Amateria and I were just texting back and forth about the 3DS and it hit me. What will Nintendo do for Wii 2?
The 3DS is a neat machine for sure, but isn't on my radar. I love my PSP and, so far, Nintendo isn't showing any system movers for me yet. To me it's just another DS.
I guess with the 3DS I feel that Nintendo is playing it safe and sticking to their strengths, but I'm wondering how long they can do that.
With the Wii Nintendo has made a fortune and they've really spread gaming around to a much larger audience than MS and Sony ever could and I commend that.
But what will they do next? People are already upset that the Wii doesn't even do HD. It's a large graphical difference between the PS3 and the 360 and when the next systems ship (in 3-5 years from now) what will their game plan be?
I can only imagine that the graphical differences between a Wii 2 and a PS4 or XBOX 720 will only be magnified compared to what it is today.
Will Nintendo still be able to push motion controls onto the same people that bought a Wii again? The same people that only ever got a Wii for bowling and a health trainer aren't going to buy a Wii 2. They don't see a benefit like a more "core" gamer might in a new Sony or MS product.
I wonder if Nintendo feels the same way? Maybe they'll rush out a Wii 2 in another year or two to try and grab up as much market as they can before MS and Sony ever get out of the gate, but it will only buy them time.
I imagine if they did that they'd be making their own path and wouldn't necessarily play by the rules of console releases anymore, but still.....I just don't see it going well with them.
With the advent of smart phones and cell phone gaming really taking off it makes Nintendo and Sony's handhelds that much harder to sell. My cousin's dad just retired and he put over 30 hours into Angry Birds.....30 hours in a week!
I applaud the fact that Sony is trying to make a real powerhouse with the NGP and it does seem stellar, but holy crap that thing is pricey and I can't see it doing well either.
I realize that this is all speculation, but given Nintendo's track record of doing their own thing do you really think they'll even attempt to make something like a PS4 or a XBOX 720? No way. They're too Japanese for that and that's what's going to kill them. It's why the Wii was such a departure from normal gaming. They had to come up with a new idea after they lost so much market share with the Cube.
What say you? Does Nintendo have a good chance for the Wii 2? Will Mario and Zelda ALWAYS be able to move systems? Will the Japanese ever stop buying every new iteration of anything Nintendo?
I would say you'll see New Super Mario Galaxy 3 on the XBOX...
ReplyDeleteOk, I see where your coming from but I completly disagree with you. I think nintendo could very easily catch up with ps4 and xbox720. The wii probably could have been a gamecube 2 with amazing graphics but they chose to shake up the industry and try something different. The next nintendo system im sure will shake things up again while significantly upgrading the graphics (my opinion).
ReplyDeleteAlso im so tired of hearing the comparison of the psp, ds, and 3ds to the iphone and android, to me its like comparing a full game to a demo disk. People will never stop buying handheld systems because of their phones for several reasons. 1st of all the graphics on phone games are not even close to the graphics of the 3ds and psp. 2nd the controls on the android and iphone are a huge pain in the ass to play games that require quick reflexes and response time. Also playing games on a phone or ipod juices the battery pretty quickly. Cell phones are really just for casual gamers where portable consoles are for the more hard core.
Saying that cellphone games are going to beat out handhelds (I know you didn't necessarily say that 3n3my) is like saying the wii (which is a casual system) will beat out both the ps3 and xbox 360. Sure alot of people will like it, but on the end the more hardcore gaming community will stick with systems.
I also would like to point out that I am not a nintendo fanboy lol. Also I did pick up a 3ds (couldn't resist a proper zelda OoT remake... damn u nintendo...) plus megaman legends 3 and a metal gear solid 3 remake look awesome!
ReplyDeleteSilent: I agree that an actual handheld system is better than the iPad or something similar, but you can't dismiss them.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to dismiss the Wii as a console, but it has affected things for the 360 and the PS3...MOVE and Kinect anyone?
I think that with games on phones being available for only a couple bucks and being as replayable as they are they are definitely a threat. Especially when a 3DS is dangerously close to the price of an iPhone or iPad anyways.
Also, the iPhone has some remarkably good looking games. Not all are PSP toppers, but they beat the piss out of what I've seen the DS be able to do.
When Nintendo gets a game to run the Unreal Engine on the 3DS....let me know.
http://gamerfront.net/2011/03/infinity-blade-update-in-the-works-adds-new-content/6536
Or this:
http://www.gamedynamo.com/game/show/1/996/review/en/iPhone_Android_BlackBerry/Rage
My only gripe about the Droid X is that with the fragmentation of the Android market it makes getting super high quality games like this next to impossible. The consistent platform that is anything iOS lets them get stuff like this.
Also, Nintendo doesn't really have an interest (at least that I can see) for high fidelity graphics. Resident Evil 4 is still probably the best looking game on the Wii and it originally launched on the Cube.
I think the place for handhelds is still going to be intact, especially when games needs buttons. I've seen some emulators running on smart phones, and simplistic gaming (read - angry birds) that only need a button or two run great on them, but if it needs anything more than that, the thing is useless.
ReplyDeleteI think Nintendo is gonna go HD. My theory on why they didn't the first time around was the appeal of the worldwide market. Xbox is abysmal, and although Sony nails down Japan, US, and Europe really well, it doesn't compare to the worldwide sales the Wii had. (I think that's true, anyone who finds statistics can argue otherwise...) At the very least, the worldwide market was part of Nintendo's marketting - Wii was chosen as a word that means "fun" in Japanese, and a fun noise in just about every other language. If the rest of the world hasn't gone HD crazy like the US has (my hotel in Boston sure hasn't...) maybe HD was a poor choice when it launched. The downscaling from HD to composite can really ruin the experience some times. Possibly?
I'm not really looking for a justification of why they did or didn't do HD at the time, but more of a where can they go next?
ReplyDeleteThey have a weak system with a gimmick control setup that sells dick to third party developer games (even the good ones).
They're in trouble when the next systems roll around is what I'm arguing.
Will they ditch motion controls and go back to a standard controller or would that just be admitting that the motion controls aren't good in the long term?
Also, I think that MS and Sony embracing HD was the only choice. When you're making cutting edge consoles that have to go 5 to 10 years you have to look at the future.
ReplyDeleteNot that everyone on earth has an HD tv (tons of sports bars still don't have HD tv so you're hotel is no surprise...it's a hotel), but according to my brother, who's a cop, "no matter how nasty a house or trailer I bust into....there's always a huge LCD tv."
True that.
My hotel was weird though. Why have HD tvs in every room if it doesn't have one single piece of HD programing? Thanks for making regular programing look even worse.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Wii, I guess it's gonna be a tough sell. 3D could be a logical direction, with the obvious HD pickup. The 3DS represents a smaller investment, so depending on how the pick-up is with that in the long-term, we could see some of that coming.
Something the Wii seriously lacks is a user-oriented interface to their content and DLC. Anything downloadable to a Wii right now is connected to that Wii... only. If someone were to steal it, there is no account recovery. There is no backup of purchased content. Besides a credit card you may have used to buy it, there is no record of it. And from what I've been told, at this point Nintendo isn't willing to work out anything to help you get it back. Account information connected with a profile is a must for Nintendo the next time around. They've strayed away from it in the past to keep the family friendly attitude going (who really want's their kid to hear the stuff that is talked about on xbox live?), but there needs to be a better way. Updates, user content, DLC, full purchases, streaming content... this is the way we're going - motion gaming or not, better developers or not, they better meet the cut for base consumer expectations.
Nintendo already said "no" to 3D on Wii 2.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.maxconsole.net/content.php?45333-Nintendo-confirms-Wii-2-rules-out-3D-support
I think its safe too say the only thing nintendo can do next is improve their graphics and cross their fingers...
ReplyDeleteNintendo just seemed to lose out years and years ago to the PSONE, PS2, etc., etc. I was pretty much done with Nintendo the minute I played FFVII on the PSONE. I stil lhave a SNES for nostalgia's sake (and I did own a Wii... which I played all of one time).
ReplyDeleteThey advertise to a completely different market segment these days. If they continue pursuing that part of the market, kids and casual gamers, they won't have to worry about stepping up the graphics.
I think it would be great if Nintendo would go HD on their next console and get back to making straight-up awesome stuff without the gimmick of motion controls, as I would love to get back into Nintendo's corner. I don't really know if they can do this, though, based on the success of the Wii.
ReplyDeleteI think it was a video I watched on GameTrailers that suggested Nintendo makes their next console HD and for more for "hard core" gamers, BUT also continues to support the Wii and the casual market that they've got a hold on. I wonder if they could pull that off.
Or maybe they can just give up on consoles and focus on the handheld market. We all know that they'll release a 3DS Lite, then a 3DSi, then a 3DSi XL, then a 3DS(fill in the blank). And people will buy them.
ReplyDeleteThe downfall of Nintendo is an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteI forgot that not only do the 3rd party developed games not sell well on there, but they've also burned a lot of bridges over the years. Especially with American developers.
Either way it'll be interesting to watch and Salad's joke about the many types of 3DS has a sad ring of truth to it.
I think that if they tried to keep the Wii market going AND make a new "core" console it would only fragment and confuse the market (see Amateria for middle aged mom confusion).
Juniper may be right. If they do just continue down the path they're on they would become almost exclusively a "kids toy." The gap between the next 360 and PS3 and a Wii 2 would be so large that a comparison wouldn't even be possible.
It would be like comparing the PS3 now to those cheap machines you see at Walgreens and CVS that have 100 games in 1 machine! They normally go for about 20 bucks and are full of all kinds of cheap mini-games and "classic" Atari favorites.
I completely disagree with you juniper (just my opinion). I think the N64 surpassed the ps1. Don't get me wrong the ps1 had some great games, but the N64 had ocarina of time, star fox, goldeneye, the list goes on and on... Also, I think nintendo could easily produce a great graphic system.
ReplyDeleteIf they are currently developing one, they could easily take a large portion of the market because there are a lot of people who just like to buy the newest thing and I don't see sony or microsoft coming out with a new system anytime soon. Also there are a lot of casual gamers who are beginning to get tired of the wii and are looking for something closer to the hard core systems and they would probably trust nintendo (the one who got them into gaming in the first place) and purchase their systems.
Also I know Nintendo burned alot of bridges with American developers but I think that most of them would be more than willing to work with the pioneer of videogames. I think a comeback by Nintendo is definantly coming as long as they ditch the stupid ass motion controllers.
Also Nate, they just announced that the 3DS is running the unreal engine...
http://nintendo3dsblog.com/epic-games-youre-wrong-ubisoft-confirms-that-unreal-engine-can-on-the-nintendo-3ds
Nintendo is going to make a comeback, just like Sega! Oh... wait...
ReplyDeleteBut seriously... I don't hate Nintendo... they just lost appeal to me about 14 years ago, sitting on some guys couch at 18 in college and soaking up FFVII. I just never got into the N64. I actually own one and it falls so far short of the SNES in every way: controller, game catalog, etc., etc. Just playing the first few minutes of Ocarina of Time just made me want to give up and go play A Link to the Past.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I'm not bashing Nintendo cuz they got me into gaming pretty much. Well, Nintendo and Macintosh (go figure).
Nintendo just caters to another market these days. Maybe, just maybe, they can make a comeback buuuuuut... I don't care what system they put out or how "amazing" it is, I'll be using my PC and either the XBOX 720 or PS4. Was Mass Effect or Oblivion or Gears or Fable or GTA or RDR or Halo or Battlefield on the Wii...
I look forward to whatever Nintendo is putting out next. They're company name is basically synonymous with Videogames, even if they've lost some/all of the the crowd that they are responsible for getting hooked in the first place. What they've made has always been fun, even if it hasn't been the most cutting edge or long lasting.
ReplyDeleteIf the Kinect and the Move are going to have any success, they owe that to Nintendo to. What if the move ends up being the primary method of play for the next generation of systems? What if Sony's PS3 lineup is so heavy hitting on the move, that it can't help but dominate the market? What if Kinect comes out with a decent game? Anything could happen.
In any case, the creative competition between game companies and manufacturers, regardless of whether we consider their markets to be crossing over at all, is going to make for better products for us in the end. Anything Nintendo makes is going to push someone else to do something better, or something entirely different. Our needs will be met.