News 1/06/05: GC in the UK, MemoryStick Neon, The Sony iPSP

[schild]

I'm sleeping outside of EB right now waiting for Nintendo to release the new Mario side-scroller for the DS.

[plangent]

3. Sony hits convergence note in video-game-music combo.

What's dumber than a Shadowbane expansion in 2004/05? Trying to pimp your awesome portable console as an iPod alternative. From the article:

"Q. What's this going to do to Nintendo (and its handheld gaming franchise)?

A. They've always had their market for the handheld gaming space. But we look at the PSP as not being a handheld game console, but really a multi-entertainment device, entertainment on the go. So I really don't think that they're really in competitive markets."

Listen Closely: THEY'RE IN COMPETITIVE MARKETS. STOP LYING. YOU WANT TO OBLITERATE NINTENDO AND THEIR EXECUTIVES WHO KEEP SLAPPING YOU AROUND LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN.

I see where he's coming from with his answer.  Hardware like the PSP doesn't fit very well in any particular niche.  I'm more interested in what it can do besides games.  I'm curious if Sony is courting application developers as well as games.  My interest in buying one hinges as much on whether it can read video files from an iPod as what games are being developed for it.

I don't think the tale will be told on the PSP until some time after its release.  I admire what they're doing just as I admire the N-Gage.  The convergence of all these gadgets is an inevitable trend, and the first person to crack it is going to make a lot of money.

On the other hand, someone around here said, "The problem with being a pioneer is all the arrows in the back."

[schild]

They're doing the exact same thing with the PSP that they did with the PS1/2. The PS1 came out when Nintendo's system couldn't play music CDs and relatively long before DVDs had caught on. The PS2 came out when Nintendo's system still couldn't play music cds or dvds and Microsoft wasn't really an "issue." Hell, MS didn't become an issue until this year really - starting with Ninja Gaiden.

Now Sony has made a system with a badass wide higher-res screen and the ability to play MP3s while Nintendo is still putzing around with proprietary cartridges and a second screen which will only be useful in maybe 10% of the games that come out on the DS.

While I may enjoy Tiger Woods for the DS, it ain't because of the stroking you have to do with the stylus and screen. I'll get into it more in my DS roundup, but it's all just so goddamn lackluster. Sony is going in for the kill and they know it. Just a pack of mechanical wolverines going after the 700lb elephant who has, just recently, gone into the third stage of syphilis.

[eldaec]

On the 'Gamecube in the UK' issue, I can tell you that the typical package right now is £79.99 ($152) with 1 game. Cheapest GC I've previously seen is £49 ($93) for just the box and a controller. No doubt we'll see the deals drop by a tenner if Argos is selling at £39 ($76).

Argos selling a game console cheap isn't too big a deal though, Argos is a catalogue store, which means they could never really handle the box + 1 free game thing, because they only change their stock list once a quarter, so they won't have next month's latest greatest available. A store like GAME (uk arm of eb) will generally run console +any free game deals; a comparison shopper would note that buying a £39 box and any one game will cost you around £79.98 if you buy the box at Argos.

Also, the GC is at least as available as it was this time last year (which means about 50% of stores are out of stock, just as they are with X-Boxes and PS2s).

Truth though, is that time is almost up on all three current gen consoles. Prices are tumbling all round, because the vast majority of people who might ever buy one, already have one.

[stray]

Other features aside, one just has to take a look at the games lineup and they'll see that Sony has already won. Before it's even started. Nintendo's been making bad decisions for some time now (I wonder if ex-Sega or Apple employees are working there), and it's about time they reap their full reward. Like schild said in another thread, they're much better off focusing on software at this point.

As for the convergence thing, Sony seems the most likely candidate on handhelds. I don't think anyone will be able to compete with Microsoft on the TV/Console/PC side of things.

[eldaec]

[I see where he's coming from with his answer.  Hardware like the PSP doesn't fit very well in any particular niche.  I'm more interested in what it can do besides games.  I'm curious if Sony is courting application developers as well as games.  My interest in buying one hinges as much on whether it can read video files from an iPod as what games are being developed for it.

So can you imagine a significant number of non-hobbyists buying both?

Nope?

Competition it is then.

[WindupAtheist]

OMFG NINTENDO RULES THEY ARE MAKING ANOTHER ZELDA!!

Seriously, who the fuck is buying all these Zeldas?

[schild]

I stopped counting after my 4th Master Sword.

[Dren]

OMFG NINTENDO RULES THEY ARE MAKING ANOTHER ZELDA!!

Seriously, who the fuck is buying all these Zeldas?

I'm one.  I have a lot of company.  Obviously, you're missing something.

[HaemishM]

Fucking convergence devices. Here's the trick to convergence devices. They are only good as a convergence device if they really and truly REPLACE the standalone devices. Unfortunately, due to costs, they most often just end up being average versions of the standalone device. If the PSP isn't as good a media player as the IPod, that isn't a real competitive market advantage. If sacrifices have to be made to the game player part of the equation to make it a multimedia device, you haven't gained anything.

Sony... you ARE competing against Nintendo as a game device, stupid. Be better at that, instead of trying to spread your legs across multiple market segments. Seriously, is anyone going to buy the PSP instead of an Ipod if they aren't looking for a game device? No, you'll buy an Ipod. It's the fucking games, stupid.

[ahoythematey]

A sad truth I've come to accept is that most "gamers" today will accept any amount of bullshit Sony shoves at them.  After the PSX and PS2, though, I just don't have the drive to give them my money anymore, because they insist on making their systems some of the most problem-prone pieces of hardware I have ever had to deal with.

As for Nintendo and it's franchises: how long are you going to pimp Katamari, Pirates, KOTOR, Freedom Force, Splinter Cell, Vampire and so on before realizing you are supporting the idea of another game within the same series while simultaneously lambasting the exact same thing simply because it  is coming from a company that has built it's gaming empire around it?  There's a serious amount of self-hate you are harboring here if the most damning thing you can hold against Nintendo is the same thing you are understandably excited for among other consoles, that being the almighty "sequel".

I must admit, however, that I am biased.  I've yet to grow unexcited when thinking about each new Zelda or Mario.  I guess they remind me of happier and carefree times, something of which I'd rather not lose sight.

[WindupAtheist]

OMFG NINTENDO RULES THEY ARE MAKING ANOTHER ZELDA!!

Seriously, who the fuck is buying all these Zeldas?

I'm one.  I have a lot of company.  Obviously, you're missing something.

I got over that Zelda shit when I was nine.  Put away your faggy elf tights, grow the fuck up, and buy an Xbox.

[plangent]

The PSP and iPod are not competing devices.  This and the DS are the competition.

If the two [PSP and iPod] were integrated by the developers I think two things would happen:

[list=1]Jack Valenti would spontaneously combust.
The PSP would make inroads amongst a lot of non-gamers as a video player/webbrowser/whatever.[/list:o]
Perhaps Sony could live with that, but I doubt it.  I know Apple can't.

The point of all of this, is that with access to a storage medium which will interface with a generic PC the PSP could sell to a lot of people who would never buy a DS, as well as convince the fence sitters.

[schild]

As for Nintendo and it's franchises: how long are you going to pimp Katamari, Pirates, KOTOR, Freedom Force, Splinter Cell, Vampire and so on before realizing you are supporting the idea of another game within the same series while simultaneously lambasting the exact same thing simply because it  is coming from a company that has built it's gaming empire around it?  There's a serious amount of self-hate you are harboring here if the most damning thing you can hold against Nintendo is the same thing you are understandably excited for among other consoles, that being the almighty "sequel".

There's a difference between a SEQUEL, which is what you'd get in the case of everything you mentioned except KoToR and Splinter Cell - which would be a third in the series and NINE TO SEVENTEEN. Did you know there have been something like 17 different Zelda Games? No? Or how about Metroid. Yea, they're sitting at 9. Mario has over 50 with his fat ass in it. Capcom falls crime to the same shit; recycling 20 year old characters every year.

Nice try at spin though.

[ahoythematey]

There's a difference between a SEQUEL, which is what you'd get in the case of everything you mentioned except KoToR and Splinter Cell - which would be a third in the series and NINE TO SEVENTEEN. Did you know there have been something like 17 different Zelda Games? No? Or how about Metroid. Yea, they're sitting at 9. Mario has over 50 with his fat ass in it. Capcom falls crime to the same shit; recycling 20 year old characters every year.

Nice try at spin though.

That would be fine and accurate except for the fact that I do know just how many Zelda, Metroid, and Mega Man games are out there, and I also know how a sizable portion of it is not much more than a graphical makeover with some new bits and pieces fit here and there.  It seems the difference is that I have no problem with Nintendo doing this, since they still pack some outstanding gameplay within almost every game of theirs, and every once and a while we get another "Aliens" in the sense that the next sequel/"serial" just totally blows away expectations created by the previous game.  I think it is safe to say, though, that both of us are pretty accepting of Capcom doing this, since you sound excited about Resident Evil 4 as much as I am.

I will agree that the Mega Man series has become increasingly excessive in it's sequelitis, but I am not about to fault them for that because I know that if I am in the mood for some newer Mega Man, it will always be there on the shelf.  Sort of like how Michael Moorcock keeps making Elric books, except I guess he's going to stop doing that soon...

EDIT: A good example of another "Aliens" would be Super Mario Bros 3, a sequel that added so much to the series, and platformers in general, that I am hard pressed to think of any reason why it shouldn't have happened.  
Same thing could be said about almost every Zelda game, but that statement stands on shakier ground.

I must admit, though, I am confused how anybody would not want more Metroid games, assuming they like Metroid gameplay in the first place.

[Jain Zar]

Long as that Metroid is 2d keep em coming.!

[schild]

EDIT: A good example of another "Aliens" would be Super Mario Bros 3, a sequel that added so much to the series, and platformers in general, that I am hard pressed to think of any reason why it shouldn't have happened.  
Same thing could be said about almost every Zelda game, but that statement stands on shakier ground.

I must admit, though, I am confused how anybody would not want more Metroid games, assuming they like Metroid gameplay in the first place.

Zelda hasn't added anything since The Adventures of Link or arguably A Link to the Past.

Mario's been downhill since 3.

I want more sidescrolling metroid. The gameboy stuff is far too easy.

[Fabricated]

I think in the end what will determine a respectable amount of the PSP's marketshare is how easy it is to get unsigned code to run on it.

Hello, MIPS based processors? Memory Stick support? USB support? WiFi Support?

The PSP screams for emulators, OS's, third-party media players, web browsing, and so on. If it can be done without opening the PSP up it'll sell like hotcakes.

[schild]

I would say 99% of the people who own gaming systems and the like couldn't give a shit less about what you just said.

It's all about the games. Personally, I want Death Jr. right now.

Oh, and the widescreen won't be kind to emulators.

[Margalis]

Zelda rules. People buy Zelda because Zelda games are fun. I'll just ignore any MMORPG ranting about faggy tights, thanks for trying though.

And before someone else comes along and starts blathering about unoriginality, look at both WindWaker and 4 Swords. There's creativity to spare there.

[ahoythematey]

I would say 99% of the people who own gaming systems and the like couldn't give a shit less about what you just said.

It's all about the games. Personally, I want Death Jr. right now.

Oh, and the widescreen won't be kind to emulators.

I agree it's all about the games, and the upcoming PSP games really do their best to entice me.  Unfortunately, I just cannot find myself willing to give it a go for at least the first two years, already having been burned twice with first and second-run Sony game hardware.  I'm going to assume that if they follow their usual pattern, all the hardware issues that crop up will be mostly ironed out during third/fourth year production of the units, assuming the PSP support lasts that long.

[schild]

[geldonyetich]

Armored Core, Portable?!

I'm sold.

[schild]

Heh, the point was the side-by-side comparison, but yea, I want it too.

[Snowspinner]

There's a difference between a SEQUEL, which is what you'd get in the case of everything you mentioned except KoToR and Splinter Cell - which would be a third in the series and NINE TO SEVENTEEN. Did you know there have been something like 17 different Zelda Games? No? Or how about Metroid. Yea, they're sitting at 9. Mario has over 50 with his fat ass in it. Capcom falls crime to the same shit; recycling 20 year old characters every year.

Nice try at spin though.

Metroid, Metroid 2, Super Metroid, Metroid Prime, Metroid Fusion. Zero Mission, Metroid Prime 2...

OK, that's 7...

The other two are what, magic Metroid games?

And, let's see, Zelda 1 and 2 for the NES, Link to the Past for the SNES... OoT and Majora for N64, one for GC, one for GB, two for GBC, one for GBA... that would be 10, not 17. Oh, wait, four swords, sorry, 11.

Would you like to try again, this time with new and improved factual accuracy? Or just move on to criticizing DC and Marvel for still publishing Batman and Spider-Man comics?

As for the "Game over for GC..."

The system is profitable.

What more do you really want in a successful system?

[schild]

My mistake, I could have sworn another Metroid was coming out for GBA and Metroid Prime: Hunters was already on release lists for later this year.

Criticizing Marvel for continuing to do what they're doing to Spider-Man would be far too easy.

Nintendo needs to stop selling an entire box every 5 years (or every 2 in the case of the gameboy) for the 5-8 games worth getting. They'd sell more on the PS2 and Xbox given market shares, and they could dump their home console research division. They're on the road to turning into Apple before the iMac. And I don't think Miyamoto and others have the balls Jobs had to give themselves up to the Microsoft overlords.

When did you become a troll?

Edit: Perhaps using Mario instead of Zelda would have been better. Then I wouldn't have gotten your purple cube-shaped panties in a twist.

Another Edit: Jesus Christ.

[Shmtur]

Nintendo needs to stop selling an entire box every 5 years (or every 2 in the case of the gameboy) for the 5-8 games worth getting. They'd sell more on the PS2 and Xbox given market shares, and they could dump their home console research division.

What, like Sega?

[schild]

Exactly like Sega.

[Snowspinner]

My mistake, I could have sworn another Metroid was coming out for GBA and Metroid Prime: Hunters was already on release lists for later this year.

Criticizing Marvel for continuing to do what they're doing to Spider-Man would be far too easy.

Nintendo needs to stop selling an entire box every 5 years (or every 2 in the case of the gameboy) for the 5-8 games worth getting. They'd sell more on the PS2 and Xbox given market shares, and they could dump their home console research division. They're on the road to turning into Apple before the iMac. And I don't think Miyamoto and others have the balls Jobs had to give themselves up to the Microsoft overlords.

When did you become a troll?

Edit: Perhaps using Mario instead of Zelda would have been better. Then I wouldn't have gotten your purple cube-shaped panties in a twist.

Another Edit: Jesus Christ.

Nice complete change of arguments.

5-8 games worth getting? I assume we're counting exclusives and not tri-platform games? So I should just count Resident Evil, RE0, RE4 (Exclusive for a year, good enough for me), Rogue Leader, Pikmin, the Sonic Mega Collection, Mario Kart, Monkey Ball (Exclusive for, what, two years?), Smash Brothers, Pac Man. Vs, Wario Ware, Eternal Darkness, F-Zero, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, Ikaruga, Wind Waker... I'll even leave off Mario Sunshine, Crystan Chronicles, and Metal Gear for ya... and that leaves me at... 17.

Hm.

Nope, still not convincing me.

Nintendo is pretty much the Apple of the console world. They've got their market share, and that market share isn't going to go away. They may not be competing for the Sony market share anymore, but that doesn't mean that they can't exist on this business strategy more or less indefinitely.

[Velorath]

5-8 games worth getting? I assume we're counting exclusives and not tri-platform games? So I should just count Resident Evil, RE0, RE4 (Exclusive for a year, good enough for me), Rogue Leader, Pikmin, the Sonic Mega Collection, Mario Kart, Monkey Ball (Exclusive for, what, two years?), Smash Brothers, Pac Man. Vs, Wario Ware, Eternal Darkness, F-Zero, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, Ikaruga, Wind Waker... I'll even leave off Mario Sunshine, Crystan Chronicles, and Metal Gear for ya... and that leaves me at... 17.

Well take off Sonic Mega collection since it's available on PS2 and X-box with extras that aren't on the GC version from my understanding.  RE0 also wouldn't make the cut IMO, as it felt like a tacked on addition to the series with only minor updates to the gameplay.  The fact that Monkey Ball used to be exclusive isn't going to impress anyone either.  I own a Gamecube so I'm not really biased against it, but the list does look pretty thin, especially since I really didn't like the Metroid games.

[Disco Stu]

Edit: Perhaps using Mario instead of Zelda would have been better. Then I wouldn't have gotten your purple cube-shaped panties in a twist.

I'd just like to point out you like anime. You aren’t allowed to question anyone’s sexuality.

Please do go back to being wrong about every subject even vaguely related to media though, it's pretty funny.

[schild]

Reading comprehension is new to you, isn't it? Where did I question anyone's sexuality?

[Triforcer]

Zelda rules. People buy Zelda because Zelda games are fun. I'll just ignore any MMORPG ranting about faggy tights, thanks for trying though.

And before someone else comes along and starts blathering about unoriginality, look at both WindWaker and 4 Swords. There's creativity to spare there.

My favorite Zelda game was the Legend of Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon for the CD-i.  Here are some shots from cut-scenes:

[Snowspinner]

5-8 games worth getting? I assume we're counting exclusives and not tri-platform games? So I should just count Resident Evil, RE0, RE4 (Exclusive for a year, good enough for me), Rogue Leader, Pikmin, the Sonic Mega Collection, Mario Kart, Monkey Ball (Exclusive for, what, two years?), Smash Brothers, Pac Man. Vs, Wario Ware, Eternal Darkness, F-Zero, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, Ikaruga, Wind Waker... I'll even leave off Mario Sunshine, Crystan Chronicles, and Metal Gear for ya... and that leaves me at... 17.

Well take off Sonic Mega collection since it's available on PS2 and X-box with extras that aren't on the GC version from my understanding.  RE0 also wouldn't make the cut IMO, as it felt like a tacked on addition to the series with only minor updates to the gameplay.  The fact that Monkey Ball used to be exclusive isn't going to impress anyone either.  I own a Gamecube so I'm not really biased against it, but the list does look pretty thin, especially since I really didn't like the Metroid games.

Monkey Ball spent two years exclusive, and thus two years as a reason to own the system. And while, plotwise, RE4 is kind of a tack-on, it's a great game that genuinely advances the formula. So I'll drop Sonic Mega for 16. But that's still just a list of must-have exclusives. 14 if you don't take to Metroid. But that's still 16 must-have exclusives if you own the console, plus some change "Pretty damn shiny" exclusives. Plus the must-have multiplatforms like Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia, and Viewtiful Joe.

Yes, Splinter Cell is a very different game without the multiplayer.

But for the vast swath of the console-owning population that doesn't do multiplayer yet, the Gamecube is at least as fine a choice as the XBox or PS2. And for those that do do multiplayer... at this point in the lifecycle I'd be surprised if there are many multiplaying console owners who don't have at least a second console.

[AOFanboi]

I thought the PSP's competitor was the "maybe Microsoft-backed" Gizmondo? They are touting it as a multimedia portable that can play games.