Fortune has gather together a small number of renowned analysts to find out what they think has happened to Nintendo’s Quality of Life initiative. You may remember that back in January 2014 late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced that they were jumping onboard the Quality of Life train and would announce more details at a later date. We haven’t really heard anything since leading many of the analysts questioned to believe the project has been abandoned while they concentrate on mobile gaming and the Nintendo NX.
“I think it’s been pushed to the back burner,” says Lewis Ward, research director for gaming at IDC. “It’s supposed to be released in the U.S. by the end of March [2016], but I haven’t heard anything. … [However,] I do think Nintendo has always had an interest in ‘Blue Ocean’ markets and health care and the intersection with their hardware and their software is something they’ve viewed as an opportunity.”
“I think it’s probably dead—just like the Wii Vitality Sensor was before and they didn’t tell anybody,” says Michael Pachter, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities.
“They have been completely invisible as a company since [Iwata] got sick,” he says. “The whole point of helping with lifestyle was getting people to buy more Nintendo devices—and I think they’re hurting so badly in devices that they’re trying to [stop] the hemorrhaging there. … I would say they’re probably focused on just getting their mobile initiative working. That’s far more important than [QOL].”
Thanks, MasterPikachu6
Good!
>former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata
Don’t you mean LATE Nintendo president?
That’s probably a better word. Thanks :)
Perhaps it was developed mostly under Iwata’s eye, and so with his passing they don’t quite know what to do.
Ugh mobile.. Can’t wait for “You must wait 9 days or pay 99 cents to unlock the Tanooki suit”
If they have to get rid of the Quality of Life program to focus more on the NX and Mobile gaming, then I’d be cool with that. In the name of making a better entertainment system, I can live without nintendo focusing on a good lifestyle.
By which I mean…games should be games first, if they want to try other things, more power to them, but I would not sacrifice game or console quality for it, especially if the core business is gaming.
To be honest, I think it would be nice for them to finish this project Iwata was on…
Because analysts are always the the most perceptive people in the industry, right?… XP
Yep, just another Pachter quote to tune out.
Such dark days for Nintendo…
Anyone remember Smash Bros/ 4 and the 3ds’s popularity? Apparently not this guy! :D
man I hope so!
Never believed in it, so be it. Nintendo should focus on a main thing, not scatter everything around like they did with the WiiU. So far, the NX sounds kinda promising, especially as there’s already so much going on about it although it’s so far away from being released. Didn’t seem to be the case with the WiiU announcement, so let’s hope that hype’s real.
Different division is handling QOL. It has no effect on what they doing for their gaming sector.
So what if it’s a different division. It’s not all new hires. Any employee assigned to work on QOL is an employee not assigned to making games.
They purchase a company for QOL things. So no, them employees would not be making games anyway.
We recently got wind of that patent that went through for the clock projector, so I don’t think so.
Companies apply for patents they don’t use all the time. Nintendo has tons of patents for things they experimented with but never brought to market. TONS.
It’ll stay on the back burner. But right now they need to keep their focus on GAMING! We got some HUGE HITS ON THE WAY!!!
YOSHIS WOLLY WORLD
SUPER MARIO MAKER
XENOBLADE CHRONICLES
DEVILS THIRD*****????
STAR FOX
MARIO TENNIS: ULTRA SMASH
Its a whole separate team that was lead by Iwata. Gaming would not be affected by it.
No Actually, while I am sure its stumbled since it was a project that Iwata was personally involved with, but no its very much still in the works from info drips. Expect to hear something early next year?
If they truly cared about healthcare, they wouldn’t have killed our hopes and dreams of getting a regular size N3ds.
Michael Pachter says it’s dead? With his record, that probably means Nintendo will announce a release date for it tomorrow.
Yes hahahaha. Michael Patchter has issues.
F=ma.
I don’t know why they wanted to enter that market though. Why not reenter the toy business?
Why not both? Quality of Life is becoming more popular. Many companies are taking the initiative as well. Though I do think that if Quality of Life doesn’t work out then they should enter the toy business, fashion industry, and make furniture. I want Nintendo to do it all. *I mostly just want Nintendo clothes…*
Haha I want a snorlax beanbag XD
Money maker right there. They could tie into the old poke dolls for rooms and make high quality plush. It would sell.
Just like in the game.
That would be so fucking cute! XD I don’t like how Snorlax blocks your way, but I think he’s adorable.
I haven’t really seen or heard anyone raving about QOL products. Isn’t that like the Apple Watch or those arm bands that track your steps when you walk?
Nintendo can’t compete with those. Nintendo will try and be innovative and do some out of the box QOL idea that would not capture the attention of the market they are trying to reach.
Literally all people care about in the market are wristbands that track “something” in regards to your health. Basically, people want fancy pedometers and we already have those. I don’t see the QOL market expanding any further.
I use my Pokeball from Soulsilver Version as a pedometer. Been using it for years.
Fitness is getting more popular though. You have more health shops opening up, more people are becoming vegans, more exercise equipment for you home are being sold, etc. I don’t mean just a watch or wristband. I mean overall.
As for how Nintendo will compete… I honestly don’t know. If they fail, then they can scrape the idea and move on, if they make it then that’s more money in their pocket for gaming.
I feel like Iwata was likely the only one pushing it within the company, and it was simply tossed aside once a bit more control was restored to focus on the bigger picture. QOL was an interesting idea, but it was clear with the Wii U that they simply didn’t care about people being active anymore, otherwise and improved and heavily emphasized motion control system would have been implemented instead of the sit and play gamepad.
*an improved
They really should have improved motion controls. Their dumbest idea was getting rid of it to be honest. People don’t want the gamepad. Think about it: It’s bulky and ugly, it’s like a tablet but complicated, and the gyroscopes are annoying. Nintendo should have enhanced motion controls. That would make the system cheaper, and bring in more customers.
I hope Nintendo keeps in it. A lot of businesses do multiple things at once. Though Nintendo REALLY needs to buy smaller companies and hire more people. Nintendo is pretty small to be doing all of this by themselves.
So no more alarm clock that watches me sleep and projects images on the ceiling?! Damn, that sounded like a real winner.
Iwata said they would talk about the qol at e3 next year
Miyamoto said Iwata’s ideals will continue. QOL isn’t dead. Hell just a while ago we saw it’s a sleep monitoring thing…..so it’s still there.
If Patcher thinks it’s been cancelled then we can expect a Nintendo Direct showing QOL off any day now. Guy knows fuck all.
I doubt that they’ve abandoned the Quality Of Life stuff. After all, Nintendo stated that they would continue to push forward all of the work that Iwata had started and was working on etc.
>>>Like I’ve said a few times before, this program is most likely Japan exclusive only>>>
I believe Lewis Ward could be right, without Iwata, QOL could take a step back until Nintendo releases the NX.
Pachter is such an A-hole, he really want to see Nintendo’s doom, now he thinks the company’s saving grace is mobile gaming.
The NX could have Quality of Life features. Nobody knows so all they can do is speculate….
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Whether it is alive or not doesn’t really matter to me. If it comes, it comes. My question is “Why are we paying attention to Patcher?”
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Uh… Don’t you think it has to do because of Iwata’s death? Ever since he died, there have not been any big news or announcements, they probably are just worried about who to put as president and can’t find someone, so, who’s gonna worry about announcements? They are just focusing on the next president and he could change the NX and this. So, we just have to wait.