Quote:GameCube successor before PlayStation 3, neXtbox
Japan's Nikkei Industrial Daily, a daily newspaper, states today that Nintendo could release a successor to its GameCube hardware sometime before Sony and Microsoft launch their next-generation consoles in 2005. Nintendo thinks that if it is the first to release new hardware, it could give them an advantage that they've been without with the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube.
Source: GameFront

Posted by Soul4ger on 4.8.2003

Quote:Originally posted by OB1
1. Make a more mature-looking console and try to completely wipe away Nintendo's "kiddy" public image. No more purple consoles, no more lunchbox handles. And make sure to have DVD playback support.

Quote:Nintendo is trying to dig itself out of it's own grave.

Quote:Not a commercial break goes by anymore it seems without seeing that big green X or being asked to "Live in your world, play in ours". When a big name game comes out, Nintendo will advertise it. Slightly. Enough to amuse thoe die-hards that already know it coming out, but not enough to catch prospective buyers.

Nintendo has money. If they used that money. they could easily fight their way to the top again.

Quote:2. Support the same or better optical format that Sony and MS will use, which will most likely be blue-laser DVDs. Don't be at a six GB disadvantage again.

Quote: Rare did carry the N64, but they're nowhere near as important to Nintendo now as they were during the N64 days. If it weren't for Rare then there would have been only one, maybe two big releases per year. Now we get seven big Nintendo first and second-party games every year, so it's not a huge loss. But that's not what this thread is for.

Quote:1. Make a more mature-looking console and try to completely wipe away Nintendo's "kiddy" public image. No more purple consoles, no more lunchbox handles. And make sure to have DVD playback support.

Quote:3. Launch with at least three AAA games, even if that means canceling some Gamecube titles and moving them to the N2004/2005 launch. Have a new Mario platformer, a great new racing game like Wave Race or F-Zero, and a new Smash Bros. title at launch. Nintendo is the best game developer in the world, and they better come out the gate guns blazing. Sony and MS cannot do that. Capcom canceling RE4 in favor of a N2004 launch might be a good idea as well, since their RE exclusivity ends after RE4.

Quote:6. MS showed that having a built-in modem and HDD is necessary, especially for online titles. And they better have some sort of online model available at or soon after launch.

Quote:No. If they do, the NGC will be pirated within months just like the PS2 and X-Box were... I don't want the size difference, but they MUST do something physical to stop piracy or it'll be like those consoles where anyone with a DVD burner can play nearly free games... mini-disks aren't exactly common...

Quote:I disagree. On the N64 Rare took a while to build up steam (in the first year we just got Blast Corps and KI Gold... good games, but not system-sellers or technical showpieces...). I'm sure the same would have happened with the Cube... and even though Nintendo does have more first/second party games now, the loss of Rare is very huge. With Rare they'd have several more AAA games a year... which would help a LOT.

How well would the N64 have done with no Rare? Do you think it'd have even been relevant by early 2000?

Quote:I don't know about you, but I love the look of my GCN (I got black, they didn't have any other color at that store). Nothing wrong with "indigo" (well technically, purple isn't listed in the colors of the rainbow, so maybe it's MORE accurate, since all you ever really need is seven colors, this statement was intented for laughs...idiots....don't tell me why we need more than seven colors, just laugh at the sillyness of what I said...) when others are there to get. I've never heard anyone make fun of the GCN's look, ever. That handle doesn't look like a lunch box handle (and what's wrong with that? Construction workers have lunch boxes!), it looks perfectly functional. The only problem is it's SUPPOSED to be a cube, but you don't even need a ruler to see that it's "deeper" than it is high or wide, thus meaning it's not a cube at all. For that matter, I do believe the Q is the nicest console I have ever seen, and others agree. ALL consoles look like toys compaired to the look of the Q.

Quote:The fifth thing is just fan service. Most casual gamers don't care about surround sound or HDTV support. In fact, most casuals I meet just hook up the ol' RF modulator to the new system they bought and hook that up to their 15' TV with VCR combo built in. I'm just BARELY above that with the advantage of not needing an RF modulator . This Digital 2 thing sounds pretty sweet from what I've heard in stores, and I can't really tell the difference between that and genuine stuff. Still, I can see that it would be a nice addition. Might as well make it support 6.1. If they are goign to bother with HDTV, they really need to get games supporting higher resolutions that new HDTVs are capable of. Push it to the thousands for starters, then higher. Still though, this isn't something that will sell systems to the masses. I don't know anyone who's ever used the surround sound or hdtv abilities of their PS2, XBox, or GCN.

Quote:"We need an 8th." Yes you do! Backwards compatibility! This REALLY helped sell the PS2 even when it had barely any games! People wanted to play many PS1 games, but realized the new system was out, why not buy that to play them? Same with the GBC and the GBA! People who never owned the old systems before those two bought them to play the old titles as much as they did to play the new! Nintendo has two experiences with backwards compatibility, and Sony has the success of one. Backwards compatility sells systems! So, just have a nice inner groove (well, most CD trays do) for GCN games and let us play them.

Quote:The only problem is it's SUPPOSED to be a cube, but you don't even need a ruler to see that it's "deeper" than it is high or wide, thus meaning it's not a cube at all.

Quote:uge thing hurting Nintendo though, although certain ports would be multidisk if they had to occur. What I want to see is some numbers regarding how much pirating the GCN has had compaired to the XBox and PS2 (compairing to XBox would be better as they are very close to GCN sales so it's easier to see the ratio) so we can see exactly how much good this copy protection scheme has done.

Quote: I don't know anyone who's ever used the surround sound or hdtv abilities of their PS2, XBox, or GCN.

Quote:May I suggest a medieval theme with crossbows and magic bolts? I haven't played that kind of FPS since some really old game for PC (wasn't that good, but it was a nice change of pace from Wolfenstein and Doom).

Quote:"We need an 8th." Yes you do! Backwards compatibility! This REALLY helped sell the PS2 even when it had barely any games! People wanted to play many PS1 games, but realized the new system was out, why not buy that to play them? Same with the GBC and the GBA!

Quote:They should adjust the memory system so that the maximum number of files is equal to the maximum number of blocks on the memory unit. In fact, just use kilobytes and a varient of the FAT system. No royalties involved, and it's already established! It works FINE for Sony (who did both) and MS (who just used a FAT system varient).

Quote:When making the few controller, they might have some innovative ideas in mind (might not, not much more that can be done unless something brilliant comes along), but mainly just move that Z button (they have to keep all those buttons due to backwards compatibility). Fill in the two buttons you removed from the 6 button setup to make that falsly innovative tetris shape design (come on, they just cut out the upper left and upper right buttons from a 6 button setup to make that). Add the select button back to it. Give a click feature to the sticks. Make the A button (maybe the B button) pressure sensitive (only one or two need to be made pressure sensitive, and I say that only because sometimes it's convenient to have the pressure sensitivity on the face instead of on the shoulder buttons). Finally, and this one actually matters a little bit, make the plug in for this controller to the system the same as the next GB's link adapter plug in. That way, all you need is the link adapter and you don't have to go out and buy the console to portable adapter cord. Important if you want people USING that system feature.

Quote:As far as the system, here's another idea. Make the next GB and the next console share this ability I'm about to talk about. The ability to link the system and portable to each other even without games that support the feature! Why do this? When you select "show GB image" on the console and the portable has booted seeing this connection, the portable will send the data straight to the screen via the console! Instant super game boy, without an adapter, and perfect emulation (since it's not emulating, you ARE playing it on your GB).

Quote:Should they put the memory card slot in the controller or on the system? Well, some have complained about only two slots, so controller would solve that. Eh, what the heck. If the controller connector has decent speed (meaning of course that the next GB connection would also have decent speed) then this isn't a problem.

Quote:Lastly, the much vaunted DVD/CD playback ability.

Quote: So for these, the second is an obvious addition if they go the MS way. The first, CDs, is something they just need to pick on their own. If they actually decide to use SD cards as memory cards from the START (that is, the slots on the controllers or system, whichever they pick, are for SD cards, no adapter required), then they could just have the user download MP3s from their computer and use them that way.

Quote:Like I said, I like the look of the system. However mainstream America does think that it looks like a toy. Every single non-gamer friend that I have thinks that the PS2 and X-Box are the "cool" systems and that the Gamecube is the little kid's toy, and that it looks like a Barney lunch box.

Quote:Oh I disagree with that. While most people aren't hardcore a/v freaks, a lot of people have some sort of surround sound set-up in their homes, and HDTV's are becoming more and more popular. When Joe Casual goes to Best Buy looking for a new gaming system, the clerk is going to tell him the main differences between the consoles and will definitely use the 5.1 support as a strong selling point, even if Joe Casual does not yet have a 5.1 sound system. He will probably get one down the line and it would be nice to have a system that supports it. With DVDs being so popular more and more people are buying good surround sound systems, and game systems supporting 5.1 sound is becoming a standard.

Quote:Originally posted by Dark Jaguar
Well there's two differences of opinion. Oh well, I'll not debate any further on those issues, except to ask you OB1 if you agree that the Q is the sleekest looking console ever?

Quote:Originally posted by EdenMaster
What's wrong with the GameCube controller? I hear a ton of people complaining about the controller. Its perfectly designed, all the buttons and analog sticks are in just the right spots, all easily accessible, and perfectly sized. Someone please tell me what the problem with it is.

Quote:But the black one looks perfectly fine and not toylike... thats what I have...

Quote:I think you overestimate the number of people with HDTVs and/or 5.1 sound systems... but it is true that they will be used as selling points whether people have the stuff or not.

Quote:HDTV sales are rapidly rising and sound systems that support at least Dolby Digital 5.1 are pretty common in America. I could get you actual sales figures, but that would take work. I have a bunch of friends and one sibling who are in consumer electronic sales and they could probably get me some nationwide sales figures, but that would be a silly thing to ask, don't you think?

Quote:Yes, it does. But when Nintendo was advertising the Gamecube in 2001 and the first half of 2002 they always showed the purple one.

Quote:The problems that I have with the GameCube controller are as follows:

- Not enough face buttons. The N64 had six face buttons, how come we went backwards in time to the SNES era and only four face buttons?

Quote:- The lack of double shoulder buttons. The Z-button is awkward to use, and completely unbalanced, meaning you either have to hold your controller differently in each hand, or you have to take your finger off the R-button in order to use the Z-button. Unacceptable.

Quote:- There is no expansion slot on the controller, whether for memory cards, microphone connection (for future online play), etc.

Quote:On a slightly different subject:

My webcam is acting up, so I had to use a picture off the web, instead of one I made personally. The N64 just looks so cool! Don't you love how the curve of the casing perfectly matches the curve of the cartridge. It's so sleek and smooth. Even the Q doesn't beat it in terms of visual appeal. I especially enjoy being able to tell at a glance what game is actually in my console. With my GameCube, I have to open the lid to check, which gets annoying.

Quote:You care, but I couldn't care less about either one...

Quote:I especially enjoy being able to tell at a glance what game is actually in my console. With my GameCube, I have to open the lid to check, which gets annoying.