Nintendo's Next Console Revolution Will Have WiFi 471
nparasu writes "Nintendo released fresh details about its upcoming games console, codenamed Revolution, at a game developers conference.
Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, confirmed that the new console will be able to run games originally made for the GameCube.
Despite the hardware announcements, most of Mr Iwata's speech, entitled "The Heart of the Gamer", was a call for more imaginative game design.
Game creators cannot rely on better graphics and more powerful games machines to attract new audiences, Mr Iwata said.
He also revealed that Revolution will come with wi-fi connectivity built-in."
Boy ain't that the truth! (Score:3, Insightful)
the trick is that fancy screenshots often help to move boxes, and until you play a game you don't know how well designed it is.
Now all they have to do... (Score:5, Insightful)
A good idea, but sadly... (Score:5, Insightful)
It is nice to see at least some companies who remember that games should be fun first, however.
security? (Score:5, Insightful)
Or will Nintendo provide idiot-proof WiFi security (which could then be transplanted to other WiFi solutions...) ?
nintendo and apple (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Boy ain't that the truth! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:security? (Score:3, Insightful)
Planet Earth anyone? (Score:5, Insightful)
I have played almost virtually every single version of the Nintendo since the original unit was introduced in the mid-80's. Many, many fun-filled nights were had on that system (Baseball All-Stars, Super Mario, Zelda, Techmo Football), yet it seems lately that the leadership at Nintendo is just trying to re-hash old titles. Metroid was a great initial title and completely original. That was what made it great.
That rant aside, I just wanted to put in my opinion on the above statement. Developers cannot rely on the latest graphics and more powerful machines? Correct me if I am wrong, but Half-Life 2, EverQuest 2, Doom 3, Far Cry and a few upcoming games (S.T.A.L.K.E.R. etc) rely almost completely on the latest technology. While it might not make for the best games it is a tried and true method to attract new gamers.
Now, Wi-Fi? Serously, why on Earth would a Nintendo home console need Wi-Fi? Sure it sounds really, really cool to add but it also opens up the floodgates to a host of other problems. One of those recent problems was talked about here with Bluetooth and cell phones.
Putting great technology into a console is one thing, but taking advantage of what already exists is another. How can this gentleman sit there and call for a more imaginitive game design and in the same speech announce one of the latest technological advances in home consoles into the next-generation Nintendo system?
Just one man's opinion...
Backwards Compatable (Score:5, Insightful)
This sets a new precedent for Nintendo. I remember working as a "Nintendo Demonstrator" in high school when the SNES came out, and asking the local rep. why it wouldn't play NES games. "Why would we charge somebody for features they already own?" came the marketing-speak reply.
Hey, the Nintendo DS also has wifi... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Boy ain't that the truth! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Already on the DS (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, it will (Score:3, Insightful)
Now they just need to get Linux on the DS working, since there's actually some fathomable reason you'd want to run that
Re:Backwards Compatable (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Boy ain't that the truth! (Score:4, Insightful)
That's one reason I like Nintendo. It's a sure bet that their first party titles are normally a whole lot of fun.
A lot of people don't like Nintendo because they assume the games are only for kids. But saying Nintendo games are only for kids is kind of like saying Shrek was a kid's movie. Anyone who doesn't play Nintendo's first part games on the sole pretense that they're for children is missing out on some of the finest and most innovative games.
But then, in my experience the modern day gamer isn't really much of a gamer anyway, and all they want is the newest sports title, movie to game heap of crap, or the lastest "Eventu-Win" RPG. Then you have the whole lot of people obsessed with first person death match (often in realistic combat themes).
Gamers as a whole aren't the imaginative, creative, above intellence group of people they were way back. They're normal everyday media consumer whores.
"Innovation" and Nintendo (Score:3, Insightful)
I know that there are a lot of fans of the franchises out there, but it seems that Mario, Wario, Pokemon, Zelda, et al are really the only thing Nintendo cares about, and this combined with their lackluster attitude towards third-parties increasingly makes their systems a less and less attractive investment.
I certainly hope the new console is a "revolution" and that their next handheld system offers something a bit more than "The same, exact games you played on the last Game Boy....sold to you again!"
Re:Planet Earth anyone? (Score:3, Insightful)
And just a comment on the bit about latest technology, 3 out of 4 of the games you listed there use the latest technology not so much for the game itself, but for the engine. Engine sales/licensing are really what drive the companies behind those games, so of course they'll be using the best technology at the expense of fulfilling game experiences.
I just want... (Score:2, Insightful)
Wireless? Not sure when I'd get to using it, but it makes it easier than laying in CAT5 to the tv area and less expensive than buying another hub or switch to put in there if I've already run it.
Third-party developers should be treated better... (Score:5, Insightful)
I was the lead QA tester at Atari for the first GC and GBA titles. The GC was a pain since they withhold valuable testing information about the debug hardware for a year that only their internal developers had access to. The GBA multiplayer link was an absolute pain in the butt that took up most of the developer's time to get right and QA had to spend twice as much time on multiplayer than single player. My last GBA title was supposed to have wireless support but that was pulled due to bugs in the Nintendo API that turned testing into a nightmare.
Nintendo could have a lot more great titles for the GC/GBA by making the development process a lot more easier. Most game publishers been dropping Nintendo titles because it cost more to get approval from Nintendo.
Re:Cool! Backwards compatibility! (Score:5, Insightful)
I really don't understand how can this factor be neglected so often. For me, backwards compatibility with the original PSX was the key reason to buy PS2 instead of XBox. I have already had a huge library of PSX games, some of which happen to be among my favorite (Syphon Filter, for example), and - more important - also among my kids favorites (Crash Bandicoot series). Choice of PS2 was a no-brainer for me. If XBox 2 won't have backwards compatibility with XBox (and right now it seems unlikely for it to have, since they chosen entirely different hardware), MS will prove that they are not just evil, they are plain nuts.
The problem with Nintendo (Score:5, Insightful)
For instance, the DS. The DS is simply a game boy with two screens, one you can touch. But they tought it as something that is gonna change gaming. How? How exactly is this so much different from past designs that people are gaming differently now?
Nintendo is known for its pushing innovations in gaming, such as 4-port gameplay, rumble packs, and true 3D console gaming. But they've become so obsessed with their own genius that they refuse to copy good designs and give the customer what they want. Instead they'd rather "define" what you want and give it to you.. in their vision. So instead of a platform that is superior because it has the best games, instead we get platforms that are technically superior but no games to play on it.
Nintendo.. Sega called, it said you better step it up or just get out. Stop dick teasing all of us into thinking you're gonna give us some real good games and then pulling the "change the way you think" shell game.
Re:I miss the days... (Score:5, Insightful)
On the GameCube I don't even care about the button labels. My thumb just cares about the big one in the middle, the little red one below it, the gray one above it and the gray one to the side (which are 99% of the time shown in the shape of the button on the controller.)
Whoever designed that controller is a genius. I hope future Nintendo consoles use it.
Re:Finally (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Planet Earth anyone? (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes, Nintendo is lovin' the sequels... they just can't get enough of them. But re-hashes? I think Nintendo innovates within their sequels pretty well.
Plus they have games like Pikmin and Animal Crossing that are relatively fresh.
I'm thinking Wi-Fi on the Revolution is just going to be a way for the box to connect to the DS. I'm hoping Nintendo will prove me wrong on that one.
Re:I miss the days... (Score:5, Insightful)
The controller reflects a strong game design philosophy, namely that games should have a single action button that you use most of the time. So there is a big, comfortable button, and the others are arranged around it. And since the other buttons have very different shapes/angles, it is virtually impossible to hit the wrong button by mistake. I'd consider it the best currently available controller.
Re:A good idea, but sadly... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Meh (Score:5, Insightful)
Both Metroid Prime titles
Resident Evil series
Eternal Darkness
F-Zero GX
Both Prince of Persia titles
Pac Man Vs. (Best party game ever) Or are you going to argue that Pac Man is a kiddy game?
Mortal Kombat series
The Splinter Cell series
Beyond Good and Evil
Soul Calibur 2
I'd have to go dig around in my collection, but there are tons of things that should fit your definition.
However, what you probably mean by the "over 13 crowd" is "the 13-21 crowd that is too insecure to play fun, challenging games that may be viewed as kiddy games by their peers." In that case, you're pretty much screwed, since all of your mature friends are going to laugh at you for having a Gamecube in the first place, and the games won't even matter. Go play your XBox like a good media consumer.
--Jeremy
Re:Boy ain't that the truth! (Score:3, Insightful)
There's a reason that the most successful consoles don't play the "upgrade" game. It divides your market and makes it harder on your developers, for little or no return.
Re:Backwards Compatable (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Planet Earth anyone? (Score:4, Insightful)
Where I live, stringing Cat5 from the broadband router to the living room would be a friggin' nightmare.
Re:A good idea, but sadly... (Score:3, Insightful)
Metroid -> Successfully brought a 2D game to a 3D environment.
Wolfenstein 3D, 1991.
Zelda Windwaker -> Tried an artistic cartoon/anime style approach.
Dragon's Lair, 1984.
Nintendo is a good company that puts out quality merchandise, but let's give credit where credit is due.
Re:Planet Earth anyone? (Score:3, Insightful)
Missing the spirit (Score:2, Insightful)
Wolfenstein 3D, 1991."
He means a *specific* 2D game. Wolf 3D was a 3D game made from scratch. They didn't have to preserve the gameplay of a 2D classic, which is tricky.
Further, that had been done before, but having done it once is unimportant... Did the existence of 3d Tetris tell Retro exactly how Samus should move, and how the levels should be laid out?
"Zelda Windwaker -> Tried an artistic cartoon/anime style approach.
Dragon's Lair, 1984."
Wow. Talk about missing the spirit. Dragon's Lair was a pre-animated choose your own adventure. Should Dirk jump? No, he shouldn't have, he was eaten by a seagull!
That's entirely different from breaking away from the pack of increasingly realistic gore fests to create a genuinely interactive cartoon world. It was a great experiment, even if it failed for being a little too short and too heavy on the sailing.
Point is, for any idea you can find an earlier idea that sounds like it is the same thing, but isn't.
Re:Boy ain't that the truth! (Score:4, Insightful)
Have you actually played Wind Waker for more than 5 minutes?
Read adults buy a PS2.
I own a PS2 AND a Gamcube (bought the Cube first, even), and i'm a 24 year-old college graduate. I know a horde of similar people who own both systems as well.
Then Nintendo's marketing department looks at statistics which then show only little kids buy their games so again they focus their consoles on making games like Pokeman.
Again, which Nintendo games have you played, exactly? Seeing as you couldn't even spell the two you mentioned correctly, i'm guessing the number isn't very high.
Meanwhile they are losing money without realizing it.
Care to back that up?
Sure, Sony's ahead of everyone, but last time I saw some figures, Nintendo was making a modest profit, and Microsoft's XBox division was still bleeding a decent amount of money.