No Nintendo Revolution at E3?
posted April 19th 2005 9:25AM
Speaking of Nintendo, the word on the street is that contrary to what everyone was expecting/hoping, they're actually not going to be showing off their next-gen Revolution console at E3 next month. Nintendo prez Satoru Iwata is reportedly concerned that the console is so filled with mind-blowing awesomeness that he'd rather wait until it's closer to being released to show it off rather than risk competitors stealing all their great ideas. Oh, and it probably doesn't hurt that they'd be jockeying with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 for everyone's attention. Anyway, this is still unconfirmed, but supposedly they're only going to show off a few Revolution demos and focus on the Nintendo DS (and its wireless multiplayer gaming capabilities) instead.
They're going to showcase the Nintendo DS? What a great way to get ignored. Nintendo is on the fast track to becoming irrelevant, how sad.
To me, it's working. I am getting seriously hyped for what Nintendo has to bring. I have been a fanboy of Nintendo since 87 when my family got our NES. I am almost 30. The (lack of) marketing does work.
I love nintendo and everything it has to offer. I am more excited about it's new console than the others. I don't think I even need sneek peeks to tell me if I am going to like it because I know I will.
"What a great way to get ignored."
Throwing a system out there at the same time as everybody else is also a great way to be ignored.
So what if everybody's asking "where's Nintendo?" for the next few months. In October or whatever, just when you think you've made your Christmas plans, Nintendo drops a bomb on you. Now who do you think you'll be thinking about come Black Friday? (Provided the hardware and games are good, of course.)
This big focus on E3 is fleeting; E3 is not entrenched, it's only about 10 years old (I forget the exact #) and it's only been big for about seven. MS is intro'ing before E3, Nintendo after. Only Sony is unveiling "at" the show, though really they're doing it at their press conference several days before, and off-site.
I've always said E3 was basically a joke. It's not open to the public and it's just a big industry schmooze-fest, so what comes out of it usually has no bearing on anything in the real world. I still remember the year that Sega had like 80 games there and everybody was proclaiming it to be the year of the Dreamcast. Ha! The industry itself always completely loses focus at this event; they get so caught up in their own hype that they don't even know what the public's actually interested in anymore. It's just pointless as an actual media thing. It's good to have a trade show for industry insiders to see what's going on but the publicity that comes out of it is almost totally irrelevant to the actual market.
(And yes, I've gone to E3 several times, and been part of that publicity machine.)
Not saying this will necessarily end up a good thing or a bad thing for Nintendo, but I just don't subscribe to this "you must unveil all your products at E3" mentality.
"so filled with mind-blowing awesomeness..." now that's an awesome line.
I don't really see how others can steal ninty's ideas when the PS3 (or whatever its gonna be called) and the Xbox 360 has already been developed to such a level that it would be inpractical to change it now.
It doesnt matter what Nintendo does. With all the doom and gloom nonsense that people keep attributing to Nintendo, they keep rolling on and making money. They dont care if they are #1 anymore. That ship has sailed. They will keep putting out good innovative games which in turn, will sell hardware, and they keep right on trucking. Sound familiar? Nintendo = Apple
PS3 hasn't been made yet.
What Nintendo needs to do is show some real-time footage of what Revolution is capable of graphically. Then, when they have established that it can hold its own against the other consoles, they can drop the 'revolutionary' part of it at a later date.
I'd rather them not fill me with hype which leads to dissapointment like Sony did with the PSP.
"so filled with mind-blowing awesomeness" Translation: "It will suck".
so many fanboys come out at the mere scent of the word Nintendo.
there is NO WAY Nintendo can hang with Microsoft and Sony..that is so obviously clear.
Microsoft's strong publisher purchases and Sony's lineage and cell processor leave Nintendo in the dust with whatever gay trackball touch pad crap they finally come up with.
Face it...Nintendo is a carbon copy of Sega right about not. They offer little niche products to niche markets like children and those not interested in conventional gaming.
If it weren't for the complete lack of real competition in the hand held market(until now), there would be no Nintendo "revolution".
Seriously, if you guys think it is something other than some gimmicky trackball, touch bad, wi-fi, rehash you are going to be let down big time.
Can't we all just stop wasting time and let Microsoft buy Nintendo so that Zelda and Mario can actually survive this debacle?
Nintendo is in a battle for relevance, much like the UN.
I really think that they have just come to believe they can't technologically compete with MS and Sony,
so they will be forced to "innovate".
Well, people don't want innovation, they want better graphics, more realism, deeper games. If Nintendo relegates itself to forcing innovation they will become also-rans in the system wars.
They really blew it with the DS. The psp is SO much better it isn't even funny.
I was hoping they would unveil the Gamboy evolution and the revolution, but now that looks like it ain't gonna happan.
As for being unnoticed at E3, give me a break. That is their chance to prove they have something to show, they don't period. If they had anything decent to show they would bring it on, they don't.
DS showcase? Puh-lease.
"Sony's lineage" huh. That is pretty freakin funny.
Also, since when is wifi a negative Mack? That's the first time I've heard that one.
Your concern for Zelda and Mario is quite touching, and I only hope when you are playing there new games, you can overlook the "gay" gimmicky controllers long enough to enjoy yourself.
PSPimp:
I'll take my DS over the PSP anyday with games like Electroplankton and Band Brothers. You are right though, Nintendo missed the opportunity to bring out a powerful handheld. Innovation must come, but it came too early with the DS.
However,
Nintendo has the best strategy for this next generation of consols. They are absolutely correct to step back a little from graphics and power to focus on innovation. What is there to be so excited about with the PS3 and Xbox 360? The difference in power from this generation of game systems will not persuade me to buy a new expensive system, I want something new and unique; something that will refresh the videogaming experience. Nintendo realizes this and they are becoming a very intriguing company at just the right moment...
I dont knw how they "innovate" with the same games over and over.. what gonna be Nintendo Rev. launch title may be " Super Mario Revolution".. I am tired of seeing same shit over and over..
This is nonesense. As usual anything to do with Nintendo gets twisted negatively (not by Engadget but by the online media in general). Nintendo will give out tech specs for Revolution, show some none playable demos from the system and talk pure hype about it. But there will be no playable unit there. As Nintendo have always stated. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT SONY WILL DO. Anyone who thinks different is living in a dream world. Since they (like Nintendo) are releasing their console next year, not this year like Microsoft. But do we see negative articles about Sony saying they will not show their console because they're scared to do so?, nope, I wonder why........
mack:
You said, "Face it...Nintendo is a carbon copy of Sega right about not. They offer little niche products to niche markets like children and those not interested in conventional gaming."
Wouldn't gamers be the niche market while children and those not interested in conventional gaming be... pretty much everyone else on the planet. Niche market? WTF, when did children become a niche market?
pspimp:
"I really think that they have just come to believe they can't technologically compete with MS and Sony"
Huh? Can't compete technologically? These machines aren't that powerful. All they would have to do is blindly dump more cash in and put stronger processors, more memory, etc. But where would that get them? It's not that they can't compete; it's that they don't want to. Face it, Nintendo doesn't like what Sony and Microsoft are doing. By the way, some people agree.
""Face it...Nintendo is a carbon copy of Sega right about not""
Yeah if Sega were the most profitable games company in the world with 8 billion dollars in cash in the bank lol. Translation, your a moron, you have absolutely no clue about the games market. So stop shooting off your mouth. In the last 6 years Nintendo have made twice the profit Sony have made from the games market (over 7 billion dollars in profit). They have more money in the bank then Sony. But no of course they can't hang with Sony..... They have managed to make huge profits while selling the same amount of consoles as Microsoft. Yet Microsoft have made 4 billion dollars in losses this generation alone. Who can't hang with who in this industry? BTW if 20 million GC's sold makes it a niche product then XBox (at 20 million sold also) would then also be a niche product yes?
"You said, "Face it...Nintendo is a carbon copy of Sega right about not. They offer little niche products to niche markets like children and those not interested in conventional gaming."
Wouldn't gamers be the niche market while children and those not interested in conventional gaming be... pretty much everyone else on the planet. Niche market? WTF, when did children become a niche market?"
-The average American video game player is 29 years old, and spends on average 6.5 hours each week plopped down in front of a gaming console.
http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/4/soa/videogames.htm
Hopefully I needn't offer any additional explanation. "Since when?"...since now.
Hey mack just to let you know Xbox has been trailing Nintendo in sells since the start! Research it yourself! Even the Gameboy Advance out sells Xbox. This is not my opinion, but cold hard fact! The Xbox is only popular here in the US. It's pretty much on it's death bed everywhere else in the world. It was barely even excepted in Japan at it's launch. Once agian look it up yourself, Nintendo actually holds the number 2 position in gaming. Xbox is dead last. That's after PS2, PStwo, Gamecube, DS, PSP, GBA, GBA SP......................XBOX!
Yes the DS is beating the PSP in sales too! Don't believe me? Go to http://gc.advanced.com/article.php?artid=4638
I sit in the middle of the innovation vs console power debate. On one hand I do enjoy the innovation that N is showing with things like the DS. I'll even give a nod to the sony add-on the eye toy and Capcoms Steel Battalion controller. On the other hand rehashing the same characters over and over is getting old. Every console coming out needs some fresh characters. This is where the true "innovation" needs to take place for any company. I really think that graphics and CPU processor speed can take a back seat to all of this. Good gaming doesn't require good graphics or even a fast processor. It just requires compelling gameplay. I've never put a game down because the graphics sucked or it took too long to load up. I put a game down because it didn't offer a good enough reason to keep playing.
Graphics will always be improved for the next generation. However, what has NOT been improved consistently is gameplay. While MS and Sony can have their own war with improving the expectations of what the general population wants with "better graphics, more realism, deeper games" as pspimp eloquently pointed out, Nintendo will do their own thing to get their demographics. Graphics and realism should NOT be the swaying force in buying games.
Now that you've read the facts mack if any bows out next it's microsoft.
What is wrong with going after a niche market though? The market is robust enough to support a niche company, people like the games, so what is your problem exactly? They have as much cash as ever, There stock is doing fine, but according to you they should fold?
This argument about who is #1 is irrelevant, because Nintendo doesnt care anymore.
"Nintendo is a carbon copy of Sega right about not(sic)."
Huh? I don't remember Sega going niche. They had a wide base of genre titles. Sports, fighters, puzzles, RPG's, kiddie games, etc. They had basically everything...except a western market compatible business sense and the ability to play nice in the boardroom. Combine that with piracy, and the Sony hype machine and you have the GBA with one FAST hedgehog running across the scene...
I always prefered Sega products/consoles/games , but the company just made too many business mistakes to recover from on it's own. Nintendo has not yet done that. Their pockets were deeper to begin with and they still have their GBA+DS franchise which is gonna keep making them money. I'm pretty certain the PSP will NOT corner the market in this generation (who knows what the future brings though...).
As has been said in this thread and in numerous others Nintendo is not REALLY in danger of being forced out of the market. The real danger for them (as I see it) is in trying to DOMINATE the market. It's a dangerous proposition that is not really necessary. I doubt they could offer a product suite at this point that would completely distract people from PS3 and XBox-2 at a price you could afford. But they could waste a lot of money trying, and do a lot more harm to themselves than good. So why bother ? They CAN put out a product line that will entertain and satisfy their loyale customers, and attract some new ones as well. I've read they've got like 15% of the market right now (that number could be wrong...). Who cares ?!?! They're making money. So long as they are smart enough to stay millionaires instead of losing everything trying to become billionaires in a vain bid to push out their competition, they have nothing to worry about.
Avoiding infighting and corporate arrogance (a la the dearly departed Sega of yore) is also advisable as well...
Just my opinion...
"Graphics and realism should NOT be the swaying force in buying games."
For some of us gamers, it is a deciding factor. Otherwise we might still be playing our SNES. I'm far from a Nintendo fanboy but I do recall so many of them all up in arms when the latest GameCube Zelda game (Wind Waker) didn't look like it did back at that SpaceWorld demo.
I don't really recall any of them saying "well, maybe the gameplay will be good."
What about the FF series for Sony? What about Halo for MS? Why do you think these companies are producing them over and over? It's good money that's why.
is that guy look like William Hung? or it's just me. :-)
Sintax, that's because they're people like you who actually cares mostly about the graphics. And besides, the point is moot since Nintendo is releasing a "realistic" Zelda game this year.
Lol, he kinda does. Maybe he should demo on how he sings. :-P
Tirol:
Yeah, I already said that I care about graphics. Again, if people didn't care why would the demand for new systems and new technology be so high? I also care about digital surround sound, high definition and yes, graphics... you know, all the things that shallow games like me want.
And how is it besides the point about Zelda now that Nintendo is doing a "realistic" version? I'd rather have another cell shaded one! I like Wind Waker so much I imported it from Japan have played through it and the US version 8 times now.
Just because Wind Waker wasn't "realistic" didn't make it beautiful to look at. But again... I'm shallow.
#12 you must have a PS2 or Xbox seeings as all of those games are remakes also. Madden 1980 to what 3030? GTA series, Halo, GT1-4, they are all damn remakes. That's all that gaming is now and I find that just sad.
I won't be buying any of the new consoles because I just don't care anymore. There is nothing new anymore from anybody.
I meant to say you must not have either of those.
Sintax:
I didn't mean to say that all those those nifty features are bad but rather they should supplement the actual game. If they enhance the gameplay experience great if not, then it really shouldn't be a big deal.
Cel-shading for The Wind Waker was a refreshing change. I also enjoyed the experience and look forward to what the next installment has.
Look at the biggest games over the past year over ALL platforms.
WOW, HL2, Far Cry, and the awesome Burnout 3 Takedown.
Now think of how these games could be even better. That requires more power, better APIs, etc.
I for one would be psyched to see a graphically improved Burnout 4 with improvements. Or an SSX 4 with even better graphics.
It is all about the graphics. Period. Screw innovation, give me more more more. Give me status quo, but give me status quo on steroids.
You want to innovate? Do it in the software! Quit rehashing old NES titles.
When I first heard about the DS I knew it was going to suck. But I bought one anyway. And the graphics suck. they are not much better than the sp. Only a true Nintendo fanboy could say that Super Mario 64 DS is innovative. It is a direct rehash of a game everyone already played!
My son and I both got bored with it after the first couple days. The PSP has kept us both hooked for almost a month straight.
You like the DS? Great, I am happy for you. Do yourself a favor, buy a PSP and try both for a while and then measure the dust on each. I have a really dusty DS for you...
Listen ninty and sony/m$ have different objectives. Games consoles manufacture is an oligoploy, and any economics student will tell you that companies often have other objectives than profit maximisation. Nintendo makes money, Sony (and Microsoft in Europe - its getting so shops dont stock gamecube games any more!) walk all over them in sales, with less focus on hardware profits.
Which is better for the long term? Who knows? i personally can see a reality where they focus on games, like sega. Why? Because theres more money in games. Thy make money for a more successful console and make more money.
Finally hardware is not innovative, it facilitates innovation. The ds software is not particularly innovative (cept electroplankton which isnt a game btw) seems only to be a ananlog substitute
thats my 2 cents enjoy!
I'm sorry but I have completely lost all faith in Nintendo, I mean come on, re-releasing the same games with new graphics has kind of gotten old after twenty years. Not only that they are staking their entire future on gimmicks. The e-reader sucked, as did GBA-GCN linking. And now a two-screen game boy.
Seriously, if the "Revolution" doesn't live up to all of Nintendo's hype I will never buy another one of their systems.
Improving graphics while sacrificing innovation is like ricing up a Civic. You can put your huge spoilers, mufflers, and whatnot. But if you think that your Civic is going to outperform a TRUE sports car, you are simply deluding yourself. It's the software that dictates the hardware aspect of consoles and if you're willing to plunk money on a game that looks great but has horrid gameplay, that's fine but just realize you can't judge a book by its cover. Look at Animal Crossing for example. Graphics were subpar but the gameplay was great for a lot people that actually played it. And it was not a rehash of old NES titles. If you want rehash, simply look at Halo, HL2, FF, WOW, etc. The list can go on an on.
Oh god, you had to bring up Animal Crossing! I played that the better part of every day for a full year. Talk about sucking the player in! Just like how I loved Wind Waker and the visual style it used, and Animal Crossing and its horrid blurry texturing, I totally agree with you that graphics aren't everything.
Using a game which I consider to have stellar visuals (when you are using some damn night or heat goggle) is Splinter Cell. The first one was amazing. The second one I only played half way through and let my partner finish the other half. This newest one, while visually incredible... there is no way in HELL I am going to just stare at my TV for 10 minutes at a time doing absolutely nothing while waiting on guards to walk around the screen. I don't care how good it looks.
And yes, I know I have contradicted my previous statements above and have done a 180 on the issue. I guess that is what good debating is all about.
Obviously Nintendo is just not ready to display anything by E3. Either that or what they said is true, but IMO is a very bad strategy.
All of these consoles will have better graphics. When we see xbox and ps3 we will all be saying 'WOW those are incredible graphics!!!! COOL.'
Months later Nintendo unveils their product and we will say 'oh yeah, Nintendo is just as good, yawn, so what'
What i'm trying to say is that Nintendo what have much of an impact. Their is a lot of hype pressure building up and it will explode at E3. nintendo will have a hard time building up this hype again.
"I don't really recall any of them saying 'well, maybe the gameplay will be good.'"
Hey #21, that's because people already *know* the gameplay is going to be good. People expect nothing other than stellar gameplay for a new Zelda game so it doesn't even need to be mentioned.
I'm sure you'll find some game that will of course contradict my stance on this. Maybe Doom 3. :-P
I have been thinking about Maelstrom's comment (#31) and he has a point. Going back to Animal Crossing which was just discussed, I was a HUGE fan of that game. I traded crap with my adult friends that played and then eventually they gave up on it but I still continued.
There are a few of us from that group that are eagerly awaiting the next GameCube / Revolution version. But to my point, we all know it is coming out on the DS and we all equally could care less because we hate the hardware.
It may be better than the GBA and have a dual screen, but for us it just doesn't compete with the PSP which we all love and own even though it does not yet have that one "must have" game.
So wait, I guess we did select technology over gameplay... damn it!
By three hours into the XBox version of Doom 3 I just wanted it to end! It was the same thing over and over and over... which I guess I new in advance but it was so gorgeous that I only finished it to see all the different creatues in the game.
Now that I have it beat, will I ever play it online or co-op or on a harder setting? No way in hell! (no pun intended).
Matt (#35) - So you are one of those people that liked Zelda II...
I liked Zelda II. It was challenging and while I've never finished it, it was defintely a keeper.
PS3 wont come out for another year. Sony isnt ready to show much at this years E3. This is Microsofts turn to stoke the fires for the Xbox 360s launch this fall.
Revolution should show some video footage to let us know that it can hold its own graphically. They can keep the revolutionary aspects of it a secret as long as they can show everyone it wont be a one-trick pony.
#34
I have to disagree. There will be people that will be intrigued by the graphics of the PS3 and Xbox Next (I know I'll be curious). Just the opposite, I think not showing the Revolution could beneficial as it will keep buyers mystified on what potential it could have next year, especially for the rumored touch screen replacing the buttons on the controller. And besides, the DS needs working on anyways as the lack of games have hurt its sales. This will change quickly enough though so I'm looking forward to it.
to pissed off Josh (27):
Dude, there's no reason to be so angst-filled. There are some really good games out there if you just look, games that break the genre boundaries. I'm having a blast with Katamari Damacy right now (last night I made my first katamari over 800m), and I also enjoy off-the-wall games like Bombastic, Culdcept, Disgaea, Gladius, and Pikmin. There have even been some games like Prince of Persia and Baten Kaitos that while staying in the genre/sequel per se, they also innovated, pushed the creative envelope for story, and polished their games well.
In general you are right; there is a lot of recycled crap out there in both the console and PC gaming markets. But, that doesn't mean that good games don't exist. It just means you have to look harder to find them.
-The average American video game player is 29 years old, and spends on average 6.5 hours each week plopped down in front of a gaming console.
http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/4/soa/videogames.htm
Hopefully I needn't offer any additional explanation. "Since when?"...since now.
Exactly why idiots shouldn't use statistics.
Even if you take the numbers at face value, the article states that the american market breakdown is:
17% over the age of 50
21% adolescent boys
26% adult women
This includes pc games, not just consoles.
Do you even have any idea what a niche market is?
More data from the ESA:
For Computer Gamers...
* Thirty-five percent of most frequent game players are under eighteen years old.
* Twenty-seven percent of most frequent game players are between 18 and 35 years old.
* Thirty-eight percent of most frequent game players are over 35 years old.
For Console Gamers...
* Forty-six percent of most frequent game players are under eighteen years old.
* Thirty-five percent of most frequent game players are between 18 and 35 years old.
* Nineteen percent of most frequent game players are over 35 years old.
Looks to me that the target market for the PSP, 18-29 year old males, is a farily small portion of gamers.
Imagine building a portable system that appealed to the rest of the gaming audience.
I was a Nintendo loyalist for the longest time, but all I got for my loyalty was shit on a platter from Nintendo. Nintendo got by for the longest time making the shittiest products because there was no competition. Instead of giving us cutting edge devices, they made shit because they knew there was nothing else on the market. Gameboy Colour was nothing more than a regular Gameboy with a colour screen. It had the same hardware but with a colour screen and they thought it was justified to bill $99 for it. Next came GBA for $150. This system was pretty good but they had the technology to easily make the screen backlit. Instead of admitting that, they kept making up bullshit about the backlight making the screen harder to see in sunlight. The screen was already too fucking hard to see in sunlight! It had more glare than a mirror! But we loyalists believed it anyway. Then when someone started making big bucks selling modified GBA's with an "Afterburner" backlight we saw how fuckin easily our dark screen problems could be solved. Nintendo had planned it from the start. They would release an inferior GBA and then when all of their fan base had bought it, they would release the same shit with a backlight and a lithium-ion battery. They reamed us up the ass with that little trick. We had to buy the same shit twice. They charged more for the SP and lowered the price for the regular GBA.
Even N64 was a piece of shit except for some games. I spent a helluva lot of money on that thinking it was faster and better than Playstation. But it was shit. The graphics on most games were similar or worse than the Playstation. Plus it had no racing games with licensed cars. Us Nintendo loyalists were also screwed over with cartridges yet again. If Nintendo had used CD's, then the games would have had much better graphics and would have been much bigger.
Nowadays, I hope Nintendo burns in hell. It's engineers have gotten fat and lazy not doing anything but relying on its monopoly. Just look at the DS, it's a piece of shit. When push came to shove, and the PSP was coming out, the DS is all those fat bastards at Nintendo could manage to pull out. It has worse graphics than the N64. And the extra touch screen is a gimmick that doesn't come in all that useful.
I don't swear allegiance to any company now. Which ever company produces the system with the best graphics and games, will get my money. I agree with some of the other posters, it's all about the graphics. Graphics and visuals is what I look at first when I'm thinking about buying a console. Why do you think video cards for PC's is such a hot market?
Here's an interesting quote: "Touching is good, PSP is better."
The thing that scares me from MS is Rare. What do they have cooking for xbox this year and next? Conker's bad fur day is probably the best game ever to be played by so few. It will be interesting to see what they have up their sleeve.
How much attention will Zelda get at E3? Probably going to get GOTY, so you know Nintendo doesn't have to worry about getting attention. Innovation also gets a lot of attention at these functions. A lot of the guys in the industry hate that they have to keep making the same boring games over and over because they are cool. We already have 2 GTA copies. 3 games that are good at a lot of things, but great at nothing. We have 2 halos that aren't as fun as PC fps games. When nintendo rehashes their characters, they change the way the game is played. Yes, they do rehash a lot of their games for portables, and I don't buy those games.
I also wondering if Sony will mention what flaws the first run of the ps3 will have. Or will MS touch on whether or not its new console will last more than a few years before it will try to burn your house down. Let me go look at my nes that still works completely fine after so many years.