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First Nintendo IQue Reviews
Major Payne writes "I have found two reviews for the exclusively in china released Nintendo IQue Player which is capable of emulating Nintendo64 as well as SNES Games hardwarewise.
English one is located over at Dextrose.com and is a bit more technically advanced than the German one. Both reviews are very detailed though and interesting to read. I also think those two are the world first reviews for this new hardware and there is also some interesting leads on how to hack the device to make it even more interesting to the rest of the world."
That thing looks horrible. It's very cool keeping old tech alive for so many reasons. The games were good, the price can be good now, 10 years later, and it's VERY good to have newer geeks see what was possible on limited hardware
But damn, for a device that's going to sell in the millions, getting the design right first go doesn't cost any extra afterwards.
Games may have a reputation of being just "kids toys" but they don't have to look like a fisher price gadget
With ideas like this, Nintendo's shaky position in the console game world will be strengthened. Look for them to follow this up with a version that places Original 8-Bit Nintendo games, which is just what the gaming world is clamoring for.
Saving up for a PSX? Forget it. Nintendo is the future of the gaming world.
Somewhat off topic but, I was recently in the mall with a friend when we came up to a small shop thats near the food court. Some shady guy in a suit was running it, and they had 6 TV's with these little game controllers. They boasted a selection of 7200 games, which was amazing. It played just like the real game plays, new controller. What was more interesting was it seemed to have NES, SNES, and ATARI games. I just don't see how thats legal, and even more, how is it legal to sell something for $49.99 with 7 thousand titles?
So does it have a fast-forward button, then? What about saving states? If it can't do either of those, it's useless to me =)
True story.
The controller looks way more like a Dreamcast controller than it does the old N64 one.
Um, aren't most N64 games just a tad bigger than that?
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
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Eine Verbindung zum Datenbankserver ist zur Zeit nicht moglich ...
Enter joke about their server being run on the IQue here...
Well someone definately had their thinking cap on when they developed this idea. It'd be interesting to see if Nintendo can port that technology to their current systems sold here in the US. Being able to download a video game onto a blank cartridge for playing might just get me back into gaming. The pricing for the games are outstanding, I'd definately pay $6.00 for a game. These current prices of $40.00+ for just one game though is a definate turn off.
My Thoughts, Kyndig
This iQue looks particularly interesting to me, althought I already own both the systems that it would emulate. I want to know if it will support American-style wattage, resolution, etc.? Would it output in NTSC or PAL? Would it accept our power supply? What about the games? Emulation is nice and everything, provided you're able to read simplifie Chinese.
...was just caramelized.
Is it just me, or does that controller look bigger then an XBOX controller? I mean, I'd enjoy the portability, but I'd like to be able to, you know, move my HANDS after playing some Zelda for a few hours.
Canadian Cynic, canadian politics is less boring than you
I wonder what Garmin will have to say about Nintendo ripping off the name of their existing product...
In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
A translated link, using The Fish for the German article is here.
The name is pronounced roughly like "Y que?", that's "So what?" in Spanish.
Cue-in Mitsubishi Pajero and Nissan Laputa jokes...
I unfortunately can't comment on the articles, as one is in German and the other is currently squashed flat by the Slashdot Effect. But I've looked at the iQue and I honestly just do not see the attraction. I mean, for the specific case of the Chinese market it makes a lot of sense, it looks really cool, and it was a neat idea from Nintendo's perspective. But for the rest of the world, I can't understand why people would want one. An iQue is, what, $115-$150? Go on Ebay, you'll consistently find an N64 with something like 12 games for $80 or so and a Super Nintendo with a few games for probably less than $30.
Meanwhile the iQue will not ever be able in the end to play *all* the games for either of these systems, and at the moment it can only play a handful. And as new games are released for the iQue, as I understand how the system works, you will only be able to add them to your memory card if you can somehow get it to China. No?
The N64 controller really sucked, but just having a better controller doesn't seem worth paying lots more money for a much more limited console.
If my commentary here is made obsolete once the linked articles become readable, I apologize.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
I'll sell you an A1200 with 2MB chip and 80MB internal IDE plus an additional external floppy cheap, with a microspeed trackball even. Personally, the only amigas I want any more are the CDTV and CD32. I'd be happy to trade my 1200 for a CDTV. (Note; my A1200 is missing its bottom door.) The A1200 works ok, though I did install 3.1 on it (it has 3.0 roms) so it's slightly tweaky ATM. It could do with new roms/OS.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
For those of you that don't know, Nintendo holds an infamous patent on the D-PAD. (The directional pad). This is the reason, why only on Nintendo gaming pads will you find a prefect cross as the D-PAD. Other systmes will include clumsy circles (X-BOX) or individual buttons (Playstation).
.... its rather interesting to see that the iQue doesn't have the D-PAD .........
Keeping this in mind
Sunny Dubey
PS: Some of you might be thinking: "Hey, the Sega dreamcast had a D-PAD just like the Nintendo ones!". Which isn't true, you just have to flip open the controller to see why that is so.
I didn't know that the entire system was the controller! Snap an LCD screen onto that video-out and you'd have a portible N64/SNES! Of course if they sold that the might cannibalize any market for the GBA in China.
I'd love to own one of these, but alas, not in Chinese. And the controller is a bit clunky as well. But the possibility that it can run SNES games is really cool, and it makes real sense. I'd imagine that it wouldn't cost Nintendo very much to just throw in the entire SNES hardware, though space considerations in the controller would counteract that I suppose.
I wonder if it's possible to buy "dumb" controllers to hook up to it in order to play multiplayer games? Dr. Mario 64 had multiplayer as a primary draw. With just two out ports (one of thise for video), I'd imagine for more than two players you'd need some sort of hub. But that could get expensive if you needed a separate iQue for each player.
On the other hand, it'd make possible interesting games of Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, in which not only did each player have his own screen, but his own graphics hardware.
Looks more like a controller for an Xbox console than anything else. It's an N64 repackaged in an Xbox controller form factor that uses flash cards for storage.
The name IQUE is Chinese for standing in line as in "I Queue!" sort of like "All your base are belong to us"
From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
Sorry, but the IQue doesn't 'emulate' an N64. It is an N64, albiet one downsized into a controller and using flash cards instead of cartridges.
In response to other posts: yes, it is switchable to use PAL or NTSC - just solder the correct points on the PCB and you're away. Hopefully though, we won't need to - I would love to see these in shops outside China as a budget games solution, much like those Atari Controller-esque machines. Of course, with much better games...
And tomorrow the stock exchange will be the human race
For those of you that don't know, Nintendo holds an infamous patent on the D-PAD
What's the U.S. patent number? It's not listed in the embossed text on the back of my NES controllers, just "Nintendo controller, model no. NES-004, made in Japan", and I don't have my original NES packaging. I need to know the number in order to know when it was filed.
Other systmes will include clumsy circles (X-BOX)
Clumsy? The Microsoft implementation of a circular D-pad may be clumsy, but I've tried several other brands of controllers with a circular D-pad with a cross-shaped raised portion, such as the Gravis GamePad Pro USB, and they weren't as clumsy as you seem to claim.
or individual buttons (Playstation).
(Tepples grabs a PS1 controller.) The PS1 digital pad is actually one piece of plastic, not four like on the WonderSwan. When it's under the player's thumb, the "break" between the four raised portions of the pad feels more like a recessed area than a break because the size of the average player's thumb fills in the gap.
"Hey, the Sega dreamcast had a D-PAD just like the Nintendo ones!". Which isn't true, you just have to flip open the controller
Then how exactly did Sega get away with a + shaped D-pad on the Dreamcast controller? I'm too lazy to take apart my Dreamcast controller at the moment. If you're referring to the fact that the cross juts out from a disc hidden under the plastic housing of the controller, that can't be it. I've taken apart a Super NES controller, an N64 controller, and a Game Boy Advance system, and Nintendo D-pads jut out from discs as well. However, I can see that there are small sloped faces on the inside corners of the plastic of the Dreamcast D-pad. Does that have anything to do with it?
It's cool that people are trying to emulate the N64 but I'll be a lot more impressed when they succeed more brilliantly. Right now I'm too busy playing emulated SNES games on the Xbox (And Wind Waker on my GC) to even get into any emulated N64 games :)
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Have you seen the tremendous amount of products with Nintendo character brands? Licensed products are all over. Licensing is also a way to generate revenue.
Okay, okay.. I only skimmed the linked article, but I'm wondering how the iQue supports multiplayer games. I didn't see any mention of controller ports on the controller (well, the system) in the article.
But the N64DD did come out. Well, in Japan, anyway. Quite a nice little add-on, although too little, too late really. It wasn't at all as successful as the Famicom Disc System, but some of the games released for it were promising - then again, some of the promised games weren't released, such as Ura Zelda.
And tomorrow the stock exchange will be the human race
See this EE Times article on a partnership between Matrix Semiconductor (3D write-once ROM technology, spun off of Stanford) and Nintendo. Also note the large number of "flash cards" included for the price (4), and a description of using the cards that make it sound like a "write-once" technology.
Check this out!
Kudos to the moderator(s) who gave this a +1, Insightful. I think your tolerance level for sarcasm has become so high that you don't even know when you read sarcasm anymore.
ROFL! For those of you that don't know, phoxix is a TROLL.
T O2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=4&u=/netahtml/search-bool.html&r =186&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=ptxt&s1=nintendo&s2=direct ional&OS=nintendo+AND+directional&RS=nintendo+AND+ directional
I have maxed out my karma ages ago. This is of no concern to me.
Nintendo does NOT hold a patent on the d-pad. Nor does anyone else. If anyone tells you otherwise, ask them to cite the USPTO # or equivalent. They will not be able to, because such a patent does not exist.
Read the very first sentence of this patent: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=P
Sunny Dubey
From page 4 of the article:
The Player, as stated before, is based on N64 Hardware and assembled on very small place using nano technology on a single chip.
does this mean it can make new games out of materials it consumes?
Slashdot is always first predicting who/what is dying...
//obvious
All it takes is one sign that an entity is struggling and WHAM! they're SOOO DEAD!!!
Remember, while there are a lot of smart people on slashdot, there are also a million retarded ones.
Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
First off, I agree with you about Nintendo and Miyamoto. Both are great, I just bought a gamecube, it has great games, yadda yadda.
However, I have to disagree with you about "mainstream"-ness of games. Last I checked, the games industry grossed more than movies. I imagine its one of the biggest entertainment-related industries out there. What...maybe the music biz is bigger. I really don't know. But i'd say that vids are huge, and they ARE mainstream.
Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
Or, you could create a handheld system with a control system which could handle everything from NES to N64, load it with the right processors or some reliable emulators, a 30-40gb hard drive filled with all the ROMs, and then you can have a system which handles every pre-GameCube Nintendo system. Of course, it would be about the size of a brick...
Honestly, I'm surprised such a thing hasn't already been created in the black-market back alleys of Hong Kong, what with all the clone systems out there.
Happiness is relative, Based upon the way we live.
Isn't this a geek discussion site? Why do we get modded down for just talking stuff over? Geez. *insert moderators are crazy bit here*.
Yeah, yeah, I know, I should listen to my own advice: "while there are a lot of smart people on slashdot, there are also a million retarded ones." That includes the mods.
Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
Whether or not you're acting innocent or you've never really heard, a simple google search for "snes emulator" will get you good results. Same for any other system that was semi-popular.
While emulating hardware is not illegal, downloading the games you never paid for and playing them technically is, but I don't think Nintendo will pull and RIAA and bust down your door for playing Mario Bros. 1 on your NES emulator. But what do i know?
Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
"I would just like to add: This has to be the one of the most annoying patents in video gaming ever. I've played with too many irratating and badly designed "directional circles", heh :^) Sunny Dubey"
Isn't that the point of patents? You come up with a good idea, patent it, and then it's YOUR idea. Why isn't a 4-direction switch a good, logical, unique idea. It seems like a good idea to me. It's not like it's not original. What's the problem? sure, it is annoying for Nintendo's competitors. But isn't that the idea of patents? I'm sure Edison's competitors were annoyed at all of his ideas. *shrug*.
Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
However, it's not hard to do. Modren PCs are WAAAAAY more powerful than old videogame systems. Thus, it isn't out of range for them to emulate them, and indeed it's done all the time. Go to www.zophar.net if you want information on the emulation software itself. They have emulators for all sorts of different consoles and computers that runs on all sorts of different OSes. This is all legal.
Now the illegal part comes in the games themselves. zophar.net maintains a selection of public domain roms, and there are a few places on the web that legitimetly sell a few games. However, for the most part, it isn't legal. Well, it's not like legallity makes a difference to wether something can be found on the internet or not.
At any rate, if it is something that intrests you, the resources are out there, and you don't need a shady guy in a mall.
I think the most important thing about this whole story is that this is probably workable DRM on Nintendo's part.
Write-once chips, downloadable content, closed "player" system. Sounds just like DRM to me. And it goes for super-cheap in China.
I think this is a good idea on Nintedo's part. They make money (using old content that is now "free" to them) and the people in china theoretically get a cool new mini-system. Nintendo breaks into the Chinese market...
Very interesting.
Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
Why isn't a 4-direction switch a good, logical, unique idea. It seems like a good idea to me. It's not like it's not original. What's the problem?
The problem is that the patent will have lasted for at least four console generations, not expiring in the United States until August 2005 (filing + 20 years). Do you believe that 20 years is an appropriate term for such patents?
Or, you could create a handheld system with a control system which could handle everything from NES to N64, load it with the right processors or some reliable emulators, a 30-40gb hard drive filled with all the ROMs, and then you can have a system which handles every pre-GameCube Nintendo system.
Is the Virtual Boy properly emulated yet? Of course, the system would have to show only the left eye's view because VR goggles are rare. Besides, games are still being released for one of Nintendo's pre-GCN systems (the GBA), in both homebrew and commercial scenes.
Of course, it would be about the size of a brick...
Then keep the storage in a second device connected to the handheld unit via FireWire.
Well, it'd look good, but the ergonomics would suck.
I don't like this idea so much. It seems nice, but now that Nintendo will be actively making money off old games, will they start pushing to kill emulation sites?
"The Gamecube has at least a 29% less install base than the X-Box."
Please back up this with a link.
Fact is, X-Box has a SLIGHTLY larger install base in the US than GameCube. However, worldwide, GC is beating X-Box by # of console units sold.
Uh, yes. Next time, pay attention.
He's talking about the appearance of the directional pad on the exterior, not the inner-workings.
Nintendo products have that square cross. Other systems don't. The technology is the same, yes. Nintendo holds the patent on the look and appearance--that angular cross directional pad. Other systems have circular forms or other designs.
"Sufferin' succotash."
XBox comparisons are a bit weak. While it's true that the XBox has a decent lead in the US(not counting the underpowered, but VERY popular PS2), the same is not true for other countries. The XBox is doing dismal in Japan, often selling fewer than 500 units a week, which is WAY less than half of what the gamecube sells and even further behind Sony.
The price drop HAS helped Nintendo in the states though, the installed base has been shooting up rapidly lately and Gamecubes are currently outselling the XBox and even the PS2 in the US(how long that will last remains to be seen)
Of course the hottest gaming device in the world right now is the Gameboy. It's outselling everything, hehe.
Nintendo's main problem is they STILL don't know how to treat 3rd party developers, though it IS improving, slowly. Their arrogance during the console revival of the mid 80's to early 90's has come back to haunt them, hehe.
Microsoft on the other hand will gladly foot the bill for game development on large titles from 3rd parties just to help boost their position.
Has anyone else noticed that the iQue logo is virtually identical to Onstar's?
Slashdot: Playing Favorites Since 1997
To me a portable video game that requires a TV
is like a car with no wheels.
If I have access to a TV I can just play my console.
I love the N64 + SNES idea though. I'd buy one in a minute if it had a display like the GBA or GP32.
It seems others have done a good job at refuting you already, I'll just add two quick things:
... that has been planned since when the Dolphin project started. Check the web - you can even find hints at it in interviews with NOA's _former_ boss. Nintendo doesn't do things in panic - they're doing all to well for that. The Gamecube hardware was meant to be cheap - and now, at $99, they're killing the competition.
... :)
Ikaruga and Viewtiful Joe are two hard-core games for "real gamers" (as opposed to casual gamers). Ikaruga is a port from the Dreamcast, but is only available on the Gamecube today. Viewtiful Joe is Gamecube exclusive.
Regarding $99
(Nintendo doesn't sell things at a loss, so, manufacturing costs had to come down before they could lower the price. You can actually find interviews with them regarding the cut to $99 where they said that had wanted to do this already in spring but the manufacturing cost wasn't low enough then)
Really. If you want to claim I'm clueless - wear some big bad boots
Now go Google.
it's in my head
As for the reponses in this thread claiming that these things are emmulators, they are crazy. These are not emmulators, they are repackaged hardware. It is much cheaper to make (and sell for $7) a 6502 based system to play Nintendo games than to make a handheld x86 gaming system intended purely to emmulate Nintendo games.
Lasers Controlled Games!
They do make such a device. I forget the name of it, but it plugs into the top of an N64, and allows you to play NES, Famicom, SNES, Super Famicom, N64 and JP N64 games all on the same unit. Seems like lik-sang used to carry this, but I'm far too lazy to go look up the link.
DeviantArt Page
NSFWYes, I agree that electronic patents are not like mechanical or other patents - the tech moves so fast that the patents should move fast too. Here's an idea, software patents should last 6 months (because of "speed of industry) and electronic patents should last 5 years.
But yeah, you're probably right.
Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
How does it feel being a pawn, my freind?
It's been a long time.
Properly? Thats relative... Fully, not as of yet....but its getting there
Click Emulation/Programming link on left
Sehr geehrter Toilettenbenutzer!
Wht does the back of the iQue box show a picture of Animal Crossing, a GameCube game?
I quoted actual facts. I gave links. Your evidence is "Now go Google."
Wow, Nintendo hinted at a $99 during Project Dolphin. And then it comes as a second price cut the year sales are sluggish.
You named two games. I could name hundreds for Playstation and X-Box.
"Sufferin' succotash."
It seems others have done a good job at refuting you already, I'll just add two quick things:
.20030924.gtnintendosep24/BNStory/AtPlay/
Rather than directing people to other posts or to Google, here are some direct quotes:
From http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM
"Sony's PlayStation 2 still leads the market, with nearly 54 million consoles shipped as of early August. Nintendo had sold about 9.6 million GameCubes by the end of the summer.
Sales have been so slow this year that Nintendo temporarily stopped production of its GameCube in August and said it wouldn't make any more until Fall in order to eat up excess inventory. iSuppli said the company shipped just 80,000 units during its most recent quarter, which ended June 30.
Kyoto-based Nintendo did not disclose the amount of excess inventory on hand in August, or how many consoles are normally produced at that time of year. The company has also maintained that its target is to sell six million machines this fiscal year (ending in March 2004), saying sales generally pick up during the holiday shopping season.
With this in mind, Nintendo is also increasing the pressure on the software front to appeal to gift-giving shoppers. It has vowed to boost the number of GameCube titles to 320 by the end of the year, and has hinted that there will be special promotional deals through the lucrative holiday shopping season.
The promise of a slew of new GameCube titles comes despite reports from the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) show in Los Angeles earlier this year that several top game development companies and publishers were reconsidering the number of GameCube titles they plan to produce in the wake of declining sales for the console."
From http://technology.nzoom.com/cda/printable/1,1856,2 23621,00.html:
"A number of game publishers have curtailed or ended production of GameCube games, citing the platform's disappointing sales. Analysts were quick to caution that Nintendo was likely to benefit most from the news.
"Although this is a positive announcement with respect to Nintendo, we do not expect this price drop to have a dramatic effect on our expectations for the third-party publishers in our universe," Harris Nesbitt Gerard analyst Edward Williams said in a note.
Of the 10 best-selling games for the GameCube in August, according to research service NPDFunworld, six were published by Nintendo - a far higher proportion of first-party games than on any other console.
While the console has been stronger in Japan and Europe, in the United States it has settled into a firm third place, with an installed base about 29 percent smaller than that of the Xbox.
The last major game console to retail for US$99 in the United States was Sega's Dreamcast - though that price was an inventory-clearing move after Sega discontinued the console and decided to become exclusively a game publisher."
From http://edition.cnn.com/2003/BUSINESS/04/07/nintend o.reut/:
"TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- Videogame company Nintendo Co Ltd on Monday slashed its group net profit forecast for the business year that ended on March 31 by 18 percent due to sluggish sales of its GameCube machine.
The Kyoto-based company, known for its hit "Pokemon'' games, now expects a group net profit for 2002/03 of 66 billion yen ($548.5 million) against its November forecast of 80 billion yen.
Citing poor demand for its mainstay GameCube console at home and abroad, the company trimmed its group sales estimates to 500 billion yen from 600 billion yen.
"Demand for the GameCube console was significantly lower than our expectation,'' a company s
"Sufferin' succotash."
US pilots scouted for Saddam when he gassed the Kurds.
Learn history _before_ attacking those who do already.
it's in my head
The only single positive fact you can offer is that Nintendo sold a million more Gamecubes than X-Boxes? Didn't it ever occur to you that the reason is because so many people already own X-Boxes? The Gamecube is in 3rd place here in the States. Even you know this.
That's why so many third-party developers program for the X-Box and PS2 instead. I already proved to you the 29% install base figure, and the quote about third-parties reducing their product lines for the Gamecube due to sluggish sales. 6 of the top 10 selling Gamecube titles are first-party development efforts such as Mario Kart and Mario Party. Can't help but notice you ignore all those points! Haha.
What part of "doing poorly" do you not understand? Why do you take it so personally that someone point out the facts of the 3rd place Gamecube's performance in America? Does your daddy work for NOA or something? Clearly, I have won this debate.
Next.
"Sufferin' succotash."
Prove it. Since your were there and all. I'll just back to reading my Time magazine article about the rise of anti-semtisim and general racial crimes in your beloved Europe.
This guy is way out there
hehehehehehe
You're the one devoutly defending slashdots honor.
I don't even remember where this thread is, but if I responded to you, odds are pretty good that's what you were doing, wheras I am having fun at your expense. I'd say it's you, oh expendible frontline soldier with only one mission(foreward!), who is the pawn. Of course, odds are the subtelties of actually using metaphors is lost on you, so I'll brace myself for another famous "I know you are but what am I?" comeback.
It's been a long time.