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[Luigison]

The more I think about it the more I think the iQue model is something they might actually do. (See post #349 if you missed it.) It's a model they have experience with combating piracy in China. It's basically what they are doing now with VC, Wiiware, and DSiWare. It's similar to Apple's model. It's cheaper than making and shipping one cart per game. It would stop the used market. And it would increase Nintendo's profit margins. Like it or not, we're eventually going to a download only market. Maybe Nintendo will be the first to take the plunge. I'm purposely leaving out drawbacks for consumers because in the end Nintendo answers to shareholders, not gamers. And if this E3 is any guide many gamers will likely buy the 3DS anyway.

 

[neutralgamer02]

Rumor: 3DS is perfect.

 

[charlequin]

The more I think about it the more I think the iQue model is something they might actually do.

Not on 3DS, given that we've already seen the cartridges and boxes.

 

[Stumpokapow]

A single game, maybe. But if someone were to play Virtual Console games often enough (I know I do), that number multiples into the hundreds, even thousands of times. And in those transfers, it only takes one time for it to fuck everything up. Constantly writing and deleting files off the flash is not a solution.

MTBF on flash drives, even ones in active use on server or enterprise environments, is comparable to MTBF on HDDs when using a regular wear leveling algorithm.

People who talk about "thrashing" flash drives are not operating from a reality-based worldview.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

They really have no clue what they're doing (the SD loader being the worst. They just found a way to speed up the transfer between SD and flash memory, and when you load something off the SD loader, you're transfering to to the flash memory and then loading it. When you quit, it deletes it.

It doesn't delete it when you quit, but when you load up something else that needs that temporary space. Run the same game ten times in a row, it stays there.

 

[Pimpbaa]

I don't like this because whatever system they implement to prevent piracy will probably kill the used game market for it and I like to trade in my old games for new ones.

 

[Luigison]

Not on 3DS, given that we've already seen the cartridges and boxes.

You got me there. I guess I could argue that the iQue game codes came in boxes and it used a cartridge, but I'll admit defeat now. It's probably to early for a download only system (think PSP GO) even if the games could be download in stores or on sidewalks like Redbox DVD rentals. I think I was overthinking this and they probably simply meant a DSiWare system.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

http://wii.ign.com/articles/110/1100039p1.html

IGN: The Nikkei newspaper revealed this morning that the 3DS system has some sort of software installation option. I'm wondering if you can comment further on what was announced.

Miyamoto: I'm not familiar with the article that you're referencing, but of course even with Nintendo DSi we introduced DSiWare and we introduced applications that were built into the system menu. So I wonder if maybe they were talking about something along those lines?

IGN: They're actually not. They're saying that there's an option you can use to install software so that you don't have to bring your cartridges with you. It was something separate from DSiWare.

Miyamoto: I'm not familiar with that.

 

[Boney]

Maybe he's doing a "I wish I was making a new Twisted Metal"

 

[justchris]

So you're imagining an irreversible one-time switch on the cart itself that gets a system ID burned onto it, basically? You install it once, and at that moment you become able to install that game only on that system forever (but you can keep using the cartridge simultaneously elsewhere?)

That's the way I'd do it. If your 3DS breaks, you have to send it into Nintendo to get the system ID cloned.

*It'd let my wife and I play EO off of one cartridge, which ought to be good enough. :lol

And this is a selling point that preferences new sales over used sales. Every game sold is really two games, unless you buy used, in which case you just get your one game. It doesn't destroy used sales, but it makes new sales much, much more attractive.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/110/1100039p1.html

Or maybe he doesn't know because it's not his department? Or maybe Nikkei is wrong, it happens sometimes.

 

[DrGAKMAN]

When I was referring to iQue I wasn't talking about it saving games to it's card from kiosks for retail games. I was talking about how it handles demo's. The demo's are time-based which means after a certain amount of time of play the game stops/delete's itself. I believe Sony is doing something similar with online PSN rentals even...you play it for a couple hours them bam, it resets.

If this is true then it'll happen one of two ways...

Card only works with the system it's first played on:
-would require automatic registration to an always connected network (3G?)
-card is useless after first install
-kills rentals
-kills used sales
-kills letting others borrow your game
-if your system is broken/lost/stolen then that will be a MAJOR problem
-would piss off too many people, which then forces pirates to work even harder to negate Nintendo's DRM

-or-

iQue timed install:
-doesn't require an automatic registration to an always connected network (3G?)
-can only be registered once (like Nintendo currently does)
-doesn't effect rentals (rentals may have to be coded differently to not allow registration or installs though)
-doesn't kill used sales (but does discourage since the game can't be registered twice)
-can let your friends borrow game (but game can't be installed on two different systems at the same time...however if the game is installed on your 3DS and the card is in your friends 3DS, maybe this would make multi-card multi-player easier?)
-time based install so if your system is broken/lost/stolen you can still play (and re-install after some time) games you own on a new system
-time based install is also good for memory management (system only allows for a certain amount of games/GB's of installs) which means lesser played games would be deleted when their time is up
-time based install also allows for downloadable rentals/demos of games too (not to mention full-fledged DD purchases)
-wouldn't piss off too many people and negates the need for pirating/dumping multiple games on a flash ROM

This is all if they were even allowing installs, which according to Miyamoto may not be happening to his knowledge at this time...at least not in the capacity the Nikkei is suggesting.

 

[AndriaSang]

Or maybe he doesn't know because it's not his department? Or maybe Nikkei is wrong, it happens sometimes.

Here's the Japanese text of the Nikkei blurb if anyone wants to see it:

ニンテンドー３DSには公表された以外に、いくつもの新機能がある。３D化とならぶ大きな変化が、ゲームソフトを本体内に記憶する機能だ。これまでは別のゲームを遊ぶ為にソフトを取り換える必要があったが、３DSは複数のソフトを取り込み、画面選択して遊べるので、外出先などにソフトを持っていく必要が無い

Unless the Nikkei writer is totally uninformed, this is not DSi Ware but a method for copying the games over from cartridge to system memory.

 

[Shahadan]

What if you could only install a part of the game, like a few levels? I could see a system where games are designed with a few installable "portions" in the cartridge, and you install the bit that you're interested in, or the game allowing you to install some levels, according to your save file.

In that case, cartridges would still be required, and could be borrowed/sold/etc, and you could do that for a few games.

It would also be useful at a memory level, but I don't know if that's even possible.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

The great thing about having your games installed on the machine or on a flash card or whatever is it's convenient. Copy the game once, and you have it with you ready to go at any time.

Installing fractions of a game? That seems like more hassle than bringing multiple cards.

 

[m3k]

It will be $599.

whats that sony ps3 analogy

this will be the restaurant of handheld gaming

edit wouldnt fractions of a game possibly mean episodic gaming, or updates/expansions