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NWR Interactive => TalkBack => Topic started by: NWR_pap64 on May 13, 2010, 10:45:56 PM

Title: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: NWR_pap64 on May 13, 2010, 10:45:56 PM
The Nintendo President believes that there's still a future for console gaming.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=23075

 Nintendo President Satoru Iwata believes that console gaming will not become obsolete despite the advent of streaming services like Gaikai and Onlive. Iwata also feels the same way about social gaming, despite its audience overlapping with the same audience found on the Wii and DS.  "We do not think that the combination of a game system and dedicated software will last forever," Iwata explained in a recent Q&A with analysts. "However, we do not believe that hardware dedicated to gaming shall (become obsolete and) perish in a few years. I personally think that kind of scenario is unthinkable."    


"The reason why we have been making systems dedicated to games is because creating engaging experiences that cannot be available on other devices is the lifeline for the company,"    


Iwata concludes by stating that "Should we stop what we are doing, the current business configuration with a video game system and dedicated software could become obsolete. However, as we have been thinking and proposing new ideas one after another, we do not think that it will become obsolete at all."

Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: Ian Sane on May 14, 2010, 01:31:54 PM
I was unaware there was any idea of console gaming becoming obsolete.  With console versions of games being on par with PC versions these days it seems that console gaming was the future.

I think there will always be a market for dedicated videogame systems.  They may use digital distribution and they may also be portable but they will exist and will be able to attach to some sort of screen like a TV.  It may not be a huge mainstream market but it will exist.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: ShyGuy on May 14, 2010, 01:48:31 PM
Maybe at some point your cell phone will stream games to your TV wirelessly.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: ThePerm on May 14, 2010, 03:24:55 PM
well at some point when graphics reach their peak there wont be an ability to compete with the PC unless the interface is different or its a portable device. Will graphics reach their peak? Probably not, but they will hit a wall at some point.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on May 14, 2010, 04:00:02 PM
Eventually broadband speeds will be so fast and processors will be so powerful that all you will need is a monitor, a connection and a way to interact (a controller/remote).

You Monitor/TV will decode everything on the fly and you won't have to store anything on your side as it will all be streamed to you digitally, this includes TV, Movies and games. initially this will require some sort of set top box (what MS & Sony are fighting for at the moment while Apple tried a different approach with AppleTV), but eventually your display will handle everything for you.

If Nintendo doesn't adapt with the times and allow tech and it's function to evolve, the more convenient option may eventually win out, but Nintendo can be that convenient option if they allow themselves to be. You can only delay the inevitable for so long before you are just left behind wondering what just happened.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 14, 2010, 05:12:07 PM
"You Monitor/TV will decode everything on the fly"

Companies will have a bitter fight to establish the standard and some will have to outright die before this can happen.  Too many fragmented "me too" mini-standards and limited universal progress.  Not happening within the following console cycle.  We'll be too old to enjoy digital life.

If Nintendo abandons discs in favor of inexpensive high capacity memory carts for the next gen, they could be the ones to lead the charge.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on May 14, 2010, 06:13:24 PM
I meant in a not too distant future the 100% digital delivery standard would become a reality, but I don't see it happening anywhere within the next 20 years or so. Tech has to plateau first then become standardized as content becomes the money maker.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: Morari on May 14, 2010, 06:23:14 PM
Quote from: Ian Sane on May 14, 2010, 01:31:54 PM
I was unaware there was any idea of console gaming becoming obsolete.  With console versions of games being on par with PC versions these days it seems that console gaming was the future.

Console games only seem to be on par because many of the cross-platform titles are dumbed down for the consoles to begin with. While consoles game can often be highly optimized due to the single hardware configuration, the setups are instantly outdated and underpowered in comparison to even a modest computer.

PC gaming will never go away. Console games continue to gain popularity because developers and publishers like control. They want to be able to destroy the first-sale doctrine. They want to cut out advertised features per their discretion at any time in the future. They want to revoke licenses and ban players for arbitrary reasons. They want to force you to use their own gimped, advert-laden multiplayers servers so that they can ull the plug on them when the yearly sequel comes out. They want to nickel and dime you, charging $15 for a simple map pack. This is why developers like consoles. It offers control.

That's not the future I want.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: ThePerm on May 14, 2010, 07:13:18 PM
I think consoles will start turning into computers, the 360 is already like a better than your computer computer. The wii does almost everything my computer can already. Web games will reach a point of complexity of regular console games. Platforms will die out eventually, but not any time soon.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: Morari on May 14, 2010, 07:31:38 PM
Consoles are becoming multimedia centers. They'll never become personal computers. They're too locked down for that sort of expansive ability. A lot of people like that in a device though (people that buy Apple products, for example). I like being able to run my own servers and create new, custom levels on a whim. Gaming used to be a lot more entertaining when there were vast, creative communities that formed around certain titles. Now everything is simply pumped out by the developers and then charge for.

That's not to say that consoles don't have their place. I think consoles are loosing their place as they take on more features however. I like my Wii because it offers something that is not easily offered elsewhere. Sure I could hook the Wiimote up to my PC via a simple Bluetooth dongle (and have for Frets on Fire, via the Guitar Hero shell), but that's not really much fun without a working Wii emulator to play my discs with as well. :P
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 14, 2010, 08:13:25 PM
Sony stopped classifying PS3 as a personal computer.

EVERYTHING IS GOING BACKWARDS
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: MegaByte on May 14, 2010, 08:17:19 PM
Quote from: Morari on May 14, 2010, 07:31:38 PM
but that's not really much fun without a working Wii emulator to play my discs with as well. :P
There is a mostly working Wii emulator.  As long as your computer is fast.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: Morari on May 14, 2010, 10:35:58 PM
Computing power is certainly not an issue. The only decent one I've come across however was the Dolphin. It claims to be Wii compatible, but I only ever tried it with GameCube games. It's very possible that I've overlooked other options that are out there however.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on May 14, 2010, 10:40:21 PM
I've recently seen some screenshots from a Dolphin emulator for Wii and GC games and I was literally awestruck.

If Nintendo can upscale their games like that on the next system, then that could be a major selling point. It will also point out the poor art/texture work that alot of 3rd parties have put into the Wii this generation. Nintendo's own games look absolutely stunning in HD(especially for not being HD games). Makes me see what I'm missing.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: ThePerm on May 15, 2010, 02:26:44 AM
http://www.wiinintendo.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/metroid161.jpg

wow nice
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: MegaByte on May 15, 2010, 12:13:37 PM
Quote from: ThePerm on May 15, 2010, 02:26:44 AM
http://www.wiinintendo.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/metroid161.jpg

wow nice
I assume the top-left corner is supposed to show native resolution?
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: Morari on May 15, 2010, 09:15:27 PM
The top left corner appears to only show the frames per second. 54fps is pretty tolerable for a game like Metroid. Most people tend to prefer a range somewhere between 60-90 for faster first person shooters.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: ShyGuy on May 15, 2010, 10:35:49 PM
We had a discussion at work the other day about how all the electronics hobbies of the past. have become marginalized today. There used to be tons of PC enthusiasts, Home video enthusiasts, Audiophiles, and they used to have all thesed components and options to play with. Now it's all, use the small plastic device, eh good enough.

Who is to blame? MICROSOFT AND APPLE.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: MegaByte on May 15, 2010, 10:42:47 PM
Quote from: Morari on May 15, 2010, 09:15:27 PM
The top left corner appears to only show the frames per second. 54fps is pretty tolerable for a game like Metroid. Most people tend to prefer a range somewhere between 60-90 for faster first person shooters.
I meant the top-left quadrant.  It's pixelated whereas the rest of the screen isn't.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on May 15, 2010, 11:56:58 PM
Quote from: MegaByte on May 15, 2010, 10:42:47 PM
Quote from: Morari on May 15, 2010, 09:15:27 PM
The top left corner appears to only show the frames per second. 54fps is pretty tolerable for a game like Metroid. Most people tend to prefer a range somewhere between 60-90 for faster first person shooters.
I meant the top-left quadrant.  It's pixelated whereas the rest of the screen isn't.

I think that was just a very bad texture. You can polish a turd, but it's still a turd, and that texture was a turd.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: ThePerm on May 16, 2010, 12:09:00 AM
it is a bad texture, although at 54 frames a second that bad texture might not whiz by not looking so bad. It may not even really be a bad texture, but a bad texture appliance..usually in game design suites you can adjust the size of the texture, the artist probably uses a small texture on a large object...or because its in the distance its a case of mip mapping where its blurry because its in the distance and if you got closer to it it would be clear.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: KDR_11k on May 16, 2010, 03:57:54 AM
No, he's right, there's something going on there. Look at the polygon edges, they're definitely made of bigger pixels. Maybe there's some kind of post-processing filter used by the game on that area and it's set to operate in the regular framebuffer resolution?
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: ThePerm on May 16, 2010, 04:08:21 AM
maybe AA is turned off in the corner


...that is kinda weird
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 16, 2010, 04:42:50 AM
Quote from: KDR_11k on May 16, 2010, 03:57:54 AM
No, he's right, there's something going on there. Look at the polygon edges, they're definitely made of bigger pixels. Maybe there's some kind of post-processing filter used by the game on that area and it's set to operate in the regular framebuffer resolution?

He is right, the top-left quadrant is presenting the original resolution upscaled, to provide comparison.  The remaining three-quarters is running high-rez plus AA.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: NWR_insanolord on May 16, 2010, 06:45:09 AM
Quote from: ShyGuy² on May 15, 2010, 10:35:49 PM
We had a discussion at work the other day about how all the electronics hobbies of the past. have become marginalized today. There used to be tons of PC enthusiasts, Home video enthusiasts, Audiophiles, and they used to have all thesed components and options to play with. Now it's all, use the small plastic device, eh good enough.

Who is to blame? MICROSOFT AND APPLE.

There are still audiophiles; they're fucking annoying. Also, if you rip CDs to lossless and use the right headphones you can get as good sound out of an iPod as you could pretty much anything else. You can only get out of it what you put in.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: KDR_11k on May 16, 2010, 07:57:32 AM
Audiophiles believe music sounds better if you cover the cable in snake oil, there's no reason to listen to them.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: Ymeegod on May 16, 2010, 11:26:33 AM
"I like being able to run my own servers and create new, custom levels on a whim"  LoL--isn't that what publsihers are taking away from the PC games?  *cough* MW2 *cough*   Hell now you have to have a connection on at all times just to play the freaking SP modes (C&C4, AC2, ect).

As for Golive, I really don't see the advantage.  They are charging you $15 a month just for the service making it $180 yearly for something that can't even do 720P? Lets do a five year plan: 
$200 for a wii, no annual online fee = $200
Xbox 360 (arcade is $200 so I went with that) + 5 years of xbox live $250 = $450
PS3, no fee = $300
Golive 5 year plan = $900.........yeah I don't think this is the future of gaming.
Title: Re: Satoru Iwata on Consoles and Social Gaming
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on May 16, 2010, 01:04:56 PM
^I'll assume you were responding to me with the Golive response.

I never meant that Golive or OnLive is the future, but the their model for content delivery is the future of media into the home. in about 20~25 years time broadband/wifi(or their superior successors) should blanket most the heavily populated portions of this planet. Computers Processors and Internet connection speeds will be so fast and so many consumer products will be equipped to do more than one task, that just like today your phone is now a PC in your pocket, soon your TV will be your personal computer/gaming station/set-top box.

In the future the money will be made off of purely content delivery as any hardware will be multi-functional and in the cases of movies/tv/games a specific unit designed to play those specific things and only those specific things (dvd player, Wii, DVR cable box) will be obsolete. Next step is what the PS3 & Xbox are already attempting; combining all 3 into one. We already have TV's with built in Netflix & browser support. next step is to combine the box with the TV, maybe even with upgradeable components like a PC. but that seems to be where the tech is headed, so yes, eventually you will own a do-it-all monitor that will be hooked up to the World Wide Interwebz and you will subscribe to content providers, or pay for content that will in some ways or entirely be streamed to your Monitor.


Onlive or Golive(never heard of it) are only the first step of someone trying this approach out. Eventually all the kinks will be worked out and the tech needed for it(the idea, not the service) to be mainstream will eventually catch up.