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Nintendo Confirms New Console In 2005
GweeDo writes "It is official. Nintendo will be releasing their next console right along side Sony's PS3 in 2005. The news was released here by cube.ign.com. They also went on to say that Retro Studies is working on a Prequel to Metroid Prime. The best quote to all you people that said Nintendo was leaving the console market is this: 'Iwata emphasized Nintendo's plans to stick in the console industry by saying, "When we withdraw from the home game console, that's when we withdraw from the video game business."'"
nintendo is a juggernaut. they have a lock on some of the most lucrative franchises in the gaming industry (zelda, pokmon, metroid, etc), so why would anyone scoff and say they would not develop another console to compete? playstation fanboi trolls?
"Powers. I have them."
I hope for their sake they have a realistic plan for designing the hardware and consider it a contender to go head-to-head against Sony. The GameCube is great, but it's not nearly as good (from a hardware standpoint) than the X-Box or what's in store for the PS3. Either way, they MUST be planning on making a PROFIT from the console. Why else would they want to go through the trouble of spending mucho dollars of R&D? Anyone who keeps the myth of "platform makers losing money on the hardware" can finally shut the hell up!
... we all couldn't imagine a videogame market without a SEGA home console and, who could have seen it before, releasing games for Sony and Nintendo consoles!
This is not intended as flamebait for the SEGA lovers, since I was a fervent DC evangelist since the day it was released in Japan.
So, a market without Nintendo hardware is possible, just as a market without SEGA hardware is now. We still get their great games, but not on their hardware.
For me this raises a few questions. Will it be backwards compatiable with the Gamecube much like the PS2 is with the PSX. This helped the PS2 in its first year a lot. It gave it a huge library of games to let you play while you waited for more PS2 specific titles to come. Then their is the question of Gameboy Advance integration/connection. Nintendo has pushed the link technology alot and is only starting to push it more (GBPLayer in May). What will see from them that way? Also, will we see a more advanced GB soon after that desinged to work wonders with the new console? Who knows. It is all speculation right now, but it will be interesting to see.
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i've been following the video game industry for some time now, and it is interesting to evaluate the advantage of being a 'first mover'.
during the genesis/snes wars, the first mover advantage most defn. helped sega when the technologically super snes arrived. the installed base invalidated the technical differences to a degree, and sega did pretty well for themselves.
during the saturn/ps1 wars, sega again had first mover advantage. but they negated that advantage by 1) coming out at too high a price point (i think $300) and 2) missing the boat w.r.t 3D gaming - the saturn just couldn't handle it.
during the latest dreamcast/ps2 wars, sega again had first mover advantage, and the DC did do well initially. i think what screwed it was that ps2 was LIGHT YEARS ahead of DC tech-wise - the first-mover advantage was simply negated this time (as opposed to the smaller difference of degree between the genesis and snes).
nintendo, which has traditionally always had late console releases, now realizes that first mover is vitally important. hence the latest announcement. the GC just came too late - the PS2 is a powerful box with TOO MUCH of a installed base. lets hope that their latest technology is on par with ps3 and xbox2 so they can remain competitive for the long haul.
smd4985
For the next 15 or so years Nintendo will have an attribute that MS and Sony cannot completely kill. I grew up playing Nintendo systems. I loved playing Mario and Zelda and Metroid games. I absolutely loved it, and while I don't even own any of the current generation gaming systems, I still feel a flutter of nostalgia when I look at Nintendo products. Some part of me wants to support the company that brought me so much joy as a kid. And I can still play those same characters in new, awesome adventures. As long as Nintendo continues to develop products that are not significantly worse than the competition, I believe that their loyal consumer base (some loyalty to the company, some loyalty to the trademark characters) will keep them afloat for at least a few more generations of systems.
Although, I would like to hear that Nintendo is doing something revolutionary, instead of the same tired cartridge-based technology improvements.
Since he's referring to that more people want to play mobile GBA games rather than sit at a console in front of a TV. Sales wise, the Gameboys have outsold even the Sony behemoth(s). Meaning, there are more portable game players in the world than console gamers... Sort of.
The reason Nintendo fans buy their systems is for the Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Pokemon type games. These are just geared for all ages. Nintendo tries to capture the largest market and make truely enjoyable products for ALL gamers. I would hate to see big bouncing breast volleyball games with medicore ratings instead of a damn good Mario game.
Actually, I had a similar reaction.
;-)
It confirmed that I was right not to buy a GameCube.
This replacement^H^H^H err... upgrade cycle is the reason I have totally lost interest in console gaming.
If you are intelligent enough to use a computer, use it as your gaming platform too. After all, it is better with regards to price/performance and very hack friendly. In fact, you can even make it do productive things
But here is what really ticks me off. The NES had a very long (store) shelf life. In that time, developers really learned the boundaries of that machine and developed the art of programming on it. Now I recognize that what happened nearly 20 years ago does not fully apply today, and the example of the NES may not be the case in general, but I dont see how this really helps the quality of games to force a new platform every couple of years;
get a few title which are Nintendo/Sony/MS only,
recycle some old video game lines (Metroid, Mario, Zelda),
poorly adapt some PC titles
- and then the whole thing dies within two years as developers rush to plan for the new platform (with its more expensive games). This short development window has got to impact negatively on both the overall creativity of the games and the full use of a console's potential. The home console market imploded several times. This may do it once more.
I understand that new tech begs to be used in gaming - I just think its best used through a graphics card with a TV-out. Longer S-Video cables, anyone?
Leben Sie jetzt die Fragen.
"Remember the censorship of Mortal Kombat I that Nintendo forced upon Acclaim?"
Remember the censorship of BMX XXX that Sony forced upon Acclaim?
I agree though, they're no "mom and pop", I mean they've got like 6 billion in cash.
Ok, I'm getting a little tired of the whole "kids' console" image that people are trying to pin on Nintendo. EVERY system has little kid games. Young children are a large part of the market and a company would have to be stupid not to have games for that demographic.
Go to the store and look at the case of Game Cube games. Yes, you'll see little kid games like Mario Sunshine and Kirby Eats More Stuff (or something like that). But you'll also notice a selection of more "mature" games such as Resident Evil Zero, Mortal Kombat, and Ass Raping Pedophile Warriors (or something like that).
If you chose to buy another console then that's fine. Buy what you want, play it, be happy. But don't make up crap about its competitors in an attempt to further justify your purchase when no justification is necessary.
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Yes, I know this is a troll, but the point is there. Nintendo has the image of being a kid's company; witness the emphasis on Mario, Pokemon, those licenses. Yet for each big kids' release, Nintendo has produced (either in-house or via a second-party) a quality, adult-oriented title. Mario? Metroid. Pokemon? Eternal Darkness (or even Advance Wars).
The original poster mentions that the kid-ness has degraded the gameplay somehow. The poster also says that the last game s/he enjoyed was Mario Kart. I would venture to guess that that is the last Nintendo game s/he has played; no one can look at Mario Sunshine or Zelda: Wind Waker and say that either game is less complex or in poorer design quality than the original Super Mario Bros. or Legend of Zelda.
Games are a medium, not just a product. Without this distinction being made it's difficult to claim that games are not for just one section of the populace. As a medium, games should be regulated for distribution control, but must not be categorically censored or dismissed. BMX XXX was a good idea executed shittily (read: by Acclaim)....blah, blah, blah. You all already know this. Point is, the "nintendo is 4 kidz 4nd l4m3rz" argument is invalidated by recent releases.
Because Nintendo has gone on the record to say they design games for ALL ages. Which is true, who DOESNT want to play a totally fun Mario game? What about Resident Evil 0, or Eternal Darkness with are mature games? Right now the Gamecube has just as many all-ages games as they do mature-ages games. You just need open your mind a bit and play what you think is FUN, and not limit yourself to what other nonesensical JUNK other people say.
...they'll suceed, IMO.
First, Nintendo needs to learn a lesson from its portable market. Biggest reason why I'll get a GBA SP? OR why everyone got GBAs to begin with? *Backwards compatibility*
Sony has it with PS2. It made getting a PS2 much more lucrative than a GC, since I could finally play the FF games, as well as GTA series.
Nintendo should maintain bacwards compat. for Gamecube games, and move up to full sized discs like the PS2 for better soundtracks and even more graphics goodies. I'm not a tech genius but I imagine the system can differentiate between big and small legacy discs...if my $5 cdrom drive can read those funny shaped business card discs, Nintendo should be able to accomplish this.
So...bigger discs for more goodies, and backwards compatibility with Gamecube. Go Nintendo.
Oh, more adult targetted games wouldnt hurt. And maybe online play...but my first two points are the biggies.
http://thechubbyferret.net - Ferret pictures and informative links.
Yeah, it would be great if they stopped being so innovative and started releasing all the mediocre crap that their competitors are selling. Why does everyone think that just because a game doesn't involve car jacking and murder that it's a kids game? It seems pretty apparent that there are people who enjoy what Nintendo has to offer, and we're not all kids. They do appeal to the younger gamers, which is great, since nobody else seems to be willing to, but that's not their only market. If they're not selling games you want, buy a PS2.
do not read this line twice.
Uh, dude, console lifecycles have always been 4 to 5 YEARS. That's a lot of time to play with them.
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
Don't throw away those Cubes yet, kiddies. Nintendo, Sony, et al are notorious for spreading rumors of new consoles "just around the corner," then releasing them years later when the market is finally ready. Remember how many extra years we had to wait for "project reality?" or the Playstation? If you go by the original announcements, the PS3 and XBox2 should already be out by now.
No, what is more likely is that Nintendo is countering Sony's mindshare ploy with a mindshare ploy of their own. This is the first real year for the Game Cube, and by my calculations that means that unless they fail miserably in the market, Nintendo won't release a new system until 2008. Nintendo knows this business, and they know that to be successful you have to make the majority of people wait just a little bit for a new system. The launch of a new system is a huge financial burden... why would they go running in to do that when they are so profitable at number 2?
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Title exclusivity sucks ass. I hate that each of these consoles has at least one extremely compelling title that is available only on that console.
It means having to have multiple consoles in order to play the games that you want to play... My house now has all three current generation consoles (Got my son a PS2 Christmas of last year, picked up an Xbox for myself last summer, and ended up getting a Gamecube this year at the after Christmas sales).
At least I'm covered when a new game comes out, but even then I'm faced with difficult decisions. When we want a game that's available for more than one platform, we have to decide which version to get, resigned to the knowledge that we're gonna be committed to playing said game at one of three locations (The Home Theater, the kids' playroom, or my son's bedroom).
It makes PC gaming look so much more attractive than consoles, knowing that I had software portability; that one title could be played on any of the PCs.
I also have to concede that First person shooters suck on consoles. I long for the Keyboard and Mouse combo whenever I play Halo. I'll never be half as good at it as I am at Quake.
I also have to take issue with your assertion about Better Prices. It may be valid for the hardware (PS2 and Xbox for $200, Gamecube for $150), but it's completely invalid for the game titles themselves. A new game costs $50 (at a retail store), regardless of the console you're buying it for. I have seen no indication that games for Platform X are any less expensive than they are for Platforms Y or Z.
I wish there was a single platform specification, with multiple hardware vendors building compatible systems, all capable of running the same software. Then you'd have real choices.
(Oh yeah, I guess there is... They call them PCs)
For those that would die defending it, Freedom
has a sweet taste that the protected will never know.
I see a LOT of complaints that Nintendo makes "kiddy", that they don't make anything an 18-30 year old gamer would want to play, etc., etc.
The complaints obviously don't come from anyone who has actually played a GameCube game for an extended period of time. Nintendo has done an excellent job appealing to both young kids and older GAMERS, IMO.
All of Nintendo's "big" GameCube games are extremely fun to play. Cartoonish characters
appeal to younger players, but it is the solid, fun games that have kept Nintendo fans loyal since the 80s.
Take SSB: Melee, for example. It is filled with characters kids will like based on appearance. Mario, Luigi, Pikachu, Yoshi, etc. It is also extremely fun, but has tons of retro Nintendo goodness that only an older gamer will appreciate (I doubt an 8-Year old understands who the "Ice Climbers" are).
Animal Crossing is yet another game that looks like it is "for kids" at first glance, but delivers some interesting, innovative gaming as well as the ability to play old NES games... a feature that was obviously designed for older fans.
And then, there is Metroid Prime, which is probably the best console game released within the last two years.
Most of the GC games can be enjoyed by anyone. As more people who grew up with the original NES start to have children, Nintendo might actually be able to reclaim the top spot. Why? Because parents will be able to purchase their family a console that they can enjoy for the retro-ness, and their kids can also enjoy.
Honestly, my PS2 got more use in 2002 as a DVD player and a PS1. I haven't been impressed with too many games that have come out in 2002 for it. On the other hand, the my Cube has been getting a lot of play time, and will continue to do so since Link and I will have some serious princess rescuing to do come Spring.
What Nintendo HAS NOT done well is appealed to casual idiot who thinks that having sex with a hooker and then running her over to get your money back is the epitomy of good, "mature," gameplay. This is a good thing.
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
If all else was equal, would there be a good reason to get a GameCube over a PS2 or XBox?
The only legitimate reason to buy any console is because it has games you want to play, and can't play elsewhere.
I'm going to snag a Gamecube (in addition to my PS2 and XBox) because of Metroid Prime and Eternal Darkness, not because it can process 76.87 jiggawatts per cubic tachyon pulse.
"...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
Your kidding right?
I have a total investment in my PS2 and games of around $1200. I have an investment in my computer of around $4000. How is that better price to performance? There are a lot of better games available for my PS2 than there are for my computer. They also work right out of the box. I don't have to mess with Windows. I dont' have to hunt down new drivers. I don't have to install the latest patches. I just pop in the cd/dvd, fire up the console, and play the damn game. That is how gaming should be. I also get to play from the comfort of my couch.
Also, how often do you upgrade your computer? Do you still have the same computer you had 5 years ago and does it play the latest games? Probably not. Just like I upgrade my computer system every couple of years, I don't want to be using the same gaming hardware for the next 20 years. The NES was great but it had it's day. The same with all of the other consoles that came and went. I still have a ton of PS1 games that I play but I don't play them as much as the newer PS2 games because most of the PS2 games are better. They have better graphics, better sound, etc. The technology has advanced and to utilize the newer technology, you need newer hardware.
It's much more expensive to upgrade a computer than it is to buy a new console. How much is a "nice" graphics card these days? You can spend more on just a graphics card than on a console and still have a lot of other parts to buy, and the first computer you purchase will cost much more because you have nothing to start with and to compare price to performance, you need a decent gaming computer, not the Wally-World special.
How is it that one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
Nintendo's games are golden. They are the games I go to over and over when I want to just gel out and have fun. When I think back over the years to the games I have the best memories of, most of them were made by Nintendo. Zelda (all of them), Metroid (all of them), Super Mario Bros (again, all of them), Mario Kart, Pikmin, etc... Not that other people haven't made good games (Konami, Capcom... those were the good old days), but for games that I could stick in the console, fire up and enjoy, Nintendo was the best.
One other thing: has anyone noticed how quickly Nintendo's Gamecube games start? (Here, I mean specifically the ones made by Nintendo.) I can usually have the power on and be playing in the amount of time it would take to get past the first developer's logo on a PS2 game.
Anyway, all that to say this. I look forward to a new console by Nintendo, but whether they made a new console or not, I look forward mostly, to their games.
Uh, except for the fact that they are the copyright holder and can do with they want with the game.
Sorry, but the parent here is overrated and in error by a long shot.
Yes it is quite illegal for you and I to download/copy the games and play them on an emulator. Why? We don't own the rights to say Super Mario Bros or the NES hardware. Hense any emulation done outside Nintendo is probably illegal.
Oh wait...Nintendo DOES own the rights to the (S)NES and all those games they made! They can do ANYTHING they want with those properties. If they want to emulate a NES on the GameCube and feed it the Metroid ROM, perfectly legal.
They'll tell us that emulation is illegal cause for us, it is. They on the other hand can do whatever the hell they want with their games.
Hypocritical.....pthhh
That's odd. Because all of those games you bought for your old console still work. There is nothing, save physical damage to the media or the console (or if you've lost bits and pieces) that will keep you from being able to enjoy any of the games you have.
Contrast that with the PC gaming environment where you are constantly having to upgrade your existing computer to play the latest and greatest games only to find that last year's "must have" game no longer works!
All of my old PSX games still work. Every one (except the one that I rolled my chair over, but that's MY fault). All of my Dreamcast games still work. Contrast that with games for my PC. Unreal no longer works in my system. Dues Ex only runs in software mode. Sin (HAHAHA!) doesn't work anymore at all! I have a pile of games that I can no longer play on my PC because either my system is too fast, has too much RAM (WTF?), is using the wrong version of Windows, has too new a version of DirectX, no longer has a SoundBastard 16 sound card, no longer has a Voodoo1 card, no longer has a Voodoo2 card, etc... ad nausium.
Sure, the upgrade cycle with consoles is a bitch, but it's NOTHING like the nightmare that is the upgrade cycle with PCs where a simple video driver upgrade can kill a game! Sure, new consoles come out and new games for the old systems dry up. But at least the old games keep working!
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
You can say, "why can't I get my one single winner console? " and then put in a stupid Tolkien reference. Realize that, much like the Tolkien books, the unification of anything under one power leads to a downfall.
In the gaming world's case, that downfall was how Nintendo raped the market between 1985 and 1989. With carte blanche to force developers into any deals they wanted to, they ruined gaming. Remember Ultra Games? That was a "4th party" Konami used because Nintendo only let 3rd party developers release 2 titles per year. How about the price of the NES set: 200$ USD for 4 straight years. Sound monopolistic? It was.
Competition is good. It means that you have Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo being attentive to the needs of the developers and the needs of the game players. It means that you get more choice, because there is a refinement of target audiences.
I have connected to my entertainment centre right now: NES, TG16, SNES, N64, GC, DC, Xbox, PS2. My Sega Master System isn't connected because I can't find the AC adaptor. Why do I have them setup? Because I care about my gaming. Plus, for less than the cost of keeping one computer up to spec for Doom 3, I can have every console available + the hot games! This means I get my cool Wild Arms 3 and Suikoden 3 on my PS2, I get Metroid and Resident Evil and Sonic on my GameCube, and I get Panzer Dragoon and JSRF and DOA: XV on my Xbox.
If you don't have the money to buy a different console, don't post a whine about it on slashdot. Consoles come out every 5 years or so, and generally have a library of 10 to 15 games which kick ass (the Dreamcast was an exception, with over 20 excellent games). It's as real as the 18 month video card upgrade cycle in PC land.
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At its core, Nintendo is still a business that believes in itself quite a bit. They know that they are not perfect, and even admitted to the mistakes they made with the N64 when they first announced the Gamecube. They specifically made it known that the Gamecube is the result of the harsh lessons learnt during the lifetime of the N64. They see Sony as making some, though not all, of those same mistakes with the PS2 (e.g. the PS2 is a pretty difficult platform to develop games on that requires an extensive knowledge of the hardware, both the XBox and the Gamecube have development platforms based on well known and proven hardware and software, and no, you don't use the distribution of Linux that Sony released if you want to take advantage of the full power of the PS2.)
/. readers that would call the GC a kiddy system: That comment is more and more becoming the statement of the immature, and short-sighted. Blood, guts, gore, sex, and violence do not a good game make. Gameplay and presentation are due elements of a well-made game, which are recognized anon by the watchful gamer. Then again, none other than a psychotic parent would let their kids anywhere near any of the Resident Evil games released for the GC.
I must say that I'm quite pleased with my purchase of my Gamecube. There has been quite a number of really good games released for it, and I've only had one disappointment (which would be the Turok game, but it wouldn't be so bad if its loading time didn't take freaking forever.)
PS To all those
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