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Portables (Games) Entertainment Games

Nintendo's Reggielution Continues Apace 40

Posted by simoniker from the much-better-than-avrilution dept.
Gorf writes "Nintendo's now famous Reggie Fils-Aime had a presentation at the Ziff Davis Games Summit where he discussed the upcoming Nintendo DS. The full transcript is available on Ziff Davis' games web site 1UP.com." Reggie's immortal first lines? "Hello, my name is Reggie...and I'm addicted to my Blackberry. In fact, to me it's a 'Crackberry.'" 1UP is also running a related story indicating "Nintendo's DS handheld will likely see release in North America before Thanksgiving weekend, according to several sources at the [same] summit", though it's argued: "Less confidence is evident when it comes to Nintendo's ability to deliver a fleshed-out software lineup at that point, however."
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Nintendo's Reggielution Continues Apace More

Nintendo's Reggielution Continues Apace

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  • Who needs software (Score:2, Insightful)

    by fr0dicus ( 641320 )
    when you have brash marketing?

    Worked for EA.

  • Interesting, but... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by RogueyWon ( 735973 ) on Thursday August 12, 2004 @04:43AM (#9945673) Journal
    This is interesting, but I seriously can't help feeling that the guy comes across as frankly hysterical. I know marketing guys are supposed to be enthusiastic, but he sounds like a parody of himself at times. Some of what he says is undoubtedly true; the section about the PSX and the Eye-Toy certainly sums up what happened pretty well, although personally I feel that the PSX was doomed from the start by Sony's rather erratic level of committment to it. However, a lot of the other stuff he said strikes me as unadulterated rubbish. I mean, I'm really, really glad that he told me Mario 64 invented 3d graphics. In my own foolish little way, I'd believed that my PC had been doing them in one form or another for years before the N64 even existed (and frequently far better than the N64 did them).

    Also, if innovation or quality or whatever all stems from the controller, I'd love to know why the Gamecube has far and away the nastiest of the controllers for the current generation consoles (well... if we count the S-controller as the X-box controller, rather than the original 2-tonne beast). A malformed right analogue stick, awkwardly placed and erratically sized buttons and a button shortage that makes a lot of cross-platform titles unfeasible has added *sooooo* much to my gaming experience. He has a point about the 4 controllers thing; the lack of that on the PS2 is a serious flaw, next to the X-box and the Cube. To say that Nintendo has cornered the market on interface innovation is an outright lie, though. I've been seeing innovative controllers on the PC since time immemorial (ranging from my old Thrustmaster F-16 to a bizarre turtle-device which lets you control games by tilting the shell) and of the recent console-based controller innovations (dance-mats, eye-toy, pop'n boards), none of the most notable have come from Nintendo.

    Moving onto games, I'm slightly curious as to why he spends so long talking about the Game Gear, given how long-dead the thing is. I'm pretty sure that the real causes of its decline and death were its size and price (both of the unit and of the games), which made it implausible as a hand-held console. As to the type of games people play on a handheld console, I think this is a little more complex than he makes out. Sure, quick-blast games have a market on consoles, but I think that more serious efforts can also work. Hell, Nintendo's biggest success in the handheld market of recent years has been Pokemon, which is essentially a Final Fantasy game with some of the cutscenes stripped out. Not really the kind of thing which works for a quick blast, but the actual core Pokemon games (as opposed to Stadium etc) are only available on a handheld console.

    Which brings me onto this issue of "transportability". I think he's drawing exactly the wrong lessons here. Ports have, in the past, had a pretty poor track-record. Largely, this was because they either tried to move an arcade game where the gameplay wasn't fun and the attraction was the technology onto a home platform (eg. Afterburner) or else the ports to many platforms were done in a hurry and were deeply flawed compared to the original game (eg. Street Fighter 2). These days, ports and cross-platform titles work much better; Grand Theft Auto 3/VC was ported off its original platforms onto the X-Box in a manner that actually improved on the original (sharper graphics, custom soundtracks). Resident Evil survived its transition to the Gamecube pretty well. Of course, Nintendo's attitude here has often been a bit odd. I do wonder whether the story of the N64's unsuccessful struggle for dominance against the PS1 would have turned out differently had Nintendo actually made a proper Pokemon game for the thing. With the Dual-Screen, they're actually making it much harder for them to go cross-platform on any of the games which use the touch-screen, as equivalents don't exist on other platforms.

    The upcoming DS vs PSP battle is going to be interesting. Nintendo are clearly more worried than they have been by any of their previous r
    • Why do you feel the need to compare the consoles to PC gaming, they are not direct competitors. Ive never heard anyone say, 'Should I buy a Gamecube, PS2, or... a PC?'.
      Also, the gamecube controller isnt 'far and away' the worst controller, many people like the controller (I being one of them). The main reason ports are less playable on the GC (which I'll agree to) is because they are designed for the PS2 controller because they have the marketshare. How well do you think you would be able to play metroid
    • I mean, I'm really, really glad that he told me Mario 64 invented 3d graphics. In my own foolish little way, I'd believed that my PC had been doing them in one form or another for years before the N64 even existed (and frequently far better than the N64 did them).

      What specific title do you mean for PC? I recall games like Doom II at the time around Mario 64, and it's not at all better than Mario 64 for 3D.
      • I recall games like Doom II at the time around Mario 64, and it's not at all better than Mario 64 for 3D.

        Quake, for one, was available before the N64. The best 3D graphics cards for gaming were still add-in boards (Voodoo 1 and, shortly after the N64 launched, the Voodoo 2), but more and more games were coming out supporting various 3D cards.

        Not to mention that the PS1 was doing 3D graphics long before the N64 was launched.
        • Not to mention that the PS1 was doing 3D graphics long before the N64 was launched. Hell, the Super Nintedo was doing (very basic) 3D games (Star Fox, Vortex, Stunt Race FX), thanks to FX chip which would boost the power of the console.

    • Re:Interesting, but... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Rallion ( 711805 ) on Thursday August 12, 2004 @08:43AM (#9946564) Journal
      I think the GameCube has, far and away, the best console controller ever. So...nyah.

      The problem is just that cross-platform designers fail to utilize it properly. If their game doesn't work as well on another platform, their options areto release it anyway, or change it to make it work. I suppose they just choose the former.

      Unless, of couse, your idea of a good platform is one that's identical to all the others, I don't see how you can have a problem.
      • I completely agree with your post. I have an example, Capcom recently hired a company to do the Megaman compilation on GC, sadly the company was "smart" enough to configure the B button for jump and the A button for fire - WITHOUT- an option to change the configuration. Sadly, this is a recipe for disaster. The games seem to honor the original versions, but sadly, the experience is not the same because if the controller configuration. I'd like to know how is the configuration on the PS2 (maybe the layou
        • The switching of the B and A buttons in the Megaman Collection totally messed up my game playing. I know as a gamer I should be able to adapt. However, after 10+ years with Megaman it's hard to rewire your brain.

          Consequently, I didn't end up buying the collection. I realized that I only really wanted Megaman 2 and not any of the others. :)

    • Re:Interesting, but... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Zangief ( 461457 ) on Thursday August 12, 2004 @11:00AM (#9947995) Homepage Journal
      Also, if innovation or quality or whatever all stems from the controller, I'd love to know why the Gamecube has far and away the nastiest of the controllers for the current generation consoles (well... if we count the S-controller as the X-box controller, rather than the original 2-tonne beast). A malformed right analogue stick, awkwardly placed and erratically sized buttons and a button shortage that makes a lot of cross-platform titles unfeasible has added *sooooo* much to my gaming experience.

      Have you actually used the controller, or just looked at the pictures? The buttons are almost perfectly placed (the exception being that %$#! Z button). Yes, they look awkward, but once you take it in your hands, every button fall in place. The triggers adapt to the fingers so the controller never slips from you. The four main buttons have an intuitive layout, that allows to simultaneous pressing very easily. When you compare this to the standard layout of the dual shock, well, dual shock seems like the loser.

      The other problem is the small d-pad. However, the only game I can think suffers from this is CVS 2. And most games use it as extra buttons, so there is no button shortage, just ignorance from the developers.
      • Yes, I own a Gamecube, as well as a PS2 and an X-Box. I don't think fpses in general work well on consoles, but compared to games on consoles whose controllers have a proper right analogue stick you can use for looking around, Metroid Prime feels like wading through treacle. Why they couldn't have put on another proper analogue stick is beyond me, although in fairness, the left analogue stick on the GC controller doesn't feel that much better. The Z button is an atrocity and I find it hard to hit the X or Y
        • Oh, and what's with the cable length for the GC controller? With the other consoles, I can lie on my bed and play games, but with the Gamecube, I have to be sat right on the edge of the bed, or else I risk pulling the whole thing onto the floor.

          It's a clever marketing tactic designed to sell more Wavebirds. :)
          • It's a clever marketing tactic designed to sell more Wavebirds. :)

            I can't agree more. In fact, I bought a Wavebird the same day I bought my Cube, and therefore have never used my cabled controller on the system.

            The PS2 is no better for my use in this area, as I need an extension cable to get to my couch. The XBox is actually the only system with a controller cable of proper length for me. Of course, I'll probably be buying Logitech wireless controllers for both the XBox and PS2 in the near future (probab

        • Re:Interesting, but... (Score:3, Informative)

          by Zangief ( 461457 )
          I haven't used the xbox controller. It looks good, though.

          Metroid Prime uses a distinct control scheme from other FPSs (as, in fact, it is not a FPS). If you play, lets say, agent under fire or nightfire, you use the left analog to move/strafe and the right one to point (in fact in those games there are several control scheme), and the gamecube controller works just right.

          The Z button is horrible.

          I can press the X and Y without ever touching the A button, easily. If I want to press both, it is also easil
        • Oh, and what's with the cable length for the GC controller? With the other consoles, I can lie on my bed and play games, but with the Gamecube, I have to be sat right on the edge of the bed, or else I risk pulling the whole thing onto the floor.

          Why don't you just say "Xbox"? Because that's what you mean. The cable lengths on the GC and PSX controllers are the same. I even went in my living room just now to double-check.
      • "The buttons are almost perfectly placed (the exception being that %$#! Z button)."

        Use your middle fingers on the L and R buttons. Hold the controller between your palms. The Z button is then quite reachable and comfortable to use.
        • I have tried to do that, but that position tires my hands quickly. I think that if the Z button were UNDER the R button, it would work perfectly, althought I suspect that in that case there would be a problem with the internal motor.
          • I think that if the Z button were UNDER the R button, it would work perfectly

            Even that might cause problems. The PS2 used the same sollution but has problems of their own.

            Maybe i'm just incompetent, but _i_ have difficulty using the R2 and L2 buttons on the PS2 controller with my middle finger. They work fine with index fingers, but for games where i need to press both the 1 and 2 buttons on the same side at once, or switch back and forth quickly between them, i'm totally screwed.

            Trying to hold the co

            • Even that might cause problems. The PS2 used the same sollution but has problems of their own.

              Maybe i'm just incompetent, but _i_ have difficulty using the R2 and L2 buttons on the PS2 controller with my middle finger. They work fine with index fingers, but for games where i need to press both the 1 and 2 buttons on the same side at once, or switch back and forth quickly between them, i'm totally screwed.

              I have no problem using the R2/L2, as long as I can use only one finger to press them. If I have to p
            • I can't figure out why no console maker has designed a controller for what seems like a _natural_ hand position, with the "shoulder" buttons on the _back_ of the controller, kind of like a trigger.

              Dreamcast controllers are set up as you describe, with comfortable left and right triggers.
          • "I have tried to do that, but that position tires my hands quickly."

            How so? The only problems I've had is with games that rely mostly on the directional pad (like when I'm using the GB Player). Are you trying to curl your unused fingers around the "handles?"
      • The triggers adapt to the fingers so the controller never slips from you.

        s/adapt to/twist and break/
        (from bitter experience)
        • ?! Could you explain in more detail? I have never heard or witnessed something like this. What exactly were you doing with the controller.
          • Well "break" is a bit of an exaguration, but the pain was real enough. The deep groove on the triggers forces my fingers in an unnatural angle, which becomes no fun at all when you have to hold them down for extended periods. Just thinking about Metroid Prime causes my trigger finger to ache.

    • Re:Interesting, but... (Score:3, Informative)

      by Ondo ( 187980 )
      Hell, Nintendo's biggest success in the handheld market of recent years has been Pokemon, which is essentially a Final Fantasy game with some of the cutscenes stripped out. Not really the kind of thing which works for a quick blast, but the actual core Pokemon games (as opposed to Stadium etc) are only available on a handheld console.

      Pokemon works fairly well for a quick blast. Because it's designed for a handheld console, it allows you to save anywhere. However, the article points out that the quick bl

    • Re:Interesting, but... (Score:1, Interesting)

      by ribond ( 149811 )

      With the Dual-Screen, they're actually making it much harder for them to go cross-platform on any of the games which use the touch-screen, as equivalents don't exist on other platforms.

      I see this as Nintendo drawing a line in the sand... Say you're developing a game for a portable system -- DS is the cool new thing, but you'll be limited for portability... that has got to be exactly what Nintendo wants. After all these years I think you'd be a fool to bet on a contender taking down a Nintendo handheld.

    • Mario 64 invented 3d graphics.

      Well no, but Mario 64 pretty much defined what true 3D gaming is. It was a revolutionary game with actual three-dimensional control, not just nice 3d rendering with 2D movement.

      I've been seeing innovative controllers on the PC since time immemorial (ranging from my old Thrustmaster F-16 to a bizarre turtle-device which lets you control games by tilting the shell) and of the recent console-based controller innovations (dance-mats, eye-toy, pop'n boards), none of the most no

  • Yawn. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by MilenCent ( 219397 )
    This is a story? It's just another typical big company promotional speech. I mean, I love Nintendo more than the average gamer, but I still fail to see how is this news.

    Why are people chortling derisively at the guy? It's just marketspeak. I hate it as much as anyone, but why single out this guy? While the "crackberry" line isn't sterling wit, no one would be paying it any attention if it weren't for that previous speech. It even makes sense when viewed in context with the rest of his talk.

    I guess I

    • Re:Yawn. (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Zangief ( 461457 )
      Well, Nintendo got a cool marketing guy. And they are using him. He says a few true things, a few distorted facts (well, lies, like Mario 64 being a pioneer in 3D, although it was an important paramount in gaming), and the guy has style.

      If everyone else has entuasiastic PR people, why shouldn't Nintendo? That is the story.

      • Re:Yawn. (Score:3, Interesting)

        by FLAGGR ( 800770 )
        Actually, Mario64 was a pioneer in 3D graphics. The 3D games on the PC that came before it either had a) bitmaps for enemies (like doom) or like 2 or 3 enemies at once (quake) and I can't think of one that had wide open areas like Mario64 did (it was quite a feat, really) and M64 still had pretty damn smooth graphics. Oh, and it was definantly a pioneer for console graphics, it was definantly the best game as far as graphics go for either that PS1 or N64 for a long time, and remained in the top 10 for a lo
    • Allow me to briefly commemerate this weird comment of mine, my first bona-fide voting irregularity. Some of my comments get voted up. Once in a while they get voted down. Never before has one been voted up three times (2x Insightful, 1x Interesting) and voted down twice (2x Flamebait).

      I still don't get it. Neither the voting confusion nor the reason for the story. Could someone please stay their downvoting hand in order to clue me in?

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