Everybody Loves the Wii 185
1up is reporting on Ubisoft's enthusiastic adoption of the Wii platform. They'd previously only had two titles announced for the system (Red Steel and a Rayman game), but now claim to have seven different titles in production. From the article: "Ubisoft North America President Laurent Detoc ... praised the Wii several times during the panel, stating that he expects it to have 'a large audience and market.' He also stated that he personally felt that in a time when fewer and fewer games appeal to him, the Wii offers plenty of enjoyment. 'The first time I picked up that sucker I couldn't stop playing it.'" Ars Technica is also reporting that EA is gung-ho about the system. From that article: "EA not only indicated that they are taking the Wii and DS seriously, but the company also hinted that they will follow Nintendo's guidance and release games at or near the $49.99 price point. Nintendo has urged developers and publishers to respect the $49.99 price point, believing that it reflects a value advantage over other consoles. EA did not offer a firm commitment to that pricing, contrary to reports elsewhere."
A game idea: NSFW (Score:5, Funny)
I'll leave the terrible details to your imagination.
Re:A game idea: NSFW (Score:5, Funny)
Don't even need the Wii (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Don't even need the Wii (Score:2)
Re:A game idea: NSFW (Score:3, Funny)
Re:A game idea: NSFW (Score:2)
Re:A game idea: NSFW (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
The freedom of nothing to lose (Score:5, Insightful)
For similar reasons, Microsoft is in a good position because they have piles of cash and big time cash cows in office software and operating systems. They can afford to lose a lot of money on the 360, so, once again, they aren't under a lot of pressure. Their approach is less risky though just evolving the platform a bit and more closely integrating the Live system into the unit.
Sony on the other hand is in a terrible position because the PS3 is basically the hopes and dreams of the entire company right now. They've been struggling for a while now, losing market share to cheap competitors in other realms of electronics. They are trying to use the PS3 to tie a lot of things together, a new high def video format, a new hardware platform, etc. If the PS3 flops, Sony is in a world of hurt. Even if it's moderately successful they may still be hurting depending on how much they lose per unit and how easily they can make those losses up on the back end.
Sony may pull things off but they are doubly cursed by high expectations and an almost desperate need for this to work out.
Re:The freedom of nothing to lose (Score:5, Insightful)
The sheer number of blunders and bad business decisions is mind boggling. Take their CRT TV's. They built a multi-million dollar CRT factory in Pennsylvania and employed tons of people as well as an actual glass plant next door to make the glass for the CRT's... all while LCD's and HD and Plasma were already hitting the market. They have since basically shut those plants down and lost metric fuck-tons of money in the process. Amazingly this is only one example of litterally hundreds I could go over.
I have ZERO faith in the PS3 (and many developers and employees share my feelings). I have ZERO faith in Sony. I am also someone who believes in their convictions and left the company as a result. Not in any fanboy way at all, but I sincerely hope that Sony goes down for the count. There are few companies who deserve it more.
I am always amazed how anyone can be a technology fan or even an open source fan and continue to back Sony. Hell, Microsoft looks like a little naked white angel Natalie Portman in comparison.
I'm really hoping the Wii does well and changes the course of gaming away from the advertising/hollywood direction it is going. It is about the last hope to revitalize gaming and return it back to "fun" instead of "money."
Re:The freedom of nothing to lose (Score:2)
Re:The freedom of nothing to lose (Score:3, Informative)
Re:The freedom of nothing to lose (Score:2)
Re:Feedback Loop (Score:2, Informative)
Metroid Prime 3 ?
Twilight Princess ?
Madden 07 - looks at least as good as the X-box version, and will support progressive scan & 16:9 mode.
These games look great so far, and there's a few months to go before launch.
Re:Feedback Loop (Score:5, Insightful)
That's super duper cool. Guess what? It's the same for the DS/PSP match, the DS graphics are at a much lower level.
And you know what? No one cares, because the DS actually has fun games as in games that are actually games and not crappy PS2 ports, and by seeing the Raving Rabbids trailers I'm pretty sure that Rayman 4: Raving Rabbids will fucking rule.
Along with all the 1st party titles (Super Mario Galaxy, Legend of Zelda, SSB, ...)
Remember, Sam&Max Hit the Road was already ugly when it was released, and it's one of the games quite a few people are still in love with.
Re:Feedback Loop (Score:3, Interesting)
Lotsa games... now what? (Score:3, Interesting)
So we have games for the system. Now the question comes down to price points, marketing, and, oh yeah, features!
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:3, Interesting)
Marketing is already taken care of. Go to any gaming forum (or just check previos slashdot threads) and witness the general excitement and anticipation for the Wii. This kind of attitude will trickle down to the average gaming public.
Features. Gee, it only plays games from every Nintendo console, the Genesis, and the TurboGrafx and it has free online play. Would you like it to
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:3, Informative)
Also that it can communicate with the DS, and send DS demos to it. That's just another cherry on top, but something I'll get some use out of.
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
I don't think it would be too much to ask that they guarante every game will support at least dolby digital 5.1, and 480p in 16:9. With the occasional 720p and 1080i titles where the developers feel it's appropriate.
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2, Funny)
Aeonflux on Blu-Ray is so much better then Blade-Runner was on VHS
The video/sound quality really makes up for the terrible content
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
According to Nintendo, there will be no 720p or 1080i titles. They've stated multiple times, and in no uncertain terms, that the Wii will not have HD output.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
I really can't see myself playing a four-player game in split screen, looking at my 320x240 quadrant, thinking, "this is as good as it needs to be."
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
Moreover, your tradeoff is imaginary. 3D is inherently a vector graphics format --- you don't need to do any more artistic work to take
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:3, Insightful)
While you're correct that 3D is a vector format and no more work is needed to take advantage of greater picture resolution, you forget several things. At higher resolutions, you need higher polygon count models, or the models begin to look blocky. The Wii can use those exact same models, it just doesn't require them. More important than polygons, though, is the textures. You have to design completely new textures, textures which would need to be m
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
I'm as hyped about the Wii as anyone, but t
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
Until offi
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:3, Insightful)
Agreed. Moreover, this is not a hardware limitation issue per se; its a philosophy.
By leaving HD out this round, they change the value proposition. Lets face it most of us will not have an HDTV in the lifespan of the Wii. HDTV is definately the next big thing, and sales are skyrocketing, but it will be several years yet before "everyone has one".
So... consider a game getting the 3 way port. Yeah, the Wii has weaker hardware, but
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
Hope you got your 10bucks for astroturfing, but last time I checked the only thing you could do by waving your PSP around was ruining the shit out of it.
Oh, and hardcore players don't care about graphics, they care about playing fun games. The only ones who care about graphics above anything else are teenagers and immature young adults.
Last, but not least, even if they somehow managed to antagonize the "hardcore (nintendo) play
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
Ya know, it wasn't always that way. Remember the 80s, when every family with kids and a little spare cash had a Nintendo? When the most popular games out there were ones which weren't targeted only at "hardcore" gamers, but were accessible to just about everyone?
My impression is that Nintendo's marketing arm is trying to bring back something of those times -- and (though the Internet may now f
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
Isn't The Sims one of the best selling games of all time? If it's a casual game, then the casual gaming market seems to be quite large.
Re:Lotsa games... now what? (Score:2)
Good price point... (Score:2)
Easy sell (Score:2)
Maybe not everybody (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Maybe not everybody (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Maybe not everybody (Score:2)
(until they do the development cost math) (Score:4, Insightful)
Developers whose idea of a better game is bigger pixel counts will surely want to develop for the PS3 or the 360 -- at least until they realize how much more it costs to develop for those systems [gamespot.com], that is. That's another aspect to the "GameCube II" angle your link derided.
Re:Maybe not everybody (Score:2)
I for one am saddened that yet another goddamn FPS won't be making it to the Wii.
Oh wait, no I'm not. You can go back to your playing with your X360 now.
Re:Maybe not everybody (Score:4, Insightful)
Fun thing is how Capcom still somehow managed to release a (graphically) magnificient Resident Evil 4 on Gamecube...
I thing the truth is much closer to "we can't be bothered to optimize the game for each of the 3 consoles, so we're counting on raw power to make up for it, and the Wii has a lower raw unused power".
The funny thing about that is... (Score:2)
I'm not planning to get an HDTV any time soon anyway, and I've played PS
Re:Maybe not everybody (Score:2)
Also, I suspect a lower-powered box may be a win in some areas - it could broaden the range of game studios having a chance, take away some of the distracting focus on polishing the SFX. If your game is never going to match the 360 on pixel prettiness, it will have to compete on something else. Like eg: being more
The actual gamer crowd. (Score:5, Insightful)
So yes, everyone who loves gaming loves the Wii (well... almost everyone), because it's bringing us back to our roots with the old school Nintendo stuff. All the people who play because it's the in thing to do right now, well... they probably don't want to look silly flailing around, so they'll go with the other options.
Me... I'll get the Wii first, the XBOX360 soon after it's price drop, and the PS3 when it gets a price drop in a year or two.
Re:The actual gamer crowd. (Score:2)
"people who game because of the image" - the image?! What image? That of a fat, nerdy, anti-social geek with Cheetos slime all over his fingers?
Re:The actual gamer crowd. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The actual gamer crowd. (Score:2)
Look at any of that type of show right now you see the Xbox 360 showing up everywhere. MTV and the like have grabbed it as one of the new in things and has blown it up into a status item.
Re:The actual gamer crowd. (Score:2)
Re:The actual gamer crowd. (Score:2)
Re:The actual gamer crowd. (Score:2)
Re:The actual gamer crowd. (Score:3, Insightful)
Ok so that would be "gaming with buttons but not a stylus", "gaming with buttons but no vibration", "gaming with buttons but no analog pad", or "gaming with buttons but no more than 8 and god forbid you could use a free-movement controller like a mouse". Sorry mate, but your "gaming the way it is" is dead already, that'
Re:The actual gamer crowd. (Score:2)
Somehow, most people agree that "the days of the NES" was the "good ol' days", and that the first Mario side scroller was awesome (for its time, but still very good by retro standards). Let's see what it had, shall we?
Re:The actual gamer crowd. (Score:2)
I'm not a fan of FFX either, and in fact I stopped playing it after saying "why am I playing this movie". I was, in fact, referring to games like Metal Gear Solid 2. Most Wii games seem to take a general concept involving the controller and then shove a game around it. This is contraty to most good games, where the gameplay and story are developed in
Re:The actual gamer crowd. (Score:2)
Entirely. But I think his point was that they call it the "best FPS ever". And they're clearly wrong. That title obviously belongs to Deus Ex. He's just saying that these people pretend to be "hardcore" gamers because they think it makes them "cool". That makes them "posers". Posers are attracted to the PlayStation/Xbox brands more than the "kiddie" Nintendo brand that might make them "uncool" if they were to be seen p
Wiimote: But does it run on Linux? (Score:5, Interesting)
I foresee the same sort of cutting-edgers (heh, ricers) who are playing with Compiz and XGL, hacking together a way to connect to the Wiimote and then tinkering with some wii-gestures to help interact with the desktop.
o Rotate the wand like a steering wheel to flip between tasks or virtual desktops.
o Point to the taskbar and lift it like a dumbell to trigger your Expose' clone.
o Jab a window to minimize it. Twist the 'knife' in and pull down to close the program.
o Amarok hanging again? Give it a few whacks with your 'club' to kill the process.
Goofy, I know. But if this wiimote takes off, maybe we'll see clones of this type of technology and, in time, see some more fun and intuitive metaphores for HCI.
Re:Wiimote: But does it run on Linux? (Score:2)
Re:Wiimote: But does it run on Linux? (Score:5, Insightful)
Apparently the Wii Remote is going to operate using Bluetooth. Hopefully Nintendo won't try to obfuscate the protocol (if they're making a profit on the hardware itself, they won't have any reason to), and it'll be fairly easy to interface with.
Bluetooth AND infrared (Score:2)
Re:Bluetooth AND infrared (Score:3, Informative)
Where did you get that info from? According to the wiki article [wikipedia.org]: "The controller communicates wirelessly with the console via short-range Bluetooth radio, with which it is possible to operate up to 4 controllers as far as 10 meters (approx. 33 ft.) from the console."
Of course, i
Re:Bluetooth AND infrared (Score:2)
The infrared signal from the "Sensor Bar" is used by the Wiimote for locational purposes. All actual two-way communication with the console occurs via Bluetooth.
If the Bluetooth interface is not obfuscated and it is easy to reverse engineer the sucker, all that's needed are a couple of infrared LEDs seperated exactly the same distance as the bar's.
And I'm one of the ones who was toying around with getting that section just right. Anandtech reported it that way [anandtech.com], though I don't know if it's prop
Re:Bluetooth AND infrared (Score:2)
Thanks for the Anandtech article - it cleared a lot of things up. So it sounds like both IGN and Anandtech are kind of mixing up their terminology a little. I think calling the bar a sensor bar is a misnomer, since it sounds like it's just emitting an infrared field, and the sensors are actua
Re:Bluetooth AND infrared (Score:2)
Re:Wiimote: But does it run on Linux? (Score:2)
It's unclear whether it uses bluetooth to communicate with the locator bar, or with the console itself. Either way, to get all the data from it, you'll probably need to hook the bar up to your computer, too.
With Spore on the Wii by Thanksgiving 2007 (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, if you look at the Nintendo Wii game announcement page you see such a wide variety of gaming genres, designed to appeal to people who don't just want sports and FPS games, but also casual gamers, women and girls, and a heck of a lot of cross-releases of games that are normallly only available in Japan and China, but are now available for English (US/UK/EU) players as well.
What's not to love about the Wii?
Plus, it doesn't have that annoying choice of do I get Blu-Ray or HD-DVD so that I can wait until 2008 when I actually end up buying a $300 HDTV set and decide for myself which player I'll get for $100.
Obvious joke (Score:4, Funny)
I've always felt that way about my wee also...
Brilliant! (Score:5, Insightful)
6 Games for the UbiSoft Kings (Score:2, Funny)
Or are they Mortal Combat men doomed to spew out mostly sports and FPS games we could get on any console, admittedly with cool Wii wand effects that make them much more fun to play?
Let's get this out of the way (Score:2, Interesting)
(Score:-1, Troll)
by Anonymous Coward on Multiple Wii/Nintendo Related posts.
One of my friends is currently working on a Wii game. I remember him being really excited about the system earlier this year and he was eager to get off the 360 game he was on and move on to something that is going to be fun and sell. What is strange is now that he has been doing Wii stuff for a while I asked him about a month ago how things were going and was he loving the Wii. His response was "eh
Re:Let's get this out of the way (Score:2)
the flaw of the troll is "since when is work supposed to be a fun time"
-1, Emotional (Score:5, Interesting)
The overwhelming (almost literally.. *sniffle*) support for the Wii has really bolstered my hopes for Nintendo and I'm sure they'll do much better this time around. Watching companies cast aside their previous habits and adopt full-on support for the Wii is incredible.
And I picture it visually in my head - Ubi has 2 games in development, and everyone in the office goes down and checks out a beta. They all enjoy it so much and they all want in on the project. BAM, 7 more games in development.
For this fanboi, it puts a real big smile on my face.
Can you afford to alienate Nintendo? (Score:4, Interesting)
I guess what I'm saying is that this is less news than it is "good publicity," and I'd much rather hear about the former than the latter.
From TFA (Score:4, Insightful)
I go into a games shop or look at gamespot and see nothing I really want to play, perhaps HL2:Ep1 but I am not bothered enough to buy it. Oblivion and Call Of Duty 2 both appeal to me, but my PC wont play those games and I am just not going to update. Give me something original that doesn't drink my wallet for graphics cards, lets hope the Wii provides that answer, the controller may be a gimick but hopefuly it may stimulate some fresh gaming experiences.
Give me something that doesn't make me ill. (Score:2)
I find more and more games are locking me out as they move to more First Person Perspective (FPP) paradigms that make me motion sick (spare me your cures, been there done that).I have been a gamer since Arcade Lunar Lander, but now they are leaving me behind with 3d FPP everything.
I am a fan of Bioware and Black Ilse games. I have BG1,BG2,PT,NWN. But their next game Dragon Age, is going to FPP for exploration, which completely rules out the game f
Re:Give me something that doesn't make me ill. (Score:2)
Yes, I really dont see why everything has to be FPP, I always remembered people saying that BG2 didn't look that great, but I thought the graphics looked fine.
I guess the industry has decided to
Re:Give me something that doesn't make me ill. (Score:2)
NWN represents a more modern game engine (still uses a 3d engine) than BG/BG2 that causes me zero problems. So they can still use a 3d engine and not make me sick. The difference is putting control of the camera in my hands instead of tracking every move of the onscreen characters. Overhead views are good. FPP or Third Person Perspective behind the character kill
Ubisoft? EA? Wheeee (Score:2)
Electronic Arts? The company buying good gaming companies, bringing out a trashy Version 2 of their game, and then letting them die? No, thanks.
What particularly poor companies to show as examples eager to do something.
Re:Ubisoft? EA? Wheeee (Score:2)
1. Ubisoft stopped using StarForce.
2. How on earth is StarForce relevant on a gaming console?
5 Stages of Wii Acceptance. (Score:2)
Re:Translation (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Translation (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Translation (Score:4, Insightful)
Take a look at all the kids demanding FFVII on the PS3. The dev teams are doing what they always do: trying to make money. If there's a market for it, they'll do it.
Re:Translation (Score:2)
Re:Translation (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah! Just like they did with the DS as opposed to the PSP! DS has lower quality graphics and the games are therefore crapola!
Oh wait...
Look dude, Nintendo is not hurting anything and especially not "gaming as we know it" (not the one I know and care about anyway), if anything they're trying to go back to the roots: fun games with an original style/gameplay/.... As in... not genericCarRace241384, myAmericanFootball5486311 or badlyRealizedFirstPlayerShooterWithAmazingerGraphi cs.
Re:Translation (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Translation (Score:2)
Are you seriously using the "not enough new shit for the price" argument against Nintendo?
Have you actually considered the alternatives? Sony? MS? Even higher prices, and even less new shit? Same games with higher res at twice the price? Does that truly sound better to you than what Nintendo has to offer?
Re:Translation (Score:2)
Define "mature". You mean "mature" as in "Project Rub" (i.e. has sexual content)? Or "mature" as in "Nintendogs" (i.e. targets older people as well as younger ones)? Or "mature" as in "Metroid Prime" (i.e. violence)?
U
Re:If gameplay is your thing.. (Score:3, Informative)
Wow you must have a shit video card! Or do you really think 2 7900GTX cards in SLI provide crappy framerates? The PC is hands down the best platform for simulation games.
Re:If gameplay is your thing.. (Score:2)
Probably the same that a XBOX360, a GC, a PS2 and a decent PC(but unsuitable for gaming) put together
Probably yes, but what has that got to do with anythihng?
It would still run simulations much better than any console.
If you're seriously into simulations but can't afford the dosh, not a problem go get a PS3 and still play a decent approximation. But if you can afford it, a PC with a killer video card rig is a no-brainer. If you can't afford a PS3 (after the prices come down of
Re:If gameplay is your thing.. (Score:2)
Well if you are only running at a resolution comparable to 480p or even 720p the answer would be - most of the time on a decent computer.
I was running Doom 3 running at 1024x768 on the day it was released and getting framerates over 90FPS on a Nvidia 6800GT. 1280x1024 was still over 60 FPS most of the time. Now if you run it 480p which is the best you can get from Doom 3 on Xbox you get well over 100FPS.
And speaking of bad framerates, I believe it is the Xbox 360 version
Re:If gameplay is your thing.. (Score:2)
What I mean is that it's kind of unfair to compare a console game framerate at 480p or 720p to PC games which people frequently are running at 1280x1024 or higher (especially now as that is standard resolution on 17"-19" LCDs).
Sure lowering res only goes
Re:If gameplay is your thing.. (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm a game programmer. I work in production, and I love making games on current gen systems because its always fun to figure out how to push the hardware to its limits to get the things you want in the game. How to cheat or fake certain things to get the graphics or the gameplay you want, whereas just programming it in the 'true' way would just give you 10 fps.
At any rate, since we both work on games and both are influenced by the flavour of the hardware and how that affects what we get to work with, I don't think we're exactly the most objective people on the matter. And it certainly doesn't make the Wii a 'disgrace', it just shifts the fun around on your team to others who might be dying of boredom by refactoring input APIs for what is essentially the same controller they were working on 6 years ago.
And you can still have fun on the Wii, its still a significant upgrade from all the current-gen systems.
Re:If gameplay is your thing.. (Score:2)
Re:It's the Mac effect. (Score:3, Insightful)
Wanna know?
Steve Jobs is interested in people in addition to technology. He realizes that he needs technology to make products that people like - because most people don't care about ghz and gb: They care about doing the task (whatever that is) efficiently in terms of time consumption. We are lazy so we don't like stuff to be more complicated than they have to
Poor sod. (Score:2)
Re:Poor sod. (Score:2)
AAhhh but you will certainly impress that girlfriend that owns the iPod with your new MacBook and you will be able to talk about the wonders of music downloaded from iTunes and the cool iMovie effects.
So yep, there is a difference
Re:It's the Mac effect. (Score:2)