The Official "Console War" and Video Game Thread

[asharachal]

Whens the last time you saw a white Tv.

white lcd tv model's have been increasing in frequency recently (as i would know from my former job at best buy).

It can also be argued that the games for the 360 are higher cause your paying for "Next Gen" technology and graphics. The Wii has been called many things but hardly if ever "Next Gen"

nintendo themselves have said that the wii is not a next-gen console, if memory serves. it's about making games that the whole family can play again like back in the day with the NES. that was the last time my parents touched a game system on a consistent basis. he bought a dreamcast from game crazy and gave up on the thing because there were far too many buttons on the controller and he didn't have the patience for it any more.

look at the touch generations series on the ds. i actually got my mom to play brain age on that. she enjoyed it and has never been remotely interested in video games before (windows solitaire was as far as she went). so i think nintendo is on track in trying to reach the broader market they are want to win back into the gaming world.

i really think the more parents that get involved with it, the better educated they become so there isn't some uprising in video game hatred because parents didn't understand what was in a game (a la the GTA series).

also, from my standpoint, i end up buying and playing a lot more games on nintendo systems (handheld and console) because it's not all a big rehash of what came before, there is a lot of innovation in games i never thought i'd be playing (animal crossing and pokemon games are a big one here). x-box (v.1 and 360) have mainly been all about the sports and FPS games, both genres i hate and never play (coincidentally the 2 main genres that a majority of japanese don't care about either hence the x-box's failure there). sony has had a good mix of games and very excellent rpg's (which i know can be a rehash at times, but if it's a new compelling story that's enough to suck you in).

[shigsy2003]

IIt can also be argued that the games for the 360 are higher cause your paying for "Next Gen" technology and graphics. The Wii has been called many things but hardly if ever "Next Gen"

Howdy

I agree Wii is not 'Next Gen' it is 'New Gen'. Sony and Microsoft can keep re-hashing the same games with the same control (unless you steal things like Sony) but Nintendo are giving us a completely new way to play. They are in a league of their own with no competition (direct).

Let me guess what some of you may say "but Nintendo is re-hashing the same games" true but the great thing with Ninty is they always add something new. Whether it be Yoshi, multi character choice, musical instruments, time travel etc they also make the same franchises seem fresh and exciting. Something a company like say EA don't.

Okay so their launch won't be perfect, name me one launch that has been where NO ONE has moaned. You can't please all of the people all of the time. I just want the console, I don't care of the colour, price (system, controllers) etc I just want it. Okay so I maybe starting to sound like a fan boy but I ain't. I know Nintendo is making some mistakes but I am to excited to care at the moment. Maybe when I look back in retrospect I will be a bit disppointed in Nintendo, but for now role of Chrimbo.

Chris M

[asharachal]

i forgot to mention, i'll be happy with the white wii. i have an insane need to color coordinate between my nintendo handhelds and my nintendo consoles (platinum gba sp and cube into a white ds lite and wii). yeah... i know... i'm a freak like that.

[phishpheeder]

you've got to be kidding about the little chrome tray stolt making a difference on the xbox 360. as far as faceplates i am sure some thrid party will quickly release skins for the system and sony has said the ps3 will only be in black. link

and whatever you want to refer to the technology in the controller as, it still is not cheap and has alot more than the xbxo360 controller which seems to sell just fine. as for games costing 5 bucks to press and apckage they also cost millions upon millions to design. remember nintendo is not a non-profit organization, like any other business they are in it for the money.

as far as making the controller optional that really doesn't make much sense as that is what is unique about the system. in today's world $250 is not that much money and it is still less than the alternatives.

[MattOnDemand]

so i think nintendo is on track in trying to reach the broader market they are want to win back into the gaming world.

My mom sounds really interested in the surgery game after I told her about it. lol, and the cooking game. my dad wants to try out the WiiSports Golf game. So it seems to be working. We'll see how well it plays when it comes out on November 19th.

[AeroStratos88]

you've got to be kidding about the little chrome tray stolt making a difference on the xbox 360. as far as faceplates i am sure some thrid party will quickly release skins for the system and sony has said the ps3 will only be in black. link

and whatever you want to refer to the technology in the controller as, it still is not cheap and has alot more than the xbxo360 controller which seems to sell just fine. as for games costing 5 bucks to press and apckage they also cost millions upon millions to design. remember nintendo is not a non-profit organization, like any other business they are in it for the money.

as far as making the controller optional that really doesn't make much sense as that is what is unique about the system. in today's world $250 is not that much money and it is still less than the alternatives.

The accents alone where enough to be deal breakers for alot of people. In fact most people who complained about the PS3 price just out and said they would get the 600 model cause the 500 looks like ass without the chrome.

Wii sports is not a million dollar game sorry it plays and looks like a tech demo than an actual game it's Virtua boy without the virtua.

Well you know Nintendos Gamecube was stepping them in the right direction. They released the controllers and memory cards at a lower price than the comptetition and now they are just as high if not higher.

Xbox 360 controller is 49.99

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-VAMS...8&s=videogames

And as far as the headset if you didn't get it with your Xbox which mine came with one. Then you can get it with your Xbox live subscription package. Which is in stores for 60 bucks which comes with the headset and a $ 20 voucher off a game purchase.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=4196286

If your gonna use a headset then you were gonna pay for a live subscription anyway. So the controller still comes out cheaper than the Wii.

It's less than the alternative by 50 bucks. That's not a huge gap at all.
And uhm the price doesn't matter if that was the case then all these 99 dollar gamecubes would be flying off the shelf versus the 149 PS2 and Xboxs but they didn't. Even after the price drops of all 3 systems to even lower prices they Game cubes still didn't move. I see more Xbox 360s moved and PSPs and PS2s than any Gamecubes.

Nintendo also needs to stop acting so prideful on old product. Smash Bros was a launch title they put it in the Players choice listing and they dropped it down to 29.99 big whoop.

[shigsy2003]

Howdy

Details on Wii's Resident Evil: Umbrella Corporation Chronicles are continuing to ooze out in the run-up to its Tokyo Game Show debut - including the list of returning playable heroes (and villains).

Each chapter in Chronicles unearths a different section of Resident Evil history, with protagonists to match: Jill and Chris return to Resident Evil 1's mansion, Claire and Leon hit the Racoon City Police Department beat again, Jill and Carlos fight their way out of Racoon City and, finally, Leon and Ada reunite in that ill-fated Spanish village.

Several not-so-secret characters will be unlockable, including Rebecca Chambers and Albert Wesker (!), and every character will carry their customary weapons and melee attacks, now all controllable through a Wii-mote-and-nunchuck reworking of Resident Evil 4's control scheme.

And, perhaps the best news of all to the more bloodthirsty among us, an arcade mode will do away with the story and puzzle-solving distractions and get down to combo-count zombie-mashing, like RE4's terrific Mercenaries minigame.

We'll have more on Umbrella Corporation Chronicles when it shuffles out into the bright lights of the Tokyo Game Show this weekend.

http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/wii/gam...14104438156055

I am actually really excited about this. It may not be a brand new Resi game in terms of story and locations but the chance to revisit some areas and uncover some more truth to what is going on sounds like a lot of fun.

EDIT:

Also in from Gamesradar:

Nintendo's UK boss, David Yarnton, has told GamesRadar that Wii's internet browser - which will use the same Opera software as DS - will not come packaged with the console when it launches in the UK, although it will be free to download through the Wii Channel screen (Nintendo's answer to 360's dashboard) for a limited period of time.

"For the first six months I think we'll be looking at the browser to be free for people - it will be available as a sample sort of situation," Yarnton told us at last Friday's European Wii event in London.

This is the same scheme as Japan and the US, where for six months from launch the browser will be free, but after that time you'll need to spend Wii Points to access the net. Exactly how many Wii Points the Opera browser will cost is unclear, although Yarnton did explain that Nintendo was still working out the details of pricing and how the browser will be made available in the run up to the console's launch in December.

http://cheatplanet.gamesradar.com/gb...22811153671099

Chris M

[Dynamo of Eternia]

I must be one of the lucky ones I geuss. Since all my systems bought at launch still work.

Well, yeah, you are lucky. Most of my systems still work and have never needed to be replaced. The following are the exceptions:

Super NES: The system itself still technically works. A few years ago, the little gray plastic tab that the AC adapter connected to on the system broke off, exposing the 2 metal prongs inside of it. If I positioned it correctly, I could still hook the AC adapter to those prongs and have power go to the system. However, if the system was moved or bumped even slightly, the power would often be disconnected.
Less then 2 years ago, I bought a used SNES from EB Games for around $35 to avoid this problem. All in all not too bad for a system as old as it was.

Dreamcast: About 6 months after I got my Dreamcast, (and just a couple of days after the warranty technically expired) it stopped working, which I believe was due to something heavy falling on it from high above it. Luckily, despite the fact that the warranty had just expired, Sega still honored it and I got a new system for free, with the expection of the cash I paid to ship it to them (which I just never argued over to begin with). So, this turned out well, and the whole scenario was more of a fluke, and not some kind of ongoing epidemic that was happening with Dreamcast. For the record, the one they replaced it with still works, as I just used it within the past week or so.

PS2: The dreaded disc read errors that have effected many, many people, and have been an ongoing problem with PS2, finally effected my system about a year ago. It will still read some discs, but not all of them. Luckily, around that time my fiance and I moved in together, and she already has a PS2 which she hardly used except for a handful of times, so a repurchase ended up not being necessary. The issues I had with SNES and Dreamcast I can accept as random, freak occurances that I just had the misfortune of experiencing. But this PS2 issue has been ongoing and has effected many. I've talked about this issue at length in the past, so I'll just leave it at that for now.

And I payed no more than 420 for my Xbox 360 around launch which came with the premium system 1 extra wireless controller *first party and a play and charge unit free.

Now, when you say "extra" wireless controller, you mean in addtion to the one the system already comes with, thus giving you 2 wireless controllers... AND the charge unit? Well, yeah, then you did get a good deal. But that certainly is not common of what the vast majority of people paid.

I think you must just live in an area where for one reason or another they are able to give out better deals or something. I remember you talking about how your local Wal-Mart had a lot of the common first party 360 accessories (including controllers) marked down insanely for a while, which I (nor anyone else here on this board from what I recall) did not have at any of our local store locations.

You got a great deal, and that is awesome, but your situation is the exception and not the rule. And for most, the 360 wireless controller + battery back is going to end up being about $70.

That thing is Ghetto. You have to plug it into the system and then it stays on after you boot the system down. I would have preferred an A/C unit that you plug in else where so it can be charging while your playing instead of having to be wired to the system.

It is kind of odd, I will grant you that, but its also something new and experimental. Never before has a wireless controller been the standard controller of any mainstream video game system... let alone one that you can recharge. So, its the kind of thing that the logistics of will have to be worked out over time.

The system booting down but being partially on doesn't bother me. If it was completey off, then there'd be no way to get the power to the battery for recharging duirng that time. And once the controller is fully charged, the system then shuts down completely. I don't see what the big deal is. It could be better, but it could be worse. And at least you can still play the game while it is charging.

If I've bought any systems more than once they have all been Nintendo systems. I bought the DS Lite at launch and here it is 3 months or so short months later and I bought another one to have it in black just to have the color I wanted in the first place.

Well, I see your point, and I have upgraded my Nintendo portables a few times for the same reasons. But those are cosmetic reasons, and its not the same as replacing a system because it stops working.

I got a regular GBA just a few months before they came out with the SP, then I traded in to upgrade. Then later on, they came out with the limited edition Classic NES GBA SP, and I traded in to upgrade to that one. And I went out and got a DS Lite after already owning a regular DS. I didn't have to, but it was my choice. The fact that a new cosmetic option was available did not suddenly make the system I currently had worthless and unusable. It all just depending on whether or not spending the extra $ is really worth while.
I would prefer a black DS Lite, but I doubt that I will spend the $ at this point just for a differentl color. The white isn't all that bad.

A system at launch will sell regardless of color. Heck it can come as an empty box with a willy wonka ticket in it that says you'll get one in 4 months and people would still buy it. Esp. Around the holidays. Yes the 360 is white and when it came out there was alot of complaints about the color so it wasn't like ohh it's the future. This whole white shift can be attributed to the IPOD. Which is fine for something your gonna carry around on you. But not something that's gonna sit next to your tv. Whens the last time you saw a white Tv. The dreamcast to me anyway had a grey tint to it. And the highly sought after dreamcast was the sports one, the black one. I love that DC.

It's all a matter of personal preference. I would prefer a black Wii over white, but I don't hate white overall. And I think the 360 looks fine. As for Dreamcast, I think it has a very slight hint of gray, but not by much. I've been playing Dreamcast lately, and I have it sitting out near my 360, and the colors are not that drastically different.

Black is sleek and sexxy not bland like white.

Well, I don't think white is all that bland necessarily. I think it looks ok in the right circumstances. But again, that's all individual preference.

As for black... I guess it can be sleek, but sexy? I don't know about that. I don't want my video game systems to look sexy. I want the systems to play video games on, not to get them to go to bed with me...

You know to be honest this whole generation of consoles all 3 of them has me feeling really ambivalent. It's like some are trying to do too much of nothing and others are trying to do to little of something. But none of it adds up to anything. Somewhere along the way the industry took a sharp turn off road and they aren't even on the map any more.

To some degree I agree with you. I think the industry as a whole has kind of gone off track.

But let's look at the reality of the situation. Aside from high def graphics and larger storage capacity of discs (the latter applying to PS3), gaming-wise, what do Xbox 360 and PS3 really have to offer that couldn't be done on Xbox and PS2?

In the past, in addition to graphical upgrades, typcially new system generations also offered new ways to play. New buttons would be added to the controller, analog sticks, etc. Plus, in the past, when the upgrade in the graphics, themselves, allowed for more possibilities in the how the games could be played as well. The transition from 8-bit NES to 16-bit SNES allowed for games to be programmed so that things that wouldn't have been possible on an 8-bit system (even if said 8-bit system had theoretically had a controller with the same # of buttons as a 16-bit system) could now be possible, and add to the gameplay. Then the leap into 3D occured in the mid 90s. Then the next crop after those came out, but it wasn't quite as big of a leap as it had been in the past, but was still ok.

But this brings us to where we are now. What do the new systems REALLY have to offer? I mean, the graphical leap this time around isn't as huge as it has been in the past. And you need an HDTV to get the full effect from most of the new systems, and a lot of people still don't have them. The PS3 controller is virtually the exact same one from the previous PS systems, and Xbox 360's controller is basically the same as Xbox, only a few of the buttons have been repositioned.

Aside from the newer graphics, a game like the new Metal Gear could be done on PS2 with the exact same gameplay, etc. It wouldn't be that hard. The same will go for Halo 3 when it comes out.

I have 360 and like it overall, but yeah, it wasn't a huge leap over regular XBox. I mainly got it because eventually they will stop making games for XBox and I'll need a system that I can get games for. PS3 really isn't that big of a leap either in terms of the primary gameplay.

Both Microsoft and Sony (though Sony is much more guilty of this) are focusing too much on frivelous extras and not enough on bring new kinds of games to the market and new ways to play them. It's really ridiculous in Sony's case because of how much it is driving up the cost of the system with a bunch of unneeded technology. Sure, some people may like it and get use out of it, but for many, it will be unnedded/unwanted extras that they'd rather not pay for.

It would be kind of like a film maker making a movie, but during production starts planning out what the DVD will eventually be like. And he then goes on to spend way more time, effort, and energy into planning out tons of extras, menu layouts, etc for the DVD, and fails to focus on making a good, interesting movie, resulting in the movie being very bland and uninteresting, and being a rehash of what's already out there (and if he puts too many extras on this thing, it could lead to the DVD being multi-disc, making it more expensive, and unecessarily driving the price up on a movie that isn't so great to begin with).

Given this statement about how you feel about this new crop of systems, I find it suprising that you defend Sony as much as you do. Because them throwing in a ton of new tech and creating tons of new bells and whistles that have little to do with and often discract from the primary purpose of playing new, exciting video games is the very apitimy (sp?) of what is wrong with gaming these days.

Nintendo is the only one that is really exciting me with something truely new. And to some degree, I am still skeptical over it. But its the only one focusing on new ways to play the game rather than simply thinking of new ways to sell us the exact same thing over again with a new coat of polish.

It can also be argued that the games for the 360 are higher cause your paying for "Next Gen" technology and graphics.

Well, the graphics of 360 aren't THAT much of a leap over that of the first Xbox. So, it doesn't quite justify the increase in game prices, IMO.

QUOTE]The Wii has been called many things but hardly if ever "Next Gen"

I agree Wii is not 'Next Gen' it is 'New Gen'. Sony and Microsoft can keep re-hashing the same games with the same control (unless you steal things like Sony) but Nintendo are giving us a completely new way to play. They are in a league of their own with no competition (direct).

I am with shigsy on this one. I also have to say that the problem with the other 2 companies, Sony in particular, is that their technology is just that, NEXT Gen. Meaning that what they are doing now with thehigh def stuff and the Blu-Ray tech in Sony's case(which has barely established itself at all) WILL be more of a logical step in the next generation (meaning 5 years or so from now) when HDTVs and HD technology overall will likely be much more common than it is now. It will then be more affordable, more applicable for more people to get the most out of it that they can (rather than having no use for a good portion of what the machines do), and the base tech will have been around for a while so the bugs can be worked out, making it less of a chance of malfunction.

Let me guess what some of you may say "but Nintendo is re-hashing the same games" true but the great thing with Ninty is they always add something new. Whether it be Yoshi, multi character choice, musical instruments, time travel etc they also make the same franchises seem fresh and exciting. Something a company like say EA don't.

Again, I agree. That's what I like about Nintendo. While they may make another Mario game, Zelda game, etc., they manage to keep it fresh and new. They keep some base elements, but create a brand new experience. They make games that truely feel like sequels. Back in the day, game sequels usually felt like true sequels. Today, that's not often the case outside of Nintendo. Many 'sequels' that you shell out another $50 for end up feeling more like the equivelant of an expansion for a computer game. Maybe there's a few new features, a few new weapons or whatever... but the rest of the gameplay is almost identical to the previous versions.

Nintendo does a great job of bringing new experiences to the table, and this new controller for the Wii is an extension of that. It will create new and exciting ways to play video games, and create wonderful new experiences... ones that cannot be had on 360 or PS3 because for the most part they will be too busy rehashing the same old thing, now simply coated with their fancy-shmancy high-def graphics.

Okay so their launch won't be perfect, name me one launch that has been where NO ONE has moaned. You can't please all of the people all of the time. I just want the console, I don't care of the colour, price (system, controllers) etc I just want it. Okay so I maybe starting to sound like a fan boy but I ain't. I know Nintendo is making some mistakes but I am to excited to care at the moment. Maybe when I look back in retrospect I will be a bit disppointed in Nintendo, but for now role of Chrimbo.

I'm with you on this as well. Nintendo isn't perfect, mistakes have been made, but all in all they are minimal.

Ok, so the system is coming out in November instead of October. That's not much of a delay. Compare that to PS3's previous release date of this past spring and its new one of this November. Nintendo ain't looking so bad now.

Plus, despite some games being pushed back, there are still some games coming out at launch that I will want, and others coming out down the road that I will want as well. Right now, nothing that is projected to come out for PS3 at launch or even down the road is anything that I personally care about. So, its not even like it will have anything to offer me a few months after release.

The accents alone where enough to be deal breakers for alot of people. In fact most people who complained about the PS3 price just out and said they would get the 600 model cause the 500 looks like ass without the chrome.

Well, for the PS3 issue, that may well be, but I doubt that would be the case if the ONLY difference between the $500 and $600 verisons was some chrome highlights. The people getting the $600 will still get all of the extra things that it comes with that the $500 version doesn't.

But still, I applaud Nintendo for making only 1 color at launch. That way, anyone who wants a Wii at launch and gets one will get exactly the same thing as anyone else.

I remember the contraversy last year over the two different Xbox 360 systems. People were waiting in line of it, and many got stuck with the $300 version because the $400 went first.

I mean, can you imagine the fiasco that PS3 is going to be with these 2 different units?... esspecially now since fewer units are being produced than what was originally planned. From what I can tell, its going to be much more complicated to upgrade the cheaper PS3 to get all of the features of the more expensive version. So, people who get stuck with the cheaper one will really be stuck in a much greater way than people who had that happen last year with the 360.

At least with Xbox 360, you could buy the other stuff separately and get almost exactly what you would in the premium version, sans a few cosmetic differences. The same will be more difficult with PS3.

I think Nintendo realizes what a fiasco the 360 situation was, and what a potential fiasco that PS3 will be, and is trying to avoid being lumped in with that by not making multplie versions of the same system at launch, regardless if the differences in those versions are functional or just cosmetic. It is a wise move on Nintendo's part.

If the outter color of the system is that big of an issue for you, fine, wait for the one you want. I don't blame you for it. But for me, its not THAT big of a deal, and I just want the unit. So, I will get one at launch and be happy with what i get.

[shigsy2003]

Howdy

Dynamo of Eternia, I agree with everything you have stated above

Chris M

[PanMan]

I actually prefer the white Wii and would get the white one no matter what other colours they released.

And back to the PS2 thing again, why will they still be making games for it when Microsoft stopped making games for the XBOX? Or I guess, why did they stop making xbox games? I can see why Nintendo will stop making GC games, but why did microsoft stop making XBOX games and PS2 decide to continue?

Not that it matters much. Just wondering.

[AeroStratos88]

I actually prefer the white Wii and would get the white one no matter what other colours they released.

And back to the PS2 thing again, why will they still be making games for it when Microsoft stopped making games for the XBOX? Or I guess, why did they stop making xbox games? I can see why Nintendo will stop making GC games, but why did microsoft stop making XBOX games and PS2 decide to continue?

Not that it matters much. Just wondering.

Quiet simply. The PS2 has a bigger install base than the GC and Xbox combined. Facts are facts. And almost 100% of the games already released on the PS1 and PS2 will work on the PS3. The later in the consoles run it was released the higher chance of you not running into any problems with it on your PS3.

Sony was one of the first system to continue to suppourt the last system even well after the release of the next system.

Xbox B/C on the 360 is a joke and always will be. MS all but abandoned it and abandoned the system to force people to make the jump to the 360.

Nintendo much like the 64 is the only person really developing for the system. And like MS they want you to buy a new system to play old games they've had near completion but will release on Wii with a tacked on Control system.

I will get to responding to the other post later on as I am a little busy right now.

[hemanrep]

I'm not going to quote everything because that takes too much time, but I will make some key points:

- PS3 is only launching in black. There will be a difference between the dumbed-down version and the REAL version (the disc inserting area will be silver for the $600 version while the dumb version will be all black).

- According to an interview with Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo is breaking even with the Wii by selling it at $249.99, but that it will make a profit very soon.

- The controller is $39.99 -- which can be used with Wii Sports, Excite Truck, Sonic and the Secret Rings, and Tony Hawk WITHOUT the nunchuck. I understand the combo set is expensive, but it's just $10 more than the wireless 360 controller.

- People buy another PS2 because they HAVE to. People buy the DS Lite because they WANT to, not because it broke. I do see a reason to upgrade from the first GBA model to the SP, but again, both models work nonetheless -- no disc errors and no upside down PS1's.

[AeroStratos88]

Oh ok I got you. Cause they release the gameboy then release it in colors. Then release it smaller so people can stick it in their pockets and break it. Then release it in color if you can call that color.Then they release a portable gaming system that basically required a stand and to be plugged in thus anchoring you to one spot thus defeating the point of portability with the Virtuaboy not to mention that it basically made people playing it blind. Then finally decide to release a full color version with the GBA. Then quickly release the GBASP with a back light. Then release another shortly after with a "brighter screen" then release a DS. Which by the way Nintendo said is a 3rd pillar system and will never compete with the GBA. Then they release a smaller GBA the micro which again like most the other models listed did nothing to improve game play was just another needless variant. Then they released a Smaller DS with a brighter screen. Hinges break from the inital waves and people report yellowing of the screen and then Nintendo starts to flood the market with colors. Yeah I get your point now.

Anyway check out this wedding cake.







http://vesicular.livejournal.com/123053.html

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Oh ok I got you. Cause they release the gameboy then release it in colors. Then release it smaller so people can stick it in their pockets and break it. Then release it in color if you can call that color.Then they release a portable gaming system that basically required a stand and to be plugged in thus anchoring you to one spot thus defeating the point of portability with the Virtuaboy not to mention that it basically made people playing it blind. Then finally decide to release a full color version with the GBA. Then quickly release the GBASP with a back light. Then release another shortly after with a "brighter screen" then release a DS. Which by the way Nintendo said is a 3rd pillar system and will never compete with the GBA. Then they release a smaller GBA the micro which again like most the other models listed did nothing to improve game play was just another needless variant. Then they released a Smaller DS with a brighter screen. Hinges break from the inital waves and people report yellowing of the screen and then Nintendo starts to flood the market with colors. Yeah I get your point now.

Anyway check out this wedding cake.

You say all that stuff about the portable systems as if it is a negative, yet you continue to buy them.

Sure, some of the things you are saying make sense. But really, when Nintendo simply redesigns an existing system (i.e. DS and DS Lite), you do not HAVE to get rid of your current model and/or buy the new one. The old one will still function the way it always did. And its really your choice to rebuy simply because the outter plastic is a different color. I mean, while I can understand the feeling behind it (and I've even done it myself), its really something that isn't THAT important and doesn't change the system's ability to play the games.

The only time that people 'have' to upgrade to keep playing games is in the transition to a whole new version (I.e. GB to GB color, then GBA, etc), but that really is no different than having new console systems come out every 5 years or so. But you don't have to buy each variant of each of those portable systems.

In fact, the only thing that you mentioned that would have anything to do with problems with one of these systems is the hinge problem with the DS Lite and the yellowing of the screen. I have a DS Lite and have had no problems with it. I only recently heard about these hinge problems online, and it is yet to be determined how widespread it is. As of right now, I have no reason to believe that it is as widespread as the PS2 disc read errors problem, and from what I have heard, it is mostly cosmetic and doesn't effect the system's ability to work (yeah, it still stucks that it happens and probably doesn't look great, but I'd rather have a functioning system with a crack in it than a system with a pristine looking outter casing that cannot play a good portion of the games that are meant to work on it). And I have not met anyone in person who's had this DS problem yet.

As for the yellowing of the screen, I hadn't even heard about that issue prior to reading this post. Mine is not having that problem.

If more info about this comes out, particularly with some specific statistics on how widespread these DS problems are, then the reputation of that system will likely go down in my eyes. But as of now, I have not met anyone with the problem, and I have no reason to believe that its anything more than a few cases that have gotten blown out of proportion on the internet (as opposed to the PS2 issues, which not only have extensive coverage online, but I've actually met (in person) many people who've had this very problem or know someone who has).

As for the '3-tier' concept, in which DS was not meant to replace GBA... I think they were originally planning it out that way because they probably didn't think that DS would become as huge as it has (probably because they weren't sure how people would respond to the whole touch screen concept). They probably figured that it would generate just enough of a niche market to make enough profit to warrant keeping it going for a while, but never thought that people would accept it on the same level as GBA. But when it did so well, it was just the logical step to then focus more on the DS and start to phase out GBA. Yeah, it kind of stinks of GBA fans, but they can get a DS if they want to and still play their GBA games on it, so its not like the old games just become useless or something.


As for that wedding cake... that is pretty awesome. I wouldn't mine having something like that for my upcoming wedding... though I am sure the wife-to-be wouldn't be as thrilled over it as I am.

[AeroStratos88]

In a report with Bloomberg discussing the importance of non-gamers to Wii's success, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said: "We want to appeal to mothers who don't want consoles in their living rooms, and to the elderly and to young women ... It's a challenge, like trying to sell cosmetics to men." In a testosterone driven gaming world, that analogy might not be far off, and it's good to see Iwata-san recognizing the challenge.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...gDI&refer=asia

[shigsy2003]

Howdy

A new interesting report from Gamesradar:

Nintendo's European Wii event at the ExCeL Centre in London's Docklands last Friday revealed most of the remaining secrets surrounding the new console. We now know the launch date and price, what functions will be packed inside the miniature machine and many of the games that we'll be able to play before Christmas.

As well as clearing up many of the launch day loose ends, a generous crop of playable titles meant that we could cosy up with the beautiful little box for another lengthy spell of enjoyable kinetic gaming. But while Wii has already burrowed itself a special place in our collective hearts, we're still not convinced that Nintendo's new console will offer enough to satisfy dedicated gamers.

There's no doubt that Wii will make good on its promise of appealing to people beyond the core gamer. Its showcase titles, like Wii Sports, demonstrate the motion-sensing magic incredibly well, making it easy for anyone to pick up the remote and start playing without the need for extensive and exasperating 'which-button-does-what' tutoring.

However, the games that are the most intuitive to play are little more than novelty lightweight titles tailor-made for impromptu friends and family gaming sessions - they're all about having fun with your real-life clan and lack the depth and challenge that seasoned pad handlers depend on to keep them truly engaged.

Of course, this is what we expected from Wii, but we were also hoping that - as loyal punters of Nintendo consoles past - we would also be well served with the kind of gilt-edged gaming experiences that we've come to expect from the hallowed house of Mario. At the moment, though, we're still hoping.

Alarmingly, playing the Wii titles that are obviously aimed squarely at virtual enthusiasts has, so far, left us feeling underwhelmed. The shaking, waving, stabbing, rotating, thrusting, flicking and gyrating that's often required seems like an unnecessary faff that really does nothing to enhance the interactive experience.

Indeed, we're still trying to fathom out why Nintendo thinks shaking a controller to jump, change weapons, tackle and so on is an improvement over the more traditional and comparatively straightforward method of pressing a button, or why pointing a remote to aim, strafe or move the camera about is superior to using good old analogue sticks.

The fact that a certain amount of hand wobbling and arm waving is now required in addition to the normal manipulation of fingers and thumbs to control on-screen actions certainly doesn't seem to make playing games any easier or more enjoyable. If anything, and contrary to what we were expecting, it's actually more complicated and feels counter-intuitive.

This was highlighted at last Friday's event by one publisher telling attendees that it wasn't letting anyone play its game because the controls took about half an hour to learn and were considered to be "too confusing". This kind of flies in the face of the pick up and play ethos that Wii is built on.

Ultimately, Nintendo is asking veteran gamers - who have developed an instinctive feel for the layout and function of controllers - to unlearn everything that's been hardwired to their brain in order to accommodate its radical new control system and, rather worryingly, we've yet to play anything on Wii to indicate that the remote and nunchuk combo can do the job any better - or even as good as - buttons, triggers and sticks.

We admire Nintendo's crusade to attract more people to gaming by choosing a different path in the new console era and the touchy-feely DS is certainly in-your-face proof that success can come from breaking the mould and trying something different (six million sold in Europe and counting). However, as gamers, we desperately want Wii to be more than the chirpy party box or - with its Virtual Console system - a retro portal into nostalgia world.

Wii may be hoping to revolutionise the way people play games, but - even though we're positive we'll have good times with the diminutive monolith of fun - we're hesitant about joining the march with complete arm waving abandon just yet.

http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/wii/gam...19152925140002

Here is hoping that Red Steel and Metroid Prime 3 should change there views on the games lacking depth.

And we also have:

[Wii] Nintendo to use similar online system to DS

Nintendo is planning an internet matchmaking system for Wii's online multiplayer games in a similar fashion to the friend code trading setup used by DS, according to Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime.

"We believe that the friend's code approach is consistent with our whole strategy," Fils-Aime stated during an online interview with the Rocky Mountain News. "Will we take a similar approach for the Wii? Yes."

The DS friend code system works by giving each DS owner a unique code for each game they play online. You can't actually play with anyone online in Animal Crossing: Wild World, for instance, unless you have their friend code. However some games - Mario Kart, for instance - will let you simply search for active games like most other online multiplayer setups, and the friend code is just used for identification.

Some gamers protest that the system restricts online multiplayer. However, within the Wii Channel system that Nintendo has created - a similar system to 360's dashboard - you can create your own avatar using the Mii Channel, perhaps suggesting that Nintendo see Wii online using a Xbox Live gamer tag style setup, instead of forcing you to use unfriendly streams of numbers like the DS friend codes.

We'll have to wait and see what the final plans are for Wii's online servce, but Nintendo are expected to announce the final details very soon.

Of course, this means that Wii's online multiplayer will not be as easy or as instant as either Xbox 360's excellent live service or PS2's log-on-and-go network gaming. Will the matchmaking service work for a console that Nintendo see as being accessible and easy-to-use, even for your grandma? We'll have to wait and see - Nintendo is expected to announce the final online details very soon.

Chris M

[hemanrep]

Oh ok I got you. Cause they release the gameboy then release it in colors. Then release it smaller so people can stick it in their pockets and break it. Then release it in color if you can call that color.Then they release a portable gaming system that basically required a stand and to be plugged in thus anchoring you to one spot thus defeating the point of portability with the Virtuaboy not to mention that it basically made people playing it blind. Then finally decide to release a full color version with the GBA. Then quickly release the GBASP with a back light. Then release another shortly after with a "brighter screen" then release a DS. Which by the way Nintendo said is a 3rd pillar system and will never compete with the GBA. Then they release a smaller GBA the micro which again like most the other models listed did nothing to improve game play was just another needless variant. Then they released a Smaller DS with a brighter screen. Hinges break from the inital waves and people report yellowing of the screen and then Nintendo starts to flood the market with colors. Yeah I get your point now.

Again, let me reiterate my main point: People don't buy a new Nintendo product because they HAVE to, it's because they WANT the newest incarnation. People bought a second PS1 because they had to flip it upside down in order for it to work PROPERLY. The DSLite, like many consoles, is having it's share of LAUNCH problems, or do I have to bring up the red rings for the 360 or the disc errors for the PS2. Sony redesigns their systems too -- remember when they redesigned the PS2 and forgot to leave a place for the HD? Oh and I'm surprised you haven't said anything about the rumors of a PSP redesign...Sony reps have said in the past they want the PSP to last just as long as the Gameboys...so well, we will probably get 2-3 incarnations of the PSP as well. It's called making a profit...Nintendo's good at it, and consumers eat it up. That's probably why Sony is going to do the same.

[AeroStratos88]

Again, let me reiterate my main point: People don't buy a new Nintendo product because they HAVE to, it's because they WANT the newest incarnation. People bought a second PS1 because they had to flip it upside down in order for it to work PROPERLY. The DSLite, like many consoles, is having it's share of LAUNCH problems, or do I have to bring up the red rings for the 360 or the disc errors for the PS2. Sony redesigns their systems too -- remember when they redesigned the PS2 and forgot to leave a place for the HD? Oh and I'm surprised you haven't said anything about the rumors of a PSP redesign...Sony reps have said in the past they want the PSP to last just as long as the Gameboys...so well, we will probably get 2-3 incarnations of the PSP as well. It's called making a profit...Nintendo's good at it, and consumers eat it up. That's probably why Sony is going to do the same.

Sony isnt redesigning the PSP. Sorry those rumours have been floating around forever.

Sony didn't worry about the HD cause it only came and played with Final Fantasy XI

And the fact that it came with a utility that basically allowed you to rent a game and burn it to your HD. And well you see where I was going.

And uhm the Game Cube gives out tons of Disk Read Errors Esp with Smash Bros.

And as far as the 360 goes it's got Microsofts name written all over it you really thought if they can't do their software right they were gonna make Hardware worth a damn.

Oh and speaking of ...

At Microsoft's pre-TGS press briefing today, they announced the Japanese release date and price for the HD-DVD add-on. The movie-playback peripheral will be released concurrently with the North American release of the PlayStation 3 on November 17th, will have an estimated retail price of ¥19,800 (about $170), and will come with the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote. Coupled with a ¥29,800 (about $250) Japanese Core system, which also comes with a copy of Blue Dragon, Microsoft is hoping to seriously undercut the PlayStation 3, coming in well under its lowest priced model.



So a 400 dollar system and a 170 add on that's uhm oh yeah 570 plus a year of xbox live yep you already have a system more expensive than the PS3. But it's ok cause you can get the add ons little by little right.

Or you can wait till they release the all in one system which will be the first time I can remember a system launching then re launching at a higher price point.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

And uhm the Game Cube gives out tons of Disk Read Errors Esp with Smash Bros.

Really? This is the first I have heard of this, and I have not met anyone who has had this problem. Do you have further info on it, because I'd be interested to read more. Even if this is true, I doubt it is as widespread as the PS2 disc read problem, which by the way, effects many games, not just on one particular game.

So a 400 dollar system and a 170 add on that's uhm oh yeah 570 plus a year of xbox live yep you already have a system more expensive than the PS3. But it's ok cause you can get the add ons little by little right.

Yes, that IS right. Obviously you meant your last sentence sarcastically, but that is what is great about this situation. The combined price of all of those things isn't THAT much more than PS3. And if you only want one thing at a time, you can do it that way. Explain to me what is wrong with that?

If you think people don't go for things with that kind of mentality, you are wrong. If that was the case, then people would pay things off right away instead of making large purchases on credit cards and paying it off over time with interest, thus resulting in what they pay in the long run being much more.

I, for one, have no interest in HD-DVD or Blu-Ray now, nor will I until one of them truely starts to dominate. However, should HD-DVD eventually prove to be the winner, I can then upgrade at my lesure, and instead of having to buy a completely dedicated machine, I can just buy this HD-DVD system add-on for Xbox 360.

While I don't want the kind of mark up that credit card interest would generate, I would prefer to spend slightly more over the course of an extended period of time (like a couple of years) rather than all at once. Particularly if a big chunk of what I am paying for (i.e. HD-DVD/Blu-Ray) is not something that I have any intention of using anytime soon. That's just stupid if you ask me. Based on that logic, perhaps parents should buy their kids cars when they turn 6 years old, so that it will be there ready for them to use when they turn 16....

Last year, when I got my 360, I was already cringing at the amount of money that I was spending as it was. If I had to shell out close to another $200 at that point in time, it would have really gotten to me, and I probably wouldn't have made the purchase because it would have been way out of what I would have been willing to spend right then and there. But if say a year from now I want to upgrade to HD-DVD, I will have plenty of time to work and come up with another $200, and buy it if I want to. This isn't exactly a rocket science concept.

Plus, while you and some others may think the idea of a separate drive it stupid, I actually like it. I whole-heartedly believe that a big part of what contributed to many PS2 systems having disc read errors is the fact that they had one drive and one laser trying to read many different formats of discs (and this same thing really worries me about PS3). However, with this add-on drive for 360, it will be a separate disc slot, separate laser, etc. So, it will not be putting wear and tear on the primary laser for the games in the process.

Also, God forbid it should happen, but if I had both the system and add on, if the HD-DVD add on were to die out after any warranty expires then I only have to replace a $200 add-on and not a $600 system. Like-wise, if something were to happen to the 360, I would only have to replace a $400 system (possbily even only $300 if the Hard drive was still ok.. I could just buy the core unit and use the HD and accessories from my current system with it) as opposed to a $600 system (and it could potentially be less if there are price drops down the road and this theoretically happened after that).

With PS3, if you get the $600 system, and something goes wrong with it and your warranties are expired, you pretty much have to replace the whole $600 system. You can't even buy the cheaper version and simply take the extras off of your more expensive version to use with it like you can with Xbox 360. At least with the 360, you can spend less cash and pretty much get exactly what you had before, sans the chrome highlights or whatever. So, again, the 360 is looking up in this case. The few extra bucks that the premium 360 + HD-DVD drive + Xbox live will cost over the price of PS3 is worth it, IMO, for the additional peace-of-mind that it provides knowing that replacement costs won't be nearly as high should something go wrong.

You may think it is all silly, but I like the idea of these separate pieces. Regardless of which company's products tend to be more reliable than another's, it's always possible for technology to break down, no matter how well it is built or how reliable the company who made it tends to be. And everytime technology gets more advanced & complicated, and therefore has more parts and elements to it, its just that much more potential for something to go wrong. So, it's kind of nice to know that if it does happen, I will only have to replace a certain part of my system and not the whole thing.

You may think it looks silly to have this extra drive next to the system, but I'd rather sacrifice the cosmetic look of the system in exchange for better functionality and to have additional ease and affordibility should some part of it need to be replaced.

Or you can wait till they release the all in one system which will be the first time I can remember a system launching then re launching at a higher price point.

And that's not really a fair statement in the sense that obviously they will be adding something to the system that will cause the price to go up. If PS3 came out with a DVD-only drive, then later made a Blu-Ray system, the price would go up, too. It may be the first time the price went up like that, but it would also be the first time that something was added on later on down the road in this nature, causing the price to go up. Besides, I think it will be better to leave the HD-DVD drive as a separate add-on rather than something that comes with the system, for the reasons that I have already stated.

[AeroStratos88]

See heres the deal.

Everyones complaining about oh this is too much money and this is like this and this shouldn't be this and this isn't how it is but we will accept this cause they put sugar on it and back door us.

Sony has said here it is heres all the cards and this is exactly what admission will cost. It won't go up it will only get cheaper from here on out. But they are the bad guy.

Remember a day when you walked into a store bought a system and that was it. You could focus on putting all your money into games and accessories if need be. Cause Sony sure does.

So I'm gonna buy a system. Buy a hard drive since most the game saves are a good size and well of course I'm gonna want downloadable content, well if not for anything other than the mere fact that every game like a certain console was rushed out and has bugs galore. So I'm gonna need patches. So after my initial console purchase. Depending on which version of said console I have 2 choices memory card for 40 or a HD for 100. Then of course I'm gonna want to get online with it right but the free service that the competition is giving away won't allow me to communicate with others or play my friends that's the whole gimmick right. So 60 bucks a year. Then I'm gonna want to get something off of this network I mean it's contstantly updating trying to get my attention. So 20 bucks for a 1600 point card. Then I'm gonna want to play Halo 3 or some other first party game. and well the drive my console came with is no longer good for that. Cause the company that's keep bending me over decided long ago that they were gonna make all games on HD-Disks to get an extra 10 bucks out of me even if the game doesn't require it and just so it can be in 1080p like the competition. Then it becomes the norm and not the exception.

It's not a PC it's a gaming console. I don't want to have to upgrade it every 3 months to play something new. Period. Pay the price all at once and don't bother with it again. If you are indeed paying with a credit card then clear enough off it to make the initial purchase. Instead of adding new purchases on there, or your never gonna get the thing paid off.

And uhm by peoples logic. You didn't have to buy a new PS2 it worked just fine just not with some games. So you didn't have to get a new one you choose to buy a new one in order to possibly alleviate the problem. Did I get that right. So it played games, most if I'm reading it right but a couple games didn't play. But it booted up and loaded all the other games.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

The last I had heard, they were only going to release games on the existing format, and the extra drive would only be for HD-DVD movies.

When exactly did that change?


If this has in fact changed, then yeah, that does suck, and I would agree that to some extent, Microsoft is 'back dooring us.'

However, if the case is still that it's only meant for movies and someone doesn't care about that, then they can still just focus their money on games and accessories and don't even have to worry about the add-on drive, and the drive will simply serve as a nice, cost efficient alternative to a $500+ HD-DVD player.


And even if Microsoft does plan to make HD-DVD based games, while I do think it sucks that they are screwing us over by forcing the audience to buy the extra drive, I still like the idea that I can just replace a part of the system rather than the whole thing if something goes wrong. There's still something to be said for that factor.

Given Sony's track record of malfunctions, PS3 really worries me. And unless its easy to simply replace a part of the system for much less than what the whole thing cost in the first place, if Sony's track record follows them onto this system, there's going to be a lot of very unhappy campers paying $1,200 in the long run (possibly more) for a $600 system.

[AeroStratos88]

Then buy that 30 dollar warranty every store offers if your so worried about it.



and...

Microsoft announced today via press release that their Platinum Hits line will grace the Xbox 360 starting October 15. The first wave of titles include Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3, Kameo: Elements of Power, and Need for Speed Most Wanted, and come at a cost of $29.99. Get 'em while they're cheap.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/20/pl...-for-xbox-360/

I don't see how this is a price drop since this is the price most these games have been at for a while. But I geuss now it's official. Or maybe they are just so deep in BS and Fear that they can't see what's been going on around them.

The always-entertaining Peter Moore said in an interview with CNet that his ideal Xbox consumer "would rather starve to death than not have a high-definition TV." The comment comes in advance of the Xbox's pending launch in India, where Moore says a growing middle class will pick up the premium product. Nearly half of all children in India are underweight, according to The World Bank.

Moore also seems less enthusiastic about the much-hyped Wii60 bundle nowadays, saying that he fears Nintendo's system will only be "fun for a few minutes." He also takes the opportunity to dig at Sony's upcoming Playstation 3, saying the system's high initial cost will make it hard to eventually come down to the mass market price of $199.

http://news.com.com/Building+an+empi...ml?tag=st.prev

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Then buy that 30 dollar warranty every store offers if your so worried about it.

Typcially I do buy the extended warranty. However, they are usually only good for a year or two, and then after that you are on your own. And if something goes wrong after that, then you are pretty much stuck.

[AeroStratos88]

Typcially I do buy the extended warranty. However, they are usually only good for a year or two, and then after that you are on your own. And if something goes wrong after that, then you are pretty much stuck.

Return it before the warranty runs up and you will get the newer version of the hardware and drivers. Seriously. It's not like they don't ship the units back and get a replacement.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Moore also seems less enthusiastic about the much-hyped Wii60 bundle nowadays, saying that he fears Nintendo's system will only be "fun for a few minutes." He also takes the opportunity to dig at Sony's upcoming Playstation 3, saying the system's high initial cost will make it hard to eventually come down to the mass market price of $199.

http://news.com.com/Building+an+empi...ml?tag=st.prev

Well, its not exactly like it comes as a surprise that the guy behind the Xbox 360 has less than positive things to say about the competing systems. That would be the equivelent of being suprised by cold temperatures in the middle of winter in the mid-west...

Return it before the warranty runs up and you will get the newer version of the hardware and drivers. Seriously. It's not like they don't ship the units back and get a replacement.

I would think that they would give me a hard time over something like that. I doubt that they will simply let me trade in my current system if it is working at that time and just get a new one.