Topic: Wii U - e3 is over... now what?

[Ian Sane]

For me it isn't image, it's experience.  I found the NES, SNES and all of Nintendo handhelds had a well-rounded library.  The N64, Gamecube and Wii did not.  If I just wanted a well-rounded videogame system and only wanted to buy one system per generation I would NEVER bother with them.  But I'm a Nintendo fan so the "well I need to get this system to play Nintendo games" factor was the tipping point in deciding the purchase.  It was an annoying tradeoff.

There was however a sense of hope that this was a temporary thing.  With the N64 I figured it was the cartridges and once they went with optical discs with the next gen, things would be back to normal.  And then that didn't happen with the Cube and I was pretty irritated.  Then with the Wii it got worse.  Psychologically there is a big difference between seeing something as a temporary setback and a permanent problem.  This isn't temporary, this is the norm.  As a result I'm not in the mood for tolerating this nonsense anymore.

[Stogi]

uh oh...

Someone got some sand in their vagina again.

[Chozo Ghost]

There was however a sense of hope that this was a temporary thing.

There is STILL hope this is a temporary thing. The Wii also had an excuse: which was that the hardware was inferior and obsolete. It looks like the WiiU (I hope that name isn't finalized) addresses that issue. The WiiU probably will be the weakest of the three, but at least it won't be a generation behind the times.

Unfortunately Nintendo has no control over what 3rd parties do or don't do, so if 3rd parties want to find an excuse not to develop for the WiiU they will, but at least they no longer have the same excuses they did in generations past. My biggest fear is a game like GTA V might make it to the Wii U, but then the sales end up disappointing and then Rockstar pulls the plug on all further Wii U support. I can see that happening. If it does happen it will only be the fault of the fans and not Nintendo. But that's pretty much the only plausible way I can see third party support going down the toilet this time around. By all accounts the hardware seems to be powerful, and the online infrastructure seems to be there. Nintendo seems to have done their part. Now its the time for so-called Nintendo fans to open up their wallets and do theirs also, or else they can kiss 3rd party support goodbye for yet another console generation.

[Kairon]

I don't know, this next generation will have some very different challenges that need to be overcome. I think the Wii U is shaping up to have some great third party offerings around launch, and I intend to be there to take full advantage of that, but I can't help but see this as a problem that will take many, many more battles to overcome.

[marty]

If it does happen it will only be the fault of the fans and not Nintendo. But that's pretty much the only plausible way I can see third party support going down the toilet this time around. By all accounts the hardware seems to be powerful, and the online infrastructure seems to be there. Nintendo seems to have done their part. Now its the time for so-called Nintendo fans to open up their wallets and do theirs also, or else they can kiss 3rd party support goodbye for yet another console generation.

Pragmatically speaking, if a game doesn't sell to a large base, it's the fault of the publisher/developer, not the consumer, and not the platform.  Blaming consumers for making up their own minds is backwards.  It's the job of developers and publishers to produce games people want, that's why they, and not the consumers, get paid.  Being a fan has nothing to do with anything when it comes to this relationship other than if you consider yourself a fan, you probably want a company that takes your money to give you what you want--which is what any consumer wants.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Very recently Nintendo made a purchase of a company that they had only previously licensed tech from (Oct. 2011). That company was  Mobiclip

Who is Actimagine/Mobiclip?

We are a team of highly focused engineers who strive to push the limits of software. Leveraging on the synergy of our diverse skills, we are able to create disruptive technologies from low-level hardware to high-end software stacks.

And what do they do exactly?

Actimagine develops Mobile TV and Mobile VOD software. Mobiclip has patents on its video codecs and DRM technology.

Some notable customers include Nintendo, Sony Pictures Digital, and Fisher-Price. Nintendo licensed Mobiclip compression technology for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS video game consoles, used by popular games such as Square Enix's Final Fantasy III and Konami's Contra 4; Fisher-Price used them for its Pixter Multi-Media educational toy. Sony Pictures Digital and The Carphone Warehouse used Mobiclip software to deliver TV-like full length movies on MicroSD memory cards for smart phones.

Mobiclip is what?

The Mobiclip codec provides high video quality with low battery consumption and has been selected by major studios, such as Sony Pictures Digital, Paramount, Fox and Gaumont Colombia Tristar Films, and by leading handset manufacturers, such as Nokia or Sony Ericsson, to deliver video on memory cards for mobile phones. In addition, Actimagine has a technology showcase website, www.mobiclip.com, which demonstrates the unique web to mobile platform that can be branded to any website, delivering video content instantly to mobile phones live and on demand.

In 2008 Mobiclip launched the first application delivering live TV on the Apple iPhone.

So what exactly will Nintendo want them all to themselves for?

Mobiclip was developed with a completely different algorithm from the one used for other video codecs on the market, based on minimal use of the processor resources, allowing battery life to be increased considerably and the cost of the hardware to be reduced.

The codec provides extended battery life and high media quality. It is also simple to use: if the storage medium is a memory card, users just insert the card in the phone and click on an icon to start the video.

Video content can be pre-recorded on a memory card or on a SIM card or downloaded or streamed via a telecom network. For example, the full version of a full length movie can be stored on a 256 MB memory card. For mobile phones equipped with TV output, like the Nokia N95, users are even able to enjoy movies on a television screen, via their mobile phone, without affecting the picture quality. The phone therefore becomes a true video player.

So how do you guys think they will be utilized for Wii U & 3DS?
I'm pretty sure this codec will be getting plenty of use in sending video content to the tablet with good quality but small data size allowing for smooth playback and seamless gameplay.

But they also deal with TV and things of that sort.

Sources:
http://www.inside-games.jp/article/2012/02/11/54502.html

http://www.mobiclip.co.jp/  |  http://www.mobiclip.com/

So what are we expecting with this news?

Mobiclip is now a subsidiary of Nintendo[/color]. Mobiclip is a Research and Development center specialized in the field of highly optimized software technologies. We are commited to provide the gaming industry with the latest innovations in middleware.

[Ceric]

I'm hoping what this is is a diversification of Nintendo a little.

Nintendo looked at the third party tech they use and noticed that they use this tech a lot and that the industry uses this tech a lot plus others.  Nintendo after crunching number buy the company and allow them to continue business as usual with the wrinkle that now a cut of there profits go to Nintendo.

The next logical step is to keep the licensing costs around where they are now so people will still want to use the tech but, waive them on anything that uses them on a Nintendo Platform making it cheaper.

Let's just say its 1 cent per copy a successful game thats not a huge amount of money but it is a saving.  Companies will promote the version that makes them the most profit with all things being equal.  Plus if its good tech taking one more decision out of the equation for a developer makes it easier for a game to get developed.

"Oh well, I can just use this provided Video Tech for my FMVs and not have to worry about going to through the vetting process."

Though something like that would be more potent in the last 2 generations.  I'm hoping this gen FMV really go away because the In-Game engines will rendering things well enough.

[Chozo Ghost]

I'm hoping what this is is a diversification of Nintendo a little.

I always wanted to see Nintendo diversify itself into motion pictures. I think that would be a natural evolution for them, because its an entertainment industry just like video games. Imagine what could happen if Nintendo put together a movie studio and put Miyamoto in charge of it and gave him a huge budget and told him to make a Mario movie, or a Zelda movie. Imagine how great that would be. With Miyamoto in charge a Mario movie could be made which is actually good, instead of that piece of crap from the early 90s that did get made.

Another thing Nintendo could do if they made movies is make what are essentially propaganda films to foster the cult of personality for their company. I'm talking about films like the Wizard, which was nothing more than a 2 hour piece of Nintendo propaganda. Nintendo needs to make more films like this happen.

[oohhboy]

Bad idea. Remember the last time a game developer directly went into the movie business? *Cough*Square*Cough*.

At arms length is as far as Nintendo should reach. Besides they already do movies called Pokemon, they don't do them directly and don't have a need to get hands on. When was the last time Shiggy ever had aspirations to make a movie of any sort. Also wasn't there a directly Nintendo funded movie/studio somewhere that disappeared?

[Adrock]

Imagine what could happen if Nintendo put together a movie studio and put Miyamoto in charge of it and gave him a huge budget and told him to make a Mario movie, or a Zelda movie. Imagine how great that would be. With Miyamoto in charge a Mario movie could be made which is actually good, instead of that piece of crap from the early 90s that did get made.

I disagree. Miyamoto doesn't know the first thing about storytelling. In fact, he specifically creates games without the plot in mind. Putting Miyamoto in charge of a movie studio would be a terrible idea. It goes both ways. You can't just put someone in a different role and expect them to excel. Imagine Hayao Miyazaki trying to create a videogame. The man is a storyteller and an animator. He doesn't know anything about game design. Miyamoto, like Miyazaki, is very good at what he does and he spent the last 30+ years being the best at it. He's going to retire sooner rather than later. I don't think this is where he should start trying to reinvent himself.

Also, the old Mario cartoons were awesome. Not because they were great, but because they were not great.

Bad idea. Remember the last time a game developer directly went into the movie business? *Cough*Square*Cough*

I assume you're referring to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. According to wikipedia, The Spirits Within ended up nearly doubling its original budget. That and the fact that it wasn't directly tied to any of the games sealed that film's fate. Alternatively, Resident Evil Degeneration didn't break the bank for Capcom and it's even getting a movie sequel. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was a resounding success for Square Enix. Game developers aspiring to make a successful movie can be done. They just have to be smarter about it. Had Advent Children been released instead of The Spirits Within, Square and Enix would most likely still be separate companies.

[Chozo Ghost]

Miyamoto doesn't know the first thing about storytelling. In fact, he specifically creates games without the plot in mind.

That is precisely why he would do an awesome job. The thing which has always made the Mario series so great is there is very little story to them to speak of, so its just awesome fun and amazing visuals without any story or excessive dialogue getting in the way. That stuff is what ruins movies and makes them boring. A Miyamoto Mario Movie would be entertaining to watch and just awesome, and at the end the princess gets rescued. What more story does a movie need than that? Princess gets kidnapped, Mario rescues her, the end.

[ShyGuy]

I want to watch the Wizard on the Wii U.

[Chozo Ghost]

I want to watch the Wizard on the Wii U.

Nintendo should make a sequel called "Wizard 2" (or "Super Wizard" as KYtim would suggest).

[BlackNMild2k1]

Crytek is "happy with" & "excited about" Wii U
says "Specs are very good"
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-09-14-state-of-play-crytek-editorial

As for the latest round of tech that we do know about, Yerli may not be particularly taken with the PlayStation Vita (Jones is more diplomatic, and says Crytek will work with the machine when the timing is right and the interest from licensees is significant) but he's excited about the Nintedo Wii U.

The specs are very good," Yerli enthuses.

"It's a challenge for designers, but once thought through it can add value, and that's what ultimately important. Our guys in Nottingham they are very happy with their tests on the dev kits and they're excited about it."

Looks like Nintendo has hired the ex-Director of Technology from Crytek to do some Software Engineering for what I can only assume is the Wii U
http://www.linkedin.com/in/markatkinson99

http://i39.tinypic.com/10qxlb6.jpg

I expect to be impressed Nintendo. Do Not disappoint.

What does this mean? It means that Nintendo more than likely has a somewhat close relationship with Crytek now, possibly very close.

Nintendo also has a really close relationship with AMD and we all know that Crytek and AMD are fairly close too. so what does this all mean and what am I getting at?

What I am getting at is GDC 2012.
Nintendo, AMD & Crytek all have a booth next to each other and both Nintendo& AMD's booths is larger than it was last year, so surely they are ready to show what they have been working on.

There are whispers that Crytek is ready to show off what they've been cooking and Reggie did promise us more Wii U news before E3.

But what really brings all of this together is the positioning of their booths at this years GDC.





I'm sure that the repositioning of their booths this year is no coincidence. They formed this TriForce on purpose and I'm sure that we will see (or hear *damn NDA's and closed door showings*) why on March 5-9.


Less than 22 days and counting till GDC 2012.
that is 3 weeks from tomorrow.

[Enner]

The Triforce!

I'm excited to see what CryTek's CryEngine 3 will look like on the Wii U. Has Nintendo ever had as big a booth at GDC before? If not, then this must mean that Nintendo has something new and exciting to show to video game developers.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Looks like Sonic & Sega Allstar racing is getting that sequel after all.
http://kotaku.com/5884388/start-your-engines-for-sonic--sega-all+stars-racing-sequel

I think it was only rumored before. I guess we might see more of it at E3.


edit:
And some Japanese Trademarks have been filed
http://nintendoeverything.com/82589/japanese-trademark-updates-17/

任天堂ゲーフリクリーチャーズ (Creatures Inc.)
商願2011-088359 ジム☆チャレンジ (gem challenge)
商願2011-088364 バトルカーニバル (Battle Carnival)
[/size]任天堂 (Nintendo)
商願2011-088682 ＢＥＡＴ　ＴＨＥ　ＢＥＡＴ　ＲＨＹＴＨＭ　ＰＡＲＡＤＩＳＥ
商願2011-090605 ＳＰＩＲＩＴ　ＣＡＭＥＲＡ
商願2011-092510 Ｗｉｉ　Ｕ
商願2011-092511 §Ｗｉｉ　Ｕ
商願2012-002228 Ｗｉｉ　Ｕ
商願2012-002229 §Ｗｉｉ　Ｕ
商願2012-002230 §Ｗｉｉ　Ｕ

[Caterkiller]

Dang BlackNMild, you make even floor plans exciting! I was extremely satisfied with my hype level and true outcome of E3 and I'm starting to feel similar excitement for GDC now!

I've got more hope for Nintendo now then I ever did with Gamecube, or Wii!

[Adrock]

That is precisely why he would do an awesome job. The thing which has always made the Mario series so great is there is very little story to them to speak of, so its just awesome fun and amazing visuals without any story or excessive dialogue getting in the way. That stuff is what ruins movies and makes them boring. A Miyamoto Mario Movie would be entertaining to watch and just awesome, and at the end the princess gets rescued. What more story does a movie need than that? Princess gets kidnapped, Mario rescues her, the end.

Movies are made to tell stories. They don't have to be overly complicated or filled with dialogue. Even the simplest ones are complex. At least the good ones anyway.  I guess I don't understand your reasoning that Miyamoto would do an awesome job despite not being qualified for the job. Miyamoto isn't a storyteller. Mario, Link etc. don't change. There's no real characterization. That works in a Mario game because of the game design.

Ultimately, what I don't understand is why even make a movie? Why not just make another game? This man is the grandmaster pimp daddy of game design; the king of interactive media. He has no equal and never will. Why put him to work on the worst part of most Mario games (story) without the best part (gameplay)? That's a grotesque waste of his immense talent. Just have him do what he does best. You'd still get everything you want from a movie made by Miyamoto; you'd just have to play it.

[Chozo Ghost]

Some people just like to watch Mario on a screen being played by someone else. I've spent a good amount of time watching gameplay videos on youtube of people playing Mario games. A Mario movie could be just like that, except that no one is actually playing him. Why does there need to be a story? Just watching Mario doing what he does is entertaining enough. A story would just ruin it. Look at the early 90s Super Mario Bros. movie. They tried shoehorning a story into that and that's what ruined it. Instead, the movie should have just been a faithful reenactment of the colorful Mario universe and its characters.

[Mop it up]

I always wanted to see Nintendo diversify itself into motion pictures. I think that would be a natural evolution for them, because its an entertainment industry just like video games.

I don't know, I've always viewed video games as an evolution of movies. Instead of just watching and hearing things, you can control the action. Were Nintendo to make a movie, that feels like a step backward to me.

[Ceric]

I think where Miyamoto would be good in the Movie industry is coming in after the fact and telling people what didn't flow right and what a movie could use.  Anything else I think would not really be his cup of tea.

[ThomasO]

Why does there need to be a story?

Movies and video games are completely different mediums. Movies have a narrative in order to keep the audience interested. If Mario's running around doing crap without any purpose, why should the audience care about anything he does? Despite how cool and awesome the actions are, it will eventually become an absolute bore. It is why most "art films" are painful to watch.

Some people just like to watch Mario on a screen being played by someone else. I've spent a good amount of time watching gameplay videos on youtube of people playing Mario games.

Why would people (including those who don't even play video games) pay money to watch something they could just watch on Youtube for free?

[Adrock]

@ThomasO - Agreed. I was about to post the exact same thing but you beat me to it.

I would just like to add that Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, and Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (among others) all had charming, lighthearted stories that were awesome. I loved how self-aware Superstar Saga was.

[lolmonade]

I'm hoping what this is is a diversification of Nintendo a little.

I always wanted to see Nintendo diversify itself into motion pictures. I think that would be a natural evolution for them, because its an entertainment industry just like video games. Imagine what could happen if Nintendo put together a movie studio and put Miyamoto in charge of it and gave him a huge budget and told him to make a Mario movie, or a Zelda movie. Imagine how great that would be. With Miyamoto in charge a Mario movie could be made which is actually good, instead of that piece of crap from the early 90s that did get made.

....I like the old Mario movie....

[nickmitch]

Some people just like to watch Mario on a screen being played by someone else. I've spent a good amount of time watching gameplay videos on youtube of people playing Mario games. A Mario movie could be just like that, except that no one is actually playing him. Why does there need to be a story? Just watching Mario doing what he does is entertaining enough. A story would just ruin it. Look at the early 90s Super Mario Bros. movie. They tried shoehorning a story into that and that's what ruined it. Instead, the movie should have just been a faithful reenactment of the colorful Mario universe and its characters.

The difference is you're watching someone else play. That's where the value is. You can say, "Wow, this guy's good!" when watching someone play a game, but if it's just Mario jumping around, it's not even interesting.