17th April 2003, 4:19 PM
Online is not a must. At least not this generation. Particularly because GCN will be so late introducing their plan it will have no effect on their sales.
Do you really want to take a look at what online gaming has brought to consoles so far? The first online console (well, I know that XBand existed long before it) was the Dreamcast, did online help it? No.. In fact, being an online console was one of the Dreamcast's big plans. The online launch was supposed to save it.
PS2 sales have not increased since going online, and neither has the XBox. Though, this could definately be put down to the fact that the N/A and XBL! Starter Kits aren't available to everyone yet. But if you take a look at recent survey's and reports (I could get you a link if you wish), it states that only 8% of all gamers even care about going online with their console this generation. Again, as far as XBox is concerned, XBox Live! was their big master plan. Once XBox went online with the best online plan, it would be unstoppable. Did it happen... not yet (and it wont).
So I ask again, how is online play important for this generation? At most it's a little bonus. It might help Madden GCN sell a couple of hundreds extra copies. Or whatever. I used to think that if Nintendo released an online Mario Kart, FZero X etc that it would make the GCN really take off. But as with most other games that promised to do that, I think it was extremely naive of me.
Again, if it came down to being the GCN's master plan to help reinstate them in 2nd place, you would all be greatly disappointed.
I'm not even sure if online will be the future of consoles at all. At least not to the extent that Sony and Microsoft believe. But even so, it shows that Nintendo will still be taking it into consideration, they did state it would be a few years away.
With all that said, I'm disappointed that I wont get to play Mario Kart GC against you guys. Well, there's always emulators. :)
Do you really want to take a look at what online gaming has brought to consoles so far? The first online console (well, I know that XBand existed long before it) was the Dreamcast, did online help it? No.. In fact, being an online console was one of the Dreamcast's big plans. The online launch was supposed to save it.
PS2 sales have not increased since going online, and neither has the XBox. Though, this could definately be put down to the fact that the N/A and XBL! Starter Kits aren't available to everyone yet. But if you take a look at recent survey's and reports (I could get you a link if you wish), it states that only 8% of all gamers even care about going online with their console this generation. Again, as far as XBox is concerned, XBox Live! was their big master plan. Once XBox went online with the best online plan, it would be unstoppable. Did it happen... not yet (and it wont).
So I ask again, how is online play important for this generation? At most it's a little bonus. It might help Madden GCN sell a couple of hundreds extra copies. Or whatever. I used to think that if Nintendo released an online Mario Kart, FZero X etc that it would make the GCN really take off. But as with most other games that promised to do that, I think it was extremely naive of me.
Again, if it came down to being the GCN's master plan to help reinstate them in 2nd place, you would all be greatly disappointed.
I'm not even sure if online will be the future of consoles at all. At least not to the extent that Sony and Microsoft believe. But even so, it shows that Nintendo will still be taking it into consideration, they did state it would be a few years away.
With all that said, I'm disappointed that I wont get to play Mario Kart GC against you guys. Well, there's always emulators. :)
If i had a dollar for every time i ran out of hair in the middle of a spoon making contest id only eat your children with a side of slaw and THOSE ARENT PILLOWS!!