I only remember Iwata saying that they would launch with the PS3 or beat it to market. Every story I've read suggests Nintendo thinks Microsoft is rushing their next console to market too early.
You are so much in the minority here that you got modded "flamebait" for giving your honest opinion.
I agree with you to an extent. Much of my experience with XBOX Live is watching my friend's opponents pull their network cable out of their machine to keep from losing a game in NFL 2K3. Your typical 2-4 player game is much better played sttting next to each other, and let's face it, with the amount of time and energy my friends spend setting up LAN parties, larger games must be more fun that way too.
The problem is one of fesability. It is hard to get more than 4 players to play on short notice, and people are sometimes in the mood for those kind of games.
However, any game that involves so few players that one vain disconnect ruins the entire game is nearly pointless to play online. The internet is full of dicks, and I've played online Spades long enough to have told everyone this.
I would also like to think that having the Xbox Live infrastructure is very appealing to game studios since it removes the cost of server maintanence and upkeep. Further, players aren't at the mercy of game studios if they decide to shut down the network servers for whatever reason.
For many games this won't be true some really will NEED their own servers. If Final Fantasy XI were released on the XBOX, you would have to pay extra money for it on top of the subscription. Even Microsoft is waxing poetic about additional "micropayments" in their next console.
XBOX live is little more than a matchmaking program linking consoles up AS THEIR OWN SERVERS. Many companies already provide this type of service simply for the cost of the game, such as Blizzard.
We will have to wait and see what Nintendo has planned, but I'd say that matchmaking will be free and games that require dedicated servers for the gameplay will cost money.
I'm a video game enthusiest, but my taste in games is more "casual." I have very little patience for games that require a high level of mastery. Some games are good enough that I eventually get a high level of mastery, but it has to be fun to get there.
There are many gamers like me that like simpler games, but we aren't the problem. Neither are the people just getting into gaming, or the people that do not have a lot of time to devote to games. Games can be simple and fun, yet challenging. Look at games like Lumines or WarioWare. These games are not the problem.
The problem is the "trendy" games. Games likehe Enter the Matrix and LOTR: The Third Age. Games that only survive on hype and product placement. Excessive sequels qualify as well. These are games that care more about money than they do about gameplay, and sold to people who care more about their image than having fun. Now that it is "cool" to play games, more games are like this.
One more point: If online gaming is going to flourish on consoles, special care needs to taken that less skilled gamers aren't left out. Some of us don't have the time to become great at Halo. Some of us don't have the talent to become great at Halo, but to say these people need to take a hike isn't fair or profitable. I'm not saying Halo 2 doesn't try to do this, but the hardcore gamers need to understand that this is necessary for the companies and beneficial to all.
I've had my DS since Day One. My opinion on the matter is that unless you are already excited about the DS's features the time to own it is about 2 to 4 months away. Try to find someone with Yoshi's Touch and Go. I think that game is the acid test as to whether you want the machine now. If you really like that game, the DS is worth the price right now.
In June there are two games that people are pointing to as "Killer Aps:" Kirby and Meteos. The DS kirby is said to be great even for those who didn't like kirby in the past. Meteos is the puzzle game by the people who made Lumines, and it is getting higher review scores than lumines in Japan.
However...
If you are thinking about picking up a GBA, I don't see much reason not to get a DS.
The picture for the rest of the year should be much clearer in a couple of weeks. Wait till E3, and look at the upcoming releases. If you like what you see for the DS, it is a good little system, and I highly recommend it.
Scratches: Over the past 6 months I have accrued some minor scratches, but this was mostly due to using my fingernail to play some games. If you keep the screen free of dust and other crap and use the stylus you should be fine.
I don't own a PSP so I will keep most of my opinions to myself, and you can probably guess my feelings about by the fact I don't own it, but I do want to make a couple of points:
Games are $10-20 more expensive, and you already have an iPod, thus taking away a selling point for the system.
Again, I'd say wait till E3. If you like the games that will be coming out for it, it may be worth it to you.
I'll end with one comment. I bought my GBA because there was a game (Advance Wars) that I desperately wanted to play that was not offered on a home console. I own no ports of console games for the GBA, and only one for the DS, but I bought Super Mario 64 DS for the mini-games. My point is this: if you buy a portable system, buy it for the games you can't get for a home console.
Don't even get me started. $7-9 dollars is for the "pocket" size paperback too. Most stores nowadays tend to carry the bigger $11-13 paperbacks far more frequently.
- I want to see something to get me interested in the new Zelda. - Odama confirmed for release by the end of the year. - Confirmation of a Golden Retriever in the US release of Nintendogs. - Pilotwings. Please God give me Pilotwings. - Alpha Centauri DS online. - Mario Kart DS online. - Animal Crossing DS in August. - Serious Revolution eye candy to shut the haters up. (like it would work) - The New Tetris DS (you remember, the one from the 64. With the gold and the silver blocks. Best Tetris ever.)
Last E3 was huge for Nintendo fans. Nintendo had promised new ideas and new thinking for years, and they finally brought it to the conference. I can only hope this year will be as exciting.
I'm not talking about the cost of manufacture here; it doesn't especially matter that MS used to lose money on every X-Box sold for the first year or two.
They are still losing money on every XBOX sold.
We've also seen Nintendo's game-development suffering a lot over the last two cycles, particularly during the lifespan on the Gamecube. The fanboys may like their new Zelda/Mario/Metroid games, but ultimately there just haven't been enough games selling enough copies.
Nintendo is the second biggest game publisher in the world. Only EA sells more games. Quite a feat for a company that only markets to their own systems.
Nintendo has billions of dollars in the bank for development. If you look at the launch of the PSP vs. the DS, Nintendo was the company prepared to pay the dough to bring more factories online when the demand was higher than expected while Sony gave everyone some line about how they had to focus on the PS2.
Here is how the big three stack up financially:
Microsoft: Company is on sound financial ground, but their games division continuously loses money. They have lost billions on the XBOX.
Sony: Games division makes money, but the company on the whole is not doing well. They are set to eliminate 20,000 jobs by 2007 and hired a non-Japanese CEO which is a pretty desperate move for a Japanese company.
Nintendo: Company as a whole is profitable. Gaming business is very profitable.
Why would Nintendo allow themselves to be bought? Microsoft can't make money on games, and Sony is in serious trouble.
Nintendo are profitable for the moment, but in any kind of long-term endurance battle, they know they couldn't hold on for long.
Nintendo has been in the console business longer than Microsoft and Sony combined. They are always profitable. In fact, in the fifty years since Nintendo went public, they have only had one quarter loss.
Our kids get some practice for adult life, such as in teamwork, leadership, and deciding how much fight you want to put into defending a belief system. The kid in my troop decided to take a hike... and joined another troop in more or less of a "don't ask, don't tell" situation. Better he get first exposure to that as an Eagle candidate at 15 than as a naive college grad looking to climb a career ladder.
So you're saying that kicking a child out of a group that he obviously cares about for his beliefs is the best way (or even a good way) to teach him about intolerance in the world.
That is horrible. You should be ashamed. Learning to deal with the harsh realities of the world is one thing. Causing the harsh realities of the world and telling a kid to deal with it is another.
I was a part of the program, but my children won't be. I think tolerance and inclusion are far more important lessons than tying a knot or having a circle jerk about how much we love being Christians.
The software company that denies security problems is teaming up with the company that helped cover up faulty Firestone tires and the exploding Crown Victoria.
It needed to be a half hour longer, and most of that needed to be put into character and universe development in the beginning.
The girl who played Trillian fucking SUCKED.
The last and most important problem was the comic timing. The writing was good, and I thought there was enough talent to pull off the jokes (with the excsption of the girl who played Trillian), but the director settled for less than perfect takes at times.
If there is one thing that a billion years of evolution has taught us, it's that violence sometimes is the answer.
In general, however, we live in a society that frowns upon the killing of other humans. There are exceptions (we kill plenty of innocent people in Iraq), but in general, you can't do it. The thing is that we still have the instincts. We can suppress them, but we need a release.
It's nice to say that no one should have these urges, but it doesn't help matters to act like good people don't. Kids need a release for their aggression. Some choose sports, some choose games. The important thing is that we have parents that help differentiate the reality from the fantasy.
This is not only true in games like D&D and GTA, but even in sports. So many athletes are bullies, and it is all the same problem.
Now that Namco is making games like Star Fox Assult, Donkey Konga, and the arcade Mario Kart, I think much of the wounds have healed. Nintendo has been going out of their way to mend relations with 3rd parties in the last couple years.
You're saying that brilliant hardware design is not innovation?
Rebel Strike still holds the record for most polygons/sec in-game for a current generation console. XBOX has better numbers on paper, but they don't end up in the games. What good are they then?
People talk about the XBOX's superiority. Where's the proof? It isn't in the theoretical polygon counts you see in press releases.
I can't see why people will keep shelling out $20k+ or so for a new vehicle when they have hardly ever changed since the 1970s. They all get you from Point A to Point B.
Problem: I need a car to get to work. If it breaks, I must replace it. I do not need video games, though I do want them very badly. I would be very happy with one car that runs forever. To continue growth in the video game industry, I have to want more even if the games I have work perfectly well.
Which reminds me, I need to see if Electroplankton came today.
Slashdot Mirror
I only remember Iwata saying that they would launch with the PS3 or beat it to market. Every story I've read suggests Nintendo thinks Microsoft is rushing their next console to market too early.
Maybe I'm the minority here
You are so much in the minority here that you got modded "flamebait" for giving your honest opinion.
I agree with you to an extent. Much of my experience with XBOX Live is watching my friend's opponents pull their network cable out of their machine to keep from losing a game in NFL 2K3. Your typical 2-4 player game is much better played sttting next to each other, and let's face it, with the amount of time and energy my friends spend setting up LAN parties, larger games must be more fun that way too.
The problem is one of fesability. It is hard to get more than 4 players to play on short notice, and people are sometimes in the mood for those kind of games.
However, any game that involves so few players that one vain disconnect ruins the entire game is nearly pointless to play online. The internet is full of dicks, and I've played online Spades long enough to have told everyone this.
I would also like to think that having the Xbox Live infrastructure is very appealing to game studios since it removes the cost of server maintanence and upkeep. Further, players aren't at the mercy of game studios if they decide to shut down the network servers for whatever reason.
For many games this won't be true some really will NEED their own servers. If Final Fantasy XI were released on the XBOX, you would have to pay extra money for it on top of the subscription. Even Microsoft is waxing poetic about additional "micropayments" in their next console.
XBOX live is little more than a matchmaking program linking consoles up AS THEIR OWN SERVERS. Many companies already provide this type of service simply for the cost of the game, such as Blizzard.
We will have to wait and see what Nintendo has planned, but I'd say that matchmaking will be free and games that require dedicated servers for the gameplay will cost money.
I'm a video game enthusiest, but my taste in games is more "casual." I have very little patience for games that require a high level of mastery. Some games are good enough that I eventually get a high level of mastery, but it has to be fun to get there.
There are many gamers like me that like simpler games, but we aren't the problem. Neither are the people just getting into gaming, or the people that do not have a lot of time to devote to games. Games can be simple and fun, yet challenging. Look at games like Lumines or WarioWare. These games are not the problem.
The problem is the "trendy" games. Games likehe Enter the Matrix and LOTR: The Third Age. Games that only survive on hype and product placement. Excessive sequels qualify as well. These are games that care more about money than they do about gameplay, and sold to people who care more about their image than having fun. Now that it is "cool" to play games, more games are like this.
One more point: If online gaming is going to flourish on consoles, special care needs to taken that less skilled gamers aren't left out. Some of us don't have the time to become great at Halo. Some of us don't have the talent to become great at Halo, but to say these people need to take a hike isn't fair or profitable. I'm not saying Halo 2 doesn't try to do this, but the hardcore gamers need to understand that this is necessary for the companies and beneficial to all.
Nope, they are just less evil.
No one is all evil, not even John Travolta.
I've had my DS since Day One. My opinion on the matter is that unless you are already excited about the DS's features the time to own it is about 2 to 4 months away. Try to find someone with Yoshi's Touch and Go. I think that game is the acid test as to whether you want the machine now. If you really like that game, the DS is worth the price right now.
In June there are two games that people are pointing to as "Killer Aps:" Kirby and Meteos. The DS kirby is said to be great even for those who didn't like kirby in the past. Meteos is the puzzle game by the people who made Lumines, and it is getting higher review scores than lumines in Japan.
However...
If you are thinking about picking up a GBA, I don't see much reason not to get a DS.
The picture for the rest of the year should be much clearer in a couple of weeks. Wait till E3, and look at the upcoming releases. If you like what you see for the DS, it is a good little system, and I highly recommend it.
Scratches: Over the past 6 months I have accrued some minor scratches, but this was mostly due to using my fingernail to play some games. If you keep the screen free of dust and other crap and use the stylus you should be fine.
I don't own a PSP so I will keep most of my opinions to myself, and you can probably guess my feelings about by the fact I don't own it, but I do want to make a couple of points:
Games are $10-20 more expensive, and you already have an iPod, thus taking away a selling point for the system.
Again, I'd say wait till E3. If you like the games that will be coming out for it, it may be worth it to you.
I'll end with one comment. I bought my GBA because there was a game (Advance Wars) that I desperately wanted to play that was not offered on a home console. I own no ports of console games for the GBA, and only one for the DS, but I bought Super Mario 64 DS for the mini-games. My point is this: if you buy a portable system, buy it for the games you can't get for a home console.
Don't even get me started. $7-9 dollars is for the "pocket" size paperback too. Most stores nowadays tend to carry the bigger $11-13 paperbacks far more frequently.
I have put more time into Yoshi's Touch and Go than any other title this year.
Some people can accept something for what it is. Others are disappointed it didn't fit into the little box they made for it.
STOP COPYING ME!
Except for the Pac-Pix part. I rented that. But still...
GET OUT OF MY BRAIN!
Now I can find all the other naked pictures of Bea Arthur on the web!
- I want to see something to get me interested in the new Zelda.
- Odama confirmed for release by the end of the year.
- Confirmation of a Golden Retriever in the US release of Nintendogs.
- Pilotwings. Please God give me Pilotwings.
- Alpha Centauri DS online.
- Mario Kart DS online.
- Animal Crossing DS in August.
- Serious Revolution eye candy to shut the haters up. (like it would work)
- The New Tetris DS (you remember, the one from the 64. With the gold and the silver blocks. Best Tetris ever.)
Last E3 was huge for Nintendo fans. Nintendo had promised new ideas and new thinking for years, and they finally brought it to the conference. I can only hope this year will be as exciting.
I'm not talking about the cost of manufacture here; it doesn't especially matter that MS used to lose money on every X-Box sold for the first year or two.
They are still losing money on every XBOX sold.
We've also seen Nintendo's game-development suffering a lot over the last two cycles, particularly during the lifespan on the Gamecube. The fanboys may like their new Zelda/Mario/Metroid games, but ultimately there just haven't been enough games selling enough copies.
Nintendo is the second biggest game publisher in the world. Only EA sells more games. Quite a feat for a company that only markets to their own systems.
Nintendo has billions of dollars in the bank for development. If you look at the launch of the PSP vs. the DS, Nintendo was the company prepared to pay the dough to bring more factories online when the demand was higher than expected while Sony gave everyone some line about how they had to focus on the PS2.
Here is how the big three stack up financially:
Microsoft: Company is on sound financial ground, but their games division continuously loses money. They have lost billions on the XBOX.
Sony: Games division makes money, but the company on the whole is not doing well. They are set to eliminate 20,000 jobs by 2007 and hired a non-Japanese CEO which is a pretty desperate move for a Japanese company.
Nintendo: Company as a whole is profitable. Gaming business is very profitable.
Why would Nintendo allow themselves to be bought? Microsoft can't make money on games, and Sony is in serious trouble.
Nintendo are profitable for the moment, but in any kind of long-term endurance battle, they know they couldn't hold on for long.
Nintendo has been in the console business longer than Microsoft and Sony combined. They are always profitable. In fact, in the fifty years since Nintendo went public, they have only had one quarter loss.
They HAVE endured.
Our kids get some practice for adult life, such as in teamwork, leadership, and deciding how much fight you want to put into defending a belief system. The kid in my troop decided to take a hike... and joined another troop in more or less of a "don't ask, don't tell" situation. Better he get first exposure to that as an Eagle candidate at 15 than as a naive college grad looking to climb a career ladder.
So you're saying that kicking a child out of a group that he obviously cares about for his beliefs is the best way (or even a good way) to teach him about intolerance in the world.
That is horrible. You should be ashamed. Learning to deal with the harsh realities of the world is one thing. Causing the harsh realities of the world and telling a kid to deal with it is another.
I was a part of the program, but my children won't be. I think tolerance and inclusion are far more important lessons than tying a knot or having a circle jerk about how much we love being Christians.
The software company that denies security problems is teaming up with the company that helped cover up faulty Firestone tires and the exploding Crown Victoria.
Only good can come of this.
There were 3 problems with the movie:
It needed to be a half hour longer, and most of that needed to be put into character and universe development in the beginning.
The girl who played Trillian fucking SUCKED.
The last and most important problem was the comic timing. The writing was good, and I thought there was enough talent to pull off the jokes (with the excsption of the girl who played Trillian), but the director settled for less than perfect takes at times.
that's just my opinion though.
If there is one thing that a billion years of evolution has taught us, it's that violence sometimes is the answer.
In general, however, we live in a society that frowns upon the killing of other humans. There are exceptions (we kill plenty of innocent people in Iraq), but in general, you can't do it. The thing is that we still have the instincts. We can suppress them, but we need a release.
It's nice to say that no one should have these urges, but it doesn't help matters to act like good people don't. Kids need a release for their aggression. Some choose sports, some choose games. The important thing is that we have parents that help differentiate the reality from the fantasy.
This is not only true in games like D&D and GTA, but even in sports. So many athletes are bullies, and it is all the same problem.
You do know that there is a movie by that name.
Watch it very, very drunk.
Yet, why will "Star Wars III" rival the the popularity of "Star Wars IV", "V", and "VI"? Good writing, directing, and acting is the answer.
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
HAHHAHHAHHA!
HA HA HA!
Oh shit, that's a good one!
Now that Namco is making games like Star Fox Assult, Donkey Konga, and the arcade Mario Kart, I think much of the wounds have healed. Nintendo has been going out of their way to mend relations with 3rd parties in the last couple years.
I've always been a big fan of half.com. Same company, but you don't have to pay to list it, and the listings have no time limit.
is the buyback prices will become more ridiculous.
You're wrong. Nintendo would likely get reported too. Followed by no less than three stories predicting their doom.
It might not make the main page, but it would be there.
You're saying that brilliant hardware design is not innovation?
Rebel Strike still holds the record for most polygons/sec in-game for a current generation console. XBOX has better numbers on paper, but they don't end up in the games. What good are they then?
People talk about the XBOX's superiority. Where's the proof? It isn't in the theoretical polygon counts you see in press releases.
I can't see why people will keep shelling out $20k+ or so for a new vehicle when they have hardly ever changed since the 1970s. They all get you from Point A to Point B.
Problem: I need a car to get to work. If it breaks, I must replace it. I do not need video games, though I do want them very badly. I would be very happy with one car that runs forever. To continue growth in the video game industry, I have to want more even if the games I have work perfectly well.
Which reminds me, I need to see if Electroplankton came today.