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Editorial: Why America's most popular gaming genre likely won't work on Nintendo's new console
When first-person shooters made the transition to consoles from PCs over a decade ago, they weren't very good. Or even just good. Despite being today's go-to genre for blockbuster console game franchises (Call of Duty or Halo ring any bells?), the first-person shooter got a rough start on consoles. Game developers -- used to the precision allowed by a mouse/keyboard setup -- had no idea how to design shooters with console gamers in mind. Early approximations like Nintendo 64's GoldenEye and Perfect Dark from Rare were held up as the gold standard for years, while PC gamers snickered and stuck with their superior control mechanics. Bungie's sci-fi shooter Halo: Combat Evolved heralded the launch of Microsoft's Xbox in 2001, and it marked the end of Nintendo's short-lived console FPS dominance. The first Halo game and its developer Bungie Studios are to thank for the modern console FPS -- a streamlined, slower version of its PC progenitor that stands on its own. In the decade since Halo: Combat Evolved launched, Bungie and many, many other game development studios have honed and perfected FPS gameplay on consoles, to the point where it's the leading sales genre in the US (for the past five years, with the exception of 2008, according to NPD). Nintendo, however, has taken a back seat in this genre -- starting with the GameCube and even more so with the Wii, Nintendo eschewed first-person shooters for the better part of the last decade. Beyond the company itself not publishing or developing within the genre (the lone exception being its Metroid series), third-parties mostly offered watered down ports for the last two Nintendo consoles.
Project Unity stuffs 20 classic consoles into one: if you can't play it, it's probably too new (video)
Most gamer who want to play with more than one or two vintage console platforms often turn to software-based emulators that may or may not be above-board. How about stuffing all of the authentic hardware into one controller and one base unit? Modders at Bacteria's forums have developed Project Unity, an attempt to natively address 20 consoles across 17 actual platforms folded into a single device. The gamepad, arguably the centerpiece, includes two each of analog sticks and directional pads, along with multiple shoulder buttons and a central button grid that can either be used to steer an Intellivision or fill in for otherwise missing controls. Stuffing the unique controller hardware into one gamepad obviously presents problems with board sizes and the laws of physics, so much of the relevant circuitry sits in modified NES cartridges. Our only dismays are the lack of original Xbox support and the slightly imposing challenge of aggregating and modifying that much classic gaming componentry in one place -- if you're more concerned about convenience in your retro gaming than preserving the original feel of that Sega Master System or SNK NeoGeo, though, you've just found Utopia.
Nintendo GameCube turns ten years dead, still in denial about the whole color purple thing
For many hardcore gamers, it wasn't so hard to say goodbye to the Big N's purple box of yesteryear. But for those of us who stuck by Nintendo's side in 2001 and embraced the quirky StarCube GameCube, today's 10th anniversary is all too bittersweet. Sure, the house that Mario built may have misfired when it slapped the wrong coat of paint on an otherwise competent chunk of hardware, yet let us not overlook the legacy of top-tier, first-party titles that led us bleary-eyed into the wee hours of the morning. Who could forget that first mischievous sacrifice, when you willfully slung a gaggle of Pikmin into the eager mouth of a Bulbor? Or the time you thought your TV was possessed when those insanity effects from Eternal Darkness kicked in? Surely, we have this sixth generation console to thank for Samus Aran's second act. So, the next time you gaze upon your dust-collecting Wii, think admirably of the machine that came before it. Think appreciatively of the machine that lives still inside it.
Nintendo's Game Boy Advance SP once had an autostereoscopic screen
It may seem like 3D sprung from the ashes of discontentment -- not to mention red / blue glasses -- but Nintendo never stopped believing. It's been secretly refining stereoscopic tech for years in the likes of the Game Boy Advance and GameCube. And while president Satoru Iwata already mentioned early last year that the GameCube had hidden 3D circuits, he recently revealed that the 3DS's autostereoscopic panel actually dates back to the clamshell Game Boy Advance SP. Which, as you might recall, also once sported a touchscreen. At the time, his story goes, LCD resolution was too low to generate a sharp image, but the optometrist-friendly glasses-free tech was already in place. Of course, if you truly want to consult the history books, you can consider Nintendo's entry into the market to be the Famicom 3D System shutter glasses pictured above... which hit stores in Japan way back in 1986. Yeah, we know.
The NCube: probably the best portable Gamecube of all time (video)
Oh sure, we've seen a few "portable" Gamecube systems over the years, but we've yet to set our eyes on anything as glorious as this. Not surprisingly, the NCube's creator is yet another Ben Heck apprentice, with the case being a heavily modded Datamax Kid's Delight and the display an unmodded Zenith PSone. There's a 2-way switch for running off of batteries or the AC outlet, a relocated memory card slot and a rear-mounted disc drive that's just begging to be broken. Hit the read link for a look at 90 grueling hours of work, or just jump past the break for a celebratory video. [Thanks, Jonathan]
Nintendo gets Fenner Investments patent lawsuit dismissed, goes back to printing money
With DS sales continuing their astronomical climb and people still snagging Wii consoles off of shelves faster than you can say: "Your princess is in another castle," Nintendo's doing pretty well for itself in these difficult economic times. It's doing even better today on news that the lawsuit filed against it two years ago by Fenner Investments has been dismissed. The suit alleged that Nintendo inappropriately infringed on a 1998 patent relating to the monitoring of the position of analog joysticks in the Wii and GameCube. Since the company has been using analog sticks at least since 1996's N64, we didn't think this one would go far, and we don't think the proceedings against MS or Sony regarding the same patent will go any further. So, big N can now go back to focusing on other lawsuits and dreaming up new ways to take our hard earned cash.
Ripping open a GameCube and Wii
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Ripping_open_a_GameCube_and_Wii'; It's OK, this was done for science!But seriously, for those of you with an eye for tech, we just might have something for you. Embedded past the break are a pair of videos that show both the GameCube and Wii being disassembled, allowing one to compare the guts of one to the other. Hmm, looks like that Wii isn't just two GameCubes duct taped together ...[Via Siliconera]
Nintendo UK: GameCube is SO not dead!
Looks like Perrin may have jumped the gun a bit when she said that the company would not be manufacturing any more GameCubes and we should all just consider the thing to be dead. At least, that's according to Nintendo UK spokesperson who recently told Europgamer "I can confirm that globally, Nintendo is still continuing production of GameCube hardware and GameCube software." He said, she said ... it makes our head spin.[via Joystiq]
Aussies get Twilight Princess on Cube this year also
With all of the ridiculous news involving the GameCube version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess lately, it feels good to report something fans should be delighted to know, rather than the mind-boggling mess of last week. This news, which is Australia receiving the GameCube version of Twilight Princess this year, hitting retail on December the 14th. No longer is lefty Link to be left to languish until leaping to retail in 2007 (try saying that 3 times fast), instead falling in line with the retail release schedules adopted by other regions.The game is still on track to release in Japan on December the 2nd, the United States on December the 11th, and in Europe on December the 15th.
Wii and the 480p connection
Confirming that 480p would be a go for launch, Nintendo stated that certain games would support component cables for progressive scan output. What we hadn't heard, however, was whether or not gamers with component cables for their GameCube would be able to utilize them with their Wii. Well, we finally got the answer, although it was not the exact answer we had been searching, and hoping, for.Component cables will have to be purchased for the console, which are only available for purchase online, and those with GC component cables will not be able to plug them into their Wii for use. Sad news for all the hopeful, we know. Online retail outlets where the cables may be purchased, for a sum of $29.99 US, are Best Buy, Circuit City, EB Games, and Nintendo's own online store.[Thanks WiiBoy2000 and Hiro!]
Japanese hardware sales, 29 May - 4 June: How bizarre [Update 1]
Oh, look. It's the weekly Japanese hardware sales chart. Every time I look around, it's in my face. The ranking, according to number of units sold:- DS Lite: 135,614 149,411 (52.42%)- PSP: 24,595 2,632 (9.67%)- PS2: 18,513 1,285 (6.49%)- GBA SP: 4,364 2288 (34.40%)- Game Boy Micro: 1,270 743 (36.91%)- Xbox 360: 1,245 3 (0.24%)- Phat DS: 1,159 2,967 (71.91%)- Gamecube: 798 318 (28.49%)- Xbox: 43 35 (43.75%)- GBA: 30 14 (31.81%) Whether it's a rare planetary alignment or mass hypnosis, something irregular is surely to blame for this weird state of events. Microsoft's consoles are the only ones not to take a sales plunge this week -- even the DS Phat's fall from grace sends it hurtling past the Xbox 360. How bizarre.[Update: Quite bizarrely, some of the numbers were from last week. Corrected.][Source: Media Create]
