Topic: Nintendo in Xmas '04 and beyond

[Qbric]

Sorry, I hope I didn't double post.

So the N5 is just beyond the horizon. 2005 is just around the corner and the faithful Nintendo userbase will be growing in anticpiation with each new newsweek as this point inches near. Craven for information, the clever and cunning alike eek out their own anwers as evidense trickles in. The pendulem of the GCN has reached it's zenith and it has come time to somehow put this peaking energy into new ventures.

The GCN is a success. This is clear at this point. Now at only $99, the competition is dramatically undercut and it's line-up has a classic in every genre. Except for the painful absense of LAN interactivity, there is a lot to proud for on the GCN, and much of this completely exclusive. It's now time for Nintendo to play it's hand, show it's cards, and set itself up for round 2. Sony will be introducing the market to a new portable, abeit at a higher price, and MS has plegded to do the same.

When these portable hit, there will be a lot of pressure on Nintendo and so this is a critical period for them. They have to turn the successes of today into their advantage. If they don't, they're sunk. If all they do is wave goodbye to GCN and introduce a new console, they're going to lose ground or stay entrenched in a increasingly swelling river. This is why the GCN will play a pivotal role in the market over the next 3 years.

Everyone seems to think that once n5 hits, thats it for GCN, but I think this far from true and will be where Nintendo's strength will lie in the coming years. My question is: "how this will occur?" We've already been teased with that sleek and sexy hi-res LCD. I think the LCD will make it to the market. There's no question (or very little) about that in my mind. The LCD will not only enable a practicle option for LAN, but could expand gaming into the N5. If the GCN gets a formfitting progressive scan LCD, besides *improving* screen quality for most players, the GCN has a strong case for being the best platform for LAN gaming period. Better than PC and all the rest. Size really counts. So the LCD will help maintain the cube's value rating, but if that's it, it won't remain a player for long.

Please mind that I affrim the GCN will retain market presence along side the next major Nintendo console. I'm thinking GCN will compliment N5 with connectivity.

I'm a little shy to suggest it, but maybe we can hook up 4 GCNs to the N5. N5 acts like a dedicated server with a Gameboy Ultra and tv as its referee and spectator interface, respectily. What do you think of that?

There's so many directions possible, its hard to settle on one prediction. One thing I'm stuck on is the newest statement about a new platform in q4 '04. It feels to soon to release a new handheld, tho I admit the GBA is showing its age. Hell, it's shown its limits ever since it deputed with only 2 face buttons! But Somewhere there has to be a place for GBA beyond 2004. The GB Color is still selling games, but the problem is unrealized possibilities. Are we to expect FF:CC to be the only game that uses connectivity in actual gameplay? The lifecycle will be stunted if we see a new GB next year. But I suppose they'll release it a year a head of n5.

So this is my opinion. Right there for all you great guys (and girls) to rip apart. Please have a go. I'm particualrly interested in the technical feasability of the GCN-N5 compliment. Why wouldn't it work out and if it could, what is required to make it work?

Can anyone think of other technical or in-game situations that take advantage of my idea? I really like the idea of more spectator focused games. Briefly, another situation would be where the GCNs had wireless transmitters on top of the braodband connections. Spectators could send chats from their wirless GBAs to the team leaders who would utilize the info into their gameplay or base team commands from it. Sorry this last paragraph is crude. I have to goto bed and do some real work tomarrow.

Ty for listening.

[akdaman1]

sorry but that was toooo long. i didnt read all of it. and its now round 3 beetween ninty and sony.

[nemo_83]

I read it.  ...............................You.... know...........................there is this deep pit..............deep............................deeper................................deep as hell....keep going.....................................really really deep, there ya go.......................your topic...................noone goes there......................................................they call it fast forward.  They stick anything not strickly related to Cube that shows up here, on the "Cube" board, straight off to one of their many third world country boards like Mario, Zelda, and Other Systems.  Of course it does keep the Cube board at a nice pace, but how often do people take the time to check out five forums, so the outsider boards end up gohst towns.  And soon your topic will get moved.  I don't see why they do this when all we want to say is, NV.  If you want to know anything about your topic go to fast forward, the cemetary.  That is where many a topic on Nintendo5 lay.

Maybe you will survive.  Maybe your topic will sit on this board for a few days, but hey if you get moved to one of the other boards, you get imortalized, because the board is slower than Moses.  It is like the talk of the tree folk in The Two Towers.  And none of it makes sense and it is nearly 97% speculation.  But it is fun to read.  

Next gen I see Nintendo in need of coming out strong with a Metroid and a Mario Bros. using virtual reality LCD supplied by the GameBoyCube whose screen would have a band that holds the screen in front of your face and uses multiple tilt techs for camera control.  Blue tooth techs too.  The system should come with a GameBoyCube/GB64 as the controler.  I also believe that Nintendo at some point shall release a GameBoy of some type that has cel phone technology if they really want to beat the competition.  

Online is the only way to go.  It will be cheaper next gen.  Noone wants to buy four consoles and four screens and forty feet of hookups and 16 controllers.  Online is better for the consumer who gets their own screen, voice chat, and an infinite number of friends or enemies to play with at any time.  

Also what about Too Human?  

[SuperLink666]

Really hard to say what the big title will be next christmas.. i hope we are still getting games by then and they dont stop just because n5 is coming..  

[BlkPaladin]

I think that accually depends on wheather it backwards compatible.

[Qbric]

Thnaks for the comments. I'd have started this thread in Fadt Forward if I knew it exsisted when I started.

Good ideas Nemo concerning next gen connectivity. Thats where I think the trends are leading to (video on the controller), and its easy to see Sony building up to the same tech. Ever since I saw Johana's glasses in PD I've kept a low flame in my heart for such a device.

Will Nintendo make it's new console backwards compatible? The answer isn't so clear. The GCN is the only dedicated games machine and this reflects Nintendo's commitment for simple and elegent design. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even bother, but if they got everything right the first time, maybe they can scale the hardware and still slip in some streamlined code for the N5 games. Whats interesting to consider tho is how moore's law could affect Nintendo's choices over the next few years.

I can get a 400mhz PDA for an average price of $500. But just last year a 200mhz pda would cost the same. So the cost of making a GCN portable could be feasible in the next 2 years. This is one way nintendo can extend the lifespan of the GCN. It's really more a matter of time than a question of it occuring at all. I suppose this is why, Nemo, you kept referring to a "Gamecube Advance". It's a natural development.

If Nintendo gets leapfrogged on their portable by Sony, the PSX Pocket will have more lasting power out in the market, so while it will be expensive at first, they will get cheaper and cheaper. Sony will prolly even release new models of the PSX Pocket, upgrading storage and OS functions, but while keeping the game hardware compatible. Nintendo wants to be right in the middle with their portable. Since both Sony's and MS's portable will have a high initial price, they can afford to come out a little later if they undercut in price. But they can't be dragging on the graphics side of things, and they are also going to need to be competitive with PDA type functionality. This means a camera, chat, email, calender, and a storage bay (SD) for mp3. This eaither means a gamepak with access to these features, or preferrably, an imbedded OS in the hardware. Most GBA oweners are over 18 and they'd (Ntd) do good to recognize this. Most GBA games are horseshit licensed games based on television series.

If developers don't take the new portable seriously, neither will the market. This means adding the features developers need and the features consumers want. By releasing a portable rendition of GCN that connects to N5, you give developers technology they already know and give the public all of GCNs games, past, present, and future. But its not going to happen for at least 2 more years. There's no way Nintendo would imbibe potiential sales of the vanilla GCN.

GCN is far from dead. We'll be seeing new games for 3 more, and longer if Nintendo releases a portable form. I don't know why everyone imagines it to be on its way out.

The Gameboy Color hooked up to your cellphone. There's a gamepak out that does video-confrencing (http://www.dynamism.com/campho/). Nintendo won't make a Gameboy/phone combo, but you can be sure that it will incorporate communication technology. Aren't they already about to release official wireless gamelinks for GBA? Next round we'll see 802.11 instead - it's more versatile than expensive cellphone infrastructure, and its definatley more prevalient (coffee shops, homes, etc).

Thats all for my game market chatter today. I'll try to create something closer to a report next time, more organized.

L8.