Topic: "Game Boy is for 10-year-olds..."

[Archangel972]

This guy has no idea what he is going up against, read this

[Cube323]

the Nokia N-Gage is the worst peice of $hit ever made!  It's a horrible phone thats also a terrible game system.  The games stink and it's screen it the size of a freaking postage stamp.  What a complete joke!

I will bet anyone here $100 that the N-Gage fails BIG TIME!  At $300 per system, I can almost guarantee it.

By the Way,  my boss is 48 and he has had THREE GameBoys (GB/GBC/GBA) over the years we have worked together.  

He's a Tetris junkie.  It seems that alot of men his age are.  I think this strongly contradicts the stupid "10 year old statement."  Well that and the almost 200 million GB/GBC/GBA/GBA:SP's world wide.

Finally, I just introduced my boss to "Wario Ware" and it seems that he now has a new addiction.  Wish I could get my cartridge back, lol!

[joshnickerson]

I just read that and was on my way here to post the link myself!
It's just your typical Microsoft and Sony-esque effort to make Nintendo look like it's for babies.
But I can understand why they would want to target an older audience. After all, to change the game, you have to unscrew the battery lid, remove the battery, take out the game card, replace the card, replace the battery and screw the lid back on. I mean, what kind of ten year old would have that kind of patience!
....come to think of it, who WOULD go to all that trouble when they could just slap in a copy of Metroid Fusion in their GBA and beat it in the time it takes to switch out games in the N-gage? Not many.
And to his statement that it isn't cool to take out a GBA SP in a public space on a Friday night? Like an N-gage would be any cooler?
I think Penny Arcade got it right when they said "It's like they took a s****y cell phone and combined it with an even s***ier game system".

I just think it's funny that Gamespot links to another article where the reviewer basically says Nintendo has nothing to fear from the Ngage.

[Cap]

too bad he couldnt have bragged up his system and its games rather then simply following the trend and saying that nintendos for kids. of course, they cant brag up their system. they are releasing a horrible taco phone/portable gaming machine that doesnt do either very well, and that has limited developer support. add the horrible screen dimensions and the $300 price on top, and i have to agree that nokia is doomed from the start. personnaly i think nokia should have dropped the number buttons for the cell phone, and used an on screen display to dial the numbers. it would have allowed the phone portion to be moved to the front of the system, and a bigger and more conventional screen size. as it is, its probably one of the worst portable gaming machines i have ever seen.

[Nintega]

N-gage will be DOA.

[Frodo Fett]

N-Gage has a very small possibility of surviving. Either the GBA will kill it (most likely) or the PSP will cut if off. Kind like the Phantom...

[blu knight]

Well Nokia can forget even the most curious nintendo fan playing their new N-Gage.  Obviously, they're trying to hype its system to PS2 and Xbox owners who want to be "cool" but the thing is they all own(or have owned) a GB system.  The GBA's popularity is amazing, I mean its in a totally different market when compared to the home consoles where nintendo bashing seems to work.  And the $300 price tag doesn't help Nokia's cause, and they have to know it.  Nintendo owns the handheld market(for better or for worse)with the new SP is only solidifying this fact; I'm not saying that Nintendo can't be challenged in this market but if Sony and Nokia can't offer a superior and cheaper product then no amount of "nintendo is kiddie" rhetoric will save them.

[Archangel972]

The N-Gage will most certainly fail because of its mediocre list of games and more importantly, because of its price.  As for Sony's handheld, well that's something that will provide far greater competition.  One difference here is that this won't be like the PSX beating out the N64.  With the N64, Nintendo stayed with cartridges, and that made most 3rd parties (and valuable 2nd parties like Enix and Square) go over to Sony's side.  Nintendo isn't stupid, they aren't going to make the same mistake twice.  Sony will definitely get a chunk of the handheld market, but Nintendo will win out in the end.

I will admit that the one thing about Nokia's handheld that is N-Gaging  (me am funny, haha!), is its Bluetooth online capabilities.  Being able to use your handheld and connect to another handheld user far away to play a game is an exciting possibility.  It is a capability that I hope Nintendo adopts for its next version of Gameboy.  If they don't but Sony does, there will be a great handheld war and I honestly think that Sony will win out in the end.  That's just my honest opinion.

[Cube323]

Man, I still have nightmares about how playing the Nokia N-Gage at E3.  It is the worst gaming device ever created.  Literally every single game they had at the show sucked!  It still gives me the creeps just thinking about it.

As for Psp, I'm not sure if everyones aware of this, cause things look good for $ony right now.  However I truly believe this system doesn't have a chance in hell.  Pardon the expression, but it's true.  By the time it launches their will be another 20 Million or more GBA/GBA:SP's on the market.  Plus theres also the GBA player.  Not to mention the fact that this system is rumored to cost over $200.  Also this thing wont be small, not by a long shot, hardly the the sort of thing you can put in your pocket.  Truthfully, I hate oversized hand helds, it's a ridiculous concept to make a "portable" device that you cant put in your pocket.

Finally, with "GameBoy Future" waiting in the wings for release in 2005.  I'm sure Nintendo is preapring to knock the Psp out of the market.  I guarantee you that GB:FUTURE will be smaller, cheaper, and more energy efficient. It will do everything Psp can do and more.  Plus with developers like SquareEnix on their side, Nintendo can't lose.

By the way, I think this is $ony's last round at the top.  The Wall Street Journal, along with a couple of other sources, predicts that $ony will lose HALF of their current user base to Nintendo and Microsoft during the next round of console wars.  If you remember, they also predicted that Nintendo would lose much of its own user base when they opted for Cartridges instead of CD's during the N64's launch.  We all know that prediction came true.  Don't forget, with Square, Konami and Capcom bringing their best games to other systems, $ony has almost no unique, exclusive content.

I can see the writing on the wall.

But this is just my humble opinion/observation

Take It EZ folks  

[Archangel972]

You make good points Cube, but I'm not so sure if "Gameboy Future" will be able to do everything that the PSP can do.  Just by looking at PSP's specs, it seems like it is going to be quite expensive(maybe not quite as bad as the N-Gage, but costly nonetheless).  I believe that Nintendo is going to show alot of respect to Sony and not simply ignore the PSP.  Nintendo will most likely push the envelope with their next handheld but I'm not sure if they will match the PSP spec for spec.  The next Game Boy should be cost friendly, but of course still retain the same user base that they've had (which is pretty much, well...everybody).  Sony will try to push their handheld as the "wave of the future" and I do think they will succeed, but their success will be rather limited.

Stealing Nintendo's market share is going to be alot tougher without exclusive content from Square, Enix, and all the other major 3rd parties.  It's still too early to tell, but I think Sony will try to use Nintendo's current GBA strategy, but with a twist.  Nintendo wants GBA users to go out and get a GCN so they can use the connectivity features.  Sony on the other hand will convince PS2 (or PS3) users to go out and get their new handheld.  There will be quite a few people out there getting one but I believe the price may not be attractive enough to garner consistently high sales.  PSP will sell, perhaps even in droves at the outset, but not in the long run where Nintendo will have many of the main developers still working on games for GBA(and beyond).  While saying that, I do think the PSP should not be shrugged aside and I believe it is the greatest threat to the Gameboy since Sega's Game Gear.

Speaking of the Game Gear, can anyone tell me how well it actually did?  Perhaps I'm mistaken but I always thought that it had a sizable following but ultimately fell to Game Boy.  Isn't it the handheld that threatened Game Boy the most?  Or has there been another handheld that has performed even better against Game Boy?

[nonjagged]

I just created a thread about this topic lol.
Although I did look before I created the topic and there was no other thread on the topic.
This computer must be way-ass slow in loading up pages.


Or Im totally blind.

Nokia just lost another loyal customer who use to purchase their mobile phones.
You know whats funny though, Nintendo got a lot of negative feedback for using the GBA to appeal to oldschool gamers by most of its software being oldschool 16bit ports or simular developments.
And this dumbass Nokia spokesperson somewhow now wants to portray the GBA is aimed at "kiddies".

Whatever Nitnendo does it just cant be left alone. Critics aplenty.

[Gibdo Master]

Has anyone read Gabe's post about this? Well you should if you haven't. It's quite nice after all.

Quote
Nokia to gamers: F@CK YOU!

Wed, June 11 2003 - 1:40 PM
by: Gabe

As if the fact that the Nokia N-Gage is a pile of sh#t was not enough by itself to keep gamers everywhere from purchasing it, the head of Nokia’s entertainment division decided to insult his target audience. In an article over at Gamespot he had this to say regarding their competition.

"Game Boy is for 10-year-olds," said Ilkka Raiskinen, head of Nokia's entertainment and media arm. "If you're 20 or 25 years old, it's probably not a good idea to draw a Game Boy out of your pocket on a Friday night in a public space."

Dear Mr. Nokia, my name is Gabe. You might know me better as a member of the lucrative 18-25 year old male demographic. That’s right, I am a 24 year old early adopter with disposable income just burning a hole in my pocket and a thirst for the latest technological gadgets. I also happen to be a gamer which makes me the exact sort of person who might purchase your new cellular phone/portable game system. Unfortunately for you that will never happen.

Your first mistake was creating a dual purpose product that fails miserably at both of its purposes. Your phone is awkward and uncomely. Your game system is undesirable and insipid.

Your second mistake was in allowing Mr. Raiskinen to ever open his f@cking mouth in public. His statement is so absurd that it borders on the humorous. In fact if I were not quite certain that he was serious I would think it was a joke. Not a good idea to take out a game boy in a public place? Does this man even live on this planet? Did he make these comments from inside some kind of protective bubble orbiting the earth, insulated from the day to day happenings of it’s inhabitants? If I am out with my buddies on a Friday night and we are waiting in line for a movie or some other event I can guarantee that Game Boys will come out. Not one of my friends is without a GBA. They are practically a necessity at this point. Like bread or water. It is the poor young man still playing snake on his cell phone in the airport that gets the pitting look from our group.

We even strung our link cables across the seats in the airplane on our way to E3 in order to partake in some four player Puyo Pop. Whereas airline regulations will not even allow me to turn on your masterfully designed game system while anywhere near a f@cking airplane much less play a game to pass the time. Oh and speaking of great design, having to remove the battery in order to change games…brilliant.

Between your insulting advertising, sh#tty f@cking product and infuriating public comments it’s almost like you are TRYING to get gamers to hate you. I honestly cannot understand how a single company could make so many mistakes. I await your next move with absolute fear because at this rate there is no telling what you might do. Perhaps Nokia agents will scour the globe seeking out gamers and then kicking them firmly in the yam sack. Or maybe letters! Mailed out to gamers worldwide that upon opening release deadly nanomachines into the air that once inhaled by the gamer begin to devour him from the inside out. God only knows what horrors await us gamers at the hands of these Finnish devils. Stay vigilant my friends!

-Gabe out

 

[Nintega]

The PSP will do good if the price is right.  If it's around the $200 range, it'll mostly sell only to the hardcore Sony fans and there sure are lots of them so it'll have a good userbase but maybe not to the extent of the Gameboy.  I'm excited about the PSP because I'm a handheld fanatic.  I'm just not going to pay an outrageous price for a handheld gaming machine.

As for the Game Gear, not sure how much it sold but I think it did farely well.  I know in Europe, games kept coming out for it or was that for the Sega Master System.  The only handheld that I wished did better was the Neo Geo Pocket.  Man I loved that thing just because of the games.  I don't even think there was 1 bad game.  It was the first to use that connectivity thing with the Dreamcast that Nintendo is currently doing with the GBA/GCN.

[Cube323]

The only thing I can say about Psp is that since the "GBA Future" would be released a year later, rule of thumb would dictate that its specs will be higher.  I'd bet the difference between the Psp and the "Gameboy Future" will be much like the difference between that of the PSX and N64.  However that's just my theory, we'll have to wait a few years to find out. Still, Nintendo would be stupid not to outshine the Psp in hardware specs.  And you know they have technical skill to pull it off.

Your'e right about one thing for sure, Nintendo will not just ignore the approaching Psp.  I'd bet we'll see a GBA:SP price drop in the fall, among other things.  Like that GameCube/GB-Player combo pack.  

As for GameGear, I don't think it did all that well unfortunately.  I was an early adopter of that system, it actually sits nearby while I type this.  It sucked batteries dry in a matter of hours and it had a limited game library.  Still it had a couple of neat innovations.  Like a Master System converter and a TV tuner.  Still it was huge and it used way too much power, so unfortunately it died quickly.

Strangely enough, Sega re-released the GameGear about two years ago.  The system sold for $30 and was mainly available at Toys r us.  I heard this re-release was an attempt to discard unsold product from years before.    

[Dratatoo]

Quote
Game Boy is for 10-year-olds...

Lets not forget how a 20-25 year old should look like...


 Nokia N-Lame advertising

[nitsu niflheim]

Stoopid me, here I have been going around thinking that I'm 24 when Nokia has to come out and burst my bubble.  I'm really a ten-year-old boy.  

*sticks out bottom lip and pouts, stomping off to my room*

[aoi tsuki]

Quote
Finally, with "GameBoy Future" waiting in the wings for release in 2005.

Could you please post a link where this was announced? i notice you're quick to point this out in ever slightly relevant thread, although from what i can tell there's been no official announcement.  

[mouse_clicker]

Here's a quote from a guy I knew a long time ago on IGN which I think attones to this situation very nicely:

"The only one worried about being too much of a kid is in fact a kid. We adults worry about not having enough time to be a kid."
-giroml

[Grey Ninja]

I am not too concerned about N-Gage myself.  Nokia will sell some, but they aren't Microsoft.  Their system can't take losses for 2 straight years without their shareholders having a fit.  In the end, N-Gage will be forgotten in some dumpster.  I am almost sure of it.

However, I do NOT like this trend one bit.  It worked very well for Sony in the past by spreading this kind of crap around.  Look at the GameCube.  In spite of common sense, there are still many who consider the console to be too "kiddy" to buy.  I think those people should really take a look into the Penny Arcade archives myself, but they are present, and they aren't buying Nintendo products all the same.  This could really be a huge setup for the PSP is what I am worried about.

Sony is going to be laughing about this for the next 10 years.

[Cube323]

I doubt that very much Ninja.  I actually think that the "Nintendo Is for Kids Marketing" spin isn't working for $ony anymore. Increasing GameCube Sales and the massive sales of GBA:SP are proof enough.  Plus GameCube owners buy more games than ps2 owners.  Hmm, I wonder why that is? (sarcassm)  Also anyone who isn't smart enough to think for themselves deserves to be screwed by the evil forces of $ony.

10 years from now, $ony won't even be in the console market.  The Psp is a total $200+ joke.  The writings on the wall for $ony. Truthfully, with their new focus on this ridiculous handheld, I think that $ony is spreading itself too thin.  They don't even have a single decent 1st party game and they couldn't make a decent game if they tried.

The only reason $ony was ever successfull in the first place is because Nintendo screwed things up so badly with the N64.  Now things have changed and all of the third parties that made the PSX big are now back w/ Nintendo (and Microsoft.)

As far as older gamers not buying Nintendo products.  Thats just not true at all.  Not one bit.  I work in retail as a buyer.  I sell tons of GC's and GBA's every single day to men and women over the age of 25.  In fact two years ago, when the Ps2 was launched, we had a line of people waiting out front of my store.  Now, two years later, I see many of those same people returning to buy GameCubes.  Why?  Because $ony can't fully satisfy gamers.  Mainly because they are a heartless,evil corporation, whose only real goal in the game industry is to make money. Period.  Once they can't do that, they will drop the Playstation brand like a hot stone.

It's like that old Doors song, "This is the end..."

[Frodo Fett]

Potential PSP Problems:

1. Cost: The most obvious problem is the cost. The PSP will use CD technology, so it will cost at least $150, that's with no bonuses or add-ons (like being able to play music CD's). More than likely, the PSP will launch with a price over $200 or directly at $200.

2. Battery Life: A CD reader is going to suck up the batteries on this thing like nobodies business. Regular music CD player's eat up 2 AA batteries every 10 hours. A CD-reader that must read game CD's (and therefore, more data than a music CD reader) is going to eat through 2 AA batteries in about 5 hours. That's horrible battery-life and will cost a fortune.

3. Size: Take your portable CD player, add several buttons and a screen, and you've got the PSP. If the screen is fold-up (like the GBA SP), this this thing will be about the size of the PSOne. So much for the "Pocket" part of PSP.

4. Graphics: While the graphics on this thing will be better than the GBA's, more than likely, if it doesn't match the PS1's graphic standard, Sony could be in trouble. The PSP's main crowd will be the average mainstream gamer, and if they look at the new Playstation, and see it doesn't even match PS1 graphic quality, they're very likely to blow it off and buy another PS2 game instead.

[Frodo Fett]

Sorry, double post.

[JoeSmashBro]

I agree with everything that was said except for the person who said that Sony doesn't have any good first party games:

Gran Turismo
ICO
Twisted Metal
Ratchet and Clank
Jak and Daxter
Everquest
Dark Cloud 2
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus

Heck, they're a freaking platform game machine. Good ones, too.

[blu knight]

Really, the vaporware known as the psp only has one thing going for it and thats Sony's influence over 3rd parties.  They could force developers to make exclusive games for the psp or port over GBA exclusives.  And Nintendo would have a problem on their hands if, in addition to its many features, the psp is under $200(american) and can sustain atleast 20 hours of rechargable cell battery life, giving only more incentive for developers to slow their GBA development in favor of the psp.  Besides that "teh nintendo iz kiddie" talk won't work for them as it has with the Cube.  Like the PS2 the user base of the GBA is enormous and nintendo has all the(and only)3rd party influence in the handheld market now.
It'll definately be interesting to see how things work themselves out.  Personally, I think competition will be healthy for the handheld market and I want Sony and Nokia to bring out the goods that will revolutionize handheld gaming.  They do have a huge mountain to climb though ask Atari(Lynx) and Sega(GameGear/Nomad).

[Cube323]

Hey Joe, I will give you ICO, but thats it.  I wont even begin to say how over rated many of the games you listed really are.  Grand Turismo and TM haven't changed in years.  Their platformers are totally generic and the orginal Dark Cloud started as such a Nintendo rip off, that $ony should have been sued for using that Link look-alike on its cover.

Frodo has the most intelligent post in this thread.  Plus I gotta say I love that Mr. T photo.  Mr.T gave me a hug at last years E3, dont ask why, and he was all sweaty and I was like "arghh."  Seriously though, Mr. T rocks!

I agree with blu knight that competition is best for the gamer.  This is always a fundemental truth.  Still I actually dont think that 3rd parties will be quick to jump the psp bandwagon.  In fact I'd bet they will be hesitant to leave a good thing.  GB/GBC/GBA has been a reaaally good thing for third parties, and retailers.  Its made alot of people a ton of money.  Plus the GB/GBC/GBA has a bigger installed base than even the Ps2, GC, X-box, Dreamcast, and N64 combined.
By the time the Psp launches the GBA/GBA:SP installed base grow by another 20 million or more.  Psp can NEVER catch up.
Plus don't forget about that GBPlayer, man I can't wait for that.

Nintendo has all of the best third parties back in their court.  And many of them, like SquareEnix, are extremely pissed about their dealings with the heartless, greedy, evil $ony corporation. (Many, many, many devlopers have become disillusioned with the "$ony appraoch.")  Plus with tax, this system will be over $200 US, not under.  Which means it will be even more expensive elsewhere in the world.  By the time Psp launches, GBA:SP will cost about $50.  I bet we will see GBA:SP for $69.99 come this fall.  Plus by the time Psp heads to the market, you will probably start to hear official word on the "GameBoy Future," which will really undermine the Psp launch.  Nintendo has already admitted that it is devloping the GBA successor.

You know a couple of years from now we should all start a betting pool, lol. It will be interesting to see how things work out. This is certainly an great time to be a gamer.

This has been a great topic, with lots on intelligent feedback.  Thanks everyone for your time.