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Atari Founder Says Nintendo Could Be On A "Path To Irrelevance"
Nintendo's latest console, the Wii U, hasn't fared well on store shelves, and a lot of gaming enthusiasts seem more focused on the upcoming Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but does that mean Nintendo could soon be irrelevant? Industry luminary, Nolan Bushnell thinks so.
In an interview with the BBC, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell said, "I don't think handheld game-only devices make sense anymore. Not when you have an iPod or an Android microtablet. When it comes to the console market, I think the market is truncating. Nintendo always had a soft spot for young people - they sort of did the 12-and-under pretty well, and the other guys did the 12-and-over. And now I think the other [consoles] are good enough on those things, and the rush to upgrade from the 12-and-under is not nearly as important."
[Source: BBC News]
Our Take
It's true that Nintendo's Wii U has failed to live up to sales expectations, and Nintendo's relevance in the handheld market also seems to be waning. I don't want to say I agree with Bushnell, but Nintendo does face some very serious challenges in the next few years. I'd hate to see Ninendo become obsolete, because they've been an integral part of the gaming landscape for decades, but the industry has continued to evolve and Nintendo rarely keeps pace with modern innovations. Sure the company is innovative in it's own way, but the Wii U hasn't caught enough interest to justify its production. I hope Nintendo has a few surprises up it's sleeve for the next year, because I still want to believe that Nintendo is a champ that can climb back to the top.
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