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http://news.yahoo.com/s/d igitaltrends/20110414/tc_ digitaltrends/nintendotou nveilwii2consoleinjune
If any company is in need of a bit of an update, it is probably Nintendo - and an upgrade to HD would be nice, and hopefully better online capabilities. Still, is this a premature move on the part of Nintendo? |
04/16/2011
2:31 pm CT
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I don't necessarily think it's premature. Only Sony thinks consoles need to last 10 years, and that's only because they like to price theirs so astronomically that people can only afford to buy a new one every 10 years.
The NES released in 1985.
The SNES released in 1991.
The N64 released in 1996.
The Gamecube released in 2001.
The Wii released in 2006.
That's Nintendo's cycle. Every 5 years they put out a new console. |
04/17/2011
3:36 pm CT
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The question of is it premature depends on who you're asking and when.
System lifespan has been touted during this generation in a way that I really don't remember from previous years. It seemed like everyone was using the quality of the hardware and system lifespan to justify what were deemed as shockingly high initial launch prices. I've heard numerous times that Sony plans to get 10 years out of the PS3. I always sort of asssumed that meant they were shooting for like 6-7 and then hoping by then we'd all forgotten about those "10 years" comments.
So, compared to the plan of the other systems in this generation that is so oddly concerned with system longevity? Yeah, I'd say it's premature.
But in reality? The Wii is aging hard and fast. Looking at trailers for Conduit 2 is just depressing when you think about what a shooter looks like on the PS3 and 360. And I'll be the first to say that the controller Nintendo has is struggling to fit more complex games for the "hardcore" crowd that actually keeps this industry moving. My mom may prefer games that only really use two buttons, but she's not gonna spend the $600-700 that a hardcore gamer will spend during the Wii's lifetime. Hopefully Nintendo realized this folly and will try and actually adjust where they think that happy medium exists between pleasing the hardcore crowd and sucking money off of non-gamer chumps, because personally, I feel like they missed the mark on the side of being too casual with this last console.
So while the PS3 crowd and 360 crowd are really gonna let Nintendo have it for making a new console... I think it's in Nintendo's best interests to do so. And as Nelson pointed out, it's not really a huge jump from how the industry has been run for the last 20 years. |
04/18/2011
3:02 pm CT
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Here's a story with some sort of combination of speculation and confirmed-source info. The sad thing is that there's NO chance that what ends up being shown will be what they're dreaming up in the article, which I thought was pretty slick.
http://uk.gear.ign.com/ar ticles/116/1162204p1.html |
04/18/2011
6:27 pm CT
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If that controller turns out to have any kernel of truth it will be interesting to see how they implement it. I don't think the Wii is a failure, just that it's playing to a much more casual crowd - if they had ditched the shovelware early on and tried to work with companies to really utilize the motion control, it would have been so much better. Instead, we're left with a handful of truly great games and a lot of, for lack of a better word, crap. Here's hoping they get this next generation right. |
04/18/2011
8:45 pm CT
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Jon, don't forget that Sony also touted the PS2 as having a 10-year lifespan... and actually achieved it!
I agree with Chris that the Wii isn't a failure, but I disagree that it's as 'casual' as so many people like to say. I hate the typical casual game genres (mini-game-fests, party games, sports, exergames, dance, karaoke, etc.), yet I somehow have twice as many Wii games as I do PS3 games. Wii has a great library for people who are willing to be selective (and ignore the shovelware instead of ranting about it) and who don't care for the 'rated M for juvenile' titles that are all over the HD Twins. |
04/18/2011
9:55 pm CT
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I don't recall using the word failure, so I guess I agree with Chris, too. I've got like twice as many games for my Wii as my 360 and PS3 combined. If I thought the system was a failure, I'd think that stat would read otherwise.
I could argue that the same rules apply to handheld games as the Wii. Some "hardcore" gamers don't think there's a valid reason to play handheld games, but in truth they're just not willing to be selective.
I just think that the Wii had come concessions made to it to make it more casual friendly that, in the end, only served to limit the ability of the console for someone trying to make games for traditional gamers. Nintendo designed a system to entice people with no video game taste, and they got a game library to do the same.
Playing The Conduit, it finally made me wish that the controller had more buttons as I'm reaching over with my nunchuk hand to hit the 1 and 2 buttons or contorting my wiimote hand around to push them.
I know plenty of people that drifted away from the Wii because of what they feel is a lack of worthwhile games. It's fun to marginalize these people due to our superior gaming palette, (ugh... they're so stupid!) but the truth is that there's only so much effort the consumer should have to put into finding games before it starts becoming the publisher/developer's fault and Nintendo's fault. I could name plenty of good games on the Wii... but that's because I spend WAY more time keeping tabs on the industry than I probably need to. |
04/19/2011
12:28 am CT
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You do have a point, Jon, that it is far too much work to find good games on Wii (of course, I think finding good games on any console this gen is hard work). It makes me long for the good old days when the Nintendo Seal of Quality meant that Nintendo had oversight on all games released on their platform and could outright block stuff that was an egregious insult to users. Now the Nintendo Seal just means that the developer bought an official SDK.
I also hate the fact that the 1 & 2 buttons are so difficult to press while using the Wiimote+Nunchuck. Not only that, but I find the rectangular shape of the Wiimote makes it cut into my hand. |
04/19/2011
1:19 am CT
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Nintendo has officially confirmed that they will release a new console in 2012 and will premiere it at E3 in June. All signs indicate they are going to move away from the broad market and focus in on core games to compete with Sony and Microsoft and hopefully win back some of its slipping consumer base:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/n m/20110425/tc_nm/us_ninte ndo |
04/25/2011
12:56 pm CT
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Based on some of the rumblings I've heard, I'm beginning to be concerned that Nintendo might release a console that doesn't hook up to a TV, but just broadcasts games to the rumored screeny controllers.
If they go that route, I'm out. Just say NO to tiny screens. |
04/27/2011
2:21 am CT
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