You wouldn't be talking about This tripe, would you?
Wow, that's really over the top! There was some of this pressure, but it was only at church - where they were pretty much opposed to everything. What I'm talking about is the idea that D&D would somehow make us all become delusional and believe we were living the lives of our game characters, like the main character in Mazes And Monsters. It's loosely based on actual events. (Very loosely.) It's embarrassing to admit just how many people thought this was an accurate depiction of what happened to people when they played too many RPGs.
When I was a kid the hype was all about violence in cartoons
I remember a strong reaction to Dungeons & Dragons. Interesting, really - at that point in time (early 80's) they seemed to think the biggest threat to children was their own imaginations.
[The game's creator] said he wanted to create something profoundly unique and confrontational that would promote a real dialogue on the subject of school shootings.
What? Are you kidding me?!? This guy isn't interested for a second in promoting a dialogue an anything except getting his name out in the press. He's using the ever-popular (and seriously flawed) assumption that there is no such thing as bad publicity.
OK, you want to talk about school shootings? That's easy. They are simply an extension of the workplace shootings we see from time to time. They are fueled by the same pressures and happen for the same reasons. People seem to think that just because they happen in school there is something different about them. But the school is the shooters workplace, right?
I made a similair chart on my 1up blog, but I made an additional commentary regarding the 2600:
The Atari 2600's price point included a profit for each console sold. Profit for Atari, and a higher margin for the retailer as well.
The 2600 sold rather slowly until the Space Invaders cartridge was released in 1980. So slowly, in fact, that parent company Warner Communications nearly pulled the plug on the unit.
This is my point exactly! How do you think we reacted to the name "verizon"? They just made up a word and expected it have meaning. There was no history, no context. It was just a stupid sounding word. Over time, through marketing, it gained meaning. They gave it history and context. So for now, all we know is that "Wii" means nothing and sounds stupid. Which is why they have to explain it. Eventually, it will mean something to all of us.
The moment you have to begin to explain your branding in pedantic detail - which Nintendo is doing through both its spokespeople and its promotional material - you're screwed.
On the surface, this seems quite logical. After all, a good brand should be instantly recognizable to the observer. People should immediately know what you are talking about, and why it should matter to them.
But what the writer is missing out on is the fact that ALL brands must go through a building phase. Even the name 'Revolution' had to be spoken, explained, and repeated. (Let's be honest - the name wasn't an obvious fit until AFTER we saw the controller!)
But I digress, back to the point of my post. Every brand must be talked up to become a useful marketing tool. I used to work for GTE. I was there when they merged with Bell Atlantic to become 'Verizon'. Boy did that sound like a stupid name. I remember all the internal e-mails and printed flyers that were circulated, explaining to all of us just why this was such a cool name, pointing out all the absurd meanings behind the name, the logo, even the frickin' colors for crying out loud. But look at the Verizon brand now. Instantly recognized. You immediately know what services they offer, and why you need (or don't need) them.
As cool as the name 'Revolution' was, it's appeal was primarily to the current gaming audience. Just as with the Sega Genesis, the significance of the name was only meaningful to those already interested in the video game industry.
Which is not Nintendo's target audience. Not anymore. It costs too much to cater to such a demanding lot. And the word 'revolution' doesn't exactly conjur up an image of friendly fun for the soft core mass market.
So even though all of us here wish the Revolution name had stuck, that doesn't mean that this name won't actually be a more marketable, more recognizable choice for Nintendo.
And a plea to those companies making game console "skins" - a nice flashy Revolution logo will sell like HOTCAKES!
Nintendos business ethics are really aggrivating their core gamers with features like wi-fi and the ability to communicate, but only in the lobbies and only to friends.
First off, I don't think ethics are an issue here, but I'll just assume you meant to use a different word.
As for the "friend code" thing, I think that was an EXCELLENT choice. You want to get into a smack-talkin' game session? You want to go up against people with skills far beyond the average player? No problem! Just post your friend code in a public forum and take on whoever responds. But if you are more selective about who you take on, or if you don't want random strangers having contact with your children, then keeping the friend code "just between friends" is the way to go.
BTW, I realize the exposure risk (for children) is very low with the DS, but at least one game (MP:Hunters) allows free communication between players online. I suspect Animal Crossing does as well (via in-game mail). Thanks to the DS friend code, the chance that kids will be contacted by some deranged freak playing games is lowered even further.
Online in what sense? If you are referring simply to telecommunications capability, then the first would actually be the Intellivision (via the PlayCable device), followed closely by the Atari 2600 (the Gameline modem). If you are referring to Internet access, then the first would be the Dreamcast. Either way, Nintendo was not first.
the first analog stick (on a major system)
Well, being the first to get somebody else's idea to sell big is still not innovation, and they should not be credited for it. As for your response to another poster regarding the success of the 5200; it is clear that the Atari 5200 held at least as much market share for it's generation (5200 vs ColecoVision) as the Nintendo 64 did against the Playstation, so the claim of "major system" becomes a dubious one at best.
They had some of the first portable single-title LCD games.
Almost being first is NOT innovation, nor much of a risk.
Historical details aside, I do agree with the spirit of your post. Time and time again, Nintendo has been willing to take the road less traveled, to risk deviating from the rest of the industry, for the sake of what they believed was best for their company.
In my opinion, here are just a few of Nintendo's biggest risks, some of which did indeed blow up in their face:
Launching the NES in the North American market after every domestic console manufacturer had essentially imploded.
Launching the Gameboy when the dedicated handheld market had been reduced to crowd of lame, widely cloned twitch games.
Introducing the Virtual Boy, which went against almost every preconceived notion we had about how games were played. (Many see this as a failure, but I believe thh lessons learned here went a long way to making the gimmicks of the DS pay off.)
Putting off the move to optical media with the N64.
Putting off the move to online gameplay with the Gamecube (especially since the hardware was there).
The bizarre combination of hardware that is the DS: two screens, touch screen, wi-fi, and even a microphone. Admit it, most of us are still surprised just how well this has done!
This game sounds eerily similair to Police State, a game that was developed in the 1960's and inspired by life in the Soviet Union. The goal was a little different - you were trying to become the Soviet Premier (basically, the only person with any rights) while avoiding being denounced by others and sent to Siberia. The game board was even vaguely Monopoly-ish (in appearance, not in play).
I remember O.G.R.E., that was a great game. Had it for the Atari ST myself. I did a little searching after reading your post, and I've found the following links:
A possible connection to the Atari ST version - this page has a list of disk images, each file appears to contain several games. I don't know what to do with this file to extract the games within, but the site mentions using the STEEM emulator, so maybe that will do it for you? Anyways, OGRE is almost halfway down the page, in file A_202: http://steem.atari.st/automation.htm
For possible help using the file, here's a blog entry from a few months ago - this guy has been running the game from this file under a different emu (SainT), so maybe you can pick his brain for assistance: http://scottobear.livejournal.com/tag/atari
I'm sorry I couldn't actually find the DOS version, but I know from experience the ST version is great, and the C64 will probably be easy for you to run. Good luck!
16/32 bit era: Genesis released insignificantly ahead of Turbografx 16. Status: Turbografx dead, Genesis did survive. 8 bit era: Colecovision released over a year before any competition. Status: Colecowhat? The generation before that, we have the Atari 2600 which was released significantly (about a half year) before the other consoles, and had pretty much the longest stretch of any console (even beating out the Atari 5200, which I assume was an improvement somehow.
[Historical nit-pick mode on]
The TG-16 was actually launched in the USA a few months prior to the Genesis.
The ColecoVision was hardly the first console of the 8-bit era. While you could argue the ColecoVision was the first of a new generation of game console capability, it was hardly a colossal failure. The so-called "Crash of '84" shook out nearly ALL console manufacturers in the North American market; Coleco's troubles at this time had a lot more to do with the Adam computer then ColecoVision sales, which were actually fairly good for the time.
The Atari 2600 was not the first of it's generation either. The early cartridge based consoles, in order of North American launch, were:
Magnavox Odyssey, 1972
Fairchild Video Entertainment System (A.K.A. Channel F), 1976
RCA Studio II, January 1977
Bally Professional Arcade (A.K.A. Astrocade), September 1977
Atari 2600, November 1977
The Atari 5200 was actually part of the ColecoVision generation, and was not in any way an enhanced 2600 model. However a later console, the Atari 7800, did feature 2600 hardware coupled with an advanced graphics chip.
[Historical nit-pick mode off]
OK, sorry about that, I'm a bit fussy about the history of the industry. Back on topic now, I promise.
Basically, I think your theory that "the first console out the door will always fail" to be about as valid as the absurd theory that "black consoles always fail." The successful platform will be the one to offer good hardware and great games at an acceptable price. That's all there is to it. And for the most part, any look at history will bear this out. The exceptions are pretty scarce, personally I'd say there is only one exception - the death of the Dreamcast had as much (if not more more) to do with PS2 hype and Sega's financial woes than any shortcomings in the system's library.
My view has been that a big part of why this transition is hitting publishers so hard is because these new home consoles are so damn expensive. A proper 360 is $400, while rumors abound that the PS3 could be $500 or more. So new adopters and prospective buyers alike are saving their nickels and dimes to buy these big expensive boxes. Which means many hardcore gamers are not spending money on software.
I see a lot of interest in the DS and DS Lite.
People looking at the DS, however, find they still have a few bucks in their pocket. And most games are only $30. Not only has the DS proven to be a breath of fresh air, people can actually afford to buy the damn thing. I'm not trying to imply that the handheld market and home console market are the same, but there are similair economic forces at work.
We know from the Gamecube's life that it takes more than a low price to gain market penetration. Good hardware and attractive game titles matter as well. But if the hardware purchase completely taps you out, you clearly cannot buy more games for a while.
the company's only stated goal for the launch so far - namely that the console will appear in at least one territory, most likely Japan, this spring
Hmm... the PDF I read from Merrill Lynch's Joe Osha does NOT say Sony won't launch the PS3 in 2006. In fact it doesn't say when they will launch anything anywhere. He only speculates (and he is quite clear of this by using terms like "if" and "might" throughout the document) about how a possible delay might affect the industry, and how such a delay could both help and hinder Sony. Furthermore, his comments about a possible delay refer specifically to North America and Europe, which actually falls neatly in line with Sony's half-assed denial of a delay.
Funny how they can "flatly deny" his "allegations", and at the same time say nothing at all that clearly contradicts his speculative statements.
And except for the rare hardcore gamer, how many people buy 30 games for a machine in one generation ?
For that matter, who but a hardcore gamer would by a launch system, especially one priced at $500? The '30+ titles' gamer and the 'early adopter' gamer are one and the same.
Later on down the road, costs are reduced and the losses to Sony go down. The gamers that buy in at that point are less committed, and thus will be the ones that will probably buy fewer games. And of course there are the royalties from the BluRay movies.
FWIW, I made many similair arguments about how much Sony and Microsoft would be screwing themselves with the losses they were going to be taking on the PS2 and Xbox, but apparently those bets worked out OK.
let the station know what you think of thier reporting
This is like feeding trolls. All you do by inundating them with feedback is prove to them that their grossly inaccurate and misleading story has succeeded in attracting a lot of attention. Which in turn means increased traffic (and thus ad revenues) on their website.
Perhaps a better approach is to sic Nintendo (and their crack legal team) on them.
there is an historical debate over whether or not Bushnell saw the game before he built Pong
Debate? What debate? It has been established, beyond a shadow of a doubt, in a court of law, that Nolan attended a demonstration of the Odyssey game system, and it was at that demo that he saw the unit's tennis game.
And as a minor secondary point, Bushnell did not build Pong, that was Al Alcorn. As others have already pointed out, Nolan described the game to Al and told him to build it as an engineering exercise.
They don't sell R-rated movies to a 14 year old. They don't sell "explicit lyrics" records to 14 year old. But they'll sell an M-17 game to the same kid.
Says who??? Sorry, but I'm just not buying this argument. The notion seems to be that everybody knows retailers wantonly sell games to children with no regard to ratings, yet these same retailers will hold back movies and music based on ratings? I mean, come on! Let's use some sense! Why on earth would a clerk ignore such a hot-button issue as mature rated games being sold to children when the same clerk is apparently already sensitive to the mature content of an R-rated movie?
The idea of rash cashiers, brazenly ignoring ONLY video game ratings seems to have become something of an urban legend, widely accepted as truth without people demanding any real evidence to back it up. Much like everybody knew the Beatles were communists (pretty damn rich commiunists at that), and everybody knew it was impossible to travel faster than sound, and everybody knew the world was flat.
So where is the evidence? Where are all these odd clerks whose ignorance has such a narrow focus? Where are the studies showing that only game ratings are ignored? I may not have conducted any scientific research, but my personal observations have shown me that not only do store clerks know the ratings system, but they also know just how much they are being scrutinized for this mythical disregard of game content, and therefore are even MORE CAREFUL about what they are selling. I have even seen clerks warning parents about the content of games they were planning to buy for their kids!
So please, just because the general population assumes something to be true, don't try to pass it off as established fact. Not all of us are willing to fall for it, and it just makes you look either stupid or lazy for accepting it without evidence.
during the three-month period leading up to the heavily anticipated November 22 Xbox 360 launch, console and PC software sales in the US were down 21.6 percent
Slump? Correction? BZZT! Wrong answer! Come on guys, isn't it obvious? Software sales dropped over 20% because the @#*%ing Xbox360 cost $400 (plus another $100 for a couple games), so all the hardcore gamers were saving their nickels and dimes instead of buying software!
I think it would take longer than 8 days to bake this idea enough to be able to make an announcement...
Considering the company is named after the Stargate Command base (Cheyenne Mountain), and that it was formed at least 6 months ago (read the news breifs on their page), I am fairly certain this concept has been in the works at least since the company was formed - probably earlier.
but am I the only one that thinks "Cheyenne Entertainment"'s website looks like a random collection of buzzwords targeting Venture Capitalists?
Considering how young the company is (about 6 months), what else would you expect? On the bright side, they do seem to have some experienced people running the company. It is far too early to bother to get my hopes up, but this does sound like a crew capable of finishing the product. I'll be keeping my eye on this one. (And with any luck, when the game comes out God-knows-when, I'll have a machine capable of running it!)
People who think moral questions are easy are either a) of Godlike divinity; or b) on the wrong side of those questions, but wearing a nice white robe because it gets them power.
There is also an option c: Steadfastly convinced that they possess Godlike divinity. IMHO, these are potentially some of the most dangerous people in the world.
Funny thing is, a year ago I might have agreed with these guys. I held out high hopes for the DS prior to launch, but in reality I knew Sony had the cooler hardware and impressive marketing clout with the dominance of the PS2. I honestly expected the DS to end up in 2nd place, bulldozed by the Sony juggernaut.
But the sales performance of the DS this past year has taken many of us - even Nintenedo fans - by surprise. Clearly the DS has the superior momentum, and Sony has shockingly few gems on the horizon. Considering this is the ONLY DATA available, then where the hell does this prediction come from? I can see only three possibilities:
These guys at SIG have a vested in terest in Sony's short term success, and therefore put forth a scenario designed to help Sony's stock price.
These guys at SIG are preoccuipied with the hardware appeal of the PSP design, and have completely overlooked software sales on the assumption that superior hardware means superior sales.
These guys at SIG don't consider the "casual gamer" appeal of many DS games as representing a significant market.
I hope these guys weren't counting on UMD movie sales to spur the PSP onward, because I suspect the new video iPod will take much of the wind out of those sails. (Sales?)
I have HOMM2 for the Gameboy Color, it's a great portable title. I only wish it ran on the DS so I could play it on a better screen than my SP has, but that's life.
Another great travelling title is Rebelstar Tactical Command, it plays a lot like the original XCOM. That one is for the GBA, so it does run on the DS (yay!). Still, I wish it had been a native DS title, since a touch screen interface would have really put the game over the top.
Slashdot Mirror
It does end, but not in the modern sense. Today, most games end when you defeat a final boss stage, or reach the end of the storyline.
Pitfall ends when:
You wouldn't be talking about This tripe, would you?
Wow, that's really over the top! There was some of this pressure, but it was only at church - where they were pretty much opposed to everything. What I'm talking about is the idea that D&D would somehow make us all become delusional and believe we were living the lives of our game characters, like the main character in Mazes And Monsters. It's loosely based on actual events. (Very loosely.) It's embarrassing to admit just how many people thought this was an accurate depiction of what happened to people when they played too many RPGs.
When I was a kid the hype was all about violence in cartoons
I remember a strong reaction to Dungeons & Dragons. Interesting, really - at that point in time (early 80's) they seemed to think the biggest threat to children was their own imaginations.
[The game's creator] said he wanted to create something profoundly unique and confrontational that would promote a real dialogue on the subject of school shootings.
What? Are you kidding me?!? This guy isn't interested for a second in promoting a dialogue an anything except getting his name out in the press. He's using the ever-popular (and seriously flawed) assumption that there is no such thing as bad publicity.
OK, you want to talk about school shootings? That's easy. They are simply an extension of the workplace shootings we see from time to time. They are fueled by the same pressures and happen for the same reasons. People seem to think that just because they happen in school there is something different about them. But the school is the shooters workplace, right?
OK, dialogue is finished.
"The Nintendo What?"
This is my point exactly! How do you think we reacted to the name "verizon"? They just made up a word and expected it have meaning. There was no history, no context. It was just a stupid sounding word. Over time, through marketing, it gained meaning. They gave it history and context. So for now, all we know is that "Wii" means nothing and sounds stupid. Which is why they have to explain it. Eventually, it will mean something to all of us.
From the article:
The moment you have to begin to explain your branding in pedantic detail - which Nintendo is doing through both its spokespeople and its promotional material - you're screwed.
On the surface, this seems quite logical. After all, a good brand should be instantly recognizable to the observer. People should immediately know what you are talking about, and why it should matter to them.
But what the writer is missing out on is the fact that ALL brands must go through a building phase. Even the name 'Revolution' had to be spoken, explained, and repeated. (Let's be honest - the name wasn't an obvious fit until AFTER we saw the controller!)
But I digress, back to the point of my post. Every brand must be talked up to become a useful marketing tool. I used to work for GTE. I was there when they merged with Bell Atlantic to become 'Verizon'. Boy did that sound like a stupid name. I remember all the internal e-mails and printed flyers that were circulated, explaining to all of us just why this was such a cool name, pointing out all the absurd meanings behind the name, the logo, even the frickin' colors for crying out loud. But look at the Verizon brand now. Instantly recognized. You immediately know what services they offer, and why you need (or don't need) them.
As cool as the name 'Revolution' was, it's appeal was primarily to the current gaming audience. Just as with the Sega Genesis, the significance of the name was only meaningful to those already interested in the video game industry.
Which is not Nintendo's target audience. Not anymore. It costs too much to cater to such a demanding lot. And the word 'revolution' doesn't exactly conjur up an image of friendly fun for the soft core mass market.
So even though all of us here wish the Revolution name had stuck, that doesn't mean that this name won't actually be a more marketable, more recognizable choice for Nintendo.
And a plea to those companies making game console "skins" - a nice flashy Revolution logo will sell like HOTCAKES!
Nintendos business ethics are really aggrivating their core gamers with features like wi-fi and the ability to communicate, but only in the lobbies and only to friends.
First off, I don't think ethics are an issue here, but I'll just assume you meant to use a different word.
As for the "friend code" thing, I think that was an EXCELLENT choice. You want to get into a smack-talkin' game session? You want to go up against people with skills far beyond the average player? No problem! Just post your friend code in a public forum and take on whoever responds. But if you are more selective about who you take on, or if you don't want random strangers having contact with your children, then keeping the friend code "just between friends" is the way to go.
BTW, I realize the exposure risk (for children) is very low with the DS, but at least one game (MP:Hunters) allows free communication between players online. I suspect Animal Crossing does as well (via in-game mail). Thanks to the DS friend code, the chance that kids will be contacted by some deranged freak playing games is lowered even further.
Online in what sense? If you are referring simply to telecommunications capability, then the first would actually be the Intellivision (via the PlayCable device), followed closely by the Atari 2600 (the Gameline modem). If you are referring to Internet access, then the first would be the Dreamcast. Either way, Nintendo was not first.
the first analog stick (on a major system)
Well, being the first to get somebody else's idea to sell big is still not innovation, and they should not be credited for it. As for your response to another poster regarding the success of the 5200; it is clear that the Atari 5200 held at least as much market share for it's generation (5200 vs ColecoVision) as the Nintendo 64 did against the Playstation, so the claim of "major system" becomes a dubious one at best.
They had some of the first portable single-title LCD games.
Almost being first is NOT innovation, nor much of a risk.
Historical details aside, I do agree with the spirit of your post. Time and time again, Nintendo has been willing to take the road less traveled, to risk deviating from the rest of the industry, for the sake of what they believed was best for their company.
In my opinion, here are just a few of Nintendo's biggest risks, some of which did indeed blow up in their face:
This game sounds eerily similair to Police State, a game that was developed in the 1960's and inspired by life in the Soviet Union. The goal was a little different - you were trying to become the Soviet Premier (basically, the only person with any rights) while avoiding being denounced by others and sent to Siberia. The game board was even vaguely Monopoly-ish (in appearance, not in play).
If you're curious, you can see the game here.
Since I can't e-mail you, I'll post a reply here.
. html
f
i on/A_202.ST
I remember O.G.R.E., that was a great game. Had it for the Atari ST myself. I did a little searching after reading your post, and I've found the following links:
Commodore 64 version (is there a C64 emu for Linux?):
http://www.download-full-games.com/c64/games/ogre
A "lite" version of the original board game:
http://www.sjgames.com/ogre/resources/
http://www.sjgames.com/ogre/resources/ogrelite.pd
A possible connection to the Atari ST version - this page has a list of disk images, each file appears to contain several games. I don't know what to do with this file to extract the games within, but the site mentions using the STEEM emulator, so maybe that will do it for you? Anyways, OGRE is almost halfway down the page, in file A_202:
http://steem.atari.st/automation.htm
Or direct to the file:
ftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/games/Automat
For possible help using the file, here's a blog entry from a few months ago - this guy has been running the game from this file under a different emu (SainT), so maybe you can pick his brain for assistance:
http://scottobear.livejournal.com/tag/atari
I'm sorry I couldn't actually find the DOS version, but I know from experience the ST version is great, and the C64 will probably be easy for you to run. Good luck!
If that doesn't work, we should all go home.
On the contrary - we should all go outside!
8 bit era: Colecovision released over a year before any competition. Status: Colecowhat?
The generation before that, we have the Atari 2600 which was released significantly (about a half year) before the other consoles, and had pretty much the longest stretch of any console (even beating out the Atari 5200, which I assume was an improvement somehow.
[Historical nit-pick mode on]
[Historical nit-pick mode off]
OK, sorry about that, I'm a bit fussy about the history of the industry. Back on topic now, I promise.
Basically, I think your theory that "the first console out the door will always fail" to be about as valid as the absurd theory that "black consoles always fail." The successful platform will be the one to offer good hardware and great games at an acceptable price. That's all there is to it. And for the most part, any look at history will bear this out. The exceptions are pretty scarce, personally I'd say there is only one exception - the death of the Dreamcast had as much (if not more more) to do with PS2 hype and Sega's financial woes than any shortcomings in the system's library.
My view has been that a big part of why this transition is hitting publishers so hard is because these new home consoles are so damn expensive. A proper 360 is $400, while rumors abound that the PS3 could be $500 or more. So new adopters and prospective buyers alike are saving their nickels and dimes to buy these big expensive boxes. Which means many hardcore gamers are not spending money on software.
I see a lot of interest in the DS and DS Lite.
People looking at the DS, however, find they still have a few bucks in their pocket. And most games are only $30. Not only has the DS proven to be a breath of fresh air, people can actually afford to buy the damn thing. I'm not trying to imply that the handheld market and home console market are the same, but there are similair economic forces at work.
We know from the Gamecube's life that it takes more than a low price to gain market penetration. Good hardware and attractive game titles matter as well. But if the hardware purchase completely taps you out, you clearly cannot buy more games for a while.
From the summary:
Sony is flatly denying the delay
Then, quoting the article:
the company's only stated goal for the launch so far - namely that the console will appear in at least one territory, most likely Japan, this spring
Hmm... the PDF I read from Merrill Lynch's Joe Osha does NOT say Sony won't launch the PS3 in 2006. In fact it doesn't say when they will launch anything anywhere. He only speculates (and he is quite clear of this by using terms like "if" and "might" throughout the document) about how a possible delay might affect the industry, and how such a delay could both help and hinder Sony. Furthermore, his comments about a possible delay refer specifically to North America and Europe, which actually falls neatly in line with Sony's half-assed denial of a delay.
Funny how they can "flatly deny" his "allegations", and at the same time say nothing at all that clearly contradicts his speculative statements.
Hmmm...
And except for the rare hardcore gamer, how many people buy 30 games for a machine in one generation ?
For that matter, who but a hardcore gamer would by a launch system, especially one priced at $500? The '30+ titles' gamer and the 'early adopter' gamer are one and the same.
Later on down the road, costs are reduced and the losses to Sony go down. The gamers that buy in at that point are less committed, and thus will be the ones that will probably buy fewer games. And of course there are the royalties from the BluRay movies.
FWIW, I made many similair arguments about how much Sony and Microsoft would be screwing themselves with the losses they were going to be taking on the PS2 and Xbox, but apparently those bets worked out OK.
let the station know what you think of thier reporting
This is like feeding trolls. All you do by inundating them with feedback is prove to them that their grossly inaccurate and misleading story has succeeded in attracting a lot of attention. Which in turn means increased traffic (and thus ad revenues) on their website.
Perhaps a better approach is to sic Nintendo (and their crack legal team) on them.
there is an historical debate over whether or not Bushnell saw the game before he built Pong
Debate? What debate? It has been established, beyond a shadow of a doubt, in a court of law, that Nolan attended a demonstration of the Odyssey game system, and it was at that demo that he saw the unit's tennis game.
And as a minor secondary point, Bushnell did not build Pong, that was Al Alcorn. As others have already pointed out, Nolan described the game to Al and told him to build it as an engineering exercise.
They don't sell R-rated movies to a 14 year old. They don't sell "explicit lyrics" records to 14 year old. But they'll sell an M-17 game to the same kid.
Says who??? Sorry, but I'm just not buying this argument. The notion seems to be that everybody knows retailers wantonly sell games to children with no regard to ratings, yet these same retailers will hold back movies and music based on ratings? I mean, come on! Let's use some sense! Why on earth would a clerk ignore such a hot-button issue as mature rated games being sold to children when the same clerk is apparently already sensitive to the mature content of an R-rated movie?
The idea of rash cashiers, brazenly ignoring ONLY video game ratings seems to have become something of an urban legend, widely accepted as truth without people demanding any real evidence to back it up. Much like everybody knew the Beatles were communists (pretty damn rich commiunists at that), and everybody knew it was impossible to travel faster than sound, and everybody knew the world was flat.
So where is the evidence? Where are all these odd clerks whose ignorance has such a narrow focus? Where are the studies showing that only game ratings are ignored? I may not have conducted any scientific research, but my personal observations have shown me that not only do store clerks know the ratings system, but they also know just how much they are being scrutinized for this mythical disregard of game content, and therefore are even MORE CAREFUL about what they are selling. I have even seen clerks warning parents about the content of games they were planning to buy for their kids!
So please, just because the general population assumes something to be true, don't try to pass it off as established fact. Not all of us are willing to fall for it, and it just makes you look either stupid or lazy for accepting it without evidence.
during the three-month period leading up to the heavily anticipated November 22 Xbox 360 launch, console and PC software sales in the US were down 21.6 percent
Slump? Correction? BZZT! Wrong answer! Come on guys, isn't it obvious? Software sales dropped over 20% because the @#*%ing Xbox360 cost $400 (plus another $100 for a couple games), so all the hardcore gamers were saving their nickels and dimes instead of buying software!
I think it would take longer than 8 days to bake this idea enough to be able to make an announcement...
Considering the company is named after the Stargate Command base (Cheyenne Mountain), and that it was formed at least 6 months ago (read the news breifs on their page), I am fairly certain this concept has been in the works at least since the company was formed - probably earlier.
but am I the only one that thinks "Cheyenne Entertainment"'s website looks like a random collection of buzzwords targeting Venture Capitalists?
Considering how young the company is (about 6 months), what else would you expect? On the bright side, they do seem to have some experienced people running the company. It is far too early to bother to get my hopes up, but this does sound like a crew capable of finishing the product. I'll be keeping my eye on this one. (And with any luck, when the game comes out God-knows-when, I'll have a machine capable of running it!)
People who think moral questions are easy are either a) of Godlike divinity; or b) on the wrong side of those questions, but wearing a nice white robe because it gets them power.
There is also an option c: Steadfastly convinced that they possess Godlike divinity. IMHO, these are potentially some of the most dangerous people in the world.
But the sales performance of the DS this past year has taken many of us - even Nintenedo fans - by surprise. Clearly the DS has the superior momentum, and Sony has shockingly few gems on the horizon. Considering this is the ONLY DATA available, then where the hell does this prediction come from? I can see only three possibilities:
I hope these guys weren't counting on UMD movie sales to spur the PSP onward, because I suspect the new video iPod will take much of the wind out of those sails. (Sales?)
I have HOMM2 for the Gameboy Color, it's a great portable title. I only wish it ran on the DS so I could play it on a better screen than my SP has, but that's life.
Another great travelling title is Rebelstar Tactical Command, it plays a lot like the original XCOM. That one is for the GBA, so it does run on the DS (yay!). Still, I wish it had been a native DS title, since a touch screen interface would have really put the game over the top.