It was dry like this in the US, but for the DS Japan hasn't had the same problem. Nintendo kept their promise of a 2004 release here, but most of their dev teams are Japanese. Their localization teams could not keep up with their production people.
What are you talking about? A quick jog to my local Sam's Club finds a portable DVD player with a much bigger screen for $150. You don't have to buy an expensive memory card, and it plays the DVDs you already have. I have never understood the lure of PSP video. Even less the lure of the UMD format.
Sorry, the ISS is a farce and a waste of billions. We needed a station capable of in-space construction even if it was of the most rudimentary design. The ISS is just another orbiting coffee can where people who call themselves scientists can play with yo-yos.
It is time for NASA to think beyond the next shuttle launch, and start cultivating a fucking reason for us to be in space. A mission to Mars at this time is idiotic. Instead, let's concentrate on an orbital construction/production facility so we can actually capitalize on the advantages of zero gravity. But NO! We are content to make mere potshots at the rest of the solar system without bulding the infrastructure that may one day make interplanetary travel really viable.
If this is true, I don't know what the hell Apple is thinking. The word on the street was always that Apples were built to last. You had to accept the higher price and less popular OS to get it, but you did get the increased quality as a trade off.
Sony, in my estimation, is the the new Packard Bell or Gateway. Where quality is job 3, maybe 5. Well, I'm sure they will get around to it sometime.
Seriously, Sony is a company that is renowned for its lax quality control. Why the hell Apple would want to associate themselves with Sony is beyond me.
Easily the least creative game house? They love their franchises, but come on. Take a look at Microsoft.
Halo - UT/Quake clone Dungeon Seige - Diablo Clone Top Spin - Virtua Tennis Clone Conker Live and Reloaded - Sequel to an awful game Perfect Dark Zero - Remember when Rare was special. It may be the Alzheimer's, but I'm having trouble remembering back that far. I think they were working for Nintendo then. Forza Motorsport/Project Gotham Racing - Don't get more original than these two, I'll tell you. Fable - All right we get the point. True Fantasy Online - We really get the point even though they didn't finish it. Halo 2 - You keep delivering the point, but we keep saying no. Get a clue.
On the other hand, you say Nintendo isn't creative. Yet they INVENT most of the genres all these other games fall into. Have you played Kirby Canvas Curse and Yoshi's Touch and Go? There is a brand new genre in the past couple months. What about Brain Training for Adults? Odama? I could go on and on.
The Tokyo-based company said in a statement today that net income will be 10 billion yen this fiscal year, compared with an April forecast of 80 billion yen.
Nintendo, on the other hand, has not cut their full year forcast.
Despite the apparently significant downturn in results both the company and independent analysts contacted by news agency Reuters appear unconcerned by the results, with Nintendo's share price falling by only 0.1 percent in initial post- trading. "I think the results came in pretty much as expected," said Yuta Sakurai, senior analyst for Nomura Securities. "This is a seasonally volatile industry and Nintendo's biggest games will come later in the year. They didn't change their full-year forecast, so I'm not worried," he said.
And:
Nintendo officials claim that operating profits for the whole year are expected to rise by 3.1 percent from ¥111.52 billion ($991.73m) last year to ¥115 ($1.02bn) this year.
But of course, no self-respecting, mass media, gaming site is going to report on such fiscal trivia. Nintendo, as always, appeals only to children under 12 and is teh doomed1
Two titles have been released in the past couple months that are very interesting: "DS Training for Adults: Work Your Brain" and "Gentle Brain Exercises."
Both of these games are tearing up the charts. This ain't kiddy fare. They are aimed squarely at gamers older than 18-24 years old. "Gentle Brain Exercises" was number 2 for the week ending the 10th. In it's second week out it sold over 75,000 units and beat the newly-released "We Love Katamari" which came in third.
Nintendo is not trying to cater simply to the children. They see the gaming population becoming older, but unlike Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo sees gamers aging past college age.
Actively courting all ages may lose them some sales in the trendy young adult market, but I think this strategy is the best chance Nintendo has to maintain their sales and expand upon them. Though some won't admit it, there are a good deal of gamers (myself included) that are tiring of cookie-cutter Sci-Fi FPSs as we age beyond our early 20s. This population segment is only going to increase. Don't get me wrong, I like a good FPS as much as anyone, but when I have Unreal Tournament, Goldeneye 007, and Serious Sam, I don't see why Halo 2 should excite me.
I just think it is very wise to look at everyone as a potential gamer.
While analog could still be used we're trying to move technology forward.
Damn, you're right! Having better TV resolution is so important we needed to legislate it! It's way more important than alternative fuels and stem-cell research.
20 years from now, we will turn to our antequated televisions and say to ourselves, "God damn! We are fucking idiots."
But the thing is that you can send them to Nintendo, and get it it fixed or replaced. I don't have the link anymore, but gome guy bought a DS at launch last year. It had a dead pixel, and he sent it back to Nintendo to see how good their service really was. He sent it in less than 2 weeks after launch and had a replacement in his hands within 5 days.
Nintendo's customer service and quality is a real advantage, especially in the portable market.
Too many websites judge a DS game's graphics harshly for being 2D and not fully utilizating the system. Then they will turn around and judge 3D games harshly, because they are not as good looking as the PSP's. Others don't like the stylus input for one reason or the other, and take points off for that.
As a Nintendo fan, I've made a lot of predictions about their return to dominance. None of them came true.
Right now the XBOX is definately not the top dog in the console world. They are barely beating the GameCube in the worldwide home console market, but that one victory needs some perspective. First, the PS2 is outselling it 4:1. Second, the XBOX is not a factor in Japan. Third, Microsoft has lost more than 2 billion dollars on the XBOX.
If you are talking about Home Consoles, the top dog is clearly Sony in both profits and sales. If you are talking all current systems, Nintendo is clearly the victor in both profits and sales.
Even if Microsoft were to turn their video game division profitable right now and achieve Nintendo levels of profitability, it would take more than 3 years for Microsoft to earn their investment back.
I'm not going to say Nintendo is going to lead this next generation. I know how many broken Sony systems consumers are willing to replace. I will, however, predict their sales and profits will remain healthy.
On the other hand, I predict that Microsoft will fall short of breaking even with the 360 no matter how many units they sell, but I'm sure they will be able to handle it.
Sony will probably lead the home console sales again, as long as they maintain their profits.
I think Nintendo is looking at their decision to support progressive scan games with the GameCube with some regret. Only 2% of GC owners bothered to buy the necessary cables.
I was one of them, only to learn that my brand new 20' RCA flat screen didn't really support progressive scan as my Target implied. "Get a progressive scan DVD player for this TV" implies that it can show progressive scan to me. Bastards.
Sony and Microsoft see the growing game market in the US and Europe. Nintendo sees the shrinking game market in Japan. Nintendo execs have said over and over that many people are becoming uninterested in video games.
I don't think it is about lack of will or talent that Nintendo is taking the path they are. I think Nintendo really believes that the future of the industry is outside the 18-24 male demographic. They see shrinking sales in Japan and predict it won't be long until the US and European markets jump the shark.
First and foremost, that the PS3 will launch in Spring 2006. The PSP was supposed to launch worldwide at the end of 2004. Ask our European friends how accurate Sony's launch forcasts are.
The PS3's GPU isnt finished yet. The first Cell prototype was unveiled in March, and it wasn't even the version that will be used in the PS3. I have not heard if that is finished yet.
No one knows how far along the Revolution is. Some people take a lack of news to mean that it is behind, but they said the same thing about the DS before it beat the PSP into every territory.
Wait and see. Nintendo will likely wait for 3 things: the production capacity to meet demand, launch titles to sell the machine, and the infrastructure for their online network. The Revolution will launch when they have those three things or November 2006, whichever comes first.
First the earth would slow to match the moon's orbit. The moon's gravity affects us more than the sun's (roughly 3 times more if I remember correctly). Then the sun's tidal forces would eventually slow the Earth-Moon system so that the moon spirals back into the Earth.
But here is the rub. The earth would lock with the sun perfectly... if there were no other celestial bodies affecting the two. However the other planets, mostly Venus, would probably throw a monkey wrench into the system.
For instance, Venus appears to be locked with the Earth such that the same side of Venus faces the Earth at their closest approach. Mercury is stably locked at 3 days per 2 orbits. This has to do with the eccentricity of Mercury's orbit.
But then again, given sufficient time, the Earth would slowly spiral into the Sun, because the momentum of the Sun's light has a braking effect on large bodies.
Slashdot Mirror
It was dry like this in the US, but for the DS Japan hasn't had the same problem. Nintendo kept their promise of a 2004 release here, but most of their dev teams are Japanese. Their localization teams could not keep up with their production people.
Regardless, I think they have done pretty well.
I'll play devil's advocate.
GameFly rents PSP movies. You do have to have a regular GameFly subscription, and that is much more expensive than a NetFlix subscription.
For the record... keep your money unless you want games.
What are you talking about? A quick jog to my local Sam's Club finds a portable DVD player with a much bigger screen for $150. You don't have to buy an expensive memory card, and it plays the DVDs you already have. I have never understood the lure of PSP video. Even less the lure of the UMD format.
You'd be surprised how much damage a piece of foam can do when it hits you at Mach 1.
Sorry, the ISS is a farce and a waste of billions. We needed a station capable of in-space construction even if it was of the most rudimentary design. The ISS is just another orbiting coffee can where people who call themselves scientists can play with yo-yos.
It is time for NASA to think beyond the next shuttle launch, and start cultivating a fucking reason for us to be in space. A mission to Mars at this time is idiotic. Instead, let's concentrate on an orbital construction/production facility so we can actually capitalize on the advantages of zero gravity. But NO! We are content to make mere potshots at the rest of the solar system without bulding the infrastructure that may one day make interplanetary travel really viable.
If this is true, I don't know what the hell Apple is thinking. The word on the street was always that Apples were built to last. You had to accept the higher price and less popular OS to get it, but you did get the increased quality as a trade off.
Sony, in my estimation, is the the new Packard Bell or Gateway. Where quality is job 3, maybe 5. Well, I'm sure they will get around to it sometime.
Seriously, Sony is a company that is renowned for its lax quality control. Why the hell Apple would want to associate themselves with Sony is beyond me.
Easily the least creative game house? They love their franchises, but come on. Take a look at Microsoft.
Halo - UT/Quake clone
Dungeon Seige - Diablo Clone
Top Spin - Virtua Tennis Clone
Conker Live and Reloaded - Sequel to an awful game
Perfect Dark Zero - Remember when Rare was special. It may be the Alzheimer's, but I'm having trouble remembering back that far. I think they were working for Nintendo then.
Forza Motorsport/Project Gotham Racing - Don't get more original than these two, I'll tell you.
Fable - All right we get the point.
True Fantasy Online - We really get the point even though they didn't finish it.
Halo 2 - You keep delivering the point, but we keep saying no. Get a clue.
On the other hand, you say Nintendo isn't creative. Yet they INVENT most of the genres all these other games fall into. Have you played Kirby Canvas Curse and Yoshi's Touch and Go? There is a brand new genre in the past couple months. What about Brain Training for Adults? Odama? I could go on and on.
What will the NASCAR championship be called now?
Then again, look at how many Ultimas and Final Fantasys there were.
Zelda? This list snubbs PONG.
Sony posted a loss in this past quarter (the first quarter in this fiscal year) and cut their projected full fiscal year profit by... get this... 87.5%.
To quote the Bloomberg article:
The Tokyo-based company said in a statement today that net income will be 10 billion yen this fiscal year, compared with an April forecast of 80 billion yen.
Nintendo, on the other hand, has not cut their full year forcast.
From the Gamasutra article the parent linked to:
Despite the apparently significant downturn in results both the company and independent analysts contacted by news agency Reuters appear unconcerned by the results, with Nintendo's share price falling by only 0.1 percent in initial post- trading. "I think the results came in pretty much as expected," said Yuta Sakurai, senior analyst for Nomura Securities. "This is a seasonally volatile industry and Nintendo's biggest games will come later in the year. They didn't change their full-year forecast, so I'm not worried," he said.
And:
Nintendo officials claim that operating profits for the whole year are expected to rise by 3.1 percent from ¥111.52 billion ($991.73m) last year to ¥115 ($1.02bn) this year.
But of course, no self-respecting, mass media, gaming site is going to report on such fiscal trivia. Nintendo, as always, appeals only to children under 12 and is teh doomed1
1up the FOX News of gaming.
Listen, 10% is a pretty significant number for something that has never been online before.
Dreamcast.
The overall percentage of Nintendo's marketshare is less than Sony and MS (note overall).
Nintendo is barely behind MS in the worldwide home console numbers. Include all current generation platforms, and Nintendo is #1.
If there were 12 users of Xbox live, the thing is a success as long as MS is turning a profit.
XBOX? Profit? That's funny!
Nintendo is still projected to ship more DSs than Sony will PSPs in the next twelve months.
Also, I would like to point Mr. Steele to the Japanese sales figures.
Two titles have been released in the past couple months that are very interesting: "DS Training for Adults: Work Your Brain" and "Gentle Brain Exercises."
Both of these games are tearing up the charts. This ain't kiddy fare. They are aimed squarely at gamers older than 18-24 years old. "Gentle Brain Exercises" was number 2 for the week ending the 10th. In it's second week out it sold over 75,000 units and beat the newly-released "We Love Katamari" which came in third.
Nintendo is not trying to cater simply to the children. They see the gaming population becoming older, but unlike Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo sees gamers aging past college age.
Actively courting all ages may lose them some sales in the trendy young adult market, but I think this strategy is the best chance Nintendo has to maintain their sales and expand upon them. Though some won't admit it, there are a good deal of gamers (myself included) that are tiring of cookie-cutter Sci-Fi FPSs as we age beyond our early 20s. This population segment is only going to increase. Don't get me wrong, I like a good FPS as much as anyone, but when I have Unreal Tournament, Goldeneye 007, and Serious Sam, I don't see why Halo 2 should excite me.
I just think it is very wise to look at everyone as a potential gamer.
While analog could still be used we're trying to move technology forward.
Damn, you're right! Having better TV resolution is so important we needed to legislate it! It's way more important than alternative fuels and stem-cell research.
20 years from now, we will turn to our antequated televisions and say to ourselves, "God damn! We are fucking idiots."
Do not substitute a "/" for "or." It is not standard English.
But the thing is that you can send them to Nintendo, and get it it fixed or replaced. I don't have the link anymore, but gome guy bought a DS at launch last year. It had a dead pixel, and he sent it back to Nintendo to see how good their service really was. He sent it in less than 2 weeks after launch and had a replacement in his hands within 5 days.
Nintendo's customer service and quality is a real advantage, especially in the portable market.
Last I'd heard, it had only sold around 10,000 copies. Not stellar. However, I own a copy, and I think it is pretty sweet.
Too many websites judge a DS game's graphics harshly for being 2D and not fully utilizating the system. Then they will turn around and judge 3D games harshly, because they are not as good looking as the PSP's. Others don't like the stylus input for one reason or the other, and take points off for that.
So be it for all infractions of Wunderlaw!
As a Nintendo fan, I've made a lot of predictions about their return to dominance. None of them came true.
Right now the XBOX is definately not the top dog in the console world. They are barely beating the GameCube in the worldwide home console market, but that one victory needs some perspective. First, the PS2 is outselling it 4:1. Second, the XBOX is not a factor in Japan. Third, Microsoft has lost more than 2 billion dollars on the XBOX.
If you are talking about Home Consoles, the top dog is clearly Sony in both profits and sales. If you are talking all current systems, Nintendo is clearly the victor in both profits and sales.
Even if Microsoft were to turn their video game division profitable right now and achieve Nintendo levels of profitability, it would take more than 3 years for Microsoft to earn their investment back.
I'm not going to say Nintendo is going to lead this next generation. I know how many broken Sony systems consumers are willing to replace. I will, however, predict their sales and profits will remain healthy.
On the other hand, I predict that Microsoft will fall short of breaking even with the 360 no matter how many units they sell, but I'm sure they will be able to handle it.
Sony will probably lead the home console sales again, as long as they maintain their profits.
Well, if they released a pink DS in the US, Gamespot's DS review scores would get even lower.
I think Nintendo is looking at their decision to support progressive scan games with the GameCube with some regret. Only 2% of GC owners bothered to buy the necessary cables.
I was one of them, only to learn that my brand new 20' RCA flat screen didn't really support progressive scan as my Target implied. "Get a progressive scan DVD player for this TV" implies that it can show progressive scan to me. Bastards.
Sony and Microsoft see the growing game market in the US and Europe. Nintendo sees the shrinking game market in Japan. Nintendo execs have said over and over that many people are becoming uninterested in video games.
I don't think it is about lack of will or talent that Nintendo is taking the path they are. I think Nintendo really believes that the future of the industry is outside the 18-24 male demographic. They see shrinking sales in Japan and predict it won't be long until the US and European markets jump the shark.
First and foremost, that the PS3 will launch in Spring 2006. The PSP was supposed to launch worldwide at the end of 2004. Ask our European friends how accurate Sony's launch forcasts are.
The PS3's GPU isnt finished yet. The first Cell prototype was unveiled in March, and it wasn't even the version that will be used in the PS3. I have not heard if that is finished yet.
No one knows how far along the Revolution is. Some people take a lack of news to mean that it is behind, but they said the same thing about the DS before it beat the PSP into every territory.
Wait and see. Nintendo will likely wait for 3 things: the production capacity to meet demand, launch titles to sell the machine, and the infrastructure for their online network. The Revolution will launch when they have those three things or November 2006, whichever comes first.
The answer is not as simple as you would think.
First the earth would slow to match the moon's orbit. The moon's gravity affects us more than the sun's (roughly 3 times more if I remember correctly). Then the sun's tidal forces would eventually slow the Earth-Moon system so that the moon spirals back into the Earth.
But here is the rub. The earth would lock with the sun perfectly... if there were no other celestial bodies affecting the two. However the other planets, mostly Venus, would probably throw a monkey wrench into the system.
For instance, Venus appears to be locked with the Earth such that the same side of Venus faces the Earth at their closest approach. Mercury is stably locked at 3 days per 2 orbits. This has to do with the eccentricity of Mercury's orbit.
But then again, given sufficient time, the Earth would slowly spiral into the Sun, because the momentum of the Sun's light has a braking effect on large bodies.