Atari founder Nolan Bushnell feels Nintendo is in a “very difficult position” and that continuing to pursue the 12 and under generation, could put the company “on the path to irrelevance”.Speaking with the BBC, Bushnell feels dedicated gaming handhelds “don’t make sense anymore,” when iPod, iPhone, tablets and Android devices do that and more.
“When it comes to the console market, I think the market is truncating,” he said. “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.”
Bushnell has previously said he also feels mobile gaming is “on the way out” as the industry reinvents itself “every five years”. He does feel Oculus Rift and other virtual reality devices are the next wave of gaming.
