Why Nintendo?

[Slartibartfast]

And that is again where you assumption is wrong. Have I called EVERY innovation a gimmick? No I don't think I have. HD tv, broadband, 3G video calling. All innovations, none gimmicks. Just because I think Nintendo's latest and greatest is then this is taken as everything?

This is the reasoning behind the entire thread.

I wouldn't call any of those things innovations.

HD TV: upgrade of standard TV, ie, cram more pixels in. Pretty obvious succession.

Broadband: upgrade of dial-up, ie, send more data faster. Pretty obvious succession. You could argue that broadband has transformed the web, and has brought about many innovations, such as BitTorrent. This is true, but broadband was not an innovation, just an enabler of innovation.

Videocalling: phone + tv, combining two existing technologies. Known as "convergence." Also fairly obvious.

Also, I fail to see how you can say there's "no denying" that the DS is just a gimmick when it has broken all kinds of sales records, and continues to do so ~2 years after release. Certainly if it was just a novelty item it would have fallen by the wayside by now. You can call the technology a gimmick, but developers have made good use of the various aspects of the DS, giving it an outstanding software library.

 

[dantestd]

Just wondering for a clarification from the OP..

If Nintendo makes gimmicks, what do MS and Sony make with their distinct characteristics to their consoles?

 

[Tigerblade]

Ok the same can be said of motion sensors in game controllers. Everyone moves about during games, it's just a natural progression.

That ain't innovation.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Ok the same can be said of motion sensors in game controllers. Everyone moves about during games, it's just a natural progression.

That ain't innovation.

Ok, so cite some examples of things that are real innovations, so we can understand where you are coming from.

 

[Tigerblade]

If Nintendo makes gimmicks, what do MS and Sony make with their distinct characteristics to their consoles?

I'd assume you mean the vertical stance that can be maintained. Something that Nintendo has 'borrowed' from Sony and it's PS2 I guess......

 

[Tigerblade]

Ok, so cite some examples of things that are real innovations, so we can understand where you are coming from.

Will do but first I have to pick the nipper up

 

[pettybone]

Tigerblade: you can't seem to understand why people are irritated with you in this thread, but the word "gimmick" effectively means "stupid, empty idea." That word has been used to attack the DS and the Wii since the beginning, so despite what you may or may not mean it has a very negative connotation. As such, you are effectively saying, "ok I'm not trying to start an argument, but why do you people like this stupid crap?"

Well chosen words. The statements do come accross negative even if the OP doesn't mean them to be. I think the Wii will turn out to be a gaming machine that groups of people can come over and get all excited about. I think small house parties will get alot out of it. I think this is one console that guys can get their girlfriends and wifes into. Can't wait to get one.

 

[dantestd]

I'd assume you mean the vertical stance that can be maintained. Something that Nintendo has 'borrowed' from Sony and it's PS2 I guess......

No I mean anything that seperates all the consoles from each other. blue ray, wireless headsets for communicating like in cs, xbox arcadelive or whatever thats called, umm....dvd playback, command shell for the os, I know i am missing a ton, hard drive additions, just anything that makes it more interesting then any of the other consoles in their own right in a field so specific, and ya the vertical stand would be one of them.

I personally see them all as innovations ( just following the theme of this thread ) that help in general broaden gaming to make it more interesting then the class stick a game press on and off you go. Static as hell is never fun, and before we were limited to it due to resources, but not anymore. I just would like to know why its so hard to put everything that each company makes to make them different from each other isn't just called some unilateral effort of making it easier and more fun to game then gimmick here or lame trick there.

 

[Tigerblade]

I think the Wii will turn out to be a gaming machine that groups of people can come over and get all excited about. I think small house parties will get alot out of it.

Already said that, not that anyone notices as I'm a Nintendo/Wii hater

Ok, so cite some examples of things that are real innovations, so we can understand where you are coming from.

And one has popped into my head, altho this is way OT now naughty mod, Sat Nav and GPS.

But I guess your happy calling motion sensor in a remote innovation

 

[Tigerblade]

No I mean anything that seperates all the consoles from each other. blue ray, wireless headsets for communicating like in cs, xbox arcadelive or whatever thats called, umm....dvd playback, command shell for the os, I know i am missing a ton, hard drive additions, just anything that makes it more interesting then any of the other consoles in their own right in a field so specific, and ya the vertical stand would be one of them.

I personally see them all as innovations ( just following the theme of this thread ) that help in general broaden gaming to make it more interesting then the class stick a game press on and off you go. Static as hell is never fun, and before we were limited to it due to resources, but not anymore. I just would like to know why its so hard to put everything that each company makes to make them different from each other isn't just called some unilateral effort of making it easier and more fun to game then gimmick here or lame trick there.

That's fair enough and I see your reasoning. It seems all consoles borrow heavily off their predecessors(sp?) no matter what badge is on them and that is the natural evolution for the console world.

Now I'll have to catch up on this tomorrow, I'm sure I'll have to answer to something

 

[MRi6000]

I like these debates and give Tigersblade credit for starting this instead of a typical system wars. I dont own the wii yet, but am looking forward to snagging one. To me, I love video games. I see them all as fun and must haves. Shoot, I've owned a lot of them, most of them actually and they each had their little quarks to them.

For me honestly, I've had a nes since I was four years old, now im twenty. That was my second system (atari 2600 was my first). I then progressed to the genesis (version 2) when I was 6-7ish (i think, cant remember timeline). I loved the genesis to death, gawd was that system badass. I then moved onto getting hand heIds, starting off with gameboy, then gamegrear, then the nomad (awesome), then I progressed to the PSX, which was a gawd send for me. Damn, did I love Crash Bandicoot (sp?).... Honestly I go on forever up to the 360 (my last console purchase), but you all dont want to listen...

Anyhow, after remembering all those great times, Nintendo has always had Mario/Zelda for me, Sega has always had my fav lil blue hedgehog for me, Sony always had Crash, and so on and so forth.

I honestly dont think it used to be about pure power. I think it used to be about the characters and gameplay rather than what system puts out more pretty graphics (as it is today).

As always, this is just my .02, like it matters

edit: forgot to mention I owned the 32x, man was that ever a gimmick ... it made me wanna hook up my segacd again. As stated before, I think all companies have and will always have their gimmiks, I mean they are in this world to make profits and money. Some have been good, some have not been (Virtual Boy). All in all, we're all gamers just looking for the next best thing.

 

[Slartibartfast]

And one has popped into my head, altho this is way OT now naughty mod, Sat Nav and GPS.

But I guess your happy calling motion sensor in a remote innovation

You're right, this is way OT, so allow me to help bring it back.

Is the wiimote "innovation?" No. I will agree, GPS is a true innovation.

However, just because it is not an "innovation" does not mean it's a "gimmick."

What it is, is an attempt to be successful doing something different. Nintendo is not approaching this like "oh gee we keep losing so we better do something randomly different!" I would call the Wii convergence: combining two existing technologies into something new. Convergence products are usually very succesful (cell phones with cameras) or bomb horribly (PSX, or whatever it's called).

Take a look at all the Wii threads. It looks to me like Nintendo is already on their way to accomplishing their goal: how many people have posted things saying that their wife/gf/gamerhater friend loves the Wii? Hell, my dad, who is almost 50, was telling me on the phone yesterday that he loved Wii Bowling. He hasn't enjoyed a videogame since he was a kid with a 2600.

So, why do I personally like Nintendo? Well, I have a weird relationship with them. I didn't particularly like the N64 or the Gamecube, but I loved the DS and the SNES. I think the Wii has a lot of potential to deliver some interesting, new gameplay, and that's why I plan on getting one. That's the same reason I got the DS.

I do applaud them for trying to change the gaming market, and I think they'll be successful.

 

[Astrogiblet]

I didnt read the full thread, but I agree with the OP.

Hand sensing technology has been out for a while. For years you can walk into a walmart, meijer, etc. and play a game that just senses where your hand is. Kind of like what the Wii does with the wiimote.

They really didnt "innovate" at all, they just built off of something other companies have done for a while.. But somehow they gained massive popularity.

 

[Shinryu]

Ok tiger after abit of thought I know why people like Nintendo (just an oppinion).

In the games market they are seen as the good guys, the company who brings something fun without the need of american conspiricies or crazy fps's, just simple fun.

There new Wii represents that, as people have said everyone can play it and love it, I wanna get one now so I can play it with my family during christmas and my m8's. Neitehr the PS3 or and 360 can do that, to my family them consoles are considered the bane of people social life and everything else outside, to my parents nintendo......I dont even know what the hell they think about them but I never got the same problem with my gcube as I did with my ps2 and xbox.

And atm the Wii remote is innovation imo, it hasnt been done at this stage of complexity, if in a years time they hardly ever do anything with it, then I would of been conned and its a gimmik, but I really dont think nintendo can afford to do that lol.

 

[Rash]

I didnt read the full thread, but I agree with the OP.

Hand sensing technology has been out for a while. For years you can walk into a walmart, meijer, etc. and play a game that just senses where your hand is. Kind of like what the Wii does with the wiimote.

They really didnt "innovate" at all, they just built off of something other companies have done for a while.. But somehow they gained massive popularity.

Agreed, the same thing happened with touch screen handheld gaming aswell, they have the resources to develop games that coincide with technology that is already out, like i said before its their exclusive characters that drive more sales.

 

[desultadox]

Nintendo has never really had a problem with technology. Yes, the Sega Master System pretty much blew the NES out of the water in terms of graphics, but the SNES was a little more powerful than the genesis in most respects. The N64 was definitely FAR ahead of the Playstation technologically (though the Sega Saturn did have a few hardware advantages overt he N64). PS2 wasn't even in the same league as Gamecube and Xbox, in fact, it was sitting right behind Dreamcast in terms of graphical prowess. the Wii is really Nintendo's first console to not even compete graphically with the competition, and rather ironically, it may be their best console yet.

Besides, PS2 wasn't really in the same generation as Gamecube and Xbox and it went on to sell more than double what those 2 sold combined, all while having the least innovation of any console in history (it didn't even use a new controller!).

Who cares about graphical power? Does it make Genji more enjoyable than Monkey Ball? I don't think so.

 

[Furystrike]

wel..... no, tigerblade isnt worth the typing.

seriously, don't feed the flamer. Let him converse with himself in his close minded little world

 

[Tigerblade]

You're right, this is way OT, so allow me to help bring it back.

Is the wiimote "innovation?" No. I will agree, GPS is a true innovation.

However, just because it is not an "innovation" does not mean it's a "gimmick."

What it is, is an attempt to be successful doing something different. Nintendo is not approaching this like "oh gee we keep losing so we better do something randomly different!" I would call the Wii convergence: combining two existing technologies into something new. Convergence products are usually very succesful (cell phones with cameras) or bomb horribly (PSX, or whatever it's called).

Take a look at all the Wii threads. It looks to me like Nintendo is already on their way to accomplishing their goal: how many people have posted things saying that their wife/gf/gamerhater friend loves the Wii? Hell, my dad, who is almost 50, was telling me on the phone yesterday that he loved Wii Bowling. He hasn't enjoyed a videogame since he was a kid with a 2600.

So, why do I personally like Nintendo? Well, I have a weird relationship with them. I didn't particularly like the N64 or the Gamecube, but I loved the DS and the SNES. I think the Wii has a lot of potential to deliver some interesting, new gameplay, and that's why I plan on getting one. That's the same reason I got the DS.

I do applaud them for trying to change the gaming market, and I think they'll be successful.

Back

Glad to see ppl are taking this seriously now. I guess the 'love' of a company, especially in the games console area comes from where you started. I never had a NES and to me it was old hat when I got into the console thang with Megadrive/MegaCD and SNES.

You all don't like what I think of Wii but that won't change, it will only be successfull as a party entertainer if you will, a place where a multitude of ppl will be playing and I don't think (although I will probably be proven wrong ) its forte is a solo experience. This is backed up with what ppl are saying about it pretty much with the flailing etc.

I guess the sure sign of it being a success is if MS and Sony encorporate it either this gen or next, but innovation it ain't.

Again the same as DS, touch screen has been around for AGES. This can't be called innovation either. But I think thie 'innovation' thing has been done to death now.

 

[Shinryu]

wel..... no, tigerblade isnt worth the typing.

seriously, don't feed the flamer. Let him converse with himself in his close minded little world

The guy isnt tryin to argue he wants to understand, yes he has different oppinions, but thats why he is asking someone elses to get there views on nintendo, read teh above and you will see that people are tryin to flame him not the other way around so please leave that stuff on another forum.

 

[Furystrike]

he's already said he doesnt want to change his mind...come on

 

[Tigerblade]

The guy isnt tryin to argue he wants to understand, yes he has different oppinions, but thats why he is asking someone elses to get there views on nintendo, read teh above and you will see that people are tryin to flame him not the other way around so please leave that stuff on another forum.

Thanks for that man.

Small minded little world does spring to mind regarding his post, and I'm sure if he has anything constructive to say he'll be back.

The guy hasn't read anything I've put obviously. I'm so closed minded that I'll try Wii when I get chance you see

Doesn't stop me thinking of it as I do tho, even planks like him can't do that with ppl. But the thing he doesn't get is there is no wrong or right on this subject, beauty of the free world and democracy.....look it up some time FuryStrike, might open your eyes to the world

 

[Astrogiblet]

To me, Nintendo has always been like the (omg I'm gonna piss so many people off -- sorry) little kids gaming system.

All of their games are cartoony, happy little places, with stupid looking little funny characters that run around and do mundane little annoying maze-like tasks. Sure PS3 and Xbox have their share of these games as well, but a majority of the games that come out for Nintendo systems are like this. Do you ever see really good shooters, really realistic racing games, etc. come out en masse like on the PS3's or Xbox? No.

The main thing that sells on Nintendo systems are the same like 5 characters that they have been selling for 20 or more years. How many different situations can you throw the name "mario" into just to make a quick buck? Seriously. Half of those games sucked complete ass. They are made up of repeated little mazes in different forms and little annoying mini games over and over and over again. And yet, people still continue to buy (and play) these games.

Maybe I just lack the attention span for this. Or maybe I dont like the whole feeling of being a child again or something that a lot of people experience with these games..

 

[theNoid]

Personally I think it has less to do with game franchises, innovation and just comes down to price. I think if MS or Sony had a console available for $250 they'd sell more.

I read though that MS plans to have the 360 Core down to the $149 range by 2008 so ...

 

[Astrogiblet]

Oh, and before anybody screams I'm just some sony or microsoft !!!!!!, I guess I should say I dont currently own, or have owned a console in the last two or three years. Nor do I want to. I'm strictly a PC gamer.

 

[Slartibartfast]

You guys mention franchises a lot, but a lot of what has driven DS sales were not mainstream Nintendo franchises: advance wars, castlevania, trauma center, phoenix wright, brain age, etc.

If you think Nintendo is for kids, well, I think you're missing the point then. By that I simply mean, people look for different things in their entertainment. I like my games unrealistic and amusing. Other people want something more realistic and immersive. Saying one is better than the other is like saying Drama is better than Comedy. Neither is "better," they're just different.

 

[hardwarephreak]

Just because Nintendo took existing tech and formed it into an extremely fun package doesn't make it any less innovative. And doing something right the first time, when it has been done wrong so many times before, makes you successfull.

I'd assume you mean the vertical stance that can be maintained. Something that Nintendo has 'borrowed' from Sony and it's PS2 I guess......

You have to be $hittin me right? You are complaining that a full motion sensing remote isn't innovative, yet the fact that a console can be oriented vertically is????

The fact that you are from the UK means that you haven't even played a Nintendo Wii...so you are basing your comments on released videos and reviews. I would like to see your comments once you had a chance to spend sometime with one, that is if you are open minded enough to enjoy something that you have spent a good bit of time talking down about.

 

[BillLeeLee]

Maybe it's because American society cheers for the underdog.

And about the gimmicks - this is only a recent thing where people have referred to Nintendo's offerings being gimmicky, with the DS and Wii, unless you can explain to me how the NES, SNES, or Gamecube had some sort of gimmick. Up until the Wii/DS their consoles have always been very competitive in technological terms.

I will acquiesce that Mega Drive (definitely not the US name Genesis) was an NES competitor, though not a generational competitor, being that it was 16-bit. Its generational competitor was definitely the SNES. Similarly, the SNES was a competitor to the Playstation 1 at the onset of the 32-bit era, selling for a couple years after the Saturn/PS1 launched.

However! By the end Genesis days Nintendo's dominant hold of the market worldwide was being eroded. Sure, the SNES became the best selling 16-bit system, but only by a margin, and I think the race was very close in the states between the SNES and Genesis. Every generation since then, Nintendo has lost more market share as competitors enter the fold and offer their own consoles/competing product.

So...where's the love? If there was any it did not translating into mega sales for the past few Nintendo consoles.

As for me, I love playing video games. I don't care what platform it is as long as I can play the games I want. I don't hold loyalties to the big three console makers, I was overall disappointed by the Gamecube's library, and had to buy a PS2 to get some of the stuff I wanted and round out my game playing. I think there was one positive from Nintendo losing the market - they became humbled. Back then they were pretty...dickish under Yamauchi's control.

 

[malingjc]

Ok, so cite some examples of things that are real innovations, so we can understand where you are coming from.

Rumble. I will not call myself a game expert because other than my original game boy advance, i didn't have a console between NES and gamecube. If I remember correctly, N64 brought rumble (or was it dreamcast?). Either way, XBOX/360 and PS2 got rumble. Innovation. Joysticks in controllers. Now they all have them.

Whether you like it or not, playing a game using natural motion is more interesting and fun than trying to shoot a duck with a 1/2" diameter joystick. I can't play Halo on XBox because I suck using the controller, yet I will certainly kick your ass on Battlefield 2 because I can point and click. It is much more intuitive than a joystick. Since a mouse isn't all that great of an idea for a console (why not just get a decent PC for $600), aiming and clicking using the Wii is better.

I'd rather point and fire in COD3 than use a joystick plain and simple, even though the controls are done poorly in it (and i won't buy it because of that) - but i don't see that as Wii's fault, but the game developer's fault.

 

[Astrogiblet]

Nintendo is the "underdog?" I thought they had the most sales of any console gaming company..

I thought PS2/PS3, and Xbox/Xbox 360 sales could barely compete with Nintendos sales of gamecube and Wii..

 

[cieje]

You all don't like what I think of Wii but that won't change, it will only be successfull as a party entertainer if you will, a place where a multitude of ppl will be playing and I don't think (although I will probably be proven wrong ) its forte is a solo experience. This is backed up with what ppl are saying about it pretty much with the flailing etc.

that's not a fair assumption. I mainly got the system for the solo experience. Zelda, metroid, etc. I played Zelda for nearly 5 hours on sunday; the controls are awesome. First Person Shooters will forever be changed I think because of the Wii's "innovation" in controlling. much like how with a mouse you point and click you can now point and click effectively on a console! it's an exciting time, and I hope they utilize this to it's fullest.

And sure, it's also great for "party" gaming. But isn't that an innovation in itself?? What games for xbox, xbox360, ps2, ps3 can you have 4+ people playing at once that isn't like a basketball game, or football game, or something like that; it just seems different. When wario ware comes out that should be pretty interesting, and super smash brothers, etc. Games that neither M$ or $ony can touch with gameplay.

That's the real "innovation" that Nintendo can make games, with graphics possibly half as good as some $400-700 systems and people still buy them. People still waited multiple hours even days to obtain those systems and games just to experience the different kind of gameplay that Nintendo has always tried to offer.

Whether it be a force-pad, power-glove, x-force, virtual boy, wii-mote/nunchuck, or any other kind of new technology it doesn't matter as long as people have fun with it, and utilize it to play games. And playing games in a new way is the key! Consoles simply cannot keep up with technological advancement. So it's hard when a company needs to keep a system 4+ years on the shelves, and the best way to do that is via good software and good playerbase.

I've owned pretty much every system since the Intellivision. And personally, by far, Nintendo's software has also been it's strong point - and now we finally have a way to interact with that software in a much more tactile environment.

But take this as you will... since you've already stated that you can't see past the Wii's surface. Or Nintedo's image. I think that's sad that $ony and M$ have created a gamer generation catering to the Nascar Dad where bigger, faster, stronger, newer, more powerful = the best when it's not true when it comes to playing games.

 

[Tigerblade]

You have to be $hittin me right? You are complaining that a full motion sensing remote isn't innovative, yet the fact that a console can be oriented vertically is????

The fact that you are from the UK means that you haven't even played a Nintendo Wii...so you are basing your comments on released videos and reviews. I would like to see your comments once you had a chance to spend sometime with one, that is if you are open minded enough to enjoy something that you have spent a good bit of time talking down about.

Have you read a line I've written at all?? *smacks head against brick wall*

When did I call a console standing vertically innovative? Jesus........I suggest you read that quote again and put brain in gear before typing I said it borrowed the idea.....hardly calling it innovative is it now?

I give up......sick of repeating myself to idiots that can't read

 

[cieje]

Have you read a line I've written at all?? *smacks head against brick wall*

When did I call a console standing vertically innovative? Jesus........I suggest you read that quote again and put brain in gear before typing I said it borrowed the idea.....hardly calling it innovative is it now?

I give up......sick of repeating myself to idiots that can't read

long ago, in the age of the NES the sytem could easily stand vertically. Nothing new here, and no borrowing either.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Nintendo is the "underdog?" I thought they had the most sales of any console gaming company..

I thought PS2/PS3, and Xbox/Xbox 360 sales could barely compete with Nintendos sales of gamecube and Wii..

The DS sold fantastically. The N64, I really don't know. The gamecube did rather poorly, coming in last in the US, but beating the Xbox in Japan. I don't know about Europe.

As far as rumble, the earliest I can think of was the rumble pack that came packed in with Starfox 64.

 

[BillLeeLee]

Nintendo is the "underdog?" I thought they had the most sales of any console gaming company..

I thought PS2/PS3, and Xbox/Xbox 360 sales could barely compete with Nintendos sales of gamecube and Wii..

Sega Genesis sold about 48 million, SNES 49 milllion. Last time they had a lead within a respective generation for a home console.

Playstation 1 sold 100 million units. Playstation 2 recently passed that number. These were only the first 2 generations of Sony's consoles. Playstation 3 was just recently launched so it's too early to really say anything.

Compare to Nintendo's recent consoles: N64 sold about 33 million worldwide (competing with Playstation), and the Gamecube sold about 22 million. These were Nintendo's 3rd and 4th generation home consoles.

The XBox, Microsoft's first generation console, has outsold the Gamecube worldwide, with 24 million or so? (Gamecube is helped by the fact that Japan never took to the XBox).

They haven't held the home console sales lead for years, and they have never held the US market since the NES days.

Handheld is a different story...

edit: I'm pretty sure most of the numbers are approximately correct, except for Genesis vs. SNES figures. So it's probably more true to say Nintendo has not held the US home console market since the SNES days.

 

[t3chyo888]

I went with the wii because of the interatactive motions. Same reason i go to the arcade and play racing and shotting games there interactive there is nothing wrong with it. How did nintendo stoop low on this console they brought the arcade into my house the normal controller is old was time for something new. With a controller you could do 20 hit combos you could drift like it wasnt a problem no you actually need to be steady and move around. Yea it looks funny when a freinds playing zelda and is shooting his bow or fishing but i think it brings the games more to life than sitting there and pushing up to move forward or hitting left on the d pad to take a corner. And yea you have been able to buy steering wheels and guns for a long time now but they were only used in a few games most wii games are gonna take advantage of the new controller and the new acc..

 

[Astrogiblet]

Sega Genesis sold about 48 million, SNES 49 milllion. Last time they had a lead within a respective generation for a home console.

Playstation 1 sold 100 million units. Playstation 2 recently passed that number. These were only the first 2 generations of Sony's consoles. Playstation 3 was just recently launched so it's too early to really say anything.

Compare to Nintendo's recent consoles: N64 sold about 33 million worldwide (competing with Playstation), and the Gamecube sold about 22 million. These were Nintendo's 3rd and 4th generation home consoles.

The XBox, Microsoft's first generation console, has outsold the Gamecube worldwide, with 24 million or so? (Gamecube is helped by the fact that Japan never took to the XBox).

They haven't held the home console sales lead for years, and they have never held the US market since the NES days.

Handheld is a different story...

Ah ok. Awesome post.

I was getting the article I read about their hand held market percentage mixed up with thinking they were like that for all consoles..

 

[MonkeyShave]

The OP's problem (other than a nasty attitude: "pissheads party games machine") is that he's on the wrong side of the Atlantic.

In the U.S., the NES (and Nintendo) was something of a cultural phenomenon through the last half of the 80s. That carried over to the SNES, but declined for the N64 and Gamecube.

Nintendo never supported Europe (or any PAL territory) very well, it overpriced consoles, overpriced games, and shipped games and consoles late.

Sega, and later Sony and Microsoft, took advantage of that in Europe (especially in the U.K.). Today, Nintendo has very poor brand (for home consoles, nobody can touch them for portables) in those territories. It won't be able to turn that around without a flood of good, timely, and reasonably-priced games.

 

[inotocracy]

Because they make games that are fun, the graphics may not be the best in the world but thats not what makes the game fun-- and when the N64 came out nothing touched Mario64, I remember my jaw dropping.

 

[craigdeguz]

The OP's problem (other than a nasty attitude: "pissheads party games machine") is that he's on the wrong side of the Atlantic.

In the U.S., the NES (and Nintendo) was something of a cultural phenomenon through the last half of the 80s. That carried over to the SNES, but declined for the N64 and Gamecube.

Nintendo never supported Europe (or any PAL territory) very well, it overpriced consoles, overpriced games, and shipped games and consoles late.

Sega, and later Sony and Microsoft, took advantage of that in Europe (especially in the U.K.). Today, Nintendo has very poor brand (for home consoles, nobody can touch them for portables) in those territories. It won't be able to turn that around without a flood of good, timely, and reasonably-priced games.

QFT

 

[prtzlboy]

First of all, the mod is correct about the word "gimmick." No matter how many definitions you post, the fact doesn't change that it has a negative connotation.

My stepdad absolutely loves shooters. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have very good dexterity in his fingers and really struggles with traditional console controls. He's got pretty large hands and is one of those people who prefers the original xbox phat controller. I think he's really going to enjoy the wii.

I know my mom will probably love it also. You should have seen her playing SMB on the nes. Every time she'd hit the jump button she'd also lurch with the controller to help Mario get to that next platform

It's very cliche, but if, with all the coverage of the console, and all the things you've read about the controller doing, you don't see the attraction, then it's just not "for you."

I really haven't been a fan of nintendo since about the 400'th time they threw mario in a game. I skipped the n64 and only recently picked up a cube to play eternal darkness and re4. I am looking forward to seeing what 3rd parties do with this control scheme, and I'm excited about it.