Zechs Merquise Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 (edited) My Thoughts on the XBOX ONE Reveal and what it Means for Nintendo My most important observation is that is wasn’t anywhere near as bad as some people are trying to claim. There seems to be an awful lot of negativity toward both MS and Nintendo at the moment in the world of gaming, and largely thanks to news aggregator sites it’s these negative articles and ‘bitchy’ blog posts that get the vast majority of clicks. Bad news sells, don’t ever forget it! Looking first at the system itself and the size of the console – honestly, what were people expecting? You build a PC with those specs and how big do you think it’s going to be? Sure, it could have been smaller, but then it would have required more expensive parts and worse still it would have been more prone to overheating. Once you start building consoles like this, they are going to be big; I have said this from day one. The Wii U is a thing of utter beauty compared to the XBOX ONE. It is small, shapely and can be arranged vertically or horizontally and can easily fit into a confined space. But the Wii U isn’t anywhere near the power of the XBOX ONE. Probably the biggest talking point about the whole conference is the policy of blocking used games sales. My feelings on this are clear – it is wholly unacceptable. However I believe there is a large degree of hypocrisy amongst both fans and gaming journalists. Sony has implemented a system of online passes in a move to block used games too, yet people aren’t complaining about that because it’s Sony! I feel both MS and Sony have acting terribly over used games. In this instance Nintendo are clearly the only ‘decent’ console manufacturer left. Once you buy a Nintendo game, it’s yours to play and resell as you see fit. Also, with both Sony and MS not having the option for backwards compatibility or the option to move over games from previous digital purchases Nintendo looks like total saints in this respect. It actually makes me rather irritable that Nintendo get some much flack for their approach when it is clearly more consumer friendly than either MS or Sony’s approach. I believe the actual ethos behind the system is very sound. Every system comes with a controller and the new Kinect – and both are integral to the operating system and the overall experience. This is joined up thinking and frankly puts Nintendo to shame. One of the big issues with the Wii U is the lack of focus – there’s the Wii remote, the Wii remote+, the Classic Controller, the Classic Controller Pro, the Pro Controller and of course the Gamepad. We are already seeing games like Resident Evil Revelations being released that would perfect for the Wii remote but don’t use it. It’s like developers don’t even know how to approach Nintendo’s myriad of control schemes. On the other side of the fence MS are being very clear about what is integral to the XBOX ONE experience and have integrated Kinect into the heart of the console which will help them avoid the horrible fragmentation Nintendo are experiencing with the Wii U. The OS itself also seems like a strong point. It shows the system is robust, can multitask and will be something that can grow and develop in the future. What’s more the OS seemed quick and responsive. Again I’m not sure where most of the hatred is coming from with this, as when Sony announced streaming to Facebook people went wild, when MS announce being able to genuinely multitask in the middle of watching a movie it is met with derision! However after seeing both the Sony and MS reveal I think I like the Miiverse even more. Nintendo’s quirky and arty community based approach is a breath of fresh air in the industry and something I have genuinely enjoyed using. The Miiverse feels like a community and allows genuine interactions between gamers who want to talk about their gaming experiences. Despite liking the OS of the XBOX ONE and appreciating what it can do, it looked soul less and cold compared to the Miiverse. Now let’s move onto the games. I didn’t see anything wrong with the games – but I didn’t see anything right with them either. Just like Sony, MS seem to be all about pushing the issue of their games being better looking versions of last generation’s games. Whilst I wasn’t as disappointed by COD as I was with KZ4 (30 FPS, just f**k off), I wasn’t excited in any way about it. I didn’t feel any of the buzz I felt when I saw Modern Warfare for the first time, the dog looked great, the new engine sounds fine and 60 FPS is a must for a shooter on this level of hardware – but ultimately everything felt like it was something I had seen before. The same for the EA sports show reel – I yawned. It is also sad to see the nit-picking over whether the Sony reveal games or the XBOX reveal games look better – I’m more bothered that people seem more bothered over improvements in lighting and polygon counts than they do in gameplay! Whilst I believe Nintendo Land was a missed opportunity in several respects – online *cough cough* - it was still an attempt to do something new and fresh. MS don’t seem to be doing anything new and fresh as of yet. However, in their defence MS did say they will be showing the games at E3 and this was a console reveal, so I’ll wait with baited breath to see what the games have to show. Overall, whilst I have reservations about the XBOX ONE I do believe it has the chance to capture the imagination of the public. MS are partnering with the biggest franchises – the games that sell consoles and shift tens of millions of units each year. Some gamers are busy laughing at MS now and suggesting that MS will only attract the ‘dubebro’ gamer that is interested in shooters, racing games and sports sims. Well here’s the news – if MS dominate that market they’ve won hands down. I’m not sure why people seem to think the PS3 attracts a better crowd than the XBOX when EXACTLY the same games are the biggest sellers on both consoles – COD, FIFA, Battlefield and GTA. MS have also managed to integrate Kinect into the OS and include it in every box – something that will reach out to the roughly 30 million consumers that purchased a Kinect. I think the implications for Nintendo are good as well as bad. I don’t see the Wii U ever keeping pace with the XBOX ONE. I don’t see Nintendo turning the Wii U into a household name the Wii was. However I do see Nintendo being the only one of the big three that tries to create new experiences – and I mean genuinely new experiences; not simply last generation’s games with more detailed explosions. I see Nintendo as a company that will continue to make astounding first party software which will provide a fresh experience not to be found elsewhere. Whilst I was impressed with the XBOX ONE in some respects, the conference also reminded why I love Nintendo. Edited May 22, 2013 by Zechs Merquise I wrote it twice - d'oh!
S.C.G Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 Nicely put Zechs, but you've said it all 'twice' in one post.
Dcubed Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 (edited) It means that Nintendo is in a hell of a better position now than they were before. Not only has this reveal been a complete disaster on the scale of Sony's legendary 2006 E3 conference, it also makes EA much less appealing now as they have aligned themselves with a sinking ship and were also probably the driving force behind the whole always-online and no-used-games initiatives (this is why they publicly announced that they were dropping the online pass just a few days before the Xbox event) Suddenly you have people applauding Nintendo for not giving into EA and acceding to their demands... But the big winner here is Sony, not Nintendo. The latter is being shown mercy, while the former is being handed the generation on a silver platter. All Sony has to do now is not fuck up and they've seemingly got this generation in the bag really... Edited May 22, 2013 by Dcubed
Cube Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 The Xbox will clearly be the most mainstream console this generation. With heavy focus on non-gaming, Kinect, sports fans and people who only play games like Call of Duty and FIFA. There is no chance in hell that I'm getting one (due to things like requiring Kinect to be on to use the console), but it's going to be a big seller.
Blade Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 I dont think I could have summed it up better myself. I think it is pointless repeating what you have said Zechs If someone was going to get either the xbox1 or PS4 i still think the decision is tough. E3 will reveal what differences there are between the machines in respect of the games so people can make a decision which one, if any to buy. I would like to reiterate the point of slagging off. The Wii U has received so much stick about its name, its apparent lack of games, its online infrastructure yet microsoft also comes in with an equally confusing game. So lets speak positively. Microsoft is a business and its aim is to make money. They will therefore make a console that is aimed towards the 360 audience. Yes it maybe full of FPS or sports and the system may wish to control your living room but looking down my facebook feed last night basically confirms that microsoft's target audience are liking what they are seeing.
tapedeck Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 I think SONY's next unveiling will show a lot. Will they follow MS into the TV zone? They did this with their PlayTV add on for the PS3 so may just release it as an optional extra. Who knows. Nintendo also have the Tvii functionality and game pad with a TV button on it. I prefer this approach to X1’s voice/kinetic functionality but time will tell what the consumer wants. I'm dubious in general about voice recognition and gesture based control. Kinetic hurt my arms after awhile (reaching out to the TV) and voice recognition is still poor with many accents. To make this an integral selling point of the system is idyllic. I guess all 3 console makers are now making their systems 'more'. Nintendo even got NST to build a web browser for the Wii U. The NST that could make games. Maybe this is where the industry is heading. Maybe the digitally native generation want a box that is a multi-tasking one. Heck, even our phones can go online, control our TV's and play games. To expect a console to 'just be about the games' is probably dead and gone. So yeah, this unveiling adds more product to that sphere - but as ever, it will be the games that push the Xbox more than bing functionality. As for Nintendo, they'll always have their strong IP's. They'll be fine on the back of Mario and co.
Dcubed Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 (edited) The Xbox will clearly be the most mainstream console this generation. With heavy focus on non-gaming, Kinect, sports fans and people who only play games like Call of Duty and FIFA. There is no chance in hell that I'm getting one (due to things like requiring Kinect to be on to use the console), but it's going to be a big seller. No chance. You can bet your arse that the always online requirement and anti used game system will definitely turn off mainstream consumers. They will expect to be able to share and sell their stuff and when they hear that they can't do that, they wont want to invest in something that they can't get rid of. Most people trade in the last FIFA game to get the new FIFA game. Who's gonna want to be lumped with dozens of old FIFA games that they can't get rid of!? As for the whole TV focus, never mind the fact that it's almost useless if you live outside of the US, but who the hell is gonna pay $400-500 for a fancy TV remote/channel guide!? (Not to mention that Nintendo TVii already does most of what Xbox One does anyway). Edited May 22, 2013 by Dcubed
madeinbeats Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 Honestly, I don't pretend to understand the X-Factor crowd, and freely admit I don't. People saying this thing is going to sell shitloads to that crowd, well, I'll have to take your word for it I guess. Just can't see it. How's it going to sell on a feature that will only be working in the states, at launch at least, on the premise of an Xbox 360, but it can change channels on vocal commands providing you have compliant equipment? So anywhere out of the UsA, people are expected to pay £400 for a feature that doesn't work, the same basic controller, and negligible bump in graphics. Will they have a stripped down version of the box for japan? A box that size is again just not going to go down well. Notice I myself haven't said anywhere this thing is going to either flop or dominate. I am only judging it on what I have seen so far. And so far it seems pro America, anti-gamer and anti-consummer.
Kaepora_Gaebora Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 I dont think I could have summed it up better myself. I think it is pointless repeating what you have said Zechs I don't know, Zechs thought it was worth repeating... Seriously though, so much better put than the IGN 'Nintendo' Editor Rich on their video titled the same as this thread. He scoffed and mumbled his way through some half arsed gibberish, remembering to mention Smash Bros flippantly. I like what you have said though Zechs. The morning after the night before I have to agree that it's not the absolute disaster it seemed, well the conference anyway. I mean they got across what they wanted to in the way they wanted to, making their console more than just a games machine. However as soon as the game journo's got to ask them questions the misinformation and seemingly clueless handling of things after was utter dross from MS, really poor PR from Phil Harrison and the gang. For Nintendo, well they still have a mountain to climb god bless them, but I think in terms of being a pure games machine, if that's what people do want, they will come up trumps. A price cut and big, big games launched to combat PS4/X1 launch could see them right back in the mix. To paraphrase The Dark Knight Rises (in Batman voice) "War. All out assault on Steve Ballmer/ Kaz Hirai and their men"
Cube Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 No chance. You can bet your arse that the always online requirement and anti used game system will definitely turn off mainstream consumers. I don't think they'll know until after they've purchased the console.
liger05 Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 I still think the price of this thing is what could kill the Wii U. If this retails for £299 - £349 then I think Nintendo are in for a world of hurt. MS will drop the 360 to undercut the Wii U and not sure where Nintendo will go. The conference on a pure games sides of things sucked. They show no games and the only hope is E3 they show the ’15 exclusive tiles and 8 new IP’s’. As long as it has the games I will be in. The Kinect stuff doesn’t really interest me but The OS looked quick, snappy and so responsive. This is what Nintendo really need to address as even with the Wii U updates it’s still not as quick as it should be! I think in the US people will go for this. All the TV stuff, fantasy football on the fly etc etc will appeal to a lot of people.
Hogge Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 Nintendo now stand on equal ground with MS IMO. Now is the time to drop all the megatons at once.
madeinbeats Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 I still think the price of this thing is what could kill the Wii U. If this retails for £299 - £349 then I think Nintendo are in for a world of hurt. MS will drop the 360 to undercut the Wii U and not sure where Nintendo will go. The conference on a pure games sides of things sucked. They show no games and the only hope is E3 they show the ’15 exclusive tiles and 8 new IP’s’. As long as it has the games I will be in. The Kinect stuff doesn’t really interest me but The OS looked quick, snappy and so responsive. This is what Nintendo really need to address as even with the Wii U updates it’s still not as quick as it should be! I think in the US people will go for this. All the TV stuff, fantasy football on the fly etc etc will appeal to a lot of people. Zavvi are taking pre-orders for £399.
Dcubed Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 I don't think they'll know until after they've purchased the console. Nah, this'll hit the mainstream media for sure. The Daily Mail and The Sun will roast the console alive
Jimbob Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 Concering both the PS4 and the One (sorry, i can't help myself). It's a tough choice, and i've got over the 2 big negatives being backwards compatible (which Nintendo have on the 3DS and Wii-U) and Kinect needed to even operate the machine. It's a tough choice as to which to get, and i'll wait until after E3 to make my choice. Anyway, this is what the One means to Nintendo. As many have said, it puts Nintendo in a position they can grab the hardcore gamers from Microsoft/Sony that dislike the new consoles. They can invest time into getting the big exclusives and with free online gaming, it is a good opportunity for Ninty to promote it.
liger05 Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 Zavvi are taking pre-orders for £399. Placeholders. Granted it could be £399 but I wouldnt take too much notice of that price just yet.
Daft Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 I think the Xbox will sell more than people think. However, I am not drinking their Kool-Aid.
Happenstance Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 However, I am not drinking their Kool-Aid. They really are trying to have it do everything
Daft Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 Like I said, it was Microsoft's PS3 launch. But it'll be much cheaper.
tapedeck Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 Must say that the more SONY and MS stuff I see, the more I think they are giving up on the younger crowd. If so, this would be to Nintendo's benefit. The Wii U may appeal based on a 'my first tablet' approach with Mario and co pulling the strings. Not sure if kids will 'get' the XBox One with voice recognition, motion control, web integration, HDD installations and TV integration...
Kagato Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 I actually agree with pretty much everything Zechs said, i knew going into the event last night that it wasnt about the games, it was about the machine etc but looking at it made me feel the same kind of indifference i felt about the PS4 event, that is to say, nothing has really changed. I dont know what i was expecting but the graphics on both of those machines just arnt that much better, yes they are more defined, yes they are shiny but its just more of the same with a higher polycount and some new shaders. The whole more intelligent AI thing is a facade, ive been hearing EA beat the drum since the PS1 days and nothing has changed, AI characters are still dumb and unfortuantley thats down to programming not horse power. I dont think Microsoft of Sony are doing anything wrong per say, they both appear to be going for the same thing and thats an all in one media centre for the living room, unfortuantely its at the expense of us gamers who will be subjected to slightly better looking last gen games with social hooks. How is this different to Nintendo? They are making games i care about, its a personal thing but i look at COD, i look at Need for speed and i like those games, but i dont care about them, if i miss this years version ill just pick up the next one. When i look at Mario, at Zelda or Starfox, i get excited when a new game comes along, i feel like i MUST play them, that if i dont im genuinely missing out and that is the difference. Its maybe just my opinion but i feel like Nintendo games are made with a little more love and care than most, thats not important to the masses but its important to me and its the reason why im still looking at the other two thinking, "why bother?".
Cube Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 They really are trying to have it do everything Well, it is a "watercooler". (I still don't understand what they meant by that)
S.C.G Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 Well, it is a "watercooler". (I still don't understand what they meant by that) I think it's general, crappy American speak for it'll be the main 'thing' that people will be talking about at work, at the office, or specifically at the 'water cooler' at least I think that's what they meant. It's a stupid expression in any case.
Retro_Link Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 @Cube I guess they mean something family and friends are going to gather around to watch TV/Movies/VideoChat/Internet... Gaming comes last of course.
Recommended Posts