I just read an interesting editorial at n-archives.com. The staff members of that website were arguing on when Nintendo should release their next system. Now, I want to broaden this discussion here:
Nintendo has current plans to release their next system along side Sony's PlayStation 3, which will probably be sometime in 2005. If they do this, then the GameCube will die out shortly after, since 3rd-party developers will see the newer systems as a better opportunity to develop more advanced games, and won't want to waste their time developing for an older system. However, if Nintendo decides to make their next system backwards-compatible with the GameCube (meaning it will be compatible with all previously-released GameCube games and hardware) then developers might be able to support the system for a few more years. Sony has made the PS2 backwards compatible with the original PS1, and people are still supporting it.
In addition, releasing their next system at the same time as PS3 will only shorten the lifespan of the GameCube to a measly 2 or 3 years. Why would Nintendo want to risk shortening the lifespan of their current system just so they can get ahead of the competition by releasing a newer product? This is not very smart on Nintendo's part.
Even though the success of the GameCube is rather dull compared to the PlayStation franchise, Nintendo should not just give up on it. Give it time; eventually the GameCube will be just as successful as PlayStation 2. It will take some time, but it is definitely worth it if Nintendo is insisting on making a major comeback in the video game industry.
However, if Nintendo decides to release their system after the PlayStation 3, then they will have extra time to focus on further developing their system to match, or possibly beat, the technology-performance of the PS3 (the GameCube far surpasses the technical power of PlayStation 2). But again, if Nintendo does deicide to go with this strategy, then they will be faced with the same problems they had the GameCube: the PS3 will have a ton of success, and when Nintendo does eventually release their next system, they will again have to play "catch up" to match the popularity of PS3. Nintendo definitely cannot risk the support of their fans by having a marketing strategy like this.
So what should Nintendo do: release their next system at the same time as PS3, and further risk having the GameCube fail due to its relatively short lifespan; or should they simply wait until the PS3's popularity increases before releasing their next system to the public?
NOTE: I did not include any comparisons to the Xbox 2's potential launch because I don't really care about the Xbox...
Edited by - Mario Maniac on 1/30/2003 1:36:57 PM