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[Smiles and Cries]

I see it as what normally happens when a 2 year contract is over for a phone you upgrade to the next great hyped phone...

so when these two year subscriptions are up for these $99 Xbox 360s MS has these suckers all lined up to upgrade to Durango with new 2year rides

 

[Fou-Lu]

Forced DLC and forced subs for online. Oh and no used games. Next Gen, everyone.

New DLC released, game deactivated until you buy it. *laughs*

No online subscription? Console deactivated until you buy it.



Even I can't laugh at that.

 

[IdeaMan]

Well I can imagine:
Sony or MS could have set up a "neutral" game studio just to get their hands on their competitor's hardware. There is probably a good reason why Nintendo does not give each developer the same unit. Probably the most trusted ones get the latest kits. Others might get old kits just to throw the competition off.

A little bit of spontaneous info about dev kits, related to your post (and i promised something about them a few days ago if the last week news failed to deliver which wasn't the case):

The boxes are numbered and sealed by a large warning sticker that basically says that the "warranty" wouldn't be valid anymore if it was removed. It comes with legal stuff & clauses that would make people working on these dev kits liable for pursuits, actionable, if they are too curious and dismantle them to do some extensive reverse-engineering. Some of the specs are seen while booting the dev kits, a list (don't know if it's complete) is accessible in SDK, so people don't really need to dissect the boxes innards to know its specifics. And if they have access to SDK and warioworld, they are again under a legal frame that forbid them to do what they want with the info.

I even bet in this pre-launch period, that studios are accountable to Nintendo and must give some news, some proofs of their development on the system + Big N surely study extensively the background/profile of the companies who want to become licensed developers for their unreleased system, to avoid the cases that you are describing.

All these measures don't prevent industrial espionage, of course, and the "natural" spreading of information amongst the industry, especially from third-parties, with the studios staff turn-over, changes of positions, etc. So, there are other ways for Nintendo to counter this, with "inner circles" policy where latest revisions of their dev kits are reserved for first and second parties, some things are kept hidden to more distant studios, in terms of hierarchy and ties. To illustrate that, MAJOR aspects of the system (not hardware specs or DRC features in this case) still aren't known by BIG third-parties in this present day, i let you guess what they are.

It comes from another source that the ones i'm usually referring to when i give infos.

 

[GameplayWhore]

so what are the chances that Durango is so powerful that it will need this subscription plan that MS is testing out?

Oh, wow, so the Xboxaroonie may be a leased system or something along those lines? That's a pretty cool idea for some types of user. Keep sending in a monthly fee, get free tech support, and every few years you're just sent a new hardware revision. Sweet and simple.

 

[guek]

But ideaman, how are we supposed to believe you're somehow privy to major dev kit secrets when important 3rd parties are not? That's a hard pill to swallow.

 

[GameplayWhore]

MAJOR things of the system still aren't known by BIG third-parties in this present day, i let you guess what they are.

I like where this is going

Spoiler

, but I don't like the part afterward where your response is "no, not haptics"

.

 

[IdeaMan]

But ideaman, how are we supposed to believe you're somehow privy to major dev kit secrets when important 3rd parties are not? That's a hard pill to swallow.

Read again my message.

The major parts of the system that third-parties aren't aware of, i'm OBVIOUSLY not aware of them either

Worded differently: they know what is missing, they know what they can't see/use yet, THEN they don't know how Nintendo will build/make/implement these, how they will look like, how it will work.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

But ideaman, how are we supposed to believe you're somehow privy to major dev kit secrets when important 3rd parties are not? That's a hard pill to swallow.

this...
come out and tell us man... we cannot guess something so major that the big guys don't even know

spill the beans and be superhero!

what is the name of a French Superhero?

googles

 

[guek]

The major parts of the system that third-parties aren't aware of, i'm OBVIOUSLY not aware of them either

Ah ok, that makes more sense. You made it sound like you knew what these super secret features were.

 

[GameplayWhore]

Read again my message.

The major parts of the system that third-parties aren't aware of, i'm OBVIOUSLY not aware of them either

Worded differently: they know what is missing, they know what they can't see/use yet, THEN they don't know how Nintendo will build/make/implement these, how they will look like, how they will working.

You're basically saying in the post that devs cannot open up the systems to look inside and are limited to what Nintendo tells them either directly or via the software interface. Is that a good reading?

 

[Fantastical]

I forget, how do we know IdeaMan isn't bullshitting us?

 

[dwu8991]

Oh, wow, so the Xboxaroonie may be a leased system or something along those lines? That's a pretty cool idea for some types of user. Keep sending in a monthly fee, get free tech support, and every few years you're just sent a new hardware revision. Sweet and simple.

in your dreams sending a new hardware revision.

 

[GameplayWhore]

I forget, how do we know IdeaMan isn't bullshitting us?

(reposted from #18966 of Thread The Third)

Okay, here's as much confirmation as we ever got on IdeaMan:

Ideaman and me talked via pm and we "exchanged" info about wii U. I think that he has good info in some ways, but you have to understand that this info can be subjective too (for example in the perception that his "friends" can have about the machine), just like mine.

I'm not trying to legitimize him (only the mods can) but I think it can be interesting to hear what he wants to say (or his connections allow him to say).

edit: And lherre was at an earlier time confirmed by a mod to be in a position where he could have direct access to a Wii U devkit

 

[Log4Girlz]

I forget, how do we know IdeaMan isn't bullshitting us?

He told us about Rayman Legends before it was leaked.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Satterfield was right. I am officially excite! As of an hour ago.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I forget, how do we know IdeaMan isn't bullshitting us?

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/f/french.htm

he is not listed as an official french superhero

but he can still be a NeoGAF hero

let's change his name to Le Chat!(the cat)

 

[GameplayWhore]

in your dreams sending a new hardware revision.

But isn't that how leasing works generally? You give them an amount substantially higher than the actual list price of the hardware, but it's split up over time so as to not be terrible on a month to month basis, and they take care of the difficult stuff, like getting the next model when it comes out.

Otherwise, it's just renting.


edit: by revision I meant a major revision, like the subsequent generation, not a minor revision, like the same thing with a slightly bigger hard drive

 

[Throwaway123456789]

Read again my message.

The major parts of the system that third-parties aren't aware of, i'm OBVIOUSLY not aware of them either

Worded differently: they know what is missing, they know what they can't see/use yet, THEN they don't know how Nintendo will build/make/implement these, how they will look like, how it will work.

Enough of this shit. Seriously.

I don't care if you actually know something, you're arguing in circles.

 

[Log4Girlz]

He's French. Once we apply pressure he'll tell us the truth.

Spoiler

I feel bad for typing that, sorry. Just a stupid joke, hopefully no one takes any offense.

The pressure amounts to us just existing. French people love leaking confidential infos!

 

[DrWong]

Sorry AceBandage, today will have to suffice.

Here's parts of the transcription of the Wii U part of my interview with Treyarch boss Mark Lamia. (It was before the release date was known)

The full interview is here: In Norwegian



Have fun.

It was fun to read. Thanks. Would like to watch a video record of this part of the interview...

MAJOR things of the system still aren't known by BIG third-parties in this present day, i let you guess what they are.

It comes from another source that the ones i'm usually referring to when i give infos.

Dual sources. Great. Also, all those rumours, comments (Ono, Akaoni), leaks about unknown things & features are really entertaining. At least it points to some nice surprises coming E3.

 

[Instro]

Shatterfield was right. I am officially excite! As of an hour ago.

.................

Wait a minute...

 

[IdeaMan]

I like where this is going

Spoiler

, but I don't like the part afterward where your response is "no, not haptics"

.

this...
come out and tell us man... we cannot guess something so major that the big guys don't even know

spill the beans and be superhero!

what is the name of a French Superhero?

googles

You're basically saying in the post that devs cannot open up the systems to look inside and are limited to what Nintendo tells them either directly or via the software interface. Is that a good reading?

read again my message, it's clear

Major things of the system not known by third-parties (they know what are missing, they don't know how it will be implemented, how it will look and work)

and i insisted in a lot of my previous messages that they aren't aware of major "physical" new features on the DRC (like haptic). In this case, they are aware of what is missing.

It was basically an illustration of the "inner circles" thing, how some huge aspects of the systems are still rather unknown to date to big third-parties, for secrecy purposes and certainly because Nintendo is still developing these.

 

[Discomurf]

Shatterfield was right. I am officially excite! As of an hour ago.

DO TELL. What happened an hour ago?

 

[Smiles and Cries]

IdeaMan you have to take a break even if you do have sources and we loved your posts and hints but the last 30 days before E3 will have people on edge and they might react very negatively to these posts now

think about it man the fun is over

 

[Kard8p3]

Shatterfield was right. I am officially excite! As of an hour ago.

More info is required

 

[dacuk]

this...
come out and tell us man... we cannot guess something so major that the big guys don't even know

spill the beans and be superhero!

what is the name of a French Superhero?

googles

Asterix

 

[GameplayWhore]

DO TELL. What happened an hour ago?

#8580, Shane Satterfield (Gametrailers editor-in-chief) claims Wii U launch lineup will be a very positive surprise (specific quote in #8697)

Shik must have found out something regarding the launch lineup.

 

[guek]

Shatterfield was right. I am officially excite! As of an hour ago.

what. do. you. know.

Spoiler

please tell me! I wont say a peep to anyone! you can trust me! *waits patiently for a pm...*

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Shatterfield was right. I am officially excite! As of an hour ago.

god damn

 

[DrWong]

More info is required

I kindly insist.

 

[daakusedo]

In the end, the most valuable infos we've got are from wsippel lately like the issues with middleware, that was pretty telling, so that's not really important, even more at one month from e3.

 

[IdeaMan]

IdeaMan you have to take a break even if you do have sources and we loved your posts and hints but the last 30 days before E3 will have people on edge and they might react very negatively to these posts now

think about it man the fun is over

The post is pretty precise and in direct answer to someone wondering basically if other manufacturers can create a fake studio to be a licensed developer and access to Wii U dev kits. It's concise and detailed, with never-heard before informations.

There are 3 lines at the end more vague to illustrate the "inner circles" policy, that's all, not my fault if people don't read the message and the initial quote attentively.

If i was a poster around here, i would like to imagine thanks to this kind of posts, how the dev kits looks like. Some folks here are becoming a bit too impatient and eager for groundbreaking things whereas smaller ones are STILL interesting.

 

[shadyspace]

I don't really care about any of the Excite games, tho :/

 

[Sadist]

Shatterfield was right. I am officially excite! As of an hour ago.

Oh shit son

 

[UncleSporky]

Basically IdeaMan, what you are saying is that third parties don't necessarily know things like the full amount of RAM they have access to, how many polys the system can push, how many and what type of shaders it supports, how much storage space there is on a WiiU disc? Nintendo tells them baselines to assume, but the numbers are expected to be somewhat higher?

But then I don't understand how anyone can properly develop for a system without knowing these things.

 

[Fantastical]

(reposted from #18966 of Thread The Third)

Okay, here's as much confirmation as we ever got on IdeaMan:



edit: And lherre was at an earlier time confirmed by a mod to be in a position where he could have direct access to a Wii U devkit

Alright good enough for me. Plus in a month we'll know this stuff so whatevs.

 

[MatthewB92]

God this is getting too crazy and we aren't even 30 days away from E3. OT 5 and 6 will be amazing from this point on.

 

[GameplayWhore]

read again my message, it's clear

Major things of the system not known by third-parties (they know what are missing, they don't know how it will be implemented, how it will look and work)

and i insisted in a lot of my previous messages that they aren't aware of major "physical" new features on the DRC (like haptic). In this case, they are aware of what is missing.

It was basically an illustration of the "inner circles" thing, how some huge aspects of the systems are still rather unknown to date to big third-parties, for secrecy purposes and certainly because Nintendo is still developing these.

In your original post, the bolded part sounded like total speculation. I think that's why people were confused. The only really concrete portion of your message was the inability of devs to physically open up the box. And the rest are things that were already obvious (such as Nintendo giving first kick at their new kits to first and second parties).

Basically IdeaMan, what you are saying is that third parties don't necessarily know things like the full amount of RAM they have access to, how many polys the system can push, how many and what type of shaders it supports, how much storage space there is on a WiiU disc? Nintendo tells them baselines to assume, but the numbers are expected to be somewhat higher?

But then I don't understand how anyone can properly develop for a system without knowing these things.

Aye, that's what I got out of it, too, but that's apparently not what he was saying.

 

[guek]

The post is pretty precise and in direct answer to someone wondering basically if other manufacturers can create a fake studio to be a licensed developer and access to Wii U dev kits. It's concise and detailed, with never-heard before informations.

There are 3 lines at the end more vague to illustrate the "inner circles" policy, that's all, not my fault if people don't read the message and the initial quote attentively.

No, that post was very difficult to decipher. I gather that English is likely not your native language, so it's all good, but don't blame us for being confused over your writing.

 

[dwu8991]

But isn't that how leasing works generally? You give them an amount substantially higher than the actual list price of the hardware, but it's split up over time so as to not be terrible on a month to month basis, and they take care of the difficult stuff, like getting the next model when it comes out.

Otherwise, it's just renting.


edit: by revision I meant a major revision, like the subsequent generation, not a minor revision, like the same thing with a slightly bigger hard drive

no, it's not like leasing

rather it's just paying over a 2 year contract like a mobile phone

works out well for those who can't save like low income groups

 

[Akai]

Major things of the system not known by third-parties (they know what are missing, they don't know how it will be implemented, how it will look and work)

So they DO know what's missing, just not how it's implemented, is what you mean...

 

[Fantastical]

Shatterfield was right. I am officially excite! As of an hour ago.

So the launch lineup is good?

 

[AceBandage]

Basically IdeaMan, what you are saying is that third parties don't necessarily know things like the full amount of RAM they have access to, how many polys the system can push, how many and what type of shaders it supports, how much storage space there is on a WiiU disc? Nintendo tells them baselines to assume, but the numbers are expected to be somewhat higher?

But then I don't understand how anyone can properly develop for a system without knowing these things.

No. They know important specs. What they don't know are certain software features and how Nintendo will use them.

 

[IdeaMan]

Basically IdeaMan, what you are saying is that third parties don't necessarily know things like the full amount of RAM they have access to, how many polys the system can push, how many and what type of shaders it supports, how much storage space there is on a WiiU disc? Nintendo tells them baselines to assume, but the numbers are expected to be somewhat higher?

But then I don't understand how anyone can properly develop for a system without knowing these things.

In my message, i'm not talking about specs, i said that those are already seen (some of them) during the dev kit boot sequence, and in SDK documentation.

 

[Bluemercury]

hey guys! Nice thread here...who's shatterfield???

 

[UncleSporky]

No. They know important specs. What they don't know are certain software features and how Nintendo will use them.

But the important specs are exactly the kind of things that competitors would want to get their hands on, and the kind of info that is easily disseminated along unofficial channels.

Doesn't make sense to say that Nintendo has methods in place to keep competitors locked out, and yet many of the things they'd want to know are out in the open. That's why my assumption is that these are some of the protected/obscure things.

 

[NeoRausch]

So... EXCITE BOBBY CAR is a given then?

 

[Smiles and Cries]

damn damn damn... I am getting all giddy and hyped and don't even know why

shit I bet its not even my kind of game that is the positive surprise

only thing I want is GTA V as a positive change of pace for Nintendo but that would not be launch... launch window maybe

 

[IdeaMan]

No, that post was very difficult to decipher
don't blame us for being confused over your writing.

Well, people are asking if i'm talking about specs whereas i specifically stated that those are known by third-parties through dev kit boot sequence and SDK documentation
people are asking if i'm talking about DRC features whereas i specifically stated that it wasn't that
It's like 50% of the content of the message is overlooked and read in 1 second without analysis, it's frustrating. It's pretty obvious what part of the Wii U, third-parties aren't aware of its implementation, its design, if i specifically and clearly state that it's not hardware spec, it's not hardware/controller "physical", usable features.

I didn't wanted to spoon-fed you and let you guess what is it, it's more fun.

 

[UncleSporky]

only thing I want is GTA V as a positive change of pace for Nintendo but that would not be launch... launch window maybe

Yeah, something, anything big and western.

I would also accept port of Skyrim with first DLC included or two pack of GOTY Fallout 3 and New Vegas.