The Nintendo Playstation.

[CastletonSnob]

As we all know, Nintendo and Sony were working on a SNES add-on, but Nintendo made a deal with Phillips, and that led to the PlayStation.

I hear about how Nintendo betrayed Sony, but why is Nintendo in the wrong? Sony was going to get the rights to Nintendo's characters. It's not like Sony was completely innocent.

 

[SeymourGore]

I don't think Nintendo was in the wrong - at the time, CD gaming wasn't looking all that hot (Sega CD, 3DO, Turbo CD (or whatever)). Sure, Sony really made the medium work with the Playstation console, but it would've been hard to see the potential of the format when CD-based gaming was doing so terribly beforehand.

I don't remember it as a 'betrayal' by Nintendo (just economics), but I'm sure Sony has been more than happy with their decision to go solo.

As for losing out on being able to use Nintendo properties, if the games Nintendo would allow Sony to release were anything like those terrible Legend of Zelda CD-i games; Sony didn't lose much there.

 

[CastletonSnob]

I don't think Nintendo was in the wrong - at the time, CD gaming wasn't looking all that hot (Sega CD, 3DO, Turbo CD (or whatever)). Sure, Sony really made the medium work with the Playstation console, but it would've been hard to see the potential of the format when CD-based gaming was doing so terribly beforehand.

I don't remember it as a 'betrayal' by Nintendo (just economics), but I'm sure Sony has been more than happy with their decision to go solo.

As for losing out on being able to use Nintendo properties, if the games Nintendo would allow Sony to release were anything like those terrible Legend of Zelda CD-i games; Sony didn't lose much there.

Hey, at least those CD-I games gave us YouTube Poop.

 

[Armenius]

As we all know, Nintendo and Sony were working on a SNES add-on, but Nintendo made a deal with Phillips, and that led to the PlayStation.

I hear about how Nintendo betrayed Sony, but why is Nintendo in the wrong? Sony was going to get the rights to Nintendo's characters. It's not like Sony was completely innocent.

Nintendo did the Philips deal behind Sony's back and announced it just a day after Sony revealed the Nintendo PlayStation deal. Sony insisted that they have the complete rights to all software distributed on their compact discs. Nintendo, of course, did not take kindly to that idea. Nintendo kept the rights to the CD-i games, but Philips was able to profit from the hardware and software sales.

https://web.archive.org/web/2021061.../nintendo-philips-deal-is-a-slap-at-sony.html

 

[Toboggan]

The only reason I don't trust Nintendo is because they are too wholesome. That said, they're my favorite of the console lords.

 

[gamerk2]

As I understand it, Nintendo and Sony had a deal where Sony would be on the hook for the R&D of the Playstation, and would have access to Nintendo IP (similar to Phillips). The big other point is that Sony would own the software rights to anything released on the Playstation, which was not something Nintendo was keen on. After a management shuffle, Nintendo decided to make a deal with Philips literally the day before E3 without bothering to inform Sony about it, leaving Sony high and dry.

Remember Nintendo was (and still are) control freaks, and the fact they ever considered giving Sony rights at all is a bit surprising.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

As I understand it, Nintendo and Sony had a deal where Sony would be on the hook for the R&D of the Playstation, and would have access to Nintendo IP (similar to Phillips). The big other point is that Sony would own the software rights to anything released on the Playstation, which was not something Nintendo was keen on. After a management shuffle, Nintendo decided to make a deal with Philips literally the day before E3 without bothering to inform Sony about it, leaving Sony high and dry.

Remember Nintendo was (and still are) control freaks, and the fact they ever considered giving Sony rights at all is a bit surprising.

It wasn't just this. Sony already made the audio chip in the SNES and was charging Nintendo an arm and a leg along with all developers to use the tools for the chip. Furthermore Sony demanded that they get all the profits and rights for movies and music published on the CD format part.

The deal sucked. It was two pit vipers and neither side was good and both were trying to screw the other one over.

 

[gamerk2]

It wasn't just this. Sony already made the audio chip in the SNES and was charging Nintendo an arm and a leg along with all developers to use the tools for the chip. Furthermore Sony demanded that they get all the profits and rights for movies and music published on the CD format part.

The deal sucked. It was two pit vipers and neither side was good and both were trying to screw the other one over.

To be fair, the SPC700 was far ahead of pretty much any other audio chip out there; it was clocked at a bloody 24MHz for crying out loud. And most companies even today make most of their money on the support tools and not the actual hardware.

Besides, a deal is a deal, and a deal with Sony had been made and Sony made the initial prototype on their own dime. Nintendo then decided "we don't do 50/50 ventures with Sony.". Also remember that Sony trying to keep the IP rights for anything released on their disk format is no different then Nintendo (or any other game publisher) gaining the rights for anything released on cartridges.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

To be fair, the SPC700 was far ahead of pretty much any other audio chip out there; it was clocked at a bloody 24MHz for crying out loud. And most companies even today make most of their money on the support tools and not the actual hardware.

Besides, a deal is a deal, and a deal with Sony had been made and Sony made the initial prototype on their own dime. Nintendo then decided "we don't do 50/50 ventures with Sony.". Also remember that Sony trying to keep the IP rights for anything released on their disk format is no different then Nintendo (or any other game publisher) gaining the rights for anything released on cartridges.

It wasn't really a full deal or Nintendo would have gotten wrecked for walking out on it.

And how good the chip was and how charging for tools works doesn't mean much. The sad reality is that neither partner was really willing to go all in on an actual team effort and both sides were trying to walk away with as much as possible with Sony obviously having the better end of the deal. It would have been stupid to stay for Nintendo. Neither side looks good.

 

[Armenius]

It wasn't really a full deal or Nintendo would have gotten wrecked for walking out on it.

And how good the chip was and how charging for tools works doesn't mean much. The sad reality is that neither partner was really willing to go all in on an actual team effort and both sides were trying to walk away with as much as possible with Sony obviously having the better end of the deal. It would have been stupid to stay for Nintendo. Neither side looks good.

Such is the way with Japanese corporate culture.

 

[Krenum]

As we all know, Nintendo and Sony were working on a SNES add-on, but Nintendo made a deal with Phillips, and that led to the PlayStation.

I hear about how Nintendo betrayed Sony, but why is Nintendo in the wrong? Sony was going to get the rights to Nintendo's characters. It's not like Sony was completely innocent.

I think in the end it all came down to licensing issues. Both parties knew there was going to be enormous sales potential and they couldn't make a business agreement.

Looks like it worked out for the best for both parties.

 

[Armenius]

I think in the end it all came down to licensing issues. Both parties knew there was going to be enormous sales potential and they couldn't make a business agreement.

Looks like it worked out for the best for both parties.

Not for Philips .

 

[gamerk2]

I think in the end it all came down to licensing issues. Both parties knew there was going to be enormous sales potential and they couldn't make a business agreement.

Looks like it worked out for the best for both parties.

The point is there WAS an agreement; Nintendo decided to walk away and sign a deal with Phillips in secret, basically overnight, leaving Sony holding all the development costs. What Nintendo did went "way" below board even for the usual corporate BS.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

The point is there WAS an agreement; Nintendo decided to walk away and sign a deal with Phillips in secret, basically overnight, leaving Sony holding all the development costs. What Nintendo did went "way" below board even for the usual corporate BS.

Not an official one and Nintendo has the worst end of it. They walked on a shitty pinky swear deal and lolol that's fine.