Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Nintendo Confirms New Console In 2005

Posted by timothy on from the long-range-thinking dept.

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."'"

7 of 589 comments (clear)

  1. Whew by Gortbusters.org · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I can't picture a gaming market without Nintendo. Mario, Zelda, Metroid... all classics. I got the cube when Metroid came out, and I'm glad I did .. it is superior to the PS/2 in many ways.

    I just wish the plethura of games that PS/2 and XBox compete with also appear on the cube (and further systems).

    --
    --------
    Free your mind.
  2. Good for them! by Adolatra · · Score: 4, Interesting

    While some may label them bastards for their hard-nosed stance on emulation (but with them releasing so many great remakes for the GBA, can you blame them?) and arrogance, the fact is that, compared to the Everything-Box multimedia behemoths of Sony and MS, this is the equivalent of a mom-and-pop general store that's been around for generations vowing to stick it out against the Wal-Mart and the Target raking it in on either side.

    1. Re:Good for them! by nomadic · · Score: 5, Interesting

      A mom-and-pop general store that got to the top by strong-arming developers and retail stores into exclusivity contracts. They're an enormous corporation that has played as dirty as Microsoft, and undeserving of sympathy.

  3. Right On! by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Mod parent up. Nintendo was an 800 lb. gorilla in the video game industry before Microsoft was a monopoly. They've used anti-competitive practices throughout their history and will continue to do so. No corporation which sells products worldwide and owns a baseball team is a mom and pop operation, regardless of who you're comparing them to. Remember the censorship of Mortal Kombat I that Nintendo forced upon Acclaim? First of all, a mom and pop operation couldn't have that kind of sway with other companies but we'll ignore that. Remember when Mortal Kombat II was released on the SNES with all the blood intact? Nintendo took a beating on MK I and lost ground to Sega with that one. I guess mom and pop's moral righteousness fell by the wayside when it affected the almighty yen, huh?

    Man, I can't believe someone would consider Nintendo a mom and pop operation. That's just so ridiculous. Listen, just because a company isn't Microsoft, that doesn't make them "good." Do a little bit of research before you spout off.

    --
    I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
  4. Re:Gamecube support, GBA connections, more questio by Godai · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In some ways, backwards compatibility hurt the PS2. I remember reading in its first year that Sony was having trouble convincing developers to make PS2 games instead of PSX games. And the developers had good reasons:

    • proven development tools for the PSX
    • PSX had a huuuuuge market share compared to the PS2, even after several months
    • writing a game for the PSX meant the PS2 market was open to the game, but not vice versa
    Now, obviously the first reason applies to any new console, but given the general crappiness of the PS2's development tools (by every account I ever read they were shoddy as hell -- hopefully Sony paid attention and will do better on that score with the PS3) developers were leary of committing time to learning the new tools and learning the ins and outs of the new hardware given that with no new effort they could make a PSX game that'd work on 25 million units.

    What you ended up with was a whole whack-load of developers who teetered on the fence for the first year of the PS2 trying to figure out when the best time was to jump on the bandwagon. Without the the backwards compatibility, certainly some of those developers would have jumped to the PS2 earlier. Okay, so Sony wasn't exactly hurting for games, but you have to wonder what some of those games from the end of the PSX era might have looked like a on a console that was truly capable of 3D rendering! :)

    --
    Wood Shavings!
    - Godai
  5. Great games... if only they were for PS2 by Blimey85 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I can't picture a gaming market without Nintendo.

    I like the software but not the hardware... but only because I already have a PS2. I'm getting very tired of these "For this particular console only" games. Each console has its merits and I chose PS2 because I had a PS1 that I loved, and I still had a lot of PS1 games. Now that I have a PS2, I don't want to buy an XBox or a GameCube. I already have a great console, why should I have to buy 2 more so that I can play all of the games that are out?

    Further, where am I going to put two more consoles and how am I going to hook it all together? I have two consoles plugged in now (N64 is the other) and I don't have much free space in my gaming table (a coffee table with shelves in the front where I put my consoles and all the games, game mags, game books, etc.

    Why can't we have one console to rule them all?

    Seriously though, I think I would be more likely to pay more for a console that could play games from 2 of the big 3 than buying two consoles. If there was a PS2 that was licensed and able to also play GameCube games, or XBox games, at least it would help with my space issue. As it is, I have to consider the extra cost of another console, new controllers and other accessories, and then find a place to stick it.

    Anyway, back to my original reason for posting... I like Nintendo games. They have some great games available for their console but I would prefer if they were to follow Sega and stop making hardware. As it is, they aren't getting much money from me (I buy N64 games still - there were some good games for that system) but if they were to release their games for PS2, I would buy a lot of them. I don't know what kind of profits they make on their hardware, or how that would be affected if they were to license their games for PS2, but I think overall they would sell more games because there are more PS2's in the world than GameCubes... and if they did a tri-license and included XBox, they would do even better... but one has to wonder how many consoles they would sell if their games ran on PS2 and XBox. I bet the hardware numbers would go in the shitter real quick.

    Maybe you can clear this up for me: What are the advantages (real world, not just statistical) of the GameCube? If all else was equal, would there be a good reason to get a GameCube over a PS2 or XBox?

    --
    How is it that one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
  6. Apples and Oranges by rollthelosindice · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I recently got a gamecube, and shortly after sold my PS2. Then I used the PS2 money to get an Xbox. Why?

    Becuase Sony doesn't seem to care much about their online gaming product. Their support is terrible. My Sony Network adapter worked sporadically, and I had to deal with inept customer service people via email to try and figure out whether or not it was a faulty adapter or a router setting that was keeping things from working properly.

    Xbox Live on the other hand works much more efficiently, and becuase M$ is charging for it, they actually want to help with support. Sony has nothing to gain if I play SOCOM or Twisted Metal Online. Their business model is all wrong.

    So why do I own a Gamecube and an Xbox? Simple. The common game list is much smaller than Xbox and PS2. Gamecube has "fun" games like Animal Crossing and Zelda that are somewhat cartoony, and not all blood and guts. They also have Metroid Prime which is incredible, and their broadband adapter got me setup with Phantasy Star online in seconds with ZERO CONFIGURATION.

    It asked if I wanted to connect via the broadband adapter, I said yes, and then I was connected. No DHCP, IP numbers, or anything.

    Xbox and PS2 seem to be almost mirror images of one another in terms of game selections. Large amounts of common games, and smaller amounts of exclusives. PS2 has the Grand Theft Auto series, which I grew tired of, and Xbox has some of its own exclusives, like Morrowind. Regardless, I think one of the most important features of the xbox will be its increasing use of its harddrive and the Live service to update content. New Levels, new types of characters. Keeps games fresh.

    Well this post has gone on far enough. Conclusion: Xbox over PS2 for reasons stated, Gamecube in addition, to suppliment the blood and guts games with a serving of happy little cartoons.