The Gamer's Quarter

purplechair · . Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 378 Location: in my pants

It's not too late.

I'm still holding onto the hope that Nintendo officially announcing the Revolution as the "Nintendo Wii" is all just a big joke.

They can're seriously call it that?

It's commercial suicide?

Can anyone imagine buying a Sony Pisz?

Jesus.

Just... Jesus.

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

You know, until someone pointed it out to me I never associated Wii with wee (like weewee and urine). Because it looks like WiFi my brain says Nintendo Why, and even after I read that it was supposed to be pronounced We, I still did not make that distinction.
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"There is no place in this enterprise for a rogue physicist!"

dessgeega · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 1:23 pm Post subject:

i'm still not convinced it's that stupid a move.
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Mr. Apol · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 1:23 pm Post subject:

I was about to post this as well.

I'm... speechless. I liked Revolution better.
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LJ -- Profile

dhex · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 1:38 pm Post subject:

it's very conceptual.
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Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

Wow.

Really?

"Mommy, I want a Wii for Christmas."

"What!?"
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"Ayn Rand fans are the old school version of Xenogears fanboys."
-seryogin

purplechair · . Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 378 Location: in my pants

I can't speak for the US, but nobody in the UK will be able to say it without thinking of piss.

It's like Microsoft Schytbox or something.

I fail to see how they could have picked a worse name. The Nintendo Rayp, perhaps?

Just... Jesus!

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

Really, the first thing I thought of was what aderack just linked: Nobody says whee anymore.

I think Nintendo's wrong to shun abbreviation. People like abbreviating. Come on, say "TG-16" with me. Tee Gee Six Teen.
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"Ayn Rand fans are the old school version of Xenogears fanboys."
-seryogin

dhex · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:22 pm Post subject:

nintendo's brass totally read this book, btw or had it read to them, or perhaps summed up in an executive report.

especially the copy on that link, it's very...lovemarky. apple is a good model for that kind of market interpretation (boils down to "loyalty beyond reason") and i can see where they're going with this. a lot of the romanticism in the copy makes me wonder who, exactly, they're trying to speak to.

i would love to see some of their demographic data.

(p.s. i keep tossing out that creepy fucking lovemarks book because as disturbing as it is, it's also quite true.)
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Mr. Mechanical · Friendly Stranger Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 1276

So are we just supposed to go back to calling it the Nintendo now, then? Like, "hey, let's go play that new Nintendo." and "yeah, cool, I love what they did with the new controller for the new Nintendo."

Yeah.

Tablesaw · . Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 303 Location: LACAUSA

purplechair · . Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 378 Location: in my pants

That's the worst thing about the DS. When people come round to our house and see me playing on it, the following conversation takes place:

What's that?
It's a DS.
...What's that?
...It's the "third pillar" of Nintendo's current-gen hardware, and the flagship system for their much-publicised philosophy of redefining gameplay and reaching out to non-gamers, mostly because its touch screen allows for intuitive control systems that previous consoles haven't been able to offer.
...What's that?

(etc)

I'm lying, obviously. I usually just end up saying "It's the new Gameboy". I can almost feel Reggie Fils-Aimes punching me in his dreams.

dessgeega · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 3:31 pm Post subject:

my parents call it the gameboy.

i don't think nintendo actually minds! seeing as they want parents to be playing it.
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Ketch · . Joined: 17 Sep 2005 Posts: 420

or Ico.

TheRumblefish · . Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 258 Location: Florida

Nitend(thulu).
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GSL · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:04 pm Post subject:

sawtooth · . Joined: 02 Nov 2005 Posts: 419

SuperWes · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:45 pm Post subject:

Did anyone hear the rumored specs for the Wii? Check this out. According to 1up, accoring to IGN, the Wii will be slightly more powerful than the X-box. I read this a while ago, but I assumed it was an April fools joke and this is the first place I've seen it repeated. Do you guys think having a vastly underpowered system is a good or bad idea for Nintendo? Shouldn't their new system be vastly more powerful than the Gamecube regardless of new controller functions? If it's true it could be interesting. It might mean the Wii will be priced at well under even the assumed $200 mark. Crazy.

Another thing I'm curious about. If the Wii is focused on bringing people together to play shouldn't it come packaged with two controllers?

-Wes
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dessgeega · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:50 pm Post subject:

SuperWes · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:06 pm Post subject:

wourme · . Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 362 Location: Maridia

dessgeega · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:23 pm Post subject:

wes, the most powerful system of all is your imagination.
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kirkjerk · . Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Posts: 1227

Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

xvs07 · . Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 160

Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

I agree completely, and have made the same point elsewhere. I was just saying that I, as one of those pretentious, sophisticated gamer-types who thinks he's better than everyone else, should not be obliged to put anything more than a 2nd-grade-worthy thought into a company's marketing. I'll leave the complex analysis for the actual games, brand-loyalists and Apple-likeners be damned.
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"Ayn Rand fans are the old school version of Xenogears fanboys."
-seryogin

xvs07 · . Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 160

::nod:: As it should be, but I just happen to be one of those guys with a Virtual Boy in the closet. (I still occasionally play it, even. Yeah. I'm sick.)

Anyhow, if the marketscum *do* succeed, I can't imagine this line-up failing. Tantalizingly, I'm most excited about the titles from companies I've never heard of. Especially "Darkness". I keep having daydreams about the creators sitting around reading "I Am Legend" (by Richard Matheson, if you ain't read it yet).

DonMarco · . Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 349 Location: 33903

The next system Sony releases will be called the PlayStation 3. How's that for lazy?

Hey, how about actually talking about the real issue: crappy games built on a gimmick controller?? You know, it's really cool that swinging the controller will make Link swing his sword. I bet that would be really fun the first two hundred times or so... Or "kicking" the ball or throwing or dodging or even PLAYING A GAME to be more physical an excercise. Great how Nintendo is going to demand all Wii games to be intensive and use the controller in new and innovative ways. See how great that worked out for the DS?

I'm fairly positive that last sentance wasn't sarcastic. Even if the DS is kicking PSP ass. A system that is tehnically superior and more features and more sleek with sexy sexyness, etc.
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Tablesaw · . Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 303 Location: LACAUSA

Tablesaw · . Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 303 Location: LACAUSA

Also.

It occurs to me just now that Nintendo must have known that "Wii" wasn't going to resonate with the "hardcore" of those on the Internet enthusiast press. Why else would they release the name so suddenly before E3, instead of at E3.

Kyle Orland points out that, in all the fuss about the marketing equivalent of replacing Snake with Raiden, it has gone almost entirely reported that apparently we have a confirmation for a fourth-quarter launch. Can you imagine how much information would have been lost if all the live-bloggers at Nintendo's E3 event were texting penis jokes instead of making notes about important specs?

Definitely better to get it out of the way now.
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It's the saw of the table!

purplechair · . Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 378 Location: in my pants

But... wee?!

Sorry, I just...

...wee?!?!

(I'll stop now. Stop saying it, anyway.)

SuperWes · Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 12:31 pm Post subject:

player 2 · . Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 585 Location: Madison, WI USA

The Wii will be more powerful than the Gamecube, for sure, but I think you're missing something.

Imagine living in a dorm or an apartment and finding out that someone across the hall or above a floor has a Wii. Not only do the systems talk to each other, it gets you to talk to the other person. Instead of one person having one console, everyone has their own. Power multiplies exponentially. Imagine having 5 other roommates and everyone with their own Wii? Imagine living in an apartment in Tokyo, and having people all around you with their own Wii?

Are you really going to care that your game only looks like Halo 2? WIth a price the cost of half an XBox 360, you can get two consoles and put them on two televisions. Hell, I wouldn't be too surprised if Nintendo released an (expensive) hub to get 4 running splitscreen on an HDTV.
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Wii #: 8749 9109 9732 3653

"It is a peaceful way of understanding life, to play"
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kirkjerk · . Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Posts: 1227

Given that the XBox 360 et al seem to be only quanitative, not qualitative improvements in graphics, I'm not too concerned. It seems like the current generation can display pretty much anything that needs displaying at a good framerate.

Actually, given how it seems like the art costs increase w/ every increase in resolution, maybe it's not such a terrible thing.

GSL · Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 12:46 pm Post subject:

Well, think about it: As it stands, the Gamecube is a pretty darn impressive machine. Games like Resident Evil 4 and Rogue Leader are testaments to its power.
It can easily be argued that there are a good deal of games out there that follow the style-over-substance creed, looking good because developers want to take advantage of as much of the flashy graphic options as possible, yet really being lousy games when scrutiny is turned onto the gameplay. Having a system without as many of the new bells and whistles should certainly help curb that attitude a little bit.

While that opinion is more along the lines of pure speculation, the Wii has one advantage right out of the gates that the 360 and PS3 will not: people can program for it. With every console release, there's always the warming-up period as designers first get the hang of writing code for the new hardware and then finally begin learning how to push the hardware to its limits. Title releases in the first several months to a year are often lukewarm at best--have a look at the DS and 360 launch titles, for example. Resident Evil 4, assuming Capcom had been working on the game with as much effort at the time, would probably not have looked or even played as good if it had been released within the first few years of the Gamecube's life. Nintendo is giving developers a huge advantage with a system so similar to its current offering in that they won't have to hurdle the huge learning curve of a new system. Of course, there's interacting with the controller and several other differences, but it will be nowhere near the leap from X-Box to 360, or PS2 to PS3 (or even PSX to PS2). Presumably--and hopefully--this will result in a fair amount of quality launch titles and help Nintendo past the typical post-launch game slump where every develope tries to figure out how to used the damn hardware.

SuperWes · Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 12:56 pm Post subject:

player 2 · . Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 585 Location: Madison, WI USA

Weren't you guys curious when you saw the Wii specs include a wireless network adapter in the box? All signs indicate that this system will launch at $200 or less. Did you know that the wireless adapter for the 360 is half that price at $100?

In light of recent events, I'm certain that interaction between consoles is a key part of Nintendo's strategy. Maybe "power" was the wrong word. Its usually associated with console specs, and yeah, the Wii is definitely underpowered. But, Nintendo's an innovative company, and I think that they're not just drawing the creative power from designers, but the ability for players to interact.

Hell, I can even give a couple examples as to where Nintendo came up with this idea. Does anyone remember that pretty-much-worthless wireless Pokemon game?
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Wii #: 8749 9109 9732 3653

"It is a peaceful way of understanding life, to play"
_Marcel Duchamp

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

To me, the wifi says "DS link-up"

Tablesaw · . Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 303 Location: LACAUSA

dhex · Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 3:24 pm Post subject:

i should hope they tie it into their handheld market. it certainly hasn't been completely flogged yet.
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player 2 · . Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 585 Location: Madison, WI USA

SuperWes · Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 4:42 pm Post subject:

The Wi-Fi to me says "how the hell are you going to download NES/SNES/Turbo/Genesis/N64 games without a way to connect to the internet?"

Why Wi-fi instead of ethernet then?

Because it's really, really convenient - even for a console that's not portable. Nintendo actually wants people to use their online games if they're going to invest a lot in making them. For a wi-fi enabled system you won't have to run a wire from your computer to your game console, you just have to have some sort of internet connection in your home, or hell even a neighbor's home. And the whole wi-fi dongle thing isn't called the "DS Wi-Fi dongle" it's called the "Nintendo wi-fi dongle," because they want you to use it to get your both your Wii and your DS online without having to compromise your system or computer's location.

The single biggest reason people don't get online with their consoles isn't because they don't have internet access, it's because it's inconvenient. Entertainment shouldn't be inconvenient, and that's the single reason that Wii is including a Wi-fi adapter instead of (or maybe amongst?) an ethernet port.

-Wes
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dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

GSL · Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 3:51 am Post subject:

Lockeownzj00 · . Joined: 16 Aug 2005 Posts: 214

I think I'm all tuckered out from arguing over nyah.

seryogin · Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 1:54 am Post subject:

Fuck the internets for making me notice this.
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OtakupunkX · . Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 730

I can only imagine the looks I'm going to get when I tell people that I bought a "Wii".

The advertising slogan should be "I need to Wii".

player 2 · . Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 585 Location: Madison, WI USA

kirkjerk · . Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Posts: 1227