It feels like the Nintendo Switch has been coming to the end of its lifecycle for some time now. We still don't know a great deal about the console's successor �other than it's being referred to as the Switch 2 �but speculations have the system possibly launching in April 2025.

Whenever it does arrive, it's expected to do pretty well, according to a recent analysis. As noted in a report by WCCFTech, research and advisory firm DFC Intelligence ha??s projected that Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 will be a strong contender in the next generation console market.

This document uploaded to Google Drive shows that D??FC forecasts that the Switch follow-up will sell around 17 million units within its first year. However, this is providing Nintendo "can deliver supply." Of course, there's bound to be some stiff compe?tition to go up against.

No prizes for guessing Nintendo's biggest rivals

The report from DFC goes on to say that Microsoft and Sony "should release new console systems by 2028," though only one of these will be "successful." Genera?lly speaking, it appears that the Switch 2 may outshine any potential competitors, with a prediction that Nintendo will "be the console market leader," while both Sony and Microsoft will "struggle."

Some other interesting things to not?e fro??m the DFC forecast:

• The launch of "big products," such as GTA 6, will see the overall market grow (that probably won't come as much of a surprise).
• The worldwide gaming population is expected to grow to four billion by 2028 (it's currently at around 3.8 billion).
• Hardware revenue is projected to hit $120 billion by 2028, while PC and console software and services will hit around $83 billion.
• In 2025, the "Nintendo Generation," which grew up with the company's early consoles, such as the NES, will officially turn 50.

The main thing to take away from this is that the Switch 2 is almost certainly going to be the one to look out for, according to the analysis. We know it's coming soon, but it'll be interesting to see whether the anticipation will pay off for Nintendo as we head? into the next console generation.

The post Analysis says Nintendo Switch 2 could sell 17 milli??on units in 2025 alone appeared first on Destructoid.

Almost 60 FPS!

That Dark Souls III patch we reported on a few days ago has been put through the ringer by Digital Foundry and the results aren't too surprising. The support for PS4 Pro has gi??ven the game better performance, even if it still isn't perfect. Now you won't be hovering around 30 FPS, but will have frame rates above that at all times. This, in turn, makes the game feel smoother and should clear up most of the rather ugly frame pacing issues present in the original code.

While the PC version never had these problems, the Xbox One version still suffers from these issues. Hopefully Fr??om Software will enable support for the Xbox Scorpio, when??ever that releases. It would certainly be a nice incentive to upgrade your console.

Dark Souls 3 gets a very basic PS4 Pro upgrade [Eurogamer]

The post Dark Souls III’s PS4 Pro patch definitely improves the game appeared first on Destructoid.

Damning with faint praise

Michael Pachter is a name you've probably heard a few times before, and he's well known in the industry for his repeated calls for Nintendo to go third party or otherwise second-guessing the company's business decisions. That's why it stood out to me to hear that ?he actually has some words of praise for Nintendo's upcoming Switch console. 

Pachter hosts a weekly show on YouTube called "Pachter Fa?ctor" where he answers letters from the audience, and the first question in this episode was about the ease of porting games to Nintendo's Switch. Pachter mentioned that since the PS4 and Xbox One use PC architecture, it's easier to port games from one system to another, but that Nintendo won't be using Windows or PS4's platform. He continued, saying he's "actually heard from developers that Nintendo is the easiest of the three to develop for. The issue's going to be processing power."

Pachter's been an industry analyst since 1982, so he's seen Nintendo at its highest highs and lowest lows. He's been very critical of the Wii U, but even he overestimated the lifetime sales numbers for the console. It's an odd job, making predictions, and you're bound to get a few wrong along with the ones you get right. 

 Nintendo seems to be eager to move to the new console, and there are rumors they're going so far as to recall Wii U units from store shelves. We've heard rumors that the Switch won't match up to the PS4 in terms of hardware, but over thirty major developers?? have expressed interest in developing for the Switch. Lack of third-party ??support can doom a console, so for Nintendo's sake, I hope Pachter's right about this one.

Pachter Factor [YouTube via NintendoEverything]
Apparently, all the Wii Us w??ere recalled at my?? local Best Buy [NeoGAF] 

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Enthusiasts continue to drop big bucks for big hardware

The PC gaming hardware market, which consists of personal computers, upgrades, and peripherals used for gaming, is alive a??nd booming in contrast to the genera?l decline in the mainstream PC market.

Ted Pollak, Senior Gaming Analyst at John Peddie Research, stated that the $21.5 billion PC hardware market is over twice the size of the console gaming market. While many casual console customers are moving to the mobile market, and the same is occurring in the lower end of the PC gaming world, more money is being directed to mid and high range PC builds and upgrades by gamers. Pollak went on to state ?that committed PC gamers are more interested in a desktop environment as a whole as opposed to a dedicated gaming consumption platform.

Gaming has become a true cornerstone of the entire PC market, and as major companies evaluate their marketing and R&D budgets, JPR is seeing more investment in gaming oriented designs and more money spent advertising to this group of consumers. John Peddie, president of JPR, notes that the latest enthusiast CPUs and GPUs combined with SSDs and faster memory absolutely destroy the computing power and gaming capabilities of the newest console generation. Graphic fidelity for the PC is also better with higher end computers being able to push 4??k resolution at acceptable frame rates and the mass market being able to push 1440p.

However, the PC gaming hardware market is very diverse th??roughout its different segments. With the high end enthusiasts being more performance and style??-oriented much like sports car owners. On the opposite end of the spectrum the lower end crowd just wants to play games on something and this segment is particularly vulnerable to capture from cheaper gaming solutions.

With DDR4 memory and Intel's new generation of processors coming soon, it will be in??teresting to see just how far enthusiast computing is go??ing to go over the next few years.

Worldwide PC Gaming Hardware Market Report Series [Jon Peddie Research]

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2.1 million in two weeks

Market research group DFC Intelligence's latest news brief says that the PS4's launch was the biggest ever for a console game system, with 2.1 million units sold in the first two weeks. That's a lot of tomatoes!

The briefing also points to the next biggest console launches for comparison. The Wii sold 1.6 million units in its first two weeks, coming in at number 2. Sony's PS2 follows with 1.4 million back in March of 2000. What's interesting is that both the Wii and PS2 ended up taking the record for the most su?ccessful console systems of all time in terms of total hardware sales.

Maybe the PS4 could be on the same track.

Microsoft's Xbox One passed 2 million units 18 days after laun??ch, which would put it somewhere around the second biggest launch of all time. DFC Intell??igence believes that the Xbox One will fare better in the United States than other territories.

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Nintendo is doomed again, apparently

Today is Nintendo president Satoru Iwata??'s 54th birthday. Happy birthday Mr. Iwata; Michael Pachter thinks you should be out of the job?.

The Wedbush Securities analyst continued his fire and brimstone sermon at Game Monetization USA Summit in San Francisco this week, once again spelling doom and gloom for the Wii U and spitting forth toothed remarks, as he is wont to do, like "I don't k?now why Iwata is still employe??d."

Pachter argues that Nintendo is missing out on a huge opportunity. The soothsayer advocates porting Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS titles ??to mobile phones and tablets, which he believes will yield massive profits and draw millions of new fans to its systems. 

The silver-tongued prophet also called the Wii U's performance "underwhelming" and thinks even an exciting software lineup is unlikely to reverse the machine's fortunes. Looking into his crystal ball, Pachter envisions the Wii U selling 30 million units over its lifetime, with the PlayStation 4 moving between 100 and 120 million consoles, an?d the Xbox One coming in between the 90 and 110 million mark.

Meanwhile, the Nintendo 3DS continues to print mo?ney. But, yes, let's focus on the Wii U.

P?achter: ??'I don't know why Iwata is still employed' [GamesIndustry International]

The post Happy birthday Iwata, Pachter thinks?? you should be fired appeared first on Destructoid.

That's more than the GameCube

DFC Intelligence, a video game research and consulting firm, told GamesIndustry International that they expect the Wii U to sell 25 million unit??s over its lifetime. That's a quarter of the total sales of the Wii, and it's only slightly higher than th?e sales of the GameCube. This is a lower number than the firm first expected.

Despite the lowered expectations, analyst David Cole is hopeful for Nintendo's future, saying "I think Nintendo is carving out a different audience. I think that being said it is the right strategy. The audience they are going after is not the ones that Sony and Microsoft are going after. Right now they need to go after Nintendo ??fans first. They should have done that last year but better late than never."

Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Super Mario 3D World, and Mario Party: Island Tour today, which is a brave move against the launch of the Xbox One. It's good that Nintendo has a solid lineup for the ??Holidays this year.

Wii U to see lifetime sales of 25m or less - DFC [GamesIndustry International]

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Forecasts PS4 to sell 11 million more units than Xbox One over next four years

The PlayStation 4 will ou??tpace Xbox One over the next four years, predicts IHS head videogames researcher Piers Harding-Rolls.  

The seer foretells the machines will leave the starting gates neck and neck this holiday season, but he envi??sages Sony? ultimately coming out top, projecting the PS4 will sell 49 million units by the end of 2017, as opposed to 38 million for Xbox One.

"IHS believes that Sony's wider geographical brand allegiance - especially across continental Europe and Japan - will be decisive i??n allowing PS4 to outsell Xbox One on a global basis by the end of 2017," Harding-Rolls said.

"We also believe that both Sony and Microsoft will continue to benefit from Nintendo's Wii U weak sales," the fortuneteller a??dded, postulating a number of Wii owners will stray away from Nintendo for the competition.

Will the prophecy come true? We'll just have ??to wait and see. Perhaps the Fates have other plans in mind. Ma??ybe history will take a sudden and unexpected turn.

One thing is for sure though. Another oracle will emer??ge from the shrine at Delphi somewhere down the line, spouting off a fre?sh set of vapor-induced prognostications regarding the future of the games industry.

PS4 to comfortably outsell Xbox One over next 4 years, IHS for??ecasts [CVG]

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Hiding losses thanks to extremely profitable Android royalties

Microsoft is losing billions of dollars on its Xbox business, Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund suggests. Speaking with investors recently, the soothsayer indicated the company's enterta??inment and devices division is hemorrhaging cash, which he surmises is being obscured b??????????????????????????y the software giant's other enterprises.

"We conclude that Xbox platform plus Windows phone and Skype lose about $2.5 billion per year, and we estimate that the Xbox platform may account for roughly $2 billion of this," Sherlund asserted. "This is contrary to conventional wisdom, we think investors do not realize how extensive the operating costs are for this bu?siness and it is concealed by the hugely profitab??le Android royalties."

"Xbox is an orphan in our view," Sherl??und said. "It is a 'cool' product line and a successful consumer franchise, but it also loses a lot of money and we think is a distraction to the ??more enterprise strengths of Microsoft."

The company is currently in a period of transition, courting potential candidates to replace departing chief-executive Steve Balmer. One such potential successor ha??s reportedly expressed interest in killing Bing and sellin??g off the Xbox brand should the ventures be deemed non-vital to Microsoft's business strategy.

Huge Xbox losses hidden by patent royalti??es, says analyst [GamesIndustry International]

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New consoles will collectively sell around 6 million units globally

The Xbox One will enjoy higher launch window sales than the PlayStation 4, opines Colin Sebastian of Baird Research.

"While many forecast??s still give an edge to Sony/PS4 in North America sal?es, we continue to expect similar or even slightly higher sales of Xbox One by the end of the launch window," Sebastian told investors.

The conjecture is backed up by data from eBay listings, which shows Xbox One mark-ups 60 percent north of the console's $500 price tag whilst those of PS4 are jus??t a tick lower a??t roughly 50 percent more than its respective $400 asking price.

The analyst divines the platform holders will collectively move between 5 million and 6 million units globally by the end of the year.?? The soothsayer also foretells retailers w?ill have a hard time keeping stock on shelves.

"Retailers in our checks indicate there is consumer demand well in excess of supply, as evidenced by fast sell-outs of incremental unit a?llotments, such as at GameStop," Sebastian noted.

Xbox One and PS4 to ship 5-6 million this year [GamesIndustry International]

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Price will be a key factor says IDC

The PlayStation 4 ??is likely to outsell the Xbox One this holiday season, o?pines the International Data Corporation. A new report from the technology research firm suggests price among a variety of other factors will play a prominent role at market, giving Sony's comparatively inexpensive machine the edge this winter.  

The prediction seems like a safe bet. While Microsoft has made positive strides in the court of public opinion over the past few months, the company been fighting an uphill battle since it first revealed its successor to the Xbox 360. Meanwhile, Sony is still riding high from its domineering performance at E3 earlier this year. Will things pan out as expected tho??ugh? Only time will tell.

Report: PS4 to outsell Xbox One this holiday [Gamespot]

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Nintendo is 'in a world of trouble'

Industry analyst Michael "Panther's Desire" Pachter has something critical to say of Nintendo, because it is a weekday. This time, the sensual magnet was chatting to ABC News, suggesting the Wii U has very little to offer and Ni?n?tendo is in big trouble.

"I think Nintendo is at the bottom o?f a hug??e mountain, with a huge uphill climb," he said at one point during the interview, recorded during E3.

"With PS4 just $5??0 more than a Wii U, I mean, why would anyone buy a Wii U unless they have to play Nintendo ga??mes?"

"??Publishers are really excited about supporting Xbox One and PS4, but they didn't really say anything about the Wii U. We know EA has no games in development for Wii U. If others follow suit -- if you see Activision? pull support, if you see Ubisoft, you see Take-Two pull support -- the Wii U becomes a Nintendo-only gaming device, which is the way they were with the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985."

Pachter said Nintendo is going t?o need those b?ig name third party titles if it has a hope of remaining significant in the home console space. He also reiterated his belief that Nintendo left the launch of the Wii U far too long.

"They are not going to sell a lot of consoles if they don't have games like FIFA and Battlefield and Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto.

"Nintendo waited two years too long to launch a competitive?? console, a high definition console, with the PS3 and Xbox 360. I think by the time they launched the console, which stacks up really well, the other two guys passed them by, they're in a world of trouble right now."

And that's something Michae??l Pachter said about Nintendo. Have fun, kittens.

Wii U wil??l be 'distant third' in console race, predicts Pachter [CVG]

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Nobody cares about a Vita on a train

Just before Sony's E3 press confere?nce, analyst Michael "Frog Touch" Pachter predicted a practical no-show for the PS Vita. He wasn't too wrong about that, either. The analyst went further than that, however, declaring the system dead. 

"Sure there will be the occasional game, but the market's dominated by smartphones, 3DS, Vita's too hardcore," he told GameTrailers. "Sony will try to revitalize? Vita, b??ut it'll fall flat."

Pachter also said Sony's desire to have the PS Vita work as a companion device to the PlayStation 4 will fail, stating that while Sony may want that, he doesn't think i??t matters, advising users to "just buy an extra controller" if they want multiplayer experiences, and writing the system off as a "gimmick."

"Nobody ca??res about playing the Vita on a train," he declared. 

There's no denyin?g Sony disappointed with its PS Vita efforts on Tuesday, delivering little more than the same vague promises we've been hearing for over a year. I want to believe Sony's more dedicated to the handheld, but until I see proof, I'm not biting. I fear instead, Sony will just believe its ab??ility to stream PS4 games will be enough of a library and leave it at that. Hope I'm wrong.

Still, Walking Dead!

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And here ... we ... go ...

Industry analyst Michael "Soup Calves" Pachter is speaking about Nintendo again, and we know how much you all love that. This time, the fearless soothsayer warns Nintendo could be stuck with nothing but its own games on the Wii U, as everybody else?? migrates to superior machinery. 

"We believe the Wii U release slate on display will be a key determinant of the console’s long-term staying power," he told investors. "With the more powerful PS4 and Xbox One launching later this year, Nintendo risks?? losing additional share to its console competitors if the qual??ity and volume of content available for Wii U does not pick up markedly in the near-term.

"If the Wii U’s popularity does not improve by the end of the year, many third-party publishers may pass on producing games for the console. EA recently announced that it had no Wii U games in development, and?? it remains a possibility that the publisher will abandon the platform entirely. Should other third parties follow EA’s lead, the Wii U could be relegated to a first party only platform."

Pachter's been skeptical of the Wii U for quite some time, but there's no denying Nintendo's in a hard place right now. The Wii became a phenomenon, so it didn't matter if its hardware was behind the times. The Wii U did not get on Oprah, and third parties are edging slowly away from it. Still, at least the system's got an exclusive on Sonic ... for now. 

Wii U "could be relegated to a first? party on?ly platform" [MCV]

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Also that the Wii U is still doomed (unless Nintendo shows great games)

The infamous Nostradamus Michael Pachter expects Sony's PlayStation 4 to launch at $349, a far cry from 600 US dollars, and Microsoft's Xbox One to launch at a pricier $400, according to GamesIndustry International's report of a pre-E3 note to investors from investment firm Wedbush Morgan, where Pachter serves as an analyst.&nbs??p;

These figures should see both companies profit on hardware sales given Pachter's assumed material cost of $275 for the PS4 and $325 cost of the Xbox One. Pachter also suggests a possible Xbox One subsidy, pe?rhaps from the cable or internet providers Microsoft seems so keen to jump into bed with. Perhaps the terrible Comcast. It makes some sense. I doubt Microsoft wants to start the next generation priced higher after the PlayStation 3.

Take these estimates with a grain of salt. Pachter predicted Fuse would sell 5 million copies, yet so far it's seen a tepid critical response and abysmal UK sales. If this were a??n exact science, everyone watching Jim Cramer yell and make funny noises on Mad Money wo??uld be swimming in doubloons. Still, I'd be down to buy a PS4 for $350. You?

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55,000 estimated units sold last month

Industry analyst Michael "Veggie Kisses" Pachter has forecast even more troubling times ah??ead for Nintendo and the pauvre Wii U, estimating a lamentable sale of 55,000 units in the past month. This would mean a drop in monthly sales by 19%. 

Meanwhile, Pachter believes the Wii pushed 75,000 units for April, which would have it outpacing its successor console. In brighter news, the 3DS is expected to report a 46% sales increase with 185,000 units flogged. 

The slump is not exclusive to Nintendo, with the analyst predicting negative momentum across all companies as this generation winds down in preparation for the PlayStation 4 and Next Xbox. Hit worst is the PS Vita, which Pachter believes is performing 57% worse than l??as?t year, shifting 30,000 units in April. 

If this is true, one wonders wha??t Nintendo can pull out of its magic hole to keep a spotlight once Sony and Microsoft are in the next-gen fight. It's definitely not had the same impact the Wii had. Looks like we're headi?ng into this new generation with everything to play for. 

Pachter: Wii U sales still in decline;? outso??ld by Wii [CVG]

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Leading franchises for Microsoft and Sony 'significantly underperform'

Recently, the PS3 and Xbox 360 each saw prequels for their leading franchises -- God of War: Ascension and Gears of War: Judgment. According to analyst firm Cowen & Company, the two GOWs failed to impress at retail.

Judgment's March sales are currently said to be around the 425,000 mark, while Ascension sits at 360,000. By comparison, Gears 3 sold 2 million in its first month, God of War 3 sold 1.1 million.

"We had expected sales trends to improve in March due to a strong ??core line-up," said the analysts.? "Two historically strong franchises appear to have significantly underperformed."

While belonging to big franchises, neither game really got the same marketing push as main series entries. Quite a few regular readers seemed surprised these games were even out, let alon?e the more casual buyer who doesn't follow gaming news. One has to?? wonder what Sony and Microsoft themselves were expecting of these games. 

In any case, looks like that multiplayer in God of War didn't help. So much for the online magic beans!

Poor Gears of War, God of War sales in March [GI.biz]

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Analyst in "pisses off Nintendo fans again" SHOCKAH!

In the latest episode of Michael "Frisky Buns" Pachter Says Things About Nintendo And Everybody Gets Angry, the industry analyst was asked if he hated Nintendo. The slick-tongued gentleman said he didn't actively di??slike the publisher, but expressed his view the company was a bad investment, and should possibly quit consoles altog??ether. 

"No, I don’t hate Nintendo at all," he said. "I think that they?? have missed several opportun??ities on the hardware side, waited too long to provide multiplayer options and generally have alienated third party publishers across the board. Each of those missteps is likely to cost them in the next console generation.

"I don’t think Nintendo is a good investment, as I don’t see the company returning to its past success with its current products in a more competitive environment. Inve??stors tend to behave rationally, so they accept my comments as rational and thoughtful. People who have an affinity for brands -- o?r a political party, or a religion, or an alma mater -- tend to be less rational and more emotional. It’s part of the job."

Els??ewhere, Pachter explained once more exact?ly how he believes Nintendo dropped the ball in the past generation, and why it won't reclaim its position on top of the mountain. 

"Nintendo blew it by ignoring online multiplayer until 2012. That’s why I thought we would see a Wii HD in 2009 ?or 2010, because it was time for them to get serious about competing with Sony and Microsoft. I’m not sure that they can recover and think that they may have blown it on the console side forever.

"I think that they shoul??d consider exiting the console business -- but keep the handheld side -- unless they have a clear plan for success. 'Be patient' is not a clear plan for success."

This is the part where I say something like "Ouch" and ask if you agree with him, putting the burden of response on the user because I'm afraid of committing to the topic. You then respond by aski?ng why anybody pays attention to this man, accuse him of trolling for attention/profit, or bring up things he's predicted in the past that did not turn out to be true. We've all done this enough times to know the drill, so let's get to it. 

Ouch, harsh words there from Michael Pachter for the Nintendo Entertainment Company of Videogames. Do you agree with him or do you not agree with him, everypeople? 

Michael Pachter On Wii U, 3DS And The Challenges Facin??g Nintendo This Generation [Nintendo Life]

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Analyst cuts loose on Wii U provider

Industry analyst Michael "Rainbow Pecs" Pachter is laying siege to Castle Nintendo once again, with one of his harshest appraisals of the company yet. Rather than beat around the bush, the silver-tongued stallion has directly said Nintendo's a bad company, and poured sc??orn on CEO Satoru Iwata.

"I think Nintendo is no longer able to compete the way they did in the past and sell their consoles at a big profit," he declared on his show Pach Attack. "I think that th?e Wii, when it first launched they were probably making about $100 of profit per unit.? I think the DS when it first launched was probably generating about $50 of profit per unit. The 3DS I think is barely making a profit. The Wii U I think is barely making a profit -- I'm talking 5 or 10 bucks per unit."

Pachter doesn't lay any of the blame at Nintendo of America or its president, Reggie Fils-Aime. He argu??ed NoA simply plays the c?ards it was dealt, and implied the Wii U was a bum hand -- a hand directly attributable to Iwata.

"I think Mr. Iwata's a pretty poor CEO," he explained. "I think he's done a very poor job running the company. I have a neutral ratin??g on Nintendo, but I have to say only because their cash level supports their current share price. It's a bad company that doesn't make money."

As always, Pachter's words are primed to spark anger in the souls of Nintendo's loyal fa?ns, and he's already got a response lined up. 

"If you don't like that answer??, Nintendo fans,? deal with it."

Yikes!

What do you make of his assessment? Are you prepared to deal with it, or do you disagree and wish to make your voice known? Is he, as Tony Ponce suggests, a stuffy Lord Lemongrab, or is he making sense?

Pachter: Nintendo is a "bad company", Iwata a "p?oor CEO" [Videogamer]

The post Pachter: Nintendo is bad and Iwata is a poor CEO appeared first on Destructoid.

But that won't stop consoles from selling big

[Update: Keighley has produced another slide in which Pachter predicts that "Durango" wi??ll be the generation leader because it has a TV tuner and Skype. Also, there will be no more publisher bankruptcies. Yeah, fat chance.]

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter most definitely has sweet side, but it's his sour side that's so much fun to talk about. The latest stop in his carnival of flavors is SXSW 2013 in Austin, Texas, where he made the oft-repeated prediction that this latest round of home consoles will be the last we ever see. Of course, he said the exact same thing about? this past generation, but I'm sure his number is bound to come up eventually.

GT.TV's Geoff Keighley was in attendance, snapping photos of Pachter's PowerPoint presentation and uploading them to Twitter. In addition to claiming that PS4 and Xbox "Durango" games will likely retail for $70, despite what Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Jack Tretton insists otherwise, Pachter also offers his thoughts on the quality of tech. Clearly, Wii U is nothing more ?than a DS split in half and offers no significant potential for software innovation, while the PS4's large RAM pool means games on that machine will probably be super innovative.

At #SXSW panel @michaelpachter say??s PS4 and next Xbox games will likely? cost 70 dollars, 10 dollars more than current gen.

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) March 9, 2013

Even though console gaming's days are numbered, total hardware sales will remain steady. The Wii U is projected to only hit 30-50 million, down from Wii's roughly 100 million. Based on all its innovative RAM, PS4 will achieve 85-95 million, up from PS3's 73 million. And we know absolutely nothing about "Durango" -- it'll have a TV tuner ma?ybe? -- so of course that ensures another 85-95 million, up? from 360's 75 million.

If that's the future of this market sector, it's totally obvious why all the major console manufacturers will jump ship. Those numbers sound terri-bad! Where would we be without your awe-inspiring insight, Mr.? Pach?

@geoffkeighley [Twitter via NeoGAF]

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An exaggeratedly titled top ten list? On the Internet? Surely you jest!

[This month, Destructoid turns 7 years old! Here's the top article of this weekend back in 2008. You can browse more of these in our Golden Archives. Nostalgic yet? -Niero]

Call me a weakling, but it's been more or less forever since I last satiated ??my base, pathetic, utterly human desire to organize my favorite pastime into an authoritative-sounding and undoubtedly inaccurate countdown lis?t. 

This time around, I'm looking at videogame quotes: well-written or not, intentionally enlightening or not, what are the ten most meaningful videogame quotes in gaming memory? Which quotes actually teach or represent some??thing important about game design, or even life in general?

Defining meaning is obviousl?y a subjective exercise -- which is just another way of saying "you're going to disagree with me" -- but you may still find the list quasi-interesting.

Hit the jump and gain total enlightenment, but be warned as there is a massive BioShock spoiler within.

The post The ten ?most meaningful videogame quotes of al??l time appeared first on Destructoid.

Clarifies the company's not in danger, but its glory days may be over

Following yesterday's angry protests from Nintendo fans, industry analyst Michael "Fishy Sunday" Pachter took to NeoGAF to clarify his statements.There was uproar when Pachter said the Wii U was a mistake Nintendo may never recover from, so he attempted to calm ne??rves by saying yet more things that will probably infuriate Wii U enthusias??ts. 

"My comment about the Wii U being a 'mistake' from which the company 'may not recover' was intended to say that if Wii U sales don't materially improve, Nintendo is unlikely to be profitable,"? he said. "They have around ¥1 trillion (around $11 billion) in cash, so they aren't in danger of going out of business for decades. However, if they aren't profitable, they aren't doin?g a good job for shareholders.

"Nintendo is ensured high sa?les of its proprietary software, but it makes the most money on its royalty business, collecting fees from third parties for the privilege of letting them put out games on Nintendo platforms. Publishing (software) revenues peaked at ¥675 billion in FY:09, and are on track to come in around ¥235 billion this year; my call is that if hardware sales don't materially improve above current combined levels, software sales are unlikely to materially grow. If software sales don't materially improve, losses or break even will become the norm. Nintendo will not 'recover' to its formal highly profitable glory."

This sensual bullet of a man believes ?the Wii U will be far less capable of seducing third parties than the Wii was, especially with its ??slow early performance. The inability to make cash off these publishers will hit Nintendo's wallet almost as hard as that time Pachter punched the Sun out of orbit.

"The poor sales of the Wii U in January are likely to impact third party publisher plans to support the console," he explained. "Notice that GTAV is not on the Wii U; that was??n't a typo, they don't see enough promise in sales to cause them to spend extra dev??elopment dollars on a Wii U version.

"I have spoken to several publishers who are skeptical, and I think that the Wii U will see a lo?wer level of third party support than the Wii did, unless sales materially improve. If I'm wrong, I'll admit it, but without third party titles, Nintendo will not generate its customary levels of royalties, and losses or break even could become the norm."

Not even the 3DS is ??safe from Pachter's otherworldly eyes, the analyst pointing out that, despite strong sales, not even Nintendo's plucky handheld is raking in the kind of dubloons required. 

"Many o??f you point out that the 3DS is selling better than the DS at a similar point. That's true, but the DS was always profitable, and the 3DS is not. Also, the DS saw sales go from 8.8 million units in ??its first four quarters to 18.0 million its next four, to 20.2 million in its third full year; I'm pretty confident that the 3DS will not get to 20 million units, but even if it did, it would generate little profit from hardware.

"Keep in mind that the DS redesign to a lite version boosted sales, and there was little competition for 12 year-old and older from smart phones and tablets. Now, parents who can afford it are opting for Kindles, iPads, and smart phones for their teenagers, and the more casual of those are perfectly happy playing Angry Birds and putting their DS or 3DS into a drawer."

Pachter concludes by saying Nintendo likely can't cut the Wii U price, but with i??t not selling right now at the current price, it can't shift the software it needs to be profitable. He also added he wasn't trolling, but somehow I doubt that assurance will be enough for some people. For those people, he had another message:

"To the 5% of you who ARE a?ssholes, bring it on ;-)"

Oh dear.

The post Pachter talks more about Nintendo’s Wii U ‘mistake’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Analyst declares system a costly error

Industry analyst Michael "Chewy Homunculus" Pachter has been saying for years that Nintendo missed the boat on an HD Wii followup, and now he believes his predictions have yielded fruit. Framing the Wii U launch as a disaster from which Nintendo??? may not recover, his feelings on the matter are quite clear. 

"I think they misfired on the Wii U," offered the silver fox, in GamesBeat. It’s jus??t not that different from the other two [existing] consoles, and the gameplay isn't as unique as the Wii. They made a mistake, it’s something they probably can’t recover from.

"... I think they have made a costly?? mistake. And their handheld business can’t save them in the face? of cannibalization from smartphones and tablets."

While Pachter's comments were the most damning, he was far from the only negative voice. Fellow analyst Roger Kay said, "The Wii U sales do look pretty bad," and stated t?he Xbox 360 has better momentum than Nintendo's device.

The answer to the problem, for other analysts interviewed, was games. Software is the onl?y way Nintendo can crawl out of its hole, according to ?the market brains. 

"Games, games, and more games," emphasized Lewis Ward of IDC. "The relationship between key releases -- primarily first-party titles -- and hardware sales is especially clear in Nintendo’s case. The sooner they get titles like Pikmin 3 and Wii Fit U on the console side and Pokémon games and titles like Animal Crossing: New Leaf on the 3DS side on store shelves, the better."

Pachter, however, is not so hopeful, and thinks this may be it for the house of Mario. Of course, one thing?? the analyst does not yet know is that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata ha??s a Luigi hat ... 

Therefore, his argument holds no water. 

Analyst: Wii ??U a ‘mistake’ for Nintendo [GamesBeat, thanks RJ!]

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Analyst expects a cut next week

Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter seems to think that a price drop is imminent for the PlayStation 3. GamesIndustry is reporting that the analyst expects the console to have its MSRP reduced ??to $199 on February 21st, the day following what is expected to be the reveal of Sony's next home console. He went on to speculate that Microsoft will perform a similar price drop on the Xbox 360 sometime before this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo in June.

I love it when analysts make firm declarations like this. If they turn out to be correct, they? look like the smart guy in the room for a little bit. If they're wrong, there's absolutely no way to weasel out of having been wrong other than to admit it, reinforcing the entertaining premise that analysts are just guessing. Either way, I feel like I'm the winner.

PS3 price cut likely next week, says Pachter [GamesIndustry]

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Analyst comes down hard on price cut mayhem

Industry analyst Michael "Glowing Tooth" Pachter has criticized UK retailers for their constant attempts to undermine each other in videogame price cuts. The situation is nothing more than a joke at this point, according to the silv??er fox. 

"The UK games retail market is a joke, with retailers pricing below cost to drive traffic," he told Digital Spy. "That's great for consumers, but retailers can't make any money on g??ames, hence the bankruptcies of Game, HMV and Blockbuster, and the refusal of GameStop to? expand into the market.

"If all retailers go broke, or if games are dominated by mass merchants like Dixons, gamers are ultimately going to get fewer selections. The absence of GameStop and the demise of ??GAME limits the ability of consumers to trade in used games, depriving many of credits that can be used to purchase new games. Retail needs to make money to exist, and games retail in the UK doesn't make money."

This has been an issue in the UK for a few years, and Pachter ain't wrong in his assessment. Big supermarket chains are happy to take a hit by marking down videogames to ludicrous degrees, forcing specialized retailers to match or lose?. It's definitely gotten crazy, but like Pachter says, it's pretty great for consumers ... at least for as long as the competition exists. 

HMV, Blo??ckbuster fall: The beginning of the?? end for games retail? [Digital Spy]

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Another casual discussion from the Dtoid news room

Now arriving with an alarming consistency, I bring you the latest installment of Office Chat. In this episode, I'm joined again by Jordan Devore and Brett Zeidler as we address the controversy surrounding Star Wars: The Old Republic's forthcoming, homosexual-friendly planet. Then, speculation over the future as analysts feed the rumor mill surrounding the next wave of consoles and our expectations for the success of Disney Infinity (they're pretty high).

The post Office Chat: Infinite horizons and limited vision appeared first on Destructoid.

One in every five owners bought a game at retail

Analyst James Hardiman claims the software attach rate for the Wii U since its November US launch is 1.2, with only one in five buyers considered to have bought a new g?ame on top of packed-in software.

Hardiman offers two reasons for the low software sales -- firstly, he suggests that, for many users, the inclusion of Nintendo Land in the premium b?undle was enough for them. Secondly, he believes the Wii U's price was high enough to dissuade consumers from making extra purchases.&??nbsp;

Digita?l sales could make the numbers look better, but the lack of information, as well as the eShop's noncompetitive nature, makes it difficult to gauge how well this avenue has done. 

What do you think? Is the Wii U DOOOOMED yet? Me, I'm just reveling in the nostal?gia of Nintendo console attach rate discussions. It's been so long since that topic was a thing. The good times are back!

Analyst says Wii U has US software attach ra??te of just 1.2 games?? per console [MCV]

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Analyst says a money-thing for game-angries!

Michael "Thigh Majesty" Pachter is a man of business, which doesn't always make him a friend to consumers. His latest suggestion, that Activision should charge a fee for Call of Duty, isn't a new notion, but it never wins him fans. At least, fans outside of board rooms.&nb?sp;

"I know the game sells billions of dollars. Activision did a bad thing with Call of Duty from a profit perspective," protested the analyst at the Game Monetization Summit (ugh). "They trained gamers that you can buy a game and play it all year, ten hours a week, forever, and you never have to pay again. You just wait for the next Call of Duty. I promise you there are plenty of people, numbering in the millions, who play one game, which is Call of Duty, and they never stop.

"That's just like the people who play World of Warcraft and never stop, yet the World of Warcraft guys are paying $180 a year, and the Call of Duty guys are paying $60. So who's got a better model? This multiplayer thing being free was a mis??take. I don't think anybody ever envisioned it would be this ??big. It's a mistake because it keeps those people from buying and playing other games." 

He added that the Bungie/Activision collaboration would see Activision try subscriptions, "Becaus??e they're greedy pigs."

The sad thing is, Pachter is not incorrect, when speaking from a purely cynical business standpoint -- COD could have gone subscription-based by now, and stockholders would claim it should've. That said, one of Activision's few redeeming qualities is that it hasn't yet gone out of its way to fully fuck with Call of Duty fans, despite having the ability? to be much worse than it is.

More to the point, the whole subscription thing isn't as fashionable these days as it was a few years back, and who knows if even COD could get away with it at this late stage? It'd certainly have the best chance of any IP right now, with even Star Wars: The Old Republic having to ditch the subs. 

As for Bungie's project, a new IP in an industry where franchise names are far more famous than the studios that make them might not be able to justify a fee beyond the retail price tag. While I agree with Pachter that it would've been good business for Call of Duty to establish subscriptions in the past, I don't think it's sustainable for almost anything anymore. If Star Wars couldn't find the fanbase, I doubt Bungie will.

Free-to-play would be the more likely option if regular income is th?e goal.&n??bsp;

Pachte??r: Activision to buy Take-Two, Nintendo becoming "completely irrelevant" [GI.biz]

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Financial writer paints doom and gloom everywhere

Financial writer Jay Yarow of Yahoo paints a dismal picture of The 'Soft -- one that suggests it cannot stay in the game console business. In an editorial titled, "Steve Ballmer's Nightmare is Coming True,??" things are made ??to look rather bleak indeed. 

The article raises ten points to indicate Microsoft is in a bad way. From the threat of the iPad to the suggested failure of Windows Phone, it would seem the company has lost traction in every department. Most importantly to us, however, Yarow believes the generally? healthy Xbox division can't make up for the losses, and will actually be big an expense to withhold. 

"The Xbox was never going to make up the slack, and Microsoft can no longer afford to keep investing in it," writes Yarow. "In a year of relative gloom, Microsoft's Xbox has become a big bright spot for the company. Kinect is great technolog??y, people are still buying the console, and it's been a great entry point for Microsoft to take over the living room.

"But, for a company like Microsoft, Xbox isn't enough. Microsoft had $21 billion in operating income last year. The Entertainment and Devices division, which is home to the Xbox had $364 million in operating income. So, as nice as Xbox is, it's not going to be enough to boo?st M??icrosoft if the rest of the business collapses."

It's a weird article, given that it never suggests how a division that actually makes money is too expensive to keep. Even if it's true that it's not making enough money to pick up all the slack, it's still successful, so why drop it? I don't know, I am just exploiting this article for ??cheap rabble rousing on a slow news day, so ... 

In any case, I think Microsoft's intention with Xbox is clear -- its future rests not solely in videogames, but in entertainment applications as it attempts to be our sole source of in-home amusement. Every progressive E3 press conference has moved further away from games to talk about movies, sports, music, and things like SmartGlass, and I don't see that changing. 

I abandoned the Xbox 360 as an ent??ertainment device when I got a TV that did Netflix and Amazon Video better, so whether or not Microsoft's decision is wise in a future where televisions are getting smarter remains to be seen.

The post Yahoo: Microsoft can’t afford to keep Xbox brand going appeared first on Destructoid.

Sony must swallow pride of be damned

Inside Network analyst and awesome-name-haver Billy Pidgeon has declared that Sony must follow Nintendo's lead and cut the PS Vita's price if it wants the ailing handheld to succeed. In addition, he has called for more and better games -- certainly a boon to any gaming device!

"Although the hardware is high quality, Sony may need to follow Nintendo's lead and cut price drastically next year if the installed base remains below five million or the platform will not be viable for publishers," he told NowGamer. "Also the proprietary memory cards fo??r PS Vita are prohibitiv??ely expensive.

"There should be more downloadable ??software, including inexpensive or free games, and these must be higher quality than popular iOS and Android games. It would in fact be helpful if the best and most popular smartphone and tablet games were also available for download to PS Vita." 

He was quick to point out that the Vita's not been all bad, taking note of hot titles like Assassin's Creed III: Liberation and Persona 4 Golden. However, despite an improvement to sales, he believes the system could be much str??onger than it currently is,?? and I don't think anybody could argue that.

Trouble with Sony is, it's an arrogant company. As we saw years ago with the PS3's original price, the PlayStation owner believes it has the same zealous and loyal fans as Apple, and can get away with charging customers anything. Sure, Sony has some customers who will literally spend whatever they'?re told to spend, but nowhere near the number required to get away ??with charging obscene prices for proprietary nonsense. 

Nintendo fell on its sword and reduced the 3DS' price when the 3DS was in a better position than the Vita currently is. It might not be "fair" that Apple can get away with gouging its?? customers and Sony can't, but them's the breaks.

Offering free games along with a memory card that's too small to fit the games on is n?ot going to tantali??ze the public.

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