E3 2009 - Shigeru Miyamoto Roundtable Liveblog. Also listed on wikipedia
"7:22 p.m.: Unfortunately, no online mode in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, by the way. Miyamoto just confirmed. Wii is already being overpowered by what's happening on screen in New Super Mario Bros Wii. So no power left for online."
Why would the man himself say this if there wasn't a problem?
Well, Playstation 2 is still going strong and it's 9 years into it's lifespan, so why is it so far-fetched to think the PS3 will won't last 10 years?
Hardware improvements have significantly slowed in recent years (hey, why did processors all of a sudden hit that 3GHz brick wall?). The days of a leap like SNES to N64 are over so if another console generation starts in 2011, I'd expect that Sony or Microsoft would have to bring something huge to the table that would require a console upgrade, and that very thing seems like it would be their motion controllers. There's just one problem with that. Both companies have already stated that their motion controllers will be for their current generation consoles.
On the other hand, Wii is already showing it's limitations (as I've already named) and I think that's why they will need to release a new console in 2011. I don't see any limitations in sight for PS3 and Xbox 360 in the coming years, and why it would be infeasible for them to last as long as 2016, so if you can name some, please feel free to do so.
True, but Sony and Microsoft will not require me to upgrade my console in 2 years to stay current with technology. Nintendo most likely will in 2011, and whatever they release then will likely last until the the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation ends anyway.
Gamers have gotten used to console generations lasting longer. For Nintendo to not think about the Wii lasting throughout this generation is negligent on their part. I think they could have had just as much success with the mainstream with the Wii if it was a little more expensive and a little more powerful, and they wouldn't be in the predicament they're in now.
Also, Nintendo being open to the idea of HDTV isn't the only problem. It's them not being open to up and coming technologies in general. When Nintendo openly admits that their console can't handle a modern feature like online play without a hardware upgrade, people tend to look elsewhere for something that does.
"...the sales figures speak for themselves about how bothered the general populous is about the "out-of-date"-ness that the Wii was released with... None.
Say what you will about the general populous, but as both a hardcore gamer and someone who hates it when content is not optimized for his HDTV, (when HDTV has been around for over 10 years), I'd say that Nintendo has definitely pissed off a good chunk of it's hardcore fan base of the past 20 years (or more) by taking what is essentially the gamecube hardware and re-releasing it with motion controllers.
I agree that graphics shouldn't matter a lot, but when they say they can't put online play, (something most modern multiplayer games take for granted), into a certain 2d mario game coming out this holiday season, then it's time for them to consider upgrading their hardware, (especially when they've already claimed success with this on a Mario Kart game released over a year ago).
I cannot honestly say that I will be satisfied with Nintendo until they give us a console that feels like it isn't 10 years old by today's technology standards. It's one thing to not place an emphasis on graphics, but when the best you can do is release a console where the majority of games have a whole bunch of idiots waving their arms around in what can only be considered casual exercise/party experiences that's when I turn to PS3 or Xbox 360.
Maybe in the future when they really start to overtake DVDs (on price too) I'll reconsider.
I think we're starting to get there. Call it a fluke but I recently found a certain 3 disc set on amazon cheaper on Blu-Ray than it is on DVD. Call me crazy, but this might be a sign of things to come.
The big reason I'd have wanted to rip was to keep a digital copy of my collection.
Free digital copies are also becoming common place now, as both of the above sets include a digital copy.
Where there's a will, there's a relative.