We don’t know anything about the console right now. We don’t know how much power it will have – Nintendo has prepared us for the Revolution not to stand toe-to-toe with the PlayStation 3, briefing us to expect a quadrupling of the power of the GameCube, a benchmark that should see it sit on-par with Xbox 360.
The Revolution is the second phase of company president Satoru Iwata’s practical demonstration of the law of diminishing returns. The PlayStation 3 will be a more powerful machine. But it will be the machine of the gamer. To the vast majority of the populace, the PlayStation 3 will be someone else’s games console. It will have racing games and shooting games and platform games, all played on a joypad, just as every machine that has gone before it has. The difference is they’ll look quite a lot better.
The Revolution, if correctly deployed, will become everyone’s games console. It will have all the games the PlayStation 3 will have, all controlled through a joypad and looking quite a lot better than they do at the moment. The difference is that as well as this, Nintendo will deliver a user interface that literally anybody can immediately understand. Do thing with controller. Exact thing happens in 3D in the game. It’s easy to forget that to non-gamers, the control pad is overwhelmingly intimidating. It has a D-pad, two sticks, countless buttons all over the place… Nintendo’s new controller looks just like a remote control. Everyone can use them and no one is intimidated by them. Nintendo just needs a non-gamer to sample the device, have fun and it makes a sale. A sale that would not be open to either Microsoft or Nintendo. New consumers, new market space, new revenues, returns that do not diminish…
Perhaps the biggest threat to Nintendo is Sony and Microsoft just ripping off its ideas. Both firms are no angels when it comes to adopting the innovation of others and deploying it with great success, even if on occasion it costs a million bucks a day to do so. Stick with SPOnG for everything Revolution as it breaks. It’s going to be a fun few months…
So we decided to keep this section to around 1,000 words, something that’s not looking to likely this time round… But this week has been rather special.
Sony Computer Entertainment finally exorcised its PlayStation 3 in-game demons with the help of Konami and Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid 4 – images and full official TGS trailer of which you can eye-eat here.
The big rumour this week concerns the continuing consolidation of the Japanese market. This year’s Tokyo Game Show saw what was described as an unusual amount of high-level meetings between companies – resulting in talk of an imminent merger between Japanese giants Konami and Capcom. As ridiculous at this sounds – think of what’s happened of late. Square and Enix merged, then began buying out Taito. Sega was bought by Sammy, SNK by Playmore… The Japanese games industry is consolidating, likely eying Electronic Arts’ dominance in the west as a threat to it global business. So there we have it – a week of videogame happenings in exactly 1,000 English words. Expect the same column to crop up here once a week!
And let us know your thoughts in our mighty forums!
The Revolution is the second phase of company president Satoru Iwata’s practical demonstration of the law of diminishing returns. The PlayStation 3 will be a more powerful machine. But it will be the machine of the gamer. To the vast majority of the populace, the PlayStation 3 will be someone else’s games console. It will have racing games and shooting games and platform games, all played on a joypad, just as every machine that has gone before it has. The difference is they’ll look quite a lot better.
The Revolution, if correctly deployed, will become everyone’s games console. It will have all the games the PlayStation 3 will have, all controlled through a joypad and looking quite a lot better than they do at the moment. The difference is that as well as this, Nintendo will deliver a user interface that literally anybody can immediately understand. Do thing with controller. Exact thing happens in 3D in the game. It’s easy to forget that to non-gamers, the control pad is overwhelmingly intimidating. It has a D-pad, two sticks, countless buttons all over the place… Nintendo’s new controller looks just like a remote control. Everyone can use them and no one is intimidated by them. Nintendo just needs a non-gamer to sample the device, have fun and it makes a sale. A sale that would not be open to either Microsoft or Nintendo. New consumers, new market space, new revenues, returns that do not diminish…
Perhaps the biggest threat to Nintendo is Sony and Microsoft just ripping off its ideas. Both firms are no angels when it comes to adopting the innovation of others and deploying it with great success, even if on occasion it costs a million bucks a day to do so. Stick with SPOnG for everything Revolution as it breaks. It’s going to be a fun few months…
So we decided to keep this section to around 1,000 words, something that’s not looking to likely this time round… But this week has been rather special.
Sony Computer Entertainment finally exorcised its PlayStation 3 in-game demons with the help of Konami and Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid 4 – images and full official TGS trailer of which you can eye-eat here.
The big rumour this week concerns the continuing consolidation of the Japanese market. This year’s Tokyo Game Show saw what was described as an unusual amount of high-level meetings between companies – resulting in talk of an imminent merger between Japanese giants Konami and Capcom. As ridiculous at this sounds – think of what’s happened of late. Square and Enix merged, then began buying out Taito. Sega was bought by Sammy, SNK by Playmore… The Japanese games industry is consolidating, likely eying Electronic Arts’ dominance in the west as a threat to it global business. So there we have it – a week of videogame happenings in exactly 1,000 English words. Expect the same column to crop up here once a week!
And let us know your thoughts in our mighty forums!
Read More Like This
Comments
way 21 Sep 2005 18:01
1/5
Didn't they mention the Gamecube based Gameboy replacement. I would be more interested in buying the Revolution, if both it and the handheld got standard ports and linux homebrew (with apps and a 640*480 or 720*480 screen for the handheld).
Hank 22 Sep 2005 01:52
2/5
Nintendo has not has the success of keeping its ideas to themselves, but that is because of there universal basis. Analog? Use before the NES. Wireless Controller? Remote controls ring bells. The motion sensing technology is different. If uses unique sensors to detect where an object is in space. This will be a lot easier to protect in patent lawsuits or what not. But there is the other fact that "Can Sony or MS create the same experience." Nintendo has been working in the field is motion sensing for plenty of time now (rumble packs and tilt sensors), so Sony and Microsoft could rip the idea off, can they simulate the same eperience Nintendo has so much proficiency in. Can they do it? Who knows...
more comments below our sponsor's message
Joji 22 Sep 2005 22:13
3/5
Possible rip offs from Sony or MS would prove very interesting. I doubt if this will happen anytime soon, if at all, but how would Nintendo react I wonder. Lawsuits or welcoming hugs for understanding a new industry needed direction?
A GC based hand held will probably come much later after the GC is no more, I wouold expect to see it for perhaps another two-three years (judging by the DS success and the new SP and Micro) but I could easily be wrong.
The future looks bright indeed whatever happens now.
Go Nintendo, go!
A GC based hand held will probably come much later after the GC is no more, I wouold expect to see it for perhaps another two-three years (judging by the DS success and the new SP and Micro) but I could easily be wrong.
The future looks bright indeed whatever happens now.
Go Nintendo, go!
fluffstardx 25 Sep 2005 08:01
4/5
To be honest, Sony could merely change the Eyetoy 2 or whatever the heck they'll call it to do similar things. And there's a camera for the 360 too. That gets round the messy "that looks like our controller idea, you sods- here's a lawsuit" issue.
The GC handheld I'd expect 2007 earliest if ever. If the DS continues to be strong it may be that the new DS just gets a power update.
The GC handheld I'd expect 2007 earliest if ever. If the DS continues to be strong it may be that the new DS just gets a power update.
way 25 Sep 2005 15:16
5/5
I've read about earlier time frames, and of multiple handheld strategies. Time frame wise, I don't know, multiple strategies I can see that (including licensing the Palm OS, I seem to remember).
For instance, small and cheap (eventually) the GB Micro. Mid-range, the DS. Upmarket, the CG. In upmarket format it could be sold in Tablet format (A7 to A5 page size (half A4)). As far as the Phone goes, most likely GBA based or/and GC, because of the DS's design, and Palm on one of them (Palm is also working on Linux OS).
I think the main reason we don't see a GC handheld yet is because of power consumption and display capability. If they wait until Revolution (or end of that year) then power consumption might drop off enough to get the battery life they want. Also Sharp has 3D LCD, and SED and OEL should be sufficiently ready. Refined SED and OEL displays should offer great power consumption and viewing. Also it is great selling point to have Revolution compatible with handheld, and the revolution as the future handheld design.
I think some of this delay is due to the slow down in chip speed and power consumption performance gains. Until they improve pricing of the 400Mhz parts in the GC might not improve to the level that Nintendo prefers (though the GC is cheap already).
I expect that they might also want a answer to the PSP in case the PSP slim comes out.
Recently Intel has been announcing some chip processes that offer considerable power reduction over current processes, and I think that other vendors, like IBM, would also be looking to do their own alternatives.
I have been waiting for the DS's capability since the 90's, where the Atlantis project in England was leaked to the press (upto 133Mhz ARM, High res screen, 3D accelerator, sound familiar).
For instance, small and cheap (eventually) the GB Micro. Mid-range, the DS. Upmarket, the CG. In upmarket format it could be sold in Tablet format (A7 to A5 page size (half A4)). As far as the Phone goes, most likely GBA based or/and GC, because of the DS's design, and Palm on one of them (Palm is also working on Linux OS).
I think the main reason we don't see a GC handheld yet is because of power consumption and display capability. If they wait until Revolution (or end of that year) then power consumption might drop off enough to get the battery life they want. Also Sharp has 3D LCD, and SED and OEL should be sufficiently ready. Refined SED and OEL displays should offer great power consumption and viewing. Also it is great selling point to have Revolution compatible with handheld, and the revolution as the future handheld design.
I think some of this delay is due to the slow down in chip speed and power consumption performance gains. Until they improve pricing of the 400Mhz parts in the GC might not improve to the level that Nintendo prefers (though the GC is cheap already).
I expect that they might also want a answer to the PSP in case the PSP slim comes out.
Recently Intel has been announcing some chip processes that offer considerable power reduction over current processes, and I think that other vendors, like IBM, would also be looking to do their own alternatives.
I have been waiting for the DS's capability since the 90's, where the Atlantis project in England was leaked to the press (upto 133Mhz ARM, High res screen, 3D accelerator, sound familiar).