Google street view of the area dates back to 2010 so nothing can be seen
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Nintendo establishing "unified development headquarters" on 2/16
- Thread starter Hobby
- Start date
Google street view of the area dates back to 2010 so nothing can be seen
A hybrid console/handheld is...just a handheld. With some form of TV-out.
I really don't think thats Nintendos intention to leave the home console market. Pooling resources (engineers) to be able to synergise them better or share information/technologies/skills makes a lot more sense.
I really don't think thats Nintendos intention to leave the home console market. Pooling resources (engineers) to be able to synergise them better or share information/technologies/skills makes a lot more sense.
StreetsAhead
Member
Was there about a year ago (didn't actually realise where I was for a bit haha ...just wandering around Kyoto) but the preliminary work had begun on the site. I imagine it looks quite, quite different now.
Glass Rebel
Member
It's weird though, you'd think that Nintendo would have realized the potential of handheld/console interaction when they made the GameCube. Do you know when they started this?
No, it's possible for the handheld to simply function as the "Wii remote," so to speak, in a supporting role to the separate console/TV experience.
So you have a single screen device/experience on the go (potentially doubling as a cellphone) and a higher definition, higher quality experience on the TV in the lounge room, where each player can have a separate screen controller if desired.
That sucks. The Street view thing on Wii U is supposed to be out this month, they better phone google to update their own fraking building streets
snoopeasystreet
Member
About time. Its crazy that in 2012 the Wii, WiiU, 3DS and DSi are all different ecosystems. Hopefully this leads to a unified Nintendo account.
I always thought that a hybrid console/handheld would come and I always thought that Nintendo would make it first. I think this is the beginning.
Wii U is a home console. You can play it on TV or on the controller. Does it make it a handheld?
Wii U is a home console. You can play it on TV or on the controller. Does it make it a handheld?
Smiles and Cries
Member
I really see a merged ecosystem as in eShop/Miiverse and future games just like Sony is trying to shoe horn Vita to save it
Smash4 should be the first test
Shikamaru Ninja
任天å ã® å¿è
In 2011 Nikkei reported that the new Nintendo R&D building was being built
1- Make development more efficient
2- House over 1500 developers
3- Have the Kyoto Research Institute (Nintendo SPD, Nintendo RED) have the same resources as the Central Office (Nintendo EAD, Nintendo IRD)
It's not "just for hardware". It's theit entire Kyoto R&D being restructured into this new building.
Right now SPD has to share resources with Intelligent Systems (since they are in the same building). That is why some games like Face Training DS, Game & Wario, are "co-developed with Intelligent Systems". Now SPD and EAD could share some programmers, designers, tech much more efficiently. Also, SPD would have the same access to the motion cap studio, sound recording studio, all amenities that the Central Office had over the Kyoto Research Institute.
Or maybe EAD+SPD become something new.
And IRD-RED become something new.
1- Make development more efficient
2- House over 1500 developers
3- Have the Kyoto Research Institute (Nintendo SPD, Nintendo RED) have the same resources as the Central Office (Nintendo EAD, Nintendo IRD)
It's not "just for hardware". It's theit entire Kyoto R&D being restructured into this new building.
Right now SPD has to share resources with Intelligent Systems (since they are in the same building). That is why some games like Face Training DS, Game & Wario, are "co-developed with Intelligent Systems". Now SPD and EAD could share some programmers, designers, tech much more efficiently. Also, SPD would have the same access to the motion cap studio, sound recording studio, all amenities that the Central Office had over the Kyoto Research Institute.
Or maybe EAD+SPD become something new.
And IRD-RED become something new.
BigBadGiantHand
Member
Could some kind person please provide a summary of Nintendo's organizational structure and explanation of what all the various divisions do.
Either way, only good can come from increased cooperation between divisions....right?
And did I read correctly that Nintendo is hiring more developers? If true, hopefully this will lead to fewer droughts of quality software on Nintendo's platform, cause we all know its unlikely that 3rd parties are going to suddenly "see the light" and start supporting them.
Either way, only good can come from increased cooperation between divisions....right?
And did I read correctly that Nintendo is hiring more developers? If true, hopefully this will lead to fewer droughts of quality software on Nintendo's platform, cause we all know its unlikely that 3rd parties are going to suddenly "see the light" and start supporting them.
Mr. Wonderful
Member
For those suggesting that a hybrid console would be a handheld that functions as a console when plugged in to the TV, that is something anyone and everyone is going to be doing in a couple of years, let alone five (heck, it's already happening today). ARM chips capable of console-like experiences will be a dime a dozen by then, and anyone will be able to enter that market with $99 consoles.
Doctor Decimate
Member
i'm sure some people will find a way to criticize this, or say it's proof that they're in trouble
GhostTrick
Banned
May I ask you something ? Some french website claimed Nintendo did so to reduce their console life, I mean like reducing the time between two consoles release. Is that true ?
Schnozberry
Member
I think the integration of hardware R&D is one of the larger changes to their structure, but this building is going to house a large number of development teams that were previously housed in separate buildings. How that affects games already in development I don't know, but it appears that Nintendo is attempting to consolodate and integrate their development to improve efficiency.
From IGN's reporting of this story:
I think that's a really interesting choice of words, there. "Will turn heads". Hmm.
I think that's a really interesting choice of words, there. "Will turn heads". Hmm.
Nostremitus
Member
I'm justing thinking of future firmware updates for the 3DS that can allow it to be used as a gamepad for select Wii U games.
Or maybe that's something they're looking into for their next console... all of it's controllers could be their own handheld console. Think, what if the gamepad had it's own CPU/GPU. I imagine that if the controllers were as powerful as the 3DS, per se, and only needed to stream data as if you were playing ad hoc, you'de get better range and you wouldn't need to tap into the actual console's power to generate the image for the smaller screen. Use the Console for the serious number crunching and let the gamepad handle maps and whatnot.
That's what I'd like to see anyway...
LOL @ "Nintendo On" honestly, this was the first thing I thought of when I heard about Oculus Rift...
Or maybe that's something they're looking into for their next console... all of it's controllers could be their own handheld console. Think, what if the gamepad had it's own CPU/GPU. I imagine that if the controllers were as powerful as the 3DS, per se, and only needed to stream data as if you were playing ad hoc, you'de get better range and you wouldn't need to tap into the actual console's power to generate the image for the smaller screen. Use the Console for the serious number crunching and let the gamepad handle maps and whatnot.
That's what I'd like to see anyway...
LOL @ "Nintendo On" honestly, this was the first thing I thought of when I heard about Oculus Rift...
Smiles and Cries
Member
I don't really like IGN giving the idea that this means they are working on a new next-gen hardware
Nostremitus
Member
Well, historically, they've started working on their next console before the new console is out or just after its release... It seems they never actually stop working on what's next... It's just that most of those ideas never see the light of day.
Chittagong
Gold Member
Dr GAKMAN wins!!
I can't wait to see what comes out of this development. Can you imagine the logistics of moving the people and equiptment into this building? It must be a nightmare!
On another note, this can only do good for the industry. Nintendo's innovation is what drives the whole thing forward, after all.
On another note, this can only do good for the industry. Nintendo's innovation is what drives the whole thing forward, after all.
I'd LOVE for them to release machines more often. Seriously. I understand having a stable base of hardware for 5-6 years enabled developers to invest in tools and then use them for a good amount of time to get profits. However with mobile so competitive now and on such a fast turnaround I don't know if dedicated machines can be so stagnant. This is especially true for Nintendo that aim for cheap and lower specced machines which don't have the "Staying power" as far as their tech goes. MS and Sony are going high end again it seems so they will remain competitive for quite a number of years. Nintendo however won't look as good, not just on the general hardware power level but also other specs like screen type, size, resolution, storage and other features.
If they shrunk their cycles down to 2-3 years they could help combat that to some degree. They would of course have to do a few things:
1) Price. Has to be cheap enough to buy another one a couple of years. Unfortunately consoles are expected to be cheaper than phones and aren't subsisided.
2) Good additional features that people will want, not just raw specs
3) 100% backwards compatibility so your old games work
3) HYPE and marketting so people want it
chertipros
Member
So I can imagine this being like a nintendo project shield? I'm down with that.
DjangoReinhardt
Thinks he should have been the one to kill Batman's parents.
Anyone with an AppleTV and an iPhone/iPad is already very close to doing this. It's just a question of if/when Apple is going to "flip the switch" and embrace it. The infrastructure is in place.