you they have never owned a portable gaming system before. Those that do own a DS or DS lite are buying the system for other people that had never had one before.
Stop with the rebuying bit it is known and debunked garbage.
RPGS guess what 99% of them could be played on a nes controller which if you turn the wiimote it can function as a nes controller.
Most fighting games could be done on the wii as well they aren't that complicated either if you manage to get rid of the crappy 16 button combos that don't do any more damage then a four button combo. Also having two or three motions with say three button or four button presses you could easily do a fighting game.
idioteraser @ Oct 13th 2006 5:45PM
reguy bother to look at the history of controllers. A number of one handed controllers came out in Japan that were custom made to work with rpgs. I mean seriously two buttons are used for most rpgs and a damn d-pad.
reguy @ Oct 13th 2006 5:56PM
@idioteraser
thanks for the correction on the second console issue.
my bad
Koekoenutt @ Oct 13th 2006 5:56PM
By the way, who needs fighting games when you have the new Super Smash Brothers coming out next year anyways?
Give me a new Soul Caliber and maybe a new Bloody Roar and Im good to go with no complaints in the fighting department.
Jonn @ Oct 13th 2006 5:57PM
So, you dodge all demands for supporting information, take things out of context, and dismiss all points, valid or not, made against your stance solely because they disagree with you.
Congratulations, Reguy, you're a fanboy.
Rob @ Oct 13th 2006 6:05PM
All these people wanting to know how Fifa/GTA/Madden/NBAJam can be played on the Wii, they're just not getting it. A Wii is not a replacement for a PS3/360, in the same way as a motorbike is not a replacement for a tractor.
Asking how to play Fifa or GTA on a Wii is like asking how to plough a field with a Harley. Yeah, you could probably hook up a little plough to the back of the bike and ride it round the farm for a few hours... or you could just use a frickin' tractor!
How well would GTA play on a Wii? About as well as baseball on a PS3, I guess. Why bother?
Wii isn't next-gen. It's different-gen.
reguy @ Oct 13th 2006 6:13PM
@ john
fanboy, me? whoa.
just one question for you john, what system or systems am i a fan of?
vio @ Oct 13th 2006 7:45PM
"People seem to have given WiiCube the next gen. crown already ..based, on what? Hype? PR? Because DS has sold well?"
Ironic, since that's what happened with the PS2. It was given the crown before it even launched based on Sony's hype machine, PR and because the first Playstation wold well.
And it worked. So there's no reason it couldn't also work for Nintendo this generation.
Jonn @ Oct 13th 2006 6:53PM
Retraction. You aren't a fanboy. You do, however, have some of the strangest logic I've seen outside of politics.
Want to attack the *argument* leading to my admittedly incorrect conclusion now? Go ahead.
Also: J-O-N-N.
reguy @ Oct 13th 2006 7:10PM
@ jonn
aww man i wanted you to guess playstation and you would have been wrong. but your right i did take things out of context, like i did with idioteraser i can admit when im wrong. i dismiss points that are jumbled with personal attacks.
the real reason im annoyed is all the ninty fans who say the wii is going to destroy the competition and how this is going to change the way we play games when the machine isnt even out yet. i mean this is the same nintendo thats been getting its butt handed to them in the home market for the last 10 years is it not?
P.S. sorry i got your name wrong but who spells jonn with two n's? honestly
Doom3 @ Oct 13th 2006 8:45PM
WOW ... WOW
B-ball would be easy... you could actualy do a real cross over. Every one knows you have to have form to shoot well. You hold the nuchuck in the air along side your wii mote and flick your wrisk. Just like a real person does duh? I mean you could really dribble faster or slower and even do hesitations. I mean dang how much money has developers made off me...LOL
GTA would be the easiest to controll. You simply use a cursor and the joystick on the nuchuck.
Please guys I understand most gamers arn't that creative but there no need to panic dang.
I mean dang don't get all scare get creative... when developers believed the saying gaming is not art then thats when it started to fail. Yes it is an industry but even movie makers think their work is art. I like kojima but he's own statments are the reason why I don't ply MGS, it's boring... I also hate the ps2 and ps3 controll pad and have loved the snes controll pad since it was released. The wii retains the all import trigger finger from the n64 that made golden eye so much fun, but now we can actualy aim. You would think MS would have made this controller because it truely is for fps on consoles.
talk about expanding markets did nintendo simply make it fun for japan to like FPSs? We'll see.
Vince @ Oct 13th 2006 8:51PM
Reguy, even I, an all-out Sony fan, don't understand the reasoning behind half the things you've said here. The Nintys didn't get defensive, but rather got angry and posted against your rather ignorant post, a post I think has only been equaled in ignorance by Rob's most recent post.
As for you, Rob, saying that is like saying the Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube are too weak for Fifa/GTA/Madden/NBAJam. Then again, you didn't make yourself clear on what you were referring to, maybe you were talking about the controller interface. In that case, behold:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Wii_classic_controller.jpg
Rob @ Oct 13th 2006 9:27PM
Vince - obviously my post was too cryptic for some. I was merely trying to point out that certain types of games are better suited to certain types of consoles. Let's differentiate between type A consoles: GC/X-Box/PS2/PS3 with their traditional input methods, and type B: the Wii.
Fifa/GTA/etc are franchises which have flourished on type A. There is no reason to expect that the same types of game will flourish on type B. Nor would I expect games like Tennis/baseball/bowling/boxing to be as successful on Type A as on Type B.
Wii Sports would be a terminal bore on a Type A console. So why would anyone want to play it on a PS3? Similarly, GTA may be *possible* on Type B, but it's not exactly playing to the strengths of the console, so - again - why bother with it? Trying to shoe-horn a legacy Type A game onto the Wii is just going to be ugly. To be honest, I'm referring to Mario Galaxy (or whatever it's called) and Zelda here too - they look like Type A games with no reason for being on a Type B system, aside from their Nintendo branding. They'd work better on a 360/PS3.
If you want to experience this new Type B console, then broaden your horizons and be prepared for whole new genres. I'm not saying Fifa isn't possible on the Wii (I'm sure it is on the horizon anyway), but the only way they could make it into an interesting proposition would be to totally reinvent the game, so it would alienate existing Fifa fans. They won't do this. Madden / Fifa will be like their previous Type A incarnations, only with a few gimmicks to show off the Wiimote. Tiger Woods, though, now that is a title tailored made for Type B.
I see the Wii as a 30-minute game type of system. Quick on, quick play, quick off. All the hardcore fans who want 20 hour gaming sessions will demand greater depth, better graphics and less physical controls than Wii games will offer. Everyone else (you know, normal people, non gamers, your sister/mum/dad/whoever - the other 90% of the population) is quite happy to be entertained for shorter periods.
Ok, I'm rambling now. Am I making any more sense? Probably not!
VanGuardian1 @ Oct 13th 2006 10:55PM
20 hour gaming sessions? Wow, I've never seen such a thing. 0.o
Personally, I want the graphics to fit the game. That's why I enjoy going through older games just as much as I enjoy playing newer ones. And why would I want to play Final Fantasy (new CC game confirmed) or Dragonquest (confirmed) for just 30 minutes? Because I'll be too tired of waving my arms around like a nutcase? Besides the fact that nobody has ever called me sane, of course. ;)
Check the new article on the front page of joystiq.com , some people were using it for 2 hours straight without a hassle, and still wanted to play more. You don't have to wave it around, just small subtle movements can suffice.
Anyways, read up on the control system for Zelda : TP for the Wii, if you can honestly say that this doesn't sound more fun than "just pressing buttons" (Gamecube version) I'll believe your opinion of it. But I'll still keep my own, thank-you-very-much. ;)
Btw, I'm Wii pre-order #10 @ a Gamestop in Burton, Michigan.
Steve Roger @ Oct 13th 2006 11:35PM
Nintendo's arrogance will be their downfall. The will be around for 2 years and begin a nose dive, while Microsoft and Sony take Nintendo's lost marketshare. Then, Nintendo will scramble, and spend all their nickels earned on the Wii on a next generation Wii mote console that produces better graphics. They will do exactly what they claimed they would not to save their financial skins. They have a short term plan, not a long term one.
Saiclone @ Oct 14th 2006 5:53AM
@Steve roger,
Nintendo? Arrogance? I dont get it. I'm not starting an argument, I just dont get the context.
gamerx @ Oct 14th 2006 7:50AM
Nintendo is back baby! Wii is going to dominate just like DS. Believe it.
John Lucas @ Oct 14th 2006 8:06AM
The resistance & naysaying here is natural.
Nintendo is truly about to change the way we play.
AGAIN.
This time more than ever before.
And people are worried. Scared. Fearful.
It's natural.
You're taking them out of their comfort zone.
Most of these people here have been embedded with Nintendo's Famicom/NES standard (all modern controllers come out of that original design including Nintendo's innovative evolutions) for so long that they simply can't imagine anything else.
It's been 20 plus years playing this way.
But those with a little age on them remember when you DIDN'T grip a rectangular pad with two hands: left hand on a plus-sign like control pad, right hand on action buttons, control resting in palms & fingers light enough to hold in the air free from fatigue.
That's Nintendo's mark which has held ever since.
Nintendo has added shoulder triggers, "diamond" style action button layout, undertriggers, analog sticks, color coded action buttons, button size differentials, ergonomics, grips, rumble, true wirelessness to this original NES control which others have adapted/copied/mimicked into their own controllers.
But before this people were most likely playing with a rooted down pad, joystick in left hand, action button(s) on pad base pressed with downward fingertips on right hand, optional "calculator" keypad on pad base for right hand, rooted on floor or in lap.
Nintendo changed that & now no one thinks any differently. But just like with Wii they worried the same before about NES's controller.
The Wii's gonna redefine our interaction with the controller.
NOW the NEW standard will be:
Independent but cooperative freehanded control pieces to used interchangeably with either hand (depending on dexteral preference) using the arms' motion in play.
Resistance is expected. It's human nature.
But it will all fade as it always does.
Nintendo ONCE AGAIN directs the pace on how controllers are made.
Nobody NOT EVEN ME is ready for what the Wii will unleash.
Revolution is an understatement.
Be prepared for the industry growth numbers Nintendo will claim once Wii launches.
For those who want a taste check out the people here.
http://us.wii.com/experience_gallery.jsp
See that genuine delight. Wii is the Future of Gaming.
Believe it. You will one way or another soon enough.
John Lucas
Jonn @ Oct 14th 2006 9:27AM
>i dismiss points that are jumbled with personal attacks.<
Don't. Just ignore the personal attacks, and focus on the arguments.
chudgoo @ Oct 14th 2006 1:22PM
Steve Roger :
"They have a short term plan, not a long term one."
As long as perfect backward compatibility remains a top priority for Nintendo I wouldn't care if the new console cycle hit a refresh every 3 years.
If Nintendo can maintain a common hardware architecture (PPC) and simply grow out the existing code sets they could easily spur -affordable- innovation along without too much risk of alienating people.
Due to the low price point of the GBA, new games are -still- coming out like crazy nearly two years after the DS launch. The same sort of thing may be gearing up to happen with NEW "budget" and "indie" Gamecube titles launched -after- Wii.
boy1der @ Oct 14th 2006 2:14PM
I think the DS may have helped grow the market, I have been a big gamer since I was a child playing NES, I was really big on the Sega Genesis (I had probably 30-50 games) and the N64 (had pretty much every big game and then some 25-30 titles) but somehow lost interest after that.
I was never really big on the GB, and only had a GBA and PS2 becuase my ex bought them for me. I do have a GC, but since its release I've only purchased 12 games (6 of which are the resident evil titles that were re released or new) I got a DS, just cuz they had a GBA trade in special, but was more amped for the PSP. This was about a year ago.
The PSP turned me off gaming so much that I hadnt played a single game since Xmen legends 2 came out. But with the release of the DSlite and New supermario brothers I decided to trade in My PSP and games and DS phat for a Lite, I went from having 3 DS games in June to now having 13 DS games with plans to buy at least 10 more when I complete the ones I have. Nintendo has made such a success out of the DS it has drawn me back into the videogame world as for me games are fun again in the way they were in the good old NES, SNES and N64 days. Gamecube was a flop IMO, but I really think the Wii is going to bring the fun back. The DS and Wii have such different control schemes that most designers are making special games just for the two systems. The way they have to rethink the controls in a game helps force them to put thought back into the game wich draws fun factor into the equation.
The DS has gotten me to spend over $400 in the last 3 months, which is usually my full years budget for games. So I think they can claim alittle of that credit, at least in my case. All I can do is thank Nintendo for bringing back fun (by forcing developers to think again) and show my support of there risky ideas by purchasing lots of games to show I like what they did.