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Almost 2 months later- was the Nintendo E3 Direct a better method?

Don't mind that it was prerecorded and short but I couldn't even watch it because the stream stability was ABYSMAL. Had to basically resort to liveblogs and GAF was down for me as well.

Don't mind if they use the same format next year but Nintendo PLEASE FIX STREAM STABILITY
 
My experience with the e3 direct was not a good one. Worst streaming quality I've ever encountered. Tiny resolution, it would pause and buffer in places, continue where it left off for a couple of minutes and then suddenly jump to live time. Very frustrating. The streaming services offered by the major gaming websites for the stage shows were all massively better experiences, this year and in years prior.

The other major problem with the direct was that all of the content involved was expected, there were no real surprises, and the fun part of e3 is the surprises.

The direct method could work well in the future if they fix their server problems and have more exciting announcements, but this years was bad.
 
ITT: People who obviously didn't have a chance to PLAY THE GAME.

It was never a good idea and the Best Buy demos were never enough to make up for it.
 
In getting Nintendo fans excited, it really didn't matter. Nintendo can do no wrong to most of those people.

In getting a wider audience excited? Hell no. Even if Ustream hadn't crapped the bed they didn't have the wide coverage they would've had with a proper conference and the showing was pretty poor.

Seems to me like Nintendo fans are the only audience Nintendo has any understanding of.
 
Can't stop thinking that had the January Direct not dropped so much information, they really could have had a great show at E3. Maybe instead of confirming 3D Mario, Mario Kart and Smash Bros were to appear, they could have confirmed Retro was making Donkey Kong, so by the time E3 got there, it was to be expected and the game could be better appreciated on its own merits.

As much hype as it created, revealing X that far in advance was a big mistake. That is a game with legitimate Megaton potential in that it's a new IP from Nintendo, with a focus unlike any of their other franchises, and yet it's often overlooked.

The thing is not that Nintendo doesn't have the material to compete, but rather, they've been horrible at communicating it to the world. Same could be apply to Wii U in general, their marketing with that thing is the poorest I've ever seen from this company.
 
In getting Nintendo fans excited, it really didn't matter. Nintendo can do no wrong to most of those people.

In getting a wider audience excited? Hell no. Even if Ustream hadn't crapped the bed they didn't have the wide coverage they would've had with a proper conference and the showing was pretty poor.

Seems to me like Nintendo fans are the only audience Nintendo has any understanding of.

Pretty much this.
 
Probably.

What they showed was predictable and spending all that money on a conference wouldn't have served them any purpose.

The main stream press covered Nintendo's games from E3, but that coverage was nothing compared to the new consoles.

Nintendo trying to out do two console announcements would have been silly.
 
In getting Nintendo fans excited, it really didn't matter. Nintendo can do no wrong to most of those people.

In getting a wider audience excited? Hell no. Even if Ustream hadn't crapped the bed they didn't have the wide coverage they would've had with a proper conference and the showing was pretty poor.

Seems to me like Nintendo fans are the only audience Nintendo has any understanding of.
See, I kinda disagree with lumping all the Nintendo fans under a single banner. I'm a pretty damn hardcore fan of theirs but have no problem admitting that the E3 Direct was a complete disaster.
 
E3 streams have always failed. ALWAYS.

I don't remember any other year where I could watch one without stuttering or without having to change stream halfway through.

Sure, but not on the scale as we've seen now and you could almost always switch to another stream that did work, which is what I meant with redundancies. Switching to another stream here, barely worked right now and produced less than desirable results language wise when the Japanese stream was the only one sort of working. If they wanted this format, they could have easily just released Youtube videos the moment of the deadline, which is what Konami did when they switched from fabulous conference to pre-recorded footage.
 
Nope, it was a total failure.

Nintendo had nothing exciting to announce in the first place and with all of the buffering issues the stream was completely unwatchable.
 
Sure, but not on the scale as we've seen now and you could almost always switch to another stream that did work, which is what I meant with redundancies. Switching to another stream here, barely worked right now and produced less than desirable results language wise when the Japanese stream was the only one sort of working. If they wanted this format, they could have easily just released Youtube videos the moment of the deadline, which is what Konami did when they switched from fabulous conference to pre-recorded footage.

I agree with this. No point in not doing it I, as far as I can tell.
 
It was better than an E3 stage show only because they had almost nothing to show this year.

They had a ton to show and they had a lot of stuff playable that played damn fine. The PS4 and XO were horrible in that regard.

The E3 Direct was a worse method because most gaming journalists ended up completely ignoring Nintendo.
 
That stream was the worst of almost every E3 streams I've ever watched

And it lacked something that made Nintendo's E3 shows entertaining: surprises. We knew about every game they've talked about and while I was happy to see some footage, I couldn't shake the feeling of "That's it..?" after watching that short but fucked up stream

I like Nintendo Directs, but get better services for that stuff and surprise people
 
If Microsoft and Sony used the same method for their E3 presentation there would have been no awkward moments in their conferences...so I think a pre-recorded show is good for that reason alone.

What do you miss out on without a live conference? Big fan circle jerks.
 
The Direct thing was a good idea because Nintendo would have been embarrassed even more with what they were offering if they tried to do a big press event.

But the fucking stream kept dying, which was not cool.
 
Well I still haven't watched the E3 Direct(s) whereas I would 100% have watched a big press conference, so a resounding no for me.
 
Coverage was pretty much the same, for gaming press, then it's really hard to gauge with non gaming media, and directly with the public.
 
If Microsoft and Sony used the same method for their E3 presentation there would have been no awkward moments in their conferences...so I think a pre-recorded show is good for that reason alone.

What do you miss out on without a live conference? Big fan circle jerks.

It's like watching a sports match live on TV versus a recording, just isn't the same.
 
It's like watching a sports match live on TV versus a recording, just isn't the same.

Yeah this is true. Would Sony's no-DRM reveal been as unbelievably awesome if it was prerecorded? No chance in hell. The audience's reaction was part of the fun, as was the fact that it was happening live.
 
It was exactly the same. I don't need fake-enthusiasic whooping and horribly awkward stage demos with terrified developers.

They showed me their games. That's all I care about.
 
Yes it was a good move.

Even the direct severely highlighted how much Nintendo was lacking during E3...

If they went on stage, it would have been unforgettable..... seriously... it would have been bad.

They absolutely made the best decision at the time.
Not even Megaman in Smash could save them.... think about that sentence...
 
I don't think what happened could ever be described as "good". In a way, Nintendo simply knew they didn't have enough material to put on a good show, and the whole Direct thing served as a replacement for what would have most likely been a terrible conference.

That said, I think it "worked" for saving face, but was wholly uneffective at trying to convince more people to jump into the Wii U wagon. Games everyone already knew were coming, with the only "surprise" being what I'd call a disappointment to many isn't what you want to do to help boost sales.

Still, worse than all this was Reggie's GameTrailers interview. Geoff did a pretty accurate remark there about how Nintendo basically showed zero uses for the Gamepad during their Direct, and all Reggie did was dodge the question with his usual grumpy tone. That was pretty embarassing.
 
Yes, for sure, and I applaud Nintendo wholeheartedly for their bravery and vision in adopting this approach.

From the start, it was very clear that Iwata was more at home with the Direct. Also, they wouldn't have to put up with incompetent "games journalists", they can do it on their terms, and deliver the messages that THEY WANT. I watched the Wii U reveal at E3 2011. On Youtube, the console itself can be spotted on AT LEAST 12 or 13 occasions; If you were a journalist in the room, then there was no excuse whatsoever for saying that the Wii U was just a controller and spreading "confusion" - that was of their own making. More so, when on some of those occasions, an image of the console was visible on the projected screen behind Iwata for a longer period of time. It is true that the GamePad was a focus, but Reggie said very clearly that it was "the controller FOR their new console", not an add-on, or the console itself. Instead of reporting and doing their job, they were spreading their ideologies and pandering to "Mr. Hardcore", who hated the Wii name, and everything about it. "Games Journalists" can be pissy all they want, but it's not about them, and a Nintendo Direct means that they would no longer get all the privileges of a conference. So, Yeah, I guess that makes me a member of "Team Direct". I was also genuinely excited when Reggie mentioned that there would be demos in stores - Unfortunately, that didn't appear to extend to European shores on this occasion, but I liked the idea of "bringing E3 to the people".

They can have an Extended Direct, or a day dedicated to them. One for the Wii U, and one for the 3DS. Or Special Winter and Summer Conferences. They can keep the Direct, but have segments - This year, I would've given Platinum Games 10 minutes of stage time and trailers, and also Sega, but in a Direct, it could be trailers and Iwata Asks with Kamiya, Hashimoto, then with Iizuka, or something among those lines.

The ideal delivery for me would be their content for the Wii U, then other parties and the Indie Circuit having dedicated time. Both would appreciate their titles having more exposure, and it would show visibly that they are opening their arms to them and building on relations. Then the same for the 3DS. If they can push for a 60-minute session, it would be fine - That way, they can get some titles trending on Twitter and generate a buzz. They always trend strongly with their Directs, everywhere, and without a promoted tweet in sight, so I think it is better. Certainly, they aren't echo chambers - the 13th September conference last year, where Bayonetta 2 was revealed is proof of that; it was the #1 trend Worldwide. After the E3 Direct, Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong Country and Mega Man were just a few of theirs which were top Worldwide trends, too. I think it's the best approach, and there is plenty of growth potential.

There was plenty of content at the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct for just under 40 minutes, and I thought the Super Mario 3D World reveal was a very tight, well-crafted clip which showcased the game brilliantly. For me, it is just a question of fine-tuning the delivery of the Direct and ensuring that the streaming is smooth. Finally, I would have a short Q&A Session (about 10 questions) during a live chat for some time on Miiverse and their Facebook accounts.

At one time, it was a boyhood dream of mine to go to E3 some day. But now, the Nintendo and Sega fan in me actually hopes that they ditch E3 next year, and stick with this approach going forward - ESPECIALLY with all the douchebaggery that's gone on at that event in recent years.
 
No, not better, but it was probably the right thing to do right now. Hopefully by next E3 their development ecosystem is healthier and they will have a full slate of games to show and announce. That coupled with the expected price drop should make for a healthier environment.
 
The E3 Direct was no good, but would their position be even the slightest bit different today if they had the same content but presented on a stage? Not a chance.
 
Yes it was a good move.

Even the direct severely highlighted how much Nintendo was lacking during E3...

If they went on stage, it would have been unforgettable..... seriously... it would have been bad.

They absolutely made the best decision at the time.
Not even Megaman in Smash could save them.... think about that sentence...

You're just being an ignorant fanboy.

If Nintendo had a press conference with on-stage demos of DKC:TF, SM3DW, WWHD and MK8 people would've gone crazy. Playable on-stage demo for TW101 would've been great as well to get the game a good amount of publicity. Then they would've had a trailer for X and they could have showed the SSB4 trailer without the Mega Man reveal. After that, they could've shown a short gameplay presentation. And then at the very end of the conference Mega Man would make his smashing entrance with 1 final trailer.

Seriously, if they had done something like that everyone would've gone crazy.
 
a better method for what? delivering trailers? maybe. but those weird sketches they make are terrible way to communicate to a wide audience, the videos are creepy, lack appeal, and just plain suck. Plus, they need to reach the kind of press that is not interested in internet announcements, E3 is a great platform to do so, it's an event for the mainstream press and retailers! But no, they choose to do an absurd youtube video that will only be watched by forum posters and videogame bloggers. Nintendo has to go all out on marketing, advertisements and anything that will help get them in people's minds, not isolating their announcements to their youtube videos.
 
The only people it reached, and was essentially directed at, was current Wii U owners which does nothing to help them move consoles. I feel the reason though after the direct was because they had nothing and they knew it. The problem with caving into that and basically "not showing up" is it inspires zero confidence in their product in the eyes of third parties and consumers.
 
if it would've even played properly on the stream site, i think it would've not mattered at all. however, the interrupting stream really made all of the products look really bad.
 
Luckily, I woke up 3 hours after the stream finished so I went and watched it on Youtube. I expected most of the games and went out happy. I just wished they showed off Yarn Yoshi.
 
I think it was the best way for them to go at the time. If you have little to show, there's no point showing it on a big stage.

Future E3, they better have more things to show.
 
I wouldn't call it better or worse.

It just kinda was.

I do hope that more companies follow suit and make public E3 demos present at places like Best Buy and stuff though, cause that was cool.
 
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