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Fortune favours the brave.
Or so they say.
And there is no denying the bravery of Nintendo’s next generation games machine. It is the last hope to the disillusioned Nintendo fan. Some say the last hope for Nintendo in general.
Make more games. We cry. Attract more third parties. We beg. Release games quicker. We plead and most of all don’t ever let us down.
The Gamecube is a failure.
There have been good games. Pikmin, Prime, Wind Waker, Resident Evil 4… I could make a list of good games. But there were good games on the Dreamcast. Gamecube software is disappearing from even the main game retailers. With the X-box 360 just around the corner I doubt Nintendo will have any space left at all.
There are more games being released for the now well outdated GBA SP than there is for the Gamecube next year.
Trading a Gamecube into GAME will get you £20. A GBA SP, £30.
The Twilight Princess will be a fitting farewell to the ailing console. To the ailing company. A company out muscled and outgunned by a far superior racket of multi-media conglomerates. When Nintendo ruled the gaming world the game companies were small. You don’t get much bigger than Microsoft and Sony.
As Gamecube sales sink lower and lower, as Sony finally decide to destroy the Gameboy franchise for good and as Microsoft muscle Nintendo’s third party support away from them… Nintendo make the decision they always needed to make.
They needed to change. Their market is under rule by the biggest companies in the world. They are losing their fanbase and there is no longer any room for a third competitor.
The need to make room.
Enter the Nintendo DS. Instead of facing down the challenge from Sony, Nintendo side-stepped them. It is perfectly believable Nintendo will fight them head on in the future, but for now Nintendo’s plans are different. The DS is different. It is very different. It will appeal to different people than the PSP…. even different people than the SP. In Japan it is introducing new gamers to a new medium. It is fresh to use. There are no complex analogue sticks, there is no mass of buttons or confusing 3D space. We have a simple console, with both complex and simple games.
To introduce new gamers you need to realise what puts them off. As veteran players we know how to yield dual analogue controller and input the correct series of buttons in order to successfully play a game.
My mother doesn’t. My mother is a non-gamer.
The DS is a piece of Nintendo branded genius. It is selling well and selling to people who have never owned a game machine in their life.
The Revolution has its critics. Critics who don’t understand.
It is a remote controller. New gamers can relate to the remote control, new gamers can get to grips with a simple mechanism like this. And old gamers are interested in discovering it. Just to try something new.
You won’t get third party support. Ha, how little you know. EA, Activision, THQ, Ubi-soft will all add gimmicks to their games and use the “shell” controller. But there are more third parties out there my friend. Lionheart, PC game designers at heart, are licking their lips. Valve surely are too. In fact a wealth of PC designers will notice Nintendo. But not just them. Grasshopper studio, the makers of Killer 7, are exactly who Nintendo want to attract. Small development studios who want to create something fresh. Something new that’ll give them a name, gain them some money. A new genre, a new piece of gaming perfection. Something clever. There will be thousands of Grasshopper esq. Development studio’s dying to get their hands on Nintendo’s piece of kit.
If you are worried about EA and Activision then you’re missing the point. Part of joining the revolution is saying goodbye to the past.
The games will be gimmicks Nah, some games will. Some games will be short, use the controller for a stupid reason… some games will be crap. But that is all part of the experiment. Some games will hit and others will miss and everyone will learn from the good games and the bad. And Nintendo will be the one on the front line, testing the new concepts to their limits and then inviting their allies to do the same.
Graphically inferior with no HD-TV Matt from IGN can lick my balls. The whole point of the revolution is to go back to basics. How is HD back to basics? How is that enabling a cheap affordable machine? So caught up in the latest technology to notice that Nintendo are going against this. Who cares if the graphics aren’t as good as the 360? If you care get a PS3 or a high end PC. It is critical comments like this that make me want to cry!
It won’t beat Sony or Microsoft Oh it might. Especially with the pair going toe to toe like they are. Ripping strips and fans from each other. Whilst Nintendo are building a totally new consortium of gamers. Gamers interested in something new to go along with their PS3. New gamers entirely. Nintendo fans… the Revolution is not in the same department of either Microsoft or Sony. More so than the Gamecube ever was. The Revolution’s games will be totally new and people will want to play on them too. Even the Sony and Microsoft fans.
Fortune does indeed favour the brave. And Nintendo are being brave. Backed into the corner by their more skilled and more industry experienced rivals Nintendo had no choice but to fight back.
Fight back with some of the greatest minds in the gaming world.
Here’s to the future.
Dringo.
Or so they say.
And there is no denying the bravery of Nintendo’s next generation games machine. It is the last hope to the disillusioned Nintendo fan. Some say the last hope for Nintendo in general.
Make more games. We cry. Attract more third parties. We beg. Release games quicker. We plead and most of all don’t ever let us down.
The Gamecube is a failure.
There have been good games. Pikmin, Prime, Wind Waker, Resident Evil 4… I could make a list of good games. But there were good games on the Dreamcast. Gamecube software is disappearing from even the main game retailers. With the X-box 360 just around the corner I doubt Nintendo will have any space left at all.
There are more games being released for the now well outdated GBA SP than there is for the Gamecube next year.
Trading a Gamecube into GAME will get you £20. A GBA SP, £30.
The Twilight Princess will be a fitting farewell to the ailing console. To the ailing company. A company out muscled and outgunned by a far superior racket of multi-media conglomerates. When Nintendo ruled the gaming world the game companies were small. You don’t get much bigger than Microsoft and Sony.
As Gamecube sales sink lower and lower, as Sony finally decide to destroy the Gameboy franchise for good and as Microsoft muscle Nintendo’s third party support away from them… Nintendo make the decision they always needed to make.
They needed to change. Their market is under rule by the biggest companies in the world. They are losing their fanbase and there is no longer any room for a third competitor.
The need to make room.
Enter the Nintendo DS. Instead of facing down the challenge from Sony, Nintendo side-stepped them. It is perfectly believable Nintendo will fight them head on in the future, but for now Nintendo’s plans are different. The DS is different. It is very different. It will appeal to different people than the PSP…. even different people than the SP. In Japan it is introducing new gamers to a new medium. It is fresh to use. There are no complex analogue sticks, there is no mass of buttons or confusing 3D space. We have a simple console, with both complex and simple games.
To introduce new gamers you need to realise what puts them off. As veteran players we know how to yield dual analogue controller and input the correct series of buttons in order to successfully play a game.
My mother doesn’t. My mother is a non-gamer.
The DS is a piece of Nintendo branded genius. It is selling well and selling to people who have never owned a game machine in their life.
The Revolution has its critics. Critics who don’t understand.
It is a remote controller. New gamers can relate to the remote control, new gamers can get to grips with a simple mechanism like this. And old gamers are interested in discovering it. Just to try something new.
You won’t get third party support. Ha, how little you know. EA, Activision, THQ, Ubi-soft will all add gimmicks to their games and use the “shell” controller. But there are more third parties out there my friend. Lionheart, PC game designers at heart, are licking their lips. Valve surely are too. In fact a wealth of PC designers will notice Nintendo. But not just them. Grasshopper studio, the makers of Killer 7, are exactly who Nintendo want to attract. Small development studios who want to create something fresh. Something new that’ll give them a name, gain them some money. A new genre, a new piece of gaming perfection. Something clever. There will be thousands of Grasshopper esq. Development studio’s dying to get their hands on Nintendo’s piece of kit.
If you are worried about EA and Activision then you’re missing the point. Part of joining the revolution is saying goodbye to the past.
The games will be gimmicks Nah, some games will. Some games will be short, use the controller for a stupid reason… some games will be crap. But that is all part of the experiment. Some games will hit and others will miss and everyone will learn from the good games and the bad. And Nintendo will be the one on the front line, testing the new concepts to their limits and then inviting their allies to do the same.
Graphically inferior with no HD-TV Matt from IGN can lick my balls. The whole point of the revolution is to go back to basics. How is HD back to basics? How is that enabling a cheap affordable machine? So caught up in the latest technology to notice that Nintendo are going against this. Who cares if the graphics aren’t as good as the 360? If you care get a PS3 or a high end PC. It is critical comments like this that make me want to cry!
It won’t beat Sony or Microsoft Oh it might. Especially with the pair going toe to toe like they are. Ripping strips and fans from each other. Whilst Nintendo are building a totally new consortium of gamers. Gamers interested in something new to go along with their PS3. New gamers entirely. Nintendo fans… the Revolution is not in the same department of either Microsoft or Sony. More so than the Gamecube ever was. The Revolution’s games will be totally new and people will want to play on them too. Even the Sony and Microsoft fans.
Fortune does indeed favour the brave. And Nintendo are being brave. Backed into the corner by their more skilled and more industry experienced rivals Nintendo had no choice but to fight back.
Fight back with some of the greatest minds in the gaming world.
Here’s to the future.
Dringo.
Page:
Fortune favours the brave.
Or so they say.
And there is no denying the bravery of Nintendo’s next generation games machine. It is the last hope to the disillusioned Nintendo fan. Some say the last hope for Nintendo in general.
Make more games. We cry. Attract more third parties. We beg. Release games quicker. We plead and most of all don’t ever let us down.
The Gamecube is a failure.
There have been good games. Pikmin, Prime, Wind Waker, Resident Evil 4… I could make a list of good games. But there were good games on the Dreamcast. Gamecube software is disappearing from even the main game retailers. With the X-box 360 just around the corner I doubt Nintendo will have any space left at all.
There are more games being released for the now well outdated GBA SP than there is for the Gamecube next year.
Trading a Gamecube into GAME will get you £20. A GBA SP, £30.
The Twilight Princess will be a fitting farewell to the ailing console. To the ailing company. A company out muscled and outgunned by a far superior racket of multi-media conglomerates. When Nintendo ruled the gaming world the game companies were small. You don’t get much bigger than Microsoft and Sony.
As Gamecube sales sink lower and lower, as Sony finally decide to destroy the Gameboy franchise for good and as Microsoft muscle Nintendo’s third party support away from them… Nintendo make the decision they always needed to make.
They needed to change. Their market is under rule by the biggest companies in the world. They are losing their fanbase and there is no longer any room for a third competitor.
The need to make room.
Enter the Nintendo DS. Instead of facing down the challenge from Sony, Nintendo side-stepped them. It is perfectly believable Nintendo will fight them head on in the future, but for now Nintendo’s plans are different. The DS is different. It is very different. It will appeal to different people than the PSP…. even different people than the SP. In Japan it is introducing new gamers to a new medium. It is fresh to use. There are no complex analogue sticks, there is no mass of buttons or confusing 3D space. We have a simple console, with both complex and simple games.
To introduce new gamers you need to realise what puts them off. As veteran players we know how to yield dual analogue controller and input the correct series of buttons in order to successfully play a game.
My mother doesn’t. My mother is a non-gamer.
The DS is a piece of Nintendo branded genius. It is selling well and selling to people who have never owned a game machine in their life.
The Revolution has its critics. Critics who don’t understand.
It is a remote controller. New gamers can relate to the remote control, new gamers can get to grips with a simple mechanism like this. And old gamers are interested in discovering it. Just to try something new.
You won’t get third party support. Ha, how little you know. EA, Activision, THQ, Ubi-soft will all add gimmicks to their games and use the “shell” controller. But there are more third parties out there my friend. Lionheart, PC game designers at heart, are licking their lips. Valve surely are too. In fact a wealth of PC designers will notice Nintendo. But not just them. Grasshopper studio, the makers of Killer 7, are exactly who Nintendo want to attract. Small development studios who want to create something fresh. Something new that’ll give them a name, gain them some money. A new genre, a new piece of gaming perfection. Something clever. There will be thousands of Grasshopper esq. Development studio’s dying to get their hands on Nintendo’s piece of kit.
If you are worried about EA and Activision then you’re missing the point. Part of joining the revolution is saying goodbye to the past.
The games will be gimmicks Nah, some games will. Some games will be short, use the controller for a stupid reason… some games will be crap. But that is all part of the experiment. Some games will hit and others will miss and everyone will learn from the good games and the bad. And Nintendo will be the one on the front line, testing the new concepts to their limits and then inviting their allies to do the same.
Graphically inferior with no HD-TV Matt from IGN can lick my balls. The whole point of the revolution is to go back to basics. How is HD back to basics? How is that enabling a cheap affordable machine? So caught up in the latest technology to notice that Nintendo are going against this. Who cares if the graphics aren’t as good as the 360? If you care get a PS3 or a high end PC. It is critical comments like this that make me want to cry!
It won’t beat Sony or Microsoft Oh it might. Especially with the pair going toe to toe like they are. Ripping strips and fans from each other. Whilst Nintendo are building a totally new consortium of gamers. Gamers interested in something new to go along with their PS3. New gamers entirely. Nintendo fans… the Revolution is not in the same department of either Microsoft or Sony. More so than the Gamecube ever was. The Revolution’s games will be totally new and people will want to play on them too. Even the Sony and Microsoft fans.
Fortune does indeed favour the brave. And Nintendo are being brave. Backed into the corner by their more skilled and more industry experienced rivals Nintendo had no choice but to fight back.
Fight back with some of the greatest minds in the gaming world.
Here’s to the future.
Dringo.
Or so they say.
And there is no denying the bravery of Nintendo’s next generation games machine. It is the last hope to the disillusioned Nintendo fan. Some say the last hope for Nintendo in general.
Make more games. We cry. Attract more third parties. We beg. Release games quicker. We plead and most of all don’t ever let us down.
The Gamecube is a failure.
There have been good games. Pikmin, Prime, Wind Waker, Resident Evil 4… I could make a list of good games. But there were good games on the Dreamcast. Gamecube software is disappearing from even the main game retailers. With the X-box 360 just around the corner I doubt Nintendo will have any space left at all.
There are more games being released for the now well outdated GBA SP than there is for the Gamecube next year.
Trading a Gamecube into GAME will get you £20. A GBA SP, £30.
The Twilight Princess will be a fitting farewell to the ailing console. To the ailing company. A company out muscled and outgunned by a far superior racket of multi-media conglomerates. When Nintendo ruled the gaming world the game companies were small. You don’t get much bigger than Microsoft and Sony.
As Gamecube sales sink lower and lower, as Sony finally decide to destroy the Gameboy franchise for good and as Microsoft muscle Nintendo’s third party support away from them… Nintendo make the decision they always needed to make.
They needed to change. Their market is under rule by the biggest companies in the world. They are losing their fanbase and there is no longer any room for a third competitor.
The need to make room.
Enter the Nintendo DS. Instead of facing down the challenge from Sony, Nintendo side-stepped them. It is perfectly believable Nintendo will fight them head on in the future, but for now Nintendo’s plans are different. The DS is different. It is very different. It will appeal to different people than the PSP…. even different people than the SP. In Japan it is introducing new gamers to a new medium. It is fresh to use. There are no complex analogue sticks, there is no mass of buttons or confusing 3D space. We have a simple console, with both complex and simple games.
To introduce new gamers you need to realise what puts them off. As veteran players we know how to yield dual analogue controller and input the correct series of buttons in order to successfully play a game.
My mother doesn’t. My mother is a non-gamer.
The DS is a piece of Nintendo branded genius. It is selling well and selling to people who have never owned a game machine in their life.
The Revolution has its critics. Critics who don’t understand.
It is a remote controller. New gamers can relate to the remote control, new gamers can get to grips with a simple mechanism like this. And old gamers are interested in discovering it. Just to try something new.
You won’t get third party support. Ha, how little you know. EA, Activision, THQ, Ubi-soft will all add gimmicks to their games and use the “shell” controller. But there are more third parties out there my friend. Lionheart, PC game designers at heart, are licking their lips. Valve surely are too. In fact a wealth of PC designers will notice Nintendo. But not just them. Grasshopper studio, the makers of Killer 7, are exactly who Nintendo want to attract. Small development studios who want to create something fresh. Something new that’ll give them a name, gain them some money. A new genre, a new piece of gaming perfection. Something clever. There will be thousands of Grasshopper esq. Development studio’s dying to get their hands on Nintendo’s piece of kit.
If you are worried about EA and Activision then you’re missing the point. Part of joining the revolution is saying goodbye to the past.
The games will be gimmicks Nah, some games will. Some games will be short, use the controller for a stupid reason… some games will be crap. But that is all part of the experiment. Some games will hit and others will miss and everyone will learn from the good games and the bad. And Nintendo will be the one on the front line, testing the new concepts to their limits and then inviting their allies to do the same.
Graphically inferior with no HD-TV Matt from IGN can lick my balls. The whole point of the revolution is to go back to basics. How is HD back to basics? How is that enabling a cheap affordable machine? So caught up in the latest technology to notice that Nintendo are going against this. Who cares if the graphics aren’t as good as the 360? If you care get a PS3 or a high end PC. It is critical comments like this that make me want to cry!
It won’t beat Sony or Microsoft Oh it might. Especially with the pair going toe to toe like they are. Ripping strips and fans from each other. Whilst Nintendo are building a totally new consortium of gamers. Gamers interested in something new to go along with their PS3. New gamers entirely. Nintendo fans… the Revolution is not in the same department of either Microsoft or Sony. More so than the Gamecube ever was. The Revolution’s games will be totally new and people will want to play on them too. Even the Sony and Microsoft fans.
Fortune does indeed favour the brave. And Nintendo are being brave. Backed into the corner by their more skilled and more industry experienced rivals Nintendo had no choice but to fight back.
Fight back with some of the greatest minds in the gaming world.
Here’s to the future.
Dringo.
He's back, bigger than ever...
You can tell that Nintendo themselves were bored of 3D games by the time the Gamecube came out and spent all their time trying to be clever instead. Sometimes it worked beautifully (Pikmin), sometimes it was innapropiate (Windwaker). I think they've finally found something to fire their enthusiasm again.
I can see it doing very well in Japan.
In the west? I can't see anything breaking Sony's grip on the market but you know that "other market" that Nintendo were talking about with the Gamecube, this time they might just take it...
You can tell that Nintendo themselves were bored of 3D games by the time the Gamecube came out and spent all their time trying to be clever instead. Sometimes it worked beautifully (Pikmin), sometimes it was innapropiate (Windwaker). I think they've finally found something to fire their enthusiasm again.
I can see it doing very well in Japan.
In the west? I can't see anything breaking Sony's grip on the market but you know that "other market" that Nintendo were talking about with the Gamecube, this time they might just take it...
I'm glad Nintendo decided to take a new approach for two reasons:
- I want options. The direction that I see Sony and Microsoft going in is a very straight forward one where basically, all they're doing is improving on the same old areas - graphics, size etc etc. Although this will inevitably lead to some outstanding games, its potential is limited. There's only so many times you can rehash the same old games with better visuals and more options before it gets boring.
What I like about The Revolution, is that Nintendo are deviating from the straight forward path and going off in a brand new direction. This means that I can have a go at something new and refreshing as well as visual-heavy, clutter-fests on Microsoft's and Sony's respective machines.
- My second reason is that I simply don't want to see Nintendo die. It's clear now that they can't tackle the big boys head-on in the console market anymore. As hard as that is to take, it's true. I've been a Nintendo fan since I was old enough to pick up a joypad. Yes, I've had Sony machines, and they've turned out to be unreliable and in the end, I've always gone back to my good old friend Nintendo.
I respect Nintendo for what they're doing with The Revolution. If it fails then it fails, but at least Nintendo and their fans will know that they had the best shot they possibly could at trying to keep their place in the console market. It's certainly preferable to just banging out a Gamecube 2 and letting the rest run its ugly course.
- I want options. The direction that I see Sony and Microsoft going in is a very straight forward one where basically, all they're doing is improving on the same old areas - graphics, size etc etc. Although this will inevitably lead to some outstanding games, its potential is limited. There's only so many times you can rehash the same old games with better visuals and more options before it gets boring.
What I like about The Revolution, is that Nintendo are deviating from the straight forward path and going off in a brand new direction. This means that I can have a go at something new and refreshing as well as visual-heavy, clutter-fests on Microsoft's and Sony's respective machines.
- My second reason is that I simply don't want to see Nintendo die. It's clear now that they can't tackle the big boys head-on in the console market anymore. As hard as that is to take, it's true. I've been a Nintendo fan since I was old enough to pick up a joypad. Yes, I've had Sony machines, and they've turned out to be unreliable and in the end, I've always gone back to my good old friend Nintendo.
I respect Nintendo for what they're doing with The Revolution. If it fails then it fails, but at least Nintendo and their fans will know that they had the best shot they possibly could at trying to keep their place in the console market. It's certainly preferable to just banging out a Gamecube 2 and letting the rest run its ugly course.
If they did release a Gamecube 2 it could well be the end.
But I'm willing to bet that this system will succeed. Simply because it is so different and will appeal to so many people.
But I'm willing to bet that this system will succeed. Simply because it is so different and will appeal to so many people.
I got this in an email from GamesIndustry.biz today:
Comparisons between Nintendo and the "mainstream" console vendors - Sony and Microsoft - seem to become more meaningless by the day. Not content with happily classing itself as a creator of toys when the other players in the market are determined to be seen as media and technology companies, or with unashamedly favouring a family and non-gamer market over the hardcore fans who make up the core of Microsoft's audience and a fair chunk of Sony's, Nintendo dropped yet another bombshell this week - the fact that it may never officially release the specifications for the Revolution next-generation console.
This doesn't mean that we'll never know what's in the box. Developers will find out, developers will tell the media, and eventually the information will be there for anyone who wants to know. But there will probably be no fanfare, no graphs showing how much more powerful than your Xbox 360, your PS3, your GameCube, your toaster or your flush toilet the Revolution is. Why not? Because as far as Nintendo is concerned, it isn't important, and you shouldn't care.
Naturally, the instant response of many people is to assume that this means the Revolution will be underpowered compared to its rivals, and that's probably true. Nintendo wants to make an inexpensive, accessible box with a unique control system and a compelling line-up of games which will attract gamers and non-gamers alike; its rivals want to make incredibly powerful gaming and multimedia systems which will be supremely desirable to hardcore gamers and gadget fans.
Does this sound familiar? Of course - it's exactly the same as the situation with the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, and it's worth noting that the DS is more than holding its own against Sony's move into the handheld market. It can't hope to rival the incredible graphical quality of games on the PSP, but cleverly designed and incredibly accessible and fun software has easily compensated for that problem.
That's no guarantee that Nintendo will repeat this success in the home console market, but the decision not to discuss the specifications makes it even more apparent how many lessons the firm has learned in the last ten years, which have seen it go from the top of the business to being a distant joint-second to Sony's PlayStation behemoth. If Nintendo doesn't want to talk about specs, it's less because they're afraid of being compared to their rivals, and more because they know that their audience neither understands nor cares about the figures.
Ultimately, that's also something Sony and Microsoft could learn from. Cell and RSX, PowerPC and Xenos, none of these things will matter down the line to anyone other than fanboys arguing on forums. Consoles sell because they have compelling content, and Sony has successfully dominated the market for two generations despite having the least powerful console on both occasions.
What will matter in the next generation is getting the content to satisfy the hardcore gaming population, and more importantly, working out how to engage the countless people who would play games but aren't engaged by anything our industry produces at present. Here's a hint - they're unlikely to be wooed by the awesome size of your throbbing graphics chipset, but they might just be interested in stroking a puppy, singing a song or dancing a dance. The next generation battle will only be fought for a short time over the hearts and minds of the 100 million people who buy consoles right now. The real battle will be for the hundreds of millions of people who don't, and the challenge in that market is not to win the meaningless specification war, it's to innovate and evolve - or face becoming irrelevant.
- - - -
Says bascially the same as Dringo, only is a less baised manner ;-P
Comparisons between Nintendo and the "mainstream" console vendors - Sony and Microsoft - seem to become more meaningless by the day. Not content with happily classing itself as a creator of toys when the other players in the market are determined to be seen as media and technology companies, or with unashamedly favouring a family and non-gamer market over the hardcore fans who make up the core of Microsoft's audience and a fair chunk of Sony's, Nintendo dropped yet another bombshell this week - the fact that it may never officially release the specifications for the Revolution next-generation console.
This doesn't mean that we'll never know what's in the box. Developers will find out, developers will tell the media, and eventually the information will be there for anyone who wants to know. But there will probably be no fanfare, no graphs showing how much more powerful than your Xbox 360, your PS3, your GameCube, your toaster or your flush toilet the Revolution is. Why not? Because as far as Nintendo is concerned, it isn't important, and you shouldn't care.
Naturally, the instant response of many people is to assume that this means the Revolution will be underpowered compared to its rivals, and that's probably true. Nintendo wants to make an inexpensive, accessible box with a unique control system and a compelling line-up of games which will attract gamers and non-gamers alike; its rivals want to make incredibly powerful gaming and multimedia systems which will be supremely desirable to hardcore gamers and gadget fans.
Does this sound familiar? Of course - it's exactly the same as the situation with the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, and it's worth noting that the DS is more than holding its own against Sony's move into the handheld market. It can't hope to rival the incredible graphical quality of games on the PSP, but cleverly designed and incredibly accessible and fun software has easily compensated for that problem.
That's no guarantee that Nintendo will repeat this success in the home console market, but the decision not to discuss the specifications makes it even more apparent how many lessons the firm has learned in the last ten years, which have seen it go from the top of the business to being a distant joint-second to Sony's PlayStation behemoth. If Nintendo doesn't want to talk about specs, it's less because they're afraid of being compared to their rivals, and more because they know that their audience neither understands nor cares about the figures.
Ultimately, that's also something Sony and Microsoft could learn from. Cell and RSX, PowerPC and Xenos, none of these things will matter down the line to anyone other than fanboys arguing on forums. Consoles sell because they have compelling content, and Sony has successfully dominated the market for two generations despite having the least powerful console on both occasions.
What will matter in the next generation is getting the content to satisfy the hardcore gaming population, and more importantly, working out how to engage the countless people who would play games but aren't engaged by anything our industry produces at present. Here's a hint - they're unlikely to be wooed by the awesome size of your throbbing graphics chipset, but they might just be interested in stroking a puppy, singing a song or dancing a dance. The next generation battle will only be fought for a short time over the hearts and minds of the 100 million people who buy consoles right now. The real battle will be for the hundreds of millions of people who don't, and the challenge in that market is not to win the meaningless specification war, it's to innovate and evolve - or face becoming irrelevant.
- - - -
Says bascially the same as Dringo, only is a less baised manner ;-P
Dringo wrote:
> If they did release a Gamecube 2 it could well be the end.
>
> But I'm willing to bet that this system will succeed. Simply because
> it is so different and will appeal to so many people.
That's what I was thinking. It may well appeal to those who will also own a PS3 or a 360, simply because then they can experience something completely new.
And with the way Nintendo have been pricing recently, I think it's fair to say that The Revolution will be easily affordable to the majority of gamers.
> If they did release a Gamecube 2 it could well be the end.
>
> But I'm willing to bet that this system will succeed. Simply because
> it is so different and will appeal to so many people.
That's what I was thinking. It may well appeal to those who will also own a PS3 or a 360, simply because then they can experience something completely new.
And with the way Nintendo have been pricing recently, I think it's fair to say that The Revolution will be easily affordable to the majority of gamers.
exactly, i cant see many 360 players getting a ps3 or visa versa, so it seems revolution may be an ideal 2nd console to have
That's what I'm planning to do. 360 in the summer and Revolution the following year or a bit after that. PS3 doesn't interest me.
That's a fantastic article YH, put far better than what I wrote... which I wrote in 5 minutes in fact.
Chr1s wrote:
> What I like about The Revolution, is that Nintendo are deviating from
> the straight forward path and going off in a brand new direction. This
> means that I can have a go at something new and refreshing as well as
> visual-heavy, clutter-fests on Microsoft's and Sony's respective
> machines.
Very true. Nintendo have always been the best at innovation and Sony and Microsoft are falling into the trap of churning out the same old game but with a few added extras that aren't worth the money if you have the prequel.
I hope it does really well.
> What I like about The Revolution, is that Nintendo are deviating from
> the straight forward path and going off in a brand new direction. This
> means that I can have a go at something new and refreshing as well as
> visual-heavy, clutter-fests on Microsoft's and Sony's respective
> machines.
Very true. Nintendo have always been the best at innovation and Sony and Microsoft are falling into the trap of churning out the same old game but with a few added extras that aren't worth the money if you have the prequel.
I hope it does really well.
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