Oy gevalt... I'll be spitting mad if that article does indeed tell the truth about no more Mario games for GC.

I'm not surprised to hear, however, that Nintendo probably won't make a GBA2 to combat against PSP. They should do what they did during the SNES days... insert special chips inside games that give the GBA extra potential while its rivals make the new hardware. Much like in games like Star Fox and Donkey Kong Country.

It's cost-saving measures like that which helped the SNES gain an edge around the mid-90s. I don't see why the strategy wouldn't work for GBA.

What is this new product going to be? If its not the next console or GB, i have no idea what theyre thinking.

I think there are two possibilities... True VR going past what Sony plans to do with the Eye Toy.... Or both systems will be bundled together next gen for one amazing low price...

no way would nintendo bundle the next gameboy with the next home console. it would kill the sale far too much for those who are only interested in one of the two.

Maybe they are developing a somewhat Virtual Boy Advance?

for some reason i feel its going to be something like SEGA TV .

Quote

---

Originally posted by: kingvudu
no way would nintendo bundle the next gameboy with the next home console. it would kill the sale far too much for those who are only interested in one of the two.

---

MEGATON!!

COS-PLAY, BANZAI!

They're not doing a new Mario, they're not doing a new GB, they're not going to be first to launch a new console.

And then the shocking revelation that they're working on something that'll be available in Spring 2004.

If I was a shareholder in Nintendo corporation I'd be majorly pissed. Mario 128 would be an enormous moneymaker. Why the hell not do it?

I'm not too impressed with the announcement of a new unconventional product. Last time they did that we got Boktai, do we really want a gimmicky game that we can only play on a nice day?

And no way have they got the balls to release another VR system. The VB debauchle should've scared them straight in that regard.

Quote

---

The price point is going to be great. Say 200 at launch for both systems.

---

This new product in 2004 is nothing new. I believe it's been discussed before.

The general rule of Nintendo is that everything they make is about 100 times lamer than how great and innovative they say it is. Don't expect anything significant or you'll be disappointed when they announce a microphone for a new Hey You! Pikachu game. I'm going to have low expectations going in so I don't get burned like the million other times I've been let down by hype.

Of course whenever I try that I never hold out and end up hyping myself up the day before. *Sigh*

One thing that I have learned as a Nintendo fan is that their comments aimed at exciting their fans are usually over hyped and they rarely ever back them up with substance. It's possible that they will reveal their new system, but most likely not. In fact, it will probably be some kind of product, like Donkey Konga, that is aimed at a very small niche market. Most likely no one will want it. I warn all of you not to get your hopes up, they will most likely be dashed in the end.

Quote

---

Originally posted by: kingvudu

Quote

---

The price point is going to be great. Say 200 at launch for both systems.

---

both the gamecube and the gameboy advance are selling for $100 apiece. (duh)

how is nintendo going to manage to release both the next home console and the next handheld console for $200? we'll be lucky if the n5 retails for $200 by itself.

---

Nintendo TV? Would be a great way to give people cheap access to new games/demos and such, but lest Nintendo suddenly change its mind about not wanting to cater to the elite few with broadband connections (cable lines are still solely operated by the cable company, unlike deregulated phonelines with DSL), that doesn't seem like a possibility at all.

Nintendo will announce their long awaited Online Strategy.

Quote

---

Originally posted by: jasonditz
If I was a shareholder in Nintendo corporation I'd be majorly pissed. Mario 128 would be an enormous moneymaker. Why the hell not do it?

I'm not too impressed with the announcement of a new unconventional product. Last time they did that we got Boktai, do we really want a gimmicky game that we can only play on a nice day?

---

It's a physical product they're working on, Round Eye. But I think they'll be doing that too, since they pulled back Pikmin II, and as it's been pointed out, they've been very quiet about announcing new games in the past few months.

I'm surprised it's specificially not a new GB, because I thought it might be the next GB integrating that new screen developed by Sharp, the type that can fake up to a meter of depth? Wouldn't that kick for a portable system? It would make the most sense to develop it into a new GBA, but knowing Nintendo, they'll build it into a seperate product no one will want. All well.

The thing that bugs me most is that they're saying it's likely Super Mario 128 (not that 100's Marios thing, it's obvious the two projects having the same name is coincidence, because of the way a working title is typically assigned), a game that was supposedly in the works simultaneously with Sunshine (that's what they _said_, anyway), that people were expecting last E3, may not even show up until 2005? Give me a bloody BREAK. OK, Miyamoto or whomever's got this revolutionary idea (didn't we hear about that last time for Sunshine? It was such a big deal, they couldn't show off the water pack's hover feature...), what was to be Mario 128 can't or won't be completed until the new system. Fine. They can make SOMETHING for the meantime. Just a filler title, something gamers might find enjoyable, that still keeps Mario in people's minds. It could be as simple as making a 2.5D platformer, quite a lot like Melee. Some old school level designs and tricks, some nice graphics, decent music, it wouldn't be _the_ hit, but it'd probably do decent business, and fans would be complaining a LOT less. They could do up a project like that with a moderately small staff (heck, chuck it on to HAL, I _love_ how they handled SMB, versus how NCL's handled them lately), eight to ten months, they'd have it in time for 2004 Christmas. And it wouldn't spoil people's appetites for the next "huge" Mario game, since that wouldn't show up until mid-2005 at the earliest.

I don't think I stand alone when I say that was a mighty disappointing comment from Nintendo. I really wanted a Mario 128 for GameCube, and instead they want to horde it away for a console that I haven't bought yet. Then they follow it up by saying they aren't trying to beat the other companies to launch. The nail in the coffin is that they acknowledge the PSP (rumor-ware as far as I see it, I'll believe it when it's on the shelf) as a threat to the Gameboy empire. Whoopty-freakin-doo... I view flesh-eating space microbes as a threat to humanity, but that says nothing about how I plan to deal with them.

Nintendo needs to release Mario 128 for GameCube. I'd release it as a cross-console generation game - it plays on the Nintendo GameCube but looks far better with richer textures on the N5. There'd be insentive to a) buy the game and b) buy the new Nintendo so it looks a lot better. That's just my idea, though. It's a little like the PS1 games played on a PS2 idea but it takes it to a much higher level.

Quote

---

Originally posted by: PIAC

Quote

---

Originally posted by: jasonditz
If I was a shareholder in Nintendo corporation I'd be majorly pissed. Mario 128 would be an enormous moneymaker. Why the hell not do it?

I'm not too impressed with the announcement of a new unconventional product. Last time they did that we got Boktai, do we really want a gimmicky game that we can only play on a nice day?

---

...launch it on N5? that would seem quite logical, just look at the n64 launch with Mario 64, it's not rocket science.

---

Quote

---

you can play boktai during the night, didn't you read any info on the game? -__- you collect solar energy and store it in energy banks for later use. as for the 2004 unconventional product, don't expect anything as Ian Sane said, it's better to just let it happen, it may be something really awsome, it may be something reletivly simple and only apealing to a small group, either way best to just wait for the announcement.

donkey konga looks awsome btw

---

"Surely you're not holding the N64 up as an example of the right way to launch a console."

The N64 was a huge success at launch. It didn't really start getting smoked by the PSX until a year later when everyone realized each game was released like 3 months apart.

However Super Mario 64 wasn't just insanely successful because it was a Mario title. The real reason it was such a system seller was because at the time no game was like it. It was easily the most amazing 3D game of all time when it was released. Nintendo can't mimic that sort of breakthrough so a Mario title alone won't ensure a successful N5 launch. But it will help. In my opinion the whole reason the Cube hasn't done very well is because Nintendo released a game that could be beaten in a weekend as their big launch title and then released nothing for six months. While a Mario launch title doesn't guarantee success it will likely prevent total failure. At the very least it would be a title with some meat to it that people could play for months if they have to.

no i don't think the n64 was a stellar launch, but mario 64 saved it from ultimate death and sold as one of the best games on the console

:\ forgot about that part, well i guess that would be pretty annoying

I hope its an online plan and its Smash Bros. online as a launch title

HAL has spent forever making the crap that was Kirby's Air Ride, so hopefully Smash Bros. online was being worked on

I know something that'd be unconventional from a Nintendo perspective. How about a real Pokemon game for the cube?

Hmmmm should Nintendo send out a new Mario game towards the end of the Cube's life cycle, or perhaps wait and have it at launch for their next system where it will sell a lot more...Think people!

Stop acting like you guys know so much about business in the gaming industry...

I'm guessing its gonna be something that would never of thought of.

To reply to Bill, no they shouldn't wait to release a Mario game at the end of the Cubes life cycle. It won't sell well, just look at how poor Conkers Bad Fur Day for the N64 sold, that was a great game that was released to late.

Great game. hah. Conker was just movie parodies and toilet humor. The control was sloppy, graphics were grainy (albeit that could be attributed to the N64 hardware), and, well, the game just wasn't fun to play. :/

anyone remember Marionette?

Ive mentioned it before. I suspect the GCN will become portable, and will replace the GCN on stores. A way to compete with the PSP, but without new hardware.

Argh....yes i agree with all of you. I'm not getting my hopes up anymore, its just too much hype and we end up getting some fake megaton announcement or connectivity crap that noone ever uses. o god why can't Nintendo just pull themselves outta this mess. Someone up there must have some screws loose cause it seems like theyre purposely sabotaging themselves. Its like theyve completely lost sense of what the gaming market is about. I understand theyre having their fun with all the "innovative" stuff and all that. I couldnt be happier with all of Nintendo's work from 1985 to present day. we all know the feeling it brings us to play a Nintendo game. But sadly, that can't be Nintendo's only stronghold of the gaming industry anymore. They MUST grow some sense of a business strategy. Yes, that means adding more mature games, pushing release dates to beat the competition, going online, and most important, ADVERTISING! They have to sell themselves. I'm sick and tired of these PS2 and Xbox commercials because every time I see one, I think why couldnt that have been a Nintendo commercial i just saw. I went to the "Who are you" tour today. First of all there were about 10 - 15 people on the floor at a time. Second, most of them were little kids. It really took me back a second, knowing that if this was a Sony event, It would be advirtised out the wazoo. Anyway, my point is that Nintendo has all the resources they need to pull themselves out of their mess, theyre just not using them at all. I have no doubt that the quality of their games will always remain #1, but its time to wise up with the industry.

Quote

---

Originally posted by: Bill
Hmmmm should Nintendo send out a new Mario game towards the end of the Cube's life cycle, or perhaps wait and have it at launch for their next system where it will sell a lot more...Think people!

Stop acting like you guys know so much about business in the gaming industry...

---

I'm with Rick on this one; the "suprise" sounds like Donkey Konga to me. It's the first thing that came to mind in reading the article. As far as I know, it hasn't gotten a formal announcement here in the states, so it only makes perfect sense. Not to mention the article says Iwata made this announcement of an unconventional product this past August, so it's kinda old news in that regard. Only a "suprise" to CNN Money I suppose.

As far as Mario is concerned, I don't really care if they don't release another one on the GC. As a long time Nintendo fan, I've long since learned not to get excited about stuff I haven't seen, and I haven't seen any visual proof of another Mario platformer to begin with, so I'm oblivious to it all. Launch game for the N5, show off the new hardware with (hopefully) a better Mario game and (hopefully) a better controller, sounds like a solid plan to me.

Well, I think they will have a hard time improving on the GCN pad...maybe if they built wireless controller technoloty into the system?

Anyway, I agree that with Nintendo, it is best not to count your chikcens before they hatch. I have a strong suspicion that a decision has been made to hold back the next Mario game till the next generation, probably to allow all the time in the world to polish it to a Mario 64-level.

My concern is if they pushed through another Mario game for the GCN, there wouldn't be sufficent time/resources to develop a quality Mario title for the N5 launch. If this fear of mine is true, then it could lead to either a lack-luster game or a delayed game. The GCN demonstrated that this isn't such a good thing!

Ahem...back to my original point, I just try to not get my hopes up about any of Nintendo's games until it is fairly certain they are really coming out.

This guy is just telling us stuff we already know (or should know). Its just a report to make stupid investers think they know something special.


As for the super new crazy ass mysterious thing they are working on, I have some stupid and crazy ideas.
Virtual Boy 2, now with brain stem jack for ultra realism.
Nintendo OS, you hear that microsoft! You invade my territory and try to put me outa buisness! Eat bankruptcy ya jackass!
Nintendo PCs, 10 ghz processor? Sure, I'd buy one.
NESSix, mini laptop sized portable gaming system. Wireless dial up for net play, 2d based graphics for FF type rpgs, 10 gig HD for downloadable extras, and some more crap I have mentioned at one time or another.
Nintendo Fried Chicken, mmm mmm, gotta love those 12 different herbs and spices.
Free hookers and cash with every purchase of a nintendo game.
A t-shirt with a picture of mario on it... MEGATON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111111!!!
GC port hub, external device that jacks into the control slot. For the new controllers that actualy use fingers other than your thumbs!! Also good for headset and umm, keyboards and mouses, and USB devices, and NFC bucket warming device. Bah haha!
All in one gba, n64, snes, and GC. Includes high res monitor for progresive scan. And uh, included network adapter and some other crap.

Well, I got more ideas but they are too good to tell you, damn thiefs!

"It won't sell well, just look at how poor Conkers Bad Fur Day for the N64 sold, that was a great game that was released to late."

Well Conker also didn't sell that well because it was an M-rated game and at that point kids and hardcore fans were the only people who bought N64 games. Perfect Dark had poor sales as well for the same reason. Plus Conker had very little advertising from Nintendo (much like another mature Nintendo game Eternal Darkness). Paper Mario on the other hand was a more mass market friendly game with the Mario license and was released only a month before Conker and I think it sold pretty well. Plus there's a difference between Nintendo releasing a Mario game in 2004 and 2006. The next Mario game doesn't have to be released at the very end of the Gamecube's lifespan.

"Well, I think they will have a hard time improving on the GCN pad...maybe if they built wireless controller technoloty into the system?"

Have you used the d-pad? That alone is worthy of a controller redesign. Plus there's that stupid Z button and the fact that button layout only works well for Nintendo's own games.

You guys complain way too much. Stop expecting Nintendo to do everything right and play your damned games. Nintendo is going to do what it wants to do.

I hate to disappoint, but this interview was in *August*, slating a spring 2004 "introduction".

That means two things:
1. That it's probably not on the market until Summer, knowing Nintendo's bad release estimates.
2. That this is old news by 3 months.

These just tend to make me agree with the others here on the forum and with Rick that it's only Donkey Konga. That sounds like an "unconventional" game product to me.

As for Super Mario 128 - it's a possibility. Nothing more. Kinda like Metriod Prime was a possibility for N64. I'm quite glad they waited. And Super Mario 128 would be a wonderful lauch title for the N5. Missing Mario Sunshine at launch of the Cube hurt, and Sunshine sold a lot of consoles, even if it was a disappointing game. Besides, Super Mario 128 is a simple launch title for a new system - only one player, no need for online capabilities, and gives the developers room to show off new hardwarde.

I'm sure it wouldn't have been on the market until after E3 anyway, which is at the tail end of spring itself.

Donkey Konga isn't unconventional. There are lots of bongo arcade games in Japan.

I stand corrected: I actually read the *entire* acticle, and they talk about Donkey Konga quite a bit.

That means that the "unconventional" product is in fact something we haven't heard about, and Rick is wrong. HA!

With Mario 128 further off (apparently), maybe this unconventional game product is something from our good man, Shigeru Miyamoto? But if the senior VP of marketing hasn't heard anything whatsoever, even after a three-month old announcement, this is a well kept secret indeed.

I'm sure more rumours will abound, but we likely won't find out till E3.

My call? A Rubix GameCube. No joke.

Quote

---

Originally posted by: NarmaK
This guy is just telling us stuff we already know (or should know). Its just a report to make stupid investers think they know something special.


As for the super new crazy ass mysterious thing they are working on, I have some stupid and crazy ideas.
Virtual Boy 2, now with brain stem jack for ultra realism.

---

Quote

---

Nintendo OS, you hear that microsoft! You invade my territory and try to put me outa buisness! Eat bankruptcy ya jackass!

---

Quote

---

Nintendo PCs, 10 ghz processor? Sure, I'd buy one.
NESSix, mini laptop sized portable gaming system. Wireless dial up for net play, 2d based graphics for FF type rpgs, 10 gig HD for downloadable extras, and some more crap I have mentioned at one time or another.

---

Nintendo can't sit on Mario 128. It's been a tentative title for more than a year now, and we're still more than two years away from any "next generation" hardware. Is it possible to sit on a game for three years? Boy, talk about vaporware. The next Mario is gonna get the Duke Nukem Forever label.

I can see it now... Super Mario Forever because it's going to be forever before we see it. In the mean time, if they're not going to work on that for the GameCube, they'd better crank out something pretty good. Something original would hit the spot.

Nintendo, like all of the major game companies, are keeping their hands hidden right now. There's no sense in advertising or promoting games that come out after Christmas, not when there's two months of holiday shopping left.

And it's not like Mario 128 will need lots of advance press anyway. I wouldn't expect anything until their pre-E3 press releases. If nothing then, then we wait for the N5.

Besides, there's plethora of Mario related games coming out soon, including Mario Kart, Mario Party 5, Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga, and the long awaited Mario Tennis. LONG awaited. Four months between Mario Golf and Mario Kart, and four more (at least) until Mario Tennis. I hate marketing saavy.

Quote

---

Originally posted by: jasonditz
And no way have they got the balls to release another VR system. The VB debauchle should've scared them straight in that regard.

---

So, Nintendo DOES NOT plan on competing with the PSP, and WILL NOT release their next console before the rest. They better have 5 aces up their sleeves. I thought that doing both of those things would assure that they do well. Apparently I was wrong.

Rule Nuber 1: Don't panic. Nintendo always manages in the end.

It just takes them a lot longer to manage than it should. :/ Honestly, I don't see how just having an add on for the GBA is going to compete with the PSP at all. Nintendo tried sticking to the NES when Sega released the Genesis, and that obviously didn't work. They say they're taking Sony seriously, but I don't see this as a very serious response.

Nintendo's not treating the Nokia N-Gage seriously either. But then, no one is treating the N-Gage seriously.

As for a new VR accessory - I can't seriously see this happening until VR games become more popular in Japanese arcades. If Nintendo spearheads this, you'll be seeing VR with their Triforce arcade board, not on console. I never liked the Virtual Boy, because it wasn't portable, and it wasn't a home system. This is a big problem that Arcades can overcome.

And as for the PSP - Nintendo is taking the threat seriously. But they won't be "spooked" into changing their market strategy by announcements from Sony. Sony has a lot more to lose, and gain, than Nintendo does in the portable market. The risk is Sony's, not Nintendo's.

That's a good point, Dryden, but it still seems like Nintendo is playing into Sony's hands. Nintendo has to react to what their competitors are doing, not just plow right ahead, ignoring everyone esle. Nintendo doesn't just need something viable to compete with the PSP, they need to steal Sony's thunder- the PSP certainly won't get as much hype as it's getting if Nintendo had their own new machine to combat it. Nintendo should act like their hold on the handheld market is in serious danger, regrdless of whether it actually is or not. Nintendo has to make sure the PSP doesn't attain any sort of success at all- they should obliterate it as soon as possible. They need a message to not only Sony, but anyone thinking of entering a handheld, that they're going to have to fight tooth and nail if they want to take over any of Nintendo's business.

Nintendo IS taking the PSP seriously...Harrison said so in that last interview...

I think nintendo will go where no gaming company has gone before:

VIRTUAL BOY 2!!! (Guarenteed to make you go blind.)

Bill:

Quote

---

Originally posted by: mouse_clicker
They say they're taking Sony seriously, but I don't see this as a very serious response.

---

Please of Please, don't release a new gameboy nintendo!!!!

Ok I will be extremely mad at Nintendo if they release a new GB in less than 2 years time. I bought a GB Color and within a year, the GBA came out. Then after stuggiling in the dark for over a 1 and a half the GB SP. Came out and I bought it. During that time I solde my GBColor and GBA, so that I could cut my losses. And trust me I spent way too mcuh money on gameboys in the past years. It would have been nice if nintendo released or made an announcment that the GBSP was coming out and then I wouldn't have bought the original!!!

I will be seriously mad at you nintendo if there is a new gameboy in the near future.(which if they make this announcement and relase SDKs, the other companies, including nintendo, with NOT MAKE MORE games for the SP and instead develop for the new system.)

What ever happened to the GB not becoming obselete. Nintendo, you better be listening, since you will make alot of people mad.

Quote

---

Originally posted by: mouse_clicker
Bill:

Quote

---

Originally posted by: mouse_clicker
They say they're taking Sony seriously, but I don't see this as a very serious response.

---

---

Completely different market my foot- there's only one market for handheld videogames and any entry INTO that market should be seen as a direct attack and handled as such. Nintendo didn't see the XBox as being in direct competition with the Gamecube, and you know what? More Americans wanted an XBox than a Gamecube, forcing Nintendo to start acting like the XBox was in direct competition, and it worked. The simple fact it took them so long says enough, though- they're slow to react, and that's a major problem that needs fixing.

I think what it comes down to is that Nintendo was blissfully and ignorantly blind this generation. Their solution to the X-Box was convincing themselves it wouldn't compete, then they didn't have to worry about it. There is no way they can convince themselves of that next generation. Nintendo will either come out more aggressive than they ever been, or be doomed. And seeing how long the company has been around for, i'm going with the first option.

The PSP sounds a whole lot like the Sega Gamegear. Nintendo has been down this road before where a more powerful handheld has hit the market and offered all of the qualities of a homeconsole. I don't know if there is any other strategy to use to combat this PSP from Sony other than to stick to the games that the Gameboy has wait the storm out until it's time for new hardware.

I think it's too soon for Nintendo to start countering Sony's hardware moves in the handheld area. The GBA has over a thousand games at its disposal for a library. The only thing they could really do aside from adding more technology to a handheld is go wireless for multiplayer. I don't think those are leaps and bounds improvements over the GBA. Graphics aside, I think we've seen Nintendo win this battle once before with inferior technology.

I think we should talk about what the PSP won't have rather than what Nintendo has to do to battle it.

Quote

---

Originally posted by: mouse_clicker
Completely different market my foot- there's only one market for handheld videogames and any entry INTO that market should be seen as a direct attack and handled as such.

---

No handheld has been made by somebody more popular than Nintendo, though- the Game Gear pushed it, but Nintendo eventually defeated it. But now Sony, who has fans who will buy a PSP simply because of its manufacturer, is releasing a handheld, and if Nintendo just brushes it off simply because they've defeated competitors before, the PSP WILL take over a good portion of their market. It's not about superior technology, it's about marketing and hype, which Sony is very good at and Nintendo is not. Nintendo has very little real work to do to insure the PSP doesn't gain any ground at all, they just have to DO it.

Uh, "pushed" it? The Genesis was ahead of the SNES for it's entire lifespan: the SNES ended up being the winner simply because it lasted LONGER. Sega was a company beating Nintendo in the console business, at the time, then got their asses handed to them when they tried to take out the GameBoy. If the Game Gear isn't a good comparison to the upcoming situation with the PSP, then I'm not Jewish.

Sony is in a great position to release a portable system. They have game developers on their side. The Game Gear, Lynx, and the doomed N-Gage are great examples of how important this is. (N-Gage selling only 5000 units in its first week - the worst launch since...umm...The Angry Ballet)

Nintendo will simply have to keep competing for developers. This still boils down to keeping market share though, as simple as that.

And as much as I'd love the next Gameboy to be reverse compatible, it better have a similar disc format to Sony's solution as well. We all know how well Nintendo does with cartridge systems against disc systems.

I think VideoGamerX has it right though - wireless is going to be important - very important. I doubt that Nintendo will come up with a cost effective solution and keep 4-player compatibilty at the same time. Two player wireless is much more manageable, unfortunately for Bomberman fans and such.

And I still say the "unconventional" game product is Rubix GameCube. No joke.

And Game Gear is a terrible comparison. Sega stopped making consoles for a reason. Sony, on the other hand, can make consoles and can run them too.

And the SNES beat Genesis, again, on game developers. Genesis never had Square, and it took a long time for Capcom to sign on. And of course, Nintendo' game developers are the best in the world, which never helps the competition.

The thing about the PSP, is that so far Sony has released one obviously not going be used concept of it (well, better for Nintendo if they do use it), and some extremely high specs. Nintendo can't just assume that Sony is going to make a system as powerful as they claim the PSP will be at an affordable price. It would be like listening to those guys trying to tell everyone the Phantom will revolutionize the industry then trying to combat that: It's possible it will live up to everything it will be, and it pays to be cautious, but taking probability into account it would be unwise in a business sense to attempt to combat it immediately.

On another note, with Sony claiming that the PSP will be a ‘multimedia machine’, and rumours of Nintendo teaming up with Apple, do you think it’s possible the iPod and the next GB could be somehow compatable?

The GBA will have an even bigger market lead over the PSP than the PS2 did over the GameCube. By the time the PSP makes any serious dent in the huge GBA penetration, Nintendo may very well be ready to release a new portable... and not necessarily a new platform, but a tricked out GBA.

The one big difference is that Nintendo well knows of their monopoly. They WILL defend it. All monopolies do. They don't necessarily need a whole new platform like some folks are saying. They could likely fend off the onslaught by improving their existing wares. They were sitting on the GBA SP for a long time and it will more than fend off the Nokia. There's no telling what else they have up their sleeve for a year from now.

i remember back when nintendo had a monopoly in the home console business. that has ceased to be.

i also remember when nintendo decided they didn't need a whole new platform and instead decided to dabble in expanding its current console; first with the add-on for the snes which eventually developed into the playstation and then with the 64dd for the n64. as you already are well aware, neither did much for nintendo's benefit.

Methinks the new thing is the iQue thing from China. Surprised no one mentioned it. It's on my December NP issue, which came yesterday to my hands. It's a controller/console which uses memory cards to store SNES and N64 games. Not quite sure how it works though. Why is this not on the front page?


--maybe they'll bring it here?--

That's not it...The i-Que has already been announced publically...

I have some ideas about the "new game product".

1.) animal crossing 2: been in development for a long time, maybe since before AC was released, as that game was an N64 crossover. I mean you could certainly call AC unconventional, and now Nin knows it is popular and a "game" very easily enjoyed and
played by anyone that can read. Casual gamers loved it, people that hadn't played games for years bought this to play with their families. It could be a huge new nintendo franchise and/or liscenced product that makes AC2 totally unique. Some people speculated that the new game product could be Mario 128, but if you going to consider including a game in this "new game product" catagory, you would have to inclusde AC2.

1a.) some sort of hard drive (or one of those unreleased super memory cards -do not remember the name) with animal crossing 2 installed and ready to go, possibly with online of some kind (more elaborate than password trading, but probably not total online -maybe trading clothing designs, and patterns, or downloading more games).

2.) iQue Worldwide version, probably under a different name and a huge back catalog of games. Yes, the china version has been anouced and released, but man I really think this is what is coming, or a more modern version, maybe even some different controller design(s). "not a console - not a handheld"...hmm. Sounds like an iQue like product.

I'm basically posting to keep this thread alive. I'm eager to see what the "surprise" is, I thought it would have been known by now(by Xmas). The "super memory card" sounds like a good canidate to me, I'm sure it would be released in a bundle w/a good(& appropriate) game.
I know it wont be but I hope the surprise is a light-gun, it would be a surprise wouldn't it.


UPDATE: NewThread
^ this sounds like an even better candidate (Gyro Controller)