Nintendo Defeats Sony, Apple is "Enemy of the Future"

[AceDiamond]

I love how shovelware is mysteriously Nintendo's fault. Look it's either they make more draconian software quality standards and alienate more developers, or they just have to accept that some studios are going to release crap regardless because the console is popular (see: Atari 2600, NES, PS1, PS2, among others)

 

[steamweedlegoblin]

With all due respect to Nintendo here, Sony isn't their "enemy" anymore because Nintendo, with the exception of a few titles sprinkled here and there, doesn't do hardcore games anymore. The Wii is marketed for casual gamers and children. So in other words, Nintendo beat their competitor by removing itself from the competition. Or something like that...

What's a hardcore game?

It means different things to different people, as there hasn't been a proper definition set for it. Let me make a comparison: imagining someone's grandmother playing Wii Bowling wouldn't really be a stretch of the imagination anymore. But someone's grandmother frustratingly navigating the unforgiving levels of Demon's Souls, cursing and throwing the controller when she dies and loses all of her carefully acquired experience points? Yeah, there's something wrong with that picture.

Not that a game has to be difficult to be considered hardcore. Maybe hardcore isn't even the right word I'm looking for. Fallout 3, for example, isn't a casual game, but the word "hardcore" doesn't seem to fit when describing it.

 

[RowdyRodimus]

Sales are down because they are running out of people to sell too. But I don't think Nintendo is competing with Sony and MS anyway and I don't they ever were starting with current gen consoles. Nintendo has moved into the casual market while Sony and MS engaged in a pissing match over hardcore gamers. Nintendo and Apple are in one league, Sony and MS in the other.

This is almost verbatim what I was going to say. It's like all companies fail to realize there is a finite number of customers for your product. Sort of like the Auto industry, they produce X amount of car lines every year with Y amount of cars from those lines for Z amount of customers then the next year wonder why those same Z customers aren't there.

 

[Aura Guardian]

With all due respect to Nintendo here, Sony isn't their "enemy" anymore because Nintendo, with the exception of a few titles sprinkled here and there, doesn't do hardcore games anymore. The Wii is marketed for casual gamers and children. So in other words, Nintendo beat their competitor by removing itself from the competition. Or something like that...

What's a hardcore game?

It means different things to different people, as there hasn't been a proper definition set for it. Let me make a comparison: imagining someone's grandmother playing Wii Bowling wouldn't really be a stretch of the imagination anymore. But someone's grandmother frustratingly navigating the unforgiving levels of Demon's Souls, cursing and throwing the controller when she dies and loses all of her carefully acquired experience points? Yeah, there's something wrong with that picture.

Not that a game has to be difficult to be considered hardcore. Maybe hardcore isn't even the right word I'm looking for. Fallout 3, for example, isn't a casual game, but the word "hardcore" doesn't seem to fit when describing it.

The first paragraph made no sense. However your second one did.

 

[steamweedlegoblin]

With all due respect to Nintendo here, Sony isn't their "enemy" anymore because Nintendo, with the exception of a few titles sprinkled here and there, doesn't do hardcore games anymore. The Wii is marketed for casual gamers and children. So in other words, Nintendo beat their competitor by removing itself from the competition. Or something like that...

What's a hardcore game?

It means different things to different people, as there hasn't been a proper definition set for it. Let me make a comparison: imagining someone's grandmother playing Wii Bowling wouldn't really be a stretch of the imagination anymore. But someone's grandmother frustratingly navigating the unforgiving levels of Demon's Souls, cursing and throwing the controller when she dies and loses all of her carefully acquired experience points? Yeah, there's something wrong with that picture.

Not that a game has to be difficult to be considered hardcore. Maybe hardcore isn't even the right word I'm looking for. Fallout 3, for example, isn't a casual game, but the word "hardcore" doesn't seem to fit when describing it.

The first paragraph made no sense. However your second one did.

I guess you haven't played Demon's Souls, otherwise you might have understood the point I was making in the first paragraph. I'll leave it at that then. If you'd like a definition of a "hardcore" game, look up Demon's Souls.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

The first paragraph made no sense. However your second one did.

The term is subjective, but often thrown around by people who feel they need to create some sense of elitism among the growing gaming community. E-peen business or somesuch from what I can make of it. Comes off as the type of game for the "classic" demographic. These being males ages 13 to 33 believed to sport an erection at the mention of gunfire or explosives, and need a horribly top-heavy figure resembling a women to reassure them of their manliness.

For me, I find the term most suited to play style rather than design philosophy.

Whenever I hear Apple, I can't help but think of this article on Cracked.

 

[Aura Guardian]

The first paragraph made no sense. However your second one did.

The term is subjective, but often thrown around by people who feel they need to create some sense of elitism among the growing gaming community. E-peen business or somesuch from what I can make of it. Comes off as the type of game for the "classic" demographic. These being males ages 13 to 33 believed to sport an erection at the mention of gunfire or explosives, and need a horribly top-heavy figure resembling a women to reassure them of their manliness.

For me, I find the term most suited to play style rather than design philosophy.

Whenever I hear Apple, I can't help but think of this article on Cracked.

Thank you for the definition.

 

[Mr. Mike]

The iPhone very well could take over the handheld gaming market, even though that isn't its primary function. When people aren't informed (ie the other 98% of "gamers" that don't read up on gaming websites), any kind of gimmick will get them. I'm not denying that there are good games on the iPhone, but because touch-screens are still so "cool" people will rush to get their hands on one.

Accessibility also works wonders, again why the touch screen is succeeding. Most of these people probably don't want in-depth games so they get a couple of games on their iPhone, which they bought in the first place as a phone.

Note: I generally hate Apple, namely out of their over-priced nature especially with Macs. I understand that some people might prefer them over PCs, and that's understandable, UI is more streamlined etc, but I don't see an extra $500 going towards a product solely due to the OS as being reasonable when a PC product with the same specs are cheaper (this is a hyperbole, don't rage).

 

[hansari]

With all due respect to Nintendo here, Sony isn't their "enemy" anymore because Nintendo, with the exception of a few titles sprinkled here and there, doesn't do hardcore games anymore. The Wii is marketed for casual gamers and children. So in other words, Nintendo beat their competitor by removing itself from the competition. Or something like that...

What's a hardcore game?

I think a 'hardcore game' or 'hardcore gamer' needs to have an agreed upon definition so that people can stop tip-toeing around the subject. If we're going to segregate gamers with special titles, then the least we can do is exposite on WHY they're different and WHY we're separating them.

Hardcore = frequency of use

If a guy visits the gym once a month, you would say he is somewhat health concious.

If a guy plays many sports, visits the gym three times a week, and has an amazing physique, you would say he is a "hardcore" athelete.

~

With regard to consoles, its no secret the Wii doesn't get much use [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/93807-Wii-Owners-Play-Console-Least-Says-Nielsen]. From personal experience, how many of you, like me, only see the console in use when a group of people are playing Smash Brawl?

Cause I swear thats pretty much all I ever see.

 

[Shintsu2]

Hmm, what's that? Nintendo is talking about games again and says Sony isn't a competitor? They sure aren't - they're busy at least making games I want to play while Nintendo and Apple are slaving away making generic casual games on gimmicky platforms that I'm not interested in the slightest to play.

Yeah Nintendo - eliminating someone as a competitor doesn't mean you beat them, it means you're not as good as them anymore. Up next, Nintendo announces their plans to defeat Zynga their second largest threat...

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Note: I generally hate Apple, namely out of their over-priced nature especially with Macs. I understand that some people might prefer them over PCs, and that's understandable, UI is more streamlined etc, but I don't see an extra $500 going towards a product solely due to the OS as being reasonable when a PC product with the same specs are cheaper (this is a hyperbole, don't rage).

Well... don't buy one then? I'm not sure how 'hatred' is justified here, given that Apple's pricing hasn't exactly driven up the rest of the market. Scorn them, maybe, but 'hating' them for developing a product no one is forcing you to buy seems entirely irrational. Besides, there are plenty of better reasons to despise them, like the godawful itunes licensing.

I'm only saying this because I love my Macbook, and preferred Apple when they were all about the computers.

 

[samsonguy920]

Would be interesting to see if Nintendo is serious about this, or if they are just standing on the mountaintop screaming, trying to get more attention. While it is yet to be seen if Droid might be a real contender against the iPhone market, it would be good if Nintendo did set up their market to take on Apple. Apple could use some real competition in its portable market. I just have to really wonder if the big N really wants to take this step sideways. I would laugh if Nintendo's true entry in its answer to the iPhone was another Fisher Price modeled item.

One can bet Microsoft and Sony won't mind. And are probably shrugging their shoulders, going 'So what?'

 

[mrhappyface]

This is weird. Are there 2 console wars now? The Casual and the Hardcore with Nintendo vs Apple and Sony vs Microsoft?

 

[samsonguy920]

If Apple ever released a console you know it will cost 5 times as much as an xbox and do half as much.

I highly doubt Apple has ideas to entering the console market. Apple has never really been a big endorser of gaming for its pc systems. Evidence being that the Macintosh is always the second in line for game releases.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Ignoring the horde of mindless Apple-haters who bash a company whose products they never use because they think it makes them cool for a second:

What
the
Hell?

Nintendo is a gaming company.Apple is an electronics company,why would they be any threat to them?

Also if Apple made a console,and said console was like their computers and OS then it would do everything a xbox 360 can except.But the iBox 360 (as it shall now be known) would:

a)It would actually work (instead of crashing because you didn't dunk it in liquid nitrogen in the last 10 seconds)

b)Would run PS3 games on reduced graphics.

c)Add an extra button that can be bound to whatever you want

d)Would load up things faster.

e)Cost about 50% more

f)Is nearly as tough as a Nintendo console.

g)Would come with some free tools.

Of course all the anti-Apple zealots will still hate it anyway,despite never actually trying it

What on earth are you talking about...

 

[conflictofinterests]

With all due respect to Nintendo here, Sony isn't their "enemy" anymore because Nintendo, with the exception of a few titles sprinkled here and there, doesn't do hardcore games anymore. The Wii is marketed for casual gamers and children. So in other words, Nintendo beat their competitor by removing itself from the competition. Or something like that...

What's a hardcore game?

I think a 'hardcore game' or 'hardcore gamer' needs to have an agreed upon definition so that people can stop tip-toeing around the subject. If we're going to segregate gamers with special titles, then the least we can do is exposite on WHY they're different and WHY we're separating them.

I might define a casual gamer as someone who enjoys games that aren't necessarily enhanced by current generation graphics and that are fairly simple to play. Tetris is just as fun in 8bit as in SHINYTEXTURE3D mode. Tetris also has but one objective, and one way to achieve it: Keep your blocks from reaching the top for as long as possible, blow up blocks by completing a row. Hardcore gamers enjoy games that are made more immersive and easier to play as a result of current generation graphics, and require more complicated tactics. The simplest first person shooter nowadays would be incredibly less enjoyable to its audience if everything was redone in polygons and cell shading, and first person view without 3 dimensions is less than satisfying. In those first person shooters as well, one has to keep track of whatever dictates how close they are to dead during their bullet-spewing rages, where their target is, how best to kill the target, and how to avoid that bullet of Mjolnir it intends to shoot at you.

I could be wrong, though.