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Nintendo's Next Console Revolution Will Have WiFi
nparasu writes "Nintendo released fresh details about its upcoming games console, codenamed Revolution, at a game developers conference.
Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, confirmed that the new console will be able to run games originally made for the GameCube.
Despite the hardware announcements, most of Mr Iwata's speech, entitled "The Heart of the Gamer", was a call for more imaginative game design.
Game creators cannot rely on better graphics and more powerful games machines to attract new audiences, Mr Iwata said.
He also revealed that Revolution will come with wi-fi connectivity built-in."
nintendo sure knows how to sell consoles together.
Forget Linux...will it run Doom 3?
I'd rather play a fun-playing mediocre-looking game than a mediocre-playing good-looking game.
the trick is that fancy screenshots often help to move boxes, and until you play a game you don't know how well designed it is.
air and light and time and space
is release more than 2 online games.
"Plans are for fools! Oglethorpe, the plutonian (Aqua Teen Hunger Force)
sequels sell better than original ideas... and flash is more important than substance when it comes to marketing the games.
It is nice to see at least some companies who remember that games should be fun first, however.
Considering how poorly most people secure their WiFi, does this mean that I'll be able to hack together something and play other people's video games without their knowledge? Or, more realistically, does this mean that I'll be able to join multi-player WiFi games without being explicitly asked to join? Will gamers start driving around looking for open Nintendo WiFis to satisfy their gaming needs?
Or will Nintendo provide idiot-proof WiFi security (which could then be transplanted to other WiFi solutions...) ?
Well, if it runs Linux, then it can run Bochs... And then Bochs could run Doom3...
That would be pretty damn slow though! Doom3 in slow-motion!
nintendo proves once again that it really is the apple of the console world. go innovation!
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
I'm a big Nintendo fan, but it seems like the main motivation behind this is trying to show up their competitors. Both Sony and Microsoft have consoles that enable online-play, and Nintendo just needs something to try and take that to another step. This might also cause problems with interference...when I had an older wireless phone, the frequency used to screw up my WiFi...as do some microwaves...they might be safer sticking to wired connections...
A, B, or G? I need details boys........
Generally, I get bored with my replies and give up on making sense halfway through.
My kids are doing "wi-fi" every afternoon with each other on their Nintendo DS's right now. Will be interesting to see how a 'Revolution' and the DS interact...
I haven't realized that the current Nintendo's President had such strong developer roots. He was behind Super Smash Bross Melee, and Kirby. Does any one have a good link on this man's history and how he became Nintendo's #1?
16,777,216 comments ought to be enough for any forum!
From TFA:
Nintendo's latest handheld games device, the DS, also comes with a version of wi-fi built-in, and Mr Iwata said Nintendo will offer a free net connection service to DS owners, enabling them to play games against each other at no charge.
Revolution? What kind of revolution? A Dance Dance revolution?
Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, confirmed that the new console will be able to run games originally made for the GameCube.
Finally, nintendo making something that has backwards compatability. unlike the 'super game boy' or 'game boy color playing game boy games'. It would be fantastic if they could make a way to play NES, SNES, or n64 games on the new system. I'd spend my money on that.
"In the universe of interactive entertainment, there is a planet we call video games. We know this planet the best, but it is not the only one," he explained.
"There are other planets that entertain, and it is those planets we are keen to explore." so, does that mean they're more interested in adapting other forms of entertainment onto their new system? music, movies, porn, internet? a full computer that will work with their specific game cartidges and discs, with the insane GPU processing power of video game systems?
i want one.
The Nintendo DS will also have free online gaming by the end of the year, one assumes by the same mechanism or service as the Revolution; and they have announced that Animal Crossing DS will be created from the ground up for online gaming, which if you've played the original Animal Crossing, you'll know is going to be just crazy.
Also the Revolution will be backward compatible with the Gamecube, and Reggie Fuls-Aime of Nintendo said something in an interview yesterday on penny-arcade.com which strongly implies they will be announcing a U.S. release of the Play-Yan mp3/mpeg4 player for the GBASP and DS at E3.
E3 should be very interesting.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
I miss the days when Nintendo was on top of the game. Now you can hardly find any games that are worth a flip to play on the system (excluding the Zelda, Metroid, and Resident Evil series). It's just a shame.. and what is up with that freaky controller? There's a good thought for you, when you are desiging your controls, give us something that we can reach all the buttons without having to move our hands all over the controller.. the game cube controller is worse then the original XBox controller (that's just sad).. *sigh* please give us something worth while this time. I am happy to hear that I can play my game cube games (the few that are worth owning) on the new system though..
The Technomancer
"Men of lofty genius when they are doing the least work are most active."-
If I wasn't so lazy, I'd look it up, but I remember Nintendo's response to online gaming as basically "it's just a fad we don't feel like wasting our time on".
PS3 - backword compatable
Game Cube 2 - backword compatible
Xbox 2 - Sorry
"Despite the hardware announcements, most of Mr Iwata's speech, entitled "The Heart of the Gamer", was a call for more imaginative game design. Game creators cannot rely on better graphics and more powerful games machines to attract new audiences, Mr Iwata said. He also revealed that Revolution will come with wi-fi connectivity built-in."
I have played almost virtually every single version of the Nintendo since the original unit was introduced in the mid-80's. Many, many fun-filled nights were had on that system (Baseball All-Stars, Super Mario, Zelda, Techmo Football), yet it seems lately that the leadership at Nintendo is just trying to re-hash old titles. Metroid was a great initial title and completely original. That was what made it great.
That rant aside, I just wanted to put in my opinion on the above statement. Developers cannot rely on the latest graphics and more powerful machines? Correct me if I am wrong, but Half-Life 2, EverQuest 2, Doom 3, Far Cry and a few upcoming games (S.T.A.L.K.E.R. etc) rely almost completely on the latest technology. While it might not make for the best games it is a tried and true method to attract new gamers.
Now, Wi-Fi? Serously, why on Earth would a Nintendo home console need Wi-Fi? Sure it sounds really, really cool to add but it also opens up the floodgates to a host of other problems. One of those recent problems was talked about here with Bluetooth and cell phones.
Putting great technology into a console is one thing, but taking advantage of what already exists is another. How can this gentleman sit there and call for a more imaginitive game design and in the same speech announce one of the latest technological advances in home consoles into the next-generation Nintendo system?
Just one man's opinion...
Finally, Nintendo releases a backwards compatable console. This way, even people who were too snooty to get a Gamecube will have a chance to play its greatest hits on the Revolution.
...Now that they've changed their minds, maybe I won't have to dig through old systems (and sacrifice a chicken to the god of dust mites in hopes that they'll still work) whenever I get the urge to play a classic game.
This sets a new precedent for Nintendo. I remember working as a "Nintendo Demonstrator" in high school when the SNES came out, and asking the local rep. why it wouldn't play NES games. "Why would we charge somebody for features they already own?" came the marketing-speak reply.
I always thought it was too damn short anyawy.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
I think Nintendo's main weakness is actually, game support. I really like the Mario games but I still want to play games like Grand Theft Auto or Winning Eleven Soccer game. The choices are limited, IMO. Maybe Nintendo's goal for GameCube is to focus on certain age group instead of to all ages.
There is a native Doom 3 version on Linux by the way.
Slashdot anagrams to "Sad Sloth"
I can see the stategy now: Nintendo DS... it's not just a portable gaming system, it's a KICKASS wifi controller for your Nintendo console...
Make sure everyone's vote counts: Verified Voting
Its nice knowing all these things about the next-gen consoles, but in the end its about the developers who come out with the games for the systems... yeah the developers base the games in terms of what they can make the game look like, but come on i've seen some awesome "looking" type of games, but when it came to "fun" it sucked. Sony wins again, then mircosoft then nintendo my predictions
http://www.linksysonline.com/
... and practicaly the same core chip. I rememmer an /. post about some IBM engineer saying they were (on their clients request) making both chips look as far apart from each other as posible (specs, interface, etc) but that the core tech (PPC) were the same.
16,777,216 comments ought to be enough for any forum!
I see this as a good move. Integrating the DS wifi with the Revolution...game anywhere... much like a PDA cell phone becomes an extension of your personal computer.
What I see as a bad move is...we have Gameboy, DS, Gamecube, and now they keeping DS, adding Revolution, and Gameboy Evolution. Two portables and a new console..seems like flooding the market.
Anyway, click the linky and get a free DS and Free PSP
This was one thing definitely missing from the GC (to play N64 games), as compared to the PS2. This will make it a lot easier to sell people a new console.
(And it will be one thing that Microsoft (probably) hasn't got!)
And WiFi between DS, GBA and GC could be interesting as well. Go Nintendo!
- A fanboy
Even more exciting - it'll plug into your TV and use electricity.
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
Yes, it will. Linux already works on the Gamecube and the Revolution will be backward-compatible.
:)
Now they just need to get Linux on the DS working, since there's actually some fathomable reason you'd want to run that
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
I had to read the frickin' article to get what the headline meant! This is preposterous!
Think more along the line of WiMax. City wide wireless networks of home consoles. The big advantage? It's actually wireless. You won't need to plug an ethernet cable in, you're on a LAN with every other revolution in 30 miles. Not only that, but the Revolution will act as a base station for the Evolution. So, you're in a cab heading home for work and you want to play a game, so you open your GB (or DS, that has yet to be seen) and send an open invatation to the nearest Revolution, which in turn spreads it across the city. By the time you get home, your game's already waiting for you.
And since each Revolution would basically be an extender, mesh type wireless would be possible. Entire cities could be covered by true wireless Revolution networks.
At last, we are entering the era of prog games. Much like the music of Yes or ELP, these will be self indulgent, weird, complex, and yet wonderful.
The emphasis is on ideas over tradition and pushing the boundries of people perceptions about what a game should be...
From the article about "The Room":
"Action in the game is set to lines of poetry by Emily Dickinson."
How much more prog can you get? None more.
"Mr Molyneux showed how players can speed up time in the game world by altering an in-game clock, and how they can alter matter by passing it through special mirrors, or build new objects from what he called "digital clay"."
Again, experimental and interesting!
It's a shame it will only last about ten years until people get embarressed about liking these kind of games and decide that the simplicity of the first person shooter with no puzzles was what gaming was really all about.
But, as with prog rock, people will be stealing ideas from them for the rest of time....
"Game creators cannot rely on better graphics and more powerful games machines to attract new audiences..."
Yeah, sure. So why update the Gameboy at all? Why bother upping the graphics to 'Gamecube' possibilities? Because Mr. Iwata, you know that eye candy DOES attract the very audience you seek. No matter how much you talk about interesting and unique games (which I'm all for), the reality is that games like NHL 200X, or FPS Shooter version 37 still SELL.
All I can say is, it's not stopped Nintendo from pushing yet ANOTHER version of Mario whenever they release a new system. Not that there's anything wrong with any of this. I think the portable Gamecube is a terrific idea for them since attracting developers is hard enough without making them recode everything.
"...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
I know that there are a lot of fans of the franchises out there, but it seems that Mario, Wario, Pokemon, Zelda, et al are really the only thing Nintendo cares about, and this combined with their lackluster attitude towards third-parties increasingly makes their systems a less and less attractive investment.
I certainly hope the new console is a "revolution" and that their next handheld system offers something a bit more than "The same, exact games you played on the last Game Boy....sold to you again!"
Duke Nukem Forever
...them to keep having systems that play as well as the Gamecube. My favorites, and you can withhold your laughter, are the Totally Odd Parents games from THQ. Running with one free moving stick and using another to kick the camera pov around is wonderful for 3D. As long as they don't mess with a good thing, I'm fine.
Wireless? Not sure when I'd get to using it, but it makes it easier than laying in CAT5 to the tv area and less expensive than buying another hub or switch to put in there if I've already run it.
If my grammar and spelling are off, I am [distracted/tired/careless] (take your pick)
If you read the complete keynote transcription you'll know what I mean with "strong developer roots": He programed a baseball game on his hp calc in college, worked in a 5 employee dev house named HAL (that later became a Nintendo's 2dn party in the NES era). He even showed a picture of himself at that age when he survived on pizza and rice balls coding until sunrise. Later on, when he was working in a higer position for Nintendo he asigned himself full time back to HAL in order to finish a game. If that's not "true geek" material I don't know what would.
16,777,216 comments ought to be enough for any forum!
I hope Nintendo had learned it's lesson with the GameCube and the GameBoy Advance by making it easier for third-party developers to actually develop games for their consoles.
I was the lead QA tester at Atari for the first GC and GBA titles. The GC was a pain since they withhold valuable testing information about the debug hardware for a year that only their internal developers had access to. The GBA multiplayer link was an absolute pain in the butt that took up most of the developer's time to get right and QA had to spend twice as much time on multiplayer than single player. My last GBA title was supposed to have wireless support but that was pulled due to bugs in the Nintendo API that turned testing into a nightmare.
Nintendo could have a lot more great titles for the GC/GBA by making the development process a lot more easier. Most game publishers been dropping Nintendo titles because it cost more to get approval from Nintendo.
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xboxwirelessada pter.htm
IMHO, this isn't big news. Sony have pretty much confirmed that the PS3 will have WiFi (and so it should, as a next gen console) and that the PSP will act as a PS3 controller.
This US Patent shows some interesting ideas from Sony: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=P TO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv. html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&p=1&S1=20040266529.PGNR.& OS=DN/20040266529&RS=DN/20040266529
If this is a big deal for Nintendo then I fear for their 'Revolution'.
I think new consoles should comes with screens or anything like a screen i.e. a projectors
One of the biggest console drawbacks is that you have to take over a TV to play a game, usually someone else in the house might also have some interest in using the TV, morale, make it easier and cheaper to play games
Here is my take on Nintendo - they are so bent on "redefining gaming" that they refuse to try and copy a known good design. Everything you hear from Nintendo has the undertone not of "innovate" but instead of "reinvent". Nintendo has become so involved with it's own genius that it refuses to acknowledge the other person in this relationship - the consumer.
For instance, the DS. The DS is simply a game boy with two screens, one you can touch. But they tought it as something that is gonna change gaming. How? How exactly is this so much different from past designs that people are gaming differently now?
Nintendo is known for its pushing innovations in gaming, such as 4-port gameplay, rumble packs, and true 3D console gaming. But they've become so obsessed with their own genius that they refuse to copy good designs and give the customer what they want. Instead they'd rather "define" what you want and give it to you.. in their vision. So instead of a platform that is superior because it has the best games, instead we get platforms that are technically superior but no games to play on it.
Nintendo.. Sega called, it said you better step it up or just get out. Stop dick teasing all of us into thinking you're gonna give us some real good games and then pulling the "change the way you think" shell game.
...that all the standard next-gen Nintendo controllers will be wireless? Now that would be nice.
I'm not good in groups. It's difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent. - Q
Have you guys noticed how IBM is behind the CPUs for all 3 next-gen consoles? (ps3, xbox2, 'tendo revolution)
Until Nintendo gets with the program and starts aiming at the over 13 crowd I can't get excited about their products. I bought a Gamecube at launch and own 3 games to this day simply because there is NOTHING out there for the older demographic. This is compared to about 20 X-Box and 25 or so PS2 games in my collection.
Keep Austin Weird!
I know this will kill my karma, but what is the big attraction to this game?
After reading all of the reviews raving about it's complexity, it was the first title I bought. But am I missing something? The game seems like a remarkably simple fighter with very unresponsive controls. I can't tell you how many times 3 friends and I have tossed it in to give it a whirl only to switch to another game shortly after.
The general concensus seems to be that it's an impressively deep multiplayer game-am I doing something wrong here? Does anbody else feel this way? I honestly feel like I'm playing a different game than everybody else.
If you could be anything you want, I'll bet you'd be disappointed.
Anybody notice the RED start button in the article's screenshot? Haven't seen that since before the cube came out, and the B button was kidney shaped like X and Y.
The only reason I can think of to include wifi would be to have interoperability with the DS. Which is certainly cool, granted - but doesn't it seem just a little pointless to bother with wireless on a game console that will rarely, if ever, actually be *moving*? The point of wireless is to facilitate mobile devices - this isn't one.
I'm the stranger...posting to
Yes, Doom 3 relied very heavily on new tech - but that was about it, and thus was somewhat panned in reviews for not really offering anything new.
HL2 brought us a greatly improved physics engine. Farcry brought really good AI to the table. But both games made sure the story was paramount, especially HL 2. While the technoogy there was improving, it did not overshadow the experience of playing.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I rented it (luckily) and also don't understand the attaction. It's pretty much a button mashing 2d fighter with 3d graphics. Nothing innovative or new here. However, I think the game is really targetted at the younger audience which is why it is popular.
Sure the new nintendo will have wifi, but no other nintendo with any type of networking ever used it, i mean exactly how many games for the gamecube actually use the broadband adapter, Phantasy Star Online 1&2 and i think i might be missing one. The n64 had a cartridge for internet play, as did the SNES but those were also not really used.
Soap box, Ballot box, Jury box, Ammo box. Use in that order.
Since they have WiFi built into the console, I'll predict the controllers will also be WiFi (no cords) as well - which will enable some interesting macro possibilites from computers on the network once people hack the protocol.
My apologies if this has already been annoucned, but I hadn't read even speculation on that anywhere.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Looking at the DS as it is now, how difficult would it be for Nintendo to create a controller for the Revolution console that has an embedded touch screen in the middle of it? All they'd have to do is put a DS cartridge slot on the console and you'd be able to play your DS games right on your TV.
This could be further expanded upon by allowing players to use the built in WiFi to join and initiate download play games, or allow a mix of DS and Revolution consoles in multiplayer DS games.
This also brings other potential applications of the technology, such as seamless gameplay between DS and Revolution versions of a game. You make progress on one version, and that progress can be added to the other version. Also the revolution could act as a hub for downloading and storing added content for DS games, which can be stored on the Revolution until it's needed on the DS. Then the unit could either download the data to a running DS system or write the data to the DS cart on it's internal slot.
I have a feeling the DS by itself is only scratching the very surface of Nintendo's strategy over the next two years. The bulk of it will arrive once Revolution is introduced.
8==8 Bones 8==8
As opposed to the Xbox which has:
* An overly large controller which is uncomfortable for people with small hands
* No built-in DVD support to avoid paying fees
* a stupidly large size.
etc
the puppy was a little dog, but Nintendo my friends, that was Revolution!
You seem to be forgetting this, along with the games that use it. It's also got a dialup modem, which i don't think any of the other consoles have.
I still own a PS2 for games like the Metal Gear series, Gran Turismo 4, Katamari Damacy, etc.
I believe that the Revolution will support more than 4 player ports
Maybe something has been lost in the translation, but if Nintendo is trying to champion 'good ideas' over 'good graphics,' then they are selling themselves short. Their in-house games have always had excellent graphics. They're not flashy, but they are always cute, fun, and good looking. And what's so great about good ideas? Zelda is not a good idea. It's a dumb idea, and it's a good game.
This just in from Neo-geo:
On the tail of exhorbiant claims made by PS3, Xbox, and Nintendo, Neo-Geo had their own press confrence about their upcoming console system.
"Well we decided to stay away from broadband systems" explained Hoshi "Super Dry" Asahi. "We plan on using sub-space to transmit our online content. Our engineer's have developed isolinear chips that will allow this giving us a through-put of 4.7 library of congress/fortnight!" Other details of the new console system include:
- Made of platinum to increase "Bling" factor
- Controllers will be in the form of a mentalband
- Will intergrate a 60" HD TV in each console
- Will be solar powered using special nano paint
It is rumored that it will also be backward compatible with the renown Infinitum Labs system. It will also be cell-phone, DVD player, Mp3 player, and AM/FM radio.
It will also be released in 6 months (baring any delays, which are not expected to happen...)
This message brought to you by HypePR Spin Marketeers Inc... "We can sell your shit before you even invent it!"
When I read about Nintendo putting WiFi into it's next generation console, all I can imagine is battery-eating bongo controllers. And maybe easy multi-console local ( and remote ) network play, I suppose... but mostly funky controllers.
This guy is surely not particularly innovative when it comes to whining. He seems to committed to repeating the same argument that gameplay innovation is somehow more important than better graphics.
:) Yes, I do appreciate good story, good acting and increased realism (physics and interactivity), but these are all pretty straightforward things to do. I will probably enjoy an innovative FPS game, but I can also enjoy the same old tried formula - monsters + shotgun + blood splutter.
There are many whiners of smaller rank, but with similar attitude here on Slashdot. Every time a new graphics card is released or a new engine feature is announced, they join the whining, claiming they are dying without good fun innovative gameplay.
I wonder if I am in the minority with my old-fashioned views on computer games.
I like FPS and RTS games and I am probably not alone. I also play some economic sims and some simple racing/flying sims (more arcade than simulation). And I can tell you that I am perfectly willing to shell out the cash for new FPS games with enviable regularity. I will buy and play every AAA-class FPS title. Halo, Far Cry, Painkiller, Doom 3, Half-Life 2, Riddick, FEAR, Stalker, etc. I must be an easy customer to please, because I don't buy these games to have some revelation, to have some never before seen gameplay. I buy these games to see more realistic monsters, more realistic water, more realistic trees, more realistic shadows and, of course, more realistic blood splutter and gibs.
Don't get me wrong, it's great when game developers innovate and innovation is vital for the long-term well-being of the industry. But to pretend that this innovation is somehow more important than bringing to market incrementally better titles every year, every month and every week, is, in my opinion, deeply wrong.
You can't make every new game as innovative as Kaitamari Daimatsu or whatever it's called. There are simply not enough ideas and genius developers to pull this out. If you want to satiate the enormous game market, you need to make those 1000 titles (how many there are, actually?) every year. And 95-99% of those WILL be formulaic rehashes of old ideas... must accept it.
Now that we see it, let's find out what is more important - better graphics (i.e. better hardware, better engines and overall better technologies) that can benefit 90% of the games, or those "new ideas", which Mr. Iwata is so intent on pushing, and which can only benefit 5-10% of the new games?
I dare suggest that better graphics (and better sound, better physics, faster networks, larger DVDs and so on) are actually more important than gameplay innovations.
Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
I don't understand your post? Are you trying to show everybody on SLASHDOT that you're a man or something?
He is not the president of Nintendo. Satoru Iwata is.
Iwata-san has a credit as (non-lead) programmer on NES Open Tournament Golf, and credits as a producer thereafter.
This statement is probably the most misunderstood one around right now. Nintendo has gone on record many times explaining the "better graphics aren't enough" philosophy. They're saying that OF COURSE they're going to have cutting-edge graphics and technology. But it is Nintendo's philosophy that these cutting-edge graphics aren't enough. They want to offer something more, in addition to photorealistic experiences. They want to change the way that gamers interact with games, so as to appeal to a wider audience than the one they believe is getting more and more closed-circle. They want to broaden the definition of video games and gamers. That's why they're talking of "revolution." Read Iwata's address. He explains it very well. Now, it remains to be seen whether or not they'll be able to pull that off. Who knows.
Has anyone noticed Intel is being left out in the cold?
The only online games for Gamecube is Phantasy Star Online, Mario Kart, and some Kirby racing game. Now the question is...will they even use it to its full potential and not waste money on it like they did with the internet connectivity they put into gamecube?
Nintendo has always struck me (in all it's generations) as being way too locked into a small number of characters for all it's games - Star Fox, Mario, Kong etc; and they're all a bit childish.
All Nintendo games look the same, so even with better graphics, you still need some decent game concepts.
#include <sig.h>
>I don't understand your post? That's ok.
Imagine finding cheat codes that much easier.
Some guy decided to wire a ps2 controller's switches to his parallel port. He then made some app that just brute forces all possible controler combinations. The result? he found quite a few brand new cheats for GTA San Andreas. With wireless, it would be that much easier.
My question is, how often do people get Nintendo consoles(which require a TV) to get together in one roof to play? I can imagine a bunch of kids with their DS's together for some network play, but with regular consoles, you need several TVs, several power outlets and room to house it all in. Nintendo LAN parties?
I can't believe Slashdot isn't posting about the much bigger news: The trailer for the new Zelda game that was released at the conference. Who didn't think the Revolution would have Wifi after the DS comes with it built-in?
And that's why they'll keep releasing tetris for such high end game systems.
But do the new versions of TETRIS® take advantage of the capabilities of the new systems? This one does.
PS2 has an expansion for hard disk and network adapter separately.
Sony no longer sells the PS2. Its replacement, the PStwo, has a built-in network adapter and no hard drive connector whatsoever.
WarGaming: The act of hacking end user game consoles during Networked Multi-User Gaming.
"Can there be a Klein bottle that is an efficient and effective beer pitcher?"
look at how much [Nintendo] are supporting, 3 consoles [for cricket's sake]. Sony dropped support for the PS1 ages ago and only support the PS2. Microsoft have just the X-Box to concentrate on.
Sony has PS2, PSP (J), and PC. (Who made Everquest again?) Microsoft has Xbox, PC, and Pocket PC.
The point of wireless is to facilitate mobile devices
No, the point of 802.11 series technology is to avoid having to get the landlord's permission to modify the residence and then hire state-licensed and bonded electricians to make holes in the walls and pull Cat5e cables.
I hear that a lot of developers asked some very little differences between the systems so ports would be easier to develop. That's why the comments form Iwata about third-party developers jumping wagon if they like the revolution or not jumping at all. Probably the systems are going to be very simmmilar, because I don't think Nintendo is going to let be pushed out of the hardaware business. probably the revolution is going to be about the controllers and the First party games.
In still other culters it is incouraged to let the weak die off or become stronger on their own, because giving people hand-outs will only deepen their dependance on them.
A hand-up is not a hand-out. No human culture abandons all babies after birth to fend for themselves. In this case, if you had given some Google keywords and explained how you arrived at them, I would have considered such an action more hand-up than hand-out.
That's odd because I like the GameCube controller the best out of all the consoles I've played. I rest my thumb on the big green A and then can roll it in any direction for other buttons, or drop it down a to reach the C stick. The grips fits perfectly in my hand.
That's true of your right thumb. What about the left thumb? Can it easily get to the D-pad for precise digital control in ports of classic arcade games or the Game Boy Player?
I think you're mistaken. Have you heard of Warp Pipe?
Discomfort for large handed players
Again, mistaken. Third-party companies have released some pretty bulky controllers.
No possible DVD support.
Wrong again. Panasonic's Q plays DVDs just fine.
--- I'm going to get a score of -1 for this post because the mods are fuckers.
If this person was smart enough to find their way to Slashdot and learn to type semi-coherent statements then they are smart enough to know how to use Google.
Not necessarily. Sometimes I have tried for half an hour straight to coax relevant results out of Google, only to ask someone else and have him or her tell me a keyword that I never thought of using.
Ok, I agree that the most single important aspect of a game is its gameplay. I also admit that Nintendo has games with excellent and innovative gameplay all throughout the gaming history. But if gameplay is what matters, then why Nintendo is making a new console? Are the graphics of the new console so much better than GC's so as that new gameplay possibilities will appear? Why the GC can't do Wi-Fi? what does Nintendo have in mind that can't be done with current consoles?
If Nintendo had truly innovative game ideas in its drawers then we would have already seen it for the GC. That they need new harware in order to innovate means that they don't really have any new gameplay ideas, and they base their innovation plans on new hardware. Well, if the gameplay is not new and exciting, the control peripherals will not make it more exciting (especially in the long run).
If Nintendo goes the new hardware way, why not try something truly innovating? like true 3d display for its console, for example. There are already technical solutions about this, including rotating displays and 3d pixel cubes.
The poster meant that GTA 3 was the first in the series to have the trademark gameplay. GTA 1 & 2 were mediocre top down games.
GTA 3 might as well be considered the first in the series... it's unfair to hold the 3 against it. As you say, though, all the GTA 3 games are identical.
"Metroid -> Successfully brought a 2D game to a 3D environment.
Wolfenstein 3D, 1991."
He means a *specific* 2D game. Wolf 3D was a 3D game made from scratch. They didn't have to preserve the gameplay of a 2D classic, which is tricky.
Further, that had been done before, but having done it once is unimportant... Did the existence of 3d Tetris tell Retro exactly how Samus should move, and how the levels should be laid out?
"Zelda Windwaker -> Tried an artistic cartoon/anime style approach.
Dragon's Lair, 1984."
Wow. Talk about missing the spirit. Dragon's Lair was a pre-animated choose your own adventure. Should Dirk jump? No, he shouldn't have, he was eaten by a seagull!
That's entirely different from breaking away from the pack of increasingly realistic gore fests to create a genuinely interactive cartoon world. It was a great experiment, even if it failed for being a little too short and too heavy on the sailing.
Point is, for any idea you can find an earlier idea that sounds like it is the same thing, but isn't.
or Sony leads the way. The PSP introduced WiFi into gaming and I would bet that the PS3 will have it as well. Now if only Sony followed Nintendo's lead and made the PSP the uber controller for the PS3. Then we'd be in good shape.
>I dare suggest that better graphics (and better
> sound, better physics, faster networks, larger
> DVDs and so on) are actually more important
> than gameplay innovations.
Maybe some of these are, but let's take a look at the effect - to a developer - of a new console coming out with better graphics:
- Relatively few new gamers, since the entertainment value of the games is still basically the same
- Less customers, since not every existing gamer will buy the new console
- Small developers are screwed even further since they can't afford to produce media of competitive standard
- Large developers are even more stuck since they have to gamble even more money to have a change of developing a competitive title
- "Ooo, wow.. they have more ripples in the water now."
They probably won't be the same chip, because the XBox 2 is beating the Revolution to the market by several months.
As a result, the Revolution should have a NEWER version of the same chip.
Maybe their crazy idea is to make the Revolution a totally portable console. They could sell a 30" LCD w/ speakers built-in (manufactured by Samsung) w/ carrying case as an accessory. This LCD could be wifi-enabled also. So bring your LCD and Revolution to a friends place to have a wifi party with his Revolution. Just plug them both into the wall, no need to worry about cables.
I still can't believe how much hassle people put up with in getting all their stuff together for a multi-XBOX Halo match or a LAN party.
Dear Nintendo,
I know getting titles like being the apple of consoles has won over the heart of some geeks. I know how hard you work to piss off developers. It must pain you to know you have the single worst performance record of the consoles in terms of games. PleAse for all that is holy: Attract some fucking developers! I love my widle Playstation, Why? IT HASE GAMES. Shit talk about way beyhind the fucking curve here. The Playstation 2 could play prior console games no problem. You did not. Yes from a hardware perspective your console is kicking some ass. But when in the hell will I get GAMES.
The d-pad on the standard controller is fairly weak. That's what a Hori pad is for. Unfortunately, the schema of having two directional inputs for the left thumb requires that one of the inputs be placed at a disadvantageous angle. Xbox controller S's D-pad is better, but still not nearly as good as the PS2's D-pad. Unfortunately, on the PS2 controller the analog stick is in the 'secondary' position, and hence not as easy to use as the analog sticks of either GameCube or Xbox.
I'm tired of the people who have orgasms over the latest nVidia or ATI graphics cards. Gameplay does beat graphics, hands down.
Free of Flash! Free of Flash!
Nintendo adds new hardware to enhance gameplay. That's what the dual screens in the DS are all about. That's what hopefully, if the hype proves true, the Revolution will be about.
Agreed with parent, a lot of people (who didn't read or listen to Mr. Iwata's speech) are making false conclusions again. RTFA PEOPLE!
Pikmin and Pikmin 2.
What looks on the surface to be kid's games quickly turn out to be rather gruesome little Darwinian trials, in the same way Lemmings was gruesome. "Mommy, all my cute little plant people got eaten by the big monster. This isn't a metaphor for life, is it? He wasn't even a boss!"
You can't make every new game as innovative as Kaitamari Daimatsu or whatever it's called. There are simply not enough ideas and genius developers to pull this out.
You, my friend, are dead wrong.
There was once a time when most new game were different from what came before -- arcades, around late 70s to early 80s. When you don't have much to copy, then you go ahead with anything you can. There has never been as much innovation in video game design since -- and with extremely primitive graphics, need I remind you.
The reason we don't get more Katamari Damacys is because conventional wisdom, that hypnotic bauble beloved of managers, thinks they won't sell. Sometimes they're even right, but that doesn't stop me from avoiding almost anything EXCEPT weird things like that these days.
Also... most developers these days come from a lifetime of playing video games. Those who most want to be game designers are those who've played the most games. The result tends to be a reinforcing cycle, producing a paucity of imagination among developers concerning what a video game could be. Remember that Nintendo's famous Shigeru Miyamoto's educational background wasn't in programming at all, but art.
The d-pad on the standard controller is fairly weak. That's what a Hori pad is for. Unfortunately,
That is all.
I [may] disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
How subtle. How very subtle.
If Nintendo goes the new hardware way, why not try something truly innovating?
:-)
Sounds good.
like true 3d display for its console, for example. There are already technical solutions about this, including rotating displays and 3d pixel cubes.
If they can push the price down on that stuff and make it robust enough for average consumer use, sounds good.
Though it really sounds liek a virtual-boy ploy. Does anyone even remember what that was?
I think the big N is doing a good job, and I'm going to shut up and watch where they take things.
Someone set us up the bomb, so shine we are!
Then why do these companies keep coming out with new consoles? Surely there were plenty of games with good gameplay the original Nintendo, Atari, and Commodore 64. I'm sure there are hundreds of such games you've never played or even heard of.
Did you ever upgrade to a newer game system? Why?
I'm calling you out as a hypocrite if you did.
I have yet to find a wireless controller that did not have lag/miss issues. Games like Tekken 4 have one frame precision for some moves. The moves are difficult to perform in their own right, let alone trying to pull it off using a controller with a 1 ms lag.
No thanks.
Wireless is nice for tetris, but for really competitive games, wireless is simply frustrating.
Maybe I'll pick a copy up and try it out. I loved Lemmings....
Keep Austin Weird!
That's quite an interesting fact. I thought they had put great effort in making the GC easy to develop for. I remember Rogue Squadron taking very little time to develop for the Gamecube. Are there any other companies that you know of having similar issues?
I thought they had put great effort in making the GC easy to develop for.
The early years of the GameCube was difficult to develop for since Nintendo wasn't that open about sharing technical information. Nintendo has a bunch of mini-documents about various technologies and standards used in the GameCube, but it doesn't have a comprehensive documentation/checklist from A to Z like Sony and Microsoft. The joke about Nintendo is that they have standards but you have to guess what those standards are. Even if you submit the game for pre-lot check before submitting the final version, Nintendo won't tell you everything about what's wrong with your title and the title could still get rejected for something that's not documented anywhere.
Are there any other companies that you know of having similar issues?
When other companies informed Nintendo that they were dropping or not supporting the GameCube from their product lines, Nintendo eased up on being so damn nitpicky and started providing more information in the last few years.
Pikmin is a cross between Lemmings and a real time strategy game. For my money, Pikimin 1 is better because it's actually quite difficult; I can't see a kid getting too far with it.
I've got a write up on Pikmin 2 in my journal.
Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling
You are in the majority of who games are currently marketed towards. You are however a tiny minority of the population at large.
If games companies want to sell games to the same undemanding audience, then they should continue to sell the same predictable formulae that they currently use.
However, if games companies want to broaden their markets to a much wider audience they should look to introducing new and innovative games to their roster.