11-03-2005 04:28									#1
	Nintendo at GDC Increase Your PM Length

Lots of new Nintendo stuff at the Game Developer's Conference.

Kicking rad new Zelda trailer:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=5128&type=mov

News on the DS's internet capabilities:

quote: March 10, 2005 - At the Game Developers Conference keynote speech today, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata revealed that Nintendo will be sending its Nintendo DS online wirelessly to enable gamers around the world to connect to each other in games written specifically for the protocol. Once the service begins later this year, Nintendo DS users will be able to connect to the service wirelessly at universal Wi-Fi hot spots in use all over the world. Nintendo's in-house development team is already creating Animal Crossing DS to support global Wi-Fi connectivity. During the speech, Iwata took part in eight-player wireless competition of Mario Kart DS with audience members to demonstrate the local-area wireless support already inherent in several Nintendo DS games. More details on the Wi-Fi service will be revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles this May. Iwata also used his keynote speech today to reveal that shipments of DS systems have surpassed four million units in North America and in Japan in the 16 weeks on the market. That number will approach six million when the system launches in Europe this March. During the speech, Iwata demonstrated two key Nintendo DS games to spotlight the unique gameplay aspects and non-traditional gaming of the dual screen handheld. Nintendogs was highlighted to demonstrate the voice and touch controls of interacting with realistic puppies on-screen. Electroplankton also made its debut to show the innovative use of the DS' control properties. According to Iwata: "This is designed to produce harmony, not adrenaline."

http://ds.ign.com/articles/594/594933p1.html?fromint=1

And news on the Revolution:

quote: March 10, 2005 - Nintendo president Satoru Iwata delivered his keynote speech at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Thursday. The company head outlined the publisher's philosophies in regard to its next-generation console, which is codenamed Revolution. Iwata once more reiterated that while cutting edge graphics and audio are to be expected, Nintendo hopes to deliver a new gaming dynamic that will enhance the way players enjoy its software. However, Iwata also announced Nintendo's two major hardware partners for Revolution, both previously rumored to be working on the console and both industry stand-outs. IBM is deep in development with the CPU that will provide the processing power of the machine. The chip is codenamed "Broadway," according to Nintendo. Meanwhile, ATI, which developed the GameCube's graphics chip, is underway with GPU for Revolution. The chip is codenamed "Hollywood," according to Nintendo. "We're excited to be developing the graphics chip set for Revolution, which continues our longstanding relationship with Nintendo," explained Dave Orton, ATI Technologies' president and chief executive officer. "As the leading graphics provider, ATI is committed to delivering exceptional visual performance that enables consumers to interact with new and visually compelling digital worlds. ATI is proud to support Nintendo's innovative contributions to gaming." Iwata also announced that Revolution would feature backward compatibility with GameCube, which means that consumers will be able to play GCN software on the next console. In addition, the Nintendo president said that Revolution would be Wi-Fi compatible out of the box. The revelation goes hand-in-hand with the company's newly announced DS online network, which enables owners of the handheld to connect to the Internet wirelessly and play against each other. Finally, Iwata introduced a brand new trailer for the anticipated GameCube title The Legend of Zelda. Naturally, onlookers were blown away. "This is Nintendo's plan: make our existing game world better," Iwata said. "For us, this is a passion. This is a mission of adventure," Iwata explained. The Nintendo head promised more details on Revolution and the DS wireless network at the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2005, which kicks off this May in Los Angeles.

http://cube.ign.com/articles/594/594935p1.html

Lots of good news here. Looks to me like Nintendo's learned from some of their missteps in the past 2 generations and I think they'll be able to do a lot better next-generation.

Oh, and here's an interesting interview with Nintendo executive vice president of sales and marketing, Reggie Fils-Aime: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?pag...t=0&cId=3138769

	11-03-2005 08:56									#2
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Nintendo
DS
Revolution
Zelda
Reggie

	11-03-2005 10:51									#3
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

Last two generations? The N64 was an amazing system, with incredible and memorable games.

	11-03-2005 11:49									#4
	Got spare money?

quote: Originally posted by Lord Nuclear Last two generations? The N64 was an amazing system, with incredible and memorable games.

I hope your post was sarcastic.

Memorable games... Mario 64 and Zelda. There aren't any other good games on the N64 (god help you if you actually think GoldenEye was good).

The system itself was underpowered and the N64 controller is quite possibly the WORST controller ever designed. The analog sticks break approx. 100% of the time.

N64 = Teh Suck

	11-03-2005 11:50									#5
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

Zelda

	11-03-2005 12:35									#6
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

The N64 was hampered by being cartridge-based and underpowered. Still a good system though.

I remember convincing the PE teacher to let us do 'cross-country runs', when in reality we just ran to each other's houses and played GoldenEye.

	11-03-2005 15:54									#7
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

The touch screen gimmick has turned me off considering a DS. Not only would I find such controls awkward and childish, but I wouldn't want to scratch the screen. Scratches have been reported as inevitable, no matter how carefully used.

I find it ironic that Satoru Iwata stated that the Gameboy Advance was aimed more at children, and the DS at young adults. The touch screen is such an obvious kiddy gimmick.

	12-03-2005 01:06									#8
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Nintendo will do nothing but lose ground to Microsoft (and Sony, who will face heavy competitition to the successor to a now-established console).

The niche for kiddie games is the only thing Nintendo still has any hold on, IMO. Sony has GTA, Xbox has Halo, Nintendo has...Mario? But, whereas GTA and Halo improve and get spectacular results, I've not seen anything comparable with GameCube; Nintendo's power is dwindling.

Hail your Xbox Overlord.

	12-03-2005 01:31									#9
	Tired of ads?

quote: The touch screen gimmick has turned me off considering a DS. Not only would I find such controls awkward and childish, but I wouldn't want to scratch the screen. Scratches have been reported as inevitable, no matter how carefully used. I find it ironic that Satoru Iwata stated that the Gameboy Advance was aimed more at children, and the DS at young adults. The touch screen is such an obvious kiddy gimmick.

I've seen it in action. In Metroid, you can aim with it. So it's very precise. So it can be useful.

	12-03-2005 04:03									#10
	Get a bigger avatar today!

And the stylus doesn't scratch the screen.

	12-03-2005 04:24									#11
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

quote: Originally posted by BustaMike I hope your post was sarcastic. Memorable games... Mario 64 and Zelda. There aren't any other good games on the N64 (god help you if you actually think GoldenEye was good). The system itself was underpowered and the N64 controller is quite possibly the WORST controller ever designed. The analog sticks break approx. 100% of the time. N64 = Teh Suck

	12-03-2005 07:57									#12
	Tired of ads?

quote: Originally posted by Gamecube64 And the stylus doesn't scratch the screen.

I'm making it up am I?

From game message boards and from friends, I am hearing reports of the stylus scratching screens. The scratches may not be deep or severe, they may not even be noticeable during gameplay, but the marks left behind are enough to annoy someone as obsessive as myself. PDA style screen protectors are already being marketed for the DS, so it's not something I'm making up.

The greater accuracy of the stylus comes at the cost of clumsy switching of controls. I can't see it being too accurate when it is the thumb manipulating the device. Might be accurate if you layed the DS down and gripped the stylus like a pen.

Nothing will convince a fanboi though.

	12-03-2005 08:22									#13
	Full PM-box? Change here!

quote: Originally posted by Gamecube64 And the stylus doesn't scratch the screen.

This is not true -- as a user of PDAs (which as you know, used touchscreens + stylus before the DS), I've scratched screens using the stylus.

All it takes is a large piece of dust/debris to settle under it, and the pressure of the stylus scratches the screen with it.

I've done it, I have a scratch on my iPaq 4150.

	12-03-2005 08:35									#14
	Support Apolyton

LOL what a n00b dust on your stylus how stupid can you get lol n00b

	12-03-2005 09:07									#15
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

It is the thumbpad which scratches the screen, not the stylus. The thumbpad is fairly clumsy, so it is much easier to use the stylus or D-pad. The DS also has a nice plastice cover over it's bottom screen.

And you shouldn't be getting large debris on your screen.

	13-03-2005 02:55									#16
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

It's just a fact of life that debris gets on it, large or not.

When I scratched mine I didn't even see the debris until I looked very closely after I felt it scratch.

	13-03-2005 09:09									#17
	Full PM-box? Change here!

At least Revolution is going to be backward compatible. I just hope whatever gimmick it arrives with isn't too silly.

	14-03-2005 08:15									#18
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

More firm info about the Revolution from N-sider:

"Supposedly Nintendo has two sets of benchmark specifications they're working with, and one will be chosen when they are closer to actual development. We'll talk about both in the analysis.

System 1:

* 2.7 Ghz PowerPC G5 Processor
* 512 Megs total Ram (128 for video, 64 for sound)
* 600 Mhz graphics chip

System 2:

* Dual 1.8 Ghz IBM G5 PowerPC processors
* 256 Megs DDR Main memory (64 dedicated to sound, using a 7.1 sound system at 196 Khz)
* 128 Megs GDDR3 Video memory
* 500 Mhz graphics chip (ATI developed, 16 Pixel Pipe, 220 Million transistors)

Shared Information:

* Built in 15 Gigabyte harddrive
* Blue-laser disk technology
* Potential DVD playback
* Case design philosophy more like the N64, less like the GameCube"

	14-03-2005 09:31									#19
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

Looks like another no-contest case...

The Xbox2 is to have a tri-core G5-based chip, @ 3GHz.

	14-03-2005 10:28									#20
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Yep, the Xbox 2 and the PS3 will eat it alive. That said, Nintendo already said that they're not playing the my-console-is-more-powerful-than-yours-game. They want to do things differently this time, just like the DS. I'm still curious about what's so revolutionary about the Revolution... Btw, is the DS selling well, or is the PSP eating it alive?

	14-03-2005 20:48									#21
	Got spare money?

They tried the "different" game before with Gamecube.

Sony marketed the huge game library, Microsoft marketed better experience, and Nintendo marketed...Mario?

	15-03-2005 00:23									#22
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

But Mario rulezorz.

	15-03-2005 00:57									#23
	Suffering from ads?

quote: Microsoft marketed better experience

Out of curiosity, what makes you think Microsoft marketed "better experience?" The Xbox was their entry into the market... they had no experience...

	15-03-2005 01:24									#24
	Get a bigger avatar today!

quote: Originally posted by ixnay More firm info about the Revolution from N-sider: "Supposedly Nintendo has two sets of benchmark specifications they're working with, and one will be chosen when they are closer to actual development. We'll talk about both in the analysis. System 1: * 2.7 Ghz PowerPC G5 Processor * 512 Megs total Ram (128 for video, 64 for sound) * 600 Mhz graphics chip System 2: * Dual 1.8 Ghz IBM G5 PowerPC processors * 256 Megs DDR Main memory (64 dedicated to sound, using a 7.1 sound system at 196 Khz) * 128 Megs GDDR3 Video memory * 500 Mhz graphics chip (ATI developed, 16 Pixel Pipe, 220 Million transistors) Shared Information: * Built in 15 Gigabyte harddrive * Blue-laser disk technology * Potential DVD playback * Case design philosophy more like the N64, less like the GameCube"

Sounds good. But the most important thing for a console is the quality and, to a degree, the number of games, not the hardware. That's the main flaw in most console and computer games developer's focus...

	15-03-2005 01:51									#25
	Suffering from ads?

quote: Originally posted by ZargonX Out of curiosity, what makes you think Microsoft marketed "better experience?" The Xbox was their entry into the market... they had no experience...

Better user experience -- Dolby Digital 5.1, support for high-definition, built-in harddrive for custom soundtracks, Xbox Live, etc.

	15-03-2005 02:08									#26
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

quote: Better user experience

Ah, sorry. Though you meant "better market experience"."

	15-03-2005 02:17									#27
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: The Xbox2 is to have a tri-core G5-based chip, @ 3GHz.

What is the highest clock speed of PowerPC CPUs right now? Are 3GHz cores a realistic aim for Q4 2005? The CPU and the GPU will generate a lot of heat. How will they cool that damn thing without making it sound like a hair dryer?

	15-03-2005 02:28									#28
	Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: What is the highest clock speed of PowerPC CPUs right now? Are 3GHz cores a realistic aim for Q4 2005? The CPU and the GPU will generate a lot of heat. How will they cool that damn thing without making it sound like a hair dryer?

You'll have to keep it in your liquid-filled Xpool, purchased separately for $59.99.

	15-03-2005 02:47									#29
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

quote: Originally posted by nostromo What is the highest clock speed of PowerPC CPUs right now? Are 3GHz cores a realistic aim for Q4 2005? The CPU and the GPU will generate a lot of heat. How will they cool that damn thing without making it sound like a hair dryer?

The G5s clock at 2.5GHz right now, but by the end of the year they plan to implement other technologies to reduce heat/increase frequency (such as strained silicon).

3GHz is generous, though. I'd look at a 2GHz tri-core chip, realistically.

	15-03-2005 08:54									#30
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

It has a bigger hardrive than my computer
Depressing... something that only holds save games has a larger capacity than my PC.