New Nintendo?

welsh

welsh

Junkmaster
Not a consoler myself, but those of you interested-
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/fun.games/06/09/nintendo.console.ap/index.html
Nintendo developing new home game console


TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Nintendo Co., which dominates the portable video-game machine market, said Wednesday it is developing a new home game console code-named "Revolution" in an apparent attempt to catch up with rival Sony.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata refused to give details, saying he feared competitors will steal the plan, but said a prototype, which will be shown next year, will deliver "new ideas" for entertainment and won't be merely a more powerful version of its current Game Cube machine.

Iwata reiterated his view that Nintendo should not follow the strategy of Sony, which is working on a more powerful chip to drive its next-generation home game machine.

He said the gaming industry is reaching a dead end as its past formula for success -- dazzling consumers with more sophisticated imagery -- no longer works. Game sales have been declining for years in Japan, and growth has been slowing even in the more solid U.S. market, he said.

"What we need is not a next-generation machine but a next-generation way of playing games," Iwata told reporters at a Tokyo hotel. "We need to propose a new idea so that the game industry can overcome its current crisis."

Global sales of the Nintendo Game Cube at 15 million lag Sony's PlayStation 2, which dominates the home console market with more than 71 million sold worldwide. U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp. had sold nearly 14 million of its Xbox worldwide as of the end of last year.

Nintendo, the Kyoto-based manufacturer behind the Super Mario and Pokemon games, is also facing competition from Sony in handheld game machines, a market it dominates with its Game Boy Advance.

Sony says it will start selling a portable version of its PlayStation machine later this year in Japan and overseas at a later date.

To counter that threat, Nintendo is planning a new portable game machine for later this year in the United States and Japan. The Nintendo DS, which stands for "dual screen," adds a new twist to its handheld GameBoy Advance by having two color liquid-crystal displays.

That allows players to see a close-up on one monitor and an overall map on the other in some games, or use one as a touch-panel to turn or move figures in other games, as well as relay scribbled messages to another player through a wireless connection.

"Double screens and touch panels are not new technologies," Iwata said. "The idea of using them for a game machine is new."

Takashi Oka, an analyst at UFJ Tsubasa Securities Co. in Tokyo, said Nintendo will likely hold up against the threat from Sony's offerings because of its ability to come up with good game software. Sony's PlayStation Portable, nicknamed PSP, will also probably be mostly used to watch video instead of playing games, he said.

"Nintendo's power in creating game software is still going strong," Oka said. "I don't consider the PSP as a game machine so its arrival won't affect Nintendo."
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King of Creation said:
Nintendo is declining rapidly. That new handheld they had at e3 with the two screens just seems downright stupid.
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I thought it looked quite good, but that's just my opinion.
Nintendo has been declining since the arrival of Sony on the gaming market. It did for Sega, and it's (at least partially) done for Nintendo. Prior to that there were really only Nintendo and Sega competing, and they seemed more or less content to split everything. Sony brought with them a new competitiveness which the other two didn't know how to match, they didn't change in time and couldn't keep up.
As far as consoles go, I have a soft spot for nintendo, their first party games are full of innovation, and more importantly, fun. That is something that is often forgotten, left behind for realism and atmosphere. It is also why they get called "kiddy", like only children like to have fun. The problem is third party software, Sony seems to have a greater pull than it's competitors, resulting in half-assed conversions of PS games being a staple of the other consoles.
I'd like to see Nintendo claw back some of their market share, perhaps this is the way to do it. By adding something different, something new, to the market.
 
Big_T_UK said:
As far as consoles go, I have a soft spot for nintendo, their first party games are full of innovation, and more importantly, fun. That is something that is often forgotten, left behind for realism and atmosphere. It is also why they get called "kiddy", like only children like to have fun. The problem is third party software, Sony seems to have a greater pull than it's competitors, resulting in half-assed conversions of PS games being a staple of the other consoles.
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I agree. The only reason I bought a Gamecube instead of a PS2 or X-Box is that I feel like I can count on Nintendo to come out with great "franchise" games, like Zelda, Mario and Metroid, as well as a few other good games and unusual games that no other system has, Eternal Darkness or Pikmin for example. As you said, third party games are sketchy at best (and usually are with any nintendo console), but consoles are just a break from PC gaming for me so I don't mind too much. X-Box's game selection didn't impress me very much, and I didn't expect much out of the PS2 beside PS1 type games with better graphics (enjoyable, but not great for the most part), so the Gamecube seemed like the best choice for me.

I think that for Nintendo to survive they have to drop the whole "innovation" and "connectivity" idea and just focus on getting more quality titles and getting the games on-line. Great, you can link GBA's to each other, or link them to the GC to get some weird bonus content in certain games, but that doesn't sell systems really. People want a variety of quality, fun games in a console, bottom line, and nintendo seems to be ignoring that in favor of gimmicks.
 
I'd just like the make the point that nintendo has more than just the kiddie games. Now pretty much with the few exceptions the games come out on all three consoles. And I own all three consoles and the 'popular' games tend to be released on all three with of course the delays in converting them for other consoles.
 
Psychotic Nutcase said:
X-box & PS2 has more violent & mature games & better graphic
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Erm, the Cube has much better graphics then PS2, where you been?

I own a Cube myself because I am a hugh Nintendo fan and always have been. This year Nintendo is coming back and coming back hard. GCN Exclusives like Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime 2, Zelda, Tales of Symphonia, Viewtiful Joe 2, Paper Mario 2 and so on. Yes, competition is tough with the Box and PS2, but Nintendo will always remain a big part of the gaming community.

Mohrg :twisted:
 
I made a choice only to purchase one of the current generation of game consoles, and I chose PlayStation 2. The GameCube has several disadvantages in secondary functions, such as not being able to play DVDs or not being backwards compatible. Nintendo has really lagged behind with online games, which I think has also hurt them. The old GoldenEye or Perfect Dark split screen four-player certainly seems less appealing these days.

Nintendo really has had a grip on the handheld market, and they've done a good job of it too. I'm quite impressed with the GameBoy Advanced, so far the PSP hasn't made that good an impression on me. Especially since their very first game looks rather lackluster.

All of it is only a diversion from my computer, or something to do when traveling light.
 
speaking of Nintendo, i just got the classic console and have been reliving my childhood through Techmo Bowl, Blades of Steel, Double Dragon III, and Super Mario Bros. 3. It's suprising how fun regular Nintendo can be but it's a blast. The best part is i can get games for 5 bucks. remember when they used to be 40 for the same shit?
 
How are they going to call it? maybe like the did it with the movie "Cube 2".... Nintendo Hypercube! Imagine how cool that would be.
And yes, nintendos attitude (no dvd, no multiplayer, having to buy gameboy advance to use it fully, and of course these silly games) torwards players are the reason they'll fall.
 
Dances-with-clowns said:
Psychotic Nutcase said:
X-box & PS2 has more violent & mature games & better graphic
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Erm, the Cube has much better graphics then PS2, where you been?

I own a Cube myself because I am a hugh Nintendo fan and always have been. This year Nintendo is coming back and coming back hard. GCN Exclusives like Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime 2, Zelda, Tales of Symphonia, Viewtiful Joe 2, Paper Mario 2 and so on. Yes, competition is tough with the Box and PS2, but Nintendo will always remain a big part of the gaming community.

Mohrg :twisted:
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I agree with you, and I enjoy the idea that violence translates into mature games :). As for the Playstation 2 having the ability to play DVD's... sure thats nice, but thats also what i bought a dvd player for so that feature seems useless. The key reasons I purchased a ps2 myself was for squaresoft games and because my ps1 broke. I own a gamecube too which I have loved. The only flaws I've seen in the system are no online play (which isn't that bad in a family of 6) and the gameboy connectivity (which is the reason I haven't picked up final fantasy crystal chronicles).
 
Role-Player, I went to a popular game review website, and am looking at their list of recent GameCube reviews:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
RibbitKing
Shrek 2
Bomberman Jetters
Disney's Hide and Sneak
Pokemon Colosseum
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem

Not to say every GameCube game is for children, there are games like Serious Sams and Metal Gear Solid. The percentage of games which are tailored to kids is extremely high.

Lilfyffedawg, I own both a DVD player and a PS2. The DVD player is hooked up to my large TV, outside of my bedroom. I have a small TV in my room, which I use to watch the news much of the time, but I also hooked the PS2 to it. It's a useful feature. Forgot earlier to mention the X-Box, were you need to purchase extra component just to play DVDs; which is insane.
 
Nintendo is declining rapidly. That new handheld they had at e3 with the two screens just seems downright stupid.
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And I suppose the PSP will be better? (If you think that, get real.)

This year Nintendo is coming back and coming back hard. GCN Exclusives like Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime 2, Zelda, Tales of Symphonia, Viewtiful Joe 2, Paper Mario 2 and so on.
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Exactly. Add Star Fox, Pikmin 2 and the DS games Metroid Prime: Hunters, Mario Kart DS and Super Mario 64x4 to the notables list.

X-box & PS2 has more violent & mature games
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If you want to delve deeper, the PC itself kicks the living shit through BOTH of these consoles when it comes to violent and mature games. The PC has Fallout and Fallout 2. The PC has Half-Life WITH MODS. The PC has Far Cry, it will have Half Life II.

The GameCube has several disadvantages in secondary functions, such as not being able to play DVDs or not being backwards compatible.
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As I've said before, and will eventually have to say a hell of a lot more, the quality that you get from a PS2 DVD will not match up to even a relatively inexpensive standalone device. Example? The N-Gage. It tried to be too many things, some of which it wasn't successful at and costs too much.

Of course, Nintendo knows that it will have to appeal to more people next time, therefore I speculate that the Revolution WILL indeed have a DVD. The DS has wireless online as well. And while we're on multiplayer... The PS2 has TWO controller slots and to get any more players playing, you need a MultiTap. More money to Sony. The GCN has FOUR.

Anyway, I already have a PS1 and there really aren't any exclusive PS2 games that interest me, especially NOT Final Fantasy X or X-2. The XBox costs too much, is too large and has only a single exclusive game that interests me: Full Spectrum Warrior, and I imagine that will eventually come to PC.
 
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