Author Topic: Did lack of on-line support contribute to GameCube's lack of popularity? (Read 8869 times)

Rhoq · « **on:** August 07, 2006, 11:40:25 AM »

For the longest time, it never bothered me that the GameCube didn't have any on-line titles (except for Phantasy Star). I didn't think it was all that important, and it's certainly not as important as a solid single-player game. A few months back, I found a good deal for an XBox on Craig's List and bought it. I figured it would tide me over until the Wii came out, and it has.

After experiencing XBox Live, I no longer feel that an on-line multiplayer mode isn't important. While it's not as important as a solid off-line gameplay, the on-line element adds a lot to the overall experience. Believe it or not, the first ever on-line multiplayer game I ever tried was Metroid Prime: Hunters for my DS (so you can blame Nintendo, ironically, for getting me hooked on on-line gaming).

I was just thinking, since a lot of people have cited that the lack of on-line support for the GameCube turned a lot of people off about buying the system would things have been different if the ‘Cube had been on-line? I really don’t know.

Thoughts?

Ceric · « **Reply #1 on:** August 07, 2006, 11:54:02 AM »

Personally, I think we can blame the Developers and Nintendo on that front. Nintendo said heres everything to go online you can use it if you want. They didn't push it and they did really nothing with it. Sort of like GBA connectivity except they pushed that. Sega when they made PSO also developed an api to allow you to program a server and like in such a way that the Cube, Xbox, and PC could all interact with it with no real problem. It was available for sale to developers. No one took them up on it. In all actuallity I think if Nintendo would have gotten some of their own titles online then it would have picked up. I do not really see why they couldn't of found a way to take the network play from Double Dash and take it online. Very silly. It could have been on a game by game basis for goodness sake. They didn't need Live par say but just something for those of us who invested in the Network adapter and like. Though I think by the time MK

D came out Nintendo was already sure they were going to ditch the Cube and make another console instead of their original plan for a long Cube lifecycle. Things that support this:

1) Digiadaptor never seeing the light of day really outside of Japan
2) Axing the Digital port to save a few bucks
3) Axing the Network Adapter and Modem even though it became obvious that this was the future

Yes the lack of online did hurt the Cube. The fact of the matter that they decided instead to make the Wii earlier then expected hurt the Cube. Nintendo saw that the system no longer had the potential to grow like the originally beleived it did and jumped that sinking ship. They had made to many bad decisions and needed a new slate. Hence the Wii.

So in short for the love of Mike yes the lack of online hurt the Cube. In more ways then one.

BigJim · « **Reply #2 on:** August 07, 2006, 12:35:40 PM »

It's one of those things that amounts to the perception that Nintendo is cheap, for kids, or a generation behind on everything.

Yeah, I think it hurt GameCube, but who's to say to what quantifiable extent... I don't think their market position overall would be much different. Though there would have been some really cool online games if only it were supported.

trip1eX · « **Reply #3 on:** August 07, 2006, 03:53:17 PM »

I think it hurt it's image a bit, but realistically most (90% of xbox) gamers just didn't go online.

I think NIntendo just didn't have enough quantity in the game releases. Both Nintendo titles and 3rd party stuff. Plus MS spent $4 bil to buy a seat at the table and that hurt Nintendo. Of course MS is now $5 bil in the hole and counting. Nintendo I'm sure made money with the 'Cube and their 1st/2nd party 'Cube games plus 3rd party royalties.

It didn't help early on either that Nintendo didn't have any big 'American' title in their lineup. NO GTA. No Halo. No Fable. No GT. Maybe if RE4 or similar blood/gore/action title would have came out in the 1st year of the 'Cube's life things would have been a bit different.

UncleBob · « **Reply #4 on:** August 07, 2006, 05:47:17 PM »

Naw, I don't think it did too much. I mean, world wide, GameCube and XBox were neck-and-neck, yet XBox was "online" where the GameCube "wasn't"... Just my opinion though...

couchmonkey · « **Reply #5 on:** August 08, 2006, 05:43:56 AM »

It probably had a small effect, but I think the game lineup and sometimes weak marketing had as more to do with it. The system had good games, far better than Xbox in my opinion, but as someone else said, it was missing that premiere Western game. I've run into a number of N64 owners that jumped ship because GameCube didn't have the same level of first-person shooters as the N64.

BiLdItUp1 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 13, 2006, 08:14:11 AM »

I think it just pissed people who actually bought into Nintendo's promises off. The people who didn't bite had another reason not to, but it wasn't a decisive factor by a long shot. More important was the lack of variety vs. PS2 and maybe Xbox, lack of a steady stream of hits in the first year, the lack of DVD-movie support, and the like. Not to mention the aesthetic decision to make the Cube a toy rather than a piece of consumer electronics and the horrendous marketing efforts on NoA's part...

...and despite all of those bungles and missteps, the Cube sold only a million less than XBox in the US and clobbered it in Japan (but failed dismally in Europe, I think). That as much as anything gives me some more hope for Wii success. Many, though not all, of the Cube missteps have been rectified or are in the process of being rectified...here's to hoping.

Ceric · « **Reply #7 on:** August 13, 2006, 01:59:06 PM »

Thank you very much I think the look of the Cube is much more appealing then the XBox and the PS2 doesn't really fit in with a home entertainment system well either.

Mario · « **Reply #8 on:** August 14, 2006, 03:03:57 AM »

No. It probably helped it.

Nobody cares about the online stuff on DS now. (possibly because there aren't any WiFi games worth playing, but it still isn't really an issue to average joe)

Rhoq · « **Reply #9 on:** August 14, 2006, 05:27:12 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ceric
Thank you very much I think the look of the Cube is much more appealing then the XBox and the PS2 doesn't really fit in with a home entertainment system well either.

Same here. I've got my GameCube sitting on top of my living room TV. Because of it small size it's rather unobtrusive. My XBox sits on a table next to the TV on top of the DVD player, with my DirecTV receiver on top of the XBox. It doesn't look bad, but it doesn't look all that good, either. I figure the Wii will replace my GameCube on top of the TV and I'll most likely also upgrade to an XBox 360 at some point between the 2006 holiday season and Spring 2007.

Rhoq · « **Reply #10 on:** August 14, 2006, 05:41:07 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: trip1eX
I think it hurt it's image a bit, but realistically most (90% of xbox) gamers just didn't go online.

I keep hearing that, but how accurate is that estimate? I know I got into the XBox very late in the game (I've only had mine for 4 or 5 months), but there always seem to be a ton of people on Live.

Quote
Originally posted by: trip1eX
It didn't help early on either that Nintendo didn't have any big 'American' title in their lineup. NO GTA. No Halo. No Fable. No GT. Maybe if RE4 or similar blood/gore/action title would have came out in the 1st year of the 'Cube's life things would have been a bit different.

I think the lack of GTA definitely hurt the GameCube. By the time it was no longer PS2-exclusive, it was probably already too late for Nintendo anyways (though the older games in the series, did flourish on the XBox, so who knows?). Nintendo definitely needed an exclusive, serious racer. I would have loved to see Midway resurrect one of my favorite N64 titles World Driver Championship. Mario Kart just can't compete with Gran Turismo, Project Gotham Racing, Forza Motorsports and Midnight Club. Sometimes you want something more realistic than kart-racing mascots.

As far as Resident Evil 4 goes, REmake and Zero were both released during the 'Cubes first year of release (Spring & Fall 2002, respectively). Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was released during the Summer of 2002. The blood/gore/action games were there - the gamers weren't. The 'Cube could possibly end-up being the most under-rated system of all time. It's been a great 3.5 years for me (I got my GameCube as a Christmas gift from some friends in 2002).

S-U-P-E-R · « **Reply #11 on:** August 14, 2006, 06:07:49 AM »

Having all the systems, I chose the XBox versions for multi-system games because they supported Live.

Quote
Originally posted by: Mario
No. It probably helped it.

Neodymium · « **Reply #12 on:** August 14, 2006, 07:36:42 AM »

It's true. No one took Gamecube seriously. Countless -- countless people who owned an N64, especially around here got a PS2 or Xbox or both, and completely ignored Gamecube. To be perfectly honest, I'm really unsure how. JI've had countless good times with my Gamecube, far more than with PS2 or Xbox, yet everyone wrote the poor plastic block off. Look at the mass media, where Nintendo was and still is ignored. "PS2 or Xbox" remains a hot question and although my stomach churned as I typed it, it's out there. I think it had to do with a paradigm shift from quality to "cool", stuff like Halo and Madden replacing Mario and Zelda. Disgusting, yes. Undeniable, though.

Some of them act as if the little Cube doesn't exist. And unfortunately, I don't see these gamers who I label "softcore" (their interests include Madden and FPS games) coming back for Wii. Of course, I can see it somehow feasible, but that's up to us. Wii is going to be a viral machine. You can expect Nintendo to botch marketing, at least early on like they have for every system post SNES. Even if the ads are somethign to be proud of, they won't saturate the airwaves or get the name out there like Xbox did. We, the Nintendo fans need to get our friends and family to try Wii. Last night, for example, I showed Wii to a few kids, none of whom are particularly large video game enthusaists. One was particularly impressed, but the other two were all "lol id rather have a controlar than sum lightsab0r WHISH WHISH", as they swung their arms around moronically.

We need to get the fun factor of Wii out.

Garnee · « **Reply #13 on:** August 15, 2006, 12:11:13 PM »

I think it definitely did contribute to the overall lack of hype and support, but in my mind, it didn't change a thing.

Internet gaming has always been a hassle for me. Lag, among other things, have absolutely ruined the experience of it. Online console games, in my mind, are still but a novelty. I recently played Prey online....awful. The experience was absolutely ghastly.

To be honest, I'd much rather have a steady flow of good single player games and one or two absolutely spotless multi game than every game trying to be the next Halo.

mantidor · « **Reply #14 on:** August 15, 2006, 07:39:52 PM »

how much different was the ps2 compared to the GC in the online part? As far as I know ps2 never had an specific online service, it was pretty much the same, buy an adaptor and connect to the internets with the games that allow it and that was it, or did I miss something?

Mario · « **Reply #15 on:** August 15, 2006, 09:13:01 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: S-U-P-E-R
Having all the systems, I chose the XBox versions for multi-system games because they supported Live.

Quote
Originally posted by: Mario
No. It probably helped it.

It did. A lot of parents wouldn't have bought it for their kids if it had something like Xbox Live stuck to it, and that's the biggest market of the GC considering Cars is the current top seller.

Nephilim · « **Reply #16 on:** August 15, 2006, 10:32:24 PM »

im sure if ts2 had online play for gc for free, like xbox (with live), then alot of people would still be playing today but it doesnt
so I guess we will never know

but im sure ts2 would of become one of gc biggest games if it did

Ian Sane · « **Reply #17 on:** August 18, 2006, 12:49:21 PM »

I've always felt that the Cube's "failure" wasn't due to any one specific thing but just a combination of little things done poorly and the lack of online support was one of them. You can say that only so many gamers actually went online but the point was never really the feature itself. Online was a bulletpoint for the features list that the other two consoles had and the Gamecube didn't and that didn't look good. It seems that if you had a feature comparison chart between the three consoles the Cube very often did the worst and that hurt.

I think it also demonstrated a negative attitude from Nintendo. With the Cube I found Nintendo typically gave off a vibe like they didn't really care. "If we're not interested in doing something then we're not going to do it. You get what we feel like giving you and that's it". That really wasn't the right image for Nintendo to project right after the N64. The N64 gave them this image of being behind the times and needlessly restrictive and the Cube just confirmed that. Someone who got burned by buying an N64 took one look at the Cube, saw a half-assed effort from Nintendo and thought "the hell I'm putting up with this sh!t again." I found the Cube to be a real bare minimum effort from Nintendo and I would easily consider it the weakest of Nintendo's four consoles (though we're talking some of the greatest consoles of all time in comparison so it's not THAT bad). One thing I like about the Wii is that Nintendo seems interested and excited again. I don't agree with many of their ideas for the Wii but they seem to care again and that's probably the biggest reason why hype is building up.

Kairon · « **Reply #18 on:** August 18, 2006, 05:13:06 PM »

Very good post Ian!

Especially agreeable is your observation that a lot of what makes Nintendo exciting now is that they themselves seem excited about the future. Whether the observer is skeptical, like you are, or overall positive, like myself, there's no question that there's a sense of excitement and "what will happen" and high emotions in the future.

Oh, and I also agree with you about how Nintendo seemed to have their weakest showing of all their consoles with the GC. I myself criticize a lot of Nintendo's internal development efforts this GC generation, especially Wind Waker, and I also got the sense that Nintendo's GC efforts were never fully magical in the way that even N64 games were sure to be.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

animecyberat · « **Reply #19 on:** August 23, 2006, 01:31:11 PM »

Its debatable nonetheless. I mean PS2 had the same online structure as GC, game to game, but for some reason 3rd party devs took advantage of Ps2's feature but not GC.

I still think that it was a deciding factor persoanly because I know so many people who cite that as one of thier biggest complants about the cube.

But its not like devs didnt have the tools available to them, Sony didnt even make any 1st party online games did they? I think it was all like Ian said, just too many little thinkgs.

INeedToFinish · « **Reply #20 on:** August 23, 2006, 01:35:00 PM »

Quote
Its debatable nonetheless. I mean PS2 had the same online structure as GC, game to game, but for some reason 3rd party devs took advantage of Ps2's feature but not GC.

Maybe because the ps2 was way more popular than the GC?

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #21 on:** August 23, 2006, 02:00:35 PM »

Sony is responsible for Socom, which garnered a healthy following and helped plant a seed to grow an audience that other publishers could market to. And Tony Hawk was helpful early on too. Did Sony help out Activision? I don't know.

But we do know Nintendo did "nothing."

animecyberat · « **Reply #22 on:** August 23, 2006, 02:14:27 PM »

See I didnt know SOCOM had online support, I knew all the EA sports games do though. Ea could have at the very least supported the GC going online.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #23 on:** August 23, 2006, 02:20:07 PM »

But did Nintendo support EA supporting the GC going online? Obviously not at all.

Sony worked hard for its share.

Nintendo didn't; they left the 'Autofail' box checked.

Rhoq · « **Reply #24 on:** August 24, 2006, 03:53:58 AM »

It's VoIP features were one of it's strongest selling points. Just about every commerical for SOCOM showed on-line enabled players strategizing with one another via a headset.

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Author Topic: Did lack of on-line support contribute to GameCube's lack of popularity? (Read 8869 times)