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Resident Evil, Game On With Wii
oneils writes "Chris Morris of CNN.com outlines some interesting gameplay impressions of Nintendo's Wii. He explains that the new controller works well with first person shooter games like Metroid Prime, but, currently, falls short in the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Morris' impression is that this setback can be rectified by 'optimization.'" From the article: "Imagine holding your TV remote control by its ends and pretending it's a steering wheel. Substitute the Wii controller and you've got an idea of how to control 'Excite Truck'. Driving's pretty easy. The real fun comes when you hit a hill and go sailing into the air. The object is to land with all four wheels on the ground. To do that you'll have to tilt the controller back and forth away from you to stabilize the truck. It's frenetic and fast-paced - and seemed to be everyone's favorite game. I agreed." Several readers also wrote in to mention that Resident Evil will be coming to the Wii. No word on if it's RE5, or a spin-off/remake. Lots of related links below, please Read More. Update: 05/10 20:41 GMT by Z : Joystiq has pictures of a Zapper attachment for the Wiimote.
I'm expecting a lot of fun for this console. It will certainly be the only one I want to sink money into, so here's to hoping Mario, Zelda, and Red Steel also don't suck!
Any other news about Elebits?
What the retro controller article seems to be missing, is that the controller pictured probably isn't for Wii games. Nintendo has already stated that the Wii will play all the old Nintendo titles, including GameCube.
:-P
I'd like to see how people plan to play these games with a motion sensor controller. (Hint: It's very doubtful they can.) Ergo, the "retro" controller. Designed to allow classic gameplay on the Wii.
Of course, classic, classic (NES) is fully supported by the Wii-little design.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
I think that motion-control feedback would actually be the perfect venue for another remake of the Resident Evil series.
How, exactly, would you need to manipulate the controller to make a "Jill sandwich?"
Don't get me wrong, Firefox is my favorite browser, but Opera is pretty nice too. Looks like their Wii Opera will have a good amount of functionality (including AJAX, in many Web2.0 apps such as Gmail) according to their press release
Luckily, I don't think the Opera browser on the Wii will end up like WebTV (*barf*) turned out to be, since the motion sensitive controller could be used to emulate a mouse. The question is, will Opera release a keyboard for their browser, will Nintendo release an all-purpose keyboard for other games, or will it be an onscreen keyboard?
I was looking over the list last night of the upcoming Wii games - "Trauma Center" should be interesting on the Wii (the DS version was pretty good, even if it had some annoyances).
Either way, it would appear that Nintendo has a lot of 3rd party support time time around, which made me think of why, and then something that Ubisoft president commented on made me figure it out.
Long story short, he made some less then flattering remarks about the PS3 - how it just ups the power. The same could be said for the 360. But that's no the issue for a publisher; for a publisher, all of that extra power and HD requirements goes into cost. Now, a development team needs even bigger hardware, a bigger graphics and sound team to get the same game out, which now increases the cost of the game by a large margin - say from $1 million to $7-$10 million. For a publisher, that means increased risk, reduced margins, and relying ever more on "certain" hits (which can vanish if something goes wrong - look at the Tomb Raider franches, and what they've had to do to get it back).
Nintendo is offering publishers something more than just a gimmick: they're offering them reduced price. Look at "Brain Age" - developed, tested, and ready for market in 90 days, and it hardly needed a graphics team. Since the Wii uses really Gamecube development systems with more power, that's an easy transfer of knowledge, which is why I predict that for the first year, Wii games will look pretty much like Gamecube games, maybe a little smoother.
But for the publisher, once you get past the controller issue, it's reduced cost, reduced time, reduced risk over time. If the Wii takes off at all, it may be that publishers wind up favoring it if for no other reason than it makes them more money over time.
Of course, this is all just my opinion, and I could be wrong. But my family is pretty much committed to the Wii - the only thing I need to know is how to get DVD functionality out of it and it'll be the only console in the play room for family computer gaming for quite some time.
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
This takes huge balls.
I scream. You scream. I assume that means we're both acquainted with the problem. We proceed.
are really just getting us all ready for Powerglove 2.0!!! Just think, you and a friend don these things, which are motion sensitive and all that just like the Riimote controller... then load up the new version of Super Smash Brothers and proceed to literally PUNCH at each other!
It isn't noticed as often, but Opera is like Nintendo and Apple too: they come up with all the cool new stuff which everyone else then copies.
:-).
It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when two of my favorite companies join forces like this
Work is punishment for failing to procrastinate effectively.
...again, Nintendo is going to win at having the games that are the most 'fun'; but having to stand/twist/turn is just going to bring you into the game that much more, and make you (and others watching you) smile and laugh. All this about the controller, and the more we hear about it, it sounds like it's going to be more of a game feature than anything since the rumble pack.
I'm already cracking up trying to keep up with Super Mario DDR, so I can only imagine how the Wii games will make you move!
fak3r.com
Wii loves Resident Evil! Wii wants to play it! Wii thinks the name 'Wii' is a wii bit catchy.
Whoever thought the name 'Revolution' was passe and decided to name their next generation console after the sound kids make falling out of airplanes should be cornholed wiikly...
Self-referential Sigs are cool on /. these days...
54
I can't wait to say that as I am slaughtering everything right and left in RE.
A year ago I wouldn't believe anyone if they told me Sony was going to get dethroned from the lead position in the console market. Now, all of a sudden, Microsoft has dropped the bomb on Sony by releasing the 360 a full year ahead, and by the looks of it, 360 is - in terms of visuals - fully comparable to PS3.
I personally thought that Nintendo was going down the hill before they announced the Revolution. Now it seems like it gets more attention than the 360 and the PS3, mostly due to its controller. The best part is that it does not seem to be all that mumbo jumbo some people expected the controller to be, so with a few more tweaks before the release, this might make Nintendo sell more consoles than Sony and Microsoft, mostly because the price is so competitive.
I have obviously not decided what to go for, but I am quite sure it won't be a PS3. It's too expensive and doesn't seem to offer much beyond the cheaper 360, except other games. So with features compared, it's going to be PS3 vs 360, a war which MS will probably win due to its one year advantage. Additionally, MS is likely to refine the build process costs and probably push Sony out of the game by offering a cheaper console. And no, Sony won't be able to compete because every sold console is probably a loss for Sony until we buy a game.
Things can be turned around a bit and I might be very wrong, but I really think that Sony is in deep trouble here.
Full Tilt
I'd make a similar argument regarding the SNES. The SNES's greatest highlights were games like DKC.
To some extent, the N64 was a push. This was largely due to the higher cost of ownership compared to the PS1.
Nintendo appears to be taking a brilliant gamble with the Wii.
I agree: it's going to payoff big time.
I scream. You scream. I assume that means we're both acquainted with the problem. We proceed.
Nintendo must be jewish :
- They excel at making money
- They're very talented in general
- People hate them for odd reasons
If they come out with that badass blood-covered chainsaw RE controller for the Wii, I am so there.
Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
On a side note, my "confirm you're not a script" image is goatee, which I mistakenly entered as goatsee. Hmm, wonder why. ;)
My friends and I like to get drunk and play video games. This seems like the perfect system for such endeavors.
"If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer
"There will be a small internal attchment for DVD playback."
And that's all we know.
I plan to buy the PS3, and the Wii. I always planned to buy both of them as I knew Nintendo could produce.
I would think about 360, but I know the PS3 is going to have a wider range of types of games. Beyond that with the Blu-Ray discs it's going to have games with a lot wider range of graphics since it can hold a lot more textures or other media, the lack of space is really going to hamstring the 360.
I saw another comment the other day in a news story that was kind of interesting, it stated that because both the Wii and PS3 included motion detection that there were going to be a lot of games ported only to those two platforms, leaving the 360 out in the cold. I could see that happening...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I was a little worried about the accuracy of the pointer and if it would actually hand 3d movement well enough to work. Then someone comes along and says .... the new controller works well with first person shooter games like Metroid Prime, but, currently, falls short in the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Morris' impression is that this setback can be rectified by 'optimization.'
Well GREAT! (In a good way) Obviously in a shooter the aiming bit of control is THE game, whereas in Zelda most of the development is in the puzzles and the control isn't the highest priority. But it CAN work well enough, it senses good enough to really be usable and live up to our expectations.
I just worry about tearing the thing apart if I swing my arms away from each other... but I'm sure third party cords will be longer.
Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
AND THEN I SAW MIYAMOTO AND HE WAS LIKE MOTHAFUCKA WIIIIIIII
I finally downloaded the E3 conference video, and I was a little underwhelmed. I can't say why, though I suppose I was expecting some mega-huge final info bomb, and the hope that they'd say "Oh yeah, 'Wii'? We punk'd you."
Even so, my little fanboy heart was elated with what I saw. Now that I see the Wiimote in actual use, it looks easier than I thought it might be, and can't wait to get my hands on it myself. The addition of a little hand strap to make sure it doesn't fly out of your hand after hours of gaming is really smart.
One thing I'm curious about is periphenalia. The ability to attach something to the Wiimote opens a load of possibilities for third-party add-ons. I imagine it won't be long before someone makes something that allows the Wiimote-Ninchuck connection to be wireless, as well. Also, the Wiimore might use AA batteries. If it does, this will open the doors for all those companies that made rechargeable battery packs for the GBA and GBC.
Finally, I'm curious about missing games. Where's Pikmin? How about Harvest Moon? I think that those two games would be able to put the Wiimote functionality to particularily good use.
Also, I'd like to see a "Dance Dance Wiivolution", where you have the dance pad and a Wiimote in either hand. Not only do you have the foot steps, but you would wave your hands with waves on the screen. Light would have just basic waving motions, and Hard would have you moving in specific directions. You might actually look like you're dancing, instead of having a seizure!
Might. Disclaimer: I love DDR, and have fun looking like I'm having a seizure.
... it's a "First Look", and seems to be just a description of the brief footage from the Nintendo Press Conference (in case anyone else gets as excited as I did (mildly)).
In my opinion, Sony is in serious trouble. They have created a hugely expensive console which will probably never beat Microsoft on price point. Microsoft already has lots of decent games while Sony has almost none in their lineup.
Then you have Nintendo coming out and wowing everyone with the Wii. What it comes down to is there is 1-2 games on Playstation 3 I might want to play and 1-2 games on Xbox360. But right now, there are at least 6 Wii games I want by the end of this year and 2-3 DS games. Nintendo's inovations are really paying off while Microsoft and Playstation are basically hardware locked for the rest of this generation. They will be canablizing each other in sales while Nintendo shoots ahead. By shipping with innovated hardware standard, developers have an incentive to create new and interesting games. Sony realizes this but the only thing they can do is add some tilt control to their controller which seems awkward at best and rip of at worst.
It looks like Sony has built the titanic of video game consoles.
Maybe Sony and MS are being reckless, where Nintendo is simply recognizing the market better at this moment and taking risks that are both more interesting and more sensible.
It seems to me like Sony is intent on "leveraging" its Playstation market position into a win over the Blu-Ray DVD standard. That and the age of the PS2 seem to be the raison d'etre for the PS3 system. The XBox 360 is about market share (again) for MS, and that explains the early-above-all-else strategy. But if there's something really new there, what is it?
Meanwhile Nintendo really did decide to broaden their market. They seem to "get" that seeing Shaquille O'Neal's sweaty forehead in scary detail is not going to bring more people into the market at a $600 (+ HD monitor cost) price. The pricing, the development costs, and the controller all sort of fit together for Nintendo -- that sweet spot -- whereas the other two companies are out on the margins in several ways, cost being the most conspicuous.
Maybe the other two companies are jumping off a cliff. You know what your mom would say about that.
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Wii controller. And I've come up with some conclusions.
Head over to wwi.nintendo.com and watch the movies on how the controller is used. See if you can spot the one thing that just doesn't feel right.
... Did you see it?
I stared at these movies, watched them several times. It finally hit me.
When you're using the Wii controller, for some games it will be awesome. For example, the tennis game will be really cool. The baseball game will probably be sweet. The Ping-Pong game will be cool. The driving game will be cool. The games with the multi-player abilities will really be awesome, and will be huge hits at parties, I suspect.
See the catch?
All these games have you get up out of your seat and move around. That's cool.
But, see how the people hold the Wii controller in the movies that don't deal with Sports themes. They hold it out in front of them, at arms' length. You just aren't going to be able to do that for hours on end. If you sit down to play a marathon Zelda run, or a speed run at metroid, and you have to jiggle, wiggle, bounce, aim, and otherwise move the controller, you're going to wear your arms out (don't believe me? Grab a stapler in one hand and a mouse in the other, and hold them at arms' length. Come back in 45 minutes after taking some advil for the muscle pain).
Now, take your hands and put them in your lap, as if you were holding a SNES or a playstation controller, and playing Sonic the Hedgehog or Link to the Past, or whatever. Think how your hands and fingers sit. Now, imagine a TV remote in each hand, instead of a playstation controller. Which hand is pointing at the screen? Neither - in order to do that, you have to bend your wrists, which will also hurt after a while (for those of us who type for a living, a short while).
My conclusion is that the controller will be great for games that encourage physical movement, i.e. tennis, golf (especially golf, that will be cool), etc. But, trying to bootstrap the "interactive controller" nonsense onto platform games like Zelda and Metroid is only going to make them impossible to play for any length of time.
I pointed this out to a friend, and he said, "dude, not every game is going to use all the motion sensing crap, some are just going to turn the right hand controller over 90 degrees and use that". But, wait. Then, we've got a square controller, with a 4-way D-pad on the left side, and two buttons on the right side. Here's an artist's rendering.
They're going to have trouble trying to shoehorn the technology into games that serious gamers want to sit and play for 6 hours.
~Will
sig?
Take a look at IGN. http://revolution.ign.com/articles/707/707077p1.ht ml
WarioWare is more of a wiid game. Mario Golf and Mario Party are better drinking games.
"When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
I don't think it will water down Wii games any, I just think it will allow the Wii tosee some ports of PS3 specific games that it might not have seen otherwise. The Wii motion stuff is a pretty large superset it seems like of the PS3 abilities.
Possibly some Wii ports might be attempted for the PS3 that make more use of buttons and rely less on the motion detection.
Either way the 360 is out in the cold though. I guess they could sell add-on motion detecting controllers just like they are planning an add-on HD-DVD drive that they swear will not be needed for games... while staying technically true I still expect a deluxe version of Halo 3 to come on HD-DVD.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
If you're saying that the PS3 will have a wider variety of games just because the PS2 does, you don't understand how the market works. The PS2 has the widest variety of games because they've shipped more than 100 million consoles. That means a publisher can target niches within the market and take more risks with products that don't appeal to everyone (because the total market size is so large).
If the PS3 doesn't dominate the market like the PS2 did, then it doesn't necessarily follow that all the experimental games will be released on the PS3 instead of a different console. Microsoft is actually targeting the indie developers with the XBox Live Arcade, I'm not aware of an effort to reach out to small developers by Sony.
Also, just because Blu-Ray has so much storage doesn't imply developers will use it. Most big money games will probably see both XBox 360 & PS3 releases, so they'll limit themselves to the space available on a 360 disc.
If someone does make a PS3 game that requires all the space on the Blu-Ray disc they're going to set new records for development costs. It could happen, but I don't see anyone setting out with that being their goal.
This shouldn't be any surprise for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, LoZ:TP has been in development for ages as a GameCube release. Hence, support for waving your Wii stick around wasn't part of the original game design, it's something they've added recently.
Secondly, LoZ:TP is going to be released simultaneously for GameCube and Wii. This means that the Wii stick can't be required for gameplay, so the game must still be optimized for a conventional controller.
Personally, I'm hoping LoZ:TP is going to innovate in areas other than controller. Wind Waker was just far too similar to Ocarina of Time, except for the boring sailing around parts. So on the whole I'd like Zelda on my Wii to not involve seamen...
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
Well sure you can buy a PS2 and have a (kinda) cheap console with no HD support and a hell of a lot of 3rd party support. But the PS2 does not have the Wii remote. The PS2 is also visually (I'm not saying anything about the technicalities) inferior to the GC. I have played Kingdom Hearts and FFX, which are amazing looking games, BUT I also love Super Smash Brothers Melee. Look at a SSBM character and compare it to a FF character, for instance, and notice the immense difference in detail, and let's not forget that there can be loads of those SSBM characters on screen. Plus, I'd NEVER experienced lag on any GC game. I do love the PS2 for it's incomparable library, but for graphics, the GC most definitely rocks the boat. Therefore, to simply generalize the Wii with "pre-generation performance" is simply ignorant. In the first case, GC games are damn good (I'd like to see the PS2 handle Super Mario Sunshine), and secondly, the Wii is a more powerful iteration. Sure, it's not a gigantic step up like the PS3 or 360, but it's a step up nonetheless. We shouldn't be so quick to judge the graphics either, as no one has yet seen what this system can do. As with all next-gen consoles, the graphics improve with age -- developers see what people want, and then go about tapping into the system for real. Another reason all we're seeing is GC+ graphics right now is because that's what's in the developer kit -- a ghetto version of the controller and the sensory stick, and a GC. To my knowledge, not a single company outside of Nintendo actually has a Wii. So it's going to take a bit before we get to Wii-level graphics. Also, on the topic of Wii-level graphics, let's not forget what it has under the hood -- a brand new, totally unique CPU and GPU Ninty had specifically designed for the system. So just because it otherwise has the specs of the XBox, let's not discount the capabilities of these TOTALLY secretive processors. The truth is, we still don't know anything, and neither do any developers.
It would not have been cheaper for Nintendo to stick a motion-sensitive controller on a GC, because that's not all there is to the Wii. There's also the connectivity element. Connectivity to the NWFC plus that WiiConnection24 system where your Wii is constantly receiving updates, virtual presents, game upgrades, etc. Wii also uses the standard 12cm disc, while the GC uses an 8cm disc. Plus, there's the new SD format memory cards and the fact that the Wii controller houses memory (kinda like the N64, huh). While Nintendo could have tacked these upgrades on to the GC just fine, it would have cost a bundle, I think. And that would have just been cheap. Plus, it's about time for the new to move it. I love the GC like a mother, but I'm a technophile -- I love new, and I suspect that in this technology-driven century, many more people do too.
How can you say the Wii doesn't fill any niche not being served. I dare you right now, with all of Slashdot as my witness to just walk around your neighborhood, door to door (ok, don't actually do this). Ask each member of the household if they play any video game console (incl. PC), and if so, what games they play. I will bet my soul that the demographics consistently NOT playing games will be the girls (14+ maybe, because I know a lot more girls are getting into GBA, etc. nowadays), Mom and Pop, and Grandma and Grandpa; almost every boy plays video games (not trying to stereotype, just stating observation). Games do not belong to just a select group, games are for everyone, and Nintendo is definitely holding fast to this idea. I think it's sad that My dad won't play a video game with me because the controller's simply much too complicated, or the game mechanics don't make sense. To be honest, and I know this is gonna start some people up in arms, I can't get the hang of Halo. Something about the camera/movement system just doesn't feel right to me. But then again, I can't get the hang of any FPS -- the separate movement/camera functionalities just don't click with me on a controller. BUT. BUT.
You sound like a politician who is behind in the "likely voter" polls, insisting that they will draw from the MASSIVE pool of traditional non-voters to put themselves over the top.
It pretty much never works, because the funny thing about non-voters is: They typically don't vote.
There might be a few people out there who don't play console games because they don't like the genres or the controllers.
But most people who don't play console games are people who are NOT INTERESTED in playing console games. If they didn't give a shit about Mario before, a new controller and an improved networking solution won't change that. You're fooling yourself if you think otherwise.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
"If they didn't give a shit about Mario before, a new controller and an improved networking solution won't change that."
It's worked for the DS, with girls buying Nintendogs and the elderly buying Brain Age.
If you are using an NTSC console on a PAL TV or vice versa, you'll get black and white. Solution: Buy a TV manufactured for the appropriate market, or buy a multi-system TV.
Except the DS did not emerge in an established market which was exclusively popular with a specific demographic.
Before the DS and the PSP, there was only the GameBoy, which wasn't hugely popular with adults, but did rather well with both men and women.
It seems to me that the thing that makes DS games so popular with women is: No hand-held game is small enough for your back jeans pocket, but the DS fits in a purse.
I have a PSP (mainly for airplane travel amusement), and I've seen purses that are smaller than this thing, especially with the hard drive & extended battery attached. There's no way any woman could toss it in her handbag with her phone, money, keys, make-up, etc. unless she was carrying on of those big honkin' messenger bags, in which case she might as well take a whole freakin' laptop.
But the DS is only slightly larger than a typical make-up case. A woman who is already carrying around a half-full purse won't even notice the addition of a DS until the mood strikes her to take it out and play it.
Most men, meanwhile, need to minimize clutter, as even belt pouches are viewed by a great deal of society as a rather "metrosexual" accessory to be lugging around. After the wallet and keys, a "soap-bar" sized cell phone and maybe an iPod is pretty much the upper bounds of what most guys want to carry around all day in their pockets, especially during the summer, when you don't have all those extra jacket pockets to throw stuff in (and some of your work-out shorts lack pockets entirely.)
Which might be one more reason why men like playing console games in the living room: Current "portable" systems are not as portable for men as they are for women.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Seems like two wiimotes would be a purfect fit for this game.
"There are people who do not love their fellow human being, and I _hate_ people like that!" - Tom Lehrer
It seems to me that the thing that makes DS games so popular with women is: No hand-held game is small enough for your back jeans pocket, but the DS fits in a purse.
I have a PSP (mainly for airplane travel amusement), and I've seen purses that are smaller than this thing, especially with the hard drive & extended battery attached. There's no way any woman could toss it in her handbag with her phone, money, keys, make-up, etc. unless she was carrying on of those big honkin' messenger bags, in which case she might as well take a whole freakin' laptop.
But the DS is only slightly larger than a typical make-up case. A woman who is already carrying around a half-full purse won't even notice the addition of a DS until the mood strikes her to take it out and play it.
These points are nonsensical. The two portables are virtually identical in size and weight.
DS: 148.7 x 84.7 x 28.9 mm (5.85 x 3.33 x 1.13 inches)
PSP: 170.0 x 74.0 x 23.0 mm (6.7 x 2.9 x 0.9 inches)
You and I are the only two people in the entire universe that are even AWARE that the dual-shock buttons are pressure-sensitive analog buttons. I'll bet even Sony doesn't remember. :)
I think Ratchet & Clank tried to use them at one point, but it was a pointless addon.
"Before the DS and the PSP, there was only the GameBoy, which wasn't hugely popular with adults, but did rather well with both men and women."
Got numbers?
"It seems to me that the thing that makes DS games so popular with women is: No hand-held game is small enough for your back jeans pocket, but the DS fits in a purse."
Nevermind, you've just identified yourself as a troll.
I mean, really, "beacuse it fits in a purse?" You're either a troll or straight from the 1950's.
Huh? The GameBoy Advance and the GB Advance SP are about the size of the DS... I don't get your point. I think its more about the games than the size of the unit (errr...)
Not linked from this story are hands on reports on Mario Galaxy from the E3 floor! And here are some photos from the E3 demo stations. This is probably the most exciting thing to come out of this entire E3, this game looks amazing.
The graphics are creative and mindbendingly absurdist, the gameplay sounds intuitive and natural, and even better-- if I understand the Gamespot hands on correctly, Mario Galaxy isn't a stupid star/shine hunt like the last two games were. The point is to just get from point A to point B, like in the 2D mario games-- meaning that the environments can be huge and expansive and there can be a wide variety of them, as opposed to Mario Sunshine where the levels were basically just entering the same 10 boxes over and over to do different little errands in them. I am so happy about this, I cannot wait to play this game. I hope it is a launch title.
Is online here. Looks interesting.
Just so you know, WWF Attitude takes a grand total of 5 seconde from load to ready to play if you take all the defaults on Dreamcast. Heh. Progress. What a concept.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
If you're saying that the PS3 will have a wider variety of games just because the PS2 does, you don't understand how the market works. The PS2 has the widest variety of games because they've shipped more than 100 million consoles. That means a publisher can target niches within the market and take more risks with products that don't appeal to everyone (because the total market size is so large).
There are two aspects to this.
One is that we saw a wide variety of games because there were many consoles. However that also carries over to some degree for the new console, as game makers anticipate similar levels of success. If the PS3 does not do well within a year then it might start to become more of an issue.
Secondly however is the Japanese factor - you know there will be a lot of Japanese game makers working on this system, and therefore we should see a lot of pretty unique ideas come forth. Here I am thinking of the next Ico or Katamari (not literally, just new and interesting games).
Also, just because Blu-Ray has so much storage doesn't imply developers will use it. Most big money games will probably see both XBox 360 & PS3 releases, so they'll limit themselves to the space available on a 360 disc.
No, they'll just compress the hell out of textures leading to the unfortunate myth that the 360 is not as powerful as the PS3, or the 260 will see a few less levels of content. Just wait for the IGN head to head comparisons in the new generation...
You are underestimating how quickly you could go beyond DVD limits with HDR kinds of textures (higher bit depths).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I think allot of people are missing a good point about the wii...
While it may not capture the hard core fans fancy right away, trust me when I say, this is going to open doors never even thought of before. In the realm of video games we have seen a pretty linier evolution in each new breed of systems that arrive, and i think the wii has the opportunity to change the way traditional game developers think about designing the next big hit.
Games have become allot like hollywood. Allot of crap. Every once in a while a movie comes out and wows people, but mostly junk. Also like any other entertainment industry, peoples likes and dislikes will vary tremendously.
However, by creating a next gen console with the motion sensing ability, you give developers new ways to interact within games and that will spawn innovation. It's the same thing as if hollywood created a new genre of film. Some people will never like it, and it may not be wholly executed at first, but the groundwork is there.
So, while some games may come as substandard right off the bat, be assured people will put the wii to good use. I think mostly though, its the idea of the wii that is exiting news for the gaming world, more so than its actual gamepay. Yes poor titles could harm an otherwise good release, but I think the hype is already snowballed to fast too far. It WILL be big.
The question is, what will we do with it next? Or even better, what new advances will this lead to? i anxiously await :-)
The comparison between the motion detection and the almost never used pressure sensitive buttons is pretty good, however I think the tilt/motion sensors will be much easier to use and therefore actually will be used. As a gamer I always felt that even when included in a game, the pressure sensitive buttons were just too hard to use well. They needed more travel and varying resitance to really work well I think.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I admit I'll probably end up getting a PS3 myself, if for no other reason so that I can play FFXIII (unless S-E finally sees the light and ports the game to the Wii), but I simply will not be getting it until late 2008 at the earliest, what with the price point they're announcing (I'm not that big of a Final Fantasy fanboy). I doubt I'm alone here, and both Sony and S-E could be hurting as everybody waits until the PS3 goes through a price drop and FFXIII ends up in the $20 bargain bin in the meantime.
...Both managed to divide their fanbase with two competing visions for the new generation (Saturn vs. 32-X? $500 vs $600?)...
Although the new console is very expensive, I think there are a lot more people willing to snap up the first few million consoles at almsot any price. Just look at eBay proces for the 360 for the first few months.
Launch titles will be important but I think Sony will have a few pretty good titles lined up (and not just sequels).
That's a pretty unfair comparison - you are comparing two different consoles, vs. two configurations that will vary pretty much only by a few ports that aren't even needed! If I can do 1080i with or without HDMI, then who acres if it's not there (for the average gamer, ignore the 1% of the population that are video geeks here).
Secondly, the Xbox 360 controller (at least the wireless one) has ports on it. If they're capable of doing more than just connecting a headset and recharge cable, Microsoft could conceivably release a Wii-esque dongle and imitate Nintendo's control scheme even better than Sony. The only problem will be that it will have to be a separate accessory.
They could and they will. But we all know how widespread adoption of console acessories like that are, people aren't going to be willing to do the work of a prt without a huge install base.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Take many existing games, add HDR support to the textures (higher bit depth and thus bigger textures) and you are looking at greater than a single DVD consumption already.
I agree that the race for greater graphical content to a certain point is rather silly, however the fact that one console has that as an option when one does not in the middle of a billion dollar industry means we will see some titles that make impressive use of this space. Lots more graphical content is not a feature than can make any game better, but it is a feature that can make some games you might not be able to make otherwise - and as a gamer I want a wide variety of game options. I'll play the next Myth as well as a game that takes up 2k on discs and generates all graphics procedurally and be happy that I can do both.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
So, what are you saying, that in 2006 women no longer carry handbags?
I don't think you've been to a mall lately.
Handbags are incredibly utilitarian, especially in this day and age, when people are carrying phones and music players with them everywhere they go.
The only reason men haven't caved in and started carrying them is because men often carry laptop bags, which is really just a big square purse that you can put a computer in.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
does that mean no more overpriced proprietary memory cards? It really burned me up to pay 25 bucks for 8mb of flash for my ps2 when I ran out of save space, especially when the reason I ran out of space was most games set aside entire chunks of memory for multiple saves, not just what they need for the one or two saves I've got.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Incidentally... your g.e. uses a verb form that agrees with a singular. Maybe you meant:
Nintendo know what they are doing.
People know what they are doing.
Nintendo knows what it's doing.
A person knows what it's doing.
This isn't about what is common on Slashdot, it's just a variation among writers in the anglosphere. Brits (at the least) treat corporations as plurals; Americans don't. That you see both on Slashdot is just another symptom of the WWW being world-wide. Anyhow, I'll just attribute your post to ignorance rather than malice.
Cheers!
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Just think of all the "adult" possibilities here with this phallic, wireless, motion tracked controller...
>:->
>>> "Whoever thought the name 'Revolution' was passe and decided to name their next generation console after the sound kids make falling out of airplanes should be cornholed wiikly..."
Revolution could not have been trademarked, would not have been very good for gamers wanting to get domain names, nor could it have been used effectively for internet searches, nor would it have gained any comment in the press. I suspect it's also hard for a lot of east asian folk to pronounce.
As it is just the name Wii has set off a minor storm, great ahead of the tantalising feeding of further tidbits.
That's wii.
I see the Remote has Positional Sensing (ie. detects the position in 3D space), does the Nunchuk attachment have this Position sensing as well? Or is it just Motion Detection? (I haven't seen the videos or used the controller, so I have no idea). It would be great if they both had Positional Sensing - great for boxing games, and in Mario, draw a bow like a real bow, swing 2 swords at once, or in other games, aim a gun and throw/roll a gren at the same time. Maybe if it's not already like that, they can add that functionality later by using 2 remotes per person maybe. Then imagine standing infront of a projected screen playing Zelda/WoW like that. I've never had a Nintendo, but this would make me get one for sure.
Another thing that I've been wondering about, that I have heard virtually nothing about from either Nintendo or any media coverage, is the possibilities of a single person using two Wii-Motes simultaneously, and whether or not any developers have taken any steps to exploring this option. Nintendo's teaser videos have alluded to this possibility (i.e. the guy playing the virtual drumset in the conference intro video), but other than that, nothing.
I think that having a control setup with two motion/positional sensing devices like this would have a lot of potential. Imagine a boxing game like 'Fight Night' where you hold a wiimote in each hand and jab, uppercut, and block just like you would in reality. My dear lord, that would be amazing...
PS3 cheap version won't have HDMI; therefore, what's going to output the 1080p graphics (and subsequent textures needed)?
That's wrong from a few angles.
First of all, you can easily do 1080i over component cables (I have before). So you don't need HDMI to play at full res (1080i has the same resolution as 1080p, it's a matter of progressive scan or not).
But the more fundamental problem with your pointing that out is that in using extra space I was not even talking extra resolution - I was instead talking about HDR textures and the extra bit-depth they require to store. Even if you have games playing at the same resolutions as today you'll need about 4x the storage to handle the HDR textures.
As far as video memory goes - that's why you swap textures onto the card from a hard drive, PC games are already dealing with this.
The PS3 uses a vastly inferior motion detection system than the Wii (Wii's system is much more advanced - works in 3D and toward specific areas on the screen). The angle detection of the PS3 seems to relay angles and translate them into analog pad commands, similar to what other companies sold in controllers 8 years ago. So any game that would use the analog pads, could possibly also use the angle detectors. The people working on that PS3 game that uses the sensors didn't get the hardware or any info on it until a week and a half ago. Whereas developers for Nintendo actually got the controllers before the DEV kits.
Yes, I know the Wii's system is far better - that's why I'm buying one and planned on buying one the moment I heard about the controllers. I have long been a fan of alternate input devices for games and have a box full of controllers like the Space Orb (well, I used to - I sold off the Space Orb, sniff).
However a "dumbed down" version of the interface that used some of the PS3 controller abilities and used buttons/joysticks for the other aspects of control could be done, and I warrant will be done. It's not going to be as good as the Wii version probably but since Wii is getting the developers really thinking about using motion control as a major control element some of the possible brilliance may leak down to the PS3 versions of the game.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Aside from the fact that Sony isn't the only movie studio out there, they're not implementing forced downsampling on their disks for the time being. If BluRay happens to catch on, Sony will go back to downsampling non-DRM interfaces, leaving the $500 PS3 owners up a creek.
The other studios are following suit. And As for a long time the PS3 will represent the majority of players, why would any studio release a movie that a vast majority of consumers will not be able to play at full res?
The other reason they all backed off the HDMI requirements of course is the realization of just how many millions of consumers they would be shutting out that have older HD units with "only" DHCP.
Will it be the game or some sort of OS that has the burden of having to figure out what kind of hardware is on what interface? Will it randomly guess what's plugged in where or will there be device drivers invovled?
If it's an offical Sony peripheral it's just as easy to program to as your hypothetical 360 motion detection dongle. You seemed to think that could do quite well; I remember some example about the DualShock...
Or, perhaps you've heard of a little something called the EyeToy? That was a USB device that took off in a big way, despite no support for it being backed in initially.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
You are aware that you'll need to buy the more expensive PS3 if you want to watch Blu-Ray movies in HD?
Well, I was aware that Sony and other studios are going to ship movies that do not require HDMI to play at full resolution, and I am also aware that you can play 1080i through component cables. What were you aware of again?
As well, the PS3 controller's motion sensing isn't working very well. The lead dev for one of the PS3 games using the motion detection couldn't even get it working properly on stage. It seems like Sony doesn't know what to do with the tech they want to borrow from others.
It's lame compared to the Wii no doubt, but good enough for a port of something. Thankfully I'll be getting a Wii as well, who could resist? I think the Wii will probably be the top console this next round, with Sony close behind.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
How about Harvest Moon?
Natsume has confirmed a Harvest Moon game for Wii
I haven't been this excited to play a video game since Mario 64. I caught myself feeling this way while watching the E3 conference. The reason? It's a totally new experience. I distinctly remember how psyched I was reading Next-Gen in 1996 about the N64's analog control and the true 3D immersion that was made possible by the N64 and Mario 64. When I first laid hands on it at a Wal-mart demo console, it was almost a religious experience. I find myself feeling the same way, after about seven years of not caring about gaming whatsoever, about the Wii. I can't wait to feel the completely different gaming experience. That, for me, is the single sexiest thing about the Wii and the most significant -- no system since the N64 has offered that sort of freshness. PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, and Xbox 360 have all offered essentially the same gaming experience. Wii is, in a very real way, revolutionary.
The other thing that entices me about the Wii is the futuristic sense of the thing. Everything about the console reminds me of something that we might've seen in a 90's sci-fi movie, that, if it didn't actually exist, we would all laugh off as this ridiculous thing that would never really be made. It's just too cool to be real. Throw in some flying cars and moonbases and I'll retract all my grievances about how big of a let-down the turn of the century was.
To me, gamecube is anything but disappointment.
...belt pouches are viewed by a great deal of society as a rather "metrosexual" accessory to be lugging around. Belt pouches aren't viewed as being metrosexual, they are viewed as making you look like a fucking idiot.
The motion sensing controlling sounds fun at first, but I keep coming back to the same problem: while you can swing it like a golf club, there still is no ball sitting there for you to hit. So how do you hit the ball? Is it entirely arbitrary, randomly deciding whether or not you hit it solid, or does it decide that a certain point on the floor is the ball, and you have to try to guess where that might be? And what about height? Did you get the club under the ball? In line with the ball? Above? How does the player know where the end of the club is? If you guess right you hit the ball well, and if you guess wrong, you don't. How long can such voodoo keep you entertained?
--- What?
For that matter, it wasn't all that long ago that Sega was making consoles and garnering good press.
Would anyone have called the Dreamcast -- unquestionably the most badass system of its time -- a dicey move?
Yet, Sega underwent a major restructuring as a consequence of its move in the console wars.
Ultimately, I suspect this move will insulate Nintendo, because it plays to Nintendo's strength, producing great games, while brutalizing its opponents' weaknesses, awful price points and too much emphasis on whiz-bang gfx.
On the whole, I've long thought Nintendo would win this round.
Judging Wii's buzz against 360's buzz and the PS3's raw antipathy from the public, Nintendo may actually vault past MS and take first place by the end of this round.
I think Sony may be out of business and being eaten by someone else by the end of this round.
The lesson: the least bold move is making no bold moves.
I scream. You scream. I assume that means we're both acquainted with the problem. We proceed.
The difference is that everybody knows exactly what interface the DualShock/EyeToy/etc. connected to. You're proposing a PC-esque system where the game could either look towards an internal interface or towards the USB ports.
As I surmised in my other response, to the PS3 it's all externally mounted storage - here is further proof in a comment from Sony, saying:
"We felt that if you want to save something on your Memory Stick, most people have those readers on their PC, which is easily adaptable to the PlayStation 3 with a USB cord," said Hirai. "The only difference is HDMI - and at this point, I don't think many people's TV's have that. The ultimate result, to my eyes anyway, is there's not a discernable difference between what you get between HDMI and other forms of high definition."
Which is what I've been trying to tell you all along.
If you can think of a real difference between the two systems that most consumers will care about, I'm all ears. Basically Sony is charging $100 for the video geeks that really need the ultimate in connections while letting everyone else use the (very slightly) lesser means of connection that actually works with 95% of the HD gear already out in homes.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley