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[Hoo-doo]

It's not really as simple as Weak vs. Powerful. Processing power, energy consumption, technology, etc are all vast spectrums every company dealing with hardware tries to find balance on. Weak/Powerful are relative terms that are meaningless without a point of comparison, either competitors or intentions. Both the Wii and Wii U are probably exactly what Nintendo wanted at the time, but their chosen balance cost them in other areas.

But, you know, Nintendo has had its place in the industry long enough for anybody seriously following them to realise if you truly want the mainstay of third party support you need to be looking elsewhere. You've three other options.

Agreed, the 'intentionally weak' statement is just them stating the obvious, they design the console according to what they think it needs to achieve their vision. It has nothing to do with the actual real-world console performance compared to the other consoles on the market.

And thinking that they are going to bend over backwards and throw away their own standards and ideals just to court EA for a few months post-launch is quite frankly laughable. Third Parties are not coming back by just throwing up a few higher numbers on the spec sheet. The console will for the most part be a device people buy only for Nintendo software and Nintendo knows that. Now their fans need to realize that.

 

[Fourth Storm]

In what way did the Wii U hold Super Mario Maker back?

?

It is the one truly great piece of software only possible on the Wii u.

I thought I put the reasons right in that sentence. Maybe not on a technical level but Super Mario Maker is absolutely going to be held back socially and in sales by being on Wii U. If Nintendo had a better integrated account system which encompassed smart devices (the way they are supposedly doing), communication and exposure to all the features of Mario Maker would increase. Likewise, sales are being held back by the Wii U's lack of popularity, hence "out of style." A new box with new features and branding might give them a chance again. Consumers have made their mind up about Wii U--it will never recover and never give a piece of potentially wide-reaching software like Mario Maker a chance to sell its full potential.

Sorry, but why should they offer anything to owners of previous consoles? Those owners weren't forced to buy those consoles. I have had a Wii U since launch and I expect no compensation if I buy their next console. I'm not even that big of a Nintendo fan anymore but even if I was I STILL wouldn't expect anything.

They don't have to. But it might be a strategy they employ to encourage early adaptation by the core who may take a more wait and see approach otherwise. They're supposedly starting it on their current gen consoles and smart phones/pcs before NX. They've already offered rewards in the digital deluxe program and the new membership program could offer discounts regularly based on various conditions, including if you are a Wii U/3DS owner.

Well, we'll see. I think the Nintendo fanbase, as defined by the total audience willing to buy hardware just (or at least primarily) to play first-party Nintendo software, actually is in decline and has been for a while; even given the enormous mistakes made that are specific to Wii U, I believe it'd be selling better than it is if their software were still compelling to the mass market.

There are a lot of lapsed fans that could be brought back into the fold under the right circumstances. What happened to all those old NES owners? Thirty something now? I think alot of them returned on Wii. People who maybe didn't buy a Gamecube but had an N64/Gameboy. There's a few generations that Nintendo could recapture with specific combinations of software and attractive hardware/services.

 

[TanookiTom]

A GameCube NX could certainly find much more success than the original GameCube in the current market - for the following reasons.

Advantages
+ Nintendo currently has much stronger array of intellectual properties that are selling in Japan than it did on the GameCube / Game Boy Advance generation.
maybe, but Japan is their least concern right now
+ Unifying the software line between NX console and NX hand held means more games - and less expenditure making them.
+ Amiibo cards or figurines
while this is an additional source of income, I can't see how this is helping console sales at all
+ Virtual Console
after 2 generations of Nintendo systems featuring a Virtual Console, I think most of its appeal has already faded away

Challenges
+ Balanced industrial design and marketing. No more fisher price toy designs (GameCube) or handcuffed overbearing concepts (Wii U tablet). Something traditional while incorporating innovativation and sleekness.
+ Western first-party and third-party games. Missing since the Nintendo 64.
the GameCube had much better third party support than the N64, because Nintendo was really trying to improve it that generation. still didn't help
+ Account system.

The GameCube was a well designed and efficient console in regards to its chipset, but the handle, purple casing, branding instantly put it in third-place. While it also had a selection of first-party titles, some of the outings were considerably less captivating than some of the industry shakers that appeared on the Nintendo 64. Of course. one of the biggest deathblows was losing its first-party Western games (and third party wrestling games) that found an enthusiast teen-adult demographic in the West.

I think the above argument weighs much more than the actual horsepower of the NX console. As long as its at least more powerful than the Wii U.

I made some comments in your quote in bold. And you can't be serious about saying "but the handle, purple casing, branding instantly put it in third-place", right? This might have been a small part of the "kiddie image" but Nintendo already got this image long before that. Then you already had the PS2 powering through the generation with the huge pull-factor of the Playstation brand, Nintendo's soured 3rd party relations, the lack of DVD playback etc. etc.

Plus they tried quite hard to get rid of the kiddie image during the GameCube era - with little to no success despite releasing first party games such as Eternal Darkness, Metroid Prime, Geist and the Capcom cooperation with three Resident Evil games.

I am also not sure what you mean by "GameCube NX"? If you are referring to a streamlined game console launching in winter 2016, with around the same horsepower as the Xbox One and at a competitive price then you are in for a disappointment, because that console would launch from a much more difficult position than when the GameCube was released. Nintendo has now zero 3rd party support while at least getting some notheworthy games during the N64 era, their kiddie-image is even more pronounced than it ever was, and consumer confidence should be at an all time low following the WiiU flop.

While I can totally understand why people would want something streamlined like the GameCube again, from a business perspective this is just not gonna make any sense.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

I made some comments in your quote in bold. And you can't be serious about saying "but the handle, purple casing, branding instantly put it in third-place", right? This might have been a small part of the "kiddie image" but Nintendo already got this image long before that.

The Nintendo 64 had million sellers of WCW, WWF, Turok 2, Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, NBA Courtside, 1080 Snowboarding, Ken Griffey MLBPA, and several others atypical to the software that sold on the GameCube. It captured a Western demographic that wasn't exclusively children - that was squandered by the GameCube and mostly likely absorbed by the XBOX.

Plus they tried quite hard to get rid of the kiddie image during the GameCube era - with little to no success despite releasing first party games such as Eternal Darkness, Metroid Prime, Geist and the Capcom cooperation with three Resident Evil games.

Guess where Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil 2 (enhanced port), and Resident Evil 0 all started development? The Nintendo 64. They were three games slated for the Nintendo 64 and its strong teen user base. Eternal Darkness and Resident Evil Zero were moved over to the GameCube because of timeline, not because the GameCube user base conceived confidence in those types of products. Metroid Prime isn't really an M rated game; it's the same Metroid it's always been. Geist was a game conceived in hindsight - much too late.

 

[TanookiTom]

The Nintendo 64 had million sellers of WCW, WWF, Turok 2, Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, NBA Courtside, 1080 Snowboarding, Ken Griffey MLBPA, and several others atypical to the software that sold on the GameCube. It captured a Western demographic that wasn't exclusively children - that was squandered by the GameCube and mostly likely absorbed by the XBOX.

Guess where Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil 2 (enhanced port), and Resident Evil 0 all started development? The Nintendo 64. They were three games slated for the Nintendo 64 and its strong teen user base. Eternal Darkness and Resident Evil Zero were moved over to the GameCube because of timeline, not because the GameCube user base conceived confidence in those types of products.

They might have started development on the N64, but what does this say? It still doesn't change the fact that Nintendo did try to release mature games in an effort to expand the Gamecubes audience.

Besides the demographic of "hardcore" teenage gamers who are conscious of their image and are playing mature games because of that has long been lost to Nintendo, and I think they're better off not even trying to get them back. As I have stated numerous times in this thread there are two competitors who are naturally doing a much better job at targeting these audiences without going out of their way.

And this notion of Nintendo only catering to kids is silly anyways. If you look at the median age of Nintendo gamers they attract an audience at least as old as Microsofts and Sony's. I am 29 and I enjoy Nintendo games and I see zero reasons why I shouldn't. The thing is that trying to change this exact POV of people who think Nintendo is making "kiddie" games would be a waste of time and effort, as this thought is already cemented in their heads.

 

[thefro]

I don't remember the NIntendo 64 ever being called a "kiddie console". At least in the US, Nintendo dumped most of that image starting with the "Play it Loud" ad campaign in the late SNES days. N64 was seen as a powerful system that had a lot of FPSes, sports games, racing games, etc. Plus there were games like Zelda, Killer Instinct, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, etc that appealed to teens. It was a cool looking black box.

It was basically an early version of the XBox audience and a lot of my friends who had N64s jumped ship to Microsoft when the Gamecube came out.

The main complaints were the lack of games compared to PS1, the lesser Japanese support (most notably Final Fantasy jumping ship), and the price of carts compared to CDs.

I don't see any reason why they couldn't do a similar rebranding with the NX if they wanted, or at least group some games under a side label (like how Disney has Touchstone Pictures).

 

[10k]

In this world, power is all that matters.

-Every Anime villain.

 

[Haganeren]

Hahaha, did anyone really ever used that btw.? ;-)

I actually used that a lot, with this cube design I found kinda hard to take the console another way... And i moved my Gamecube a lot to play Mario Kart and Smash Bros at friend's house.

 

[Markitron]

You had games like Halo which was a massive success for the Xbox and birthed the FPS genre

I hate to nitpick your post (which I mostly agree with) but you know that this isn't true in any way, shape or form right?

 

[Mr. MondayNight]

I hate to nitpick your post (which I mostly agree with) but you this isn't true in any way, shape or form right?

Hell no it ain't true, GoldenEye 64 says Hi.

Everyone knows the grandpappy of the FPS genre was GoldenEye, Halo just added online and a couple other mainstay features.

 

[SandTorso]

Hell no it ain't true, GoldenEye 64 says Hi.

Everyone knows the grandpappy of the FPS genre was GoldenEye, Halo just added online and a couple other mainstay features.

I can't tell if this is a joke post or not. I mean, I guess it could be seen as true for consoles in the multi-player space.

 

[Neoxon]

Agreed, the 'intentionally weak' statement is just them stating the obvious, they design the console according to what they think it needs to achieve their vision. It has nothing to do with the actual real-world console performance compared to the other consoles on the market.

And thinking that they are going to bend over backwards and throw away their own standards and ideals just to court EA for a few months post-launch is quite frankly laughable. Third Parties are not coming back by just throwing up a few higher numbers on the spec sheet. The console will for the most part be a device people buy only for Nintendo software and Nintendo knows that. Now their fans need to realize that.

I do agree that western third parties are mostly a lost cause. But Nintendo needs to do whatever it takes to keep the Japanese third parties happy. And to do that, the NX Console needs to be UE4-ready.

Spoiler

That plus I don't want Sonic, Mega Man, Pac-Man, & Ryu to go the way of Snake in Smash 5.

 

[Jorok Goldblade]

You had games like Halo which was a massive success for the Xbox and birthed the FPS genre,

 

[Neoxon]

So good to look in hindsight and say your are right isn't it... general statement. There are things Nintendo needs to understand. This is a competition. Consumers are not idiots. You can't decide not to compete with the others in term of what is provided and expect for a good outcome. This isn't 2006. They captured something special that probably won't happen again. Make a competitive console and market the hell out of the thing. Balance Nintendo you can find the right balance.

Being uber competitive will get Nintendo nowhere. Anyone who cares about top specs already has a PS4 or a PC. Nintendo just needs enough to support Unreal Engine 4 to keep the Japanese & the indies happy. The shared platform with the NX Handheld should ensure that no software droughts happen.

 

[Markitron]

I can't tell if this is a joke post or not. I mean, I guess it could be seen as true for consoles in the multi-player space.

I think he was specifically referring to consoles there, in which case he's right. Goldeneye popularised the console FPS with local multiplayer. Halo's significant contribution IIRC, was regenerating health and a 2-weapon loadout.

 

[4Tran]

There are a lot of lapsed fans that could be brought back into the fold under the right circumstances. What happened to all those old NES owners? Thirty something now? I think alot of them returned on Wii. People who maybe didn't buy a Gamecube but had an N64/Gameboy. There's a few generations that Nintendo could recapture with specific combinations of software and attractive hardware/services.

The question is what Nintendo can do to bring these lapsed fans back. These gamers left for a reason, and probably for greener pastures. So what's going to be in the NX that makes it more attractive than the alternatives?

Hell no it ain't true, GoldenEye 64 says Hi.

Everyone knows the grandpappy of the FPS genre was GoldenEye, Halo just added online and a couple other mainstay features.

It's hard to imagine what Doom would have been like if Goldeneye hadn't come out first!

 

[Jorok Goldblade]

It's hard to imagine what Doom would have been like if Goldeneye hadn't come out first!

I think most of us are assuming he's referring to shooters on consoles, and thus replying with N64 shooters. But yeah- by the time even Goldeneye was created, the PC was so full of shooters that they were creating all kinds of more diverse alternate takes on the genre.

 

[Mr. MondayNight]

I can't tell if this is a joke post or not. I mean, I guess it could be seen as true for consoles in the multi-player space.

Is that not what we were discussing, the genre as it pertains to consoles? I thought that was implied though it wasn't explicitly stated.

It's hard to imagine what Doom would have been like if Goldeneye hadn't come out first!

See above statement.

 

[Hiltz]

I agree that it is practically pointless for Nintendo to try to beat Sony and Microsoft in their own game over high-spec performance and better graphics. Even with Satoru Iwata gone, Nintendo's philosophy is to be different from its competitors, so it only naturally will get in the way of Nintendo preventing itself from attempting to match rival platforms feature-for-feature. As Miyamoto has said, Nintendo is about offering a more unique console experience using novel technology and offering it an affordable price. As we know, Iwata already informed us that NX is using a brand new concept, so it's going to be different from next-gen rival platforms, and I imagine it won't be just due to its integrated architecture.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

And this notion of Nintendo only catering to kids is silly anyways. If you look at the median age of Nintendo gamers they attract an audience at least as old as Microsofts and Sony's. I am 29 and I enjoy Nintendo games and I see zero reasons why I shouldn't. The thing is that trying to change this exact POV of people who think Nintendo is making "kiddie" games would be a waste of time and effort, as this thought is already cemented in their heads.

It's not silly because we are discussing their target general audience. It hasn't always been children or families exclusively, like the N64 and Wii proved (NES somewhat), but right now that's what it is. Yes there is a small contingency of older Nintendo fans still trying to support the console, and a false hope that an outlier or two will join to buy Devil's Third or Xenoblade. But ultimately, the die-hard or legacy fans are a niche group that should be catered to, but aren't the ultimate meal ticket for a product's success.

The Nintendo 64 sold 33 million units - because it found a teen audience in the West that gobbled up wrestling games and first-person shooters.

The Wii sold 100 million units because it found a large atypical audience among men and women who were lured by casual and accessible games.

The GameCube sold about 21 million and the Wii U is lingering around 10 million. We can probably assume that's children + the decreasing number of active Nintendo fans.

A 30 year old person playing Pokemon, is playing Pokemon because he probably did as a 12 year old kid. It's probably no different than the 40 year old posters hanging around Disney forums. So even 5-10 million of us "adults" that bought the Wii U, and 2-3 M rated games that bombed, doesn't specifically alter the fact of what the user base and target focus specifically is. Right now the Wii U has an extremely small target user base of family / children with a dwindling fan base that makes up the rest of the adoption numbers.Now let's say Nintendo wanted to make a system where they specifically lured all their hardcore Nintendo fans from out of the grave; it's possible on paper, but they are still unsure as to how to design a console and perpetual array of software that significantly manages to establish itself across all those potential markets. The GameCube nor the Wii U were it.

I am unconvinced that current NCL management still values Western development and IPs - especially as something important to their success.

 

[10k]

A GameCube NX could certainly find much more success than the original GameCube in the current market - for the following reasons.

Advantages
+ Nintendo currently has much stronger array of intellectual properties that are selling in Japan than it did on the GameCube / Game Boy Advance generation.
+ Unifying the software line between NX console and NX hand held means more games - and less expenditure making them.
+ Amiibo cards or figurines
+ Virtual Console

Challenges
+ Balanced industrial design and marketing. No more fisher price toy designs (GameCube) or handcuffed overbearing concepts (Wii U tablet). Something traditional while incorporating innovativation and sleekness.
+ Western first-party and third-party games. Missing since the Nintendo 64.
+ Account system.

The GameCube was a well designed and efficient console in regards to its chipset, but the handle, purple casing, branding instantly put it in third-place. While it also had a selection of first-party titles, some of the outings were considerably less captivating than some of the industry shakers that appeared on the Nintendo 64. Of course. one of the biggest deathblows was losing its first-party Western games (and third party wrestling games) that found an enthusiast teen-adult demographic in the West.

I think the above argument weighs much more than the actual horsepower of the NX console. As long as its at least more powerful than the Wii U.

I want the GameCube to return but with proper advertising, colouring, branding and media storage. The GameCube 2 is coming people. Embrace it! GameCube squared shortened to GameSquare.

All hail the GameSquare!

 

[Neoxon]

I agree that it is practically pointless for Nintendo to try to beat Sony and Microsoft in their own game over high-spec performance and better graphics. Even with Satoru Iwata gone, Nintendo's philosophy is to be different from its competitors, so it only naturally will get in the way of Nintendo preventing itself from attempting to match rival platforms feature-for-feature. As Miyamoto has said, Nintendo is about offering a more unique console experience using novel technology and offering it an affordable price. As we know, Iwata already informed us that NX is using a brand new concept, so it's going to be different from next-gen rival platforms, and I imagine it won't be just due to its integrated architecture.

But here's the question, what gimmick can work across console & handheld?

 

[GulAtiCa]

Just give me Nintendo Web Framework on NX is all I ask.

 

[Markitron]

But here's the question, what gimmick can work across console & handheld?

The vitality sensor

 

[Isayas]

WTF is this ? I don't have the right to think what I want ? How hard is it to accept that some poeple are convinced that the raw power of the console is not the solution ? I am being dishonest ? LOL.

Have you witnessed how Third Party games have sold like shit since the Gamecube days ? How can people say that those will be the solution ? Nobody wants to play those games on a Nintendo system, that's the problem. So of course they have to find the best way to sell their system and release games on it, taking into account this fact.

Because of their medium that is the reason why. Like at least it was stronger and performs way better than last gen. The Wii and Wii U generation barely outperform their competitor console. That's awful.

 

[KingBroly]

A GameCube NX could certainly find much more success than the original GameCube in the current market - for the following reasons.

Advantages
+ Nintendo currently has much stronger array of intellectual properties that are selling in Japan than it did on the GameCube / Game Boy Advance generation.
+ Unifying the software line between NX console and NX hand held means more games - and less expenditure making them.
+ Amiibo cards or figurines
+ Virtual Console

Challenges
+ Balanced industrial design and marketing. No more fisher price toy designs (GameCube) or handcuffed overbearing concepts (Wii U tablet). Something traditional while incorporating innovativation and sleekness.
+ Western first-party and third-party games. Missing since the Nintendo 64.
+ Account system.

The GameCube was a well designed and efficient console in regards to its chipset, but the handle, purple casing, branding instantly put it in third-place. While it also had a selection of first-party titles, some of the outings were considerably less captivating than some of the industry shakers that appeared on the Nintendo 64. Of course. one of the biggest deathblows was losing its first-party Western games (and third party wrestling games) that found an enthusiast teen-adult demographic in the West.

I think the above argument weighs much more than the actual horsepower of the NX console. As long as its at least more powerful than the Wii U.

I think Nintendo has to do a better job leveraging their IP, more importantly knowing what they are, what fans want and expect. Not to mention they need more diversity in their active lineups. Platformer after Platformer hurt them BADLY this generation. They also can't have developer/producers running roughshot over IP's that turn into disaster zones (EX: Other M)

I don't think the VC is much of an advantage either. The emulation quality has always been questionable, but on Wii U it seemingly took a big dip.

 

[StevieP]

Ignoring the issues no matter what is a problem. So no Nintendo will not win a console war just by saying look we have the most powerful console. Graphics and performance is a bigger deal though than many seem to be just putting it off. The average consumer is becoming a lot more wiser when it comes to specs and the "eye test". I mean Nintendo is on last place. Mobile is getting releases Nintendo hardware could only dream of. They have to fight and come out swinging with a system that gets it right. Lacking in hardware won't do them any favors. I always said they have to find the right balance but if NX is not able to run the most modern engines without developers bending over backwards it's doomed from the day it launches no matter what else it has.

Choose your side. Either the mass market magically does a gaming "eye test" or mobile has far more customers than any other gaming platform.

kind of true, but it also had the retarded small dvds that couldn't hold as much data as the competition. that was the reason it didn't get as much third party support as the competition.

Nope. Outside of San Andreas, for example, all of the gtas would've fit on the 1.5gb discs. Most games would have, I'm sure, and whatever couldn't would go multiple. As has happened before, as has happened many times with the 360 where there was a perceived return on investment. That last sentence is the key word.

 

[Rocky]

Wrong Again. It was DOOM that birthed the FPS genre, released long before the N64.

 

[Markitron]

Wrong Again. It was DOOM that birthed the FPS genre, released long before the N64.

So your not reading the thread then?

 

[Neoxon]

And what you said is what I mean. If there is a new engine released and the competitors can run that engine if you are Nintendo you need to be running that engine also. So being ultra competitive won't get them anywhere but not being so won't get them anywhere also. They are in a bad situation. Sadly everyone thinks the least of Nintendo. It's up for them to shock the industry and try and repair theor name and become relevant again. They can't decide to blue ocean this console hoping for a Wii type of success.

But what's the point when the audience for a competitive system went elsewhere? Nintendo only needs to keep indies & the Japanese happy. They can't do much to get western third parties back for a long time, if ever. If Nintendo meets the bare minimum requirements for Unreal Engine 4 for the NX Console, they're good to go.

 

[Vena]

I am unconvinced that current NCL management still values Western development and IPs - especially as something important to their success.

They've given Baker too much freedom and power over the eShop and indies (which are making their way back to Japan, and getting good eShop results) to be completely disinterested in western developments or IPs from an outsider perspective. (If Shovel Knight is making it into Smash ten that's even bigger.)

Internally, some of their best hits are western developed or have considerable input from the western studios (Retro with MK7). Dark Moon is NLGs and the game did phenomenally and was critically praised for the 3DS. And they're not supporting Retro out of shits and giggles, they obviously value the talent.

What I do think, though, (and where I bet we agree but in different words) is that they do not know how to foster western IPs developed internally.... which is why you don't see anyone making new IPs out of the western branches. NST is a tech and experimental studio, Retro is making known IPs (though they greatly westernized Metroid), NLG is making whatever they are given as an IP to work off of, and so on.

Ever since they lost Rare, we've not seen anything "western" out of Nintendo. Who knows, maybe in a Tanabe-less, post-Splatoon world Retro might make a new IP.

 

[evanmisha]

 

[StevieP]

And what you said is what I mean. If there is a new engine released and the competitors can run that engine if you are Nintendo you need to be running that engine also. So being ultra competitive won't get them anywhere but not being so won't get them anywhere also. They are in a bad situation. Sadly everyone thinks the least of Nintendo. It's up for them to shock the industry and try and repair theor name and become relevant again. They can't decide to blue ocean this console hoping for a Wii type of success.

Third party publishers have already chosen their platforms for games focused for the 13-30 year old males. Those are the platforms where their bean counters see other similar titles cultivated by their first parties and where they see opportunities to sell similar titles. Where they find that audience, in other words. They don't find that audience on Nintendo consoles anymore, and unless Nintendo first parties change everything they're making to be tits and blood with a side of driving simulation, it ain't happening. Everything else pretty much already goes to nintendo consoles and will likely continue to.

Wrong Again. It was DOOM that birthed the FPS genre, released long before the N64.

I keep feeling as though I'm old when I have to correct this and mention wolfenstein 3d.

 

[Deleted member 465307]

I want the GameCube to return but with proper advertising, colouring, branding and media storage. The GameCube 2 is coming people. Embrace it! GameCube squared shortened to GameSquare.

All hail the GameSquare!

No wonder Square-Enix is so eager to announce games for the system—you've uncovered that it's a joint project!

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I really wish we knew more about NX

the wait sucks with no leaks or at least who has Devkit talks

 

[Hiltz]

But here's the question, what gimmick can work across console & handheld?

Whatever it is, perhaps it's something similar to 3DS and Wii U's capabilities in that next-gen games don't necessarily have to make mandatory use of hardware features in order to play games across both titles. I mean, we've seen 3DS ports come to Wii U and Wii ports to 3DS... even ZombiU and Rayman Legends came to Xbox and PlayStation platforms, so depending on the game, hardware features won't necessarily make it only playable on the platform it was initially and exclusively designed for.

With that said, I don't think it is the same gimmicks between platform and handheld because that would kind of defeat the purpose of what makes each platform unique beyond one being stationary and the other portable. It obviously presents a difficult task for Nintendo. I mean, it's gotta be hard enough trying to create a compelling, new way to play games for one platform let alone two... and with them mobile market around, all kinds of software apps are popping up being able to do lots of different things. Wii U's gimmicks never took off, and while the 3DS had a better initial reaction to its 3D effect during its E3 reveal, the portable at launch wasn't quite met with as much enthusiasm. 3D effect is kind of like a nice, but not necessary thing to have. Even Nintendo has barely come out with a lot of reasons to want to own the new 3DS model despite its improved 3D effect and improved hardware performance.

Nintendo's hardware gimmicks aren't limited to one per console either. I mean, Wii had both motion control and an IR pointer, whereas DS had dual screens and touch screen. Then there's the 3DS with all the things DS had on top of a new 3D effect and circle pads while Wii U offered off-TV play and asymmetric gameplay capabilities.

 

[Vena]

No wonder Square-Enix is so eager to announce games for the system—you've uncovered that it's a joint project!

I know you're joking but that has a lot more to do with the dilapidated state of the home consoles, and the need to have a successful portable come in and replace the 3DS. If nothing replaces it, the local market is dead. As much as 3rd parties will throw themselves at the feet of PS and, now, the PS4 in a attempt to salvage it (which they are slowly doing), it hasn't done anything to actually build a healthy software market. The 3DS version of DQXI will pay for itself, the PS4-UE4 version of DQXI more than likely won't, so it has the highest potential of being ported to a system that may actually give it a shot at recouping costs.

We might have a generation, for once, where 3rd parties aren't waiting on Nintendo to build the audience with their strong IP first before committing (see: comparing WiiU to PS4 Japanese domestic conditions). Such a scenario interest me because it would mean that, then, Sony can't ride on its laurels of 3rd parties keeping their systems alive for them. In a multiplatform release scenario for Japan where UE4 becomes the go to and is ubiquitous in hardware support, the only differentiator between the PS4 and the NX becomes the exclusive offerings which... is fairly lopsided.

 

[Mr. MondayNight]

I want the GameCube to return but with proper advertising, colouring, branding and media storage. The GameCube 2 is coming people. Embrace it! GameCube squared shortened to GameSquare.

All hail the GameSquare!

Or maybe since it'll be their third big architectural change going from Nes-N64 then Gamecube-Wii U the NX could be seen as Game³ or GameCubed

 

[Jorok Goldblade]

Wrong Again. It was DOOM that birthed the FPS genre, released long before the N64.

Um, actually -

but yeah, I was responding under the assumption that he meant birthing the genre int the console space, not overall.

I think most of us are assuming he's referring to shooters on consoles, and thus replying with N64 shooters. But yeah- by the time even Goldeneye was created, the PC was so full of shooters that they were creating all kinds of more diverse alternate takes on the genre.

 

[Partition]

I hate to nitpick your post (which I mostly agree with) but you know that this isn't true in any way, shape or form right?

Popularized the modern western FPS genre would have been a better choice of words. Regardless, it's beside the point.

 

[Mr. MondayNight]

Popularized the modern western FPS genre would have been a better choice of words. Regardless, it's beside the point.

I still would disagree, but that's my opinion, I think what Halo did was make it so that your friends didn't have to be sitting next to you on the couch to shoot you in the face is what made it stand out.

 

[evilromero]

I still would disagree, but that's my opinion, I think what Halo did was make it so that your friends didn't have to be sitting next to you on the couch to shoot you in the face is what made it stand out.

Halo just evolved the popularity of the console FPS from where it really exploded with GE, Turok and PD. Note how I said console. Before that time console FPSs were just a novelty or simply watered down ports of PC games.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I still would disagree, but that's my opinion, I think what Halo did was make it so that your friends didn't have to be sitting next to you on the couch to shoot you in the face is what made it stand out.

Halo 2 did that, to be clear.

Halo 1 was still very much couch-oriented.

 

[Neoxon]

Whatever it is, perhaps it's something similar to 3DS and Wii U's capabilities in that next-gen games don't necessarily have to make mandatory use of hardware features in order to play games across both titles. I mean, we've seen 3DS ports come to Wii U and Wii ports to 3DS... even ZombiU and Rayman Legends came to Xbox and PlayStation platforms, so depending on the game, hardware features won't necessarily make it only playable on the platform it was initially and exclusively designed for.

With that said, I don't think it is the same gimmicks between platform and handheld because that would kind of defeat the purpose of what makes each platform unique beyond one being stationary and the other portable. It obviously presents a difficult task for Nintendo. I mean, it's gotta be hard enough trying to create a compelling, new way to play games for one platform let alone two... and with them mobile market around, all kinds of software apps are popping up being able to do lots of different things. Wii U's gimmicks never took off, and while the 3DS had a better initial reaction to its 3D effect during its E3 reveal, the portable at launch wasn't quite met with as much enthusiasm. 3D effect is kind of like a nice, but not necessary thing to have. Even Nintendo has barely come out with a lot of reasons to want to own the new 3DS model despite its improved 3D effect and improved hardware performance.

Nintendo's hardware gimmicks aren't limited to one per console either. I mean, Wii had both motion control and an IR pointer, whereas DS had dual screens and touch screen. Then there's the 3DS with all the things DS had on top of a new 3D effect and circle pads while Wii U offered off-TV play and asymmetric gameplay capabilities.

But the idea of the apparent NX Platform is to share most of their games across the two systems, thus eliminating any potential software droughts. You can't share most of the games if you have two majorly different gimmicks. I could see the NX Console retaining a cheaper version of the GamePad to line up with the NX Handheld's possible dual screens, but that's it.

 

[LumpOfCole]

What if it's called "NX" because it's a collaboration project, like Shin Megami Tensei "X" Fire Emblem? In this case, it's "Nintendo X ______", or just the NX to keep people guessing.

It seems a lot of pieces have fallen into place lately that it could potentially be a partnership with Apple. I know it sounds strange, but Apple is suddenly rumored to make a Wii-mote like device for their new Apple TV, and would benefit highly from Wii games updated/ported to the device, and it would be a good way for Nintendo to get a new product into people's homes that specialized in downloadable apps that are much more suited to Apple's App Store model than the Wii sales model ever was.

What if "NX" is really "Nintendo X Apple", and September 9th we see Apple unveil what may just be the NX?

 

[Mr. MondayNight]

What if it's called "NX" because it's a collaboration project, like Shin Megami Tensei "X" Fire Emblem? In this case, it's "Nintendo X ______", or just the NX to keep people guessing.

It seems a lot of pieces have fallen into place lately that it could potentially be a partnership with Apple. I know it sounds strange, but Apple is suddenly rumored to make a Wii-mote like device for their new Apple TV, and would benefit highly from Wii games updated/ported to the device, and it would be a good way for Nintendo to get a new product into people's homes that specialized in downloadable apps that are much more suited to Apple's App Store model than the Wii sales model ever was.

What if "NX" is really "Nintendo X Apple", and September 9th we see Apple unveil what may just be the NX?

I alluded to this, but it wasn't Apple I suggested that the X meant cross and that it meant the cross compatibility between the console and handheld.

 

[neogaffer1]

What if it's called "NX" because it's a collaboration project, like Shin Megami Tensei "X" Fire Emblem? In this case, it's "Nintendo X ______", or just the NX to keep people guessing.

It seems a lot of pieces have fallen into place lately that it could potentially be a partnership with Apple. I know it sounds strange, but Apple is suddenly rumored to make a Wii-mote like device for their new Apple TV, and would benefit highly from Wii games updated/ported to the device, and it would be a good way for Nintendo to get a new product into people's homes that specialized in downloadable apps that are much more suited to Apple's App Store model than the Wii sales model ever was.

What if "NX" is really "Nintendo X Apple", and September 9th we see Apple unveil what may just be the NX?

Nintendo Xbox.

 

[Father_Brain]

There are a lot of lapsed fans that could be brought back into the fold under the right circumstances. What happened to all those old NES owners? Thirty something now? I think alot of them returned on Wii. People who maybe didn't buy a Gamecube but had an N64/Gameboy. There's a few generations that Nintendo could recapture with specific combinations of software and attractive hardware/services.

"The right circumstances" sounds awfully like catching lightning in a bottle again, and that's not really a strategy.

I honestly do think that their first-party software just isn't that compelling a differentiator from other gaming platforms anymore, and as for input/display gimmicks... well, never say never, but I believe the market circa 2016 is much less prone to disruption than the market circa 2006.

 

[Rodin]

What if it's called "NX" because it's a collaboration project, like Shin Megami Tensei "X" Fire Emblem? In this case, it's "Nintendo X ______", or just the NX to keep people guessing.

It seems a lot of pieces have fallen into place lately that it could potentially be a partnership with Apple. I know it sounds strange, but Apple is suddenly rumored to make a Wii-mote like device for their new Apple TV, and would benefit highly from Wii games updated/ported to the device, and it would be a good way for Nintendo to get a new product into people's homes that specialized in downloadable apps that are much more suited to Apple's App Store model than the Wii sales model ever was.

What if "NX" is really "Nintendo X Apple", and September 9th we see Apple unveil what may just be the NX?

Oh but the X most definitely means "cross". As in cross architecture/tools/OS/infrastructures/games between different N(intendo) platforms.

 

[Aostia]

"The right circumstances" sounds awfully like catching lightning in a bottle again, and that's not really a strategy.

I honestly do think that their first-party software just isn't that compelling a differentiator from other gaming platforms anymore, and as for input/display gimmicks... well, never say never, but I believe the market circa 2016 is much less prone to disruption than the market circa 2006.

Yes but the alternative is retire from the home segment, imho, so..