Topic: RE: Iwata on DS Connectivity

[NewsBot]

Nintendo's president speaks out on how the DS will communicate.

Mainichi Interactive has just posted an interview with Nintendo's president, Satoru Iwata. In the interview, which was conducted before Nintendo had officially announced the DS, Iwata speaks about the forthcoming handheld system.

Most importantly, he revealed that the Nintendo DS will feature a short-range wireless communication feature. This wireless communication will allow multiple Nintendo DS systems to link up with each other for expanded gameplay. It will likely be similar to the wireless connectivity used in Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green as well as Mario Golf: Advance Tour.

The interview also goes on to repeat Nintendo's current stance on video games. The company still believes that the industry is at a dead end and that it will take lots of innovation in order to get things really moving again.

For a more English friendly version of the article, check out GameSpot's translation.  

[Bill Aurion]

to wireless...

[DevAdvocate]

The more detail you get about Nintendo's ideas for the future, the less "crazy" or "out of touch" they seem. Interesting to hear from Gamespot's translation that the DS will represent a solid hint of what's to come with their next console.

[KDR_11k]

Well, um, yes. I think he said that already.

Some people like to interpret that "When they touch it" as Touchscreen.

Also, the Famicom Mini series supports Wireless, just so you know...

[Ian Sane]

"Games have come to a dead end. Creating complicated games with advanced graphics used to be the golden principle that led to success, but it is no longer working"

I have to ask how Iwata comes to this bizarre conclusion.  Last time I checked complicated games with advanced graphics are traditionally the biggest sellers.  What Sony is doing is what's working.  What Nintendo's doing is not.  How can they justify this focus on simple games and connectivity when NONE of that has worked?  Plus this philosophy contradicts the formula that has worked for most of Nintendo's biggest sellers.  The last "simple" game Nintendo released that sold huge was like the original Donkey Kong.

"The biggest problem is that [developers] need to satisfy the core gamers, who want games with more volume and complexity, while they also need to satisfy average users, who don't have as much knowledge about games. The situation right now is that even if the developers work a hundred times harder, they can forget about selling a hundred times more units, since it's difficult for them to even reach the status quo. It's obvious that there's no future to gaming if we continue to run on this principle that wastes time and energy [in development]."

Here's the big flaw with this theory.  Iwata is assuming that every game has to target both novice gamers and hardcore gamers.  As the head of a console maker he should know that doesn't make any f*cking sense.  A console's lineup should have variety and thus games that target both types of gamers.  That's why the PS2 is such a success.  Mr. Casual gamer can go play Madden while the hardcore guy wanting something more complex can go play Final Fantasy.  A lineup of wishy-washy in-between titles that are too easy for hardcore gamers and too hard for casual ones isn't going to go anywhere.  I agree with him in that complex games alone is not a sound strategy but that doesn't mean those games shouldn't be made at all.

I'm very interested in E3 since, I assume, that's when the DS will be revealed.  I'm both excited about it and worried about it since Nintendo's plans seem very bizarre and if their future depends on the DS it better not be lame like last year's connectivity efforts which either haven't been released yet or in the case of Pac-Man Vs. had to given away for free with another game because it wasn't a complete enough title to sell on it's own.  I still don't get how a dual screen unit that is so non-traditional that "there might only be 10 to 15 people applauding during its unveiling at E3" is going to appeal to a wider audience.

[cubedcinder128]

Iwata might be thinking what I am thinking, that innovation seems to be taking a backseat in gaming where games based on non- and/or semi-original ideas, including crappy licensed titles, are shaping up to be the norm in gaming. Say what you will, but he does have a point. Even if it's working out, I just don't feel that's the way gaming should shape out to be. The industry needs new innovations every once in a while, and it's easy to see how Nintendo believes in this stance.

Say what you will, but so do I. Let's hope all this works out. It's terrible to dream of a future where people suddenly hail *insert stupid game based off license here* as the greatest game of all time over Nintendo's original and well-thought ideas.

[KDR_11k]

Whether they try to appeal to both demographics or not, the effort that has to be put into a game to reach that "status quo" skyrocketed over years and doesn't show any signs of slowing down (normal mapping, anyone?). I can hammer together a Quake 1-level model in half an hour, but I need two days for something in today's range and probably a week if there's normal mapping involved (never tried that, keeping quads is awful). The more resources you need to put into making something up to par the less you have left to push the envelope further. With prices approaching lower earth orbit publishers are less and less willing to risk something. Okay, that mentality is more common in the west than the east and was a problem five years ago already, buut look around! On the PC there are maybe two major innmovative titles coming out, everything else is just "[Insert successful game] but better."

Granted, if innovation doesn't sell maybe that's a sign that people don't want new ideas. Maybe they want something like Hollywood: A few stereotypes of movies that only differ by the amount of special effects and famous actors in the cast. Of course, everyting Hollywood produces nowadays is garbage, but this garbage sells. Somehow garbage always outlasts the good.

[odifiend]

Because it doesn't decompose.

[bsushort]

I hope the wireless connectivity is as simple as setting your DS to the same frequency as your Wavebird.  Nintendo has came up with a lot of good ideas recently which should be combined, and I think the Wavebird gives them a great starting point.

You've already got a built in reciever, all you need to do is make other devices which can transmit on those frequencies.  Getting rid of the Gamelink cable by allowing DS to use a wireless connection through Wavebird should work (in theory).  I also think they should use the rechargable system of the GBA-SP for the next generation of Wavebirds.  What if there were a plug on the reciever where the Wavebird controller could be plugged in to recharge when you aren't using it?  Then you could even put back in rumble feature without fear of making the controller chew through batteries, since it would only need recharged.  Plus, you could always have the option to disable rumble (most games do already).

I always hoped some company would design an arcade stick for GC which would transmit via Wavebird frewuencies so I could use it for Soul Calibur.  These other thoughts just launched from there.

[thecubedcanuck]

IMO Iwata needs to be replaced. ASAP

[couchmonkey]

I think Nintendo deserves some credit for identifying a major problem with games today...their complexity.  I tried playing a football game a few months ago and was at a complete loss.  I've played the training level of Splinter Cell three times because I keep forgetting the controls (yes, sadly, I am becoming a casual gamer).  And if you've ever tried to teach someone who hasn't played many videogames in the past ten years to play Super Mario Sunshine or any of the 3D Zelda games...it seriously takes hours to catch on.  Compared to Super Mario Bros. or the original Legend of Zelda, modern games are really, really complicated.

Unfortunately, Nintendo is chasing a lot of red herrings and making bad assumptions (such as people don't care about pretty graphics) in it's attempts to fix this situation, but I truly believe that coming up with new, simpler game concepts is something worth investing time in.

[Bill Aurion]

I think Ninty deserves a cookie for keeping to their philosophy and staying away from mainstream gaming...We need innovation, not another football game or "mature" shooting games that are identical to year's past versions...

[mouse_clicker]

Quote
Unfortunately, Nintendo is chasing a lot of red herrings and making bad assumptions (such as people don't care about pretty graphics)

Nintendo never said people don't care about graphics- a lot of people seem to have misunderstand what Nintendo said. Yamauchi and Iwata said they don't think graphics is all that's going to matter in the next generation, so they want to offer newer, innovative features with their next console. They don't want the only difference between this and next generation to be more polygons.

[Ian Sane]

"IMO Iwata needs to be replaced. ASAP"

If I get to replace him I support that idea.  But I won't so I guess I don't.

[nemo_83]

This interview supports what I've been saying for months... http://planetgamecube.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=28&threadid=7925">see here  

Unfortunately he doesn't give any specifics to support my theories as to where the industry is headed as far as a slump or crash, or VR glasses.  But today I saw an add in EGM for EA's Fight Nights.  It is a boxing game and it uses some ideas I've been thinking about for a few years.  In the game you use the right analog stick to swing punches.  The slogin is something like there are no lucky punches.  This and the crapy game Obi Wan on Xbox are the only games I can think of that use the ideas I'm getting at with being able to use two wireless flight sticks in a light gun fashion for fighting with fists, swords, or guns so our thumbs can be free.  

I think the DS will definately be a striped down piece of hardware for viewing GC and N5 games.  It will be the transitioning device between this gen and the next.  

[nemo_83]

Nintendo hasn't really been releasing uncomplicated controlling games.  In fact the majority of Nintendo's best use not only every button on their controller, they use the buttons in double and triple functions which causes games like Metroid to be ungodly complex to control.  

In 03 the industry went down somewhere around $2-3 billion in comparison to the year before which is the opposite of what the analysts said as usual.  When the analysts repeatedly claimed the industry was a fad they were proven wrong and now they think its going to grow more despite the net losses caused by the rehashing.  People are also tired of developers using 3d like a gimick and not focusing on what helps gameplay.  A lot of people left gaming behind when it changed to 3d even though a lot of people came into gaming as a result of 3d.  

[forlink]

what up boyssss