Nintendo Europe Chief Doubtful Regarding Online GameCube
Will it? Won't it? No commitment as yet - read on.
David Gosen, Nintendo Europe’s Director of Sales and Marketing, and the man generally seen as heading up the company across Europe, has cast doubt on the chances of the GameCube going online in Europe at any point in the near future.
Gosen stated that there were several issues that needed to be resolved before the European arm of the games giant would make any kind of commitment. He stated that ‘a proven business model’ would have to be accepted before the company would release either an analogue modem or broadband adapter.
On the issue of broadband, Gosen said, “Broadband is too far off in Europe currently. But the GameCube was designed with flexibility in mind and when a significant broadband user-base finally arrives, we will be able to accommodate it.”
Gosen continues: “We need a proven business model and don’t want to take a step backwards in providing this service to the consumer.”
Nintendo has consistently failed to make any kind of online commitment, other than inking a deal for e-commerce delivery in Europe. The company is quizzed on its plans at every event it attends and always says the same thing: somehting along the lines of ‘we aren’t yet but we might’, which only serves to frustrate both the industry and the consumer.
As the PlayStation 2 prepares to go online proper with the aid of a couple of pricey add-ons, the Xbox will launch in Europe as the first fully-fledged online gaming console, coming as it does equipped with broadband adapter and hard-drive. Will Nintendo’s belated appearance be too tardy?
Still, as the most profitable games company on Earth, you have to trust Nintendo to know what it’s doing…
Gosen stated that there were several issues that needed to be resolved before the European arm of the games giant would make any kind of commitment. He stated that ‘a proven business model’ would have to be accepted before the company would release either an analogue modem or broadband adapter.
On the issue of broadband, Gosen said, “Broadband is too far off in Europe currently. But the GameCube was designed with flexibility in mind and when a significant broadband user-base finally arrives, we will be able to accommodate it.”
Gosen continues: “We need a proven business model and don’t want to take a step backwards in providing this service to the consumer.”
Nintendo has consistently failed to make any kind of online commitment, other than inking a deal for e-commerce delivery in Europe. The company is quizzed on its plans at every event it attends and always says the same thing: somehting along the lines of ‘we aren’t yet but we might’, which only serves to frustrate both the industry and the consumer.
As the PlayStation 2 prepares to go online proper with the aid of a couple of pricey add-ons, the Xbox will launch in Europe as the first fully-fledged online gaming console, coming as it does equipped with broadband adapter and hard-drive. Will Nintendo’s belated appearance be too tardy?
Still, as the most profitable games company on Earth, you have to trust Nintendo to know what it’s doing…
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