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GameCube Hits the Street
boozie writes: "Reports began surfacing yesterday afternoon concerning GameCube goods beginning to trickle into the hands of Japanese consumers...Today we received the first pictures of the finished unit and its associated packaging as sold to a store employee in Tokyo."
Why can they release it in Japan before they can release it here (by several months apparently)... I'm assuming the hardware is the same (?) so why did they have to push back their NA release date?
If God gave us curiosity
I would wager that the controller itself is more complex than the NES! I know, I'm stating the obvious, but it's still sort of funny to think about...
python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
Hmm, well, if you won't play a good game because it's "kiddy" ala Banjo-Tooie, Rayman, and even Pokemon Puzzle League, then you'd better not be calling yourself a hardcore gamer bud. While I myself enjoy a good, mature game like Metal Gear Solid or Dino Crisis, it's not a crime to play something like Mario or even Pokemon. For me, I play a game if I like it, screw the fact if I'm "Too old" or it's "Immature." Besides, even if you don't like those games anyway, as I said, Nintendo is MUCH more open to Mature games nowadays, with Silicon Knights onboard, Capcom developing Resident Evil 0, and the such. So basically, there SHOULD be something for everyone.
So basically, all I can say is that people should hold their judgement untill they actually see the games in action. With the PS2 already out, you can truly make a real comparison. So wait and see, and give Nintendo, Sony, and even -shudder- Microsoft a chance......you may be surprised.
Does it go on forever?
Seriously, I always thought the N64 controller was *the* masterpiece of ergonomic controller design. Not only did it fit most hands perfectly, but it was versatile, offering three distinct gripping areas, the middle one feeling nicely like a gun for those shooter games.
Now they go and throw it away for a DualShock PSX rip-off? Bah.
I also have to say that a box isn't sexy. It isn't even cute. The design just strikes me as being a boxy and plain Model T type styling. No, looks aren't terribly important in a gaming console--but the PS2 is both simple and sexy. I wish Nintendo had kept their controller along N64 lines and made the console design more sleek. A purple box is just going to look out of place sitting atop my DVD player or VCR, whereas the PS2 looks right at home.
Not that I'm going to buy one. I gave up on consoles. Playstation, N64, Saturn, Dreamcast, PS2, GameCube, X-Box--that's 7 machines in recent times. That's just too many. I want games that I can still play 5 years from now without having to have 7 weird boxes daisy-chained across my entertainment center. That's why I've pledged to go PC-only. I may not get the newest Zelda or Mario or FF games, but I get a lot of cool others--and all the rest will eventually be emulated well enough in time. Let's see, ~3000 arcade games both classic and contemporary, hundreds of old "abandonware" PC games, dozens of my NES and SNES and Genesis favorites, a dozen of my favorite old Mac shareware games courtesy of the open-source Basilisk II emulator, all pulled off the Net for free, plus Bleem! and VGS to play some used PS discs bought for a song, plus whatever cool new PC games I ant to buy like the Quakes and all those mods and customizations which can never all make it to the console ports, the Unreals, lots of Star Trek some of which is actually good like Elite Force and Dominion Wars, Alice, Tomb Raider 37: More of Lara's Tits, etc. etc. etc.
I know the lure of the console and all its exclusives is great. But it would be better for the gaming community in the long run to support only more open platforms, like the PC and Mac, not consoles. It's hard to resist, but when I realize that I don't want dozens of proprietary boxes most of which are outdated cluttering my space just to play games--and even more I don't want to throw away or give away my old games whenever new consoles come out--I don't feel right supporting the console industry. Fuck 'em. My PC is better any day, and will be able to emulate 'em all eventually.
Chasing Amy
(We all chase Amy...)
"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws"-Tacitus
The expansion device will become a hallmark of the true diehard videogame afficionado of the given era.
e.g.:
"Hey, do you remember the (Atari 2600 / Colecovision / Sega Master System / Gamecube)! That was so much fun!"
"Don't waste my time, Dude. I had the (Starpath Supercharger / ADAM / 32X / <Gamecube Expansion>)!"
"Woah. Hardcore."
OK, I'll bite the AC.
"Err, remember the Virutal Boy" Its true, this was a rare aberration - just about Nintendo's only big false move. Gunpei Yokoi didn't deserve the shunning he got as his creator; surely the success of Game 'n' Watch and then the Gameboy (official most popular console of all time) outweighed this one failure.
"And let's not forget how bad the Nintendo64 is doing, compared to the PSX and Dreamcast." The 64 sold quite a few more machines than the Dreamcast will ever manage, and while sales didn't quite reach PSX levels I'd rather have the console that gave us Mario64, Goldeneye and Zelda: Ocarina Of Time than any other.
And finally,
"Can the GameCube play progressive-scan DVDs?" Yes, if you buy the $300 Panasonic DVD version. Can the X-Box? No, according to latest reports, they've taken the progressive support for DVD off. In any case, the X-Box DVD support is an addon that brings the price of the console + adaptor to that (a) more than the Panasonic, and (b) about that of the price of a normal Cube plus a cheap DVD player.
but then I'm falling for a troll, aren't I?
"I Know You Are But What Am I?"
According to Cube.IGN all three of the Japanese GameCube launch titles have received gaming publication Famitsu's "gold" rating. The games are Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race: Blue Storm and Super Monkey Ball.
Nintendo's systems have always been 'drab'. They are the Volvos of gaming consoles .. less attention (money, effort) spent on designing a cool shell (think of the original NES compared to the Genesis .. the NES was just plain _boring_), but those who _know_, know that Nintendo makes kick-ass systems and games, in the same way that auto-fans knew that what is inside the Volvo more than makes up for its boxiness. (Although, the last few years, Volvo has made their cars considerably sexier, so the comparison may not be valid today as it was 10 years ago.)
"Old man yells at systemd"
People who quote Nostradamus need more than modding down. They need a good kicking to restore their grip on reality.
"Information wants to be paid"
Okay, a lot of good points have been made. Specifically, production restraints on the consoles, but they also want to see which games flop and which do well (though i know that what does well in Japan doesn't always do well here).
Anyway, I know with most consoles in the past, the games and hardware are region-specific. that is, a Japanese game will not play in an American unit, and vice versa. Now, i'm pretty sure this is just an artificial limitation to stop export of the consoles, but it does mean that you can't just pick up 100,000 consoles from Japan and sell them here unless you know a 100,000 people that want Japanese-language games.
Then again, i wouldn't put that past some people...
ben.c
Spoken like someone who has never HELD the GameCube controller for themselves. It's not a Playstation rip-off. The controller is outstanding, much easier to hold than the Dual Shock, and incredibly comfortable.
... and the digital click when fully depressed opens a whole new world of gameplay possibilities.
... remember, the box isn't being aimed at YOU. If the box looks out of place with all your home entertainment equipment, then you aren't Nintendo's market.
The only downside is the ill-conceived "Z-Button" that really needs a counter part of the opposite side, or should just be eliminated. However, they did make it easier to find, adding a little nub so you know when your finger is on the button.
The best part is the shoulder buttons. They move very smoothly, with great response
As for the rest of your comments about the GCN
By the way, there's a Black one as well. And will look just fine sitting next to my PS2, on top of my receiver.
There's more great information at Planet GameCube as well, including information on one of thier die-hard staff in Japan as we speak for the launch.