Author Topic: Reggie Talks About All Things Nintendo (Read 8868 times)

TheYoungerPlumber · « **on:** February 20, 2006, 01:07:30 PM »

Reggie discusses Revolution development kits, hints at a new franchise for the upcoming console, and more in an interview with Engadget.

Peter Rojas of Engadget recently interviewed Reggie Fils-Aime of Nintendo of America on a variety of topics, and the VP provided more than a few interesting responses. Rojas presses Reggie on the limits of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, the state of Revolution software development (the company has shipped over 1,000 controller dev kits), and what we will see at E3.

Here's a snippet on why NOA is barely discussing Nintendo DS Lite.

Have you set a timetable for when the DS Lite will be available here in North America?

We have not announced the date and we won’t be announcing a date for the foreseeable future. We are working through our inventories and our allocations of product and frankly, we are doing everything we can just to meet current demand. Japan has already announced that they will launch in early March and they have the same challenges of meeting that very high level of demand.

We need to make sure that we have enough product in hand for us to launch effectively here in North America and as soon as we feel we are in that position we’ll announce it.

Readers engrossed in GameCube-Revolution forward-compatibility may need to reassess their hopes.

Speaking of GameCube, if you play a GameCube game on the new Revolution console, will you be able to use the Revolution controller or will you have to use the older style of controller?

Well, all of the GameCube games will be compatible only with GameCube accessories, so whether it’s a WaveBird or whether it’s a wired controller, you’ll only be able to play those titles with those accessories. Essentially what we’re saying is that Revolution titles are the only ones that will leverage the new controller.

And Fils-Aime assures gamers that new franchises will be among the games leveraging the new system and its controller—whatever it may be called. The company insists Revolution is a code name.

You can read the full interview with Reggie at Engadget.

Bill Aurion · « **Reply #1 on:** February 20, 2006, 01:51:01 PM »

"hints at a new franchise for the upcoming console"

The new franchise that was confirmed back at E3?

(Engadget was pretty silly to waste a question on that...)

TheYoungerPlumber · « **Reply #2 on:** February 20, 2006, 01:54:00 PM »

Actually, Reggie says it in the plural, so who knows? And a year is a long time--things get cancelled in that timespan.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #3 on:** February 20, 2006, 02:05:20 PM »

"Does that mean we could probably expect a third iteration of the DS about 18 months from now?

I wouldn’t say that that’s an unreasonable assumption. Look at how many times we’ve improved on the Game Boy Advance in terms of the look, the feel, screen changes, and everything else."

Oh great. I just love how I can no longer feel confident in buying a Nintendo portable without fear that a better version is around the corner. Dammit, this very type of BS is exactly why I stick to proprietary consoles over PCs. Buy once, be satisfied forever.

It bothers me that when asked about Zelda he gives the typical "well TECHNICALLY we only said 2006 so it's not delayed" routine. Nintendo always does that and it bugs me. Yeah technically they only said 2006 but when everyone interpreted that as Spring they didn't stop us. I would have said something like "we only said 2006 and unfortunately several stores started printing release dates earlier than what we were aiming for. We're sorry that any of our fans felt that was the real date and we'll try to be more clear in the future." That sort of statement shows that they care instead of their usual statement where it's like they're dodging responsibility.

Bill Aurion · « **Reply #4 on:** February 20, 2006, 02:06:38 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: TheYoungerPlumber
Actually, Reggie says it in the plural, so who knows? And a year is a long time--things get cancelled in that timespan.

A Miyamoto idea being cancelled? Nuh uh!

Smash_Brother · « **Reply #5 on:** February 20, 2006, 02:28:54 PM »

"We have shipped over a thousand controller dev kits to developers so that they can begin getting experience with the controller mechanics."

:gawk:

I liked this quote...

"I find it quite interesting that our competitors are more interested in trying to pigeonhole us versus articulating a clear strategy amongst themselves that differentiates where they’re trying to do in the marketplace."

And this was perfect...

"To be perfectly clear, the Microsoft and Sony strategies are based on overall corporate objectives versus what’s right for the consumer. That’s a reality. Microsoft is essentially trying to get you to put a PC in your living room because they are fundamentally a PC software company. Sony is trying to get you to put an entertainment hub that has Blu-ray technology because that’s important to their movie business and the rest of their entire electronics business."

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #6 on:** February 20, 2006, 02:33:56 PM »

The latest GamePro issue, referencing Famitsu, discusses the delay of Zelda into 2007.

GameCube is so dead.

Strell · « **Reply #7 on:** February 20, 2006, 02:45:17 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane

Oh great. I just love how I can no longer feel confident in buying a Nintendo portable without fear that a better version is around the corner. Dammit, this very type of BS is exactly why I stick to proprietary consoles over PCs. Buy once, be satisfied forever.

The difference with the DS-DSL and GBA-GBASP is that the SP is more "needed" than the DSL is. All the DSL does is give a redesign. The SP incorporated backlight, something that is sorely needed/required in portables now. The only reason Nintendo stayed back was because of battery issues, and now that tech has advanced, it is no longer an issue.

But what does the DSL "solve" that the DS doesn't? Aesthetics, pure and simple. There is no need for it, there is want for it.

A DSL SP down the line? Oh well. Every console company (with the exception of Microsoft, because they hardly know what the hell they are doing) redesigns their stuff these days. Sony will probably release a PSPL at some point.

I'm really getting tired of people whining about redesigns, like they feel like they are getting shafted. Hi, you get the play the games now versus later. Quite your bitching.

Chris1 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 20, 2006, 03:04:19 PM »

I can't believe he hasn't seent he Nintendo ON video, I thought everyone's seen that! But I did like this quote about the Rev "that is certainly high-tech and certainly powerful enough to create the most sophisticated games"

zakkiel · « **Reply #9 on:** February 20, 2006, 03:31:37 PM »

"Oh great. I just love how I can no longer feel confident in buying a Nintendo portable without fear that a better version is around the corner."

This is like refusing to ever buy a PC. Sure, something better will be out shortly; the question is, is the product worth buying now for you or not? If you're willing to wait and miss gaming hours because you'd rather apply the money to a better version, more power to you. If not - if the putative upgrade is unlikely to be worth the time lost waiting for it - then buy now. That's how the technology market works.

Shecky · « **Reply #10 on:** February 20, 2006, 03:42:17 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: PGC NewsBot
Readers engrossed in GameCube-Revolution forward-compatibility may need to reassess their hopes.

Speaking of GameCube, if you play a GameCube game on the new Revolution console, will you be able to use the Revolution controller or will you have to use the older style of controller?

"Well, all of the GameCube games will be compatible only with GameCube accessories, so whether it’s a WaveBird or whether it’s a wired controller, you’ll only be able to play those titles with those accessories. Essentially what we’re saying is that Revolution titles are the only ones that will leverage the new controller."

Hmm, if that's true there goes BC out of the box. I can't imagine that this is 100% strict. If the shell has enough buttons to support a Gamecube game, then why not let us use it for GC games? Sure the motion capabilities don't have any effect, but at least you don't force people to buy a GC controller let alone Nintendo would have to keep producing GC controllers. It doesn't seem to benefit either side.

PaLaDiN · « **Reply #11 on:** February 20, 2006, 03:57:37 PM »

Is he talking about the controller itself or the controller+shell?

ShyGuy · « **Reply #12 on:** February 20, 2006, 04:04:45 PM »

Let me quote something a Taiwanese distributor once said about upgrades.

"Buy sooner, enjoy sooner, regret sooner"
"Buy later, enjoy later, regret later"
"Never buy, never enjoy, ALWAYS regret"

Artimus · « **Reply #13 on:** February 20, 2006, 05:11:21 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Oh great. I just love how I can no longer feel confident in buying a Nintendo portable without fear that a better version is around the corner. Dammit, this very type of BS is exactly why I stick to proprietary consoles over PCs. Buy once, be satisfied forever.

Your example is exceptionally flawed. Your original DS, like the original GBA, will play every single game to come out for the system. A PC can become outdated and no longer able to play new games. Perhaps your DS will be a little older and not quite as fancy, but that's to be expected because of new and cheaper technology. Nintendo would've loved to have released the DSL first, I'm sure. But development and/or price costs didn't allow them to.

Your DS plays all the games. End of story.

Smash_Brother · « **Reply #14 on:** February 20, 2006, 06:16:22 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Artimus
Your DS plays all the games. End of story.

...and it's backlit and has all of the same functions.

Need I remind people that Sony does this kind of thing with home consoles where they actually release BETTER versions of the console (like better hardware, more features)? There was a PS1 "upgrade" at some point. I watched a PS1 without it run Gran Turismo and it had severe framerate issues. The newer PS1 ran it without issue.

The DS Lite is almost an exception because it has a better screen, but that's an aesthetic feature and not a form of functionality (whereas slowdown vs. no slowdown or 480p support is DEFINITELY a feature).

Caliban · « **Reply #15 on:** February 20, 2006, 06:31:08 PM »

Man, did I ever get confused on Reggie's statement about the use of the controller in terms of backward-compatibility for GC games, I hope in the future they make a clear statement on that issue, well I only need to know if I can get rid of the GC controllers with exception of the bongo-controller.

Jensen · « **Reply #16 on:** February 20, 2006, 07:54:01 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane

Oh great. I just love how I can no longer feel confident in buying a Nintendo portable without fear that a better version is around the corner.

Every successful Nintendo system has had redesigns, what's new? The only system that didn't have a redesign had a RAM add-on to give it more power.

ruby_onix · « **Reply #17 on:** February 20, 2006, 11:19:19 PM »

Thread title needs to be changed to "Rev Controllers Won't Work on GC Games".

Quote
Have you set a timetable for when the DS Lite will be available here in North America?

We have not announced the date and we won’t be announcing a date for the foreseeable future. We are working through our inventories and our allocations of product and frankly, we are doing everything we can just to meet current demand. Japan has already announced that they will launch in early March and they have the same challenges of meeting that very high level of demand.

We need to make sure that we have enough product in hand for us to launch effectively here in North America and as soon as we feel we are in that position we’ll announce it.

Quote
Exactly. They have gone down a path that is very expensive for consumers, very expensive for developers to create content against, and they're providing a level of horsepower technology that not many consumers want. We in providing to consumers and to developers an approach that is certainly high-tech and certainly powerful enough to create the most sophisticated games,

Shifts from making good Reggie-sense, to saying the exact same things I heard before Quest 64 came out.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #18 on:** February 20, 2006, 11:54:08 PM »

Every successful Nintendo system has had redesigns, what's new? The only system that didn't have a redesign had a RAM add-on to give it more power.

What did the SNES redesign look like?

ruby_onix · « **Reply #19 on:** February 21, 2006, 01:31:47 AM »

The NES got an odd-looking redesign which simplified the cart mechanism to cut costs, which most people say was actually an improvement because the old mechanism was finnicky and prone to wearing out.

The SNES redesign was a puny thing that eliminated it's eject lever and it's RF output.

The N64's Ram Pak expansion is just an add-on, not a redesign. The N64's redesign looks like it has a dead fetus attached to it's head, with feet you can poke and cheeks that light up. Pika.

The Cube has no redesign (unless you want to count the removal of the Digital Out port). The Panasonic Q doesn't count.

Edit: The GameBoy got a redesign to become the GameBoy Pocket, which had a clearer screen, used fewer batteries, and was likely cheaper to make.

The GameBoy Color had no redesign.

The GameBoy Advance was redesigned into the SP to fix a major flaw that Nintendo doesn't admit ever really existed, and it didn't use batteries anymore. (The design is cool, but the old one wasn't exactly lame.)

The GameBoy Advance was redesigned again into the micro in an attempt to make cost-cutting cool.

And the GBA SP was "upgraded" to use a better screen.

Now the DS is being redesigned for it's appearance, it's weight, and also apparently because lately Nintendo's practically itching to upgrade their screens every time they see a newer version.

UncleBob · « **Reply #20 on:** February 21, 2006, 01:57:54 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: ruby_onix

Edit: The GameBoy got a redesign to become the GameBoy Pocket, which had a clearer screen, used fewer batteries, and was likely cheaper to make.

The original Game Boy was redesiged into the Game Boy Pocket - which was redesigned into the Game Boy Pocket (which had a red LED on the front for battery power) - which was redesigned into the Game Boy Light, a front-lit Game Boy that was only released in Japan.

Plugabugz · « **Reply #21 on:** February 21, 2006, 02:33:09 AM »

The fact that there's no "frankly no release date" for USA for the DS Lite means we're not getting it for ages.

JonLeung · « **Reply #22 on:** February 21, 2006, 04:03:17 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Plugabugz
The fact that there's no "frankly no release date" for USA for the DS Lite means we're not getting it for ages.

They probably don't feel a need to mention it now, so that they can have another announcement for E3...as if they don't have enough already.

couchmonkey · « **Reply #23 on:** February 21, 2006, 04:26:30 AM »

I hope Reggie's mistaken about having to use GameCube accessories to play GameCube games - that's foolish. How is Zelda going to sell Revolutions if people have to buy an outdated controller to play it? Anyone who already owns GameCube controllers also owns a system to play the Twighlight Princess on...so this seems bad. It's bad for the backwards compatibility feature in general - not as bad as Microsoft's pathetic backwards compatibility, but not a lot better either.

You know, I somewhat agree with Ian on the DS Lite. The system DOES improve on the original - it has brightness control, presumably brighter screens, it's lighter, slimmer and from what I've seen it has bigger screens. I want all of those things, so I feel ripped-off having already paid $200 CDN for my regular DS. But I realize that's the price I pay to own the system early on. Maybe in the next portable generation I'll wait for the first redesign.

Bill Aurion · « **Reply #24 on:** February 21, 2006, 04:31:48 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: ruby_onix
Shifts from making good Reggie-sense, to saying the exact same things I heard before Quest 64 came out.

News:

Author Topic: Reggie Talks About All Things Nintendo (Read 8868 times)