Post by: Jonnyboy117 on February 13, 2004, 10:43:49 AM
GameScience has translated another great Japanese article, this time from the Nikkei Shimbun newspaper. NCL president Satoru Iwata and retired president Hiroshi Yamauchi comment on GameCube sales, its successor, online features, and of course, Nintendo DS. A few excerpts:
Iwata:
- We have been able to provide proof positive that the GC is not a dying platform
- How can we expand the industry - the Nintendo DS is one way we are trying to do so
- It's not clear what other companies are trying to achieve with their new consoles, we will not make something incomplete just for the sake of it
- ...we're thinking about new forms of play using wireless communication
Yamauchi:
- I think the game industry is maturing in different ways to those I imagined
- The truth is, I thought about the idea for DS about 18 months ago
- If the DS succeeds, we will rise to heaven, but if it fails we will sink to hell
Check out GameScience for the full story, including plenty more craziness from our beloved "retiree".
Post by: GaimeGuy on February 13, 2004, 11:28:32 AM
Yeah, I'm sure Nintendo is using all the billions of dollars it has on the DS.
Can Yamauchi be any more dramatic?
Post by: Ocarina Blue on February 13, 2004, 11:51:53 AM
Post by: gwgtrunks on February 13, 2004, 01:26:18 PM
I could see the DS costing Nintendo quite a bit... but not money per say. Mostly what ever respect that the typical consumer has for them would go down the drain if they have another VB bomb.
Post by: nickmitch on February 13, 2004, 03:24:55 PM
Post by: PaLaDiN on February 13, 2004, 03:41:09 PM
Actually, the way I'm interpreting this, he's talking about the market as a whole.
What I'm getting from this article is that Nintendo is doing a test to see just how ready for innovation the market is.
In other words, if this thing doesn't sell, it means that good, innovative ideas no longer have any impact on this market... the mainstream just wants cookie-cutter sequels and true-to-formula games now. It would mean that gaming is now less of an art and more of a service.
And that is what I think Nintendo is afraid of... if it's confirmed, "they may not be bankrupt, but they will be crushed."
Post by: Djunknown on February 13, 2004, 04:01:46 PM
"If we can increase the scope of the industry, we can re-energise the global market and lift Japan out of depression - that is Nintendo's mission"
Picture the headline: Nintendo almost singlehandedly saves Japan's economy. Prime Minsiter Junichiro Koezumi praises Nintendo for their hardwork, perserverance, and insuring a promising future for Japan....
"Gamers don't just want beautiful graphics, sounds and epic stories"
Is he slyly mentioning the FF series? Or am I spinning it?
Last thing I'll mention is What Iwata said about online gaming:
"I wonder how much money companies like Sony and Microsoft are making from this?"
"You can't say that appropriate business models are in place yet - customers are also not jumping on board"
Is there a degree of truth or is he just stalling?
Post by: Bill Aurion on February 13, 2004, 04:51:15 PM
Post by: Ocarina Blue on February 13, 2004, 06:55:03 PM
This looks like an emergency statement to me: I see no other reason why Nintendo would publicise statements from people who not only who hold an important position within the company (Iwata), but people that are automatically associated with it (Yamauchi). I guess Nintendo used someone of a lower profile to confirm the N5 for E3 2005.
I'm cautious of Nintnedo trying to mold themselves into the image of a savour - no matter how much the industry needs one. Proclaiming themselves as the sole herald of prosperity to the Japanese economy seems a little over the top.
I rekon Nintendo to be jumping the gun a bit regarding the maximum graphics capabilities. When the time comes, Nintendo will have to approach the plateau very carefully; when the plateau presented itself to the movie industry, people stopped judging movies based on their image quality - but creativity and innovation made way for huge budget films with prettier actors.
Post by: Uncle Rich AiAi on February 13, 2004, 07:30:55 PM
But I disagree with some of the quotes:
"Gamers don't just want beautiful graphics, sounds and epic stories"
If that was the case, FF will sell poorly. I guess he's still bitter at Square.
"We cannot guarantee interesting and fun games just by using better technology and increasing the functions of the machines"
and "I don't think our problems can be solved by just increasing the power of the consoles" (Iwata's quote)
While I agree with them on this, most mainstream gamers drool at better technology and graphics. I mean, if the N5 was to be slightly more powerful than the GC (I doubt it) and say Xbox2 was way more powerful than Xbox, with way better graphics, which console will the mainstream buy? I think it's obvious. Nintendo should not ignore that.
Post by: DevAdvocate on February 14, 2004, 04:30:51 AM
It's interesting that Nintendo is identifying the next two years as critical to their success...the gap that exists before the planned launches of PS3 and Microsoft's next console. Personally, I agree that alot of the models for gameplay are fairly stale. It's like the film 'The Player', where all the movie ideas that are pitched are described as combinations of successful films that have already been produced...most video games today are exactly like that. If Nintendo can really deliver on their idea of innovative games and gameplay with the DS, they could exploit the large volume of dead-air between now and 2006. The repetitive nature of current game design will only get more dull over the course of two years, so I'm hopeful that there really are some fresh ideas out there!
Post by: gwgtrunks on February 14, 2004, 06:13:22 AM
Post by: DevAdvocate on February 14, 2004, 06:50:59 AM
Post by: RealmRPGer on February 14, 2004, 10:55:32 AM
Post by: Djunknown on February 14, 2004, 01:35:56 PM
But they're more software related, He's gone on record saying he doesn't care a lot about hardware.
What will Yamauchi think of next?
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 14, 2004, 01:38:48 PM
Post by: Don'tHate742 on February 16, 2004, 09:13:42 AM
Post by: Oldskool on February 23, 2004, 12:22:57 PM
