Nintendo's A Winner, And Numbers Don't Lie

Video game analyst Michael Pachter recently made controversial remarks about Nintendo, and it was the same song and dance we've been listening to since the GameCube more than ten years ago. Nintendo just doesn't get it, and is therefore doomed to fail...at some point...eventually.

Here's the exact quote, pulled from a recent piece on IndustryGamers:

"I think Nintendo, if they don't figure out that there really is something called the Internet, is a loser."

First person (even the first voice) that popped into my head was Donald Trump's, because Trump uses the word "loser" quite often, even at the expense of sounding ridiculous.

"Nintendo? Nintendo's a loser. You're fired."

I think you and I can both agree that the big N hasn't embraced online connectivity to the same degree as Sony and Microsoft.

And yet, Nintendo annihilated both competitors with the Wii and its magic wand controller.

Sorry, but the numbers don't lie. Wii sales may be on the decline, but Nintendo sold 90 million consoles as of November 2011.

Microsoft's Xbox 360? Sixty-six million units as of January 2012.

Sony's PlayStation 3? Fifty-five million systems as of September 2011.

What about portables? Well, let's take a look at portables.

Nintendo DS: 149 million as of September 2011.

Sony PSP: 71 million as of September 2011.

I've never been great at math, but this seems like an ass kicking. You tell me.

But how did Nintendo do this without realizing there's an Internet?

Games. Games sell hardware. Mario and Pokemon sell hardware. People purchase Nintendo systems and games for an experience they cannot get anyplace else. That's what makes Nintendo, well, Nintendo.

I'm not an analyst or a psychic, so for all I know, 3DS and Wii U may tank in 2012 and beyond. Maybe PlayStation Vita sells bonkers in the U.S. and Europe. Maybe time has finally run out. Maybe Nintendo will look into its bag of tricks and come to the horrifying realization that it's empty.

Sure, it could happen. You can't remain on top forever. I'm aware the stock dropped. I get it.

At the same, I'm not about to bet against the company that sold 239 million systems since 2004.