Nintendo rips X360, PS3, and cellphone gaming

[Powderkeg]

Stripping buttons to a minimum means only both thumbs are needed which are pretty versatile, unlike the more usual shoulder button+face button combos. And in theory most of those buttons will only see a passing use as the majority of interface is based around instinctive natural motions of one arm (and no patting head and rubbing tummy complexities!)

But Nintendo's controller is far from minimalistic.

You've got what looks like a TV remote with minimal buttons. I can accept that.

But then you have a removable seperate controller for the other hand which has a thumbstick and more buttons. Now, not only are the controls more complex, but the controller itself is more complex by being multiple parts.

But then you ae going to add on a carriage for your controller which basically turns it into a normal gamepad. Even more buttons which have a different layout from the base controller, so now you have to learn 2 entirely different button configurations. And of course, now you have a controller in 3 seperate parts which is certainly more complex than one.

In the end, the "normal" gamepad is less complex than the Revolution controller is.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Those are all optional extras to extend the Revolution controller into something better suited for mainstream gaming. eg. FPS and Soccer games will need more that just the hand-waving+one or two buttons of simpler games. Advertisments for Revolution can show the simple intuitive controller and games to sel to that casual crowd (if it exists) and advertising complex games will sell those along with the upgrades to the controller to the more hardcore gamer who isn't afraid of a few buttons, with the casuals never needing to pay attention and get frightened by the capacity of their simple remote to beomce a more complex beast. I think it's the best possible solution. How else could Nintendo cater for the casuals with a remote-style controller AND the hardcore gamers who need more control options?

 

[oli2]

In the end, the "normal" gamepad is less complex than the Revolution controller is.

No : you are simply more USED to.
This is the same debate as Windows being simpler to work on than Linux, and most saying that have been using Windows for years and spent something like 2 hours on Linux ...

 

[Powderkeg]

No : you are simply more USED to.
This is the same debate as Windows being simpler to work on than Linux, and most saying that have been using Windows for years and spent something like 2 hours on Linux ...

No. 3 different controller configurations with 3 seperate pieces is inherently more complex than a single configuration and a single piece.

I am more used to a keyboard/mouse combo, but it's still more complex than a gamepad, despite my familiarity with it.

 

[oli2]

Shifty was speaking about play-ability, so did i. Sorry for my mistake.
But why are you dealing with the complexity of the package when he talked about gameplay ?

 

[Powderkeg]

Shifty was speaking about play-ability, so did i. Sorry for my mistake.
But why are you dealing with the complexity of the package when he talked about gameplay ?

They are intertwined. You can't seperate gameplay from the controller package.

You've got 3 drastically different controller configurations, and each one offers a completely different gameplay option. That means you'll have to learn 3 different button layouts to enjoy all types of gameplay.

To put this into perspective, it's like trying to learn to play with a gamepad, flight stick, and wheel pedal controllers with equal competency on all 3.

 

[dukmahsik]

i dont think ninty is in any position to be ripping anyone at this time

 

[Lazy8s]

Mobile phones free people from having to drag a toy and its batteries around with them or be tethered to a wall socket when they want to play video games. Those are the kind of selling points of which markets are made.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

You've got 3 drastically different controller configurations, and each one offers a completely different gameplay option. That means you'll have to learn 3 different button layouts to enjoy all types of gameplay.

Yes, but fundamentally how many of the casual gamers who will buy Revolution for it's simple games are going to worry about working out the complex additions? They don't have to buy an FPS and learn to use the addon. And for those of us who are happy using the complex controllers, learning to use the simple motion of Revolutions isn't anything difficult.

As I asked earlier, what better way can anyone do? Provide a siple interface for those that want simple, that can be upgraded at will to those who want complicated, without forcing either on anyone.

 

[Junkstyle]

Nintendo is deeply deluded. They have a right to talk about their sucesses and their plans but to just blantantly rip on other consoles with flimsy arguments is not a right they have earned.

 

[mckmas8808]

Mobile phones free people from having to drag a toy and its batteries around with them or be tethered to a wall socket when they want to play video games. Those are the kind of selling points of which markets are made.

Oh but do you see mobile phones actually competing against the PSP and DS? I hope you don't.

As I asked earlier, what better way can anyone do? Provide a siple interface for those that want simple, that can be upgraded at will to those who want complicated, without forcing either on anyone.

Ok but do you think it will give them a bigger marketshare than what Sony and MS currently has? If people are buying the Rev for it's simple games, then I would think that the Rev will be everyone's second console of choice. And we know that Nintendo wouldn't want that.

 

[mckmas8808]

UPDATE!!!

Doesn't seem to be posted here so here you go. It's Mr. Iwata speaking on the future of the Revolution. Good read.

TOKYO--Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that the company is aiming for a simultaneous worldwide release of its next-generation gaming console, the Revolution. Iwata also confirmed that the system will be coming out after March in 2006.
Talking about the Revolution in an interview with Nikkei Business, Iwata stated, "I can only say that it's coming out during 2006, but it will be after the current fiscal year. We hope to make it a simultaneous worldwide release as much as it's possible."

When asked by Nikkei Business if he has any specific sales figure targeted for the Revolution, Iwata stated that he hopes the console will sell at least more than the GameCube, which has shipped 18.76 million units as of June.
"It [the Revolution] would be a complete failure if we didn't sell more units than the Nintendo GameCube," said Iwata.

So now Nintendo is looking at a worldwide release eh? Wonder what Sony thinks of that. And it's interesting that Iwata says that if the Revolution doesn't sell more than the GC, then it would be a complete failure. (Note to uninformed posters: Nintendo's next-gen systems have always sold less than it's predessors.)

Link http://www.gamespot.com/news/6136453.html

 

[Jabjabs]

Can I just say this about Nintendo.

They are trying to make a revolution that nobody wants.

(And by revolution I mean the idea, not the machine)

 

[Lazy8s]

People will use what's most convenient. Mobile phones will continue to expand the services they offer and take over the productivity, media, and gaming markets.

 

[mckmas8808]

People will use what's most convenient. Mobile phones will continue to expand the services they offer and take over the productivity, media, and gaming markets.

Ok one question for you then. Will the cell phone game market grow as big or past what the Sony and Nintendo will provide?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Ok but do you think it will give them a bigger marketshare than what Sony and MS currently has? If people are buying the Rev for it's simple games, then I would think that the Rev will be everyone's second console of choice. And we know that Nintendo wouldn't want that.

I've no idea and won't hazard a guess. I think their controller idea a very good one but it might be completely wrong for what people want.

 

[Lazy8s]

Mobile phones appeal to the average person, not just the gamer potentially.

 

[mckmas8808]

Mobile phones appeal to the average person, not just the gamer potentially.

Still do you that the average person will spend more money on mobile games than the average gamer with a GBA, DS, or PSP? Lets be serious.

 

[hey69]

If 18mil is their minimum target, they set their standarts prety low I must say.

 

[Lazy8s]

The video game consumers would be buying games for mobile phones too because of appealing content.