"Saturation point"? Innovation>Graphics? Read!

[pixelbox]

Nintendo relies on innovation, not horsepower, to drive sales of its next generation console.http://revolution.ign.com/articles/694/694524p1.html
Nintendo mentioned how the game industry will die if we keep relying on graphics. The editor believes this: "And when that inevitably happens, will seasoned gamers look upon traditional dual-analog control as a dated and clunky configuration? I think the answer is yes.

I believe that Revolution is Nintendo's most ambitious console to date and I really think the company is on to something big. Certainly the DS proves that consumers are looking for something fresh. Revolution is that and more."

Now this thread was created to view thoughts on the Revolution and it role with the industry and also to share views on the questions below:

My question is do you guys believe we've hit a point of "saturation" in graphics? Will graphics hurt the industry? Will a simple design of a controller really matter in the end?

 

[NANOTEC]

I think graphics will only matter if one console has significantly better graphics than another console, otherwise user interface and other factors will become more important.

 

[pixelbox]

I think graphics will only matter if one console has significantly better graphics than another console, otherwise user interface and other factors will become more important.

Well in this case that actually applys. I just don't see that controller being able to enhance to the point where people drops what has worked for years. I will definitely change gameplay but for the better? hmph! I'll keep my controllers and mouse anytime.

 

[Nesh]

Nintendo does have a point.Its true that the gaming industry is reaching a dead end.

Game development cost raises at extreme heights, and games are still priced almost the same all these years.

As technology in graphics evolves and games become more complex more employees, more knowledge, more educational fields, more time, and generally bigger costs are needed than previously to develp a good game.Profts are being compressed, and price elasticity of games seems high, so raising the price of games doesnt sound like a good strategy to cover the increase of costs.

I believe that the gaming industry will reach to a point where developers wont see graphical evolution as a good thing to them as a business and they will try to find other lower cost but good ways to improve games

We see this today as many game developers merge in order to survive or close in order not to be lost in debt.Other developers encouter a reduction in profits.

 

[Corwin_B]

It all boils down to the games, in the end. Some games rely on immersion, and those games will probably be more enjoyable on consoles with more horsepower due to better graphics, physics, HD support... GRAW, Oblivion, Gran Turismo, FF, MGS...

Other games do not at all rely on immersion, but on gameplay mechanisms : puzzle games, party games, weird stuff like Donkey Konga or Guitar Hero... For those games, a new control scheme can work wonders.

And still other games could benefit a lot from both, for example many sport games.

Nintendo's belief is not that more horsepower is not needed and that we have reached a saturation point for graphics : it is that an audience generally alien to videogames (girls, older people...) has more chance to be interested in the second kind of games, and that increasing the graphical quality alone will not give more people a taste for videogames.

IMHO, their theory is true to some extent : I never managed to get my mum to play video games until I made her try Wario Ware Touched on the DS, which she liked a lot. So for a certain category of people (I tried it with other persons than my mum, with good results), current controls do indeed represent a serious barrier, and with simpler controls (like the touchscreen on the DS, or presumably the wand of the Revolution), they certainly enjoy gaming a lot more. I will do some advanced testing this weekend by bringing my Gamecube, Donkey Konga 1&2 and my 4 bongo controllers at my parent's this weekend.

The multi-million dollars question is : even if those non-gamers like what they try, will it be enough to get those people to actually buy a console and become involved into gaming ? Although she liked the DS and Wario Ware, I certainly can't imagine my mum buy herself a DS. But the incredible success of the DS in Japan shows that, at least in Japan, Nintendo's strategy could work.

 

[scooby_dooby]

I don't think some little wand you wave around is going to be the great gift to gaming that Nintendo is making it out to be.

In the end, Nintendo seems to be relegated to the younger market, their game library is too small and not mature enough for the 20-30 male demographics that makes up most gamers.

 

[function]

If the wand is worth having, if won't be long till MS and Sony have them too. Some MS guy had a working prototype a couple of years before Nintendo revealed Revolution.

 

[Titanio]

It's highly premature to dismiss Revolution's controller at this stage, when most of us haven't even tried it.

Some of the comments here could be applied to any controller breakthroughs we've had over the year e.g. "I don't think some little stick you push about (i.e. an analog stick) is going to be a great gift to gaming etc. etc."

Really, Rev's controller is something you'll have to try before passing judgement on it. I know people who were ardent DS-sceptics, for example, who immediately changed their minds upon trying it out for themselves.

 

[!eVo!-X Ant UK]

Revs pad will be like the DS, great for a few days. Then the effect wears off.

 

[pipo]

Revs pad will be like the DS, great for a few days. Then the effect wears off.

You tell that to the guy who's in charge of counting big N's cash every week...

 

[scooby_dooby]

It's highly premature to dismiss Revolution's controller at this stage, when most of us haven't even tried it.

Some of the comments here could be applied to any controller breakthroughs we've had over the year e.g. "I don't think some little stick you push about (i.e. an analog stick) is going to be a great gift to gaming etc. etc."

Really, Rev's controller is something you'll have to try before passing judgement on it. I know people who were ardent DS-sceptics, for example, who immediately changed their minds upon trying it out for themselves.

Having just played GRAW with it's butter smooth controls that use every single button on the controller, I can look at the revolution controller and know for a fact it won't be able to offer the same level of control.

I think whatever it is that replaces the standard controller is going to have to offer the same level of complexity, with many different buttons or it just won't be suitable for many of the best games out there.

 

[c0_re]

I think changing the controller is a big step in the right direction as far as innovation and bringing other non traditional gamers into the fold. But for the average gamer it's all about graphics and gameplay and you need both to complete the total experience. I mean their choice not to go HD really bumm's me out, 480p just doesn't cut it in 2006. It'll be even worse as time goes on and people see the difference between gaming on HD and gaming without.

 

[!eVo!-X Ant UK]

You tell that to the guy who's in charge of counting big N's cash every week...

Its right thoe, me and my friends thought the DS was awsome for about a week, then the effect wore thin and the novalty wore off. It was traded soon after.

 

[pipo]

Its right thoe, me and my friends thought the DS was awsome for about a week, then the effect wore thin and the novalty wore off. It was traded soon after.

That's obviously personal, and I don't agree.

More importantly for Nintendo, looking at the software sales, a whole lot of people don't agree.

Please note I'm not even talking about the hardware sales.

 

[Cobra101]

I am stunned to hear that Nintendo saying that relying on graphics will cause the industry to die.

Just stunned.

 

[pc999]

Personally I think that new blod is bless and teir stratgy for naw seems very good I think that lower price games/console and good marketing with te right games (for Ophra like) will get a lot of new gamers.

If they manage that plus a lot of exclussives (or at least games using Rev capabilitys a good jump (specs)(even not being in par with the others, maybe even a little distant) and a few extras (micro, camera, "the secret?") I think old gamers will like to.

Of curse the controller needs to survive to the hype. (and I hope so)

About gfx I personally think that after waht we saw form UE3 (UT07, BIA3...) we only need a good LOD system.

 

[mckmas8808]

I don't think some little wand you wave around is going to be the great gift to gaming that Nintendo is making it out to be.

In the end, Nintendo seems to be relegated to the younger market, their game library is too small and not mature enough for the 20-30 male demographics that makes up most gamers.

THANK YOU! When people seen the Brothers In Arms first pic, the internet exploded. Hell when people seen the Killzone video from E3 the internet exploded and turned upside down. We all know by now that the X360 and PS3 will pump some graphics, super effects, and great lifelike physics.

Why would any smart person on this board think that Nintendo is right in their assumption? Who in the industry relys ONLY on graphics anyway? If it was up to Nintendo they would say that games like Fight Night 3 and GRAW only rely on graphics, while we (the real people) know that is far from the truth.

So I will say again, who and where did anybody say we (the gamers) or the developers are relying only on graphics?

 

[drpepper]

Having just played GRAW with it's butter smooth controls that use every single button on the controller, I can look at the revolution controller and know for a fact it won't be able to offer the same level of control.

I think that's a foolish thing to say considering you haven't tried the rev controller, or are you a Revolution dev? And who says the control isn't capable of handling such games?

I think whatever it is that replaces the standard controller is going to have to offer the same level of complexity, with many different buttons or it just won't be suitable for many of the best games out there.

Check out this list. Are you telling me you want the Jaguar controller back?

Look at Katamari Damacy, the only thing you really needed were the 2 analogue sticks. You don't need massive amounts of buttons to make compelling games.

 

[scooby_dooby]

I think that's a foolish thing to say considering you haven't tried the rev controller, or are you a Revolution dev? And who says the control isn't capable of handling such games?

Check out this list. Are you telling me you want the Jaguar controller back? .

Because there's simply too many controls to map to the very few buttons on the rev controller.

I'm not saying I want any specific type of new controller, simply saying that I believe that if there is going to be a next big thing it's going to have to be complex enough to handle todays complex games with dozens of controls.

This is just too simplistic. It's targeting gamers that want simplicity, clearly they are going after a much more casual market here with smaller simpler games, it may be a good strategy for Nintendo, but I don't see it being any sort of breakthrough for controllers in general.

 

[pipo]

Why would any smart person on this board think that Nintendo is right in their assumption?

I'm not trying to start a war here, but there were loads of people who thought the DS was dead in the water because of PSP's specs.

Gameplay is what Nintendo is selling. I think they'll do fine with their magic wand.