In an interview published in the UK’s weekly gaming publication, MCV, president, Satoru, has discussed recent rumblings about Nintendo’s next home console, dubbed “Revolution”. Iwata reiterated the need to take the way players interact with hardware and software to different means, expanding what a console is capable of. Whether the medium, and what player’s use is different or “revolutionary” is a vivid blur at the moment, but one can assume that it’ll certainly be different from what’s traditionally accepted.
One concern that both analysts and the gaming public have expressed in light of Nintendo’s “industry-moving” proposals is support from third parties. Recent history has shown that developers had once showed unrivalled creativity for Nintendo consoles, and this is still evident for portables: DS and GBA:SP respectively. Yet home consoles appear to have had a weary, average list of software without much reason to play yet alone purchase their games. Will Nintendo’s sequel have stronger third party links and a wider selection of games? The answer essentially lies in the hardware and media solution. Will the media be easy to work with? Cost-effective?
Satoru Iwata noted that the revolution is essentially a risk, and since their announcement it certainly seems so. A developer either goes with Nintendo's new ideas and technology, or they don't.
"If the next generation platforms are going to create even more gorgeous looking games using further enhanced functionality, and if that next generation market can still expand the games industry, then I'm afraid that third-parties may not support Nintendo."
A fair point - it’s an expensive gamble, but an honest word from Nintendo. It happen in the past with the N64’s difficult, but much loved cartridge media. At this point in 2004, the DS was being introduced as if Nintendo were a new company, with something different, with features that drew in developing bodies, and persuaded them to explore, create and work with existing/new ideas. Nintendo had very compelling ideas; they explained their system to third parties with visual, realistic situations that were a starting point to what the console is capable of. Following on from his previous point, Iwata contrasted the Revolution to the DS, noting that third parties were very eager to work with Nintendo’s new ideas so this could follow suite with their next home console. "On the other hand, what we are trying to do is such a different thing, and people have come to realize that the approach we have taken with Nintendo DS can actually expand the market beyond what existing platforms can do. Therefore I believe there should be more third parties who are willing to support Nintendo's new ideas."
From how the industry has progressed with Nintendo in recent years, it seems that the path ahead for the revolution is somewhat weary. To be a success, their needs to be effective consumer backing by support from developers, and hopefully Nintendo’s ideas will allow for this. The hype has started to build – and although nothing substantial has been revealed in terms of hardware, basing what the DS has done and can do for the portable industry, we have every faith that Nintendo can successfully use this idealism for the next generation home console.
Form cubed3.comWhat this says to me is the Rev will be too different for straight ports from other systems, so either Developers will have to really support it, unlike the cube, or they will choose to avoid it.
Topic: Interesting comments by Iwata (Read 1541 times)
