Now that the 3DS has been through its first holiday season, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter says he is much more optimistic about the future of Nintendo's latest handheld, even though it may never catch up to its successful predecessor.
In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Pachter said that while the 3DS saw a rough launch, the platform's significant price drop and growing portfolio have dramatically improved its performance.
"Now that we are seeing more first party titles at a lower price point, sales have increased. It's definitely turned the corner," he said.
While the platform's sales are looking strong, Pachter says the growing smartphone market will make it difficult for the 3DS to ever compare to the original DS, which was incredibly popular with casual consumers.
"The emergence of smartphone games is eroding the casual market's support for dedicated gaming devices, and I'd guess that 30 percent or more of DS sales were to casual gamers. That makes it tough to compete," he said.
"At the high end, we have renewed competition from Sony with PS Vita, so they should nibble away at the hardcore, leaving Nintendo an addressable market for 3DS that is around 60 percent as big as the addressable market for DS."
"Now that we are seeing more first party titles at a lower price point, sales have increased. It's definitely turned the corner,"
Does Gamasutra really has to report every single word from Michael Pachter, even if it is something completely lacking any content worse stating like this?
The rest of his "do the math", just makes no sense at all, the Vita is eating up hardcore gamers, that were DS customers in the last generation and this makes up 10% of the DS userbase?
Hey Michael, you may have missed it, but at the time, the DS was launched, Sony launched a handheld console, called the PSP, it was adressed to hardcore gamers. Either hardcore gamers in the last handheld generation have completely overlooked the PSP, as you obviously did or they chose to buy a DS instead of a PSP, but then, why should those type of customers go for a Vita this time?
And for the 30% casual gamers, that are now only playing on their smartphones and that had a DS before, any indications, how you came up with this specific number, to me it sounds just made up.
Great points. Right on with target markets...how many of Vita's hardcore target really spent a lot of time with the "chunky 3D" of the DS?
I actually agree with Pach's overarching point; a large chunk of DS sales were to casual consumers who now can increasingly turn to their smart-phones to fulfill the entertainment tasks they once employed a DS to do. Much more economically at that.
However, a lot of opinions seem based on still unsubstantiated claims...including my own (I find $30 portable games harder to swallow now, but its just my opinion.)
"In an interview with Time magazine, Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president confirmed that, 'In sales through this past 8 months it has outsold the full 12 months of the original DS. During that 12 month's time, the original DS sold 2.37 million and we just surpassed that this past Saturday.'"
^I think this says more about the 3DS than Pachter ever could---If games continue to come out in their recent form of quality. I would expect the 3DS to out sell the DS over the next 6 years.
Does Gamasutra really has to report every single word from Michael Pachter, even if it is something completely lacking any content worse stating like this?
The rest of his "do the math", just makes no sense at all, the Vita is eating up hardcore gamers, that were DS customers in the last generation and this makes up 10% of the DS userbase?
Hey Michael, you may have missed it, but at the time, the DS was launched, Sony launched a handheld console, called the PSP, it was adressed to hardcore gamers. Either hardcore gamers in the last handheld generation have completely overlooked the PSP, as you obviously did or they chose to buy a DS instead of a PSP, but then, why should those type of customers go for a Vita this time?
And for the 30% casual gamers, that are now only playing on their smartphones and that had a DS before, any indications, how you came up with this specific number, to me it sounds just made up.
I actually agree with Pach's overarching point; a large chunk of DS sales were to casual consumers who now can increasingly turn to their smart-phones to fulfill the entertainment tasks they once employed a DS to do. Much more economically at that.
However, a lot of opinions seem based on still unsubstantiated claims...including my own (I find $30 portable games harder to swallow now, but its just my opinion.)
But as I said back when people were writing off the 3DS as dead, it hasn't even seen a Pokemon yet...
Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2011/12/02/nintendo-says-3ds-doing-better-ds/#ixzz1ia
jMNwDp
^I think this says more about the 3DS than Pachter ever could---If games continue to come out in their recent form of quality. I would expect the 3DS to out sell the DS over the next 6 years.
http://www.gamezone.com/news/playstation-vita-3-month-sales-will-be-ahead-of-nin
tendo-3ds-assumes-analyst
This is Pachter, telling us the 3DS is going to beat the PS Vita:
http://www.destructoid.com/pachter-3ds-will-outsell-psp2-192040.phtml
So... he was right, he was wrong about being wrong, and now he's wrong about being wrong about being wrong?