f13.net

Article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4767807.stm)

(http://www.f13.net/grief/pwned.jpg)

I don't understand why everyone cares about the Wii and it's weird arse controller.

Halo 3 is gonna rock isn't it?

It's new, it's different, and if done correctly it'll finally make shooter, RTS, or any other mouselike interface on a console NOT a horrible abomination like it currently stands.

Plus there's the extra cool shit like the controller having a speaker built into it so you can do cool things with positional sounds.  The sound of your pistol reloading?  It can come from the controller instead of your primary speakers.  Sure, it's a small thing, but that's immersion.  The way I see it, I have my PC, I can always get a 360 when the price drops and it becomes worthwhile to own, and the Wii will be cheap enough to keep around as an experimental platform.

I was already favoring Nintendo and E3 pushed me over the top they showed that the controler wasn't a gimmick but a core aspect to the system.  Wii looks like its the next generation of gaming.  PS3 looks it is the last generation with higher polygon counts.  Wii looks like it is going have lots of games at release.  PS3 looks like it struggling to have a hand full.

And the demand for that is already met with 360, at a cheaper price, which will be well into second generation software by the time PS3 hits shelves.

I sense troubled times ahead for the Playstation brand.

I recall hearing something about the lines for the Wii being a result of how Nintendo handled them, not because a hojillion people wanted to play.

RE:  Lines at Nintendo/Sony areas, I thought this video (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/e306-clips-e3-morning-stampede-173469.php) was a bit amusing.

It was definitely mis-handled.

There were only a handful of Wii machines with no real VIP/press access, so people trying to do stories on the Wii had to wait in line with the Best Buy proles. From what I've heard, you stood in the big line to get into the Wii room, then stood in line in the Wii room to actually play a game or two, with no actual limit on how long you could hog a machine. I'm guessing quite a few kids decided to play through entire levels.

More Wiis, more space, time limits, and/or a separate line for the press/VIPs, any combination of these would work. Spore had a separate line and was a time-limited presentation. It was also probably the second-longest line at E3, clocking between 1-2 hours on average.

Some people (http://www.gamerdad.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3088&sid=d6c0ca3d55fd905b8c79b41e20fdb27b) got to skip the line.  They should have a real article on Friday.

As for why you should care, it's because the Wiimote will have a big impact on game design.  I'm not saying that N has sealed the deal, just that, if this thing takes off like it should, we will see some neat shit over the next few years.

Also, don't fall into the whole "PS3 is doomed" pitfall either.  Nobody can match Sony's library.  I might take my sweet time in grabbing a PS3 but I'll do it eventually, and probably sooner than the 360, simply based on the inevitable genres and titles we will see on the PS3.  Nothing leads me to think that there won't be the usual shitload of PS exclusives, which means I'll have to get it.  And maybe, just maybe it will play my blue-CD PS2 games, unlike my current unit.  Also, the D-pad on my Logitech wireless is ass, and the stock PS3 controller looks like it would be great for casting spells in Symphony of the Night.

I managed to get some hands on time with the system. I had my doubts, but after playing Sonic and Mario I am sold on it. The size of the system is a bonus too as my wife hates having consoles cluttering up "Her" living room :-P

Thanks, MythicJason.  Can you give some details?  So far, I have not heard one negative comment from anyone who has gotten their mitts on the Wii.  I am very jealous.

Details. Let's see...

Controller - Didn't take long to get used to at all, and in a sense the movement mimicked how I might move a normal controller around while playing. At least for the games I tried out. Still wonder how it will hold up when your playing for a few hours, but it seemed like I could kick back on the couch and play comfortably. Definately added to the gameplay experience.

Games - Of the games I tried out I would say Graphics were good, Gameplay was great. Personally I perfer this over amazing graphics and average gameplay, but thats just speaking for myself. Lots of people seem to be really into the uber realistic graphics thing.

Overall - Before trying the system out I was pretty much "Meh" on if I would buy one or not. Just didn't excite me much. After playing it I was thinkin "Gotta get me one of these!".

O yea and the line to see it was insane! At one point I think that thing snaked all the way across the hall. I know it wound past the Mythic booth. Me and a couple of guys from Mythic got real lucky and got our time in on Tuesday before the crowds. Good thing too as we had little time to check out the show this year.

As far as the PS3 comments here, myself I am not an exclusive fan of any platform. We have just about every console here back to the N64 (my youngest stilll loves the 64). Sadly I don't think I can swing that 600 dollar price tag past my wife. I would imagine though plenty of people will buy it and Sony will do fine.

This flys pretty much in the face of some guy the local radio station was interviewing yesterday.  He was saying that the wii controller wasn't anywhere near as precise as 'hardcore gamers' like himself thoght it should be.  It was more of a 'point in that general area" type of thing, and he wasn't that impressed with it.  He had a raging hard-on for the 360, though, so perhaps that's why the Nintendo hate.

He runs some website, but I can't find the postit I wrote the damn information down on.  I was going to check it out at home (lest it be a popup-ridden suck hole. Best to try that at home rather than get nasty surprises at work.)   Was something like gamerwebcast.com or somesuch.  I'll re post if I find it.

It sounds suspiciously like he was trying to evaluate the hardware independent of the games.  It doesn't really matter how fine-grained the sensors on the controller are if the games don't require any more of it than what it can actually do, and the games are still fun.  If you're playing Street Fighter, having an analog joystick that can discern between 64 discrete positions is more of a hindrance than a help.

Yeah, not having been able to play with it myself, I'm not making any decisions on the hardware itself.  I've already decided the Nintento will be the first console I buy, when I get around to buying them.  The idea behind the new controller has grown on me, I really like being able to download some old games I've lost over the years, and it's rumored price point will be a LOT friendlier even if another $50-$75 needs to be tacked-on for periphs.

Plus, other than Guitar Hero, God of War and Final Fantasy X, I haven't used my PS2 for much beyond playing DVDs over the last 2 years.  I can't really justify dropping $600 for an appliance that will sit there.  (And the X-box and 360 have had no exclusives I cared about.)

I just wanted to present the idea that not all people are in love with the Wii, and some of their criticism to see if anyone could respond.

Found the Link: http://www.broadcastgamer.com/  No real bloggy stuff, it's all pod/ webcast.

E3 version of the furfighting image!

(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e121/GrimDysart/pwned.jpg)

And that's what it is. The Wii will cost 1/2 to 1/3 of the price of a PS3 and will be more than just pretty boobies. It sounds like and looks like from all the video and hands-on talk I'm hearing IF IT WORKS (which is the operative bit here), it will be new and different. It'll be more immersive than just having sweat beads on an avatar. It will feel and sound different than anything I'm currently playing.

Oh, and it'll be 1/2 to 1/3 as much fucking money at release. I really don't think Sony understands just how large an issue that is going to be. Only crazy fucking people think that a $600 console is acceptable.

For $600 I could just about build a new PC.  Not quite, but if the trend continues with consoles getting more and more expensive and PCs staying about the same price as technology moves forward, consoles will no longer be the bargain gaming option.

That's what I was saying all last week. Nobody believed me. I'm guessing it's the fact that the central demographic for gamers is the lots-of-disposable-income 18-35 male category, so everyone just seemed to think that everyone else also could just drop $600 for a console.

Demand elasticity. Look it up (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elasticity_of_demand).

Edit: To clarify, game consoles are a luxury item, so they tend have extremely elastic demand curves.

I've heard pundits talk about all 3 systems since last Thursday. Not a one, not even the IGN whore they had on ESPN News failed to mention the PS3's price with a kind of "WTF Were they Thinking" attitude. And this asshead even bragged that he wouldn't have to buy any of the systems, since his job would allow him to get one for free. Yes, he was a douchebag. And yet he still bagged on the PS3's price. The ESPN anchor even kind of shook his head and said "Wow!" at the price.

It's going to be an issue, no matter what spiffy new DVD drive you put in it or how you position it. The Neo-Geo flopped, and it offered a helluva lot more over its contemporary competition than the PS3 does.

At the time of the Neo-Geo the average American was not a video game player.

To sell two million units they need a market penetration of less than 1%.  I am not sure of the exact percentage of 18-35 year olds, but I am guessing it is a relatively high number and around half of them are gamers.  I wager they will sell well enough.

And I will capitalize with Ebay. Sucks for anyone who thinks $600 is sane. GO WII!

At the time Neo-Geo came out Mario was the most recognized character among children in the world IIRC.

The price is going to be an issue. I don't think the PS3 is going to be the Neo-Geo but their market share is going to drop.

Microsoft did Sony a favor by making the 360 technically less advanced than the XBox was over the PS3. Now Sony is returning the favor by dramatically over-pricing their offering.

When the PS3 ships you will be able to get a 360 which is basically the same hardware-wise for 1/2 the cost. That's bad.

Few weeks ago I re-installed Master of Magic and played a few rounds, despite having a PS2 and GC.  Really wish they'd make a MoM 2 (or for that matter, I'd love to join an open source effort for same).  Fun gameplay beats high end graphics every time, and I think sales bear that out; look at Sims as the classic example.  High end graphics do add something, but I think it's far less than the industry as a whole makes it out to be, and the ROI on it is even less considering the high costs involved. 

Evidence for it?  Look at the declaration that "independant dev houses are dead" in the other thread.  That's a classic representation of "The Industry" thinking, if there is such a monolithic thing.  Meanwhile smaller shops are turning a tidy profit and laughing from a standpoint of reality.  Throwing graphics at the problem is "the stupid" way out, in that it's trivial from an intellectual standpoint to demand better graphics to up the sales.  And it does work, as evidenced by the number of graphic-intensive titles that are the big winners; but I think it's an arms race that will end like most such races do. 

Sony is betting the farm on graphics winning sales, and I think it's a lost bet.  MS is betting on interactive gameplay, and they will probably do well with it.  Nintendo is betting on interesting gameplay, and that might well be the winner.  It's not a safe bet because it's hard to pull off, but it has the most payout, I think.  I also think that as a result, Nintendo is going to look extremely inviting to the smaller dev shops looking to try out their ideas, but who lack the budget to create photo-realistic games.