Jamba

Do you use XBL Zechs? Because form what I know the Wii simply can't do an XBL experience simply because of the friends code system. And even if something like that can be done individual developers shouldn't be the ones having to put in the time and money to make it so.

@Burny and Nolan: I don't disagree with anything factual that either of you said and I didn't ever say that there wasn't any fog or effort put into creating an atmosphere in the comparison shots. I just think that so far OOT 64 is looking better. And by better I mean it in the holistic overall look kind of way not "oh god this game is obviously better cos it had HDR" kind of argument. Yeah my point is that their choices are making it worse not better.

Yeah but why would they dare let press photos out without it? Surely they'd at least photoshop it?

As good as the rendering and texturing is in the new version I have noticed something that doesn't seem great... the lighting. The coloured lighting in OOT was great and although I know the fogging was the result of the limitations of the N64 I feel like you can see a little too far into the distance. Everything looks a bit too cleanly rendered if you get me. I think it's pretty obvious with Ghoma:

Thing about digital distribution is that you can only buy the write to watch/listen/play something on that service alone. Instantly you become tethered to that service and have to cope with throwing away all of your hard spent cash if you want to go elsewhere. That's where physical product wins. If I want to watch a movie on a different DVD player doesn't mean I have to go buy the movie again.

OK so Face Shooting and Sound are new to me but are going to last about 5 minutes. Everything else on there we knew already and the browser was just to be expected. Roll on 19th.... maybe we can find out then if all the teasing at E3 was justified. Will this be much more than a DSi with 3D functionality?

It's just so far behind the curve. I feel like I get a better online experience from my phone and the fact that both MS and Sony are actually trying to give their customers what they want a lot of the time is nice to see. I think that when it comes to games Nintendo deliver quite well but functionality is becoming a major stickler for me. It feels even more constraining than Apple's philosophy in some ways. At least with Apple you get innovative functionality and fairly cutting edge product but just done in their way only. With Nintendo you limited functionality with a couple of very cool tricks done in their own little way and if they don't think that you should have a particular functionality then they won't bother.

Yeah you have a point. But the list of suspicions I have about the systems ability to deliver are growing. If it wasn't for the games coming from Capcom I really wouldn't care right now. 1. Bad news. 2. No that relevant to UK. 3. Really? I haven't seen anything that tells me much more about what it will be like to use the system. 4. Fairly bad news. 5. Not that much new being shown about functionality of the system.

Nintendo isn't shouting about changing the online system for the 3DS so I have serious doubts for anything good at the moment. I have to be very honest and say that Nintendo has to give me reasons to buy their products now rather than me give them the benefit of the doubt.

So.... great. We didn't find out anything new about the 3DS apart from estimates on its battery life. Nice PR work guys. Hope the 19th has something to show for it and it better be something special. At the moment I have serious worries for anything online or for the general OS. I would have thought Nintendo would be screaming to show us all of this stuff especially with the launch so close. I'm actively de-hyping myself for this system now. I'm cynically going to expect Nintendo not to deliver on their vision as frankly I don't think that they did on the Wii. Would rather be realistic and not waste my money.

So no information from the conference around at all yet?

Rest to you Pete. Damn.... A brilliant actor but I'm surprised that he didn't get more parts of high quality. He ended up in odd things like Dragonheart but also in classics like Usual Suspects. Shall we leave his involvement in Aeon Flux out?

Don't know for sure but as the DS Lite was still using the "Nitro" hardware then I would assume that the code would still be NTR. The Nitro units that we used for capturing and recording at work were using DS Lites for the display so I think that's the nail in the coffin. Good find with the pic btw. Nice to see that it's "real" if you get me.

OK for anyone who doesn't have plans in London, here are some suggestions: http://www.timeout.com/london/aroundtown/features/6247/Things_to_do_on_New_Year-s_Eve_and_New_Year-s_Day_in_London.html Remember, other people's fireworks are free to look at and there's nothing wrong with making friends with random strangers for one night.

even though you met them both at the same place... at the same time.

*looks for profile for Rez's right hand*

It's weird that people are surprised by the fact that the iris looks like a sphincter. I mean cmon... it's an organic ring shape that dilates and constricts. They all look the same!

Fine. I get this response a lot. It's what happens when you're fucking awesome n stuff.

Nah, the Rose and Crown in Ealing.

bluey and I are going to a Cabaret night at our local pub. Contrary to 99% of pubs in the country, this place kicks ass and has the class and organisation to pull this off. There well be cabaret performances, burlesque and a meal! Check us out! And we might take a little note book to write funny things about desperate single people that will make us whoop in the morning. Will send pics of costumes soon.

The media it will use is an interesting question. I personally think that Nintendo will carry on using a proprietary disc format. No chance that it will use BluRay as it is a highly used format which means that piracy will be much easier. I would say the same for the solid format. If Nintendo used any type of flash memory that is publicly available on a large scale then locking this down for preventing piracy will be near impossible. So what could be left? Proprietary solid state, like the DS? Well most 3rd parties HATE this as it rips a lot of money off of them and puts it in Nintendo's pocket as they own the production process. Or they might just stay with the current idea of the cheap to produce proprietary disc formats, which I think is the most likely. Cloud is a nice idea but I don't think that Nintendo will be the people to do it. They like their tangible products and it makes them more money with merchandise.

Lots of interesting ideas there and I think that Nintendo developing an online system, ala-iTunes for Nintendo games that could be used on several different devices would be a very good idea. I think a lot of people would be happy to be able to take their VC games and DSi store games onto their new/other platforms. I hate it when there are enforced profile systems where you don't own the product, only the license to use it and then that whole system becomes obsolete, meaning you lose all of your money. On a separate note, I wonder if Nintendo are ready to brave re-defining what a console is completely. When they started talking back in 2004 about what the Wii was, I thought that we could possibly be seeing a hybrid between a console and a handheld. Image a base like the one that the Wii has now but that houses the muscle and brains of the console. But the memory and HDD is completely removable and this contains your game data, possible whole games, DLC, profiles, Miis, 3DS store data. You could take this and insert it into any "station" and access all of your gaming lifestyle. You could use it to play at your friends, on a public station or at home. Think of it as your Nintendo Passport So imagine this Passport had it's own wireless functionality. That it would do things independently of the console. You could share data with people like on the 3DS or play basic games on it like a VMU (but better!). Now I know this idea is far form perfect and hilariously flawed but I would like to see a company taking this step. A console does not have to be something that just plugs into your TV. It could be a personal, lifestyle experience that you could integrate into a more sociable side to gaming. And to change tack again, I do not think that Nintendo will be showing a new system because of current sales as although they are lower, they are still very VERY good. I feel that they are no longer on the forefront of the gaming experience and they do not feel comfortable playing "catch up". They are trail blazers.

This coming year Nintendo will be releasing the 3DS and after some recent dips in the Wii sales figures, many have started speculating about when the successor to the platform will be announced or released. My feelings are that the Wii is not quite finished so there is at least another 2 years in the old gal yet. However the impact of the Kinect and Move, combined with the shrinking cost of the HD systems, means that Nintendo is looking less competitive especially as there seems to be a lack of software on its way for 2011. So when will they take the next step? This coming E3 I would think would be too early for them as they will want to fully focus on the 3DS and push the final software titles on the Wii. So I would comfortably estimate that we will hear about it at E3 2012 with a release in 2013. I honestly think that Nintendo do well for around a year just be re-advertising their old games and dropping the price. So what will come next? Will there even BE a next. Anyone care to throw out an idea or 2?