Nintendo. That one word can be something different for almost everyone. To my grandparents, it's something that is a waste of time, and everything that has a controller is a "Nintendo". To my girlfriend it's "that one game I played that had the karts and was really fun." What is Nintendo to me? I think back to when I was five years old getting my N64 and rejoicing in an outrageous manner. These are all interpretations of one company, and these people all have expectations due to these interpretations. Nintendo for those who grew up in the early generations can mean it is apart of who they are, apart of their memories. So how can Nintendo move towards a future where it satisfies everyone's expectations and wants? It can't.

Nintendo has tried to play the fence too long. It has tried the impossible challenge of making everyone happy. They want everyone to want a Nintendo console in their house, and everyone to like the Nintendo they own. The problem is there will always be failed expectations. The common gamer, the ones that bought the Wii due to its popularity and didn't buy many other games after that are not interested in the next console. Most of those people aren't even interested in the console they own now! The hard core audience doesn't want to share its Nintendo with the common gamer! We want games like Metroid Prime and Legend of Zelda, and we want them to be made for US and not for THEM. Then we can look that the 3DS, a product that is still trying to ride the original wave that the DS created.

The problem is, times are changing, and Nintendo is stubborn and not trying to keep ahead. Nintendo needs to work on creating a console that gamers are going to want to buy all because of the 3rd party developers. The problem that was realized too late with the Nintendo consoles is that the highest selling games were all first party games! How can a third party developer look at Nintendo and make a good game when they see the sales of all the other third party titles and get scared off. Executives won't want to spend their money on making these games that won't guarantee money back. So that leaves us with Nintendo's first party games and Nintendo's own console. Does Nintendo have the resources to create enough games to return a profit? I say no.

So what can Nintendo do? I say Nintendo would serve its best interest in following Sega. Stop making consoles and do what your best at, making great games. Nintendo tried too hard to make a console that was cheap enough for the common gamer, yet advanced enough for the hardcore gamer. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. I don't think people will fall for Nintendo's gimmicky idea this generation. The buzz around the Wii U is not as great as it was for the Wii, and the word of mouth spread that the Wii have will be weaker this generation.

Nintendo had a prime opportunity to show why the Wii U was needed in every gaming household, and they fell short. The 3DS is having a similar struggle. It is hard to make a dedicated gaming device. People today don't want a device that only does one thing. My smart phone does a lot more than the Nintendo 3DS does, so why should I carry my 3DS around? I don't, it sits at home gathering dust. Granted there are the few games that I will be determined to play, but not as many games I play on my smart phone. Nintendo could learn a lesson from sony, who had the clever tag line "It only does everything." Come on Nintendo, show me how my Wii U does more than just play games, turn it into a media spectacle like the potential Microsoft now has with Smart Glass. Create something that makes me want to play games on the go, and carry a machine in my pocket. We are all waiting for Nintendo's move now. They can continue to create great games like the upcoming Pikmin 3 and Luigi's Mansion, but how much longer till those lone few and far between games stop selling the system?

Nintendo. That one word can be something different for almost everyone. To my grandparents, it's something that is a waste of time, and everything that has a controller is a "Nintendo". To my girlfriend it's "that one game I played that had the karts and was really fun." What is Nintendo to me? I think back to when I was five years old getting my N64 and rejoicing in an outrageous manner. These are all interpretations of one company, and these people all have expectations due to these interpretations. Nintendo for those who grew up in the early generations can mean it is apart of who they are, apart of their memories. So how can Nintendo move towards a future where it satisfies everyone's expectations and wants? It can't.

Nintendo has tried to play the fence too long. It has tried the impossible challenge of making everyone happy. They want everyone to want a Nintendo console in their house, and everyone to like the Nintendo they own. The problem is there will always be failed expectations. The common gamer, the ones that bought the Wii due to its popularity and didn't buy many other games after that are not interested in the next console. Most of those people aren't even interested in the console they own now! The hard core audience doesn't want to share its Nintendo with the common gamer! We want games like Metroid Prime and Legend of Zelda, and we want them to be made for US and not for THEM. Then we can look that the 3DS, a product that is still trying to ride the original wave that the DS created.

The problem is, times are changing, and Nintendo is stubborn and not trying to keep ahead. Nintendo needs to work on creating a console that gamers are going to want to buy all because of the 3rd party developers. The problem that was realized too late with the Nintendo consoles is that the highest selling games were all first party games! How can a third party developer look at Nintendo and make a good game when they see the sales of all the other third party titles and get scared off. Executives won't want to spend their money on making these games that won't guarantee money back. So that leaves us with Nintendo's first party games and Nintendo's own console. Does Nintendo have the resources to create enough games to return a profit? I say no.

So what can Nintendo do? I say Nintendo would serve its best interest in following Sega. Stop making consoles and do what your best at, making great games. Nintendo tried too hard to make a console that was cheap enough for the common gamer, yet advanced enough for the hardcore gamer. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. I don't think people will fall for Nintendo's gimmicky idea this generation. The buzz around the Wii U is not as great as it was for the Wii, and the word of mouth spread that the Wii have will be weaker this generation.

Nintendo had a prime opportunity to show why the Wii U was needed in every gaming household, and they fell short. The 3DS is having a similar struggle. It is hard to make a dedicated gaming device. People today don't want a device that only does one thing. My smart phone does a lot more than the Nintendo 3DS does, so why should I carry my 3DS around? I don't, it sits at home gathering dust. Granted there are the few games that I will be determined to play, but not as many games I play on my smart phone. Nintendo could learn a lesson from sony, who had the clever tag line "It only does everything." Come on Nintendo, show me how my Wii U does more than just play games, turn it into a media spectacle like the potential Microsoft now has with Smart Glass. Create something that makes me want to play games on the go, and carry a machine in my pocket. We are all waiting for Nintendo's move now. They can continue to create great games like the upcoming Pikmin 3 and Luigi's Mansion, but how much longer till those lone few and far between games stop selling the system?