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Nintendo President On Future Of Gaming 66

Posted by simoniker from the listen-and-ye-shall-look-quizzical dept.
Thanks to IGN Cube for their summary of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's keynote speech at the 2003 Tokyo Game Show. Interestingly, Iwata suggested that "...gamers are getting older and tastes are becoming more sophisticated", but didn't necessarily see that as a good thing for industry growth, "because gamers might buy fewer games due to longer play value and a desire to play only software with very high production values." He also remained unconvinced that convergence of functionality for game consoles was the right path, saying: "Although PS2 was a sales success because it had a DVD player function, it troubled me that we had moved to a hardware where the sole function wasn't playing games" and concluded: "It is imperative that a game machine is easy to use for anyone. I don't agree that multi-function hardware is the only answer."
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Nintendo President On Future Of Gaming More

Nintendo President On Future Of Gaming

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  • One possible strategy: (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Meat Blaster ( 578650 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @08:14AM (#7071517)
    Make games that are a little more epic in scope, and sell them for more.

    For example, a three-volume RPG that has a good storyline and length well beyond that of the average RPG -- relying, of course, on cutscenes and size of 'world' rather than things like the 20-second summons in FF7 or popping up an enemy every seven steps.

    The game mechanics and storyline would have to be really good, there would have to be much more techniques/characteristics/equipment to gather, and they'd need to pay careful attention to make sure your character doesn't become too powerful too early (nothing sucks the fun out of a game like that; adjustable difficulty inside the game would be helpful). Make the game something where you can easily save, too, to make it less frustrating for gamers that don't have an hour to kill trying to get to a save point.

    Gamers are changing, and perhaps the business should change with them instead of churning out the same old thing. Nintendo's been burned trying out new strategies, of course, but they also made a big score when they went from playing cards to video games. One has to innovate to stay relevant, and not stick with cartridges in a world of plastic discs.

    • Not everyone cares for "epic scope" games. I, for example, don't want to have to invest tens of hours in a game to enjoy myself. What is wrong with simple games? I absolutely hate pretentious games like Final Fantasy as it has become, I mean, what is the point? What is the challenge?
    • (nothing sucks the fun out of a game like that; adjustable difficulty inside the game would be helpful).

      I've always liked level-based enemies (I'm sure there's a term for it, but I haven't the slightest). The only game I remember using such a system was FF8, which I thought was horrible. But having enemies on the same level of your character benefits everybody: if you spend 40 hours leveling up, you don't have to deal with 20 HP rats forever, and if you don't like leveling up, then the last boss is only

      • "I'm still waiting for an RPG series using this system that lets you import your characters from one game to the next, too."

        The Arc the LAd series for the PSX did this. I dont know if the PS2 arc the lad game also lets you continue.

        Wizardry one way or another let you do this in most of the 8 or so games.

  • Make up your mind (Score:4, Troll)

    by anon*127.0.0.1 ( 637224 ) <slashdot AT baudkarma DOT com> on Saturday September 27, 2003 @08:23AM (#7071547) Journal
    Doesn't "...gamers are getting older and tastes are becoming more sophisticated" disagree with ""It is imperative that a game machine is easy to use for anyone"? Which is it?

    How about we put it this way: "A game machine should not be unnecessarily complicated."

    Older gamers don't buy fewer games because they want longer play value or high production values. They buy fewer games because they're ADULTS, with spouses and kids and houses and cars and jobs and all the other shackles of adulthood. If you can only squeeze in 3 or four hours a week of game playing time, one game will last you quite a while. And you're much less likely to tolerate a bad/boring/indifferent game.

    • Re:Make up your mind (Score:5, Interesting)

      by whorfin ( 686885 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @10:30AM (#7072062)
      Doesn't "...gamers are getting older and tastes are becoming more sophisticated" disagree with ""It is imperative that a game machine is easy to use for anyone"? Which is it?

      I don't think that this is mutually exclusive at all. It's not as if young people don't play video games. In fact, the aging of the 'first generation' of video gamers has significantly spread the range of ages that games.

      I cannot imagine a neo-luddite buying a console for a 3 year old, but my 3 year old likes to play on my GC. He thinks Zelda is great, and runs around talking about 'adventure boy', and that piglet game, well, it's piglet! Add to that the fact that I'm in my mid-30s, and we play these games *together* (I get through the hard parts, he runs around), this is a much bigger spectrum of ages than the 12-18 that one might initially percieve as 'video game ripe'.

    • Re:Make up your mind (Score:4, Insightful)

      by exick ( 513823 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @11:04AM (#7072215)
      I don't think the two are in disagreement. He's likely differentiating between "gamers" and "people who play games".

      Someone who just plays games might be the guy who pops in Halo and plays with his buddies for an hour and a half before they head out to the bar, or the little kid that likes to play Kingdom Hearts because he wants to hear Donald talk.

      A gamer is someone who would, say, post messages in a Slashdot Games forum to debate the finer points of speech given by a Nintendo executive. =)

      How about we put it this way: "A game machine should not be unnecessarily complicated."

      I think we can all get on board with that.
      • "A gamer is someone who would, say, post messages in a Slashdot Games forum to debate the finer points of speech given by a Nintendo executive. =)"

        No, because the gamer would be too busy outside playing Boktai until the sun goes down -- at which point they would swap to Disgaea :)

        The person arguing about stuff on Slashdot clearly doesn't have enough games ;)
        • No, because the gamer would be too busy outside playing Boktai until the sun goes down -- at which point they would swap to Disgaea :)

          The person arguing about stuff on Slashdot clearly doesn't have enough games ;)

          Or spends most of their time indoors at work during the day and has to sit waiting for a compile or a bug-check or some other obscure computerized task that takes far too long and allows them to post on slashdot while they wait ;)

          Seriously, I don't even own a copy of Boktai because the sun's no
          • I play for a couple of hours on my two days off, and otherwise will run outside on my lunch break to use the sun driver if I happen to be purifying a boss.

            Just an hour or two a week is more than enough to charge up the solar battery in the game a lot. Plus, the sun bank will give 12% interest on what you store with them ;)

            The sun certainly makes the game more engaging. I like it a lot more than I liked Metal Gear GBC.

            And, yea, Disgaea's waiting until I'm in a Tactics mood. I'm replaying Metal Gear Sol
            • Well, that's good to know, maybe I'll pick it up when I have some spare cash ;)

              As far as Disgaea goes, I also have FF:Tactics Advance and Dynasty Tactics 2 to vie for my time. Plus, like I said, I've been on a C&C:G:ZH (umm yeah, gotta love acronyms) kick for a couple days, and since I just figured out the specialized generals thing last nite, I think I've got some time to burn on it yet. That and Amplitude, and I still haven't quite unlocked everything on Wario Ware, and Animal Crossing still gives me
        • No, because the gamer would be too busy outside playing Boktai until the sun goes down -- at which point they would swap to Disgaea :) The person arguing about stuff on Slashdot clearly doesn't have enough games ;)

          thats a damndable lie!!! they won't let me play games at work but nobody seems to care/notice if i /. all day.

    • I demand more of the games now then I did before - owning just 8 games and 6 are games I play and have played for 2 years. So games is what I do instead of TV and thats 2 hours per day 24/7 - enough time and yet I don't limit myself to 6 games, but I'm not finding games with the quality and polish outhere...

      note: the other 2 being cRPGs and both lasted roughly 100 hours.

      I'm not everyone, in theory I might be alone in this - but I feel that he is right.
      and simple yet challenging games is what I want her

    • How about we put it this way: "A game machine should not be unnecessarily complicated."

      As long as we can agree a CD player and DVD player are not manditory or nessary.

  • Let's face the facts (Score:1, Insightful)

    by gasaraki ( 262206 )
    Despite the fact that Nintendo aren't going so well in America with this current generation of consoles, they're just about the only company really willing to innovate. Microsoft especially has never innovated a damn thing in their life, and Xbox is no exception, they just milk some done-to-death idea over and over, only with a bigger budget and a bigger hype machine. Meanwhile Nintendo is the only company still around that's willing to take risks. If they can't survive against the all-powerful force that i
    • Okay, I agree that Microsoft isn't changing the proverbial wheel, but their system does have a big one-up that I have not seen for the Cube. While Mr. Bill and Co. may hate it, their system is easier to break down and reassemble.
      Hell, you can even customize it cosmetically (change that neon green light to blue) or underneath the hood (like double its speed [slashdot.org]).
      Their system makes these mods (or if you want to be "street" about it, tricking out) a challenge but possible. The Cube doesn't have much to offer in
  • "Although PS2 was a sales success because it had a DVD player function,
    Ummm... No. PS2 was a sales success because of the titles offered at launch and the solid reputation as a platform garnered by PS1. Backwards compatibility with PS1 titles and great design didn't hurt either. But to say that its success stems from the fact that it has a DVD player is silly.

    And if Iwata doesn't dig DVD players in his game systems, he really is going to choke on the PS3:
    If Sony's aspirations succeed, then the Playst
    • He cited Pokemon, a franchise that has sold more than 10 million GBA games worldwide, as one exception to the rule and seemed to indicate that the industry needs more titles like that.
      No question. If Microsoft and Sony would only, then perhaps they could have a glut of non-selling consoles, too!

      Are you serious? The GameCube's success or lack thereof has nothing to do with Pokmon (and, incidentally, the GameCube's been outselling the PS2 for a few weeks over in Japan, and last I checked the top two s
    • Ummm... No. PS2 was a sales success because of the titles offered at launch and the solid reputation as a platform garnered by PS1. Backwards compatibility with PS1 titles and great design didn't hurt either. But to say that its success stems from the fact that it has a DVD player is silly.

      Sorry, thanks for playing, but i got a PS2 the day it came out, and got only two games for it, SSX and Kessen. Why did i get only two games? Cause they were the _only_ good games for the PS2 for at _least_ a month aft

    • "Although PS2 was a sales success because it had a DVD player function,
      Ummm... No. PS2 was a sales success because of the titles offered at launch and the solid reputation as a platform garnered by PS1. Backwards compatibility with PS1 titles and great design didn't hurt either. But to say that its success stems from the fact that it has a DVD player is silly.

      The PS2 didn't have any good launch games. It took about a year or so for any must haves to come out. In Japan, people bought the PS2 at launch beca

    • Re:Thanks for playing... (Score:4, Informative)

      by superultra ( 670002 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @03:35PM (#7073827) Homepage
      You make some great points in the post. I will make on major dispute, and that's Sony had a strong launch lineup. I was working at EB at the time of the PS2 launch, and there's no way that the software they had at launch was anything but one of the worst launch line-ups in history. Of course, there were about eight times more games than the N64 launch (which is to say 16, as opposed to say, 2), but the only strong titles at launch were SSX and Madden 2001. And that was pushing it.

      I remember the lucky few that did own a PS2 within the first few months (and a memory card - lucky bastards) would stand in front of the wall just blankly staring, as if maybe a decent title would suddenly morph from the game wall into vision. The launch, by nearly every definition, was a complete failure. First, there weren't enough games. Then there weren't enough systems. Then there weren't enough memory cards. Compound this with Christmas, greedy retailers (including EB) who sold it for nothing less than a $600 bundle, and greedy Ebayers picking 5 up at a time, and you've got yourself one of the most fuddled up launches in the history of consoles. And let us not even speak of the first party *TITLE* (singular, not plural) at launch (-cough-fantavision-cough).

      No, the Xbox and Gamecube launches fared fare better. Consequently, it's a testament to Sony's reputation among adult gamers as well as the surge of software in the spring and summer quarter of the following year. Oh yeah, it didn't hurt that Metal Gear Solid 2, Final Fantasy X, and Grand Theft Auto 3 also came out the following Christmas.
      • The launch, by nearly every definition, was a complete failure. First, there weren't enough games. Then there weren't enough systems. Then there weren't enough memory cards.

        Yeah, i remember going around to various malls on opening day looking for a memory card. Target and all the electronics stores were out, but i finally found one at one of those toy stores that carries a small selection of video games.

        But anyways, it was a complete failure in every aspect that somehow added up to an astounding success

        • That reminds me. At exactly the same time, we (at the EB I was working at) got so many calls for the Playstation9. Sony, at the same time as this "launch," was running ads for a bloody PS9. How fucking brilliant was that? Geez.
    • Ummm... No. PS2 was a sales success because of the titles offered at launch and the solid reputation as a platform garnered by PS1. Backwards compatibility with PS1 titles and great design didn't hurt either. But to say that its success stems from the fact that it has a DVD player is silly.

      The PS2 launch games were a joke, especially in Japan. However, it was an extremely cheap DVD player in Japan at the time of its launch (for some reason, consumer DVD players were very expensive in Japan at the time)

    • You are a moron. The car navigation system, the ice maker, the whatever else you listed....those are all functions derived from the intended purpose of the appliance; improving the functionality of the car, fridge, or whatever. A DVD player in a videogame console is like a beer cooler attached to a hanglider, it doesn't make sense. Sure it sounds great, but you are a moron. Sony admitted that a large portion of thier Playstation2 Japanese launch revenue came from people looking for a cheap DVD player.

  • DRM (Score:5, Interesting)

    by DarkZero ( 516460 ) on Saturday September 27, 2003 @01:07PM (#7072989)
    "Although PS2 was a sales success because it had a DVD player function, it troubled me that we had moved to a hardware where the sole function wasn't playing games" and concluded: "It is imperative that a game machine is easy to use for anyone. I don't agree that multi-function hardware is the only answer."

    It amazes me that Nintendo manages to refer to its proprietary disc DRM strategy as some sort of feature year after year and never gets called on it. When you're using a full size DVD-ROM drive for your games, tossing in movie and CD playback is trivial. It takes hardly any resources to add that and certainly doesn't take away from game production/functionality. But when you desperately, desperately want better DRM in your console, you have to make some sacrifices, like added features.

    "...because gamers might buy fewer games due to longer play value and a desire to play only software with very high production values."

    And the solution that Nintendo has already used for this, of course, is to implement the e-Reader in its GBA games so that you need to pay $4 or so per pack for new cards just to unlock the features that are in the game that you already paid for, like the extra levels in the newest Super Mario Advance game or the special attacks in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire.

    Why do these guys think that giving the customer more bang for their buck is a bad thing? Do they really think that that's the way to defeat the PS2 and PS3, which offer (or will offer) DVD playback, music CD playback, backwards compatibility, games that you don't need to buy peripherals or cards for, and everything else that they can possibly squeeze into your $200 console and $50-$60 games?
    • And the solution that Nintendo has already used for this, of course, is to implement the e-Reader in its GBA games so that you need to pay $4 or so per pack for new cards just to unlock the features that are in the game that you already paid for, like the extra levels in the newest Super Mario Advance game or the special attacks in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire.

      Some people enjoy collecting the cards. Obviously a very huge market of people, given how successful the Pokemon card game is/was for years and years.

    • When you're using a full size DVD-ROM drive for your games, tossing in movie and CD playback is trivial. It takes hardly any resources to add that and certainly doesn't take away from game production/functionality.

      When you're not Sony, though, you have to pay fees for your DVD playback capability, which is the reason the Xbox doesn't have it out of the box (a $30 remote is necessary). Plus, you're neglecting that there is a model of GameCube that has DVD playback functionality.
    • You didn't already pay for those features, because you didn't buy the stuff to access them yet - you don't own the data in the ROM, Nintendo does. That's like complaining you can't use your modem because you didn't pay for internet access. Also, those extra levels are not on the cart - they're on the cards.
  • I still and always have loved Nintendo systems and games....but this guy is more out of touch than I could have ever imagined. I can't believe someone in such a high position at one of the world's leading video game company is so clueless about why Sony is doing so well. DVD player? Huh? So your saying they sold 60 million PS2s because it came with crappy DVD playback? I think not. Sony is doing well because they have great 3rd party support, a really strong string of 1st and 2nd party developers and backw

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