Ready for the Revolution?

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Grandfather of video gaming, Mr. Miyamoto has been interviewed by IGN. This interview is set to the tune of 'Same Ol' Situation' - Motley Crue.

 

E3 2005: Shigeru Miyamoto Interview

Online exclusive: The master game designer chats with us about Revolution's power, Mario 128, Kid Icarus and the competition.

by Matt Casamassina

 

May 19, 2005 - It's Wednesday, the first day of the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2005, and Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto is a busy man. He's been locked up in meeting rooms hidden away at the back of the publisher's show floor booth. He's met with countless executives and journalists. But he offers no signs of fatigue or frustration. In fact, he's laughing when we enter the room for our exclusive online interview.

 

Miyamoto is an icon. A superstar. As proof of this truth, his translator explains that only moments before we arrived, the legendary designer toured the Nintendo booth and was mobbed by fans. Apparently one female fanatic begged for her picture to be taken with Miyamoto and when he said yes, she started to sob hysterically. Few figures on the development side of the industry garner that kind of attention.

 

In the interview below, we speak with Miyamoto about Nintendo DS, Revolution, upcoming games and the competition.

 

IGN: Were you happy with your E3 2005 showing?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: At our presentation this year I think we were able to show a lot of content, so that was good. Right now in Japan we are engaged in a lot of DS challenges, trying to do a lot of things with that, and I think we were able to show you what we've been doing with the DS.

 

IGNcube: Are there any particular games for DS that you're particularly proud of now, and what about future DS software?

 

 

Shigeru Miyamoto

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: We're showing on the show floor three games that we're really excited about. Super Mario Bros, which allows for two-player side-scrolling at the same time on different systems. With Animal Crossing on the DS you have that wireless function with four people playing at the same time. And Mario Kart DS, of course, you have eight people racing at the same time and on the Internet you have four-person multiplayer. These are games that are really utilizing good DS functionality. And there's one other game that I'd like to talk about.

 

[Opens DS system and displays new game in which players are asked text trivia questions and are required to handwrite the answers.]

 

This is something that we think will appeal to players of all ages - something that you pick up right away and is easy to get into. It might not qualify as a game per se. (Oh, and another game that fits this criteria is Nintendogs, which we showed you yesterday.) We're looking at creating more of this software in Japan and what I've got here and am showing you now is one that's sort of a brain-teaser or brain exercise software.

 

We use the touch screen to write out answers to problems that the game poses to you and we use the voice recognition software to verbally answer questions or to record sounds. Other products coming out in Japan for DS include a Japanese-to-English and English-to-Japanese dictionary, which is coming out soon. It runs simultaneously with the Pictochat function so that if I've got my dictionary with me I can cut and paste verbatim whatever it translates and then send it to someone else via Pictochat. Also, in Japan there are a lot of entry examinations for different schools at the elementary level. We have a piece of software based on those tests and you can have eight players at the same time trying to answer all of the questions, which is pretty funny. So these things all represent other possibilities of grabbing people who play games, but also those that don't. I don't think anyone who plays these needs to be a gamer per se but they will still enjoy this type of software.

 

As far as the Revolution is concerned, development is going really well. But at the same time, this is a trade show and we want to concentrate on our business for this year. So rather than rush out in a panic and try to get a bunch of information out to people, we want to give out some of the general concepts and we're going to save everything else for when we're all set. Next year, when it's the year of the Revolution, we'll bring out everything from under the wrapping paper.

 

 

Nintendo Revolution

IGNcube: Speaking about Revolution, we have many questions. At a trade show like E3, it seems that perception is so important. You say that it's not the time to reveal Revolution in full. But with major showings from Microsoft's and Sony's next-generation consoles, do you feel that it hurts Nintendo to remain quiet? That people may incorrectly assume that Nintendo is quiet because it isn't prepared to compete with or lags behind its competition?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: You know, I didn't get a chance to see the Sony and Microsoft presentations for myself, but from what I've heard from people it sounds like they are going to be using cutting-edge technology, as are we. However, the way that they are planning on implementing that technology is obviously very different from the route that we're going to be taking. On the business side of things I see where we're going and I see where they're going and I'm not worried at all. I don't think it's going to influence us at all. We're good to go.

 

IGNcube: We don't have any "tech specs" for Revolution. We don't have an educated idea or an estimate of how powerful the machine will be. Can you shed some light?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: Let me pose a question to you. When we launched the Nintendo DS, we didn't really say too much about its power. Do you think we've suffered?

 

IGNcube: No. Definitely not.

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: We're kind of in a strange period where power is the crux of whether or not something is going to be successful. So again, that seems a little bit odd. If we rely solely on power of console to dictate to where we're going with games, I think that tends to suppress the creativity of designers. They tend to rely solely on what the technology allows them to do instead of thinking of new and creative ideas.

 

The way we are approaching the development of Revolution is we pose the questions to ourselves: why is the home console necessary? What functions in a home console would make everyone in the family say, "Yeah, we need that and want that." We pose those questions and the answers to those questions are what's guiding our development.

 

IGNcube: Can you give us an update on Mario 128?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: [Chuckles] I'm just really sorry. I think I've given people the wrong impression with Mario 128. With all the questions I'm getting about this, I really feel like I've done people a disservice. In regards to Mario 128, we're currently doing a lot of Mario experiments back in Kyoto. We are definitely going to have a new Mario for Revolution. Whether or not that's 128 or not, I can't really say. It might be a new Sunshine. We're not sure. We're doing a lot of Mario tests right now for the Revolution.

 

IGNcube: Is Super Smash Bros. for Revolution deep in development or has work just started on the project?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: Well, the original Smash Bros. was developed when Mr. Iwata was over at HAL and I was a designer here at Nintendo. Now, of course, Mr. Iwata is the president of Nintendo. I really don't have much to do with Super Smash Bros. It's pretty much him.

 

IGNcube: You are a producer on Metroid Prime 3 for Revolution. Can you tell us about the game?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: I've been working on the Metroid series with Mr. Tanabe. He's pretty much in charge of where that's going right now. I've been really trying to focus more on the Zelda, Mario and new DS titles, and I'm not really in a position to talk about them right now.

 

IGNcube: Speaking of Zelda, does the game story parallel that of the movie Ladyhawke?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: Our game should not paralleling that movie very closely, no. That's not our intention. In regard to the animals in the game, it's an RPG and the more of those natural elements, this case represented by the wolf and the hawk, really just expand the realm of the RPG and give us room to grow in fill into. We thought that by adding these animals it would help us create a larger and more realistic world.

 

GNcube: Do we have to wait until E3 2006 for more Revolution info, or do you have a new Space World coming later this year?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: That hasn't been determined. We haven't decided yet. I'm sure that there will be information that we'll get out somewhere, somehow, through developers or something. I'm sure there will be some leaks. But next year at E3, everything will be public as far as Revolution is concerned. It will all be out there, which should tell you that we're well into it. It's not that we don't have anything. So next year you'll get it all.

 

IGNcube: Have Revolution development kits gone out yet?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: We have not sent out development kits to developers yet. However, development kits for the Nintendo Revolution are very similar to the ones for the GameCube. So we feel that the environments are so similar that they will be able to start development very quickly upon receiving the development kits for Revolution.

 

IGNcube: Can you tell us when you'll send out Revolution development kits?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: As far as when we're going to be sending out development kits, we don't have set schedule at this point. But I think that if you look at it, the "development kits" that a lot of other companies are sending out, are those really the ones with the latest chips? Are those the ones that have all the latest technology? It's hard to say. I don't think we're going to be that much different from other companies when they are sending out their actual finished development kits. I think we'll be able to send the development kits in a timeframe that pleases the developers. It's going to be in a time when it fits their development schedules well.

 

IGNcube: We're all assuming that the revolutionary aspect of Revolution is the controller. Do you know what the Revolution is yet or are you still trying to figure that out?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: [Laughs] You're doubting me, aren't you? I can see that you're over there mistrusting my word. I understand. [Laughs]

 

Of course. It's set in stone. It has been determined. I'd love to show it to you. I'd love to be able to show you the features of the Revolution controller and tell you about them. However, unfortunately if we do that too early those ideas would be stolen. We know that from past history. Analog stick. Boom - gone. Rumble Pak. We bring it out and everybody has to have rumble. We got the wireless out first and now there's wireless everywhere. So we have to keep it under wraps.

 

IGNcube: Coming back to power. We apologize, but if we don't get some answers our readers are going to go insane. What are the tech specs for Revolution? Or, to put it another way, is Revolution as powerful as Xbox 360?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: You know, in regard to the power of the Nintendo Revolution versus, say, the Xbox 360, we're looking at making a small, quiet, affordable console. If you look at trying to incorporate all that, of course we might not have the horsepower that some other companies have, but if you look at the numbers that they're throwing out, are those numbers going to be used in-game? I mean, those are just numbers that somebody just crunched up on a calculator. We could throw out a bunch of numbers, too, but what we're going to do is wait until our chips are done and we're going to find out how everything in the game is running, what its peak performance is, and those are the numbers that we're going to release because those are the numbers that really count.

 

I do think it's very irresponsible for people to say, "This is what we're running out. This is the power of our machine," when they're not even running on final boards. I think the professional's job is to not believe those numbers.

 

 

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for GameCube

 

IGNcube: Will you make Kid Icarus for Revolution?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: Well, I'm actually working really closely right now with the director of the [original] game. Now, whether or not when we get the Revolution all set up and everything is finalized, well who knows? That might be one of those characters where everybody says, "Hey, with the way our console is designed, that would be a perfect match." My question to you is, if we made this game would you buy it?

 

IGNcube: Absolutely.

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: Well, we obviously can't ignore that. Okay, we'll get the Eggplant Wizard coming back.

 

IGNcube: Can you talk about Revolution's download service? What games will we be able to download?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: We have not set a price or determined a list of software for the Nintendo Revolution download service. But, we're looking at this as a consumer service and not so much from the business end. What we want to do is provide the product that is going to make the Revolution the console that people want in their homes. So it actually might be driven from the consumer end rather than from us. You know, the games that they most want might be the ones that we do. From a technological point, we can do any of them. It's just, we haven't determined which ones we'll do yet.

 

IGNcube: Can we expect Nintendo to collaborate with more third parties on Revolution games?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: At this point, we've only been talking with a few companies. However, if other companies come forward and they want to join us to work with us to create games, of course that would be great for us. One thing we want to make sure that we don't do is have too many games of the same type or genre. We don't want too many games involving the same themes or characters.

 

IGNcube: Will Revolution appeal to the mainstream gamer over the hardcore one?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: Our goal with Revolution is to appeal to all gamers -- the casual gamer and the hardcore gamer. On top of that, we really want to get non-gamers involved as well. So it's a console that we want people to feel comfortable with and happy that they have in their home. So for example, you might bring you DS home, turn it on, sit down next to the Revolution and there is some connectivity that allows you to play something that's better than it was with separate components. Our goal really is to build a system that appeals to everybody.

 

 

Revolution may come in different colors

 

IGNcube: Have you seen or played any non-Nintendo games at this year's E3 that have impressed you?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: I haven't seen any other software yet. I haven't left this room [laughs]. As far as the other company's software, I've heard that Sony brought out a whole bunch of stuff that looked really pretty, but I haven't heard that any of it is playable. So let me ask you something: have you seen anything on the show floor that's really pretty and playable?

 

IGNcube: Yes. The game that first comes to mind is Okami from Capcom. It's amazing.

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: What is that on?

 

IGNcube: PlayStation 2.

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: Anything for PlayStation 3, that was playable?

 

IGNcube: Nothing playable. Unfortunately, some of the PS3 demos were rendered. But there's no doubt it's going to be a beast of a machine. You don't have to speak specifically on the title or titles, but is there a game for Revolution that validates to you the path you seem to be taking with the console?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: In the development of the Revolution, I can't really elaborate on anything that explains why this is the specific path for us. We know this is the path for us. I just can't give you specific details that maybe reaffirms for you that we feel comfortable. What thing I can say is that Sony and Microsoft are going down the same road. They have chosen their path and they're sticking to it. They're going down that road together. We have chosen the road less traveled and we're happy with that. We do think that is a good thing.

 

IGNcube: Do you think Revolution will alienate gamers?

 

Shigeru Miyamoto: No, I don't think we're going to alienate gamers at all. I think if you look at the stuff we have on Nintendo DS, which is really different from anything else out there, people are playing that and really enjoying it. There is going to be software for Revolution that you will not be able to play or experience anywhere else, on any other console, and I think people will find it enjoyable.

 

MARIO 128 NEVER EXISTED

 

More slick shots of the Rev, for those who haven't seen it in different colours...

 

Link

[Golgo 13 0]

The link is fucked. Here's the new one.

[AndrewTS 0]

This may be impenetrable for all but the most savvy of tech-heads, but saw it on RottenTomatoes and thought it was quite interesting:

 

First lets start with some comments by Iwata.

 

"Of course, we are applying advances in technology. But when you use those advances just to boost the processing power, the trade-off is that you increase power consumption, make the machine more expensive and make developing games more expensive. When I look at the balance of that trade-off -- what you gain and what you lose -- I don't think it's good. Nintendo is applying the benefits of advanced technology, but we're using it to make our machines more power-efficient, quieter and faster to start."

 

We all know that multi core processors require alot of power, the PowerPC G5 is in the 100watt range. The move to the 90nm processor help decrease its power consumption to about 65watts. Going multi core only increases the amount of power needed, but the heat that comes from a multi core processor is the real problem. Its going to be a while before any chip is moved to the 65nm process. Which leads me to this.

 

Liquid-Metal Cooling Technology for CPU Cooling

As current cooling solutions reach their limits, the industry is in need of a unique advanced cooling solution. nanoCoolers' liquid-metal cooling loops have all the attributes to fill that need. Part of the uniqueness of our thermal solutions is in its simplicity. The cooling loop consists of liquid metal as the working fluid, a heat source exchanger, an ambient heat exchanger, an electromagnetic pump, and interconnecting tubing. There are also attaching mechanisms, a fan, housing structure, etc. but the simplicity of the solution is quite unique.

http://www.nanocoolers.com/technology_liquid.php

 

The boiling point of the material is in excess of 2000°C, the pics illustrates a small form factor. Which would be beneficial to the size of Revolution. Its also tech that doesn't produce alot noise.

 

[img="http://www.nanocoolers.com/images/liquidmetal_setup_diagram.gif

 

Combined this with IBM Strained Silicone directly on Insulator(SSDOI) process which reduces power consumption, without affecting performance.

 

The PS3 will require alot of power with so many connections, so Nintendo chose to provide only two USB ports and a proprietery AV component. You reduce power consumption because there is no harddrive to power. So Nintendo they go for onboard flash memory. There's only two moving part in the console(fan and DVD drive).

 

How do Nintendo plan on making it possible for indie developers to produce titles that look as good as the big boys? Well check out this patent,

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser...&RS=AN/Nintendo

 

The patent basically says that a developer can pre-render a area of the game and convert it into a exact replica in realtime using this feature.

 

In one embodiment, we use a known technique called cube mapping to pre-render images defining a 3D scene. Cube mapping is a form of environment mapping that has been used in the past to provide realistic reflection mapping independent of viewpoint. For example, one common usage of environment mapping is to add realistic reflections to a 3D-rendered scene. Imagine a mirror hanging on the wall. The mirror reflects the scene in the room. As the viewer moves about the room, his or her viewpoint changes so that different objects in the room become visible in the mirror. Cube mapping has been used in the past or provide these and other reflection effects.

 

We use cube mapping for a somewhat different purpose--to pre-render a three-dimensional scene or universe such as for example a landscape, the interior of a great cathedral, a castle, or any other desired realistic or fantastic scene. We then add depth to the pre-rendered scene by creating and supplying a depth buffer for each cube-mapped image. The depth buffer defines depths of different objects depicted in the cube map. Using the depth buffer in combination with the cube map allows moving objects to interact with the cube-mapped image in complex, three-dimensional ways. For example, depending upon the effect desired, moving objects can obstruct or be obstructed by some but not other elements depicted in the cube map and/or collide with such elements. The resulting depth information supplied to a panoramically-composited cube map provides a complex interactive visual scene with a degree of 3D realism and interactivity not previously available in conventional strictly 2D texture mapped games.

 

This could shorten the development process. This combined with a development enviroment similar to GC(API), should help reduce development cost.

 

Now for the comments from Reggie about the Revolution controller, someone suggested that the GC controllers could be used to play those NES,SNES,N64 games. Only problem with this is that Reggie could of easily explained this as a fact. But its still to difficult to come to some type of conclusion. So I'll leave that portion alone.

 

I think Nintendo goal is to provide a powerful console, without having to include HDMI,DVI, (4)USB, Harddrive, Digital output, Analog AV all that requires money and power. You won't be limited in your ability to connect to these features except a harddrive , there just won't be 10 ports to do it.

 

Developers will have a recognizeable development environment, with additions that make it even easier to create visually outstanding titles.

 

And a follow-up post about it:

 

Of course the PS3 and Xbox360 could also use this technique (and probably better). I don't know - it sounds like it is a lot of extra work for developers without any real benefit for anybody but Nintendo. We'll probably have to see screenshots to find out just how nice this looks (I have doubts - all of the previous 'perfect' prerendering systems have had obvious gameplay and visual flaws), but the system lacks some of the enormous flexibility that taking a more traditional route gives you. It also isn't clear to me that things like physics all over the place (a la Full Auto, etc.) will be possible with this technique.

 

I am not happy that they will apparently be keeping this technique away from their competitors with a software patent, however. Bad Nintendo!

 

If definitely is a very interesting approach though. I look forward to seeing it in action.

 

Xbox360 also has a very high-tech cooling system, incidentally (though it is not water cooled as some have suggested), as presumably will Sony.

 

From Gamespot:

 

Revolution details due by year's end

 

Nintendo president says price, release date, and controller will be revealed; company in negotiations for third-party downloadable retro games for Revolution.

 

At its pre-E3 press conference, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed the first scant details on the Revolution, the company's bid into next-generation gaming. We now know about the system's backward compatibility, built-in Wi-Fi, wireless controllers, and free online service, but little else. Iwata avoided giving out any significant technical specs on the Revolution, and he showed only a nonfunctional mock-up of the console.

 

Fortunately, it looks like Nintendo fans won't have to wait until next year to learn more about the machine. Speaking with Reuters, Iwata said that details regarding the Revolution--including price, launch date, and its mystery controller--would be revealed by the end of the current year.

 

One of the surprising announcements made about the Revolution during E3 was its ability to download and play games from Nintendo consoles as far back as the NES. More surprising was that Iwata revealed to Reuters that Nintendo is in talks with third-party game publishers about including their portfolios in the Revolution's downloadable game library as well.

 

Iwata added that the pricing method for these downloads hasn't been decided, though there are two possibilities: to charge users per game as they download them or to sell prepaid cards in stores. He also said that Nintendo might give some games away as part of promotions.

 

Too bad that this screams "N64-ish late arrival," though.

[BUTT 0]

It will probably come out around the same time as the PS3. I know they say PS3 will be out in the beginning of 2006, but that would be dumb. You can't put out a game system that costs hundreds of dollars any time other than Christmastime. Sure, the hardcore gamers would snatch it up any time of the year, but for the mass market, late 2006 would be best.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I am not happy that they will apparently be keeping this technique away from their competitors with a software patent, however. Bad Nintendo!

Ha! Nintendo up to their old tricks, I see...

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Liquid metal cooled?

 

Now your console will run super cool and hunt down John Connor.

[AndrewTS 0]

I am not happy that they will apparently be keeping this technique away from their competitors with a software patent, however. Bad Nintendo!

Ha! Nintendo up to their old tricks, I see...

Considering they don't have tons of other revenue streams to make up for any losses, like their competitors, I don't blame them. At least it's perfectly legal.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

What is revolutionary about this console? It can download classic games at $20 a pop.

[AndrewTS 0]

What is revolutionary about this console? It can download classic games at $20 a pop.

Gee, that post-worthy.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

Hey, I am just wondering. They promised something revolutinary. I own a Gamecube, Playstation 2, and Xbox and all three systems have good things and bad things about them. I have heard rumors about the controller. Is that revolutionary? Maybe they can use a robot to control the games or they can have a virtual reality system.

 

I think Nintendo is slowly falling apart. Gameboy Micro, what the hell is that? They came up with, within the last 5 years, the GBA, the SP, the DS, and now the Micro GB. Of course, Nintendo said they were coming up with a successor to the GBA. I have a GBA but should I buy a DS or the next GBA nock off? The original Gameboy lasted about 10 years. It beat the Game Gear, the Lynx, and the other portables. Is Nintendo afraid of Sony? Is that why they have to release 3 Nintendo portables into the market.

 

What happens when the Pokemon generation grows up? They will get a Xbox. I think the people who buy Nintendo systems are: people like me who collect systems, people who grew up with the NES (me again), little kids, or people who like Nintendo's first party games.

 

I remember when the Gamecube launched. They showed the most beautiful Legend of Zelda sequence ever and well they turned to cell shaded graphics. It was an intresting touch but that video showed so much promise. The LOZ would have been a darker game like LOZ: OOT. I liked that game. I am stuck in the middle of the ocean in Wind Waker.

 

I understand that Nintendo does not want to make a cutting edge system and they want to make an affordable one.

 

Their marketing team wants to create hype for their product by calling it the Nintendo Revolution. Well Nintendo, give us a Revolution. Or just create more games for the SNES. There was nothing that system couldn't do and there were so many classics games on that system.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

I wrote this for my college English class.

 

Adam Elmayan

College Writing 101

Derik Casper

12/9/2004

 

 

The Rise and Fall of Nintendo

 

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall”- Anonymous

"U R Not E " – Playstation Launch Tagline

 

September 9, 1997 will live in infamy with Nintendo. The producers of video game systems and games never saw it coming. It was their fault and they brought it on themselves. After being on top of the video gaming world for more than a decade and holding a monopoly over it, it was over after September 7th. Nintendo invited Sony into the gaming world and Sony took it over. The Sony Playstation launched in the United States on that cold September day and the Sony Playstation would out sell the Nintendo 64. What went wrong with Nintendo that it went from number one to number two? How did Nintendo lose its audience to another company?

 

Nintendo started in Japan as a trading card company in 1890’s and during the 1960’s the company decided to switch it’s focus to manufacturing toys and video games. The company dabbled in various toys and other project but nothing was catching the public’s attention until Nintendo employee, Gunpei Yokoi came out with, Ultrahand, an electronic expansion arm that sold 1.2 million units. He would go on to develop a love testing machine for couples’, the light gun, and the Game Boy.

 

Over time Nintendo grew by selling video game products and accessories.

 

The Famicom (Family Computer), the Japanese name of the Nintendo Entertainment System, was released in 1983. It sold five hundred thousand units in two weeks because of a lack of competition. Soon after Nintendo became very popular in Japan and made billions of dollars and they made plans to manufacture and distribute their system in North America. In July of 1985, Nintendo announced that the Famicom would be renamed to Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Slowly the system was released in New York and then in 1986, the system became available in rest of the United States and Europe. The NES would outsell its competitors ten to one due to games like Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and of course Super Mario Brothers. (Super Mario Brothers would sell forty million copies worldwide and be one of the best selling games of all time.)

 

Soon a marketing frenzy from my favorite Japanese company came with cereal boxes, game shows, cartoons, and other things came about with these new characters. One of my favorite shows in the 1980’s was the Super Mario Brothers Super Show which featured wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano as Mario. Luigi and him would have an obstacle and someone from the outside would help them like WWF Champion Sergeant Slaughter. (Maybe the World Wrestling Federation instead of Nintendo funded this show. Anyway, I am ten years away from watching wrestling from this point). The great part of this show was that they would have an animated cartoon with either the Mario Brothers, the Legend of Zelda, or Captain N The Game Master.

 

Captain N The Game Master was one the greatest mini-shows ever. It started with this guy (Captain N) with his dog Duke and one day they are in front of the TV, playing video games of course. Then suddenly a burst of light comes out of the TV and pulls him in to the video game world with his dog. They befriend Mega Man, Simon Belmont (Castlevania), Icarus, and other video gaming heroes again Mother Brain (Metroid), Eggplant Wizard (Kid Icarus), and other villains. Captain N would use his Power Zapper and his Control Pad to thwart his enemies. This show was used to sell some games and show kids that eggplant wizards and frozen hippos can get along.

 

Because Nintendo became a household name replacing Atari for video games, it became pop-culture. Nickelodeon had Nick Arcade, which featured all sorts of different systems that the contestants could play and in the end they could be in a video game. I do not know how Nickelodeon put kids in a video game but they did it.

 

The year of 1990 was one of Nintendo’s most successful years, as the Super Famicom sold out in Japan. Super Mario Brothers 3 became one of the best selling games of all time. The game made the company five hundred million dollars richer and it would go on to sell eighteen million copies worldwide. Nintendo followed its year of accomplishment by another year by releasing the Super Nintendo (SNES) and the Game Boy. This giant company made a massive amount of money on these systems and these games. Everything was going great until Nintendo decided to venture out and try something new.

 

Japan based Sega was Nintendo’s main rival around this time period. Sega released their 16-bit system early but it did not gain as much of the market as they would like to have had. Nintendo’s main rival released a CD Drive add-on for their Sega Genesis system in order to add multimedia capabilities to their system. This troubled Nintendo greatly and they turned to Sony for help. The corporation wanted to develop a CD add-on for the SNES and Sony was going to help them. Sony already worked with Nintendo by making the SNES’s superior sound chip.

After countless negotiations, Sony announced at the 1991 Consumer Electronics Show that the Play Station would play Sony’s Super CD’s, Nintendo’s game cartridges, and other multimedia. Nintendo was shocked about this announcement because they did not agree to this and they came out the next day and announced they would be working with Phillips. Eventually they realized they needed each other because Sony had the tools to utilize the maximum potential of the sound chip and Sony wanted to develop software for the CD drive.

 

Things were not fine between Nintendo and Sony. Nintendo dropped the CD drive idea and released Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Star Fox. Sony shifted its focus and went to create their system. They dedicated themselves to making a console that was a 3D graphics powerhouse. Sony wanted to succeed where others failed by making a gaming machine and having enough third party support so it could survive. Nintendo and Sega started working on their next generation systems.

Nintendo in 1994 announced that their next system would not use CD’s. This was a bad idea because cartridges were expensive to produce and can only hold a fraction of data compared to a CD. This was a part of Nintendo’s downfall that they decided to be different than their competition and cling on to the past. Nintendo’s decision cost them Square, makers of Final Fantasy series, because cartridges could not contain their large role-playing games with all the music and videos that are contained in them. Square jumped on Sony’s bandwagon and it hurt Nintendo. (Square came out with Final Fantasy VII and it broke sales records. It became one the best selling video games ever, second to Super Mario Brothers 3. The Final Fantasy sequels also had huge sales numbers.)

Sony spent a lot of money on the advertising of the Playstation. For example, Sony sponsored the 1995 MTV Music Awards in order to reach a more mature audience. During the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sony spent millions of dollars on its booth and paid Michael Jackson to perform there. Nintendo pandered to its same audience, which grew up since the NES, and Nintendo did not realize it.

 

Playstation sold 5l million units worldwide while the Nintendo 64 sold 32 million units. Nintendo has not been number one since then and has only lead in the portable console market because it has a monopoly over it.

Sony found Nintendo’s weaknesses and exploited them by finding a new market to sell systems to: teens and adults. Nintendo had problems with teenagers and adults because of censorship issues. Mortal Kombat was a hugely controversial fighting game that had massive amounts of blood (for that time period) and it had fatalities (finishing moves that would kill different characters in brutal ways) in it. The game was so popular that is was going to be converted to the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. Nintendo made the company porting the game to remove the blood and replace it with sweat, tone down the fatalities, and call the fatalities finishing moves instead. Sega did not make the developer change anything. This strategy backed fired on Nintendo. Mortal Kombat on the Genesis outsold the Super Nintendo’s version 3 to 1. Nintendo thought it was doing the world a favor by censoring the game but Nintendo got angry letters from consumers outraged over this. This hurt Nintendo’s reputation and even though the next two Mortal Kombat games went unchanged from Nintendo, they have been looked down as a company catering for young people.

Nintendo looked stale compared to Sony because all Nintendo did was release sequels. Sony released Crash Bandicoot, Gran Turismo, and Tekken. These games were fresh compared to Mario’s tenth game where he has to rescue the princess. Nintendo, in order to shed its family image further, let Capcom release Resident Evil 2 (a violent zombie game) on the Nintendo 64. It also let one of its developers release a game where a squirrel has an adventure in a messed up world in order to get some shock value (Conker’s Bad Fur Day)

After the failure of the Nintendo 64, Nintendo left the cartridges behind and designed their next system to use mini DVD’s in order to prevent piracy. Unfortunately, the system was not designed to play regular CD’s or DVD’s like the Playstation 2 or Microsoft’s console, the Xbox, which some people consider when purchasing a system. Nintendo was looked down upon for this and for not having online play. Nintendo is still number two between Sony and Microsoft in console sales and Sony is releasing a portable system in order to compete with Nintendo.

With the next generation systems on the horizon, Nintendo will try to work on the mistakes of the past. Nintendo was on top for a long time and they out lasted most of their competitors. Nintendo wants to be number one again as it tries its hardest to do so but it has a huge mountain to climb in Sony. Nintendo can reach the top if it tries to be more mainstream by offering online game play or something marketable otherwise more gamers will jump on another companies bandwagon. Nintendo can at least say that they made money on their console unlike the Xbox that loses hundreds of dollars per console.

There have be rumors of other companies joining these console wars but nobody else has risen to the challenge. Nintendo has a tough challenge ahead because its opponents are not from the gaming world. If they fail, Microsoft has another operating system or version of Office to make money and Sony can develop another format that no one will ever use to fall back on. Winning the console wars is do or die for Nintendo

 

Bibliography

 

“NINTENDO LAND - The best site for info about Nintendo's classic video games.” <http://www.nintendoland.com/home2.htm?history/ > NintendoLand.com

Accessed 16 Oct 2004

 

“History of Playstation”

<http://psx.ign.com/articles/060/060188p1.html?fromint=1 > IGN,con

Accessed 16 Oct 2004

 

“History of Playstation” by Adam Elmayan

< http://home.att.net/~thexbox/frame.htm> Home.Att.Net/~thexbox

Accessed 16 Oct 2004

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Erm...and what grade were you given for that piece?

[AndrewTS 0]

That he completely ignores the fact that Sony launched neck-and-neck with the Saturn, like Sega didn't matter and that there wasn't a large gap in time from the PS1 to the N64 is somewhat irksome.

 

"Because Nintendo became a household name replacing Atari for video games, it became pop-culture. Nickelodeon had Nick Arcade, which featured all sorts of different systems that the contestants could play and in the end they could be in a video game. I do not know how Nickelodeon put kids in a video game but they did it."

 

This paragraph kind of lays there and dies. Do you realize that NA had tons of Sega Genesis titles on their regularly? I recall the Sonic games, Atomic Runner, and Golden Axe off the top of my head.

 

"What happens when the Pokemon generation grows up? They will get a Xbox. "

 

Yes, I'm sure that kids that grew up playing an RPG series religiously are going to switch to *X-Boxes*.

 

"Is that revolutionary?"

 

Well, you don't exactly know yet, do you? Just because Microsoft is unfashionably early doesn't mean that Sony and Nintendo should be letting everyone be privy to all their plans. Patience, grasshopper.

 

"After the failure of the Nintendo 64"

 

23 million consoles sold isn't a failure. Nintendo's biggest problem is that they're facing off against two collossal mega-corporations with nigh-unlimited resources (you mentioned this, almost negligibly, in your conclusion). So, if to compete they have to go against the grain, be secretive, register patents on their technologies and even programming methods, then that's what they've got to do.

 

Erm...and what grade were you given for that piece?

 

Probably a lot better than he would if his professor knew much about the gaming industry.

 

Where is Game and Watch? That was a big impetus for Nintendo getting into the console/gaming business. Where's the mention of the gaming crash? Nintendo started from stratch in a dead industry to build the NES up. Nice to see you included the early Sony/Nintendo relationship, though.

[BUTT 0]

From what I've read Sony was always planning to release their own system, even if the deal for the Super NES CD-ROM had gone through.

[AndrewTS 0]

From what I've read Sony was always planning to release their own system, even if the deal for the Super NES CD-ROM had gone through.

Hm, I'd be interested in seeing the source on that.

 

I have plenty of faith in the Revolution to be, if nothing else, a great system with plenty of great games. However, the Dreamcast fits that description as well. If its Nintendo's last console, so be it, it won't make it a bad system.

 

I'm obviously a Nintendo fan, but I think it's unreasonable to call a system D.O.A. now. Only 360 is a tangible product. The market leader is currently a sleeping giant. The company who is supposed to be on death watch isn't going to be showing their system, all its features, and its games for quite a long time.

 

I'm much more impressed with the DS right now than the PSP, and will be picking one up when some of those killer titles shown at E3 come out. I'm sure plenty of people are digging the PSP, though, but it looks like a PS2.5 to me. So for myself, personally, the "rare hardware power isn't everything" rhetoric seems more meaningful than the Sony/MS neophyte graphic whores.

[BUTT 0]

I was just watching the Nintendo E3 conference on IGN, and Satoru Iwata said that Revolution will be able to play DVDs "with a small internal attachment". Huh?

[Use Your Illusion 0]

"After the failure of the Nintendo 64"

 

23 million consoles sold isn't a failure.  Nintendo's biggest problem is that they're facing off against two collossal mega-corporations with nigh-unlimited resources (you mentioned this, almost negligibly, in your conclusion).  So, if to compete they have to go against the grain, be secretive, register patents on their technologies and even programming methods, then that's what they've got to do.

 

Good point. Regardless of what anyone says, Nintendo made a hell of a lot of money from their Nintendo 64, proud owner of one myself.

 

Probably a lot better than he would if his professor knew much about the gaming industry.

 

I personally didn't think it was particularly that well written.

[BUTT 0]

"After the failure of the Nintendo 64"

 

23 million consoles sold isn't a failure.  Nintendo's biggest problem is that they're facing off against two collossal mega-corporations with nigh-unlimited resources (you mentioned this, almost negligibly, in your conclusion).  So, if to compete they have to go against the grain, be secretive, register patents on their technologies and even programming methods, then that's what they've got to do.

 

Good point. Regardless of what anyone says, Nintendo made a hell of a lot of money from their Nintendo 64, proud owner of one myself.

More money, from what I've read, than Sony made from Playstation, which isn't hard to believe when youi consider the losses Sony must have taken in the beginning.

[AndrewTS 0]

I personally didn't think it was particularly that well written.

Ditto. Aside from important stuff omitted and strange things emphasized, the structure seemed very poor. Perfectly fine for MB post, but when I do an essay I know that I need to be more organized.

 

I was just watching the Nintendo E3 conference on IGN, and Satoru Iwata said that Revolution will be able to play DVDs "with a small internal attachment". Huh?

 

Sounds like a DVD playback kit similar to the X-Box's.

[Guest OSIcon]

I hate how Nintendo is more and more becoming the WCW of the gaming industry in regards to fan perception. There are a fair share of people these days that not only think Nintendo is terrible right now, but will act as if they have done nothing right over the last 10 years. It is just the case of the leaders (Sony and Microsoft) making it seem like Nintendo can't do anything right (or nearly anything right) and their fans all buying it.

 

That isn't to say Nintendo is blamless or perfect, because they definitely aren't, but there does seem to be a general trend of people beleiving that Nintendo has been far worse in the past 10 years than it actually was. Again, it is just like how many people believe (mainly because the WWE told them so) that WCW was never good except for a brief period from 1996-1997 and even then they blew that.

 

I don't know how the Nintendo 64 could be considered a failure. The number of units sold, the quality of games, and the innovations (analog stick? four controler ports? rumble pack?) all would indicate that it wasn't a failure. Maybe not a slam dunk success, but far from a failure. Also misconceptions like "Nintendo only markets to kids while X-Box and PS2 are the systems of choice for older players" have become as good as gospel to a lot of people. The truth is....and it has been mentioned elsewhere here....is that kids tend to be drawn to the more "mature" games (and therefore PS2 and X-Box) because that's just how kids are. On the flip side, a lot of older players enjoy Nintendo systems because it provides more of the characters and gameplay they are use to. If a study was actually done (maybe one has, I don't know), I think the berakdowns in demographics would be a lot more similiar among the systems then most people believe. Not to mention that the Gamecube does have quality games like Perfect Dark and Resident Evil 4 which are clearly NOT "cartoony kids games."

 

I also don't get the rationale behind faulting Nintendo for patening technology. Yea, in a perfectly fair world all technology would be free flowing knowledge among gaming companies so that everyone has the chance to provide the best product. Of course in a perfectly equal world, all of the console manufacturers would lso have a large and equal amount of money from which to work from. Reality is that Sony and Microsoft have advantages that Nintendo doesn't have. This includes capital, general exposure, the backing of major corporations, ect. So Nintendo has to make its advatages where ever possible. If that means patening technology (which is not only legal, but seems ethical to me as well), then so be it.

 

I guess it just bugs me as a Nintendo fan. I was also a WCW fan so go figure. It's fine to get on Nintendo for what they are actually do wrong and there are enough examples of that, but it irks me when people rewrite history to make it seem like Nintendo does nothing right.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

I think it was my Final paper for the class and I got a B+ in the class overall. I wrote about the NHL lockout from the standpoint of both sides and I will probably get an A-.

 

Check my sources. I didn't look Sega Saturn figures. I wanted to keep it between Sony vs. Nintendo because I found it intrestling about how they used work with each other. I also find it intresting, that a company that did not have that much experience in the video game industry could take down a giant like Nintendo. The Nintendo 64 sold a huge amount of consoles but Sony moved more. Why? Was it because of marketing or what? I think the DS is the handheld they need tp stick with instead of the GBA 2. Maybe the Revolution should play Genesis games, wouldn't that be revolutionary. Old Sega games that aren't Sonic games on a Nintendo system. I actually do not like Sony for undercutting Sega and the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast was a great system with good first party games.

 

I was wondering. honestly, should Nintendo make Mario spin offs? I liked Mario Kart, Mario Paint, and Super Smash Brothers. The problem I have is that a new system comes out (ie the Gamecube) and then Super Mario Sunshine comes out and then spin offs. What? I spent $150 for one more game that expands the Mario storyline and there isn't another SMS sequel on the Gamecube. The NES had Mario Brothers, Super Mario Brothers, SMB2, and SMB3. I have to buy the Revolution just to get one more sequel to their series. Wasn't Super Smash Brothers: Melee launched near the release of the Gamecube or somewhere around there. Now they announce there will be a new one for the Revolution. Why? I spent $150. Can't I get a sequel for Melee?

 

As it stated in Time magazine, Bill Gates has invested billions in the Xbox and has not seen a dime for it, yet. When the Xbox launched, I think Micro soft lost about $250 on each consoles sold. Most you believe Sony has done the same and I do not have hard figures to show whether or not they make money on the. I know Nintendo makes money on their systems. Wasn't last year that Nintendo announced that they were in the red after all those years of profitability. What can Nintendo do to be number one again?

[razazteca 0]

What can Nintendo do to be number one again?

The only hope is to hype up a game genre that has been dead for years. Nintendo needs to find the next big thing, the next killer app, the next Tetris.

[AndrewTS 0]

What can Nintendo do to be number one again?

The only hope is to hype up a game genre that has been dead for years. Nintendo needs to find the next big thing, the next killer app, the next Tetris.

Or, more specifically, use their new technology (whatever it is) to create games that can only be done on the Revolution.

 

Nintendo's making lots of follow-ups to hit properties because they're safe, but people neglect the fact that they're making some new franchises as well. Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Warioware, Cubivore, Custom Robo in addition to updates of their other franchises. However, because those newer ones aren't heavily action-oriented, they're often overlooked.

 

And yes, it's extremely disconcerting to see how many kids nag their parents into buying them PS2s so they can play Grand Theft Auto.

 

Not to mention that the Gamecube does have quality games like Perfect Dark and Resident Evil 4 which are clearly NOT "cartoony kids games."

 

Perfect Dark for Gamecube? Huh?

 

I don't really feel the WCW comparison is really apt. Even so, WCW had a billionaire financing it and still managed to be inept in everything from booking to production, while Nintendo has hardily stuck it out as the last company to be strictly a game company.

 

I don't feel Nintendo should overdue the sequels, but would having another Mario 3D platformer be such a crazy idea?

 

Oh, and *finally* they're making a Kirby platformer for the Gamecube: http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/ki...creenindex.html

 

OMG GRAFFX2KIDDIEITSUXXORS. The Cube was Kirby-less for too long. Air Ride was an N64 game that was in development limbo until it came out on GC, BTW, so I don't really count it.

[razazteca 0]

Sony has RPGs, Xbox has Live, and Nintendo has Smash Brothers? Is this franchise that strong to carry the Revolution?

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Do I *really* need to sit there here and list off everything that is marketable about Nintendo's own game line-up?

[razazteca 0]

Not really, but Nintendo is no longer #1 for a reason. And it seems that those tradtional trademark characters are not the answer for the problems that keeps Nintendo from being #1. As you can see that PS2 has several platform games that can persuade the Mario fans to Sony so depending on Mario & Sonic is not the answer.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

I think I would like to compare the Gamecube to the Dreamcast.

 

They both had great 1st party games.

Their third parties were lacking.

Sony generated more hype for the Playstation 2.

Both systems have rabid followers.

 

Maybe Nintendo needs a new CEO or something. Someone who could give the company a better direction. I have mixed feeling about the E3. Sony showed some amazing graphics but I remember the PS2 and its hype. Apparently Xbox's press conference was staged and they were Apple PowerPC's to show stuff. Nintendo sitting there quietly. Maybe Nintendo is waiting for both companies to kill each other and then Nintendo will pick up the pieces.

 

New question: Should the N64 used cartridges? There are pros and cons to cartridges.

[BUTT 0]

New question: Should the N64 used cartridges? There are pros and cons to cartridges.

From a financial standpoint, it was a positive, because creating a cartridge-based system is cheaper than a CD-based system. Cartridges are much more expensive to produce than CDs, but Nintendo charged $10-$30 more for their games than Sony did, so they made up for it. Also, the Nintendo game designers really didn't like load times, and to reduce that on a CD system would require Nintendo to add more RAM to the system, which would again increase the cost.

 

However, it did alienate third party publishers, who went with Sony and cost Nintendo a lot of market share and their #1 position in the console wars. But had they gone with CDs, Nintendo would have had to take a loss, something they obviously didn't want to do. It's something that will be debated for a long time, and there is plenty of reason to support the belief that Nintendo shouldn't have used cartridges, but I'm tired of seeing written everywhere like it's a fact that Nintendo chose cartridges when there was no reason not to go with CDs.

[Guest OSIcon]

Perfect Dark for Gamecube? Huh? tongue.gif

 

I meant Beyond Good & Evil. It's been a long two days.

[AndrewTS 0]

Not really, but Nintendo is no longer #1 for a reason. And it seems that those tradtional trademark characters are not the answer for the problems that keeps Nintendo from being #1. As you can see that PS2 has several platform games that can persuade the Mario fans to Sony so depending on Mario & Sonic is not the answer.

 

Because nearly all of the GC's lineup are made up of Mario/Sonic games...?

 

Tons of those platformers are multi-platform, but PS2 does have Sly/R&C/Jaks exclusively.

 

Their third parties were lacking.

 

I disagree almost completely. Third party support for the Dreamcast was very strong. Once it got past its initial PC shovel-ware stage, it had tons of support. Sega themselves, Namco, Capcom, Ubisoft, Sega Sports, Lucasarts, Konami, Midway, GameArts, Acclaim, Activision, etc all threw their support behind the Dreamcast. The only *huge* names that they didn't have that Sony had were probably Square and EA.

 

However, Sega had problems overcoming their past images as failures due to the 32x, Sega CD, and Saturn.

 

It wasn't just Sony's hype--it was their choice in media. With the switchover to DVDs, 3rd parties deserted the Dreamcast, and it was all over. Sega basically got creamed by Sony two console generations in a row before Sony had even launched their system against them.

 

Nintendo has an impressive list of third parties right now, but the quantity and variety of the games they're putting out is a little sparse. MS/Sony have 3rd parties that they don't have, specifically ones that appeal more to Western gamers.

 

Sega also was a game and game console company first, and didn't have the resources to take on Sony, not that it mattered much with the Dreamcast at that point.

 

Sensei's already covered the cart/CD argument well, so kudos on that.

 

Maybe Nintendo needs a new CEO or something. Someone who could give the company a better direction.

 

Way to no-sell my "Sony is a massive multi-national conglomerate with their hands in the music industry, entertainment industry, movie industry, electronics industry, in addition to supporting the Playstation line" point. Their influence is so broad-reaching and their resources so vast, I don't blame Nintendo for losing market share to them. The fact that they're alive right now is a testament to them more than anything. Asking "how could Nintendo lose their #1 spot to them?" is a pretty damn stupid question, I think.

 

Another question: does having the most powerful console automatically give you a huge competitive edge in the business?

 

History seems to indicate it is irrelevant. The only time I think that the most powerful console was the most dominant in the industry was the 16-bit era, and the Genesis was still tough competition for the SNES. However, it wasn't totally because of the system's power, either. Plus, during the tail-end of that era you had the launches of the 3DO and Jaguar, which both went over like lead balloons (I guess 6 out 7 people are blithering idiots, hm Panasonic?).