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DS

Reggie On Nintendo's Handheld Approach

by Michael Cole - August 13, 2004, 1:23 am EDT
Total comments: 24

Reggie gives an interesting talk about Nintendo and the DS, but doesn't reveal any juicy details.

On August 10th, NOA Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Reggie Fils-Aime reconfirmed Nintendo’s commitment to the Nintendo DS and elaborated on the philosophy behind the product in a private presentation.

After citing a few examples of popular technology with “wow” factor, he goes on to explain how technologies can sometimes be successfully married, but more often than not they flop (such as with the PSX). Reggie also notes that now-popular items have lingered in a year of obscurity, indirectly affirming Nintendo’s long-term commitment to the DS regardless of initial sales. He also points out that history has shown superior technology in the games industry often is not the winning factor, boasting about the simple Game Boy’s success.

He instead says that original games making use of improved technology (such as new input devices) are what drives hardware and software sales. And if we are to believe Nintendo’s research, the vast majority of gamers do not believe graphics are the future of gaming any more. He compares Sony’s approach with the PSP to Nintendo’s with the DS, highlighting their different focuses and questioning the assumptions Sony is making about the handheld market.

Nintendo fans will be disappointed to read that Reggie gives little hope of online Nintendo games any time soon on the Nintendo DS. The spokesmen claims head-to-head online multiplayer at a quality comparable to traditional console multiplayer is still a ways off, and although the Nintendo DS’s wireless features are a start, the industry is taking “small steps.”

Below is the full transcript of Mr. Fils-Aime’s speech.


HELLO, MY NAME IS REGGIE…AND I’M ADDICTED TO MY BLACKBERRY. IN FACT, TO ME, IT’S A CRACKBERRY.

(holds up Blackberry…)

SINCE I WAS GIVEN MY FIRST TASTE OF THE BLACKBERRY, I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN. SURE, THE CONSTANT EMAIL CONNECTION IS A RUSH…BUT I ALSO HAVE TO ADMIT, WHEN I FIRST GOT IT, I JUST LOVED THE ATTENTION IT GENERATED. EVERY TIME I PULLED IT OUT AND EXPLAINED WHAT I WAS DOING, PEOPLE WOULD SAY, “WOW!”

NOW, I’M NO TECHIE POSEUR, BUT THAT REACTION MADE ME KIND OF FEEL LIKE I BELONGED. FOR THE MOMENT, I WAS COOL.

THEN, NOT LONG AGO, I WAS SITTING IN A MEETING WHERE EVERYONE HAD THEIR CELL PHONES IN FRONT OF THEM ON THE TABLE, LIKE COWBOYS DISPLAYING THEIR PISTOLS AT A POKER GAME.

I THOUGHT THAT MADE ME AT LEAST EQUALLY COOL AS EVERYONE ELSE UNTIL THE GUY WHO RUNS OUR EUROPEAN OPERATION CONFESSED THAT WHILE WE WERE DISCUSSING BUSINESS…HE WAS USING HIS PHONE AS A MODEM TO CONNECT HIS P-D-A ONLINE. WHILE WE ALL TALKED, ASSUMING HE WAS TAKING NOTES, HE WAS SIMULTANEOUSLY SURFING THE NET.

THIS TIME, IT WAS MY TURN TO SAY, “WOW!”

AND THE EXPERTS SAY WE’RE ON THE CUSP OF SEEING BOTH THOSE DEVICES—THE PHONE AND THE BROWSER—BEING INCORPORATED INTO ONE WIRELESS PACKAGE SIMPLE ENOUGH AND AFFORDABLE ENOUGH FOR THE MASS MARKET.

TO THAT…AGAIN I SAY “WOW!”

THESE MOMENTS MATTER TO ME, BECAUSE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN OUR BUSINESS, I LIVE AND DIE BY THE ABILITY TO GENERATE THAT SAME REACTION.

WE’RE ALL LOOKING FOR A WAY TO MAKE THEM SAY, “WOW!”

TODAY I’D LIKE TO SHARE A FEW THOUGHTS ON HOW NINTENDO APPROACHES THAT CHALLENGE…HOW OUR TAKE MIGHT DIFFER FROM THOSE OF OUR COMPETITORS…AND FINALLY, HOW THIS ALL APPLIES TO THE UPCOMING INTRODUCTION OF TWO NEW HANDHELD GAMING DEVICES…THE NINTENDO DS…AND THE SONY PSP.

LET ME BEGIN BY RETURNING TO THE BLACKBERRY EXAMPLE. THIS IS A WONDERFUL DEVICE…BUT IT DID NOT INVENT EMAIL. WHAT IT DID WAS TO GIVE ME A NEW WAY TO CONNECT TO MY EMAIL.

IN THE SAME SENSE, APPLE’S I-POD INVENTED NEITHER MUSIC NOR EVEN PORTABLE MUSIC PLAY.

BUT IT DID REVOLUTIONIZE ACCESS BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH MUSIC IT TRANSPORTS…AND BECAUSE APPLE FIGURED OUT HOW TO UN-TIE THE LEGAL KNOT BETWEEN RIGHTS OWNERS AND MUSIC LOVERS.

THESE TWO DEVICES—THE BLACKBERRY AND THE I-POD—DESERVE THEIR SUCCESS AND THEIR HIP STATUS BECAUSE THEIR DEVELOPERS WERE BOTH INNOVATIVE--AND PATIENT.

DESPITE CRITICAL ACCLAIM FROM THE START, THE I-POD SPENT A YEAR AND A HALF IN SALES OBSCURITY BEFORE IT BEGAN TO TAKE OFF. AND FEW PEOPLE REALIZE THAT THE BLACKBERRY LINE IS ALREADY FIVE YEARS OLD.

WELL, THEY DID SUCCEED…BUT SUCCESS INEVITABLY BREEDS COMPETITION. AS HOT AND DOMINANT AS THESE PRODUCTS ARE RIGHT NOW, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT THEY WILL STAY THAT WAY—NO MORE THAN WANG’S WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM…OR TEXAS INSTRUMENT’S PORTABLE CALCULATOR…OR NETSCAPE’S BROWSER.

WHAT IS RARE IN THE TECHNOLOGY WORLD IS A PRODUCT LINE THAN CAN MAINTAIN ITS DOMINANCE.

IF YOU DO THAT FOR FIVE YEARS, IT’S CALLED AMAZING.

IF YOU SUCCEED FOR A DECADE, IT’S CALLED UNPRECEDENTED.

BUT IF YOU DO IT FOR 15 YEARS, YOU CAN ONLY CALL IT ONE THING—GAME BOY.

I SAY THAT NOT JUST BECAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD…BUT ALSO TO DRAW A DISTINCTION. GAME BOY HAS NOT SUCCEEDED BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE CARED ABOUT OUR MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR GLOBAL MARKET. NOT BECAUSE PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY COULDN’T CHIP OFF A DECENT PIECE OF OUR EFFECTIVE 100% MARKET SHARE.

OVER THE YEARS, WE COUNT NINE SERIOUS CONTENDERS TO OUR PORTABLE GAME LINE. NONE SUCCEEDED.

THEY DIDN’T FAIL BECAUSE THEY WERE UNDERCAPITALIZED…OR UNSOPHISTICATED…OR BACKED BY UNINTELLIGENT PEOPLE. THEY WERE ALL PLAYING FOR KEEPS. BUT ONE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GAME BOY AND THOSE CONTENDERS WAS A DIFFERING PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT BUSINESS WE WERE IN. MOST OF THEM SAW THEMSELVES IN THE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS…AND COMPETED ACCORDINGLY.

WE DO NOT FOR A MINUTE ARGUE THAT SEGA’S GAME GEAR IN THE 90’S WASN’T TECHNICALLY SUPERIOR TO OUR GAME BOY—AFTER ALL, IT FEATURED A COLOR SCREEN. BACK THEN, GAME BOY’S SCREEN WAS COLOR, TOO—AS LONG AS YOU DIDN’T WANT MORE THAN ONE COLOR.

RECENTLY NOKIA MARRIED A GAME MACHINE WITH A CELLPHONE AND OTHER DEVICES—CLEARLY SOMETHING GAME BOY DID NOT. BUT AS YET, N-GAGE HAS NOT MADE A RIPPLE IN THE MARKET.

IN THE NEAR FUTURE, SONY’S GAME BOY RIVAL WILL ALSO COME TO MARKET WITH A BETTER SPEC SHEET. BUT THE QUESTION OF BETTER MARKET PERFORMANCE REMAINS, AT BEST, UNPROVEN.

THE DISTINCTION IS THIS: WHILE WE’VE STEADILY IMPROVED THE TECHNOLOGY OF GAME BOY, NINTENDO HAS NEVER CONSIDERED ITSELF IN THE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS.

WE ARE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS .

THE DIFFERENCE IS TELLING…AND I CAN USE THE RECENT HISTORY OF SONY TO ILLUSTRATE THE POINT.

OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO THEY INTRODUCED TWO VERY DIFFERENT KINDS OF VIDEO GAME PRODUCTS.

THE FIRST WAS THE P-S-X IN JAPAN…LIKELY THE MOST ADVANCED GAME-BASED DEVICE EVER DEVISED. IT PROMISED VIDEO GAME PLAY WITH A RECORDABLE D-V-D, A TV TUNER, BUILT-IN ETHERNET CAPABILITY AND A 120 GIG HARD DRIVE. BELIEVE ME, THE TECHIES SAID, ‘WOW!’

THE SECOND WAS A SIMPLE CAMERA ATTACHMENT FOR THE PLAYSTATION CALLED THE EYE TOY…TECHNOLOGY AT LEAST ONE SERIOUS REVIEWER UNKINDLY REFERRED TO AS ‘PRIMITIVE’.

YET, THE EYE TOY IS A WOW PRODUCT, AND IS HAVING INIFINITELY LARGER MARKET IMPACT…BECAUSE IT’S FAR MORE ENTERTAINING.

WHAT THIS AGAIN UNDERSCORES FOR US AT NINTENDO IS THE ETERNAL DISTINCTION BETWEEN HIGH PERFORMANCE…AND HIGH ENTERTAINMENT. TECHNOLOGY SHOULD AND WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE OVER TIME. BUT ALONE, IT’S NO GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS, WHETHER YOUR BUSINESS IS GAMES OR MUSIC PLAYERS OR WIRELESS EMAIL.

NOW, AS I SAID, TECHNOLOGY SHOULD AND WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE. HISTORICALLY, THE MOST NOTABLE TECHNICAL ADVANCES IN OUR BUSINESS HAVE COME FROM ON-SCREEN GRAPHICS.

WHAT DONKEY KONG COUNTRY DID FOR 16 BIT…WHAT SUPER MARIO 64 DID TO INVENT 3-D GRAPHICS…WHAT MADDEN FOOTBALL IS DOING RIGHT NOW BLURRING THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN VIDEO GAME AND REAL GAME—ALL THOSE THINGS PRODUCED MILLIONS OF ‘WOWS!”.

IN FACT, WHEN ASKED TO IDENTIFY THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVANCE IN GAME PLAY OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, 90% OF BOTH P-C AND CONSOLE PLAYERS SAID GRAPHICS.

BUT IN TERMS OF ONSCREEN DISPLAY, CONSIDER WHERE WE NOW STAND. IN A BUSINESS WHERE ARTISTS AND GAME DESIGNERS WERE ALWAYS FORCED TO COMPROMISE—HOW MANY PIXELS TO DO THIS? HOW MUCH SHADING CAN I AFFORD FOR THAT?—THE COMPROMISES ARE ALL BUT GONE.

IF YOU CAN SEE IT OR IMAGINE IT, YOU CAN PROBABLY PUT IT ON SCREEN—IN CONVINCING FASHION.

FROM THIS POINT FORWARD, GRAPHICAL ADVANCES MAY BE FAR MORE THEORHETICAL THAN OBSERVABLE. JUST LIKE A CONSUMER HOOKING UP A PROGRESSIVE SCAN DVD PLAYER TO A NON-PROGRESSIVE SCAN TV, BETTER TECHNOLOGY MAY BE THERE—BUT YOU CAN’T SEE IT.

AND THIS ISN’T LOST ON THE PLAYERS. ASKED WHAT THEY EXPECT THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVANCES OF THE NEXT TEN YEARS TO BE…VIRTUALLY NONE SAID GRAPHICS.

BUT THIS MAXING OUT OF SCREEN DISPLAY DOESN’T MEAN BETTER TECHNOGY DOESN’T MATTER—OR WON’T COME INTO PLAY. IT WILL JUST EVOLVE IN A COUPLE OTHER IMPORTANT AREAS.

THE FIRST IS INTERFACE—WHERE CONSISTENT EVOLUTION HAS ALREADY OCCURRED OVER THE YEARS…BUT WITH SUBSTANTIALLY LESS FANFARE THAN ON SCREEN IMAGERY.

IN SHORT, INTERFACE IS HOW A PLAYER CONNECTS WITH HIS GAME. HOW CAN WE MAKE THAT BETTER—MORE ENTERTAINING?

TRADITIONALLY, THIS COMES FIRST FROM THE CONTROLLER. NINTENDO IS JUSTIFIABLY PROUD, I THINK, OF THE ADVANCES WE’VE INTRODUCED HERE.

THE ORIGINAL CROSS PAD…THE ‘A’ AND ‘B’ BUTTONS…EVEN THE INCLUSION OF A JOYSTICK RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONTROLLER WERE ALL INNOVATIONS AVAILABLE ON THE ORIGINAL N-E-S HOME SYSTEM TWO DECADES AGO. SO WAS THE STEP-ACTIVATED ‘POWER PAD’…A PRECURSOR TO RECENT DANCE GAME PERIPHERALS.

SEVEN YEARS AGO /WE BROUGHT THE RUMBLE PAK TO MARKET TO ADD SOME BUZZ TO THE CONTROLLER INTERFACE.

AND TWO YEARS AGO /WE WERE CREDITED WITH FINALLY GIVING THE INDUSTRY A STABLE AND RELIABLE WIRELESS CONTROLLER WITH OUR WAVEBIRD. NO MORE WIRES TO TRIP OVER? EVERYONE SAID ‘WOW’ TO THAT!

AND BY THE WAY, WE’RE NOT STOPPING—/YOU’LL SOON SEE A BRAND NEW KIND OF PARTY GAME OPERATED REMOTELY-- BY BONGO DRUMS…

(roll DK video from E3 sound up)

WE BELIEVE THESE KIND OF ADVANCES—IMPROVING THE WAY A PLAYER CONNECTS TO HIS GAME—ARE AT LEAST AS VITAL AS ENHANCED ON SCREEN GRAPHICS BECAUSE THEY MAKE GAMES PLAY BETTER—NOT JUST LOOK BETTER.

AND AS I’LL EXPLAIN IN A MINUTE, WE THINK THE NEW NINTENDO D-S AMPLY EXPANDS ON OUR LEGACY OF INTERFACE INNOVATION.

THE OTHER AREA WHERE THE INDUSTRY WILL CONTINUE TO SEE ENHANCED TECHICAL IMPROVEMENT CAN BE ROUGHLY DEFINED AS INTERACTION. IN OTHER WORDS, NOT HOW A PLAYER CONNECTS TO HIS GAME…BUT HOW PLAYERS CONNECT TO EACH OTHER. ONE OF THE SIGNATURE BREAKTHROUGH GAMES OF THE LAST DECADE WAS /GOLDENEYE ON THE NINTENDO 64. IT SOLD MORE THAN FIVE MILLION COPIES IN AMERICA ALONE.

FOR A TIME, ITS HOLD ON LATE TEENS AND EARLY 20-SOMETHINGS WAS SO HYPNOTIC THAT WE RECEIVED COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS FROM YOUNG WOMEN THAT THEIR BOYFRIENDS AND HUSBANDS WERE PAYING MUCH LESS ATTENTION TO THEM…AND MUCH MORE TO BEATING THEIR BUDDIES ON FOUR PLAYER GOLDENEYE.

THE JAMES BOND LICENSE AND EXCELLENT GAME DESIGN CERTAINLY DIDN’T HURT…/BUT THE KEY TO SUCCESS WAS NINTENDO’S DECISION TO PUT FOUR CONTROLLER PORTS RIGHT ON THE N-64 CONSOLE. THAT MADE FOUR PLAYER COMPETITION INSTANTLY AVAILABE TO ALL OLDER GOLDENEYE GAMERS…JUST AS IT DID FOR PLAYERS OF ALL AGES WITH MARIO KART A SHORT WHILE LATER.

AN EQUALLY INTERESTING CONNECTION STORY IS PLAYING ITSELF OUT RIGHT NOW…/WITH THE ADVANCE OF ONLINE GAMING. ITS ADHERENTS ARE SIMPLY EXPANDING THE SAME DYNAMIC THAT EXPLODED WITH GOLDENEYE TO UNSEEN RIVALS IN UNSEEN LOCATIONS.

NINTENDO HAS NOT BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS PUSH…I GUESS THAT’S PUTTING IT MILDLY…AND THE QUESTIONS WE AND OTHERS HAVE RAISED ARE WELL PUBLICIZED:

• HOW MUCH IS ONLINE TIED TO BROADBAND PENETRATION?

• HOW MUCH OF AN INVESTEMENT IS NEEDED TO MAINTAIN AND UPGRADE GAME WORLDS OVER TIME?

• AND IN THE END, HOW MANY PEOPLE PREFER PLAYING AGAINST STRANGERS RATHER THAN FRIENDS OR THE COMPUTER CONSOLE ITSELF?

SOME OF THOSE ANSWERS ARE UPDATED WITH AN E-S-A STUDY RELEASED IN JUNE.

FIRST, AMONG THOSE WHO DO PLAY GAMES ONLINE, THERE IS AN OVERWHELMING PREFERENCE TO DO SO ON THEIR P-C’S, AS OPPOSED TO THEIR GAME CONSOLES. SECOND, DESPITE SOME ROSY PREDICTIONS, GROWTH IN ONLINE GAMING IS RELATIVELY FLAT YEAR-ON-YEAR. THIRD, THE FAVORITE GENRES ARE PUZZLE, BOARD AND TRIVIA GAMES…NOT ACTION FARE. AND FOURTH, LESS THAN 8 PERCENT ARE PAYING TO PLAY ONLINE.

WHILE THERE IS NOTHING TERRIBLY EARTHSHAKING IN THESE NUMBERS…THAT DOESN’T MEAN THERE ISN’T A FUTURE IN HEAD-TO-HEAD PLAY OVER LONG DISTANCES.

BUT WHAT IF YOU COULD DO IT WITH NO WIRES AT ALL? IN THE CURRENT VISION OF GAMERS…THAT ‘WOW’ WOULD BE THE HOLY GRAIL.

RIGHT NOW, SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR NAMES IN MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GAMES ARE AVAILABLE FOR WIRELESS DEVICES—BUT AS YET, ONLY AS SINGLE PLAYER ADVENTURES. WE’RE NOT AT A POINT WHERE MULTIPLE PLAYERS CAN BATTLE OVER REALISTIC DISTANCES WIRELESSLY.

AS AN INDUSTRY, WE’LL SEE SMALL STEPS TOWARD FULL WIRELESS COMPETITION. AND AS I’LL DISCUSS IN A MINUTE, WE THINK NINTENDO D-S REPRESENTS ONE OF THOSE IMPORTANT FIRST STEPS.

BUT BEFORE I DO THAT, ALLOW ME ONE MORE IMPORTANT POINT CONCERNING NINTENDO’S LONG HISTORY OF USING GAME TECHNOLOGY TO WOW GAMERS.

IN SHORT, TECHNICAL ADVANCES TEND NOT TO GROW AND THRIVE IN A VACUUM. IN ORDER TO PROSPER, GAME TECHNOLOGY IS ALWAYS NURTURED AND NOURISHED BY THE SAME THING—THE PRESENCE OF A GREAT GAME.

WHY DID THE ORIGINAL GAME BOY SUCCEED? ITS INCREDIBLE SURGE OF ACCEPTANCE WAS PROBABLY DUE TO ONE FACTOR OVER ALL OTHERS—THE PACKAGED TETRIS GAME THAT CAME WITH VIRTUALLY EVERY ONE OF THOSE MILLIONS OF INITIAL GAME BOY PURCHASES.

IF WE DIDN’T HAVE TETRIS THEN…WE MIGHT NOT HAVE GAME BOY AS WE KNOW IT NOW.

IN 1998 WE GAVE GAME BOY A COLOR SCREEN…AND IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED RECORD SYSTEM SALES. BUT TO CREDIT THE NEW SCREEN FOR ITS SALES EXPLOSION IS TO IGNORE THE REAL REASON FOR THE LEAP—THE WORLDWIDE INTRODUCTION OF POKEMON. REMEMBER, GAME GEAR BOASTED A COLOR DISPLAY IN 1990--BUT IT DIDN’T HAVE POKEMON TO BUILD THE WOW.

TO BRING THIS NECESSARY ASSOCIATION OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE FULL CIRCLE, /LET ME POINT OUT THAT SO FAR IN 2004, ONCE AGAIN GAME BOY IS THE WORLD’S BEST SELLING VIDEO GAME SYSTEM.

AND HELPING FUEL THOSE SALES IS THE REINTRODUCTION OF /GREAT NES CLASSIC GAMES INCLUDING SUPER MARIO BROTHERS AND ZELDA AND EXCITEBIKE AND PAC-MAN. FOR US IN THIS ROOM, THEY’RE NOSTALGIC.

BUT FOR MANY OTHER YOUNGER PLAYERS, THEY ARE BRAND NEW THRILLS…LIKE READING HARRY POTTER OR WATCHING STAR WARS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

NOW, AS ALWAYS, SOFTWARE SELLS HARDWARE—NO MATTER WHAT THE HARDWARE TECHNOLOGY.

THAT’S WHY NINTENDO AND ALL SUBSEQUENT COMPETITORS CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION ABOUT HOW THEY ADVERTISE THEIR PRODUCTS—TECHNOLOGY IS ALWAYS DRESSED IN THE APPEAL OF THE LATEST HOT GAME.

I WANT TO STOP BRIEFLY TO SHOW YOU HOW WE’RE AGAIN SHOWCASING THE NINTENDO GAMECUBE WITH GREAT GAMES THIS FALL…AND HOW WE EVEN WRAP THE DOMINANT GAMEBOY IN ENTERTAINMENT IMAGERY…

(roll GCN and Freeboy spots SOT…)

SO NOW, LET ME SHIFT FOCUS TO THE FUTURE—SPECIFICALLY TO THE UPCOMING HARDWARE LAUNCHES…FOR NINTENDO D-S AND THE SONY P-S-P. IN PARTICULAR…WHAT IS IT FROM THESE MACHINES THAT’S GOING TO MAKE PLAYERS SAY, ‘WOW!’?

IN ORDER TO ANSWER THAT, WE AT NINTENDO BELIEVE THERE ARE FOUR KEY QUESTIONS THAT HAVE TO BE ANSWERED…NO MATTER WHO’S MANUFACTURING THE TECHNOLOGY.

THE FIRST IS MULTIFUNCTIONALITY.

I DON’T KNOW ANY FELLOW BLACKBERRY OWNER WHO DOESN’T LOVE HIS MACHINE FOR WHAT IT DOES. AND MOST OF THEM SAY THEY’D LOVE IT MORE IF IT COULD DO MORE—SPECIFICALLY, IF IT COULD ALSO REPLACE THEIR CELL PHONE.

WELL, NEW BLACKBERRIES DO COMBINE WIRELESS TEXT AND VOICE FUNCTIONS…BUT YOU DON’T OFTEN SEE SOMEONE HOLDING HIS BLACKBERRY UP TO HIS EAR AND TALKING INTO IT. I’M NOT SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW EXACTLY WHY…BUT YOU CAN BET THERE ARE A LOT OF INTERESTED PEOPLE AT BLACKBERRY TRYING TO FIND OUT THE ANSWER. AND SO ARE THEIR RIVALS.

SOMETIMES TECHNOLOGY JUST DOESN’T BELONG TOGETHER. YOU COULD MANUFACTURE A COMBINED TOASTER AND ESPRESSO MACHINE, BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD PAY TO HAVE THAT IN THEIR KITCHEN. FOR NINTENDO AND SONY AND EVERY OTHER PLAYER IN THE HANDHELD WIRELESS WORLD, THIS ISSUE IS CENTRAL—WHAT TECHNOLOGIES BELONG TOGETHER? HOW DO WE MAKE THEM WORK TOGETHER? AND WHAT WILL PEOPLE PAY FOR IT?

THE SECOND ISSUE / IS CONTENT TRANSPORTABILITY. FOR WHATEVER REASON, THERE IS NO HISTORY OF HIT SOFTWARE MAINTAINING ITS POPULARITY ONCE IT LEAVES ITS NATIVE TECHNOLOGY. A FEW QUICK EXAMPLES. I IMAGINE THERE MIGHT BE SOMEONE OUT THERE WHO ONCE UPON A TIME AFTER A FEW TOO MANY BEERS DROPPED A FEW TOO MANY QUARTERS IN PACMAN AND PONG MACHINES IN A LOCAL WATERING HOLE. BUT THOSE SAME GAMES NEVER SIGNIFICANTLY DROVE SALES OF ANY HOME GAME SYSTEM. WHY DOES FLIGHT SIMULATOR SEEM TO WORK ON P-C…BUT HAVE LITTLE OR NO VALUE ANYWHERE ELSE? TETRIS WAS A PHENOMENAL SUCCESS ON GAME BOY…BUT A LESSER SUCCESS ELSEWHERE.

WHAT THIS SAYS TO MANUFACTURERS OF NEW GAME DEVICES IS THAT IT’S TERRIBLY RISKY HOPING THAT HITS FROM ANY EXISTING SYSTEM WILL HELP ESTABLISH A NEW ONE. NATIVE TECHNOLOGY SEEMS TO DEMAND NATIVE CONTENT. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THE GAMES CAN’T HAVE FAMILIAR NAMES…BUT THAT CHARACTER OR CHALLENGE HAS TO BE PRESENTED IN A FRESH AND COMPELLING WAY.

THIRD, THERE IS THE ISSUE OF THE OLDER DEMOGRAPHIC. EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT OVER THE YEARS, THE LARGEST DEMOGRAPHIC OF GAME BOY USERS HAS BEEN YOUNGER PLAYERS. SONY HAS BEEN VERY GENTLEMANLY IN SAYING THAT THEY DON’T INTEND TO COMPETE FOR THAT AUDIENCE…THAT THEIR SIGHTS ARE SET ON PLAYERS FROM THE OLDER TEEN YEARS AND UP.

AND IN FACT, WE AIM TO HAVE THE D-S MARKEDLY INCREASE THE AVERAGE PLAYER AGE WHEN COMPARED TO THE TRADITIONAL GAME BOY. BUT THE KEY QUESTION IS THIS: WHAT DO THOSE OLDER PLAYERS WANT FROM A PORTABLE GAME MACHINE…IF, INDEED, THEY WANT A PORTABLE GAME MACHINE AT ALL?

WE BELIEVE SONY IS CHOOSING TO HEDGE ITS BETS WITH THE INCLUSION OF VIDEO AND MUSIC PLAYBACK IN THE PSP…A ‘GAME’ MACHINE, PERHAPS, FOR THOSE WHO REALLY AREN’T THAT MUCH INTO GAMES. BUT TO BE CLEAR, I’M NOT IMPLYING THAT THAT APPROACH DOESN’T MAKE SENSE.

ON THE OTHER HAND, IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A HARD CORE 20-SOMETHING GAMER, THE QUESTION OF CONSUMER DESIRE BECOMES MORE PERTINENT—JUST WHAT, EXACTLY, DOES THAT AVID PLAYER WANT?

THE INITIAL THOUGHT IS PRETTY OBVIOUS—IF THEY LOVE GRAND THEFT AUTO ON THEIR PLAYSTATIONS…THEY SHOULD LOVE IT JUST AS MUCH ON THE PSP, RIGHT? WELL, LEAVING ASIDE THE ISSUE OF SPECIFIC CONTENT NOT JUMPING PLATFORMS VERY WELL, GAME DEVELOPERS HAVE TO CONSIDER HOW THESE OLDER CONSUMERS WILL PLAY.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF OLDER HARD CORE PLAYERS HAVE MADE A LEISURE TIME COMMITMENT TO GAMING.

YOUR MOTHER MAY PLAY SOLITAIRE OR HEARTS FOR TEN MINUTES AT A TIME. YOUR MOST PASSIONATE GAMING BUDDIES PROBABLY PLAY FOR ENTIRE NIGHTS OR WEEKENDS AT A TIME…BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THEY LOVE.

NOW, CONSIDER THOSE GAMES THEY PLAY TO IMMERSION—HALO, GRAND THEFT AUTO, MADDEN, ZELDA—AND ASK YOURSELF THIS. ARE THEY AWAY FROM HOME FOR SUFFICIENT BLOCKS OF UNINTERRUPTED FREE TIME TO REPEAT THAT IMMERSION ON A HANDHELD DEVICE?

HOW MANY 20 YEAR OLDS REALLY TAKE REGULAR THREE HOUR PLANE FLIGHTS? ELEVEN-YEAR-OLDS SPEND HALF-DAY CAR TRIPS IN THE BACK SEAT, PLAYING GAME BOY. 21-YEAR-OLDS SPEND HALF-DAY CAR TRIPS IN THE FRONT SEAT, DRIVING.

EVEN IF THOSE BLOCKS OF TIME WERE AVAILABLE TO THEM, HOW MANY OLDER GAMERS WOULDN’T REALLY RATHER WAIT AND PLAY THOSE GAMES AT HOME, LYING ON THE COUCH, BLASTING AWAY ON THEIR BIG SCREENS? THE LESS OBVIOUS ANSWER HERE—BUT PERHAPS THE MORE ACCURATE ONE—IS THAT OLDER GAMERS MAY WELL EXPECT AND ACCEPT A DIFFERENT KIND OF GAME EXPERIENCE ON THEIR PORTABLE. PROBABLY GAMES THAT OFFER LIMITED BUT STILL EXCITING PLAY SESSIONS…AND ONES THAT DON’T PRETEND TO MATCH THE ENVIRONMENT OF THEIR HIGH TECH LIVING ROOM SETUPS.

WE CALL THIS ‘INTER’-TAINMENT—ACTION OCCUPYING SHORT BURSTS OF TIME BETWEEN OTHER ACTIVITIES. WHICH LEADS TO THE FINAL ISSUE--/THE ‘WOW’ FACTOR ITSELF.

IF HISTORY IS ANY TEACHER, NO MATTER HOW THE CROWDS AT E-3 REACTED TO THE DOUBLE SCREENS OF THE D-S OR THE DESIGN OF THE PSP…ONCE THEY’VE HAD THOSE DEVICES AT HOME FOR MORE THAN A DAY, THE ENDURING THRILLS ARE GOING TO COME ONLY FROM THE GAMES.

(pause)

WITH THIS PREAMBLE THEN, LET ME EXPLAIN HOW NINTENDO IS APPROACHING OUR FUTURE WITH D-S. ON THE ISSUE OF MULTIFUNCTIONALITY, OUR INTENT IS TO MARKET THE D-S CLEARLY AS A PORTABLE GAME-PLAYING DEVICE—JUST AS WE HAVE DONE WITH GAME BOY. BUT THERE WILL BE ONE IMPORTANT DISTINCTION THIS TIME. AND THAT DIFFERENCE IS THE SOCIALIZATION FACTOR.

THE D-S WILL BE EQUIPPED TO WIRELESSLY CONNECT 16 PLAYERS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A SINGLE GAME. THIS, TO US, MARRIES THE SAME EXCITEMENT OF COMPETING SIDE BY SIDE WITH YOUR FRIENDS IN GOLDENEYE—BUT EXPANDS IT FOURFOLD.

IT’S SUCH A GOOD IDEA, IN FACT, THAT EVEN SONY HAS PAID IT THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY.

THE D-S WILL ALSO BE EQUIPPED TO ALLOW LONG DISTANCE CONNECTIONS VIA WIRELESS INTERNET BROWSER…BUT AS WE KNOW, WE’RE STILL SOME TIME AWAY FROM ACTUALLY HAVING WIRELESS HEAD-TO-HEAD PLAY IN ANY CONTEMPORARY GAME SENSE.

SO, OUR ANSWER ON MULTIFUNCTIONALITY IS PRETTY SIMPLE—IT’S DESIGNED TO EXPAND THE SOLE FUNCTION OF PLAYING GAMES IN COMPELLING NEW WAYS.

ON THE ISSUE OF NATIVE CONTENT, /MANY OF YOU KNOW WE RECENTLY RELEASED THE LIST OF MORE THAN 60 NINTENDO D-S GAMES IN DEVELOPMENT FROM MORE THAN TWO DOZEN COMPANIES IN JAPAN.

AND TODAY WE’RE ISSUING A COMPANION LIST FOR GAMES UNDERWAY HERE IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

AMONG MORE THAN 75 GAMES IN TOTAL, THERE ARE FAMILIAR NAMES—FINAL FANTASY AND MADDEN AND CASTLEVANIA AND HARVEST MOON—AND FAMILIAR GENRES—SPORTS AND RACING AND ROLE PLAYING AND ADVENTURE.

BUT WHAT ISN’T REPRESENTED IN THOSE LISTS ARE THE NOVEL WAYS IN WHICH THOSE GAMES WILL PLAY ON NINTENDO D-S. FRESH APPROACHES OWE TO THE WAY THESE GAMES ARE REINVENTED BY THE TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS OF D-S.

BECAUSE THE INTERFACE IS ALTERED BY THE INCLUSION OF TWO SCREENS…ONE OF THEM A TOUCH SCREEN…AND WIRELESS MULTIPLAYER…AND THE POSSIBILITY OF VOICE COMMAND. THAT MEANS THAT YOU CAN LITERALLY EXPERIENCE THESE ADVENTURES LIKE NEVER BEFORE—NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU’VE BEEN PLAYING GAMES.

DEVELOPERS FEEL LIKE THEY’VE BEEN GIVEN A NEW CANVAS TO PAINT ON. THEY’RE JAZZED. AND IF THEY’RE SAYING ‘WOW’ RIGHT NOW…GAMERS WILL BE DOING THE SAME THING VERY SOON.

ON THE ISSUE OF OLDER GAMERS, WE’RE AIMING SQUARELY AT THOSE WHO CLEARLY PUT GAME PLAY FIRST…THOSE WHO ARE MOST HUNGRY FOR A NEW APPROACH. THE EARLIEST ADOPTERS FOR D-S WILL BE THOSE WHO ARE ALSO THE FREEST THINKERS. THE TRENDSETTERS.

THE SAME PEOPLE, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY, WHO WERE FIRST TO SNAP UP THEIR BLACKBERRIES AND IPODS.

ON THE LAST ISSUE—GAMES—I’D LIKE TO GIVE YOU A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE ALREADY IN STORE FOR OUR D-S LAUNCH THIS YEAR.

BUT HEY, I’VE GOT BILLS TO PAY TOO!

THUS, I REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU’RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER FOR A FULL PREVIEW OF D-S SOFTWARE. BUT WITH MORE THAN 75 GAMES IN DEVELOPMENT WORLDWIDE…WITH BRAND NEW PLAYER INTERFACE AND BRAND NEW PLAYER INTERACTION…I CAN PROMISE YOU YOU’LL SEE THINGS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

A RECENT ONLINE POLL BY GAMEFAQS-DOT-COM PUTS BUYING INTENT FOR NINTENDO D-S AT TWICE THAT FOR THE OUR NEW RIVAL…BUT LIKE THE UPCOMING ELECTION, IT’S STILL TOO SOON TO MAKE ANY FIRM PREDICTIONS.

WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THIS--FOR THE NEXT FIFTEEN YEARS…JUST LIKE THE LAST 15…HANDHELD GAMING WILL BE KNOWN BY ONE NAME—NINTENDO.

BECAUSE NINTENDO HAS ALWAYS MADE HANDHELD PLAYERS SAY THE SAME THING—‘WOW!’

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION…

NPD Group Releases Study on Online Gaming

An analysis of the habits of gamers that do play online shows that they prefer PCs and that mobile devices are gaining ground.

Report from The NPD Group Addresses Attitudes and Behaviors of Online Gamers

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2004--

Study Shows Large Percentage of Online Gamers Choose Their PC/Mac for Online Play, While 10 Percent Are Strictly Mobile-Based Gamers

The overwhelming majority of today's 13-to-44-year-old gamers have the ability to play games online and a good portion are taking advantage of it, but it's dominated by one platform - the PC, according to The NPD Group's recently released report, "Online Gaming: The Consumer Perspective for PC and Video Games."

According to the report, nearly 90 percent of respondents who play games via a PC/Mac or video game console use one of the three online-capable systems (PC/Mac, PlayStation 2 and Xbox). Of these gamers who use an online-capable system, 60 percent are playing online, with a significant percentage of both PlayStation 2 and Xbox owners using their PC/Mac to play games online instead of their respective console systems. In addition, roughly 10 percent of those who said they play online are strictly mobile-based gamers and do not use any of the three online-capable systems.

"The seeds of online gaming were planted when the Internet was made available for commercial use in the early 1990's, so it's not surprising to see that PC games have the home-court advantage when it comes to online gaming," said Richard Ow, senior industry analyst, The NPD Group. "On the other hand, the mobile-based gaming market - a market still very much in its infancy - showing a 10 percent user base (among general gamers who also play online) is what really stands out. And with most mobile platforms being online-ready, they're close to competing with the console systems for the attention of online gamers."

The study goes on to report that close to 60 percent of online gamers' time spent playing games on a PC is for online gaming, while roughly 40 percent is offline gaming. The opposite is true for both PlayStation 2 and Xbox, where approximately 40 percent of time spent playing games are online and 60 percent is offline.

As for who's playing online, today's 13-to-44-year-old online gaming market is skewed slightly more male: 53 percent versus 47 percent female. PC/Mac-based online gamers drive this ratio, while PlayStation 2 and Xbox skew heavily male, with approximately 88 percent being male and 12 percent being female.

Overall, the average amount of time spent playing games online among the three platforms is 6.1 hours per week. Respondents were also asked how many hours per week they spend using the system to play games offline, with the average time spent among any of the three platforms being five hours per week, which is roughly one hour less than the average for online gaming.

Methodology

A survey invitation was e-mailed to a representative sample of 15,700 males and females ages 18 to 44, with an over-sampling of males ages 18 to 30 given their high propensity to play video games. An additional 3,300 teens (ages 13 to 17), with an over-sampling of males, were also e-mailed the survey invitation. The survey was fielded on Thursday, June 3, 2004 and closed on Monday, June 21, 2004 with a total of 7,430 responses, yielding a 39% response rate. The survey data is weighted to represent the population of individuals ages 13 to 44 in the US.

About The NPD Group, Inc.

Since 1967 The NPD Group has provided reliable and comprehensive sales and marketing information for a wide range of industries such as apparel, appliances, automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, food and beverage, foodservice, footwear, home improvement, housewares, information technology, music, toys and video games. NPD provides critical knowledge on what is selling, where, to whom and why to help clients make more successful, fact-based business decisions. For more information visit www.npd.com.

Talkback

FamicomAugust 13, 2004

Crackberry! face-icon-small-wink.gif

But seriously, I've never been one to beat up on Ninty for not jumping into the online gaming pool like it's competition, but after hearing Reggie's speech I feel convinced they have the right idea for this; much more convinced than anything Iwata has said in the past about it.

IWannaBeSponsoredAugust 13, 2004

Man, this gets me excited. I was worried that the psp might me some major competition just because of the name Playstation on it, but what he said about gamers wanting something different then home consols in their portables is right on the money. He is one stinking good speaker.face-icon-small-thumbsup.gif

SgtShiversBenAugust 13, 2004

"IT’S SUCH A GOOD IDEA, IN FACT, THAT EVEN SONY HAS PAID IT THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY. "

I think that was great. Saying that Sony copied the D-S. That's great face-icon-small-smile.gif

PolemistisAugust 13, 2004

"THUS, I REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU’RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER FOR A FULL PREVIEW OF D-S SOFTWARE. BUT WITH MORE THAN 75 GAMES IN DEVELOPMENT WORLDWIDE…WITH BRAND NEW PLAYER INTERFACE AND BRAND NEW PLAYER INTERACTION…I CAN PROMISE YOU YOU’LL SEE THINGS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE."

Very nice ^^ I think I just wet my pants...I spilled my blackberry of course, what were you thinking?

DjunknownAugust 13, 2004

Despite being tied to standard spin (No mention of Revoulution will overtake the home-console market, the online debate/debacle....), the Reggie-lution continues to 'wow' (stupid pun intended) all those who flock to him.

They should put him on the forefront more often. He is really Nintendo's new muscle; now if he can show us a list of those names he's taking...

NinGurl69 *hugglesAugust 13, 2004

He really IS like Mr. T and Hulk Hogan combined....(nintendorks reference)...

During press conferences, he should wear lots of gold and tear his shirt off in front of the audience. IT WOULD BE SO INTENSE. THE AUDIENCE WOULD GET FLOORED BY HIS POSITIVE INTENSITY, AND HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO BELIEVE EVERYTHING HE SAYS.

HE CAN CHANGE WATER TO WINE, COKE TO PEPSI. YES.

JonLeungAugust 13, 2004

Long read, but a very nice one.

If everything he said was true, and plays out in Nintendo's favour, the DS should be a success, even if it takes a while. I had similar concerns about the PSP - about technologies "belonging" together and the type of games on it. When I saw previews of Death Jr., Metal Gear Ac!d, and images of GT4, I was like, wow - but would any gamer spend money on the same kind of games they could play at home? And the whole time and attention span factor - I'm not going to want to be caught in the middle of some huge long Xenosaga-type cut scene when I'm trying to transfer between buses, etc.

King of TwitchAugust 14, 2004

The flowers are flourishing!
The rain is receding!
The sun is shining!
Reggie speaks!

But how come my NES doesn't have a joystick?~

Squiggles the ChaoAugust 14, 2004

I think he was talking about the NES advantage controller, not the standard NES controller.

SylAugust 14, 2004

am I the only one noticing a hell of a lot of mention of "goldeneye" and then noticing the game "goldeneye" on the release list (though under EA)

Now, the possibilities are insanely low, but an ehnaced port of the original goldeneye + 16 player wireless would definately be able to sell systems, but i'm sure the amount of legal issues associated would be far too great.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorAugust 14, 2004

You know, the legal issues on porting Goldeneye probably wouldn't be that bad. (If I'm correct...) Nintendo owns the code and EA owns the lisence... all Nintendo would have to do is work with EA to reporgram it for the DS and 16 players... I'd think.

babaloulouAugust 14, 2004

------

BloodworthDaniel Bloodworth, Staff AlumnusAugust 15, 2004

Babaloulou, we got this directly from Nintendo about a day before you sent it.

Hostile CreationAugust 15, 2004

I didn't read all of it, but what I read was very well written. Nice speech. . . things are looking up.

seen33August 17, 2004

well this is a big blow too me. You see I was looking forward to the online features the most. I used to own a GBA but then sold it cause I never played it. I was thinking that with the DS I would be able to have lots of fun cause its online wireless. You see this September im moving to my Brand spanking new wireless campus. The whole thing is highspeed wireless connections for any student. I often have big gaps in between clases and I thought that I could be playing some online DS instead of roaming the internet for hours on end.

But now it looks like i need to start looking at the PSP face-icon-small-sad.gif. In the end I will purchse the one that has the most online games schedualed for it. I hope that will be the DS still... and even if its not at least have some online games (like maybe 3-5 a month released).

This article may be great news for all you people who care about how much DS sells. But I don't care how much it sells... I care if its gonna be a good system for me... not the majority gamer. Please Nintendo... Don't put out games like mario kart DS without a 8 player online option

BTW a goldeneye Port with 16 players online (like mentioned above) would be enough reason for me to buy the system for that alone.

KDR_11kAugust 17, 2004

Well, I guess you could play over WLAN/internet but would have to figure out a way to find IP addresses yourself. Though the list of genres that can be played in a short break and with multiple people is pretty slim, I'd say it's very likely 100% FPSes. I mean, any other genre won't let you join and leave at any time. Okay, there's the MMORPGs, but I guess they're not really useful for short breaks.

seen33August 17, 2004

I would assume online gaming would work for you wirless device were you select host game or join game and you see a server list of all the games. Offical servers could be good enough to support 16 players and all. This way you wouldent need to find any ips or anything... and If u wanted to play with a friend then I suppose the can have ip connect. Basically have it exactly like the do pc games (like doom 3, in game server lists)

As fo short breaks... well my brakes are long.. usually 3 hours. and any game can be played in a short break like 30 mins. why do I need 2 hours to play mario kart online?

ruby_onixAugust 17, 2004

Quote

well this is a big blow too me. You see I was looking forward to the online features the most. I used to own a GBA but then sold it cause I never played it. I was thinking that with the DS I would be able to have lots of fun cause its online wireless. ... But now it looks like i need to start looking at the PSP face-icon-small-sad.gif.


Uhhh... I take it you just read something that said to you "the DS won't be online through Wi-Fi".

Could you point out which part, because I didn't get that from my reading of it.

seen33August 17, 2004

it does not say that... but it says thier taking small stemps toward implemnting it and that Wireless gamming isint good enough yet for True online (which I dont understand cause slow Wireless B is still 11Mbit and thats faster then mostly every1s ISP provides them and is fine for 32 players or more)

The way the article was writtin... indicated that we will see more LAN enabled games rather then online and if there are online games they wont be too advanced and have limits.

ruby_onixAugust 17, 2004

I'll quote everything on the subject of "online" that I could spot in that speech.

Quote

RIGHT NOW, SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR NAMES IN MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GAMES ARE AVAILABLE FOR WIRELESS DEVICES—BUT AS YET, ONLY AS SINGLE PLAYER ADVENTURES. WE’RE NOT AT A POINT WHERE MULTIPLE PLAYERS CAN BATTLE OVER REALISTIC DISTANCES WIRELESSLY.

Quote

AS AN INDUSTRY, WE’LL SEE SMALL STEPS TOWARD FULL WIRELESS COMPETITION. AND AS I’LL DISCUSS IN A MINUTE, WE THINK NINTENDO D-S REPRESENTS ONE OF THOSE IMPORTANT FIRST STEPS.


I've seen some people on lesser boards (cough*gamefaqs*cough) pointing out the last part of that first paragraph, and saying "Oh noes! Reggie said the DS isn't even capable of online!". I thought that might've been what you were thinking. No offense. face-icon-small-tongue.gif

But that second paragraph makes it clear that Reggie is referring to "now" as a pre-DS time, and putting the DS in a future tense (which only makes sense). And that's on top of other points which I'll get to in a minute.

Quote

THE D-S WILL BE EQUIPPED TO WIRELESSLY CONNECT 16 PLAYERS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A SINGLE GAME. THIS, TO US, MARRIES THE SAME EXCITEMENT OF COMPETING SIDE BY SIDE WITH YOUR FRIENDS IN GOLDENEYE—BUT EXPANDS IT FOURFOLD.


Note, the DS can (most likely) only allow 16-player multiplayer. Not one of those "massively multiplayer" online games Reggie mentioned. Probably why the DS is only "one of the first important steps".

Quote

THE D-S WILL ALSO BE EQUIPPED TO ALLOW LONG DISTANCE CONNECTIONS VIA WIRELESS INTERNET BROWSER…BUT AS WE KNOW, WE’RE STILL SOME TIME AWAY FROM ACTUALLY HAVING WIRELESS HEAD-TO-HEAD PLAY IN ANY CONTEMPORARY GAME SENSE.


When you read stuff like "full wireless competition over realistic distances", try thinking "without the assistance of the internet".

seen33August 17, 2004

Well I hope your right about everything. I have no care for MMORPG on a handheld.. they would probably make u pay monthly anyway. Your standard Racing, Shooting,Tony hawk, adventure etc game with 16 players is really good enough for me. I know 32 would be cool for some games... But due to lag issues.. I usually dont play any online games to date more then 20 players and IMO 8-15 players = fun enough and 16+ = tons of fun.

KDR_11kAugust 17, 2004

Blasphemer, 18 players on DM4 in Quake is where the fun STARTS!

Either way, without a master server (and my guess is that Nintendo adds online play capability, but no master server) there's no way of knowing the IPs of other people without portscanning the entire internet. BTW, the Doom 3 ingame server browser is the worst possible example, unless you want the DS to show you a list of servers and no matter which one you select it will arbitrarily choose one and try to connect to it. I filtered out all full, empty and password protected servers, after clicking connect I'd always get either a "The server is full" message or a "Please enter the password:" prompt.

seen33August 18, 2004

ok then use halo for example... Or UT2k4

KDR_11kAugust 18, 2004

Still doesn't solve the problem with the master server.

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