Topic: What would it take to NOT sell you a revolution?

[jasonditz]

One of the neat things about knowing next to nothing about a system is that you can do all kinds of speculation. We've done a lot of speculating about what it would take to sell the casual gamer a revolution already, but here's an equally interesting question.

What would Nintendo have to do to not sell you a revolution.

Here's some stuff I can think of.

Launch price: If the console launches at $250+ and the games are $59.99 each, I might be tempted to hold off

Controller price: Chances are none of my friends will buy a Revolution, because none of my friends ever buy consoles they just play them over here. So I'm stuck buying umpteen controllers. We know the controller is going to be revolutionary, wireless, and feature a rechargable battery. If they cost more than $50 a pop, that might effect my decision.

Launch Lineup: I'm looking forward to SSB3, but I don't know if it'd sell me a system by itself. We know there's a Metroid in the works, but I think I'm the only person on the planet who wasn't all that impressed with 3D metroid in the first place. I need something else, either at or near launch. Like the Cube had Rouge Leader.

Download Titles: Two keys here: price and availability. If Nintendo announces that these titles will be $10 each, and limited to 1st party titles, it will probably eliminate this as a selling point. Lower prices are better, but at a minimum, Square Enix and Koei absolutely MUST be on board.


Not that any of this is going to drive me into Microsoft or Sony's arms. I'm completely underwhelmed with the Xbox 360 (which doesn't appear to have my kind of games anyhow), and Sony's launch price is shaping up to be prohibitive for me. Likely if Nintendo messes up the Rev bad enough I'll just stick to buying what Cube games I don't have yet and DS titles.

[Arbok]

One thing: If Smash Bros is warped beyond belief, or cancelled. Otherwise, they have my money already.

[Artimus]

Nintendo On.

[Ian Sane]

There are two different questions here:

What would it take to not sell me a Revolution at launch?  What would it take to not sell me a Revolution EVER?

Those are very different.  Nintendo hasn't sold me a DS yet but I haven't decided I'm never buying one.

I won't buy a Rev at launch if it's too expensive though I don't think it will be.  I also won't buy one if the launch lineup doesn't have at least two games that really grab me.  SSB online is cool but I'm not buying a console for it.  In fact if it's all sequels I can probably say I won't buy it at launch for sure.  I'm getting pretty tired of the franchises and I need something new.  Though if a franchise game really grabs me by the balls then I could totally change my opinion on that.

It would take something much more drastic to get me to completely write off the Revolution.  The controller is the big issue.  You know all those ideas people have about one handed controllers and touch screen controllers and gyro focused controllers?  I hate those.  They look unusable for existing game designs and I don't like the new ideas they bring to the table.  I don't want to play Zelda where I have to swing the controller like a sword.  So if the controller is too weird I won't buy a Rev.  Another factor is Nintendo's focus.  They're talking about non-gamers a lot.  If stuff like Electroplankton and Nintendogs is their focus on the Rev I won't buy it.  Of course it depends on how much of their focus is on that stuff.  If it's enough that I can't really find any games that interest me then I won't buy a Rev.  I didn't stay loyal to Nintendo for all these years to be squeezed in favour of a new market.  And I won't buy a Rev if there's virtually (or literally) no third party support.  I won't reward a company for that kind of incompetance.

Though I could see myself writing the Rev off for these reasons and then years later grabbing one used (or one in clearance since odds are that's where these things would end up pretty fast in these situations) for the few games that interest me assuming they exist.

[KDR_11k]

For that it needs to be released the way it is now, with a bog-standard controller.

[Spak-Spang]

I would say there are a few things that will limit me from buying the system.

Price.  I am on a budget, and if Revolution costs anything like the PS3 will then I can't buy it.  Also price of games as well.  I don't care how much better games are, if the price of games are higher than the current generation that will make me mad.  I can already only buy one or two games every couple of months.

Download Content:  Right now this has already sold me a Revolution, but if they mess it up then I won't buy.

Controller:  I am pretty much willing to try anything, but I want a really good controller...if the controller is horrible I may not buy.

Last,  Competition:

If the Competition, right now Microsoft, because I stated PS3 will be too expensive, has the games I desire to play and at reasonable costs I may buy Xbox360.  But really, the likelihood of that is rare.  I like colorful, cheerful Nintendo games, I don't like too many realistic war games, and thug games.  

[stevey]

nothing that can really happen nintendo going for 200>rev. prices and controller not going to be wacky.

unless nintendo going to give a gun to mario lol.

[couchmonkey]

It wouldn't be too hard for Nintendo to prevent me from buying one at launch.  A poor launch lineup like the DS, or a really high price point would be two major things to turn me off there.  Also, if the new features turn out to be boring, that could affect my decision too.  Looking at what MS and Sony are offering, I wouldn't buy either of their consoles at launch, what they have to offer just isn't interesting or different enough to pay launch-day prices for.

As for not buying one ever, Nintendo would have to screw up royally.   The controls would have to be really weird, the games totally uninteresting, and the third part support non-existant.  I think a more likely (but still pessimistic) scenario is that the controls are weird and they can't/won't develop many traditional games and it doesn't get much third party support: in that case I'd probably buy a Rev and one of the other consoles.

Edit: semantics.

[TMW]

...I would only -not- buy one at launch if the price was too prohibitive.  

EVen if all else goes wrong..weird controller, lack of games...I'll at least have SSBMOnline and eventually, a Zelda game.  

[Dirk Temporo]

Square Enix is very unlikely, due to Sony's stranglehold on them. And Koei? What the...? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only thing they did for NES and SNES was Romance of the Three Kingdoms, correct? And who's going to want that when you could just get a newer one for about five dollars more?

[nickmitch]

Winning a free one.

[nemo_83]

free online is going to sell this system along with the downloading, especially if you can play old games online and with the new controller.

if the controller is great i will buy it at launch.

most important though is that there needs to be at least two superb games that are screaming this is why we need to abandon the PS2, Xbox, and Cube.  and one of those key titles needs to be an original IP.

[jasonditz]

Quote
Originally posted by: Dirk Temporo
Square Enix is very unlikely, due to Sony's stranglehold on them. And Koei? What the...? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only thing they did for NES and SNES was Romance of the Three Kingdoms, correct? And who's going to want that when you could just get a newer one for about five dollars more?

Since Square Enix is working on a title for the Rev anyhow, and seems quite enamoured with the idea of selling old titles, this would seem to be right up their alley. Sony' "stranglehold" on them seems dramatically overstated, since they've had nothing but good things to say about Nintendo lately.

KOEI did a lot more than the romance series. I was actually thinking Uncharted Waters 1 and 2, PTO and Nobunaga's ambition 2 for the SNES and Genghis Khan for the NES. But at the same time, I would say Romance 3 for the SNES was my favorite of the series... its a different feel from the later games, and IMO a lot more approachable.

[Flames_of_chaos]

How does Sony have a strangle hold on Square-enix look at all the DS projects they have, FF:Crystal Chronicals 2 on Rev and a port of FF XI on the Xbox360 looks like square is giving every system some love.

[heinous_anus]

Everyone's mentioned the price, I think that's a given, but not something I'm worried about (I just can't see the Rev. launching at a ridiculous price).  Also, a lackluster launch lineup is a temporary turnoff, but to answer Ian's latter question - gimmicks, man.  If they pull this "buy 4 GBAs to play our only Square game," count me out.

[Myxtika1 Azn]

You don't HAVE to buy 4 GBAs because just 1 controller will do.

As for me and the Rev, it will be the first next-gen system I will be getting, regardless of whether the launch titles are lackluster because I know that the heavy hitters will be coming.  I might get it on launch day, depending on the price.

[stevey]

"most important though is that there needs to be at least two superb games that are screaming this is why we need to abandon the PS2, Xbox, and Cube. and one of those key titles needs to be an original IP. "

ssb online and super mario 128/sunshine2 (one come out on the rev and the other on the cube but they haven't desided yet)

[Ian Sane]

"ssb online and super mario 128/sunshine2"

Why would either game convince someone to adandon the Cube?  There's already a perfectly compitent SSB and Mario game on the Cube.  These may end up being better but it would still largely be an extension to an experience a Cube owner has already had.  These games should still be made but there's no need to switch from the Cube to the Rev for sequels to Cube games.  There needs to be something new as well.  You come for the new stuff and stay for the sequels.  I bought a Cube because of Pikmin because there was nothing like that game on any other console ever.  Mario, Zelda and all the rest were bonuses but I had comparible (superior in same cases) games on the N64 so I didn't have to buy a Cube to get those experiences.

[jasonditz]

If you're a big SSB fan, the addition of online is probably enough to warrant the purchase by itself, even if the rest of the game is largely unchanged.  

[Gremio]

At this point the only things that could unconvince me from getting a Revolution is high price (above $250) or some weird mutant controller. I'm open to a new user interface, just as long as if it doesn't include something really weird like long detachable arms or something.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be fine with the launch games. Two launch games are usually what I buy for any system's launch. Smash Brothers is a definite buy for me, and I'm pretty sure Mr. Miyamoto's new project is going to be something different that's meant to appeal to the non-gamers out there so that's a definite buy for me.

[UncleBob]

I just wanted to bump this back up to see if anyone had any new answers...

[mantidor]

Metroid Prime 3 ends up a multiplayer-focused game.

[PaLaDiN]

Mantidor, you shut your mouth.

Some things you shouldn't even joke about, man. Not funny.

[Crimm]

If the majority of E3 games are either "twist arm here!" or half-arsed ports I will be deeply disappointed.

If it seems that the games had significant thought put into them I'm sold.

[UncleBob]

Quote
Originally posted by: mantidor
Metroid Prime 3 ends up an on-line only multiplayer game.

fixed.