Yesterday's Nintendo press conference was probably the most subdued and honest of the three major events this week. While they didn't have anything really earth-shattering to offer up, the Gameboy Micro, the Revolution's game-downloading capabilities, and the new Zelda Trailer were all welcome news from a company that has been very quiet of late. Commentary, photos, and speculation available from:
Nintendo,
Engadget,
USAToday,
GamesIndustry.biz,
1up.com,
Gamespot,
Cube.IGN,
NYT,
BBC,
Gamasutra, and
CNN. Specific coverage on the new Gameboy Micro is available from
Gamasutra,
GamesIndustry.biz, and
CNN. My two cents about Nintendo's conference are available below.
Last night I took in G4's E3 coverage, and their discussion of the Nintendo press conference struck a chord with me. This last console cycle, with the Gamecube, Nintendo really missed the boat. The GC wasn't released until many months after the PS2 was already in homes lighting up screens, and their attempts to carve out a market share were always muddled by confusing choices. The most confusing choice of the current generation, by far, was their almost complete refusal to participate in online gaming. While the Xbox sailed by with the Live service and the PS2 limped into the arena with the broadband adapter, the GC quietly sailed on with only Phantasy Star to break up its lonely voyage. At last year's E3 Nintendo very specifically said that they were not going to miss the boat this time. They were going to release the next console right around the same time as the other two companies and make sure their name was out there.
I have high hopes for the Revolution, but to be honest Nintendo's press conference was very underwhelming. Even given that the PS3 isn't going to be on store shelves for another year, what Sony showed on Monday was literally jaw-dropping. Even if there was some liberal use of pre-rendered footage in the presentation, the press conference put on by Sony was designed to fire the imagination and get people excited about the possibilities of the next generation. Nintendo offered us Nintendogs. And a new Game Boy Advanced. Yes, I think that downloading old games onto your Revolution is a cool idea, but a...uh...friend of mine tells me that I can emulate those games on my PC for free.
Perhaps all this is just worrywortism. Nintendo has never failed to be innovative in the past, and their support of the DS and quirky games like Warioware is proof that not everything has to be same-old same-old in this ever more business-like industry. They have more than a year to get their ducks in a row, but I'm afraid that Sony and Microsoft may have already beaten them to the punch. In the end, it's not just about making fun games. You have to sell them too.
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Ok, those look damn smoooooth if I say so myself BUT are those in-game shots or the dreaded "let's show the incredibly breath taking cinematic art and make it LOOK in-game even though we will soon find out after dropping 50 bones that the in-game graphics are as bad as ET the Extra Terrestial on the Atari 2600!"
I for one, am taking a wait and see approach.
I've been a nintendo fan from the start with NES. Yes they lost a lot of the market when sony entered the game and gave them real competition, but they've consistantly showed inovation in the gaming industry
From what I've seen from the Sony footage, it looks absolutely amazing, and I'm sure the XBox360 will be great, too.... but I have a Tivo, I have my computer for browsing the internet... I want a game system (don't even get me started on XBox360's connectivity to the MediaCenterPC.... does anyone even own one?). I want new games. I don't want more FPS games. I want new genres... something different. I have faith that Nintendo will provide that something different. The DS (though akward and lacking) shows that they're not really afraid to try something new.
So, while Nintendo's press conference may have been underwhelming, I'm still excited for the Revolution.
Slashdot: where repeating an article in a post is "+5 Insightful"
The implications of this are pretty far-reaching. One the positive side, it potentially allows for some different ideas regarding game-play. The lower power is also probably going to translate into a lower (perhaps much lower) launch price, which could be an asset during the opening months of the next cycle, when the other consoles are still $400+.
However, it's not all good news. Less powerful hardware and a "different" control system is almost certainly going to have ramifications for cross-platform titles on the Revolution. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the vast majority of 3rd party developers just didn't bother. The simple fact is that most developers are, quite rightly, more concerned with making games that are going to sell well than games that will be fun for their programmers to work on. The nice thing at present with the X-Box and PS2 (and to some degree the Gamecube) is that they have a large shared library of games. You can play at least some titles from the Burnout, Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance, Silent Hill, Grand Theft Auto and Metal Gear Solid franchises on more than one system and these are all A-list games. A lower price-point isn't going to be such a big selling-factor for parents if little Johnny can't play the latest big-name cross-platform game on the system.
Had Nintendo been making these moves at the end of the SNES generation, they would have had a decent (perhaps overwhelming) chance of success. However, that was the last time that they really had the market share (and hence the clout with developers) to dictate the shape of the future of the games industry. If they can make the design decisions they want to push through with the Revolution into industry standards, then they will recapture their dominance of the market. However, with Sony now being the real brand leaders, the odds are stacked against them to an almost impossible degree. If they fail, they're going to further establish their reputation as a niche player. Mario, Metroid and Zelda alone are not enough to stay afloat. In these days of spiralling development costs for both hardware and software, they couldn't hold that status for long before being forced down the Sega route.
I've not been much of a Nintendo fan for quite a while now; not since it was clear that they'd lost the plot during the N64/PSX generation. However, it's almost refreshing to see a company taking such risks in today's marketplace. Sadly, I think they've picked the wrong risks to take and this is ultimately going to lead to their demise.
Given the deep pockets they're competing against, if Nintendo doesn't have at least three out-of-the-park homerun titles for release on their next platform, I think they're dead as a hardware company and will have to turn themselves into a pure game publisher.
Nintendo always puts out the big information at Tokyo Game Show or some other usually Nintendo biased video game show in Japan. The fact they didn't supply anything at E3 is not a surprise. Why would you try to compete for press time when you can say something later and have the spotlight for yourself?
You do realize that their target audience isn't the 14-28 year old demographic anymore, don't you? They put out games for kids - damn fine games, I may add. They focus on pick-up-and-play fun factor more than they do graphics. And what's so wrong with that? Just because it doesn't satisfy YOU doesn't mean that it satisfies no one.
The PS3 looks absolutely amazing (hardware specification wise - that controller looks like I could snap it in half in my hand), and it will appeal to those who want a powerful gaming experience. The XBox360 will as well. In fact, I imagine the market will be split into segments just like it was last time; RPG players on one console, everything else on the other, etc, etc. The sides may swap, but they're both going to have market share. And Nintendo will still be there, filling a certain special niche and filling it admirably. There's nothing wrong with that at all.
In fact, the only way I see Nintendo truly failing is if they try to be something they're not. Embracing their strengths and capitalizing on them is the best way for them to go right now.
With a sucessful marketing campaign, imagine the outcome. Imagine the NES generation, now in their 20s and 30s, with disposable income to spend a mere $200 on, and showing them with Super Mario 3 in their homes. And... here's where I think the MAJOR innovation and system-seller will make Rev sell like wild-fire: combine the internet Wi-Fi with the old-school games. You could play Dr. Mario head-to-head with your old next-door neighbor, even if she now lives in Seattle. You wanna get some Street Fighter II action on? Pop it in. Still remember Up, Up, Down, Down, L, R, L, R, (select) start? Then now you can play through 8 levels of Contra with your college roommate. And as with the great NES games, we often loved watching others play them. Well, if a "spectator mode" is installed, your elementary school/camp buddy/cousin is only a wi-fi connection away, and you can watch him pound away at Bald Bull, King Hippo and Super Macho Man.
The nostalgia market is enourmous. It's more than a Mario-All Stars rehash like the GBA games. This could be the console that Nintendo was sorta going for (but never quite even made much of a dent) with their "Who Are You?" campaign. This sort of strategy will send the message to non-gamers that Nintendo is synonymous with fun. Synonymous with their childhood, and that feeling you had when you first got to World 8 in Super Mario 3. And... perhaps their own 5 year-olds that they now have? Get them in with these games. Then... they'll try that Mario 64 they might have heard their girlfriend's 18 year-old younger brother talk about. Then, they'll try the new Mario 128. Like that? Well, in the Nintendo Online startup screen, here's a frontpage:
"Welcome BTWR! Your collection includes Metroid (NES), Super Mario Bros 2 (NES), Tetris DX (Gameboy Color), Super Mario RPG (SNES) and Street Fighter II (SNES). Might we recommend Super Smash Bros (N64), Tetris Attack (SNES) or Metroid Prime (Gamecube)? Also, look for Metroid: Mission X coming next month for Nintendo Revolution and The Legend of Zelda: World of Hyrule for the Nintendo DS. Press A to pre-order it now on your NintendoAccount and get a 60-minute FreePlay of Super Metroid (SNES) and one (1) free downloadable NES 'Players-Choice' game you wish"
The possibilities are endless...
>Playing antique games is a novelty, NOT a major selling point! It's like having a Video Camera that also plays back mp3s... I mean why not if it's cheap and if gives the user another reason to love their product. Nobody will initially buy based on such a flimsy feature though.
Having an huge (legal) library of old games is a great feature. If it is such a flimsy feature, why is it that so many of the homebrew apps for the other consoles are emus. Nintendo saw that their competitor's consles could play their own past library of games, and probably had a small if not large decsion to do this.
I think you've got a good point about online play. It seems like it's still the area of people that are heavy into gaming. The best thing about online games is the profit margin. That makes it harder to get the wider audience in to it. As that scene grows, though, the companies playing in that field will establish a name and profit from it.
Honestly, I think Nintendo has been trying harder than anyone to innovate.
This could be true, the problem is that the kind of innovation they're trying is really expensive. New toys like the DS get strong love/hate reactions (currently, I'm in the latter group).
more of the same on Twitter.
Nintendo has become the Apple of the gamming world, just look at the Revolution its self, almost exactly like a gaming version of the Mac mini. I think they are very happy being #2.
Now I got to wash my brain out for EVER agreeing with anything G4 has ever said.
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
Disclosure: the editor is on my friends list, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that he's doing Something Right.
*shock horror how can he say such a thing*
Well, the fact is that the console war is not a winner-takes-all game. At least Nintendo is not playing it that way. They are profitable, and very much so, by being third.
Also, the PSP is not killing the DS "shock horror how can... etc.". They have sold about the same.
Finally, the fact that the Revolution is not 100 times more powerful than the GC doesn't mean a thing. The graphic capabilities of the GC were already quite good, and of course, a little improvement doesn't hurt, but how much more power do games really need? Many games are perfectly enjoyable on systems like the Mega Drive already. The hardware capabilities of the game consoles of today are very close to just how much you need, because the human eye has it's own, physiological, treshold. Exceeding it is meaningless (except for penis-lenght battles, i.e. my penis has 8 cell processors - yeah, but my penis can do 2 teraflops and has 1 GBYTE of UBGRAM).
Sigged!
Loyalty to customer base who are loyal to you is a big deal. As others have said, they are not losing money on each console in order to gain market share. They actually do make money on each console as well as new game.
I am sick and tired of people linking "good games" to the "mature market." I can't not express inwords how irritating that is to me. When the gaming industry gives out their awards for games Nintendo is always heavily represented. Nintendo is a lot like Disney. 9 times out of 10 they put out the highest quality stuff around, and though they are more geard towards a younger audience if you could just get the F*** over yourself for a second you could have fun too. I dare anyone out there to play Donkey Konga or Jungle Beat and NOT have fun, I literally dare you!
To be honest I am not so keen on Sony or Microsofts new offerings. They are still running the spec race when it comes to video game performance. All tech industries run this race (computers, digital cameras, and media players) Its part of the way the industry works. every comany wants to flaunt concrete numbers to validate what is ultimately an abstract experience. For computers it was clock speed , for digicams megapixels, for media players hard drive/flash space. But as each of these sectors Matured the spec race has become less relevent (still a factor mind you but not the final say of quality). so here we have sony and micro$oft bickering over which console can do the most floating point calculations. Gimmie a break IF THE GAMES SUCK THE CONSOLE WILL ALSO SUCK. Ninetedo seems to be the only company who gets this, and I hope that they can pull off some great gameplay and content inovation with the revolution. If so then i think they could easly be the number 2 player in the hardware market, maybe even oust sony for #1.
Personally, I think Nintendo's biggest difficulty is that they lean much too
hard on old franchises: Metroid, Zelda, Mario, Kirby, and so on.
Yah, I agree. Sony's much better. Those launch titles for the PS3? Tekken 6, Gran Turismo 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Devil May Cry 4.
None of those franchises dates to before the PS1. Some were only from the PS2.
On the other hand, the new Zelda game is the 7th Zelda game to come out for a Nintendo console (8th, if you count Four Swords Adventures). And this spans 4 generations so far.
As for Mario, he's actually doing about the same: as for real Super Mario games, there have only been 7 games so far for 4 consoles.
Sony is averaging 2-3 games per franchise on each console. Nintendo is averaging about 1-2. Who's leaning too hard?
Having been stunned and dismayed by the quality of commentary that I've read in last 24hrs concerning Nintendo's E3 conference, I was excited that this article might perhaps shine some light on the messages from doom that are being put forth. Sadly, it's not exception, and once again shows complete ignorance on well publicized facts, both on Nintendo as a company, and on their upcoming console.
The buzz on most gaming sites is, expectedly, represented by two extremes. On one side, Nintendo fans and some "undecideds", praise the looks of the Revolution, and it's legacy game download feature.
On the other side, statements that have a stinky ting of "BSD is Dead" come in the following shapes and flavors (paraphrasing):
- "What a weak showing, Nintendo is going to hell, gonna get trounced, dead meat"
- "Legacy gaming?! Some revolution!"
- "PS3 and Xbox are going to smoke the Revolution."
- "Nintendo has made a huge mistake, and it's going to pay for it."
Let's clarify some facts:
- Nintendo made profit on the N64 and the Gamecube, both on consoles sales (they didn't sell at a loss), and games sales. So Nintendo did not lose this generation's "war". It made a profit, and that's always more important than being "first". (Yes Sony also made an overall profit with PS2, if we count games).
Nintendo will almost definitely make profit on the Revolution, so even if it's third, Nintendo won't "die".
- Nintendo did NOT intend to show anything important about the Revolution at this E3. They said it before the conference. So what is everyone whining about?
We also know (if we read the news from these months) that the console isn't finished, and that includes the controller. Why is that so difficult to understand? Even the Iwata should, is not the final version. It will be ready in a few months, and he invited user participation to make suggestions on things like color, etc...
Furthermore, they consider they have very revolutionary ideas, and hence don't want those copied early in the game.
So what was Nintendo supposed to show? Some freaky , wacky, OMFG graphics. NO, once again, you're not listening. "It's not about the graphics anymore (Nintendo)".
In conclusion, Nintendo is right on track, and when it's ready it will show it's console. When that happens, you can all open the floodgates of opinion and commentary, but until then read up on Nintendo before making uninformed comments.
Exactly, there IS a market for an iTunes like sevice for old games, some people like respecting copyright.
True genius is grasping a situation like a peice of fruit, and peircing it just right so that it drains dry.
Do you have a GBA?
Yes? Then of course you don't want a Micro. The only real draw is the screen, unless you feel that you'd be happier with a smaller GBA.
No? Well, here's the top of the line model. Properly backlit screen, fits in your pocket, plays all your favorite games. If you don't want it now, you probably never did, and therefore, Nintendo hasn't lost anything.
The thing that people forget is that there's room for more than one console these days. Many people have at least two of the three big consoles. The GBA is still the bridge system to the Gamecube, as the DS can't connect to it. And yes, the Gamecube can't pump as many texturemapped polys per second. Yes, Gamecube discs hold less data than the competition. Yes, you might lose out on some fancy visual effects.
However, the one thing that Nintendo tends to get right is the biggest one. The games are fun. They take a known formula, update it for the new console, and knock it out of the park. Then they take something completely off the wall, like Pikmin, and somehow manage to get people addicted to it. And the Gamecube is the system people prefer to bring over to a friend's place, usually for Smash Brothers, sometimes for Mario Party. Four players, one system, and fun games.
Sure, the PS2 probably has a bigger library. Sure, the Xbox has those edgier, bloodier games. But somehow, too many of them just aren't fun, and that keeps those games from leading console sales. Aside from the N64, Nintendo's done a pretty impressive job of releasing systems with tons of great games, and that's really what keeps them going. A bit of expertise in delivering the minimum hardware in the optimum form factor doesn't seem to hurt, either.
And really, the Game Boy micro is no worse than the Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Light (only in Japan, I think,) and Game Boy Color. Three functionally identical handhelds, and then one with a minor upgrade and a non-backlit color screen. Not very exciting, but enough of a change to get new customers, as well as getting a few sales from people who just wanted a more compact system. They don't have to be groundbreaking, they just have to impress those people who wanted a handheld that they could carry around in a pocket or a purse.
Raptor
"Procrastination is great. It gives me a lot more time to do things that I'm never going to do."
It's obvious Nintendo is in some trouble now since instead of coming out with really great new products, they're releasing a console
That's like saying the iPod is in trouble because they've come out with four revisions of it. You need to understand that the Gameboy is at such a point of market saturation that they can be constantly revamping and updating their handheld and this is what works for them and has worked for them in the past decade.
Mmmm, -funroll-loops
I can download Nesticle
Nesticle was good for its time, but compared to current emulators, it's an inaccurate P.O.S. In fact, an NES program can detect Nesticle with just four instructions. Use Nintendulator instead, especially if you're developing your own NES programs.
and a couple hundred ROMS
Now that Nintendo is renting ROMs online, the fair use argument for abandonware largely evaporates. Are you prepared to pay statutory damages if you're caught?
"They put out games for kids - damn fine games, I may add. They focus on pick-up-and-play fun factor more than they do graphics." Funny, what you described sounds like games for adults to me. I get to play a couple hours a week and I can't remember all the details of long drawn out games. I love my GC because I can pick up and play Mario Cart, Mario Tennis, and Madden once every blue moon and feel right at home.
Speaking of pick up and play -- I hope someone has decided to make a "fastload" type feature that installs some of the executable portions of the game from the disc onto the included hard drives in these devices for instant load times.
By the time my PS2 loads a game, I've often gotten into the show on TV.
*Fast* load times, please?
- Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
Playing antique games is a novelty, NOT a major selling point!
It's not a selling point to the public. It's a selling point to Nintendo's legal counsel, who can neatly bust through the fair use defenses that some of the abandonware(z) sites have been trying now that Nintendo is dealing in the works in question once again.
1. Games are targetted towards an older demographic
2. The thing costs $250 for a unit with no games.
Sony's counting on that older audience to keep the PSP afloat. The fact that it's missing its targets probably shows that the reason the GBA has done so well is that it targets kids as well as teens/adults.
The PSP is going after the gadget/gamer crowd. While there's definitely money there, in no way is it goign to be greater than the gadget+kid crowd.
Just to counter your anecdotal evidence, I've got all three of the current systems in my house, and the Gamecube gets the most play by far. Even though I do a large portion of my gaming at my girlfriend's house on her gamecube.
And for the Love of God, would you people stop picking on Mario. Yes, there's dozens and dozens of games with Mario in them. But amongst those games, there's dozens and dozens of entirely different types of gameplay, all of consistently high quality, and tied together by an extremely creative and fun universe that Nintendo has cultivated over more than 20 years. Their franchises are not only a financial powerhouse, they're also a springboard from which lots of fun games have developed. What's the problem with that?
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
You do realize that their target audience isn't the 14-28 year old demographic anymore, don't you? They put out games for kids - damn fine games, I may add. They focus on pick-up-and-play fun factor more than they do graphics. And what's so wrong with that? Just because it doesn't satisfy YOU doesn't mean that it satisfies no one.
?
I'm 27, and I still like a lot of Gamecube games - F-Zero GX, Metroid, etc. F-Zero GX because it is pretty much the paragon of high-speed sci-fi racing games. Like Spock, the next science officer can only succeed it, not surpass it. Um, or something.
I also appreciate that Nintendo hasn't focused so much on online gaming, because I hate playing online. I have an XBox and a PS2 too, but not for that. I would much rather developers put their time into the single-player experience as opposed to tacking on a multiplayer mode.
I am personally very pessimistic about the Revolution. I suspect that it's going to incorporate some sort of Yaroze-style thing (the "revolution" factor), but I don't think it will be enough. Nintendo has been having trouble in the console market ever since the N64, even if they do make a huge profit on handhelds, and without the technological awesomeness of the PS3 or even the XBox 2 (2! not the other number!) this one will be no different.
"...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
Does Nintendo think many people with an original Gameboy Advanced is likely to purchase a GBA sp, or a Gameboy mirco?
To be honest, I've hardly seen anybody as of late carrying around an original Game Boy Advance, as opposed to those carrying around the newer GBA SP. Little kids and preteens, teens, and even adults... I see more GBA SP's out there now than I do original GBA's.
I myself do not own an SP, due to the fact that I just don't like the washed out front-lit screen (I always thought it looked a bit strange, though I had wanted to like it since the GBA's own screen was somewhat dull and dark), and absolutely hated the more compact set of controls to work with (more awkward to work with than the wider GBA, but that's just me). Though I do own a Nintendo DS and am quite happy with its backlit screen and ability to play at least GBA games in addition to its own DS games, I unfortunately cannot play any of my classic Game Boy or Game Boy Color games (I started collecting them since I was 7-8 years old, and I'm 23 now), nor do I have a link port available on it (not just for multiplayer, but also for playing things like Zelda: Four Swords Adventures on the Game Cube). As someone who would love to play all my past and current GB games on something brightly back-lit, comfortable, and not require me to pop in a set of 2-4 double or triple A batteries every 6-12 hours (bonus!), the Game Boy Micro definitely catches my interest.
As for continuing the current Game Boy line in its current state, despite having all these new, more powerful systems coming out (DS, PSP)... why not? Surely this little underpowered machine still has a lot of potential (and business!) in it to allow one to continue making great games for it... especially for something that's not even broken, and still has a much larger user base than any other system currently out... even Sony's own PlayStation 2. I think it would be a shame (and very foolish) to just stop supporting and developing for such a successful, working system. Heck, look at the support of the original PlayStation continued to receive (though it's on its last legs by now), even after the PS2 emerged, and coming soon the PS3...
Exactly, there is no intelligent discussion to be had about which new console will be more powerful, and any comparisons being done right now should "out" that person as a blatant fanboy.
True genius is grasping a situation like a peice of fruit, and peircing it just right so that it drains dry.
IMed to a friend about 4 hours ago:
... focus on the games, the library, the 3rd party developers. I've shown off Metroid Prime and Resident Evil 4, etc to Sony or PC headz, and they couldn't believe this stuff flew under their radars. The games are great quality for Game Cube .. there just arn't nearly enough of them.
.. being first can be as big a gamble as being 3rd depending on the purchasing cycle of the market,) I think Nintendo is stepping away from the other two companies so it doesn't get lumped in with the invitable backlash. Halo 3 .. its .. its Halo 2, but more polygons! Woot!
14:48] KraftBoy: Nintendo has been pushing this 'performance isnt everything' mantra
[14:48] KraftBoy: they say the Revolution will be 2 or 3 times as powerful as the gamecube
[14:49] KraftBoy: Sony says PS3 is 30 times the power of the PS2
[14:49] KraftBoy: MS says the Xbox360 is 15 times as powerful as the first xbox
[14:49] KraftBoy: if people dont dig the offering of Sony and/or MS, then Nintendo looks like a genius for purposefully underhyping the power of the console
[14:50] KraftBoy: I get the feeling that people are gunna be like, "Great, Halo 3, same game, better graphics"
[14:50] KraftBoy: or GTA: Mississagua, same game, better graphics
[14:51] KraftBoy: they come come away looking smart for realizing that the market is getting bored of bying the same game 4 times, each time with cosmetic upgrades
Nintendo is always bashed for recycling the same games. How can this be? They recycle the same *charcters*, but I can't think of too many Sony properties or franchises that have undergone the kind of radical transformations that the gameplay of Mario or Metroid titles have undergone. (GTA 1 wasn't much of a big seller, y'know.)
99% of the Mario platformers were awesome (tho Sunshine underwhelmed me.) Metroid? If you've played Super Metroid and Metroid Prime, nuff said. For those who havn't, the game was legendary in 2D, and the 3D first person (!) leap, if anything, *improved* the gameplay.
I think Nintendo is playing a strategy here. If performance meant anything, nobody would have bought a single PS2 after the day the GameCube was released. MARKETING is the operative strategy here. Just like Nintendo got too big for its britches, I think they realize that if they downplay performance, and Sony and MS can't live up to the "Its 30 times more powerful than the PS2" claim (which, as pointed out about, is a laugh to anybody with an once of BS detection in their bones), people might start realizing that it ain't the performance, its the games.
The games (and their time to market, of course) is what got the PS and the PS2 their place in history. Now that Sony and MS are pushing the performance advantage angle, I think Nintendo realizes it can do exactly what Sony did
Sheesh, its almost a mirror image from the PS/N64 situation - sexier technology != higher sales. Release dates aside (it practically looks like all companies WANT to release at the same time
Now, I realize there are tons of other ways Nintendo works against itself:
1. Not enough advertising. Their name is not household anymore with the 16-21 year old set, so heres to hoping they know this and plan to push the Revolution in TV, etc.
2. No shame in cozying up to the kiddie crowd. I think thats just a reality that disaffected cool teens will have to accept if they want access to the kind of graphical and gameplay orgasms that is Resident Evil 4, Eternal Darkness, etc.
All that said, Xbox outsold Gamecube, and who made a profit? Nintendo had to compete against a company that knew, neh, committed itself to ending up in the red, and they still managed a respectable share of the market place, and still turned a profit.
So really, all things being equal, what company is more impressive? The one that throws money away for the sake of getting their name in front of your eyes for every minute that you play video games, or the company that works on stuff it thinks is cool, and manages to make money off of it to boot?
"Old man yells at systemd"
I tend to agree. Wasn't it painfully obvious to everyone that the Playstation 2, which was "15 times more powerful than any other console" was actually less powerful than the Dreamcast (from 1998)? What about the X-Box? It's arguably no more powerful than the Gamecube, except for the fact that it has a distinct advantage when it comes to x86 ports (Splinter Cell and Halo come to mind).
People need to get off of this habit of being wowed by imaginary numbers before they even see the hardware. I'll bet that Nintendo's hardware will easily be as powerful as Microsoft's or Sony's - in spite of their conservative estimates.
Microsoft and Sony are just playing on all of you again... And wow, how you are all easily played.