Anyone who knows me personally knows that I love Nintendo more than any man should love a corporation designed to empty his wallet. Regardless, I can't help but get excited when they have a new console coming down the pipe. Sure, the Wii has had hard times all throughout, and I absolutely despise the me-too minigame collections that have poured out of the woodworks trying to capitalize on the success of WiiSports and WiiPlay. I imagine people have been trying to understand my excitement about the things that Nintendo does to sell their product since I claimed my love for the GameCube so many years ago.It's simple.
When Nintendo makes video games, they make the best video games. Mario, Zelda, Metroid, yes, all of them. Sure, it's an easy ploy, banking hard on one's franchise characters. But you have to remember, these are the games that brought us to the consoles, hooked us, and made us seek out other games. I know this isn't true for everyone, but I'm not going to try and make a play for Sonic, who has an even rougher track record than any of the aforementioned characters in this post.
Another reason I will always back Nintendo is their sheer insanity. I've not witnessed one of their console launches that didn't make blink twice at some aspect of their console and controller design. I can't help but get excited because they always do something different. They have redefined how we play video games with everything that they do, and don't just stick a new console out just to increase the graphics processing power. Sure, that usually comes in the package, but it's not the main event, so to speak. The only console I've actually seen them fail to completely rewrite things was with the GameCube, and it was still a great console with a fantastic library of games. The only thing I remember warping my vision was the controller, and I still love that silly little pad. Although, it must be said--the GBA cable was the testing ground for one of the rumors floating around about the next Nintendo console: the on controller screen.
And this, friends, is what I mean by insane. The most exciting rumor in circulation about the new Nintendo is the hi-def screen dead in the middle of the controller. Yes, the controller is still traditional in that it has buttons and analog sticks. Beyond this, it's a play in keeping the "casual" crowd that funded this beast of a console. It's a concept that has been tried by Sega and Nintendo alike, but never made it's way into the forefront due to lack of support. Honestly, it's the most interesting part of the package to me. I have long thought that if they could bridge the game to the screen on the controller, containing information on controller screen that could be interactive within the game beyond using menus, than they would have the opportunity to have an experience so immersive that no third party would be able to contest it. Not to mention that they can employ the online store to keep the casuals contented and stick a knife right into the heart of Apple, who quite frankly doesn't belong in the gaming market. Remember the Pippin, my friends. Remember!
I'm going to let the other rumors pass, because this was the most exciting one to me. But let's think about the reaction from the Sony and Microsoft pending the success of this insane concept.
We can already predict that Sony will be smug and bash the console with that prick in the commercials right up until the day that it's in stores. Microsoft, if I recall correctly, didn't sit around complaining that motion controls were a joke, so I can see them being respectable about it, if nothing else. I mean, Microsoft is fairly new to this game aside from the MSX in Japan, so they need to remember that they are only making video games because Nintendo saved the market in the 80's. But both of these companies are probably working on their follow up consoles at the moment, whether they are going to admit it or not, and will be watching closely as Nintendo readies their new console for marker. So I see two scenarios, which apply to each company. They will either wait it out, and see if the controller catches on, and apply the technology to some "higher" degree (like the Move, haha, haha), or send out an attachment for the current consoles. However, I don't know if Sony will be willing to try and cash in on Nintendo's success again, considering that the Move is derided by most gamers, and their own audience won't adopt the bloody thing because it costs so much. Microsoft could easily pick up some steam with the concept, as they seem to have a much better idea of what the casual crowd wants--silly easy games where you look stupid playing them. After all, the Kinect is outselling the Move in spades, and is actually appealing to the audience it's made for. They are trying to shoot for the whole "hardcore" thing supposedly, but I haven't really seen anything outside of Child of Eden that even raises my eyebrows. And I won't be playing Child of Eden with one of those contraptions either!
But this is all purely speculative at this point, seeing as we still have no real idea what Nintendo is hiding at their secret underground laboratories, stroking their angry white cats, and counting their money. The next few months will be interesting, not just because of the official announcement of their new console, but because the backlash from the Sony and Microsoft fanboys will be so blinding that I might actually have to get some sunglasses.
Let's just hope that Nintendo doesn't blow this golden opportunity. They appear to have been trying hard to appeal to the whole "hardcore" audience again, pushing real video game experiences for the past couple of years, and having a ground for that as well on the 3DS. It's not enough to just push this concept though, they are actually going to have to work to get that slice of the market back in their corner. It's going to take time and sheer insanity. Since they've already got that, I think it's now that they should put the time in.
Guess we will just find out in a month.
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