Would You Play Mario And Zelda On The Xbox?

Last week, I ruffled the feathers of some Nintendo fans who took issue with my contention that the company will no longer chart gaming's future. As popular as the game company appears to be, it's losing ground to Microsoft and Sony. And as time goes on and it consistently fails to deliver next-generation ideas, it'll only continue to lose ground.

Now, many folks out there say that Nintendo's sales and ability to attract attention whenever it announces something is enough proof to make the case that the company will, in fact, be able to regain the top spot in the gaming market. And over time, those who think the way I do will be shown why we're wrong.

Until then, I think it's a good time to discuss the possibility of Nintendo's top franchises, including Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and countless others, coming to other platforms after the game company realizes that hardware development might not be the best idea.

I know Nintendo has made no indication that it wants to ditch hardware and is planning to launch the Wii U later this year to prove that point. But who knows what the future holds after the Wii U? That console will be obsolete next year when the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 launch, and if it doesn't hit the kind of sales Nintendo wants, shareholders might put pressure on the firm to make some changes. One of those changes might just be bringing its franchises to other platforms.

[aquote]If a game is solid, no matter the platform, I'll be playing it[/aquote]

So, would you play a first-party Nintendo game on your Xbox or PlayStation? I can say without any doubt that I would. I really do enjoy playing Nintendo's games, and just because they're running on another device doesn't mean that they have any less value. If a game is solid, no matter the platform, I'll be playing it.

But not everyone thinks like me. I've talked to more than a few Nintendo fans who said that they would never play a game from their favorite company on any other platform. They reason that by that time, "Nintendo would have sold out" — an offense at least some folks I've talked to find reprehensible.

Other critics of the move have taken a more technical stance, saying that part of what makes Nintendo games so fun is that the company knows its hardware inside and out. With that knowledge, it can take advantage of every single aspect of its console.

Although I understand both arguments, I just don't see any reason to ditch Nintendo's games simply because they're running on foreign hardware. Did you stop playing Sonic when Sega ditched its hardware business for the sake of its entire operation? I didn't. And I'm glad I didn't. And if and when Nintendo needs to make the same move, I'll be more than happy to head to GameStop and pick up its latest launch for my Xbox or PlayStation.

Count me as one of the people that would be more than willing to play Nintendo games on the Xbox or PlayStation. But what about you? Would you make the same move?