This, in a nutshell, is why Nintendo is doing so well.

Their hardware is underpowered, games look like cheap cartoons, but the effort spent into gameplay more than compensates.

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pjerem a day ago | parent | next [-]

I don't agree here.

Nintendo games don't look like cheap cartoons at all. They are absolutely not photorealistic but they do put a lot of work on the aesthetics/art and it's most of the time relly impressive once you take the hardware limitations into account.

Mario 64 ran on the same console that was known for its 3D blur.

Mario Galaxy 1&2 (which are still totally modern in terms of aesthetics) ran on what was basically an overclocked gamecube.

Mario Kart 8 which is still more beautiful than a lot of modern games ran on the Switch, which is itself based on a 2015 mid-range smartphone hardware.

	▲	ascagnel_ a day ago \| parent [-]
		I think it's more that Nintendo's choice of hardware (and its relative lack of horsepower) force them into more stylized visuals because it means photo-realism is basically off the table to start with. We the audience tend not to care, because Nintendo has capable artists who can create something aesthetically pleasing outside of "realistic" graphics.

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dartharva a day ago | parent | prev [-]

There are tens (if not hundreds) of indie and B-games that offer the same experience as most current Nintendo titles. Nintendo is doing well more because of nostalgia - it's the parents buying those consoles for their kids because they have very fond memories with Nintendo from their own childhoods.

	▲	senko a day ago \| parent \| next [-]
		I don't suffer from that particular nostalgia, not having had a Nintendo console (C64/Amiga diehard here), but I bought Wii and Switch, and a couple of first-party games for each. I considered, and passed on, the other consoles. Nintendo is playing a different game than other console/game makers (excuse the pun), IMHO.
	▲	theshackleford a day ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I would disagree. And I know many adults in the PC gaming space like myself who would disagree. I like my indie games, but not many are putting out what Nintendo is. I mean it’s all subjective though.