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GameCube (Games) Entertainment Games

Nintendo's Next Console Revolution Will Have WiFi 471

Posted by Hemos from the good-ideas dept.
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 Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, confirmed that the new console will be able to run games originally made for the GameCube.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."
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Nintendo's Next Console Revolution Will Have WiFi More

Nintendo's Next Console Revolution Will Have WiFi

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  • will it work with DS? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by yincrash ( 854885 )
    nintendo sure knows how to sell consoles together.

    • Yes (Score:4, Informative)

      by jnetsurfer ( 637137 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:57PM (#11912901) Homepage Journal
      From TFA:

      Nintendo's latest handheld games device, the DS, also comes with a version of wi-fi built-in, and Mr Iwata said Nintendo will offer a free net connection service to DS owners, enabling them to play games against each other at no charge.
      • This isn't exactly true.

        There's a wifi service in Japan for use with the DS now, coming to the US soon. It's used for downloading content and playing multiplayer games with your DS. There has also been mention about the Revolution having wifi capabilities, to form a wireless network between Revolution consoles. There has been no mention anywhere about the DS being able to connect to the Revolution. The only information close to that suggests that Nintendo's next Game Boy system, not the DS, will connect

  • Boy ain't that the truth! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by PopeAlien ( 164869 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:53PM (#11912850) Homepage Journal
    I'd rather play a fun-playing mediocre-looking game than a mediocre-playing good-looking game.

    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.

    • Re:Boy ain't that the truth! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by mausmalone ( 594185 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:56PM (#11912881) Homepage Journal
      Who says they have to be mediocre-looking? All signs point to the Revolution using the same graphics chip as the X-Box 2. I always thought that Nintendo games had a knack for playing well, and looking good.
      • ... and practicaly the same core chip. I rememmer an /. post about some IBM engineer saying they were (on their clients request) making both chips look as far apart from each other as posible (specs, interface, etc) but that the core tech (PPC) were the same.
      • The Rev was revealed to use chips codenamed Hollywood (GPU) and Broadway (CPU), I doubt they'd make up separate codenames for the same chip. And besides, it's going to launch much later than the Xenon and should be able to get a better chip because of that.
      • They probably won't be the same chip, because the XBox 2 is beating the Revolution to the market by several months.

        As a result, the Revolution should have a NEWER version of the same chip.
    • That's why its worth spending $2.50 and renting the game first. Then if its really worth it I can wait 6 months to a year for the price to go down to $20...

      I've seen wireless adaptors for the Xbox already. Would make it nice if a friend brings his over and want to set up two rooms to play 4v4 Halo without needed 100 feet of ethernet cable...

    • Re:Boy ain't that the truth! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Vacuous ( 652107 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @03:09PM (#11913034)
      Of course, people often forget that the best games are great looking AND fun to play.
    • speaking of which, i donno why this hasnt his /. yet,,

      new zelda trailer

      http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/52937b07-38 4a -4364-b8fc-e6f11617d1ab.mov
      • graphics don't look that great (some choppy animation), but well more than adequate.

        also, looks like a lot of LOTR-inspired shots in there, which is a Good Thing imo. (horse vs 'wargs', horse vs. 'nazgul', appearance of undead, giant spider chase)

        definitely looks interesting.

    • Re:Boy ain't that the truth! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Jace of Fuse! ( 72042 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @03:19PM (#11913148) Homepage
      until you play a game you don't know how well designed it is.

      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.
      • ...or the lastest "Eventu-Win" RPG.

        Now, now! You forgot the little "tm" sign after "Eventu-Win," and the Square-Enix copyright notice.

  • Now all they have to do... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Adrilla ( 830520 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:53PM (#11912854) Homepage
    is release more than 2 online games.

  • A good idea, but sadly... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BeneathTheVeil ( 305107 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:54PM (#11912862) Journal
    sequels sell better than original ideas... and flash is more important than substance when it comes to marketing the games.

    It is nice to see at least some companies who remember that games should be fun first, however.
    • In that vein, how well did Driv3r do?
    • It is ironic that Nintendo it telling people that they should innovate.. meanwhile back at the lab they are creating another Mario or Metroid or Donkey Kong game.

      Gimme a break, these guys are constantly on a "you guys need to reinvent gaming" speel. Why not eat your own dog food Nintendo and give us a new fucking game for once?

      • Re:A good idea, but sadly... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by BinaryOpty ( 736955 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @04:08PM (#11913659)
        Because innovation directly implies creating new intellectual property. No, no, my friend. It implies creating new styles of gameplay. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is innovative because of the gameplay, and the fact that it's Donkey Kong doesn't detract from how innovative (and fun) the game is.

  • security? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by kebes ( 861706 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:54PM (#11912863) Journal
    Considering how poorly most people secure their WiFi, does this mean that I'll be able to hack together something and play other people's video games without their knowledge? Or, more realistically, does this mean that I'll be able to join multi-player WiFi games without being explicitly asked to join? Will gamers start driving around looking for open Nintendo WiFis to satisfy their gaming needs?

    Or will Nintendo provide idiot-proof WiFi security (which could then be transplanted to other WiFi solutions...) ?
    • What are you talking about? You definitely won't be able to tunnel into a revolution and start playing it remotely. And I doubt that anyone will be wardriving for nintendos. They're gonna be set up to be clients, not WAPs. And as far as security goes... why? What's there to secure?

    • Re:security? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Cutriss ( 262920 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:59PM (#11912916) Homepage
      Considering how poorly most people secure their WiFi, does this mean that I'll be able to hack together something and play other people's video games without their knowledge?

      Tell me how you get from being able to snoop a WiFi connection to having full control over a system?

      Breaking WiFi only mitigates the connection's security down to the level of wired Ethernet. You still have to exploit vulnerabilities beyond that point to gain access to a system.

    • Re:security? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by DwarfGoanna ( 447841 )
      Any Airport Express owner (I'm assuming the same for the Airport base station) can tell you that idiot proof wifi security is already here. Knowing Nintendo, it's also a no-brainer for them.
      • But Nintendo is far better off providing like a PCI slot and user can just plug in their own WiFi adapters.

        • Re:security? (Score:3, Interesting)

          by prewashedironman ( 605517 )
          What? You seem to be suffering from classic /.er syndrome of "if i can do it so can everyone" - would anyone use live if you had to put a PCI NIC into the XBOX? i think not. Also, very few will use a service if extra hardware needs to be bought, even less if it may suffer from incompatibilities. Plus inbuilt wi-fi will require much less space on the PCB, thus decreasing the size of the console. No chance in hell nintendo will provide a PCI slot.
          • That's not true. PS2 has an expansion for hard disk and network adapter separately. No reason why Nintendo can't. If your $10 adapter is tied to the system and died, you have to replace the entire box. That's a waste.

        • why? so that people are force to buy either an nintendo adapter that will be expensive and impossible to find or supply their own that may or may not work (see tivo and it's wonderful wireless network connection mess for a perfect example of the latter).

          Nintendo is far better off including it built-in to the Revolution. Developers will then know that all users have wireless capabilities and can design games accordingly. There's now an incentive to create network games, rather than the unknown "we'll wai
    • Why is this a concern now that the Nintendo Revo mentions they're going to have this ability? There are wireless connection options for the PS2 and Xbox, I didn't see anyone voicing these concerns when they came out. Quite the contrary.

  • nintendo and apple (Score:3, Insightful)

    by minus_273 ( 174041 ) <{aaaaa} {at} {SPAM.yahoo.com}> on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:55PM (#11912874) Journal
    nintendo proves once again that it really is the apple of the console world. go innovation!

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
      Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • The DS (their new handheld console) moves. TFA says that you will be able to play on the net with the DS while linked to this new console.
      • Nintendo has been saying that the "revolutionary" part of the console will not be revealed until E3. Therefore, the WiFi is not what they're calling revolutionary.

        The wireless technology is to allow out-of-the-box connectivity to the DS as well as online gaming. The reason for it rather than wired is so that you don't have to have perhipherals to use the DS in conjunction with the revolution.
    • I love Nintendo, but I'm not sure I go along with you on this one. Mainly because Nintendo opted to not put Internet on the outta-the-box Gamecube, where as the Xbox came with an Ethernet jack for your dsl connection. I'd say that's more innovation.

      Nintendo has refused to innovate before (sticking with the tried-and-true cartridge based system when Sony was going for the CD-based Playstation...given that you could say the fact that the N64 did 3D and did it well gives it a heads up over the PSX).

      Now,

      • Nintendo has refused to innovate before (sticking with the tried-and-true cartridge based system when Sony was going for the CD-based Playstation...given that you could say the fact that the N64 did 3D and did it well gives it a heads up over the PSX).

        I am not sure which way it was, but Nintendo either worked with Sony, or sold to Sony the Playstation technology. The reason Nintendo did not themselves go with it at the time was due to the long load times associated with the CD system. For better or wors
  • A, B, or G? I need details boys........

  • Already on the DS (Score:3, Informative)

    by dev32810 ( 748540 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:56PM (#11912886)
    My kids are doing "wi-fi" every afternoon with each other on their Nintendo DS's right now. Will be interesting to see how a 'Revolution' and the DS interact...

  • Inspiring Keynote (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Baikala ( 564096 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:56PM (#11912890) Journal
    I haven't realized that the current Nintendo's President had such strong developer roots. He was behind Super Smash Bross Melee, and Kirby. Does any one have a good link on this man's history and how he became Nintendo's #1?

    • Re:Inspiring Keynote (Score:5, Informative)

      by ericbg05 ( 808406 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @03:10PM (#11913056)
      Does any one have a good link on this man's history and how he became Nintendo's #1?

      A quick google yielded this bio [n-sider.com].

    • I know this will kill my karma, but what is the big attraction to this game?

      After reading all of the reviews raving about it's complexity, it was the first title I bought. But am I missing something? The game seems like a remarkably simple fighter with very unresponsive controls. I can't tell you how many times 3 friends and I have tossed it in to give it a whirl only to switch to another game shortly after.

      The general concensus seems to be that it's an impressively deep multiplayer game-am I doing s

      • Re:OT: Super Smash Brothers (Score:5, Informative)

        by JayBlalock ( 635935 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @04:28PM (#11913867)
        Actually, what makes SSBM brilliant is that, in my opinion, it strikes the absolute best balance between dexterity and button-mashing. You're right... a noobie CAN do pretty well just mashing the buttons. And that's the point. Hell, I learned the game (actually the N64 SSB) while playing against someone who was an absolute God at it. If not for its noob-friendliness, I wouldn't have played more than a few rounds. However, there is a lot of complexity there to be discovered for those who work at it.

        This mainly comes from the insanely varied cast of characters. Yes, there are a few "clones," that's pretty much unavoidable. However, no fighting game I've played has allowed for such incredibly different sorts of characters onscreen at once. Get, say, Kirby, Link, Donkey Kong, and Game & Watch in one match, and it's hard to believe they're all part of the same fighting system.

        And as far as the unresponsiveness, that I don't get. Were you perhaps only playing very massive characters? Weight \ mass factors heavily into the physics. Characters like Bowser and DK are going to feel very sluggish whereas, say, Fox or Pikachu move much more quickly. And even then, it's a deliberate design element that some moves are slower to activate than others, and require a degree of anticipation to use. This really just adds to the complexity.

  • Finally (Score:5, Interesting)

    by fwice ( 841569 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:59PM (#11912915)
    Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, confirmed that the new console will be able to run games originally made for the GameCube.

    Finally, nintendo making something that has backwards compatability. unlike the 'super game boy' or 'game boy color playing game boy games'. It would be fantastic if they could make a way to play NES, SNES, or n64 games on the new system. I'd spend my money on that.

    "In the universe of interactive entertainment, there is a planet we call video games. We know this planet the best, but it is not the only one," he explained.

    "There are other planets that entertain, and it is those planets we are keen to explore."     so, does that mean they're more interested in adapting other forms of entertainment onto their new system? music, movies, porn, internet? a full computer that will work with their specific game cartidges and discs, with the insane GPU processing power of video game systems?

    i want one.

  • Not mentioned in the writeup: (Score:5, Informative)

    by mcc ( 14761 ) <amcclure@purdue.edu> on Friday March 11, 2005 @02:59PM (#11912917) Homepage
    The Nintendo DS will also have free online gaming by the end of the year, one assumes by the same mechanism or service as the Revolution; and they have announced that Animal Crossing DS will be created from the ground up for online gaming, which if you've played the original Animal Crossing, you'll know is going to be just crazy.

    Also the Revolution will be backward compatible with the Gamecube, and Reggie Fuls-Aime of Nintendo said something in an interview yesterday on penny-arcade.com [penny-arcade.com] which strongly implies they will be announcing a U.S. release of the Play-Yan mp3/mpeg4 player for the GBASP and DS at E3.

    E3 should be very interesting.
    • Interesting. When it was rummored that the Revolution would have WiFi, I assumed that the Revolution itself would be device that the DS used to connect to the online service.

      Since the DS multiplayer games/apps that exist don't use IP packets, they need some sort of gateway that intercepts the 802.11 packets, tunnels them over the internet to another gateway, which rebroadcasts them to the DS's in the general vicinity. The other issue is how to find people to play with online. If the Revolution were to act

  • Planet Earth anyone? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jasonmicron ( 807603 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @03:02PM (#11912963)
    "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."

    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...
    • Wireless controllers are amazing. I mean really really amazing.

      Doing a 4 player game like bomberman, f-zero, mario kart, is so much easier. Even 2-player games are more fun due to less tangle of cords.

      Take this to the next level where I believe Nintendo is going with their DS product. Which is basically a wavebird with 2 screens built in. Now you have something that is truely amazing. You have 2 screens and 2 more cpus per player. Just to add more to the game.
      Inventory management in RPGs? on the ds
    • Why NOT WiFi? Nobody said they weren't providing cable-based connectivity as well. And it's not like it's a base station, so if you're running an insecure wireless LAN at home right now it's not like adding a Nintendo Revo to it will make things worse for you. This just simplifies your connectivity for online play, which in my opinion is the best thing Nintendo can do considering how much it improves the console based online connectivity situation.

      And just a comment on the bit about latest technology,
      • It may act as an AP as well. This would be a big selling point in that someone could use their wifi GB-DS as a controller. From what I understand the DS can already act as a controller for some gamecube games, but requires a cable currently. I guess this could be done with an external AP as well, but people would be missing out who did not have wifi in their house.
    • "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."

      You're right, Doom 3 relied entirely on the latest graphics and that's why I'm not all that interested in the upcoming sequel. Compare that to something like Resident Evil 4. It has really good graphics too but also an interesting story line and challenging puzzles
    • 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.

      Yes, Nintendo is lovin' the sequels... they just can't get enough of them. But re-hashes? I thi

    • Re:Planet Earth anyone? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by jackbird ( 721605 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @05:11PM (#11914283)
      Now, Wi-Fi? Serously, why on Earth would a Nintendo home console need Wi-Fi?

      Where I live, stringing Cat5 from the broadband router to the living room would be a friggin' nightmare.

  • Backwards Compatable (Score:5, Insightful)

    by MemeSpitter ( 781288 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @03:02PM (#11912970)
    Finally, Nintendo releases a backwards compatable console. This way, even people who were too snooty to get a Gamecube will have a chance to play its greatest hits on the Revolution.

    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. ...Now that they've changed their minds, maybe I won't have to dig through old systems (and sacrifice a chicken to the god of dust mites in hopes that they'll still work) whenever I get the urge to play a classic game.

  • Hey, the Nintendo DS also has wifi... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rsborg ( 111459 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @03:06PM (#11913005) Homepage
    I can see the stategy now: Nintendo DS... it's not just a portable gaming system, it's a KICKASS wifi controller for your Nintendo console...
    • Exactly. Think of this as the next step up from the GBA link games. Except now you have two screens, one of which is a touchscreen. The Revolution's backwards compatibility with the GC will most likely sell me on one. And the DS's backwards compatibility with the GBA is making me think about getting one of them too...

  • Cool! Backwards compatibility! (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    This was one thing definitely missing from the GC (to play N64 games), as compared to the PS2. This will make it a lot easier to sell people a new console.
    (And it will be one thing that Microsoft (probably) hasn't got!)

    And WiFi between DS, GBA and GC could be interesting as well. Go Nintendo!

    - A fanboy

    • Re:Cool! Backwards compatibility! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Trurl's Machine ( 651488 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @03:36PM (#11913324) Journal
      This was one thing definitely missing from the GC (to play N64 games), as compared to the PS2. This will make it a lot easier to sell people a new console. (And it will be one thing that Microsoft (probably) hasn't got!)

      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.
  • "Game creators cannot rely on better graphics and more powerful games machines to attract new audiences..."

    Yeah, sure. So why update the Gameboy at all? Why bother upping the graphics to 'Gamecube' possibilities? Because Mr. Iwata, you know that eye candy DOES attract the very audience you seek. No matter how much you talk about interesting and unique games (which I'm all for), the reality is that games like NHL 200X, or FPS Shooter version 37 still SELL.

    All I can say is, it's not stopped Nintendo from pu
    • He's not saying you shouldn't have good graphics, btu that you can't just have good graphics on powerful machines. You need more than that. It's the difference between Doom3 and HL2 (bad, good, IMHO).

      Both had great graphics, but only one had a good story that actually interested me enough to play to the end.
    • He didn't say that graphics and powerful game machines don't attract audiences. He said that game creators cannot rely on them to attract new audiences.

      I think he's right. People who buy games will probably continue to buy them for the same reasons they always have. However, I really don't think that non-gamers are waiting around thinking "I'll start buying video games when the graphics reach a certain level of realism." Non-gamers are the untapped market (and they probably outnumber current gamers signifi

  • "Innovation" and Nintendo (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Y-Crate ( 540566 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @03:21PM (#11913181)
    ".....most of Mr Iwata's speech, entitled "The Heart of the Gamer", was a call for more imaginative game design."
    Does this mean Nintendo will stop focusing on rehashing the same franchises (and in the case of it's handhelds) the same games year after year?

    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!"

    • 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.

      And Microsoft has... Halo. And what does Sony have? Rockstar? SquareEnix?

      Time after time after time I keep looking at the racks of games and not seeing something that isn't somewhat similar to somet

  • I just want... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by suitepotato ( 863945 )
    ...them to keep having systems that play as well as the Gamecube. My favorites, and you can withhold your laughter, are the Totally Odd Parents games from THQ. Running with one free moving stick and using another to kick the camera pov around is wonderful for 3D. As long as they don't mess with a good thing, I'm fine.

    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 ru

  • Third-party developers should be treated better... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by __aaclcg7560 ( 824291 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @03:28PM (#11913242)
    I hope Nintendo had learned it's lesson with the GameCube and the GameBoy Advance by making it easier for third-party developers to actually develop games for their consoles.

    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.

  • The problem with Nintendo (Score:5, Insightful)

    by e2d2 ( 115622 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @03:38PM (#11913346)
    Here is my take on Nintendo - they are so bent on "redefining gaming" that they refuse to try and copy a known good design. Everything you hear from Nintendo has the undertone not of "innovate" but instead of "reinvent". Nintendo has become so involved with it's own genius that it refuses to acknowledge the other person in this relationship - the consumer.

    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:The problem with Nintendo (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Beavey ( 95400 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @04:15PM (#11913743)
      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?

      My son bought a DS, and if you actually play one for a while, you can see how it really IS a different form of gaming -- especially with titles that make full use of the touchscreen. It is definitely NOT just a "game boy with two screens," and the hype, in my opinion, is well-deserved.

    • Re:The problem with Nintendo (Score:4, Informative)

      by tgibbs ( 83782 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @06:54PM (#11915334)
      With Sega becoming a 3rd party developer, Nintendo is the only remaining console manufacturer that is actively trying to innovate and push the medium further. A console manufacturer has more leeway to take risks, because a game may benefit them in more ways than simply sales: by developing new markets, by creating new types of games, by setting an example for developers. Fundamentally, Nintendo is a game design firm that builds hardware to support their own games, and each generation of hardware reflects Nintendo's evolving philosophy of game design.

      Sadly, Sony entered the field from the perspective of a hardware manufacturer, not a game maker. They have a game division, but it functions essentially as merely another 3rd party developer. Microsoft has followed Sony's example, rather than Nintendo's. Both sell their systems based upon power, with the emphasis on impressive graphics.

      So Nintendo appeals not merely to the graphics fan, but to gamers who are interested in new experiences. To me, the DS is an exciting product. This is something quite unlike any previous game platforms, with a novel input mode--a secondary screen that can be used for display, or as a stylus or touch input pad. What is Nintendo going to do with it that has not been done before? The Metroid demo with stylus input is the first FPS that actually seems to work on a console--and a hand-held at that. I've always found joystick control of FPS to be awkward. Mouse works better, but I don't like to sit at a desk to play games. Nintendo is clearly playing with other interesting ideas--using both screens as a single, tall screen (reproducing the aspect ratio of many older arcade systems). Will there be vertical shooters that take advantage of this? Some classic trackball games are coming out for the system. Such games always suck with a stick--how will they play with a pad. And will Nintendo be able to come up with game types for which a pad is really the method of choice? Succeed or fail, I know that Nintendo will offer me something that I haven't seen before.

      So I'm excited about the DS in a way that I can't get excited about Playstation 3 or XBox 2. Ho-hum, more polygons, high resolution, fancier lighting, very nice. Similarly, I'm interested in the new Evolution system precisely because I know that Nintendo will take the opportunity to think up new game ideas, and come up with a system uniquely designed to take advantage of them.

  • IBM behind the scenes (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Have you guys noticed how IBM is behind the CPUs for all 3 next-gen consoles? (ps3, xbox2, 'tendo revolution)
  • Until Nintendo gets with the program and starts aiming at the over 13 crowd I can't get excited about their products. I bought a Gamecube at launch and own 3 games to this day simply because there is NOTHING out there for the older demographic. This is compared to about 20 X-Box and 25 or so PS2 games in my collection.

    • Re:Meh (Score:5, Insightful)

      by scot4875 ( 542869 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @04:20PM (#11913789) Homepage
      Super Smash Brothers: Melee
      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

  • Pass the hydrospanner! (Score:3, Funny)

    by DarthVain ( 724186 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @04:39PM (#11913989)
    This just in from Neo-geo:

    On the tail of exhorbiant claims made by PS3, Xbox, and Nintendo, Neo-Geo had their own press confrence about their upcoming console system.

    "Well we decided to stay away from broadband systems" explained Hoshi "Super Dry" Asahi. "We plan on using sub-space to transmit our online content. Our engineer's have developed isolinear chips that will allow this giving us a through-put of 4.7 library of congress/fortnight!" Other details of the new console system include:

    - Made of platinum to increase "Bling" factor
    - Controllers will be in the form of a mentalband
    - Will intergrate a 60" HD TV in each console
    - Will be solar powered using special nano paint

    It is rumored that it will also be backward compatible with the renown Infinitum Labs system. It will also be cell-phone, DVD player, Mp3 player, and AM/FM radio.

    It will also be released in 6 months (baring any delays, which are not expected to happen...)

    This message brought to you by HypePR Spin Marketeers Inc... "We can sell your shit before you even invent it!"

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