It was thought for a while that Nintendo would go the way of Sega and concentrate on producing games, rather than competing in the next generation console wars. Gameindustrybiz reports that that definately isn't the case.
"According to Iwata-san (NCL president), a new Nintendo console will be ready for 2005, although he believes that rival next-generation systems from competitors Sony and Microsoft may not emerge until 2006. He is determined to launch the successor to the GameCube alongside its competitors, and believes that the late arrival of the Cube has stunted its success. "The PlayStation 2 debuted one-and-a-half years ahead of the GameCube," he told Reuters. "If we had launched the GameCube at the same time as PlayStation 2, the result would have been different."
.. There's also some hint of a Gamecube price cut, but don't hold your breath just yet. Article here.
i think that since it is now 2006 the "revolution" (the successor to the game cube) is late.
IGN released some specs on the Revolution, and in terms of clock speeds the GPU and CPU are simply twice as fast (or very close to). This is another continuation of Nintendos "lets do it cheep" hardware development. I personally wish they could get back to their innovative hardware development roots, like the N64 was. DS and Rev are both built from horribly old technology, and more to the point, Nintnendo have simply not listened to the developers working on their hardware. My own biggest gripe - a FPU?? Please??? and just a hald decent amount of mem... for the handheld line...
Its a pity, because Nintnendo were the eladers, now they try the marketing magic tricks to get their audience. That will work only for a short time....
I actually think there's a sense of excitement in the future of Nintendo which hasn't been felt for a long, long time, really. There definately was a big lull in the N64 and the GameCube era, but things really have been looking up for the big N in recent times.
Yeh, the hardware seems underwhelming, but they simply cannot afford to compete on the hardware level that Sony and Microsoft can afford to. I think they've proven that it can compete with innovation, and some of the games that have come out with the DS and stylus are absoutely great. The PSP is an incredible handheld, but it's getting really trumped in sales compared to the DS.
The plans that Nintendo have for the Revolution is just great. A huge downloadable catalogue of NES, SNES, N64, and Sega Gensis games through a download service akin to the iTunes shop, and an innovative new controller which is going to open up new ways to play games. And they're aiming to grab more non gamers with a cheaper console and games for a wider audience, whereas the other consoles are seemingly fighting for a relatively smaller hardcore gamer audience.
The worst thing I think Nintendo could have done was release another competing console which would be relegated to ports and the occasional first party game. In any case, since they're not going the hi-definition route, games will probably look just as impressive as Sony's and Microsoft's offerings albeit on a TV...
I think there is an obvious fallacy that the Nintendo community seem to beleive the DS is far out selling the PSP. However, the actual sales results put the PSP about 3 million units infront (world wide - NPD Funworld). With over a third of PSP's being sold in UK alone.. (out of some 16 million).
I fail to see how buying something that everyone knows is cheep, and that everyone knows is well behind the tech curve, as being a substitute for such market that uses these things to sell games. There is little diff between what Nintnedo harped on about the GC and its 'innovations' and how they are doing the same with the Rev - although there is an even bigger gap between the Rev and others, than there was with the GC and its competition.
Look at the GC - a great machine, being sold at utterly rediculously low prices, but with little development support and lacklustre seleciton of titles. And why? Because its harder to make competing looking games, on a low end (read cheep) product. Its plain facts - as much as others might wave the N flag.. they have severely dropped the ball this time. And if you look at the number of studios that are actually saying no to the Rev (like Pandemic and so on) surely this should make most people realize the implications of their decisions. The fact HD is missing is a huge example - HD has been outselling Standard TV's for over a year now. HD TV's market is already around the 20(percent) margin in the US - and these are the ppl that usually invest in game systems. Ignore this market.. and you are shooting yourself in the foot...
Im sorry, but a waving wand and some old games doesnt cut it. It'll keep the hardcore fans coming back (they will buy it in any case), but it wont move that massive general buyer that console makers need for this coming generation. When EA only annouces lukewarm support for the Rev, you know they wont be selling many units.
You also need to look at it from a marketing perspective. The general public at large doesn't really care about technology.
Nintendo still has brand value in a key demographic area (early adult & child). It's a price sensitive demographic. Mum & Dad don't want to spend $600 for a new console. So less cost translates into greater sales and a greater installed base. Their software is also of a very high quality. Their games are genuinely unique and fun to play.
Profits come from software sales so a larger install base and high quality fun games are the critical ingredients. Hardware technology itself in years to come will provide diminishing returns (e.g. the difference between a 100,000 poly model and a 200,000 poly model is far less than the difference between a 500 poly model and a 1000 poly model). Innovative gameplay and software design however is another story entirely and doesn't necessarily depend on the hardware limitations. Nintendo will do better this round than the last round because of this.
The price differential is even greater this time round. Nintendo also has a more wholesome image in the community, something that is going to become more important in the future as the Bible Belt lobby gains more power in the US.
The revolution controller is something that is likely to capture gamer's imaginations. I want one, don't you?