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Nintendo Businesses Entertainment Games

Nintendo To Dominate Next Generation? 194

Posted by Zonk from the they're-back-baby dept.
Via GameSetWatch, an editorial on the site Firing Squad suggesting that Nintendo is poised for a gaming industry coup. Their unique controller and appeal to casual gamers, the author posits, will turn the status quo on its head. From the article: "The cheapness of the console will help it sell and it's unlikely that Nintendo will face production shortages since it won't use exotic and difficult-to-make components. With a large installed owner base, more developers will be inclined to take a shot at it, publishers will feel pressured to release key titles (like Madden) for the Revolution regardless of their past GameCube experience. The controller is standard enough to work for most titles - so Xbox and PlayStation games will most likely work on the Revolution without major trouble, yet that same controller offers unique features that will be difficult to replicate for Microsoft's and Sony's consoles."
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Nintendo To Dominate Next Generation? More

Nintendo To Dominate Next Generation?

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  • Look at it this way: (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Txiasaeia ( 581598 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @10:31AM (#14519002)
    They've said all along that "standard" controllers will work with the rev (crossing my fingers for native compatibility with my wavebird). So the next Prince of Persia game will be released for all three next-gen platforms, right? But Electroplankton Revo or Tokyo Laser Symphony Revo will only work with the revo's unique controller - playing games built for the revo controller on a PS3 or an Xbox360 is like playing Donkey Konga with the standard gamecube controller.

    Anyway, it makes sense that the revo will get independent and interesting games, if only because of the controller, while the other two consoles will get the same old, same old. Not that there's anything wrong with a new NHL game for the Xbox360 or PS3;)

    • Re:Look at it this way: (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Phantasmo ( 586700 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @11:00AM (#14519253)
      You'll certainly be able to play Gamecube games on your Revolution using your current Wavebird. However, I'd be surprised if Revolution games would be able to use the Gamecube controller connectors. By implementing the "classic" controller as a shell over the Revolution controller, you'd get the gyro features in addition to standard control sticks and shoulder buttons. Also, Nintendo likes money so why not force people to buy a controller + shell?
      • Actually, the model that was shown at last year's E3 had a full set of Gamecube controller and memory card ports on the side. I'd assume you could use Gamecube controllers, at least for Gamecube games.

        Nintendo presumabley continuing there tradition of being behind the times, keeping legacy controller ports is so last generation. :-)

      • Re:Look at it this way: (Score:5, Informative)

        by badasscat ( 563442 ) <basscadet75@@@yahoo...com> on Friday January 20, 2006 @12:25PM (#14520011)
        However, I'd be surprised if Revolution games would be able to use the Gamecube controller connectors.

        You apparently have not seen this photo [ign.com].

        It's not 100% confirmation of anything, but Nintendo took this photo themselves and they didn't do it for nothing. They're showing you something here - and what else would it be than that you can use your regular old GameCube controllers with the Revolution?

        • I realised after making my comment, he does know this. He says "I'd be surprised if Revolution games would be able to use the Gamecube controller connectors ". ie: He knows the Revolution has Gamecube connectors, but he thinks they're only for Gamecube (and downloaed / emulated?) games.

          Personally I think it depends on what form this "controller shell" takes, if it's similar to the Gamecube controller, I'd guess "shell" using games might be able to use Gamecube controllers. Plus some Revolution games might

    • They've said all along that "standard" controllers will work with the rev (crossing my fingers for native compatibility with my wavebird). So the next Prince of Persia game will be released for all three next-gen platforms, right? But Electroplankton Revo or Tokyo Laser Symphony Revo will only work with the revo's unique controller - playing games built for the revo controller on a PS3 or an Xbox360 is like playing Donkey Konga with the standard gamecube controller.

      Keep in mind - there is probably very l

      • "Big N surely has patents on implementation methods but Sony in particular is famous for finding ways around that. Just food for thought."

        Maybe you forgot what happened to Sony in regards to the dual-shock fiasco??
  • This could be a good sign, maybe we will see Nintendo go out on top all over again, sort of reminds me of 1985, except this time the market is strong. I do like the controller idea and plus if this Nintendo ON thing comes to, they might be lucky enough to at least make the #2 spot if not #2. Go ninty!

    • Re:Nintendo 1985? (Score:3, Informative)

      by ThePolkapunk ( 826529 )
      Nintendo ON was a hoax [1up.com].

  • A couple of prerequesites (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Sockatume ( 732728 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @10:34AM (#14519044)
    This depends heavily on the public being interested in the system. Nintendo were able to churn out GCs super-cheap for years without taking over the market. Of course, the PS2 and Xbox were already around in large numbers and getting price cuts by that stage- a £130 Revolution going up against a limited stock of £300 360s and PS3s would have a more impressive advantage.

    This will also depend on the public, especially non-gamers, "getting" the controller, which will require really good in-store demos.

    There's always the risk that good value will backfire in the face of percieved value - namely, that the Revolution will be looked upon as cheap and underpowered in comparison to its competitors.

    Finally, there's the assumption that the Revolution will use no exotic, hard-to-produce components. You've got to wonder if the little motion-sensor widgets for pitch/roll/yaw are going to be a rate limiting step in production.

    • Re:A couple of prerequesites (Score:5, Interesting)

      by MBCook ( 132727 ) <foobarsoft@foobarsoft.com> on Friday January 20, 2006 @10:51AM (#14519177) Homepage
      I agree with the author that Nintendo is in a good position. You mention the possibility that Ninteno will be seen a cheap, but I don' think that is the case.

      This is Nintendo. Nintendo isn't the synonym for video games it used to be (that job is now taken over in popular culture by Playstation or X-Box). But they are still a MAJOR brand. Everyone knows about the GameBoy. They had a very successful system in the GameCube, the N64, the SNES, the NES, and the DS. They weren't always the leaders of the generation (that stopped in home consoles with the SNES), but they have good solid stuff.

      Besides, this is Nintendo. That means Mario. Mario Party. Super Smash Brothers. Zelda. Mario Kart. Plus tons of other great little games that will come out like Pikmin. Was there anything even CLOSE to Pikmin on any other system?

      Nintendo may not be the post powerful console out there. That's fine with me. As I have said in previous posts, it's not like we are hurting for better graphics with the current generation (and the Rev is supposed to be 4x as powerful as the system that showed us Resident Evil 4). But I know there will be great games. Even if theys system is not the most popular (which could happen this time around, if Nintendo's bets pay off) it will have great games.

      Even the Virtual Boy which failed in the market (which I loved) had great games. Mario Crash, Mairo Tennis (about the best tennis game I've played), Wario Land, and more.

      The games will keep the afloat if they get stuck as an "also-ran". But I think they will be more successful than there were this generation.

      • Unfortunately, as strong as Nintendo is with first party games, the lack of third party games is what, IMO, made them come in third in the current (well, previous now that the 360 is out) generation.

        • Re:A couple of prerequesites (Score:5, Interesting)

          by MBCook ( 132727 ) <foobarsoft@foobarsoft.com> on Friday January 20, 2006 @11:55AM (#14519708) Homepage
          That's true. But it can't get much worse than it is now, and I think the ability to attract all the casual gamers with the unique interface will draw in many game companies. Nintendo has proven with the DS that they can get casual gamers with their unique interfaces (example: Nintendogs). The ability to make a game that will be easy to use and attract gamer who aren't the "gamers" everyone else is targeting would be huge. And having a price point where an adult could buy the system (say $200 or $250, as opposed to $400+ for the others) without having to miss a car payment. I've seen people who bought a DS for Nintendogs.

          How many non-"gamers" will plunk down $400 + game + tax if they find something they like on the 360. How many other games do they think they will find on the 360 they like?

          This should be interesting to see what happens. I'm hoping the Big-N takes first in the next-gen race (a bit unlikely). But I wouldn't be surprised if they were much more competitive, perhaps taking 2nd place by a small margin.

        • Re:A couple of prerequesites (Score:4, Insightful)

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 20, 2006 @12:01PM (#14519763)
          You've got to understand that Third Parties are really excited about the Revolution for reasons that Sony and Microsoft can not understand ...

          For the top 10% of developers the controller is a big selling point; when you're making a big budget game (like Resident Evil) it is becoming increasingly difficult to seperate your product from the dozens of other products in the market place. If Sega Releases Virtual Fighter and Namco releases Tekken at about the same time how can you encourage someone to buy your game instead of the competing game when they look and play on a very similar level and have similar marketing budgets; thus both developers spend $10 Million on a game and neither does as well as it could have because the games are not distinct enough. With the wider range of control setups new sub genres can be created which should enable developers to make a more distinct product.

          The Revolutions' 'weaker' graphics (unknown graphical specifications brings this into question, a better term would be Nintendo's de-emphasis on graphics) attracts all game developers. Whether you're a tiny developer producing games with your 10 best friends, or a massive company like EA, the graphical push behind games produces an increasingly high cost to produce games which is troublesome. The fact is that Noname Development house wants to enter the market while EA wants to produce new markets and the high cost hurts both goals; for EA, they want to sell games to both teenage girls and Grandparents but couldn't risk $10-$20 Million on a game with expected sales of 100K.
    • Finally, there's the assumption that the Revolution will use no exotic, hard-to-produce components. You've got to wonder if the little motion-sensor widgets for pitch/roll/yaw are going to be a rate limiting step in production.

      What, you think those parts are being made just so Nintendo can make a cool controller? You've got it backwards. There are apparently lots of uses for motion-sensor chips (hell, Apple is putting them into all their newer Powerbooks primarily for the mundane task of parking the hard

    • There's always the risk that good value will backfire in the face of percieved value - namely, that the Revolution will be looked upon as cheap and underpowered in comparison to its competitors.


      Just from the number of people I talk to who just want street fighter II or super mario bros again, I can safely say that looking simple and cheap isn't a bad thing. Hell a lot of people still play the original NES (if they can get their hands on it).
    • Finally, there's the assumption that the Revolution will use no exotic, hard-to-produce components. You've got to wonder if the little motion-sensor widgets for pitch/roll/yaw are going to be a rate limiting step in production. Those kind of sensors have been around and have been cheap for quite a while now. How do you think they make electronic airplane instruments? I bring up that example specifically because I have connections to a company that makes an Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) [dynonavionics.com]. It
    • > This depends heavily on the public being interested in the system.

      The last few years it's been purely Sony and Microsoft; Sega and Nintendo - formerly the giants of gaming - have been nowhere to be seen, except on the fringes with handhold consoles. Retailers have to believe that there is room in the market, and on the shelves, for another console. Nintendo better have some pretty amazing games at launch, and/or a cheap price or unique feature the others are lacking. I'm not sure a controller that p
  • The GabeCube cost as little as half as much as the PS2 and XBox during their lifespans (GameCube is currently priced at $99 Canadian with the XBox at $199 Canadian). Despite costing half as much, the GameCube occupied a distand third place in market share.

    If anything sells the Revolution, it won't be low price. Otherwise the GameCube would have dominated the market for the same reason.

    • Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @10:55AM (#14519203)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re:The low price won't help it (Score:1, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        "That's true, except of course on this planet (which we call "Earth", welcome!), where the Gamecube sales numbers were well ahead of the XBox."

        Yes.

        The current gen will end up with the following installed base numbers:

        1) Sony PS2 - currently at 100 million, most likely somewhere in the 120 million range by the time production of the hardware stops in two to three years

        2) Nintendo GameCube - currently at 22 million, will probably end up in the 25 to 27 million range by the time the production of the hardware
        • It's all a pointless pissing contest anyway, the PlayStation 2 is number one.

          I suppose it can be broken down to:

          Gamecube: It's number 2 in the world!

          Xbox: It was pretty much neck and neck with the Gamecube until they stopped making it, and it's number two in Europe and North America!

          I'm not sure if the Xbox has been a "humilating marketplace failure", at least in the west, the console did perfectly well on the marketplace, it's more a financial failure for Microsoft.
          • "It's all a pointless pissing contest anyway, the PlayStation 2 is number one."

            Until you start to look at GBAs and/or DSs.
            • I thought we were talking about consoles, not handhelds.

              Plus, according to Wikipedia the DS has sold 14 million, Gameboy Advance 70 million, which even when counted together don't beat the 100 million PS2s.

              If you counted pre-Advance Gameboys you'd certainly beat the PS2 though. But to be fair you'd have to add the 100 million PlayStations as well.
        • You're insane if you think the installed base of the PS2 is 100 million users. I'd divide that number at least in half when you take replacement units into account from the system crapping out. It doesn't make any real difference, but it helps illustrate that the actual numbers of unique owners for each console isn't as earth shatteringly disparate as Sony would have you believe.
      • But induvidual markets don't work on worldwide sales, they usually go on local sales.

        For example, if you're right, the Gamecube may be second place worldwide, but in the UK, just about all stores have dropped the Gamecube (my favourite was my local ASDA, where the Nintendo DS pushed out it's own big brother), whilst the third placed Xbox is still going strong. (Although the Xbox 360 hasn't really made much progress yet).

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
      Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • XBox 360 will continue to sell well and establish a nice fanbase.

    PS3 will blow the XBox 360 away technically bit will be way too expensive for most gamers to crush the 360.

    Revolution will be the "winner", either as the sole gaming machine or next to their XBox 360 or PS3, mainly because it'll be a lot cheaper, but some "killer games" utilizing the controler will lock the deal.

    Anyway, I'm not buying any before all of them are released.
    • PS3 will blow the XBox 360 away technically bit will be way too expensive for most gamers to crush the 360.

      What happens to your prediction when the PS3 costs the same amount as the 360?

      I'll probably buy all three, but it seems like a long shot to me that Microsoft will pull ahead of Sony if the PS3 manages to hit store shelves before June. The only one I'm really excited for at this point is the Revolution though.
      • I'll probably buy all three, but it seems like a long shot to me that Microsoft will pull ahead of Sony if the PS3 manages to hit store shelves before June.

        What are the chances of Sony hitting the market in the second quarter? I haven't seen a single report of a hands-on PS3 experience (meaning press demos), something that one would expect several months before the console hits the market. As far as I know, there still hasn't even been a picture of the finalized controller that was supposedly undergoin
        • Well, six months before the Xbox 360 launch, the 360 was a PowerMac G5 under a table with non-playable demos and a plastic mockup, so it's not out of the realm of possibility. August is more likely, but it still doesn't guarantee a Microsoft victory. It only gives them a little more of a chance.
    • What technical source of data tells you that the PS3 will "blow away" the 360 "technically"?

      Every unbiased source I can find puts the two consoles neck and neck... "technically".

      Unless Sony has made some, new, recent announcement about their hardware, that just sounds like Sony Fanboy wishful thinking.

      • Re:Did Sony make a new announcement? (Score:1, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Microsoft did it to themselves.

        They released a fairly limited storage medium for their system (DVD) AND compounded it via two models that included or excluded a hard drive. Standardization is part of what makes consoles good. MS realizes this themselves with their methods and standards for releases BUT they failed to create a unified single base because they wanted options. The system is very limited versus the PS3 at least initially and really I have my doubts about whether MS can get people to upgrade. B

  • A theory about the Revolution... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by rubberbando ( 784342 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @10:47AM (#14519129)
    I am looking forward to getting one of these bad boys when they come out.
    But what bothers me is Nintendo's secrecy about specs. They seem to downplay any inprovements in graphical performance and they say that it will have complete backwards compatability with the GameCube on top of having an amazingly low price. This made me wonder how will they achieve this. My thought is that the Revolution will really just be a GameCube with some extra hardware added and put in a different case.

    Anyone else get this vibe?
    • "They seem to downplay any inprovements in graphical performance"

      Because their message has consistently been that they're not about the specs and whiz-bang, they're about fun games. If you're focused on improvements in graphical performance, pick up an X360 or a PS3; they're the ones aimed at you.

    • Re:A theory about the Revolution... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I can't speak for everyone but what a lot of people said the first time that they saw the XBox 360 up close was "Is that it?"

      People have been spoiled by the graphical improvements of previous generations; when the Nintendo Entertainment system came out people made comments like "It looks like a cartoon" because of how advanced the graphics were compared to the Atari and Colleco systems; when the Super Nintendo Entertainment system came out people were (once again) blown away by the graphics; the N64 amazed
      • As I don't know what a rock-man is, how will I know if one is graphically represented well?
      • Until HD is common in homes you're right - the average gamer is not going to notice that big a difference. Same grainy interlaced display.
        If you look at the Xbox 360 on a standard TV it really doesn't look that much better - but on an HDTV it looks very nice and crisp.
        Maybe someday I'll be able to afford an HDTV - but not at the current pricing levels.
      • CPU power isn't just about graphics. For me the MOST important part of the new processing power is AI. The reason games have sucky AI till now is because consoles have had to cut back on AI to improve graphics. There is always a trade off, and graphics usually wins out.

        Take a game like RE4 on GC. Looks awesome, ZERO AI. Automated zombie-bots...that's it.

        More complex AI is a hard thing to do with limited resources, more processing power will enable games on XBox360 and PS3 to have awesome AI and awesome grap

  • All will win (Score:3, Insightful)

    by the computer guy nex ( 916959 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @10:58AM (#14519233)
    Video game industry has become the Console Wars. PC gaming is on a major decline and arcades are a thing of the past.

    Each console brings something different to the market. Nintendo with its edgy and risky ideas and strong 1st party titles, Xbox360 with its live component and the "winner" for time to market, and the PS3 with its established user base.

    They will all do well.
    • They will all do well.

      Hey, who are you and what did you do with the real nex? No really, complimenting and pointing out the upside of the "other" two. Not making outrageous claims about Xbox 360 launch numbers beating all previous launches, esp the PS2... not dissing Blu-ray players and speculating an astronomical price for the PS3? Should we be calling 911 and reporting a possible homicide/identity theft here?

      Seriously, if I had mod points I would mod this post up. I do agree PC gaming is on a downwar

  • Its the Revolution I'm looking forward too (Score:5, Insightful)

    by el_womble ( 779715 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @10:58AM (#14519236) Homepage
    In the last round of the console wars I went with the XBox and the GC. I really enjoyed the XBox, but as an ex-PC gamer, felt that I was just regurgitating IDs back-catalogue, but with slightly better graphics. The GC provided me with the most fun. The games were cheaper, had greater variety, and for all the fun of Halo 2 Live, playing drink monkey ball proved that its was more important to be able to punch your opponent in the real world, than snipe them from behind a exquisitly rendered rock on Live.

    I still don't understand what all the fuss was/is about the PS2. Lifes too short to watch progress bars, when your supposed to be having fun.

    Being able to play Nintendo's entire back catalogue sounds too good to be true. Finally having a controller that reacts to its possition in space has been the aspiration of every gamer since the 80s - the only thing that could top that is having a game that gives you extra control when you stick your tounge out ;)

    I don't care that its not HD. Even if I buy one HD TV in the next year, that will be one in a house of 4 TVs. I've yet to see any real evidence that I need it. As my PC improved I was able to play Half-life at 640x480, then 800x600 and finally 1024x768. It was the graphics that got better, not the game. It may add a layer of realism to the game, but Doom 3 proved that once you stop looking at the eye-candy it's the underlying gameplay that makes the game worth the money.
    • Mostly I think people (Or at least everyone I know) tends to play Strategy/Roleplaying games on the PS2, and if you look at it's library, that's what seems to be the most popular titles.

      I actually own all three, and while I could find alot of really interesting new RPGs and Strategy games for the PS2, all I could find for the Xbox were regurgitated PC games and for the GC they were virtually non-existant.

      It's interesting to note that after owning my Xbox for over 2 years, I still only own three games for it
    • ...playing drink monkey ball proved that its was more important to be able to punch your opponent in the real world...

      Wow, a Super Monkey Ball drinking game. Why am I reminded of that drinking game Ford Prefect played with Ol' Janx Spirit at the beginning of Hitchhiker's? One of the effects of alcohol is to supress motor skills, so once one begins to lose at Drink Monkey Ball one is likely to continue losing....
      • That's why the best video-drinking-games have negative feedback -- i.e. the winner drinks. Losing for a bit and then making a sudden comeback can be a very useful strategy. Plus, you can decide how much you're willing to drink. If you want to limit yourself to 5 shots, you play to 6 matches (assuming the house rules don't force you to drink after you win the final match).

        Super Tequila Fighter 2 Turbo, anyone?

  • Look at history (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 20, 2006 @11:04AM (#14519280)
    Just look at history, since Sony has entered the console market every one they have faced has used the exact same strategy (better graphics, conventional controller, more features, etc.) and has lost; in fact if you compare the strategy of the XBox 360 with that of the Dreamcast there is a remarkable similarity (focus on online service, built in network connection, released a year early, etc.). Sony is so effective because they're masters of the super generic console.

    The only time Sony has been humbled is with the Nintendo DS which decided to change things up dramatically; whereas all systems Sony faced before used conventional input the DS has a Microphone and Touch Screen; all systems Sony faced before pushed for greater graphics whereas the Nintendo DS focused settled on a much more modest graphical level; and finally where every system that faced Sony before lacked decent Backwards compatibility, the Nintendo DS contained a catelog of games from one of the most popular platforms ever.

    Now the Revolution has many similar charateristics to the DS, they both use a more conventional game medium (DVD and SD [like] flash memory), they have a well established back catelog, they have new input possibilities, they're both (expected) to be affordable, neither are focused on being the graphical powerhouse, etc.
    • "Ever since" is a bit difficult to establish precedent with, seeing that Sony has only been at this for 2 generations. I'm not saying Sony won't continue to end up on top, but it's not an inevitability. Remember, Nintendo was the undisputed king of consoles before PS1, and Atari before them (though Atari fell for other reasons).
  • Developing for Gamecube is pretty well understood, and in terms of hardware the Revolution is an extra-beefy Gamecube with a network card built in.
    Sadly, most of the Cube's 3rd-party releases were rushed ports of PS2 or Xbox games. This meant that, even though the Cube was more powerful than the PS2, the graphics and performance were often worse. Now we have the least powerful system, but I think that the quality of the ports will remain about the same.
    I think that Nintendo's focus on low-def is a good thin
    • Low-def is just fine with me. I'm happy with the current level of graphics in games, and don't particularly think that better graphics = better games. Sure, FFX was prettier than (original) FFVI. But how fun? About the same.

      Please, put more effort into gameplay, story, characters, controllers (!!), etc. and spend relatively less on redering.

      It occurs to me that this will also help non-huge 3rd party dev's get into the market. Not so shabby, having less graphics.
  • And all this without even mentioning the rumored backward compatibility.

    As near as I can tell, Nintendo is going to have emulation for all their previous systems (except GC, of which Revolution is an extension, so they run natively), and let you download games (for a small fee, I presume) sort of like Xbox Live Arcade.

    The only questions I have about that are: will they come out with cartridge slot acessories (after all, they did have a GB slot accessory for the N64), and will it be possible to get homebre

  • I am really looking forward to the Revolution. I'm not going to lie, I am a fanboy. I love Nintendo and Sega and can't wait for the Revolution to come out. I think that the Revolution will appeal greatly to casual gamers because of the simple controller and the price.

    What I do not think is that it is going to get as many cross platform games as this guy is suggesting. The fact that they are not using these "exotic" parts means that they will not be able to get these games from the multi-processor mul

    • Re:Controller? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by inerte ( 452992 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @11:51AM (#14519676) Homepage Journal
      Actually one button + spatial-awareness is equal to lots of input.

      Hold "A" and move the controller to the left, certain action if performed. Move to the right, another. Move to front, then up, *another*. Back, left, up-down quickly, and your "Finish Him" move is performed. Or use the nunchaku for movement, and let the controller take care of other actions.

      The controller knows where it is in space, what angle is facing, and what speed is moving. That's a *lot* of buttons :p

      Maybe it won't be confortable, or it won't be fun, but that we will have to wait to see...
    • What I do not think is that it is going to get as many cross platform games as this guy is suggesting. The fact that they are not using these "exotic" parts means that they will not be able to get these games from the multi-processor multi-vidcard systems to run without greatly cutting back on the amount of detail, size of levels etc...

      Ordinarily I'd agree with you, but then I saw Half-Life 2 on the Xbox. We have a ps2 and a cube and a PC and we have games across systems. Negligible differences in graph

  • But.. what about all those wild unconfirmed rumors and unfounded speculation? Are you saying they're ALL just not true?

  • I actually see a Nintendo backlash brewing. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by thatguywhoiam ( 524290 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @11:55AM (#14519706)
    With all the ridiculous hype around the PS3 and Xbox360, I've seen many comments here and elsewhere about how Nintendo is going to 'clean up' and 'revolutionize the industry' (gag, choke) simply because:

    1. We've had a chance to watch the 1st next-gen console launch, with its attendant hardware failure stories, and criticise it (X360)
    2. We've seen Sony do ridiculously stupid things with DRM in the music space, and so we hate them, and have possibly boycotted them
    3. Nintendo showed us a really wizzy controller... and not much else.

    I like Nintendo, they are true innovators, but the way the hype is blowing right now, people are expecting the sun and moon from their next console. If it doesn't deliver, the fan base is going to be incredibly bitter (well, except for the really hardcore fans). Expectations are very high for the Revolution. But its only partially based on that neat demo they did - the rest is bitterness and resentment towards MS and Sony. Nintendo looks good just standing still... but the Revolution had really better be a true revolution, I actually think the hype is higher for that box than any other at the moment.

    • Re:I actually see a Nintendo backlash brewing. (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Guppy06 ( 410832 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @12:17PM (#14519939)
      "1. We've had a chance to watch the 1st next-gen console launch, with its attendant hardware failure stories, and criticise it (X360)
      2. We've seen Sony do ridiculously stupid things with DRM in the music space, and so we hate them, and have possibly boycotted them"

      You've been on Slashdot too long. In the Real World, few people have heard of the X360 hardware problems and nobody cares about the Sony rootkit (if they even know about it). Neither company is exactly losing money hand over fist because a handfull of Slashdotters are boycotting them.
      • nobody cares about the Sony rootkit (if they even know about it)

        The average gamer may be a dumbass, but he sure as hell will notice the DRM bullshit if he needs to network the console to play his new games or the lack of a PS3 section at Blockbuster. After all, there was a pretty big backlash against Sony's music CDs, and that was not limited to /.
        • "The average gamer may be a dumbass, but he sure as hell will notice the DRM bullshit if he needs to network the console to play his new games"

          The average gamer doesn't play online and especially not on a LAN.

          "After all, there was a pretty big backlash against Sony's music CDs, and that was not limited to /."

          Where? Aside from an odd lawsuit from a state AG here and there, you can even still find plenty of affected disks on store shelves.
  • Perfect example as to why Nintendo will dominate. My dad will want one. He's 64. He loves playing games. He played the hell out of the NES and the Sega, but the new games are just too demanding for him. Too many buttons, too much bullshit. But this machine, with this controller... he'll love it, and his friends will love it. It's simple, it will be fun. All they need is two games, done well, and he'll play this thing every day. A fishing game and a hunting game. Use the controller like a fishing
  • FWIW, I'll be purchasing the Revo for the precise reasons mentioned in the FA. As far as I'm concerned, consoles have become too expensive and their games too repetative to be worth putting my hard-earned money into. If I want hard-core gaming experiences, I'm going to use my PC, which is where I want to spend my money. A console is supposed to be for quick sit-downs before class or relaxation or for friends at parties. The Revo offers that in spades, in fact is designed specifically for that. Nintendo has

  • "Japanese nationalism hurt 360 sales"? Bullshit. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by neutralstone ( 121350 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @12:29PM (#14520059)
    "Japanese nationalism hurt XBox 360 sales"?  Bullshit.

    From TFA:  "In Japan, as usual, an American-made (or rather, American-designed) product has flopped. Like countless other American companies, Microsoft has faced a stiff, impenetrable and informal wall of Japanese nationalism which clings stubbornly to a Japanese product."

    The author ignores the fact that Microsoft dominates the desktop PC OS market in Japan as it does in most other parts of the world.

    Look, I wouldn't try to counter claims that there's a lot of unchecked racism in Japan, and I've been told -- by many Japanese people -- that believe they take their nationalism more seriously than people in other countries.  But I think that when it comes to games, the formula is this simple:

       ( fun game + reasonable price ) -->yields--> ( customer of game producer and platform manufacturer )

    It's the kids of middle-class families and the teen-to-thirtysomethings who decide whether the 360 will sink or swim, and they sure as hell aren't thinking about the emperor when they try to decide whether to drop the money for it.  It may be that Microsoft didn't cater to the gaming preferences that are more prevalent in that country, but if so, that's their *avoidable* problem.  It's not like they don't have huge corporate offices in Japan.
    • Um, are there Japanese-made alternatives to the American-made MS Windows? Some hot Japanese operating system that people are latching onto? No?

      Are there Japanese-made, Japanese-backed gaming console alternatives to the American backed Xbox 360?

      I guess I therefore fail to see your point. If you brought in products for which there are Japanese alternatives, then I might begin to see it.

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday January 20, 2006 @12:40PM (#14520129)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • The key to Nintendo's success rests solely on their shoulders. If Nintendo can hold the hands of all the developers and fans out there like they did with the DS they will almost definitely see success. If they don't have a plethora of games that people must have at release they will have a tough time gaining marketshare. Nintendo has to wow the world and truly bring in the "non-gamer" demographic.

    Just as Nintendo did with the DS, they should push innovation from 3rd parties and try to have exclusive Revo
  • Or "Mario Joust."

    "Mario Melee."

    That controller offers many avenues to stress relief.

    Could it be the downfall of the "button pusher?"

  • To be honest I can't see the Revolution being the most popular console on the market, it is the kind of gaming system that will be fun for Multiplayer when you have friends around but you won't be able to sit for hours on it yourself playing some of the games, which is why the PS2 and Xbox toppled the Gamecube last generation. People don't always want to play games with their friends, which is why the whole games industry push on Online play is a bit rushed at the minute. Most of the time when I turn a cons
  • Ok no one knows yet what will happen in the next generation I will give you that, but heres what we do know, the xbox 360 just wont cut it in Japan and that alone means MS just wont win the console war no matter how you slice it,

    Yes Nintendo with its new controller looks like a winner, unfortunately thats exactly the problem. whenever you mention good things about revolution you mention the controller and maybe price. Why? because the rest of the revolution is simply not impressive for starters the revoluti
  • At the end of that same year, Microsoft released the most expensive console yet, and one that sold out but is plagued by continuing supply shortages.

    This is just plain wrong. The Xbox 360 is far from the most expensive console yet. That honor goes to the NeoGeo, and that's before even accounting for inflation (or the games for that matter).
  • "The cheapness of the console will help it sell and it's unlikely that Nintendo will face production shortages since it won't use exotic and difficult-to-make components."

    Nintendo has recently stated that Revolution will be "under $300" and will be here for Thanksgiving. We all know that means $299. Not exactly cheap, though it should be possible for it to come in at lower price point considering it's relatively low-tech. Nintendo has a history of making a -profit- selling their consoles while Sony/Micro

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