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Nintendo To Launch New Machine Next Year?
EvilDonut writes "According to Bloomberg.com, Nintendo intends to launch a new machine in Japan next year, in order "to boost sales". There are no details as to wether the machine will be hand-held or not, but Bloomberg does describe it as a next-generation console. This is pretty odd, as Nintendo has previously stated that the GameCube successor wouldn't be out until 2005, and the GBA is doing so well that I can't imagine they'll replace it as early as next year. The article also mentions the Nintendo iQue, so it's pretty clear this is not just a mix-up regarding the new, China-only system." Update: 11/13 23:44 GMT by S : GameSpot has a very cryptic clarification from Nintendo, that "the new product will be a unique item that is different from any traditional machine", and will be "be [neither] a home console nor a portable machine."
2 Comments of the 3 were Intimating that the new console was the IQue. Not reading the article is something I have grown to expect, but not reading the blurb either?
It's both -that's the point. The summary says that the "new machine in Japan" (which we know nothing about) is not the same thing as the "new, China-only system" (the iQue)
Of course, the Pr states it's a nextgen console ! It's explicitely said it's there to boost sales, what do you believe ? That they'd call it "old technology, just rebadged console" ?
Recently I read an article about the Ique. Basicly it is an n64 integrated into one chip. They also sais that this chip doesn't consume much power. Because of this I think their next generation console is in fact a next generation gameboy based on the ique.
New console was not to be expected till 2005 ? ... So... If they release this thing december next year... Then what is all the fuzz about... 1 month ???
Why don't they do it right - make a system-on-a-video-card and then create a Knoppix-like bootable layer for their games? This way, they'd have a piece of the PC, console and hand-held markets. If successful, they could license the PC boot layer to other hardware vendors and we'd have an easy-to-use alternative to Windows/DirectX.
Windows autorun was supposed to enable "console-like usability" but it hasn't even come close. Isn't it about time that someone took advantage?
Life is the leading cause of death in America.
-Tom
Which, by the way, worked out quite nicely for Sega until they had Saturn development fall behind causing them to market upgrades (32x and SegaCD) to the Genesis that nobody wanted. The Genesis did VERY well and delayed real excitement about the SNES for solid interval (the fact that early SNES games didn't take full advantage of the system didn't help, either). If the Saturn had made it out a year earlier than it did, Sega might still be in the console business since the Dreamcast wouldn't have been the "make or break" situation that it was.
Releasing a new game system would be a smart and bold move for Nintendo, but what about the games?
New systems mean new games, but of course it remains to be seen what this system is, and up until now they had simply been saying they'll make an announcement in 2004, not that they'd actually have a system in 2004 (though that could be the announcement). Of course, if the system comes out late in 2004 in Japan, it could be well into 2005 before it hits the US.
If this new system even "just" offers quality comparable to today's ATI videocards (which it would have to have if it were to go into production for next year), why bother?
More than likely, any video chipset used for a new console would be fairly comparable to video cards that come out around the same time as the console, or slightly afterwards, rather than today. Of course, that's just assuming that it would be anything like the XBox with nVidia's graphics chips.
Nintendo just needs to swallow their pride and just start making games for all of the systems. Sega did it and is no longer fighting bankruptcy. Let some other sucker pony up the money for builing the home systems.
The big difference, though, is that Nintendo is not fighting bankruptcy, while Sega was losing money left and right before they gave up.
Technology is getting to the point where it has actually overtaken the ancient NTSC television. I play my Xbox in 480p "HD" mode on my HDTV for the few games that support it and it's fucking great! It pains to play in the lower "t.v." resolution. Since most people have regular "crappy" t.v.s it really does not make any sense to upgrade to a more powerful game system unless the games are there.
None of this makes much sense when the Cube already does 480p. It's more like you're typing to hear the keys click.
Nintendo's strong arm tactics are finally nipping (no racist pun intended) it in it's ass. Don't get me wrong, I LIKE the gamecube and I have had a lot of fun with it, but it has what, a smattering of games at best?
Perhaps. Then again, with the smaller number of games and the high percentage of quality games, it's easier to pick a random game off the shelf and be satisfied with the purchase.
All in all, I doubt anyone will be able to stop Sony at this point. Sony has spent Billion(s) of Dollars on R and D for the PS3 and whereas Micro$oft could actually outspend Sony on R and D, you know they won't, or if they do, they will create something less than inspired, like the Xbox. Once again, I like my Xbox, but really, it's just an 800mhz p.c. with an aging Geforce card in it. Sigh....
No one thought Nintendo could be beat after they overtook the market from Sega back when they released the SNES (and before the Genesis took the market because the SNES came out so much later). As for the XBox, try looking at the system requirements for games some day, and consider the overhead of the OS itself, and try to figure out how many games actually require what the XBox has. The difference between a PC and an XBox doesn't come in the packaging, it comes in the developers' ability to know what the end-user has and build for it, rather than building for a lowest-common-denominator and testing 100s of combinations of hardware. Sony's had their 2 consoles, but the real question is whether or not developers will be as ready to move from them as they were to move to them if they see a better system. Additionally, I think it's rather sad that most of the PS2 ads I've seen lately have actually been for 2 or 3-platform titles, but don't mention that fact because they're Sony ads.
-PainKilleR-[CE]
...I hope they'll have taken a cue from what's been going on around them and adopt some of the features necessary to maintain a substantial presence in the marketplace.
I have heard Nintendo previously called the "Apple" of console gaming--that is, an entity that can eke out a continued niche market existence for as long as they please. The analogy isn't perfect; after all, one need not justify one's taste in games, so unless one is composed of an exceptionally weak or impressionable mind, there isn't a lot of pressure for incumbents to switch from the Cube.
However, technology will eventually take its toll. Online gaming is exploding, has already exploded. DVDs and DVD-like formats are the established standard. Third-party support has grown amazingly and is now vital for console survival. Top-end video and audio capability are no longer luxuries, but expected. Even Sony has realized the advantages of hard drives, media players, etc.
Should Nintendo wish to continue, their array of insane geniuses will need to begin to practice just a little conformity.
The coolest voice ever.
how about a GBA update where they put ram in it! :-) .... For those who don't know. There is a 16MB hole where the built in ram goes. The GBA has but 256KB of ram [16-bit bus].
So two big ways to improve the GBA would be
1. More ram [say 2MB at least]
2. Make the data bus larger [so you can run ARM code out of it]
The trick though would be to not kill backwards compatibility. I think a toggle for the ram/bus would be in order [e.g. set bit to get "advanced plus" mode].
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
IMO the real reason the Genesis did so well in the US was all down to Madden. Part of the reason for the commerical failure of the Dreamcast was undoubtedly the lack of EA Sports titles.
Bringing the system out so quickly would mean that 3rd-party developers would have insufficient time to get release games ready, and I think after the N64 Nintedo has learnt that a system with only 1st and 2nd party games isn't going to be a commercial success. Personally I'd be very surprised to see a completely new Nintendo system launch next year anywhere, because without software to support it there would seem to be little incentive to buy.
Blaming GW Bush for the Iraq war is like blaming Ronald McDonald for the poor quality of food.
Thank you. I'm glad someone else agrees with my view on this... a game console should concentrate on good games, not a whole bunch of features that detract from gaming performance in the long run.
oh, when they say 2005 - they mean christmas 2005, which is the broad release estimate that all 3 console makers have been giving for the nextgen gear.
but anyway, this coming out exactly 1 year before the nextgen strongly suggests that it is a refresher for the line. perhaps simply just a repackaged gamecube (here's wishing they add 64/snes backwards compat).
but the one year lead is inline with sony's demonstration of the success of restructuring your existing console to take advantage of lower manufacturing and component costs, and shipping the old product in a new sleek design at lower cost a year before your new design. Nintendo may be trying to bring their costs down to mitigate production losses at their current price. The Gamecube may have made money for nintendo on each sale at $200, but it's very unlikely that it's still a direct profit item at its $100 price.
it has long been rumored that MS is indeed planning the same thing for the xbox, and sony's announced pvr/digital tv tuner/ps2 certainly sounds like they aren't bucking the trend.
Releasing the next gen nintendo box now would be a -bad- move. developer support for the gamecube has been evaporating - but the trend may reverse itself due to the GC's strong sales with its new superlow price. if they keep to the official schedule, they have a shot at getting developers back on board with their refresh product, and actually have some 3rd party games for their next console.
besides, if it was the nextgen console - there'd already have to have been developer kits sent out, and someone would've leaked something - one does not crank out games for nintendo in 10 months. (nintendo not being a fan of shovelware)
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
I think your analogy only partially works and with a little research you would have found that currently, with Nintendo extending it's price-drop almost world-wide it has furthered it's second place world-wide marketshare lead. If U.S sales continue as they are into the Holiday (which is anyone's guess) they will have quite a lead over the XBox in this country. So, Apple is about 3% of sold computers, the percentage is a bit higher when you consider the number of non-profits and other organizations who continue to use the older models but aren't buying new ones. This is a far cry from Nintendo, who has the biggest selling video-game system in the world (The GBA), and the second-best selling console in the world (The GameCube). And while the latter is trailing the PS2 by a sizeably chunk it is anywhere from being a "niche" player. Such statements can be chalked up to ignorance and lack of research, because a few Google Searches and statistics would tell you otherwise.
Something intelligent here.
Why don't they do it right - make a system-on-a-video-card and then create a Knoppix-like bootable layer for their games?
It's been done - the Creative Labs 3DO Blaster was a 3DO on an expansion card. It wasn't a success.
The don't do that because it would invite SERIOUS piracy, and starve the model of revenue. Imagine if the PS2 was available as a PCI card, and you just needed to pop you PS2 disk into your DVD drive and get playing... except that one of the primary anti-piracy measures used by the PS2 is it's INABILITY to read DVD-R and CD-R disks - using a standaqrd PC drive would circumvent this completely, and kids would start trading copied PS2 disks at school, just as happened with Amiga game disks.
That was classic intercourse!
Nintendo has made and remade their old systems. Mostly its to include cheaper parts, and sometimes it also includes a size reduction. Gameboy goes thru the most facelifts. Therefore, I'm guessing it's either: a new design for the cube (perhaps smaller/lighter?), a new design for Gameboy Advance with a mobile phone imbedded (that's where my money is), or a new phone with yet another set of cartridges for games. I suppose another possibility is a super Game-N-Watch system, but how unlikely is that?
Read this story on maxconsole earlier today.
;-)
...
iQue seems cool, but IMHO you can get an N64 cheaper these days from places like eBay, and the iQue is more or less the N64.
Some cut/paste from the maxconsole story:
Nintendo 64 Nano-Technology inside It is now confirmed that the iQue player is a Nintendo 64 console that makes use of similar Nano-Technolgy that is used in Sony's PSX: the technology used will allow the unit to have a single chip solution containing CPU, Graphic Engine, GPU etc. Positive side-effects are a doubled operating speed, reduced electronic noises and very low power consumption. Regarding Nintendo/iQue spokespersons in China, the iQue will be the first gaming device on the market that makes use of that technology, followed by Sony's PSX which is due to release in December. This statement at least gives us hope that the unit might still be released before Christmas
What's in the box, including games The unit released first contains a 64MBytes Flash Card, the AV cable, a power supply (220V), the power cord and 5 games pre-recorded on the card. Included are 5 games, while only Doctor Mario is a full version. Zelda 64: Ocarina of Time (10 hours), Mario 64 (7 hours), Wave Race (1 hour) and Star Fox (1 hour) are time limited demo versions. It's a "very new" distribution system, indeed. No other titles have been officially confirmed to us as of yet, but the N64 has got lots of great titles. Full versions of games cost 48 Yuan, that's approx US$ 6. In-game text and manuals are in simplified Chinese language, in-game voices are in mandarin. The box also contains a serial number and password that allow you to download new titles to your system at Nintendo partners throughout Shanghai, and possible also through the Internet. The card maintains a download log, so users can regain the previous game titles again free of charge if they want to play them again.
The sales only increased after they dropped the price to $99. This is cutting into the profit margins on console sales (but those pesky games are still $50).
IGN ran interviews with key Nintendo executives and they're still pissed about being the last to market with the GameCube. Lots of talk about how this won't happen again. So, make a new console with extra power and features. If it's backward compatible, you still don't disrupt the current cash flow from games and have bragging rights over the PS3 and Xbox2.
Nintendo is known for spreading more pre-launch hype than any other console company. They hyped Project Reality (PR) years before it was ready, they hyped the Dolphin from day one... Just about the only thing they didn't grossly overhype was the Game Boy Advance, and that was because their stopgap Game Boy Color was so popular they felt they would alienate part of the market if they did.
The hypemeter around this is low, so the likelihood of a next-generation console is quite slim. More likely, they will announce a GameCube compatible DVD player from a 3rd party company, or possibly (and this is the one I'm hoping for) a GBA built into a proper Game Cube controller.
Until they start trotting around Miyamoto shouting about the second coming of Mario, they're not launching the next console yet. Until they have hardware in the hands of developers, they're not ready to launch.
The ______ Agenda
The PS2 can read CD-Rs and DVD-Rs fine. The xbox, or rather most versions of it, cannot read CD-Rs, but CD-RWs and DVD-R(W) are fine. The copy protection is akin to PC-based ones (faulty sectors or uncopiable faults on the disk surface that is checked by the OS/BIOS). The reason a PCI add-on is not the solution is that it would 1. dilute the market and prevent the creation of a proper brand (you're playing your games on a "PC") and 2. complicate troubleshooting and depart from the "instant on" console philosophy.
Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
Maybe, just maybe, there is an iQue add-on for the GCN. Perhaps, using an iTunes-type store, we'll be able to buy older Nintendo ROMs over the Internet (using the broadband or modem adpaters, perhaps?) and put them on Flash cards, which we can then use on the iQue add-on for the GCN.
That makes sense. A new console doesn't.
In 2002 the GC has three games in the top 20(Mario Party 4, Mario Sunshine, and the same Zelda game mentioned above). Again, better, but not by much.
It should be noted the 2002 numbers are fiscal year, and end 3 months before the 2003 numbers you quoted. In other words, the slow months from March to the end of July are counted in the 2003 numbers while the end-of-year numbers are counted in the 2002 numbers. Then again, I can't be sure that the summer months are as slow in Japan for games as they are in the US, but then FF X-2s numbers don't change all that much from one chart to the next, but a lot of the other games' numbers dropped significantly.
In America, the situation is better. The GC is in fourth place, but still has 4.7 million sales. There are three games in the top 20, two of which are made by third party licensees. However, it's still not much compared to the commanding lead held by the PS2(and ever-increasing competition from the XBox).
Unfortunately the US yearly sales charts haven't been updated in 3 years, otherwise we could get a better picture of things. Fortunately, the US charts don't change much for months at a time because people keep buying the same games for quite a while (yet it's worth mentioning that the GC and XBox versions of Madden NFL have dropped considerably, with the GC version completely off the top 20 chart. The US charts are ranked by $ rather than units sold, as well, meaning that a GBA game ranked #2 by units sold is #4 because the games are $30-35/each rather than $50/each.
The GC is also only 7,000 units behind the XBox in console sales for the time period of the chart, which is a number the GC has been known to easily surpass when a new game with high appeal comes along (maybe next week?).
So given that the GC is basically on the bottom in the high-end console market, it's not surprising that Nintendo would try to get a new system out earlier. Given the extremely strong sales of the GBA, I don't think it's likely that their new system will be portable, either. If Nintendo gets their system out a year before anyone else, they'll have time to build up momentum and, more importantly, third party licensees. Nintendo's strength over the past couple generations has been in their in-house games, but those aren't enough to sustain the system. If they play their cards right, Nintendo might just pull a Sony and take the lead in the next generation.
The problem with this idea is that they really need the 3rd parties on launch, and that Sega showed in this generation that getting out too early doesn't always help (see the DreamCast). Unless they've managed to keep things very quiet for at least the last 12 months, it's unlikely that they're replacing the Cube within the next year, as 3rd parties would need at least 18 months, and often 24, to prepare launch titles. Sony, on the other hand, will just pull an advertising blitz as soon as the first next-gen console comes out, whether it's Sony's console or not, just as they did with this generation when the DreamCast came out, a year before the PS2. Even MS hit the advertising early on this generation. Everyone knew they were working on a game console long before it came out, but since they were unproven in the market no one waited like they did for Sony.
-PainKilleR-[CE]
There are plenty of parents out there without enough money to get their kid a dvd player and a console.
There are plenty of things coins can't buy. For everything else, there's WarioCard.
Will I retire or break 10K?
One of the big plot points in the "Will XBox survive" debates was that Nintendo was actually able to sell their machine at a profit, until MS, which was/is taking a bath. A comment earlier up mentioned that they may not be taking a profit at the new lower price, though, which is the reverse of the usual trend you mention.
Now on the truly original topic, it seems Nintendo is concerned about being out of the gate first with their GC successor. They should be cautious with that approach, because it won't necessarily make the company more successful. The Dream Cast was out of the gate quickly as the first of its generation; aside from the piracy problem, it also didn't have the marketing clout needed to exploit its lead. By the time the market really started heating up, no one cared about Sega anymore. (I also wonder whether the accurate perception that Sega again wouldn't support its console properly had an appreciable impact on sales.)
The next generation console wars won't be much of an advance from the current crop, but it will be defined by content and marketing. Sony is the market leader, but MS' assimilation of game developers may change the face of the competitive landscape. (Gates must be throwing a lot of money around in order to get Japanese developers on board.)
It's really time for Nintendo to do something bold in order to elicit support for the GC and its offspring. Unfortunately, the trend in developer support is working against the company-many titles are being released for the crapBox and PS but not for the GC. Maybe it's time for a strategic venture of some sort between Sony and Nintendo as a reaction to MS' bid for yet another monopoly.
Part of the hardcore faithful who believed in Apple long before it was cool again to do so