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Gamecube Hits US Early
semaj writes "It looks like retailers are being told they can sell them as they come in instead of waiting for the November 18 offical release date. PlanetGameCube has the story. Go!" So, anyone want to get us a review unit or two?
Looks like someone is a little scared of coming out after the XBOX on Thursday. Will be interesting to see which ends up with a larger q4 sales.
"Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." - Emily Dickinson
Please people - remember be kind to your local software/electronics store employees. This is likely to be a long week for quite a few of them with unaware management.
:^)
Ryan Fenton
I just don't understand the appeal of these dinguses
The appeal is simple. It's a dedicated box that you don't have to worry about drivers or hardware conflicts with. True Plug and Play, just set it up and go. Load times are usually much less, and errors are not tolerated. So, when you get a console game, you expect it to work right the first time, no tweaks needed. Great for the non-technically inclined who doesn't understand how all the components in a computer work. Plus, if you have a PC already, you don't have to worry about a gamer monopolizing the computer when you have work to do.
Electronic Frontier Foundation for online civil rights information
Simple:
1. I run linux on all my computers. There aren't a lot of games availible for linux (although I do play a bit of the Loki Quake 3 port from time to time).
2. No hardware incompatibilies or driver problems. A console is a fixed hardware platform, so you never have problems endemic to PC systems
3. Games come out finished. No downloading a huge patch of bugfixes after a game is releaed. It just works, the first time.
4. I can play on my big TV. (well, with TV out on most video cards, this isn't as much of an issue anymore)
5. The games are different. I like Japanese created RPGS. None are avilible for PC (unless they're ports of console games). This is mainly a matter of taste - If I was into FPS games, I'd definitely choose a PC.
BBK
Does anyone else think that this might just be a little preemptive strike against x-box??
;-)
The X-Box comes out this Thursday November 15th. Even if the Gamecubes are in stores today that is only 2 days before the x-box. What kind of idiot makes their buying decision on which console comes out first? If that were the case they'd all be playing on PS2s. I think I'll stick with my PC games and let the console gamers battle it out.
PC's are still too complicated for games. To run most games on PC's, you still have to use a DOS-based OS, (Win 95/98/ME) and deal with all of the headaches that that brings. If I want to play a game, I want to have FUN. Configuring memory access or video drivers, etc. i snot my idea of fun. I like the idea of putting a CD/DVD in the game box, and pressing one buttton. It works first time, every time.
Also, game boxes are MUCH cheaper. I paid $300 for a PS/2. To get the same quality games on a PC, I'd have to buy a P3 something, an expensive video card, a large monitor, a joystick, etc.
And, even better, the new consoles are also DVD players, so with one box in your living room, you can play games, watch movies, and listen to music, and none of the boxes are more complicated than having a "power" and a "reset" button.
Seeing as both the PS2 and X-box are DVD players, I still don't understand why Nintendo elected to go with the 3 inch disc instead. If/when I decide to buy one of them, it'll definitely have an impact on my choice.
The reason that I've stuck with my PC is the feeling that if I bought a console, I'd be getting ripped off at every turn. It's like the razors vs. razor blades theorem that every business class teaches ad nauseum. I can get a console for $200-300 -- great! But then I'm stuck spending $60 on each additional game I want to play. That's where the console people make their momey, and that's where I'd feel like I was getting ripped off.
A PC requires a larger initial investment, but most people already have one for Internet access. For $300, you can add in: a GeForce 2 MX, two force feedback game pads, a high-end steering wheel, and a good FF joystick. You'd probably have some money left over for games, too!
The downside is that you have to deal with drivers, incompatibilities, patches, etc. The upside is that you have access to online play, *mods*, and patches that redefine the game, thereby adding many hours of gameplay to a game you already paid for.
I also find that the hard drive allows for deeper, more intense gaming experiences. Career mode is standard in PC games. Between broadband access and hard drives, I think that consoles are just playing catch-up right now.
Also, let's not forget an important point. If you ever spent money on a Dreamcast, Jaguar, Saturn, or 3DO system, you'll know what I'm talking about. There's NO chance that the PC will bust. 18 months ago, who would have thought that Dreamcast would be dead right now? Who's to say that in 18 months from now, we won't be joking about the great Microsoft X-failure?!
For these reasons, the PC is the best gaming machine available.
Great for the non-technically inclined who doesn't understand how all the components in a computer work.
That's not how I look at it at all. I program computers for a living, and I still prefer console games to PC games.
Reason #1: Controls
The main issue is the controller. PC gamepads are inferior to console controllers and very few people have them in the first place. So, PC games can all be played with the keyboard/mouse. A game like Mario 64 simply doesn't translate to the keyboard, so game manufacturers just don't make games like that for the PC -- most people wouldn't have a suitable controller.
Reason #2: Gameplay
This is a correllary to Reason #1. Console games have controllers more suited to action gaming, and therefore end up with more action games. If you like action games (as opposed to FPS games or RTS games, which are easier to control on the PC), you'll do better on a console. If you like FPSs or strategy games, stick to the PC.
Reason #3: Audience
Consoles are cheap and easy to use. PCs aren't. Because of that, there are at least ten times as many console gamers as PC gamers, and therefore console games tend to be higher budget and have higher production values. Only a few PC game companies, like Blizzard, have a large enough audience to justify multi-million-dollar budgets. Tons of console games have budgets that big.
Reason #4: Graphics
Console games look better, despite the fact that PCs are more powerful. This is due to the fact that developers know the exact capabilities of the console, and can tweak and optimize to their heart's content, while in PC gaming they have to run on everything from a PII-400 to a P4-2000, with every video card you can think of as well. You usually end up with better-looking console games as a result. Console games also tend to be smoother -- even high-end PCs stutter now and then, and anything running Windows is more infinitely more likely to crash than a console.
Reason #5: Experience
My PC is up in my office. My consoles are down in my living room, hooked up to my entertainment center. This is the case for everybody else I know, as well. Given the choice, I'd rather kick back on my couch and let the surround sound wash over me while watching the action on my TV than sit at my keyboard.
Reason #6: Party Gaming
The PC rules the online world, no question. However, many of us find multiplayer gaming a lot more fun when your friends are in the same room, because trash talking and beer passing are a lot easier. Having four people hooked up to a GameCube, all playing the same game, doesn't sound at all weird. The only PC equivalent is a LAN party, but those are a very niche gathering.
It's not just about tech savvyness, folks -- consoles have a lot of advantages over PCs.
ZFS: because love is never having to say fsck
Also, you have the 'sold out of Xbox, but still have cubes left' syndrome, where people may go looking for an X-box, only to be told 'we don't have any left, but we have a few gamecubes', its unlikely to happen, since IIRC Xbox has a slightly larger initial unit allocation, but again, it might happen.
Also, its no big deal for nintendo to do this really, its not like they need to ship out the cubes on a different schedule, they're just telling retailers to ignore the release date when they receive them and sell them as soon as they want.
And last, but not least, it generates a little extra press attention, much like when Sega started selling the saturn 3 months early back in '95.
Its all about the games. The GameCube is a TV Game - it says so on the box. Its built to enable Nintendo style games to be written easily. This - to me - makes it a thousand times more attractive than the PS2 or Xbox, both of which are pretty much PCs with bits missing. CPU speed etc doesn't come into it - give it 6 months and the PS2 / Xbox 'numbers' will be laughable compared to a £800 PC from PC World - the GameCube will still rock! Why?
Ah - the warm feeling looking forward to Mario Kart Cubed! Show me a PC game that comes CLOSE to the purity of Mario Kart and I'll sell my Nintendo shares - until that far distant day there'll be a nintendo cluttering up my living room floor!
Try playing PowerStone 2 on your PC. You can't because:
1. The game will never be available for the PC.
2. Virtually no PC game allows head-to-head play without everyone owning their own PC and then networking them together.
3. Even if all of the above were satisfied you can't crowd 6 people around a 17" monitor.
4. Even if you could, most people don't have couches and tables around their computer for spectators to watch them game.
The PC may have more titles but consoles have different titles. When are you going to see Gran Turismo 3 on a PC? How about Shen Mue? Crazy Taxi? Dead or Alive 3? Devil May Cry? Metal Gear Solid 2? Mario Party 3?
Most of those games don't have any comparable counterpart on the PC platform.
You buy a console because you want to play the kinds of games that come out for consoles. Just like I don't buy a console because I want to play a good RPG...those are usually only available on a PC.
It depends on what you look for in a game. If you consider yourself mature because you like "incredibly graphic, violent, adult games" (although I think that would classify you as immature in most people's books) then you are correct in Nintendo not designing its games that way.
:)
But there are 3rd party games. You do know that Resident Evil is a game cube exclusive now?
Nintendo's games are aimed at kids because kids play games for a different reason than teenagers (or adults as they like to be called in marketing; I don't know how many adults really find being a zombie hunting vampire in a dark game with cheesy blood splatters all that appealing, but the 12-20year old
"adults" sure love it). Kids want a fun game and Nintendo games, if you can get passed the cartoon kiddie graphics are generally fundementally fun. Mario Golf and Mario Tennis may have artwork that appeals to pre teens instead of teens, but they are damn fun.
Teenagers seem to have to show they are more mature than younger kids and gooble up games that feature undead mutant aliens instead of Mario just because of the theme, even if the game is actually pretty bad. Now there are lots of good games that feature violence like MGS, I'm not saying they are all bad. I'm saying teenagers are much more forgiving about the game itself if it has a mature theme.
Pokemon is one of the best RPGs of all time. Its a shame that most adults miss out on it because they're worried they'd sound silly telling their friends at work they stayed up all night playing Pokemon. They'd certainly have their work cut out for them to explain that its actually a good game, not just a cute mascot.
As a teenager I too rejected Nintendo for Sega and then for the PS1. But now, looking back, Nintendo had some great games that I wish I had played. I'll be getting a Game Cube this era for sure because I don't want to miss out on Nintendo's *fun* games, even if they aren't *cool*. Does this mean I'm now actually an adult?
From employees in two different chains in Salem, NH: They are not allowed to sell early. in fact, Nintendo has a special hotline set up to report stores that are selling early, and the sales reps for those stores will get fired if the thing is sold early.
Dunno if this is out-of-date bullshit or up-to-the-minute rumor-quashing... doesn't mean I won't check the stores at my local mall when I get home.
To me no game system is an "investment". You're not going to make money on them. I personally won't pay $40 or $50 dollars for games, and I wouldn't have bought a DC when it first came out either.
The DC has good games, good graphics (as good as the PS2) and is a heck of a lot cheaper because it's a few years old.
To each his own, I'm just saying you can spend a lot less and get a lot more with a DC or even a PS1.
2
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
Loki didn't port Quake3, they only distribute it. ID Software did the linux port.
;)
Games on console don't always come out as finished as you may think. They are certainly playable, but there are sometimes games with bugfixes and revisions of games you are just not aware of.. of course they are not patchable, you need to purchase a new copy. If you look on rom/emulation pages you may notice that some games have 4-5 versions due to bug fixes or additional features.
TV big, XGA screen better. Televisions suck, they may be big.. but it is very difficult to stare at.
It isn't the computer's fault that there aren't more RPGs for them
Please explain to us how violence makes a game "adult" or mature. Seriously, I truly want to know. I suppose that if you're with the MPAA or ESRB, then violence makes a work of entertainment mature, but otherwise I don't get it. To me, the "adult gamer" brand of bloodthirstiness is a mark of the kind of "maturity" that begins and ends at age 14.
-jacob
PS2 has some incredible graphic, violent, adult games
A have always thought the concept of graphic violence as an "adult" theme way laughable. That seems more like a concept teenage boys would like. If you really are mature, do you *actually* play video games rated "M for mature"?
I (as an adult) enjoy the flavor of Nintendo games as inoffensive escapism. Mario and Zelda are safe enough that me, my mom, and my kids can play together. Software shouldn't have to contain copious amounts of blood and nudity to escape the "just a kids game" label.
The PC makes a great platform
Speaking as a game programmer, I have a great sympathy for people who buy a PC for home use and want to play games on it. It's tough just to figure out which games will work on your machine, then you have to deal with patches, video driver updates, video bios updates, and so on. And even then you can end up with a game with serious graphic glitches. Tech support responds with "Do you have the latest video drivers?" but you already do. It turns out that there's only a problem with a certain video/sound/motherboard combo which your PC happens to have. And this is _typical_. Then six months later a game comes out that you have to upgrade your video card for, but when you do some of your old games stop working.
I don't know how people deal with this, I really don't.
I dunno. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's because I'm older than 12. But do gorwn adults actually enjoy playing all of the damned Mario/Luigi, and Pokemon games that are produced for Nintendo? It seems like all of the games are designed for little kids.
Well duh. That's Nintendo's market, and it always has been. More specifically, Nintendo's market is everyone *except* for teenagers going through the "I don't want none of that kiddie stuff; I want dark and edgy with lots of gore" phase. It is always amusing to hear kids who spent years playing Nintendo games suddely start berating them when they turn 14. Then when they hit 25 or so they realize "Hey, those games really *were* pretty fun after all."
To them, XBox might look "cool" rather than "ugly", and the games are certainly more oriented their way. Have you seen the recent ads for Dead or Alive 3?
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
Yeah, right. Microsoft will put those other tiny companies right out of business. Which would be bad because, you know, Sony would never try to be a huge control-freak media monopoly.
By the way, where did you hear that Microsoft isn't getting royalties from third-party Xbox games? Or is that just your own conspiracy theory?
Well, a year ago, many parents might have turned a blind eye to video game violence that their kids ingested, but now we have evil terrorists and we have to protect the children. Chalk that round up to Gamecube and their family oriented games.
Not true. Half of the parents I have to deal with in the store don't know a damn thing about the games they buy for their children (ex.: Buying Grand Theft Auto III for a seven-year-old, buying Fear Effect for a ten-year-old, etc.). Nobody knows about the ratings system (which is a good thing that it exists, but a bad thing that it's ignored). When I do tell parents about the ratings and recommend they re-think their purchase, I'm either thanked profusely (15% probability) or treated like dirt and verbally abused (85% probability).
But then again, that's neither here nor there, so I'll just say this-- GCN has Rogue Leader and Eternal Darkness slated for this holiday season, plus exclusive rights to Resident Evil (Biohazard), among others. So the arguments that Nintendo is solely a kids' system are at least weakened, if not moot.
"Why Subscribe?" Good question...
IIRC, Sega began selling its ill-fated Saturn in a surprise, early release before the PlayStation debuted in the U.S. They did this at least in selected markets, because I bought one in Philadelphia the day they went on sale (I really liked Virtua Fighter). It could be argued that Sega, then a reigning home-system champ with the Genesis, was nervous about a newcomer and wanted to grab a market foothold.
Seems like Nintendo is now the nervous incumbent, trying to grab the bucks of people dying for a next-gen system and willing to buy the first one that comes out, and who will be unable to afford to buy a competitor's subsequently-released system.
~Philly
Unless you're a Playstation gamer who upgraded to a PS2, none of your old games carry over to a new system, so when M$ releases the XBox^2 in 2-3 years, you may not have a library of games ready for you....
You want to play your old games?!?!?
DON"T THROW AWAY YOUR OLD CONSOLE!!!!
And car manufacturers have been doing it for even longer.
Except that instead of adding shit that will kill you even more to enhance addictive properties, car makers sometimes add safety devices, like fucking airbags.
python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
Anyhow, I got away from my inital point: Microsoft just can't walk into the console market becuase it's not ripe to be taken over by them. Sure, MS may try to force its way in, but they need the support of the Old Guard of gamers, who, in general, don't like the Xbox because it's essentially a repackaged PC with a crappy controller. (Ever seen one of MS's PC contollers? those things rock, yet they come up with that uncomfortable mess for the box. And yes, I've held one.) I know there are those who'll like the Xbox because, of its PC nature, make it much eaier to hack, but some of us just want to play our games.
In 3010, the potatoes triumphed