GameDaily finished transcribing their interview with Nintendo's VP of marketing and corporate communications George Harrison. A quick tidbit from the interview released last week gave us the info that the Game Boy name is probably dead. The full interview sheds little new light on stuff like Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan saying Wii revisions aren't out of the question and whether or not Harrison, Kaplan and other executives are staying with the company following the move -- the answer to that is a big ol' no comment. Harrison did talk Sony and Microsoft though. Harrison says in terms of the Sony price drop, "I don't think they had any choice." He then makes the error of saying that "it's pretty soon after launch to be dropping your price." That was a nice try by Harrison to pull a fast one and make us forget that Nintendo knows quite well how to drop console prices to save themselves. Case in point, the Gamecube dropped its price almost 60 days earlier into its life cycle than the PS3 did. Although he gets back on point saying Sony is continuing to confuse consumers with two versions of the PS3. We wonder why Sony can't just learn from their PSP Lite and simply replace the old with the new.
As for Microsoft, Harrison says they were so busy trying to rush the Xbox 360 to market and beat PlayStation, while "discounting" Nintendo, that it "set them up for the hardware problems that they're having now." He says Microsoft confessed because they couldn't hide the issue any longer, "It's a stunning admission; it's more than a billion dollars." Harrison says Microsoft didn't have a choice on their admission, it just became too much. So, Sony admitted they needed to drop the price, Microsoft admitted their RROD problems ... now, what does Nintendo have to confess?
(Page 1) Reader Comments
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"Wii is 2 Gamecubes ducktaped together."
That's what!
Call it the right thing! You think the tape was invented for taping DUCKS together? It's DUCTS! AARRGH! *head explodes*
</end rant-spasm>
"You think the tape was invented for taping DUCKS together?"
Then, I've been doing a very wrong thing for several years...
They should be confessing that there are heat issues with the video card. Artifacting issues show up on screen when the card over heats. Maybe this is not enough of a problem with the vast majority, but it is enough that people have had discussions about it.
Check the comments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRmpjxFiiY4
I will have to send mine in too. Which is a bummer cause I was really wanting to finish up RE4 and Mario =(
I almost wish I had Nintendo fanboys for customers. They're easy to please.
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Hope my system isn't defective...
PS3 may be really expensive for a game console, but it looks like Sony finally built a reliable system (so far, at least). I haven't heard much about PS3s dying or anything. Only problem I can remember was one or two people having the disc drive refuse to take in discs (but, I've seen this with some Wiis, too, so it may just be a manufacturing issue with slot-loading drives).
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Too earlier to tell about the Wii, but something is bound to come up --whether it be online capabilities or 3rd party sales. Something will come up...
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I want hardcore games, HD graphics, online multiplayer, blood, sex, t&a, etc.. Wii offers none of that. So, go ahead and enjoy your WiiSports, WiiFit, mini-game compilations, brain training, and Nintendo franchises.
I want to play games.
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The 60GBs are more expensive to buy than the 80GBs at last financial release from Sony. I expect them to do just that, as soon as the fire sale is over with.
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They need to confess that they simply don't know how to handle online multiplayer.
They need to announce the next-gen Wii with HD resolution and storage. And DVD playback.
Other than that, the Wii is doing fine.
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As far as HD graphics, Sony can't do them without charging $600, and Microsoft can't do them without making terrible hardware.
To me, it seems like consoles just aren't ready to be HD yet. The competition is so stiff between MS and Sony that they are both eating billions of dollars just to stay a few months ahead of the game.
Nintendo's got the sound strategy here. By not competing in a price war, or a graphics war, they are winning over the largest chunk of marketshare and the most profits.
Here's the thing about HD resolutions. They cost more to develop for, plain and simple. If people are going to be playing at 1080i, then your game will have to look decent at 1080i, and this means more money for developing the better models and textures for the game. The Wii has a strong developer backing, partly due to the fact that they can produce games on the cheap, with great return potential, even when sold for $39.99. Sure, this will mean a LOT of rehashes and quick n' dirty ports, but in that pile of steaming crap, there will be a lot more GOOD games too.
Add to this the fact that less than 30% of households in North America have HD-capable TVs, and the incentive for HD games becomes less appealing.
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The simple minded can be entertained by simple things. They also have a hard time thinking for themselves so they just copy what the majority does...hence we have Lemmings.
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Agreed. PS3 is the most reliable Sony console I've ever owned. I've had nearly no problems since I've hooked it up for the first time in February and that includes marathon sessions of VF5, Resistance, AC4, Oblivion and Folding@Home.
Wii on the other hand...that thing gets hot as hell with WiiConnect24 left on. I know some people have had bricked or damaged Wii consoles as a result. I leave WiiConnect24 off now. What's the point anyway? Nintendo's online strategy so far is so ridiculous it's insulting. I understand Nintendo is riding the gravy train now, but it wasn't that long ago Nintendo was (and in many circles still is) the joke of the industry. Maybe someone at Nintendo corporate should tell the execs to learn how to be humble since failure could be one bad decision away for any of these companies...as nintendo knows all too well.
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http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/duckvsduct.html
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"The first name for Duct Tape was DUCK. During World War II the U.S. Military needed a waterproof tape to keep the moisture out of ammunition cases. So, they enlisted the Johnson and Johnson Permacel Division to manufacture the tape. Because it was waterproof, everyone referred to it as “duck” tape (like water off a duck’s back). Military personnel discovered that the tape was good for lots more than keeping out water. They used it for Jeep repair, fixing stuff on their guns, strapping equipment to their clothing... the list is endless.
After the War, the housing industry was booming and someone discovered that the tape was great for joining the heating and air conditioning duct work. So, the color was changed from army green to the silvery color we are familiar with today and people started to refer to it as “duct tape*.” Therefore, either name is appropriate."
Also its true, if microsoft planned out the 360 better they would have less hardware errors. Both the ps3 and the wii dont have the nasty hardware errors that the 360 has.
Also to all the people stating they hate the wii ,then we dont want to see you playing Super Smash Brothers brawl :P
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Value, one less component near your TV.
that Wii's online service is so far inferior to last-gen online services(PS2, Dreamcast) and the reason being Nintendo is milking its customers out by not providing them proper services.
that Nintendo is further milking out its customers by selling last-gen hardware at a healthy profit since launch, as opposed to Sony and MS who are giving its customers great value by absorbing next-gen hardware losses.
that Nintendo has given the casual market top priority over the hardcore market, effectively semi-abandoning the very same gamers who supported Nintendo and made them the successful company they are today.
as far as im concerned, N64 was Nintendo's last great home system. after that, Iwata fucked Nintendo up.
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the hardcore crowd left the N64 even though it had better graphics, instant loading, and high hardware quality. And then the PS1 copied Nintendo's idea of the analog stick. and the rumble pak. they left gamecube because it was purple, no other reason than that. even though it was powerful, less expensive, and the most reliable.
I applaud Nintendo for ignoring the hardcore market. The hardcore market is too picky, demanding, and they expect console makers to lose hundreds of dollars on each console just so they can get good graphics without shelling out money for a PC like they should.
Shitty third party support...