Friday, March 24, 2006

Nintendo press release


This Nintendo press release just came in, summarizing Iwata´s keynote speech at GDC.

NINTENDO PRESIDENT CHALLENGES DEVELOPERS TO CREATE BOLD NEW GAMES
Nintendo Also Announces Plans to Offer Classic Sega and TurboGrafx Games

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 23, 2006 – Nintendo President Satoru Iwata today challenged a crowd of game developers to think differently and take a fresh approach to the creation of video games. During his keynote address at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif., Iwata said Nintendo will provide developers with the tools they need to disrupt the traditional methods of game creation, much as the company already has.

These tools include the controller for Nintendo’s next home console (code-named Revolution), which lets users control the action on their television screens through the motion of the controller itself. The controller lets game developers create new kinds of gaming experiences, ones that enhance the experience for hard-core gamers while making video games more accessible and less intimidating to novices. The new forms of innovative software that can be created by any size developer will be made available for download via Revolution’s Virtual Console service.

“This new approach is like stepping onto an unexplored continent for the first time, with all the potential for discovery that suggests,” Iwata said. “No one else can match the environment we’re creating for expanding the game experience to everyone. Our path is not linear, but dynamic.”

Iwata also announced partnerships with Sega and Hudson to offer downloadable access to their classic games via Revolution’s Virtual Console. Revolution owners will be able to relive their past gaming glories from the Sega Genesis console by playing a “best of” selection from more than 1,000 Genesis titles, as well as games sold for the TurboGrafx console (a system jointly developed by NEC and Hudson). These games join Revolution’s access to 20 years of fan-favorite Nintendo games from the NES®, Super NES® and Nintendo® 64 eras.

Iwata also revealed for the first time that a new game called The Legend of Zelda®: Phantom Hourglass would be released for Nintendo DS later this year.
Iwata, a game developer himself, revealed behind-the-scenes stories about the development of three key initiatives.

For the industry leading Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, internal engineers and developers overcame a series of hurdles to make the system seamless and flexible enough to allow players to choose to play wirelessly either with friends or against unknown opponents. The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection reached 1 million unique users in just 18 weeks – nearly five times the adoption rate of the leading online game console network.

He described a pivotal meeting in coming to agreement on development of the incredibly popular “brain games” in Japan. A leading Japanese scientist attached a sci-fi-looking wired helmet to a Nintendo staffer and then visually demonstrated stimulation of brain activity as the staffer played prototype software.
Finally, he described the hundreds of sketches, dozens of prototypes and company-wide collaboration that led to the final form of the unique Revolution controller system, which resembles a traditional TV remote control. He called the related research and manufacturing costs of the new control system, “… our method to disrupt the market … realizing a new way to connect a player to his game.”

Quite a bit more background details, which you may be hungry for (since there was so little news in general).

EDIT On their press server, NOA has published Iwata´s speech in full. For your benefit, I have pasted the relevant paragraphs below (leaving out the introduction, a lengthy talk about the ´Brain Training´ series and the announcement regarding ´Zelda: Phantom Hourglass´ for the DS). Find the entire speech here.

In 2004, we began considering Wi-Fi gaming. From the start, we had several challenges. First, we knew that both Animal Crossing and Mario Kart would be arriving on the DS the next year, and we wanted them to feature Wi-Fi play. That made the development timetable very short. Secondly, I insisted that our Wi-Fi interface be seamless. I wanted connecting to someone around the world to be as easy as connecting to someone playing next to you in the same room. As you know, this creates its own problems, because normally making things easier for players, makes things harder for developers. But the most difficult aspect was deciding who players would be able to connect with. Online gaming normally belongs to the most aggressive players, and they can be a very vocal group.

For the casual player, this kind of interaction can be very intimidating. I believed if we catered to only this very vocal group of hard-core players, we could never truly expand the audience. Originally, we thought Wi-Fi should be set up as a kind of social network, almost a game-play version of MySpace. In Japan, we initially referred to the Wi-Fi system as „project house party.“ We had in mind the comfort of inviting friends over to play in your own home. Well, at Nintendo of America this name was not very popular. They told us that this sounded like what you call a „tupperware party.“ No matter what we called it, I believed the experience must be easy and fun. What did I mean by „easy?“ It´s simple to connect a game on DS locally when you´re sitting in a room with your friends. It should be just as easy to find those friends and play with them even if they´re thousands of miles away.

But what is „fun?“ That depends on the player. You may want to play Mario Kart only with people you know. Or you may find it more fun to try to defeat total strangers. Sometimes, the choice will be determined by the nature of the game. No one playing Animal Crossing wants someone to come in cut down all their trees and trash their town. What was important to me was that players have the choice, and the freedom to choose which way to play. For developers, „easy“ and „fun“ doesn´t mean the work will be „easy“ or „fun.“ There were many barriers to overcome. And my colleague, Mr. Takao Ohara, will share those stories with you later here at the GDC. In the end, it is the freedom of choice, I believe, that has made the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection so successful.

To date, we have surpassed 1 million unique players, totaling more than 29 million play sessions - and, this in only 18 weeks of availability. We reached 1 million players almost five times as fast as the Xbox Live service, which also offered free connections when it began. It took them 20 months to reach 1 million different users. Of course, this has made our Wi-Fi development team very happy as you can see. What you can´t see is that sign they´re holding up, a message to all of you. So let me show you what it said: We love the GDC. They all wanted to come, but I told them, „Sorry, no.“ But I did promise I would bring their picture. As you know, this week we added a new wrinkle to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Voice over internet protocol arrived with Metroid Prime Hunters. It introduces a new level of fun. (...) [Demonstration follows]

The third story I have to share is the answer to a question people ask me all the time: how did we get the idea for the Revolution free-hand controller? Well, we started out with a very simple question: why is it that anyone feels comfortable picking up a remote control for a TV, but many people are afraid to even touch the controller for a video game system? This was our starting point. Our first controller meetings began early in 2004, and from that initial thought we added two other requirements. First, the controller must be wireless. We need to give players freedom to move.

And second, the look of the controller had to be simple and non-threatening. But of course, at the same time, it had to be sophisticated enough to serve the needs of complex games. And yes, we also wanted it to be „revolutionary.“ Finding an answer to all of this was not easy. For more than six months, two people at NCL did nothing but produce sketch after sketch with new ideas. Each sketch caused more discussion, and the discussions led us to create dozens of prototype designs. In all, about 15 people were involved trying to figure out an answer. At the same time, I was considering technologies which would incorporate a direct pointing device, something that would show direct visual contact between the controller and the screen. In fact, many good ideas were floating around, but nothing yet felt revolutionary.

Early last year a young team leader of the controller development group came up with a disruptive idea: what if you could play with just one hand? Mr. Miyamoto quickly imagined a small, simple, wireless device. That intrigued us, but we realized an immediate problem. Considering our plans, how would we allow backward compatibility to all the previous Nintendo games that required two-hand control? Again, Mr. Miyamoto had an answer: make the small wireless controller detachable from a larger, traditional controller - both using the same wireless interface.

This sounded good, but when we shared the idea with our Metroid Prime producers, they objected. They said their games would not work with what we invented. They added another idea: Why not keep the simple one-hand controller, but also add a secondary device for the other hand if the game required it? - Something like a nun-chuk device. We think this is something that will entirely change firstperson shooter games. By separately using the joystick device to control position and the direct pointing device to target enemies the experience truly feels more intuitive.

Now, we really went to work. There were dozens of models and prototypes fabricated until we came up with the final result. And what did it look like? Well, it looked exactly like the same TV remote control that we first imagined more than a year earlier. Sometimes ideas are like good wine in that they just need time. After all the designs and mockups, we were happy with the final result. It met our goals. It was wireless. It was inviting to new players. It offered something brand new for core players. And, it was also a new interface we could offer to every player. But, it also represented something else.

As you can imagine, this was a very expensive process. Not only in terms of the research and development costs, but also the manufacturing expense of producing such an elaborate control system, and including it as part of every hardware purchase. Some people put their money on the screen, but we decided to spend ours on the game experience. It is an investment in actual market disruption. Not simply to improve the market - but disrupt it. We believe a truly new kind of game entertainment will not be realized unless there is a new way to connect a player to his game.

„New“ is good, but there also is an appetite for „old.“ For young players, classic games are brand new. For others, they are a way to feel young again. After we announced the virtual console concept for revolution last year, many people asked me if only games for Nintendo systems would be available. Today, I have a better answer. I can announce that games specifically developed for both the Sega Genesis and the NEC Turbo Grafx system will also be available for Nintendo Revolution via the Virtual Console. Between them, these systems built a library of more than a thousand different games. Of course, not all of them will be available, but the best of them will. Thank you for listening to my stories this morning.

However, the most important story of all is still to be told. I hope all of you, the creative force of our industry, will help us write it. It is the story of how disruption will help every one of us overcome the growing barriers to game development. We know what the main barrier is cost. There is one dominant business model for our industry. Publishers work backwards from a console game at retail that sells for $50 or now, even $60. To compete at that level, games must be longer, larger and more complex, which requires bigger development teams. Success is more likely if a strong license is acquired, but even then, huge amounts of money are needed to market that game to a mass audience.

It´s understandable that many publishers, in order to reduce risk, feel most comfortable relying on sequels to already successful, high budget games. As a result, our business is beginning to resemble a bookstore where you can only buy expensive, full sets of encyclopedias. No romance novels. No paperbacks. No magazines. In our business, too often people with a fresh idea don´t have a chance. I believe if Tetris were presented today, here is what the producer would be told: „Go back... give me more levels... give me better graphics... give me cinematics... and you´re probably going to need a movie license to sell that idea to the public.“ The producer would go away dejected. Today, Tetris might never be made.

Nintendo understands the dominant business model. We work with it every day. And future Zeldas and Marios and Metroids are going to be bigger masterpieces than ever before. But, this does not have to be the only business model. We want to help you create a new one. One where your simple Tetris will be made. With Nintendo Revolution, we offer a combination of opportunities that simply can´t be matched. Our controller allows for every existing form of game to take on a new character. It allows for game creation that is not dependent on just the size of the development budget. I consider our virtual console concept the video game version of Apple´s iTunes music store.

Since I first announced the virtual console concept last year at E3, other people have become very interested in digital downloads. Others will offer such a service, 12 but it will not be the same. Because for us, this is not just a new business opportunity, for us, this is true innovation - true disruption. It is part of our DNA. The digital download process will bring new games to the widest possible audience of new players. Young people, older people, even those who never played video games before. When I think of what faces all of us right now, I imagine what it must have been like for the explorers who first set foot on a new continent. For them, it was impossible to imagine all the adventure that lay ahead.

Our adventure is still ahead of us. Nintendo is committed to creating an environment where all of your work can prosper. I began today saying that disruption is not just a strategy for Nintendo. Yes, we have already disrupted handheld - and it worked. Yes, we have already disrupted Wi-Fi - and it worked. We disrupted the very definition of a game - and that is working, too. In a few weeks, you will better understand how to disrupt console gaming. You will play, and you will see.

At Nintendo, we do not run from risk. We run to it. We are taking the risk to move beyond current boundaries. It should be our goal, each of us, to reach the new players as well as the current players. Our goal is to show them surprise. Our reward is to convince them that above all video games are meant to be just one thing - fun ... Fun for everyone. Thank you again so much for inviting me.

There you go. Lots of interesting quotes to mull over.


Source: Nintendo of Europe press server
Image source: Nintendo of America press server

61 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was a little disappointed of no news on revolution :-( Sigh we have to wait for E3.
Off topic - someone knows where i can DOWNLOAD the revolution video of TGS 2005?
Luca S. (Italy)

Anonymous said...

I like this blog, but man you'e crazy if you think there was no "real news". Nintendo is more than the Revolution, and there was great news all around. This sets up for a super slam dunk E3, and keeps Nintendo fans (at least the ones playing the games and not just logging about them) excited and hopeful. Especially knowing the Rev is getting so much positive support, and good press.

Anonymous said...

oh i forgot!I like the new visual effect on the logo of the blog!
Luca S.(Italy)

Anonymous said...

Hi anonym, i've don't said there was no news (i'm very excited about the new zelda game) but i was expecting some news on revo greater than the announcements on Sega and Hudson support on virtual console (but i want to play phantasy star 4 on revo). maybe i haved too high espectations...
Luca S.(Italy)

Anonymous said...

big picture, my friend... you got to think a little more long term. I'm shocked how well Nintendo is orchestrating itself right now... especailly after the poor marketing, image, and reaction that had to the struggle with Gamecube.

And they are protecting themselves... sony has a large part in this, and Nintendo's decisions regarding the business side.

Eithan said...

There were plenty of tidbits about Revolution released at GDC.

Nintendo using the distribution strategy of Itunes in regards to their virtual console is an excellent choice. I love how Iwata hinted that developers could create brand new games for the virtual console.

Suppose Nintendo personally takes this a step further. We've all heard the rumors that several of the classic games will get a facelift in graphics, added characters, etc. What if they released new original sequels to these older games? A brand new 8bit Zelda? It's unlikely, but at this point anything is possible. As long as the development costs are low and profit is applicable I don't think this is a stretch of the imagination.

Anonymous said...

I didn't bother to get myself hyped for GDC because of the little news there was. E3 is where everything will happen, and that's pretty much what Nintendo has said since TGS. LoZ for the DS is awesome though :)

Anonymous said...

HEY! PEOPLE! CHILL OUT!

Seriously, this is a business tactic of course on Nintendo's part, I'll bet any money that if Sony had commented more, and gave out more concrete information regarding their PS3, than we would've of heard more from Nintendo, we have to realize that all that Sony does is use "smoke and mirrors" with all their tech, and you know exactly what I mean by that, first the PS1 was basically a completed hardware design in conjunction with Nintendo, the PS2 was based off the PS1 and also helped them as much as the SNES was helped out by the NES success that was also based off the first nintendo. Ok Now they had to go back to the drawing board with the PS3 and actually try designing something totally brand new without Nintendo's help. And what sony is doing now with dodging everyone and not providing info, because they dont really have anything concrete. Its a fresh start for Nintendo and they truly are being the most efficient with their business strategy, I applaud them. Mr. Iwata is definitely landing feet first and running with it.

Rafael
US

Anonymous said...

Falafelkid,

I'm just curious...where do you see the blog going after E3 and to a further extent after the revolution is released? I'd hate to see it dropped, but what is left to speculate?

Thanks in advance,

D-Bone

Anonymous said...

They shouldnt launch Zelda DS this year, it would be dangerous for the franchise to compete againts itself.

Anonymous said...

I DONT Think Zelda: "HG" is competing with Zelda: "TP" because of the different systems it will be released on. I dont know Fal, I think you've proven your worthiness and skills of one of the better Indipendent reporters. I wish ya the best, with whatever you decide. I have a great Idea for something, hit me up.

Rafael
US

Falafelkid said...

Hi Rafael, hi D-Bone. I myself have wondered about what might happen to this blog come May or June. But there may be a new purpose on the horizon.

I'd hate to see it dropped, but what is left to speculate?

Revolution´s successor perhaps? I don´t know if I will have the time for that. But I might.

Anonymous said...

Fal,

Hey I dont see why you dont realize your true potential and commission your own site, look at IGN well N64.com as it once was, they started out a couple guys with a passion for the "Big N" and being as accessible as information is I dont see why you couldnt do a full site, shoot I wouldnt mind assisting. Maybe one with a mailbag, that you answer questions as you only know how to, and develop it. I could help out, I think a lot of readers would love to see some type of editorials on a weekly basis, this industry is full of speculative information, that become news, so you already have a pretty loyal audience and what not. Run wit it!

Rafael
US, VA

Anonymous said...

Falefelkid,

Usually when one door closes another un-forseen door opens. I'm sure things will work out just fine though. Quick question, do you have plans to visit E3 and attend the Keynote?

D-Bone

Anonymous said...

http://www.pc.joystiq.com/2006/03/23/gdc-the-iwata-drop-the-bom-omb-guy/

me at GDC! :D

-tactics.

Falafelkid said...

Hi D-Bone. Yes, I will be at E3 and I will attend all three cnosole manufacturers´ press conferences.

Anonymous said...

@ Tactics
see what you got into...

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/9738/iwana0fm.png

SOURCE: comments on joystic, of the Bobomb guy.

Anonymous said...

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/
9738/iwana0fm.png

Anonymous said...

@Falafelkid: a senior at NoE told you there would be no huge news at E3. Is this the same source that said the 3rd secret will be bigger than the controller?

Anonymous said...

***ATTENTION***

INTRODUCING: THE
N(ew)IALS-REPARATION-TOUR


Falafelkid,guys,
I know I have been bitter,angry,vengeful etc.
or to make a long story short
a maddening scumbag lately.

Therefore I wanted to apologize to all who were unnecessarily offended by me someway,somehow and especially Falafelkid who understandably couldn't tolerate it.
I assure you herewith that I won't relapse on the dark side ever again from now on.

Again,sorry guys.

What better way to underpin my new stance than to contribute in a normal fashion?



enjoy..




We will see beautiful visuals on Nintendo Whatever(Intention),rest assured.


Since many including Matt from Ign seem to be excited about Metroid Prime 3,I must pitch in that I'm not looking forward to it that much for several reasons.For starters,I assess it will be a bold venture for it to live up to Metroid Primes legacy, since a majority of the talented core staff left the company.Not surprisingly,the quality of
Prime2 didn't match that of the first one,not even rudimentary.So without painting too black a picture,I'm inclined to be skeptic as far as Retro Studios is concerned.

Then again,what I'm really looking forward to are those mind-boggling, stimulating and above all relaxing DS type of games that arent really games,sorta like ElektroPlankton and Brain Age.They are very adjuvant to get away from it all(after work).
I think the great thing about these games is Andreas,that they are accessible in a jiffy-just pick up and play-something that seemingly took the backseat more and more this generation,and understandably put a lot of busy people like yourself off.So in my opinion its a good opportunity for Nintendo rightnow to turn back the clock,to revive the spirit and ultimately,to reinvent the wheel.

After all,weren't it games like Tetris that were of some use,even for hardboiled preoccupied people,usually not committed to gaming,like parents for example?


Its good to see Nintendo beared that in mind and that they are able to capitalize on it rightnow with Brain Age etc.. One could say Nintendo is starting to have an eye for things again,at least as far as Brain Age and DS are concerned which seemingly
depict the direction Nintendo is going in.

The other subject that I haven't touched on is time,and that is perhaps the biggest benefit or advantage Nintendo has going for it with its' new software.Who is willing to spend 50 hours let alone 10 hours
nowadays with games like Baldurs Gate that are protracted factitious-with the same dispensable,repeating
hallways,tunnels,monsters and what not-just so they can be sold to consumers as 50 hours+ ones?
Matter of fact is,these games are simply not worth your time irrespective of how good"10 in between minutes" of it can be.
This is where Nintendo calls the shots.They know Joe Bloggs time is precious and fast entertainment is desired thus Nintendo remain at the helm,bite into it and deliver...


Moral of the story?

After being at variance with them for long,long time,the Big N is finally starting to come to terms again with Mr. and Mrs. Zeitgeist.
Rumour has it that they spend more time with each other nowadays...

:)


-The N(ew)IALS

Anonymous said...

Hello Andreas!

What I wanted to tell you before was something like D-Bone and Rafael had asked you about.

I hope I can send you my mail shortly. plz wait for it...

/Silver

Anonymous said...

Hello Andreas!

What I wanted to tell you before was something like D-Bone and Rafael had asked you about.

I hope I can send you my mail shortly. plz wait for it...

/Silver

Anonymous said...

Jeux-france says that nintendo GO is a fake.
The link:
http://www.jeux-france.com/news15036_
nintendo-go-un-mysterieux-logo.html

Luca S. (Italy)

Anonymous said...

NINTENDO GO IS THIS IT?

Anonymous said...

boy that site is strange. nintendo-go.blogspot.com

Looks like ilovebees

Anonymous said...

I would like to be the first to congradulate Fal on ONE MILLION PAGE VIEWS!!
Congrats man, that is a feat in and of itself. Your the best, and that page count proves it.

Falafelkid said...

Hi Cyrclekid. Thanks so much. That page visit count is only thanks to you peple coming here. So thank you all, guys!

Anonymous said...

falafelkid have you looked at nintendo-rs.blogspot.com lately? why dont you interview SeriousGamer007 since he is like working for Nintendo?

FoxMcloud

Anonymous said...

*****INTRODUCING******


...THE N-IALS-REPARATION-TOUR...



1. What is the final name of the Revolution?

2. How much will Revolution cost?

3. When will Revolution release?

4. How will Wi-Fi Connection work on Revolution?

5. What software will be available for the Revolution launch?



N-IALS PREDICTIONS :


1.

Intention,Next.

2.

Between 199$ and 270$ with demo-disc and controller.
Bundle with game,controller,demo-disc (and 3D Mario Paint) for 300$.

3.

Between mid September and mid
November in America/Japan.
Between October and mid December in
Europe.

4.

Similiar to DS, but with more options,better infrastructure, asssembling X-Live but only to an extent.

5.

Smash Bros.,(Zelda),Nintendo developed Brain-Age or Plankton type but with other theme like cooking for example,New and lil bit edgy Miyamoto IP,2-3 EA games,exclusive
FPS,FPA,3rdPerson by Western developers
(Ubi,Sierra,Lucasarts,
Activision,THQ,Vivendi,
Midway, or Atari),Sonic by Sega,
new Capcom IP,new Konami IP,new Namco etc.,the plumber

all in all about 8 - 14 launch titles.


-The N-IALS

Anonymous said...

@Falafelkid: a senior at NoE told you there would be no huge news at E3. Is this the same source that said the 3rd secret will be bigger than the controller?

Anonymous said...

This press release, as well as Fallafel's Miyamoto interview, makes reference after reference to a television being a central component to the Revolution experience, thus squelching any and all talk of a visor or any 3-d projection feature. Bummer.

Anonymous said...

Luca S. (Italy) said...
someone knows where i can DOWNLOAD the revolution video of TGS 2005?
Luca S. (Italy)


http://media.revolution.ign.com/articles/670/670514/vids_1.html

Anonymous said...

http://media.revolution.ign.com/articles/670/670514/vids_1.html

Anonymous said...

http://media.revolution.ign.com/articles/670/670514/
vids_1.html

Sorry, it keeps getting cut off somehow.

Anonymous said...

hey fala

http://theboard.zogdog.com/uploads/
1142150559/gallery_124_10_398747.jpg

what do u think about this interface ? :D

kevin got the whole story on his blog

Falafelkid said...

Hi Stabby.

A senior at NoE told you there would be no huge news at E3. Is this the same source that said the 3rd secret will be bigger than the controller?

First of all, you mean GDC, right? And no, this was a different person (the one with the GDC info being more senior than the first one).

Anonymous said...

IGN: What are you working on now?

Katsuya Eguchi: I'm actually in a team that's looking at the Revolution outside of the controller, coming up with unique features of the system that has nothing to do with it.


source:

http://ds.ign.com/articles/698/698426p1.html

Anonymous said...

Fal,

Do you think, that now that Nintendo has shown, some of their future partners of the "VC" that others such as "NEO GEO" might want to join up? Also I've read recently somewhere(dont know off back) that the rev will support "Saturn" and "Turbografx CD" games? What if any are the possiblities of this? Also Since nintendo is adding this support to their "VC" do you think this may have delayed their final dev kits at all, and is this a Software Emulation task, or did nintendo add the appropriate chipsets? And if its software, where will this be stored on, because with the XBOX360, the software emulator sounds pretty large space wise just for the XBOX. WHat you think FaL?

RAFAEL
US, VA

Falafelkid said...

Hi Rafael.

Thanks for your questions. Most of them are too technical for me to answer. I wouldn´t have a clue what might or night not delay dev kits.

However, I am positive that Sega and Hudson backing the VC is going to cause a snowball effect within the community. Their support might convince other developers of the Rev´s success. Once they think the console will sell decently, who wouldn´t want to support it? It´s basically a way of selling existing games that have already made them fortunes.

Anonymous said...

fal,

I figured, but its ok to speculate. Anyhow thats exactly what I think. I have a hunch nintendo is going to release 2 SKUS for the fact that if you see the technology behind each of the consoles, they will not package a disk with the emulators for each system, nor do i think a chipset implementation, is feasible nor reasonably cheap, beacause of the ages of them, so I have a feeling Nintendo may up the Flash Memory or provide another system with a reasonable sized Flash Drive to be able to load all the emulators onto the VC. I dont know, just looking at from different perspectives. Fun to speculate.

Rafael
US, VA

Anonymous said...

***INTRODUCING****

...THE-NIALS-REPARATION-TOUR...


Hi Andreas,
Marko Hein I suppose :)

Have a nice day.


-NIALS

Falafelkid said...

Hi NIALS. No, it was not Marko Hein. I have met him a few times but that was ages ago. I won´t say who told me, so please stop speculating.

Anonymous said...

INTRODUCING: THE
N(ew)IALS-REPARATION-TOUR




Oh Falafelkid,
Just one more thing.
How would you translate the following:

"(Das Spiel ist)künstlich in die Länge gezogen..)"
I sort of discombobulated it and mixed it up in my rant with "protracted facticious" I'm afraid.

Maybe you could help me out on this one ?

Thanx
Appreciate it


-NIALS

Falafelkid said...

NIALS.

"(Das Spiel ist)künstlich in die Länge gezogen..)"

translates to:

The game has been drawn out (or lenghtened) unnecessarily.

Oh, and why do you insist on using words like protracted or facticious? Do you read dictionaries for a hobby? Maybe you should stop using those fancy words, since you don´t always use them correctly and that makes it harder for the rest of us to understand what you are trying to say.

Anonymous said...

*****INTRODUCING******


...THE N-IALS-REPARATION-TOUR...


Oh,no,no I don't how you could make that kind of assumption ;)!?It's just that..You know,I wasn't sure how to paraphrase that without diverging from the accurate meaning.In the heat of the moment,I should add.

Thank you very much for helping me along though.


-IALS

Anonymous said...

oops.
I don't KNOW how..

Falafelkid said...

NIALS.

(...) how to paraphrase that without diverging from the accurate meaning

No offense, mate. But you really need to stop using those words. No native speaker would talk like that. It just sounds silly.

Anonymous said...

May I ask what was wrong with that?
Can you elaborate?

-IALS

Anonymous said...

Without diverging from - ohne abzuweichen von


-IALS

Anonymous said...

Then again, maybe I should really take a step back...

-IALS

Falafelkid said...

It´s not wrong, it just sounds wordy.

Anonymous said...

Falafelkid,
How about doing a collaboration on your blog or arranging a little website together to cover all things Nintendo,sorta like N-sider but with a little bit more Spong in it and a lil bit of Eurogamer and its' sister site to round it off for mature audiences..?
A nice and clean design,weekly columns and promotion on the website should do it..
I would be very much in favour of it.

-IALS

Anonymous said...

ich sag nur eins "ials": der erste eindruck ist der wichtigste, und ich denke mal, den hast du dir ordentlich verhauen

Anonymous said...

Iwata said that they began considering wifi gaming at 2004 and controller meetings began early 2004.

It´s been said earlier, that revolutions development started after gamecubes release at 2001.

I have not believed in big secrets before, but now it´s time to ask what were they doing those missing years. I mean, you can´t start doing something like these consoles without a precise plan and if the controller was not the revolutionary starting point then what was? It is very hard to believe nintendo would have just planned to remake gamecube in a new shell. So there probably must be a bigger and brighter starting idea. I don´t have a clue what this could mean, but it´s getting interesting.

Falafelkid said...

Hi Jars. A good point. If the controller had been decided on so early, what did they move on to? Of course, Iwata is just a naturally busy person regardless. But they would have had planning time for whatever the last secret turns out to be.

@IALS:

How about doing a collaboration on your blog?

Not interested, sorry. I have had similar offers from people who have been way more productive than you (I am afraid to say) and I have turned them down. Thanks for the offer, though.

Anonymous said...

I think jars is right. But it´s also
hard to believe, that Nintendos
controller meetings began early 2004.
That´s very late in my opinion.


BTW

by Matt:

"Virtual Console: Rareless
Well, here's something interesting from the Game Developers Conference 2006. Met with some Rare / Microsoft people who confirmed once and for all that Revolution's Virtual Console will not see any Rare-owned licenses. What does that mean? No-gos include Jet Force Gemini, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, and Conker's Bad Fur Day. Not happening on Revolution. Neither are gamers likely to see Goldeneye 007, unless both Rare and new license holder EA commit it to Nintendo's platform.

On a brighter note, any title developed by Rare that is fully owned by Nintendo could very well show up on the Virtual Console. Donkey Kong 64. Diddy Kong Racing. You get the point."

source: http://blogs.ign.com/Ma
tt-IGN/2006/03/26/7367/p2


No Goldeneye?

That´s f%&//%§ $%/ §$?&!

Anonymous said...

Weak, Weak and Weak was nintendo's appear at GDC, the same it will be at E3 ! The new Zelda looks crap !!!
Sony will make the race, thats clear !!

Anonymous said...

uuhhh sony "i have no brain" fanboy... iwata said often enough that revolution will be fully unveiled at e3....

so inform before you talk bullshit...

Falafelkid said...

Please cool it, people. But in essence, I will have to agree with Coldblooder. Anonymous, noone at Nintendo said there would be big news at GDC. In fact, they told me that there wouldn´t be. So this was to be expected, really. And how does this have any bearing on how well the console will perform, may I ask? You don´t know what Nintendo has in store for us, so you couldn´t possibly be in a position to predict that. And, lastly, exactly in what way do you consider the Sony keynote news? There was hardly any new info and you only need to observe Sony Corp.´s share price to see what the business community thinks about the new PlayStation´s possibilities.

Anonymous said...

First of all i'm not a Sony Fanboy ok ! In contrast to you i'm not blind. In my opinion Nintendo had to give some interesting infos about the REVO, but they did not ! I mean they are talking about future consoles, that they will support HD, instead giving some facts about REVO. It is clear that Nintendo will steal the show at E3, like almost each year! But a show is not enough to win the battle! I'm a big fan of Nintendo but they are disappointing me since the release of the N64 ! I miss my SNES days, when i was proud to have a Nintendo Console. In contrast to you im a realist, i would stop of dreaming that nintendo will win this battle, because with this strategy its impossible. The Revolution will be a second console or a fanconsole but nothing more, yes and it will be innovative, like the N64 or NDS but it will not generate a hype! Personally i wish that nintendo would win the battle, but i dont believe that they will. So the next time when you call someone as a fanboy you should think first and then begin to talk your bullshit.@coldblodder

Falafelkid said...

Hi Anonym. I understand where you are coming from. But I want to argue against a number of points:

i would stop of dreaming that nintendo will win this battle, because with this strategy its impossible.

How can you say that, neither knowing their strategy, nor knowing just what the Rev has to offer? You will have to wait for E3 to find out if Rev really can compete. My guess is that it can, however, because it looks like the Rev will be a third of the price of the PS3, for starters.

The Revolution will be a second console or a fanconsole but nothing more

Now, all this talk of the Rev becoming a second console is pretty much irrelevant. Because it doesn´t matter what kind of intentions someone buys a console. Those are neither recorded (only hard sales figures count) and that intention might change and not show in the software tie ratio. If the Rev becomes every Xbox360 and PS3 owner´s second console, it will win the console race, see?