General good and bad points about Nintendo's strategy...

CadaveR (Ivo)

WiiChat Member
Jun 11, 2006
22
1
João Pessoa, BRAZIL
(SOME) GOOD POINTS (in my oppinion):

1. Excellent motion-sensitivity technology which (from what we could see in this year's E3 huge waiting times...) really seems to work properly now (as some of you might know, some similiar techology was already tried by other companies with not so much success, but I might recognize that Nintendo have done some important modifications and perfected the motion-sensing art/technology quite impressively). All the possibilies for this technology (once done right and extensively tested and approved) are obviously huge and might appeal for the non-gaming crowd just as nice as it might hit the hardcore player's hearts.

2. The NAME Wii is a FANTASTIC idea. As already expressed by the BIG N themselves, it might work in their favour as a subconscious call for all the non-gamers as much as for the hardcore ones. The writing of the name is sweet, short and easy to remember by anyone on this great planet and it might succeed on it's mission of popularizing the videogame market to the masses abroar, to the ones which have been so faar away from anything that could remember a classic (a Nintendo one, I might say! :]) videogame joystick. I also might confess that I once thought the name REVOLUTION a LOT MORE interesting and charming for me to speak to my friends. but I simply have to agree on the business side with Nintendo: "Wii" is a much friendlier environment for their so desired will to expand the gamind industry to beyond the more-beautiful-graphics ol' confinement.

3. Wiiconnect24: fantastic achievement by the big N. It goes beyong what XBOX LIVE have shown so far. A Nintendo Wii 24hs-a-day "alive", in constant coming and going is a fine advanved technology add, in my opinion. It can be a little intrusive or something but the good points far exceed the bad ones in this innovating feature. Also a free-for-fee gaming experience also put Nintendo far beyong anything XBOX LIVE could offer in terms of real satisfaction to a pack-out-and-start-to-play-online experience. Just great on my book.

4. The Arcade section: Making all Nintendo secular gallery of games available for not more than 5 U.$ per game is insanely good. I cannot wait enough for putting my hands on a "wii-connect-donwload-pearl" for such a realistic and respectful price. For me, that's also a great addition to an already winner strategy.

5. The general aesthetics, the design: Simply beautiful, small and elegant. Just like anything Apple would come with these days. Simply silent and elegant. Just modern. Good aesthetical points here. Definitely. The Wiimore is simply beautiful. Definitely. The technology being put into such small playing device is also a wonder. I'm a fan.


(SOME) BAD POINTS (in my oppinion):

1. The graphical architecture. Yes, I understand. Nintendo's main focus is in the gameplay. Ok. But there's no arguing (at least there shouldn't be...) that once great, fantastic gameplay meets fantastic, fantaxy-like graphics, the experience is simply remarkable (just like it was for me when I stayed totally in shock with the graphics in OCARINA OF TIME at the time of it's primarly release, many years ago. Their still beautiful, no doubt, but the technological shock is somehow missing these days). In my opinion, from what I've heard from all these developers out there, there's simply no excuses for such a low-budged graphical architecture this time. For the price of around 250 American dollars I could expect nothing less than, at least, a 2GHZ single-core Wii at this year's end. Com' on Nintendo, a barely better XBOX is not enough! I'm not sure of how many people would enjoy graphics which were hot in 2001!... if the Wii could not handle graphics as the ones present in Half-Life 2 in 480p and in it's "full glory" (or pretty close), I don't know what to think. We all know how helpful could be to draw your graphics using just a 480p graphics point as reference (there's so much left for graphics effects when the competition kill themselves trying to extract 780p and 1080p graphical resolutions!... there's so much more power left to work on the graphics when you just need to show 480p resolutions onscreen... we all know that many great effects could be done with a more-than-barely-ok technical specification... really. I'm a bit sad on this subject. Mario Galaxy could look better, Red Steel was even less impressive than a nowadays Gamecube game. It's soooo distant from "that" first trailer made available... (I would be really happy if the final product could achieve such human-like movements and all that quality lightning and everything else shown... really... I'm still confident that you can achieve it). Also I feel that the amount of RAM memory available might not be enougth for an, at least, 5-years-durable-in-the-future videogame console. I'm also concerned with that.

2. Third Party support. It more-or-less kind of desivates from a weaker graphical situation from Nintendo. There's no way to produce decent looking franchises for the Wii when they're all going to be shown on 3/7-3.2GHZ-cores-based videogame machines. Really. There's no way. I definitely felt lost when almost all the great third party games were produced for the PS2 and XBOX, and all the other "alternative" versions (as for example, Metal Geat Twin Snakes, etc...) were being produced for the GC. Why not to have Resident Evil 5 for the Wii with somehow comparative (just similar would be very nice) graphics just like it might be featured to the PS3 and XBOX360? Instead of a special version to "explore the system's joystick"? I understand it as a simple message: "We cannot graphically reproduce our graphics in this version on Wii, so it might win an 'exclusive version of it's own' ", or something like that.

3. Enough said. More better points than bad ones, but the bad ones can always be perfected. Nintendo, I LOVE YOU!. Just want your very best. Amen.

I'm despereately looking forward to bying a Nintendo Wii at this year's end. Even considering the Brazilian reality. I just cannot deny the revolution. Love and games 4 ever.

Thanks.
 
CadaveR (Ivo) said:
2. The NAME Wii is a FANTASTIC idea. As already expressed by the BIG N themselves, it might work in their favour as a subconscious call for all the non-gamers as much as for the hardcore ones. The writing of the name is sweet, short and easy to remember by anyone on this great planet and it might succeed on it's mission of popularizing the videogame market to the masses abroar, to the ones which have been so faar away from anything that could remember a classic (a Nintendo one, I might say! :]) videogame joystick. I also might confess that I once thought the name REVOLUTION a LOT MORE interesting and charming for me to speak to my friends. but I simply have to agree on the business side with Nintendo: "Wii" is a much friendlier environment for their so desired will to expand the gamind industry to beyond the more-beautiful-graphics ol' confinement.

Personally I thought that naming it Wii was a bad idea, since it's bound to put off quite a few English speakers (and by extension, a few developers). It's a bit embarrasing to talk about the Wii in front of my friends who aren't Nintendo fans. I doubt it'll destroy Nintendo, since it doesn't mean anything in most oter languages, but the English speaking market is a very big one, even for a largely company that is more popular in Asia than in the West, and unfortunately it's going to put off some people. They probably should have stuck with the name Revolution.

3. Wiiconnect24: fantastic achievement by the big N. It goes beyong what XBOX LIVE have shown so far. A Nintendo Wii 24hs-a-day "alive", in constant coming and going is a fine advanved technology add, in my opinion. It can be a little intrusive or something but the good points far exceed the bad ones in this innovating feature. Also a free-for-fee gaming experience also put Nintendo far beyong anything XBOX LIVE could offer in terms of real satisfaction to a pack-out-and-start-to-play-online experience. Just great on my book.

4. The Arcade section: Making all Nintendo secular gallery of games available for not more than 5 U.$ per game is insanely good. I cannot wait enough for putting my hands on a "wii-connect-donwload-pearl" for such a realistic and respectful price. For me, that's also a great addition to an already winner strategy.

This could the Wii's big winner here. Newcomers to a particular series can go back and check out the games they missed- for example, I never had a SNES or an N64, so I plan on checking out Super Metroid and Super Mario 64 when I can. The potential to use WiiConnect24 to send demos to people even when they're not using the console is a nice idea, and it could be used as a way to distribute indie games as well.

]1. The graphical architecture. Yes, I understand. Nintendo's main focus is in the gameplay. Ok. But there's no arguing (at least there shouldn't be...) that once great, fantastic gameplay meets fantastic, fantaxy-like graphics, the experience is simply remarkable (just like it was for me when I stayed totally in shock with the graphics in OCARINA OF TIME at the time of it's primarly release, many years ago. Their still beautiful, no doubt, but the technological shock is somehow missing these days). In my opinion, from what I've heard from all these developers out there, there's simply no excuses for such a low-budged graphical architecture this time. For the price of around 250 American dollars I could expect nothing less than, at least, a 2GHZ single-core Wii at this year's end. Com' on Nintendo, a barely better XBOX is not enough! I'm not sure of how many people would enjoy graphics which were hot in 2001!... if the Wii could not handle graphics as the ones present in Half-Life 2 in 480p and in it's "full glory" (or pretty close), I don't know what to think. We all know how helpful could be to draw your graphics using just a 480p graphics point as reference (there's so much left for graphics effects when the competition kill themselves trying to extract 780p and 1080p graphical resolutions!... there's so much more power left to work on the graphics when you just need to show 480p resolutions onscreen... we all know that many great effects could be done with a more-than-barely-ok technical specification... really. I'm a bit sad on this subject. Mario Galaxy could look better, Red Steel was even less impressive than a nowadays Gamecube game. It's soooo distant from "that" first trailer made available... (I would be really happy if the final product could achieve such human-like movements and all that quality lightning and everything else shown... really... I'm still confident that you can achieve it). Also I feel that the amount of RAM memory available might not be enougth for an, at least, 5-years-durable-in-the-future videogame console. I'm also concerned with that.

I agree with you there- the graphics in Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 look exactly the same as their previous incarnations. It could be that the console's full potential hasn't been realised yet- Resident Evil 4's graphics can stand up to most 360 games. But the console still should have had graphics at least comparable to the 360 and the PS3.

2. Third Party support. It more-or-less kind of desivates from a weaker graphical situation from Nintendo. There's no way to produce decent looking franchises for the Wii when they're all going to be shown on 3/7-3.2GHZ-cores-based videogame machines. Really. There's no way. I definitely felt lost when almost all the great third party games were produced for the PS2 and XBOX, and all the other "alternative" versions (as for example, Metal Geat Twin Snakes, etc...) were being produced for the GC. Why not to have Resident Evil 5 for the Wii with somehow comparative (just similar would be very nice) graphics just like it might be featured to the PS3 and XBOX360? Instead of a special version to "explore the system's joystick"? I understand it as a simple message: "We cannot graphically reproduce our graphics in this version on Wii, so it might win an 'exclusive version of it's own' ", or something like that.

It's hardly surprising- a lot of publishers don't like taking risks, and the Wii is a very big risk. We're probably going to see more "alternative versions" for the Wii as well.
 
nice list, sums up my feelings almost exactly...the only thing i might disagree with is the third party support.

i agree, the launch lineup and first few months look kinda bare in comparison, the reason is most likely bc nintendo is a really strong first party they don't need much help to get the system off the ground like xbox and ps3, once the wii launches and 3rd party companies see that it is going to work then development will really begin
 
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Napalm Brain - I understand what you said, but, at the same time, I enjoy and fully understand the effect that a shorter marketing name could bring to Nintendo: just good things. It may sound childish and stuff but I feel confident in the long run. They might succeed this time. Hopefully.

phimuajedi69 - Hello! I understand your point too. Nintendo's franchises are all excellent, off course, but we need third party support this time. It's the next step. Their (Nintendo's) decision to make a 12cm-classic DvD drive this time is very welcome. They just need to fix those graphics and atract more support (which can easily happen as fast as their sales exponentially start to increase worldwide - or at the very least, in Japan...).
 
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They just need to fix those graphics and atract more support

I don't see that being a huge problem, developers cross platform between many different specs in the current gen without any problems, each version has a few different things and the graphics are all comparable, take star wars battlefront 2 for instance, it was released on ps2, xbox, gc (i think) and psp, the psp is essentially a slightly better ps1 in a portable housing the graphics didn't look anywhere near as good as the other systems but it still looked pretty amazing, and some games(mostly movie games) developers even go back to sprites to delve into the gba audience after spending so much time developing the graphics for the home consoles

edit: i think i finally realized your main point after re-reading my post, the difference this time is the larger gap between the three home consoles....that just means they'll have to do some trimming on the models and animations.

gotta agree with napalm here, its about the risk of something new that has most developers shying away from nintendo right now

some people have already caught on, rayman is going to be multiplatform but according to ubisoft they are focusing on the wii version first

IGN interviewed Ubisoft's Michel Ancel and talked at length about the upcoming Rayman title, here are some of the key bits from the interview.
...
* The game will come out for other consoles, but right now the focus is on Wii.

source: joystiq
 
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phimuajedi69 said:
I don't see that being a huge problem, developers cross platform between many different specs in the current gen without any problems, each version has a few different things and the graphics are all comparable, take star wars battlefront 2 for instance, it was released on ps2, xbox, gc (i think) and psp, the psp is essentially a slightly better ps1 in a portable housing the graphics didn't look anywhere near as good as the other systems but it still looked pretty amazing, and some games(mostly movie games) developers even go back to sprites to delve into the gba audience after spending so much time developing the graphics for the home consoles

edit: i think i finally realized your main point after re-reading my post, the difference this time is the larger gap between the three home consoles....that just means they'll have to do some trimming on the models and animations.

gotta agree with napalm here, its about the risk of something new that has most developers shying away from nintendo right now

some people have already caught on, rayman is going to be multiplatform but according to ubisoft they are focusing on the wii version first

Interesting. I might confess: didn't pay attention to the huge crossing versions of the past. You're right here. And about the risk of something new, they (the support) might come just in time for christmas (or a bit later). They just need to start seeing some huge bucks from Nintendo's sales and they might run back to them in remorse! Heh. But I still don't get Nintendo's extremely weak technical choices this time around. I understand the internal space issue, but a bit faster cpu clock and GPU and a little more RAM ST-1 memory would be more than welcome! (actually, it would be a very smart move from them). More cache memory too. That's very important. This system's gonna take 5 or 6 years to get a substitute and the graphical gap when compared to the newest pcs and videogames is already huge. And again: i'm not very happy with this situation!... but I respect the big N. None-the-less.
 
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^-- yeah, the thing is we still don't know the specs of all the hardware, we have the relative comments by nintendo "more powerful than gc, less than ps3/360" leaves quite a gap in which to place the system
 
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phimuajedi69 said:
^-- yeah, the thing is we still don't know the specs of all the hardware, we have the relative comments by nintendo "more powerful than gc, less than ps3/360" leaves quite a gap in which to place the system

Exactly.
 
People should buy a Wii regardless of its graphical power. Take for example a game like Timesplitters, multi-platform, why would someone want to buy this sort of game on a 360 or a PS3? While they will offer the game up with suped-up graphics that is all that they are really bringing to the table. Then you look at the same game on the Wii, it will be a totally different experience, yes the graphics arent really on par to the other consoles, but it will allow a totally different PLAYING experience...

This is were Nintendo should be a success, with all multi-platform games, I dont see why people should buy into graphics alone when they can play with a lot more ease. Thats the main reason I choose a game like Timesplitters, 1st person shooters should not be bought on other consoles, there really is no point. Nintendo could steal away all those third-party titles...
 
^-- very true, and you'll find most people on this board agree with you, we were discussing third party support for the wii in relation to graphics, not people purchasing the wii based on graphics

since this a general pro/con thread, and to provide an opposing viewpoint though i pretty much agree with what you said:

you're saying for multiplatformers wii is the better choice, which i don't think will be true. if the same fighting game (ie soul calibur) came out on all three systems I would be highly tempted to buy it for the 360 or ps3 (special character scenarios aside, ie soul calibur 2) simply bc its the same game and will be played the same way (unless someone gets crazy inventive and figures out how to control a fighting game with the wiimote, ssbb will be using gc controllers apparently) but will look much better on the 360 or ps3

basically i'm saying if everything else is equal most people will go for the more visually stunning presentation (most people go for that even when everything else is not equal, regretably)
 
phimuajedi69 said:
^-- very true, and you'll find most people on this board agree with you, we were discussing third party support for the wii in relation to graphics, not people purchasing the wii based on graphics

since this a general pro/con thread, and to provide an opposing viewpoint though i pretty much agree with what you said:

you're saying for multiplatformers wii is the better choice, which i don't think will be true. if the same fighting game (ie soul calibur) came out on all three systems I would be highly tempted to buy it for the 360 or ps3 (special character scenarios aside, ie soul calibur 2) simply bc its the same game and will be played the same way (unless someone gets crazy inventive and figures out how to control a fighting game with the wiimote, ssbb will be using gc controllers apparently) but will look much better on the 360 or ps3

basically i'm saying if everything else is equal most people will go for the more visually stunning presentation (most people go for that even when everything else is not equal, regretably)
Yeah I do agree with that, and that graphics are important in that aspect. I was just going on about games that will be altered exclusively for the Wii, but are in fact Third-Party games... Of course I would buy a game like Soul Calibur on the PS3 or 360 if the Wii offers no real change or benefical enhancment to it. That being said I think that most titles will have this change and therefore will benefit Nintendo.

...Think of it this way, for the Wii, Third-Party titles could theoretically become exclusive titles if the gameplay is altered ;)
 
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Distant_Oblivion said:
I was just going on about games that will be altered exclusively for the Wii, but are in fact Third-Party games... Of course I would buy a game like Soul Calibur on the PS3 or 360 if the Wii offers no real change or benefical enhancment to it. That being said I think that most titles will have this change and therefore will benefit Nintendo.

...Think of it this way, for the Wii, Third-Party titles could theoretically become exclusive titles if the gameplay is altered ;)

Exactly. There is going to be an obvious difference in Metroid Prime Corruption on the Wii and Halo 3 on XBOX 360. It's like the difference between playing Time Crisis at an Arcade and playing it on PS2 or something. Yeah it may look better on your PS2 and your flatscreen TV, but your going to get a different experience when using a small Joystick compared to a Pedal and a Full Sized Pistol.

Graphically. Err touchy subject. I've played too many good looking games that aren't fun. I have however played and continue to play my N64 and old Nintendo systems because the games KIck ASS. Hopefully there will be a game if not several games that really push the LIMITS of the Wii.

I think all 3 of the new systems have weaknesses. Find out what matters to you and purchase accordingly.
 
I think third party developers are hung up on the risks of the Wii, they need to see how much of a success it is actually going to be before they really start development, and the graphics seem to play a large part in these risks, but when they see that it's a success, they'll go straight for it.
 
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