Ubisoft Boss Calls New Nintendo Console "Fantastic"

[Logan Westbrook]

Ubisoft Boss Calls New Nintendo Console "Fantastic"

Work done for the PS3 and Xbox 360 will apparently transfer to Nintendo's new platform rather easily.

There's a lot of speculation about the successor to the Wii, both in terms of technical specification and whether or not it will sell. It's got the thumbs up from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot though, who says that it is a "fantastic platform," which he thinks will be "extremely" successful.

Speaking during a recent earnings call, Guillemot said that it wouldn't be too hard to make games for the machine, Ubisoft would be able to "leverage" a lot of the work it was doing on the PS3 and 360. "We will not have to redo completely the games that we create," he said. "We'll be able to use all the capacity the console is giving but also use all the work we do for the other platforms."

Multiple [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109303-Rumored-Tech-Specs-Give-Wii-2-More-Power-Than-Xbox-360 ] rumors [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109507-Rumor-Nintendos-Project-Cafe-to-Cost-400 ] have suggested that Project Café - as the console is thought to be referred to by Nintendo - will be more powerful than the Xbox 360 or PS3. Guillemot's comments seem to suggest that the difference in the consoles' capabilities won't be huge, although that is just speculation.

Nintendo having a console that can go toe-to-toe with its rivals will no doubt help attract third party developers, something that Nintendo has found difficult with the Wii. Unfortunately, if the difference really is relatively small, it might put Nintendo in a difficult position when Sony and Microsoft widen the gap with their new consoles.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-05-12-ubi-to-leverage-360-ps3-work-for-cafe]


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[Tipsy Giant]

Don't care about specs and never have, it's all about the controller, the motion controls put me off a Wii and made it the first nintendo console I don't own

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Obligatory Who Reference

If it's Ubisoft though, does that mean that their DRM will be removed and chucked in the bin?

 

[manythings]

Do they have launch titles for it? If they do then I have zero reason to treat this as anything other than marketting bullshit.

More importantly, how many people can realistically afford a new next-gen console?

 

[TheComfyChair]

If the new nintendo is twice as powerful as the 360 and ps3 it'd still just get the same games. In the end PC's are 10x more powerful now and all they're getting from Ubisoft is better textures, AA and maybe some HBAO.

Of course, that's not true across the board for multiplatforms. BF3 is pretty impressive on PC, as is bad company 2, just cause 2, deus ex is looking very good with the tessellation ect. Dirt 3 is looking awesome and so on. Actually, it also seems to be the exception that big titles are dx9 only now too, with dx11 being the standard. Yay.

 

[Tim Latshaw]

But will they place more on this new platform than dancing and Rabbids?

 

[Hitman Dread]

Assuming the specs aren't way out there, Nintendo has made the right decisions IMO. Keeping productionc cost low while increasing the developers options is what the industry needs most right now. The cost of this generation's games was almost killer, nearly bankrupting Capcom off a single game.

 

[tlozoot]

This generation could really do with more direct competition. I hope this new console is up to scratch tech wise. The added controller/motion stuff I can't really comment on until we get more details.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I'd love to see a Zelda game with current gen visuals and sound... that would be awesome.

 

[Fr]anc[is]

So next gen Nintendo will be as good as this gen everything else? ...lol?

 

[JuliusMagnus]

Even if Project Cafe is a largely more capable machine it would still make sense for them to 'port' X360 and PS3 titles to Project Cafe, even if those titles didn't use the full potential.

Devs/Pubs will probably always develop for the most common denominator (in technology) with the caveat that the most common denominator isn't the single console that is leagues behind the two competitors (Wii vs X360 and PS3).

I own none of the consoles so I don't prefer one over the other but this is how I see the technical side, admittedly we haven't seen anything official for Project Café or other future consoles so that's just guesswork:

2012?
Wii-----X360-PS3--Project Café

The Wii was so different both in power and controls that it sepperated itself from the 'harcore' consoles. The result was that if a title was multi-platform it would be similar on X360 and PS3 but the Wii would need a seperate development. Some totally gave up on bringing their games to the Wii. If you're low-tech and 1 versus 2 higher-tech they will not consider developing (downsizing content). If you're higher-tech and 1 versus 2 lower-tech consoles they still might develop the same game for the console, but give up on using the full potential. Then later when one or two of the older consoles is phased out the common denominator shifts.

2013?
X360-PS3--Project Café--New Xbox?

Ofcouse, now the newest console will not see it's hardware used to fullest potential since other consoles are now the most common denominator (technologically).

2014?
PS3--Project Café-New Xbox?-PS4?

As long as gaps in technology (and controls) aren't too big between Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony consoles there is potential for identical multi-platform games across the three consoles.

If the most common denominator is also the lead platform of multi-platform titles than that means project café will see it's full potential realised only by the time microsoft and sony have their new consoles out. Ofcourse, at the same time they will no longer be the most powerfull console. But what is power if you can't use it to your full potential? First party games will probably be the only area where they will try to exploit a consoles full potential from day one. For third party multi-platform developers the goal will be to distribute a product that looks the best while maintaining equal visuals on all platforms (meaning: it has too look the best within the offerings for the most common denominator console).

 

[Riku'sTwilight]

Ubisoft would be able to "leverage" a lot of the work it was doing on the PS3 and 360. "We will not have to redo completely the games that we create," he said. "We'll be able to use all the capacity the console is giving but also use all the work we do for the other platforms."

That's what the CEO of Ubisoft said, that they would be able to use ALL the capacity of the new console, but also use ALL of the work they do for other platforms.

This to me sounds like it will be more powerful. If Ubisoft can use say all their work on Assassin's Creed and port it to the new Ninty console, then they would still have lots of room for the 'full capacity' of the new console i.e. this gen's games would probably only take up half of the new console's output

 

[BloodSquirrel]

More importantly, how many people can realistically afford a new next-gen console?

Well, if it isn't too much more powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3, then it shouldn't be that expensive.

And, yeah, the economy is bad, but there are still plenty of people who aren't poor.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

I'm not sure I want another console from Nintendo. The community is rather nicely split at the moment depending on graphical preference and disposable income; I don't want any of my friends ditching the console we all play on to go buy the new Nintendo one.

Can't they either get to work on a console that can mesh harmoniously with the other ones or just go the Sega route and make games?

 

[manythings]

More importantly, how many people can realistically afford a new next-gen console?

Well, if it isn't too much more powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3, then it shouldn't be that expensive.

And, yeah, the economy is bad, but there are still plenty of people who aren't poor.

Next gen console money though? I'm willing to bet they'll start off at around $500, probably more. Hell the PS3 was like (not really) $1,000 on release.

 

[Droppa Deuce]

anc[is]So next gen Nintendo will be as good as this gen everything else? ...lol?

Basically.

I don't think Nintendo can risk messing this chance up. They've always been one step behind in regards to tech. When the PS2 and Dreamcast were kicking ass with high storage and sweet graphics (for their time) using discs, the N64 was still using cartridges (but still the games were sweet, just sweet and ugly/clunky looking).

The Gamecube and Wii just never felt like competitors, and I know Nintendo played on this and made it a selling point, i.e. "we're not trying to be like Sony and Microsoft, we're unique".

Credit to Nintendo, the Wii has forced Sony and Micro to release Move and Kinect in order to compete in the motion-market. The as a result Wii is no longer a unique product...it's almost obsolete. Why buy Wii fitness games when the Kinect uses the whole body as a controller instead of just your fists/feet.

Nintendo should just release the biggest beast they can, take the time and give us a Hi-Def next gen console. Imagine a Zelda game run with the tech power behind LA Noire, Uncharted or Demon Souls etc!

Stop being afraid Nintendo and step your game up!

 

[funguy2121]

More importantly, how many people can realistically afford a new next-gen console?

Well, if it isn't too much more powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3, then it shouldn't be that expensive.

And, yeah, the economy is bad, but there are still plenty of people who aren't poor.

Next gen console money though? I'm willing to bet they'll start off at around $500, probably more. Hell the PS3 was like (not really) $1,000 on release.

You're forgetting what company you're talking about. My friends were predicting the PS3 price point back in the PSOne days, because that's what Sony would do as soon as they thought they'd cornered the market. Nintendo has never released an overpriced system.

 

[mew4ever23]

This doesn't really surprise me, since Ubisoft was saying a while back that they wanted new console hardware.