Nintendo Bias
My first video game system was the NES. Way back in my impressionable youth Nintendo was lucky enough to hook me. Now I'd like to think I'm objective in a lot of things, but Nintendo still has a place in my heart as THE video game company; emphasis on game. In the wake of E3 I can't help but wonder what the future holds for the big N.
First and foremost Nintendo had a pretty quiet E3, compared with the other two companies. They unveiled what the Revolution will look like, and a few details about it, and another GameBoy device. I think they're beating a dead horse with another GB, but it could be a move to flood the handheld market to distract from the PSP (which I have some issues with, as well). The Revolution sounds promising with its backwards compatability and new online strategy, but I'm wondering how the "cool" demographic will accept it.
Which brings me to my second point: Nintendo has, hands down, the best first party games of console maker, but people ignore this fact for the images the other two consoles project. They have quality across the board, but the purple casing of the original 'Cube and youthful looking (but still fun) games didn't help move units. It's unfortunate that so many people only factor in what others think when the get games versus how much fun they will have while playing them. Will people buy Xbox 360 or PS3 for the bling factor or will they go with Nintendo for the games? Nintendo is banking on the game people, but there's a lot of stupid people out there that are that don't know what they're missing and will be fooled by flash.
The smart money is on Microsoft or Sony, but the money well spent will be on Nintendo. Graphics aside, because all the systems will have the capacity for killer visuals, the promises of what Xbox 360 will deliver as far as home content are fantastically awesome, like they'd have you believe. As a proud owner of a moded Xbox I can stream content from any computer on our network here to my TV. It's nice, but I don't think it should be an issue with consumers. Obviously Microsoft has a media center PC that plays Xbox games. It may sound cool, but it isn't anything you'll relish you have after the novely wears off. I have Xbox Live, too, and there isn't much more offered there either. Micro purchases for games? Fully integrated friends lists? Who cares? It's really about the games, right? Microsoft is approaching games from an entertainment standpoint.
Sony seems to be countering with a content-centric approach. That is, Sony preaches about cinema quality visuals, hinting that games will soon be on par with the movie industry as either art or a wholly accepted medium, because games are already profitable. The horsepower the PS3 will crank out is impressive, and Sony does have the ability to deliver some really great titles, but I think they seem a bit preoccupied with Microsoft's media center approach and are forgetting that games should still be fun. Don't get me wrong, I'm an advocate for games as art and I'd love to see some projects explore emotions and veer away from violence and gunplay. But these games still need to be engaging, otherwise why not just watch a movie? Sony is probably closest to Nintendo as far as content goes, but they might be spreading themselves too thin with the PS3, at this point. On a side note, is the ability to link 7 controllers wirelessly to the PS3 seem a bit superfluous to anybody else? Only once in my life can I recall the want or need for more than four players at once, and that was on the PS2 with two of those 4-tap adapters (their name escapes me presently). Way to hype a seemingly useless feature, Sony. And then drop the ball by accepting fewer controllers than the PS2 could.
Coming full circle to Nintendo. As a cash strapped college student I will not be able to afford an Xbox 360 on launch. Hopefully after graduating in December I'll get a job and might be able to buy one of the three consoles after they are all on the market. At that point I'll most likely purchase a Nintendo Revolution. Call me crazy but I like my games fun, engaging, and still meaningful; things Nintendo has always consistently delivered on. The big name titles and developers usually develop for all three anyways, so when you boil it down first party stuff is the heart of any system. It's unfortunate more people didn't realize that with the 'Cube, and let's hope people will avoid the +$400 systems and opt for a true gaming machine when the time comes.
First and foremost Nintendo had a pretty quiet E3, compared with the other two companies. They unveiled what the Revolution will look like, and a few details about it, and another GameBoy device. I think they're beating a dead horse with another GB, but it could be a move to flood the handheld market to distract from the PSP (which I have some issues with, as well). The Revolution sounds promising with its backwards compatability and new online strategy, but I'm wondering how the "cool" demographic will accept it.
Which brings me to my second point: Nintendo has, hands down, the best first party games of console maker, but people ignore this fact for the images the other two consoles project. They have quality across the board, but the purple casing of the original 'Cube and youthful looking (but still fun) games didn't help move units. It's unfortunate that so many people only factor in what others think when the get games versus how much fun they will have while playing them. Will people buy Xbox 360 or PS3 for the bling factor or will they go with Nintendo for the games? Nintendo is banking on the game people, but there's a lot of stupid people out there that are that don't know what they're missing and will be fooled by flash.
The smart money is on Microsoft or Sony, but the money well spent will be on Nintendo. Graphics aside, because all the systems will have the capacity for killer visuals, the promises of what Xbox 360 will deliver as far as home content are fantastically awesome, like they'd have you believe. As a proud owner of a moded Xbox I can stream content from any computer on our network here to my TV. It's nice, but I don't think it should be an issue with consumers. Obviously Microsoft has a media center PC that plays Xbox games. It may sound cool, but it isn't anything you'll relish you have after the novely wears off. I have Xbox Live, too, and there isn't much more offered there either. Micro purchases for games? Fully integrated friends lists? Who cares? It's really about the games, right? Microsoft is approaching games from an entertainment standpoint.
Sony seems to be countering with a content-centric approach. That is, Sony preaches about cinema quality visuals, hinting that games will soon be on par with the movie industry as either art or a wholly accepted medium, because games are already profitable. The horsepower the PS3 will crank out is impressive, and Sony does have the ability to deliver some really great titles, but I think they seem a bit preoccupied with Microsoft's media center approach and are forgetting that games should still be fun. Don't get me wrong, I'm an advocate for games as art and I'd love to see some projects explore emotions and veer away from violence and gunplay. But these games still need to be engaging, otherwise why not just watch a movie? Sony is probably closest to Nintendo as far as content goes, but they might be spreading themselves too thin with the PS3, at this point. On a side note, is the ability to link 7 controllers wirelessly to the PS3 seem a bit superfluous to anybody else? Only once in my life can I recall the want or need for more than four players at once, and that was on the PS2 with two of those 4-tap adapters (their name escapes me presently). Way to hype a seemingly useless feature, Sony. And then drop the ball by accepting fewer controllers than the PS2 could.
Coming full circle to Nintendo. As a cash strapped college student I will not be able to afford an Xbox 360 on launch. Hopefully after graduating in December I'll get a job and might be able to buy one of the three consoles after they are all on the market. At that point I'll most likely purchase a Nintendo Revolution. Call me crazy but I like my games fun, engaging, and still meaningful; things Nintendo has always consistently delivered on. The big name titles and developers usually develop for all three anyways, so when you boil it down first party stuff is the heart of any system. It's unfortunate more people didn't realize that with the 'Cube, and let's hope people will avoid the +$400 systems and opt for a true gaming machine when the time comes.
posted by Jason Ducat at 12:11 AM
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