The Press Show

Obviously here’s the big day. This is where Nintendo will be, as some would say, “Setting up us the bomb.” Nintendo has been keeping everything tight lipped until now. For many reasons. We, as Nintendophiles are used to the “show your cards last” mentality of the Nintendo system launch. Here’s all of the secrets I think we will know about when we walk out of the press event….

Official US GameCube Unveiling: Granted, the GameCube was originally debuted at SpaceWorld, and in Europe at ETCS, but not here in the US. Here we will find out the final design of the GameCube as well as it’s controller. We will find out final color schemes for the GameCube. I would almost guess there would be a new “tech demo” like the Mario 128 demo seen at Space World.

Official Launch Dates: Pretty much self explanatory. We already know the release date of GBA, so that’s not really a big deal. This is where we will find both the Japanese and USA release dates for the GameCube. If we are lucky, we’ll find out Europe, Austrailia, and the rest of the world. We’ll know the release dates for USA and Japan for sure.

E3 Game Lineup: I’m sure this will be done in video form where they will show all of the titles that will be playable (or on video) at the show. I also think Shigeru will demonstrate the GameCube controller as he did at Space World, and my guess, it will be playing the next Mario Title. I would also think that we would see at 3-4 games being played in real time. Mario, Rogue Squadron 2 for sure.

Second/Third Party Support: What big names did Nintendo nail down to make games for GameCube and GBA? Who’s making what? Will Square be on board? How much is Sega doing on the Cube and GBA? Does the ease of development in fact attract developers to the next generation Nintendo systems? These questions should be covered fully.

GameCube controller changes: I think there will be a few. If it’s either adding an extra Z-Trigger (to make the controller balanced), or adding a microphone for Voice over IP, Nintendo’s got something hidden. Possibly the extending of the controller’s “arms”. Nintendo has hinted at the possibility of changes in the controller many times…we just don’t know what they might do. Remember, these are the people that brought innovations like the analog stick, and the rumble pak.

GameCube Network: This is going to be a very big deal. What are Nintendo’s online plans? When will we be able to play against each other online? Will the 56k modem be packed in with GameCube? When will broadband be available? Is Nintendo going to have Nintendo.net ala Sega.net?

GameCube is going to be online. Maybe we’ll see the return (or the debut) of “Star Road”!

GBA Network?: The Mobile GB adapter to be released in the US? Could be! When Game Boy originally came out, what was the oddest demo that purchased it first? The adult businessman. Why? They could play Tetris on business trips and in transit. What does the regular businessman have? A cell phone. But now the demographics for what age groups own cell phones is getting lower by the moment. Teenagers are buying phones themselves because it’s cheap, and there are more advantages than getting a second phone line at home. Kids are also getting cell phones from their parents so they can stay in touch. Granted it’s still a little spendy for a cell phone, but it’s getting a lot cheaper. Cheaper means a much higher user base. A much higher userbase = Nintendo’s attention. You see where I’m going with this? Somehow they will get GBA online in the US. It’’ll be either through the GameCube (which would ruin the whole portable network concept) or through the Mobile Adapter GB. My vote is still for the latter.

Official First Party Accessories: Link cables, Memory Cards, GBA Adapters, Extra Controllers, Mice / Keyboards (please god!), and the like. Also, this area will let us know the color scheme of the controllers for launch.

GBA/GameCube Connection: I think Nintendo could, right out of the gates have a game ready that utilizes the GBA – GameCube connection. They’ve stated in the past that they probably wouldn’t do something like this for another year or so, but if football’s coming, they better utilize it. Plus, we’ll find out how they will interact.