Nintendo Wii.
Yes, the name of Nintendo's new system is going to be Wii, not Revolution which was the original code name. They really know how to make it hard to be a Nintendo fan. First they decide to pursue a new controller design instead of focusing on making the system a graphical powerhouse like Sony and X-Box. Wii is rumored to be 2x faster than GameCube wheras X-Box 360 and PS3 are probably on the order of 4x faster than the previous generation. I can understand the strategy - maybe they feel like they can't compete in terms of graphics so they'll go after something else which can give them an advantage and reach a broader market. I'm all for alternative interfaces as long as they aren't a hindrance. However, it's a big risk considering how much video game hype depends simply on how a game looks. It's very easy to dismiss games that don't look cutting edge.
The whole 'codename' thing is a bad idea - people get attached to whatever name is used first for a product unless the name is really obviously a weird code name and is later replaced with a more generic name. For instance, if they had named the new system like Nintendo 128 or Nintendo SuperFX or something along the lines of their past offerings, no one would have a problem with it. But Wii? It's too weird for a system which is supposedly aimed at a more general audience. All I can say is that this new controller better work as well as advertised and not be a gimmick or it will be VirtualBoy all over again and I don't think Nintendo will survive.
If it does work well, I would be interested in writing some software for it. How cool would it be to use the Revo-, er Wii controller as a music controller. It would probably make a neat theremin.
Here's an idea. if Nintentdo or another big console company made their dev kits open source, I think it could be a huge success. If Nintendo finds themselves falling behind in terms of games like what happened with GameCube, they might want to think about doing that. Much of a console's success depends on what games are available. Small time developers could pick up the slack and fill out the library with unique titles.
The whole 'codename' thing is a bad idea - people get attached to whatever name is used first for a product unless the name is really obviously a weird code name and is later replaced with a more generic name. For instance, if they had named the new system like Nintendo 128 or Nintendo SuperFX or something along the lines of their past offerings, no one would have a problem with it. But Wii? It's too weird for a system which is supposedly aimed at a more general audience. All I can say is that this new controller better work as well as advertised and not be a gimmick or it will be VirtualBoy all over again and I don't think Nintendo will survive.
If it does work well, I would be interested in writing some software for it. How cool would it be to use the Revo-, er Wii controller as a music controller. It would probably make a neat theremin.
Here's an idea. if Nintentdo or another big console company made their dev kits open source, I think it could be a huge success. If Nintendo finds themselves falling behind in terms of games like what happened with GameCube, they might want to think about doing that. Much of a console's success depends on what games are available. Small time developers could pick up the slack and fill out the library with unique titles.
posted by David Wallin at 7:00 AM
2 Comments:
I hear the devkits are going to be around 2K, making them more accessible to smaller studios.
Yeah, I just read that today actually. That's pretty cool. Though I dunno what kind of licensing deal you have to go thru first before you can even get a dev kit. I'd imagine it's pretty extensive.
Post a Comment
<< Home