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After years of increasing complexity in games, Nintendo makes it simple.

nytimes.com — I think this article explains Nintendo's plan better than most attempts. They are simply trying to make a game system that anyone can use. Just wait till Granny shows her tennis skills.

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  • blueblood, on 10/12/2007, -16/+17ironically the wii will be the least expensive and the most simple, yet likely one of the most popular. i know im getting one
    • iluvatar, on 10/12/2007, -6/+36how is that ironic? Being the most expensive and being the most popular are generally exclusive traits in almost any field.
    • aznboi04k, on 10/12/2007, -11/+6i agreed. it is ironic. most of the best product are the most the powerful and most technologically advanced. look the ipod, it made look simple but the technology inside it is very advanced such as the micro hd and the touchpad.

      i like nintendo's aporach with wii. i find that most games, today, are too advanced and that takes the fun out of it. i.e. splinter cell. a lot of people like it but it's just too much for me. i'll take my mario. thank you very much.
    • reldren, on 10/12/2007, -20/+2You're a ***** hamheaded retard. That isn't ironic at all.
    • Pstonie, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7"Invent a foolproof system and only a fool would use it."
    • sinembarg0, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@aznboi04k

      I totally agree. Games nowadays are all about fancy ass graphics and being able to do everything. Most of those games have half-assed gameplay. When I think about how many games I will go back and play in 15 years, I doubt I'll play any of them again, but games from 15-20 years ago, I still play those (mostly sonic and mario). When did graphics become more important than gameplay?
    • willynilly, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0That's not really ironic. I'm sure Alanis has learned the meaning of irony by now, and so can you!

      But anyway, Nintendo's strategy is a great move if it pans out. Throwing a bunch of extra ***** up on the screen doesn't create better games; it creates a busy, annoying, and less playable mess. I'll take Joust on an Atari 800 over most of the visual vomit that comes out of many systems today.
    • grimzentide, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3How do you know this is going to be the most popular console? Its all speculation. The 360 has a head start and the PS3 has better hardware. The price however, this is the best, which will lead to sales. But until the Wii has the highest number of units overall sold, I wont be saying its the most popular. What I can say though is that it is the most popular on Digg.
  • wonginator1221, on 10/12/2007, -10/+56taken from article or use
    member id: hahaguy
    password: secret

    "The Video Game Goes Minimalist: Nintendo Comes Full Circle


    By SETH SCHIESEL
    Published: June 4, 2006

    SOME new media, like the Internet and cellphones, begin life in a niche, as curiosities even, before becoming everyday elements of mainstream culture. Others evolve in the opposite direction.
    Skip to next paragraph
    Enlarge this Image
    Robyn Beck/Agence France-Presse-Getty Images

    Nintendo game demonstrators at the E3 game convention in Los Angeles last month show how tennis is played on the Wii.

    John Whipple and Marcus Lull try the system, whose controller translates players' motion into on-screen action.

    Think about video games. Once upon a time, call it the 1980's, video games were simple. Facing one joystick and at most a couple of buttons, most anyone could simply drop a quarter into a Galaga or Ms. Pac-Man machine and have some cheap thrills. And because the games were simple, they were practically ubiquitous in bars, waiting rooms and other public places. Remember arcades?

    Inevitably progress got in the way. As game machines have become cheaper over the years, they have mostly disappeared from public spaces and burrowed into bedrooms and dens. And as the machines have gotten more powerful, the games have gotten more complicated. Both avid gamers and the industry have come to fixate on the ever more impressive graphics and ever more complex scenarios that faster chips can create.

    The results can be downright intimidating. People now in their 40's who might have just walked up to a Centipede machine and started playing when they were in college now might look at a Sony PlayStation 2 (which has 17 buttons and joysticks) and think, "I'll never figure that thing out."

    Nintendo, the Japanese company synonymous with video games, wants to put an end to all that.

    Trying to attract new fans and win back a growing population of lapsed players, the company is on an almost evangelical mission to rescue video games from the clutches of the sunlight-deprived, testosterone-addled, slightly gamy demographic group that has come to rule the gaming world. And the instrument of Nintendo's mission is called the Wii (pronounced we, not why). Every five years or so, the big game console makers release new flagship machines. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox, released its latest console, the Xbox 360, last November. This fall, when Nintendo plans to introduce the Wii, Sony is expected to weigh in with its PlayStation 3. But while Microsoft and Sony duke it out at the high end of the market with expensive machines (the PS3 will cost at least $500, not including games) that feature the flashiest high-definition graphics, Nintendo is taking a radically different, inexpensive path, one that focuses on how games feel rather than on how they look. The company says the system will sell for no more than $250.

    Playing a video game may require looking at a screen, but the primary interface between a human and a game is the player's hands. So to play tennis with the Wii, you watch the screen, and when the ball comes, you simply swing your arm to make your on-screen avatar swing. (If you're good, you can get spin on the ball). To throw a football, you mimic throwing a football. To swing a sword %u2014 well, you get the idea.

    The Wii controller has been consciously designed to resemble a television remote control, and the kinetic, tactile entertainment experience it produces is unlike anything on a current game machine. "My mother is never going to play a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 game because she simply cannot comprehend the controller," Dan Hsu, editor in chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly, a top game magazine, said in an interview. "But Nintendo wants to appeal to those people. Wii does feel very friendly and easy to use, and it's very intuitive because all you have to do is point the controller at the screen and just move it around. And most games only need one or two buttons."

    Most North American game insiders got their first chance to use the Wii at the E3 game convention in Los Angeles last month, and it quickly became clear that the Wii was more than just a novelty. (A test version of the machine was demonstrated at the Tokyo Game Show last fall.)

    With its sleek vertical design and unobtrusive white controller, the Wii is made to fit into a middle-class living room without looking like an alien invader from Planet Video Game. (By contrast the original Xbox's hulking black exterior turned off a lot of traditional nongamers. In response Microsoft made the Xbox 360 curved and off-white.)

    More important than the unit's look, however, have been the almost entirely positive reviews from people who have played it. Tennis feels remarkably like tennis, employing a nearly full range of upper-body motion. With Excite Truck, the user holds the controller between two hands like a steering wheel and merely tilts it left and right to steer. You can also wield the Wii as a pen, a fishing rod and, of course, a weapon.

    "We wanted to change the image that people have when you think of someone playing a video game," Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's creative director (and the creator of the famed Donkey Kong, Mario and Zelda franchises) said during an interview at E3. "There is always this image where you think of a young person holding a controller in two hands kind of in a darkened room with the light of the TV shining on his face, and it's not a very positive image. We really wanted to break that by creating this interface that would allow people to be much more active."

    But even as the company reaches for the mainstream, it knows it cannot afford to lose the millions of seasoned Nintendo fans. For them there are more complex games like new Wii installments of Zelda and Metroid Prime on the way. But the overall focus is on using the controller to make the gaming experience as simple and intuitive as possible.


    It's the sort of approach that appeals to Nintendo fans like Floyd Hayes, 34, an advertising creative director who lives in Brooklyn.

    "Nintendo has really the best track record in terms of innovation," he said, "and what they're trying, in dropping the barriers to game play by lowering the barriers presented by the controller, is fantastic. I'd love to be able to stop memorizing different button combinations for every game. It's like having to learn to walk all over again in every game, isn't it?"

    Nintendo's innovation seemed to captivate attendees at E3. "Wii was extremely popular," said Mr. Hsu, who was there. "As usual Nintendo has the longest lines because they really draw in the hard core, but I noticed a lot of people who weren't the typical Nintendo fanboys were waiting in long lines to play Wii. That's because you have all these other games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on the show floor, but they're pretty much what we've seen before, just with prettier graphics. But Wii is a totally new experience."

    The company started its mission to expand the gaming audience with more user-friendly products in 2004 with the Nintendo DS handheld. While Sony has garnered more headlines with its sleek black PlayStation Portable, Nintendo has had at least as much success with the less expensive DS, which employs an entirely different approach. While many PSP games are for hardcore players, the top DS games were made to appeal to a wider audience. Nintendogs, for instance, which allows users to take care of a virtual dog, is a nonconventional game that has proved highly successful among women and girls who are not generally gamers. Another example is Brain Age, a series of mind-training games that have been hugely popular among middle-aged and older people in Japan and have recently been released in the United States.

    "People often call this another next-generation game competition or war," said Nintendo's president, Satoru Iwata, who was also at the E3 convention, but "Nintendo is not trying to compete with merely the next generation. Instead we want to provide completely different experiences. What we want to provide you is not something that is simply a linear extension of current high-end gaming. But rather we will provide you with something brand new, something unprecedented."

    It's no easy feat to make extremely complex technology feel as basic and straightforward as picking up a tennis racket or golf club. And it may be just as hard to excite a die-hard audience accustomed to the loudest bells and whistles. But it may be hardest of all to convince nongamers that they won't feel like geeks if they pick up a game controller. For Nintendo, however, the dream is that there is a huge untapped audience sitting out there that is ready to stop watching and start playing."
    • GWoods, on 10/12/2007, -46/+11What was the point of that post? Kinda redundant, don't ya think?
    • ummagummas08, on 10/12/2007, -46/+13..yea for real, thanks for taking up like a whole freaking page and making me scroll ALL the way down here to tell you how lame that was.
    • oblivinated, on 10/12/2007, -4/+33He's just trying to make everyone's day a little easier. The article requires a username and a password, and he just wanted to help bypass that.
    • Xinex, on 10/12/2007, -5/+20He did that so people who didn't feel like paying for a subscription could read the article. It's actually amazingly helpful if you stop to think about it.
    • ummagummas08, on 10/12/2007, -8/+7it worked just fine for me.. maybe thats why i dont see the point
    • wylddog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10i thought it was damn helpful myself too since i cant be bothered to sign up
    • tybris, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Thank you for posting that. I hope we won't see more of these password protected links.
    • pinnette, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I appreciate this post, but it would be nice if people would not link direct to new york times or other sites that pull this registration crap. There aren't many and usually direct links are the best but in a case like the new york times, go ahead and post to a mirror or put it on a blog.
    • zedj, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1U got that from bugmenot.com didn't u?
    • johndi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I appreciate the distaste for about sites that have registration requirements, but when I posted the link it was not protected. I even cleared my cookies to verify that. I see that it is now. Before doing that I had also searched IHT (their international paper that doesn't ask for passwords). Sorry about that, but at least it doesn't require a subscription like New Scientist.
  • m99stump, on 07/29/2008, -6/+10I don't know. I'm not convinced on this "simplicity". I don't want games to just be so trivial they run out of fun after an hour of playing it. I do not hold much faith in Wii Sports having much longevity. Also, in spite of the terrible slump of the modern movie industry, I'm very excited about consoles coming to the point where they can truly bring narrative and presentation to a new level.

    And both 360 and PS3 will have simpler online downloadable games (xbox live arcade). I'm just afraid of 3rd parties having little imagination when it comes to Wii and they just get very watered down ports of games. Nintendo's recently "mass-market" games like brainage etc... really don't interest me much either, and I love my DS. I don't want Wii to just be that... and I don't want to just be replaying my GameCube either.
    • magus_melchior, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4You know, no one's stopping you from getting something more challenging or complex than Wii Sports. What I like about the new system is that they've accommodated the controls for the more complex games that I can get lost in (in a good way), while having games available that won't overwhelm my mother.

      That, and I can finally play an FPS on a console without tearing out my teeth over aiming the gun with an analog stick.

      Speaking of downloadable games, if you've ever played the old 8-bit or 16-bit Nintendo titles, there's always the Virtual Console.
    • Chordonblue, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Back in the 'good ol days' almost anyone could get a grasp on a game. Mastering it was, of course, a different story. I don't think I got wise to this until my own 3 year old autistic son expressed a lot of interest in playing games. The trouble was, he would get extremely frustrated by the controls. Even the Gamecube had very few games he could pick up. He loved the looks of Mario but couldn't quite get the idea of the 3D environment.

      Ultimately, I got back out my old Atari 2600 (and easier joysticks - Slik Sticks), and he just LOVED it! Sure, the graphics on my PC or the GC were a lot more rockin', but he could PLAY Ms. Pac Man and Millipede. I'm really excited about the Wii, and I think it does represent a new dynamic in gaming.

      My boy's 8 now and is having a blast with our 360, but when I showed him the Wii online he was really excited about it. I think Nintendo is going to surprise a LOT of people (probably not US, but a lot of analysts...)
    • johndi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I'm fairly certain that the Nintendo Wii will be able to support both simple and complex games. It's backwards compatible so it can use the Gamecube controllers. I suspect Nintendo is hedging their bet just in case the new controller doesn't pan out. If allowed some developers would let the gamer choose which controller they prefer.
    • cymatics, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I'm sure there will be narrative games on it too, but I reckon the industry has been a lot worse off for not allowing companies to invest in pure, simple games. An extremely well made pure game (like Robotron or Pac Man) is something you will always find yourself coming back to.

      Add on a controller that (in theory) allows for far more detailed control than anything we've seen before, and I'm hoping we're getting something really special.
    • Rayonic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3The impression I got from E3 articles was that the more advanced Wii games -- like Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda, Red Steel, and Madden Wii -- were just as complicated to control as other similar games.

      In Super Mario Galaxy, for example, you control a pointer on the screen with your right hand, while you move Mario with the left nunchuck joystick. That right there requires significant coordination (for a non-gamer). Add in the buttons, and whatever moves/gestures you have to remember, and you've got a modestly complex control scheme (again, from a non-gamer's perspective). It might be on par with Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine.

      Sure, the more simplistic games (ones that only use the Wiimote) might be super-accessible to the non-gamer crowd. But those aren't the games Nintendo fans are drooling over.
  • shinkaide, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5"...you have all these other games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on the show floor, but they're pretty much what we've seen before, just with prettier graphics. But Wii is a totally new experience."

    Keyword: "Experience".

    Without actually being immersed in the gaming experience and "feeling it", your enjoyment of the game is quite diminished. So if it's the same-old same-old, for how long will any gamer want to keep doing that? Innovation - along with keeping things simple at the same time - is the way to go.
  • G33k0ft3chz, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2I'm agreeing with Jeffbax , I mean Sure it is Innovative for a few minutes..but Most 3rd party Developers will probably Make the game Gimmicky!

    But We've all known about that Nintendo Will make the Wii easier for Non-gamers and Gamers Alike since what Tokyo Game Show 05 where they Unveiled the Controller? Not really New News.

    I'm planning on getting all Three consoles, I have the 360 now..but I'm going to wait for the PS3 price to drop before I get it. And guess what If I only get the 360 and Wii..It has the Gyroscope in the Wii controller *PS3 controller* and the Graphics of the 360.Which the PS3 will have basically the same..So Not really New News.
    • phuture84, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6gimmicky? is this not the anti-ds slogan all over again? since then ALL of the ds's features have been used in good ways (under the knife being a good example where the touch screen is used in a great way). Let's wait and see how the games use the features of the wii before we start calling it a gimmick.
    • fredinator, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I love the ds for fps games. Sure it has (much) worse graphics than the psp, but better controls.The wii will be the same.
    • Teh_Psyren, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2What's up with your capitalisation?

      The Wii has a motion sensor whereas the PS3 will only have a 6-way tilt sensor; which is not quite as good in comparison. There are no gyroscopes in any of the controllers as far as I'm aware.
  • Mujklob, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3I can't wait for the Wii. Wii will, wii will rock you. It's time for Nintendo to get serious again. They've completely surprised me in almost every way possible with this console. The creativity, the innovation, the name change, it all sounds great. Perhaps this will even break my idea of a favourite console, the one I grew up on, SNES. Very innovative for it's day and age, great classics which are still fun to play in this day and age. The price is nicely set. Although the console will probably lack hardware, it doesn't change my opinion the least bit, I play games, not graphics.
  • crimsonalucard, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4I don't understand why ninetendo always wants to design games in a certain way. First their strategy was just to design cutesy and kiddish (but good) games, now they want to focus on making games that are freakishly simple? come on.

    When will they get it through their heads? Games are like movies. As long as it's good, anything goes.
    • Inferny, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Yeah, i agree that if it is good, anything goes. However, if it's too complex, you loose most of the audience. By keeping it simple, you reach more people.
      EG:
      You put someone down in front of pac-man, they haven't played it before, like it says in the article, they figure out how to play in a few seconds, and they play game game, having fun. Put someone who hasn't played a PS2 in front of one, and they will take several minutes to learn how to play, get frustrated because the system is to hard to control. Then walk off going $%$#%*(#$*%#$@*^&%$#*%#$&*% STUPID GAME!
    • Chordonblue, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Nintendo is simply trying to broaden their audience. They know that most hard core gamers are gonna go the PS3/360 route, so why try to compete with that? They also know that there is a vast, untapped market of non-gamers.

      Again, just because a game appears to be simple to learn doesn't mean it's simple to master. Looking back on past game blockbusters games like Pac Man, Centipede, Donkey Kong, and Dig/Dug, you know they only had a single joystick and a button. Sure, getting past the first level or two in Pac was easy, but it got progressively harder. Not harder to learn or get into, just more challenging.

      My brother - pretty much a non-gamer, but a BIG fan of Ms. Pac Man once told me that if a game had more than one button he was automatically turned off by it. I used to think he was the unusual one, now I'm not so sure.
  • Paintwiz, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4I appreciate Nintendo's creativity and design, but I wish they would concentrate less on consoles and more on the games themselves. The Wii is very interesting , it seems almost custom made for FPS's, and will likely be bought up very quick, but I can't see it being a long running favorite. I would rather spend 500-600 dollars on a PS3 than get a Wii and have a couple of good games, but nothing good after that. Its nice that they are thinking up new ways to play games, but I still wont buy it.
    • OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2I think one HUGE flaw in Nintendo's plan is that the controller they have bet everything on can be easily reproduced on other systems, including PCs. Nintendo could lose overnight the one thing that really made the Wii stand out.

      I think right now developers are waiting around to see how successful the controller will be. But I have no doubt Sony and MS already have their own versions on the drawing boards, just in case.
    • bash, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@OBKenobi: It's actually a lot harder then you think. Sony and Microsoft have two options:

      1) They can add support from the ground up. The PS3 and XBox 360 would have to redesign their consoles (which requires a lot of tweaking with the controller system), recall the consoles they already made, send out new dev-kits, WAIT for the new games to come out, and expect to win while Nintendo eats their lunch.

      2) They can add support via an add-on, which is what I think you had in mind. But add-ons are never popular, and developers won't write code for an add-on that is simply optional, or bear the costs for distributing the add-on itself.
  • RomieZ, on 10/12/2007, -11/+3Did not RTFA..I like cheese.
  • t3rr0rz, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Personally i see Nintendo as a company that targets children more then anything thats why they make it simple
    • beesforbreath, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I take it you haven't read Wii's mission statement?

      http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/nintendo-revolution-renamed-wii-170058.php
    • kirameki, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I've read it and it didn't impress me overmuch. Until they start showing more games that appeal to me on a personal level their mission statement means little. I don't care what their goals are, all I care about is their games. They had very few games that interested me enough to purchase the gamecube, which is why I had to trade in my N64 for a PS2 instead. However, Zelda: Twilight Princess is a step in the right direction. I'm going to wait awhile and see. If they release more games like that I'll consider buying. Even so, I doubt it'll be my main console of choice. I might pick one up for my mom though. She used to love Atari but doesn't have the time or inclination to get into the more epic games I enjoy. I kinda miss playing Mario Kart with her. Ah, Good times.
  • vspazv, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1As long as it works better than the power glove I'm buying one.
  • poipoipoi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3i'm a PC gamer. Xbox and PS2 controllers intimidate & frustrate me. I can imagine trying a Wii, but I'm worried the magic wand-stick-thing they designed is gonna tire my arms out after 5 minutes of play, too.
    • Chordonblue, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3It will be VERY interesting how MS decides to 'even the odds' between their PC and 360 versions of the games. For instance, when Halo III comes out for the PC and 360, how will they deal with the fact that a PC owner will simply CREAM anyone with a stick. I figure they'll let you cheat more on the console by introducing a certain amount of auto-aim.

      As much as I love my 360, I HATE playing FPS on anything but a PC and a decent mouse. MS, if you are listening - MOUSE support for the 360 please!
    • magus_melchior, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I'm sure they'll let you calibrate the sensitivity of the remote like a mouse; young kids can then swing it all they like, and older folks won't have to throw a shoulder out or let their arthritis get in the way (or whatever).

      Erm, not to say that you're prone to injury or arthritis, mind you...
  • christoscamaro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I owned a NES, SNES, and loved Nintendo.

    The Wii has gotten me excited about Nintendo for the first time since... well, as I previously stated. All I've seen are mediorce games so far though.

    Sure, throwing a football with the controller might be fun, but I hate sports and don't want to thow a virtual football. Or swat virtuial flys.

    I watched the Wii Zelda video and thought it could be pretty fun. Really fun actually, if I could mad-whip off arrows like Legolas in the Lord of the Rings series. Who wouldn't want to do this? I don't want to point a controller at the screen, pull back the other controller and wait for it to acknowledge i've pulled it back, and then aim and push a button to release it.

    The Power Glove wasn't a Nintendo product, but still, it sucked. It was slow and horrible in responsiveness.

    If the Wii's controller can go ape on speedy input, and we have games that are more than "table tennis" and "boring" then I am totally sold.
    • m00nstone, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1So true. E3 got me excited about the Wii. Now that the dust has settled and I've had some time to think about it... I don't see where it's coming from, but I have a feeling I know where it will be going...
  • moussam, on 10/12/2007, -9/+0the wii is merely a gamecube on a small cycle of roids,and a sad attempt at a next gen console.
    • magus_melchior, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Is putting out such a "FLAME ME NOW' comment the entirety of your existence?

      No, seriously, both of these are sad attempts at fanboyism.
  • ThisIsJames, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1okay, where to start
    1) Not every Wii game will be simple. They will have simple games to attract new customers, and have complicated games (metroid, zelda, etc.) to keep the core
    2) The PS3 controller has a gyroscope, but the Wii has a gyroscope AND 3d tracking
    3) You probably won't get tired from playing the Wii (had to avoid Wii joke). If you watched the Wii's tennis demo, you would of seen that one person swung his arms big and the other just flicked his wrist around. If moving your wrist slightly every few seconds is too much...
    • Inferny, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21) True, however, due to lack of buttons on the wiimote( not some of the ad dons tho) those more complex games will be more related to physical actions, not pushing of certain buttons in a certain sequence, for example.)
      2)No complaints there, except usage seems to be a bit of a ad don for the PS3, while for the Wii, it is central to game play.
      3) The person flicking their wrists... well.... Would hit the ball alot slower, using your tennis comparison. The wiimote tracks in 3d, and detects how much you move it, so my big swing would hit the ball ALOT faster than Mr-wimpy wrists.

      If you don't beleive me, check out http://www.gamearena.com.au/news/read/3643427

      "Allowing for full extension of our arms with wild swings of the virtual racket, the game responded accordingly, dishing out precise hits and ball placement. With our wild swinging we sped the game up immeasurably, showing all the suckers behind us how to play"
    • Daedalus81, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Uhh you can still use the gamecube controller..
    • grimzentide, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@Daedalus81 - Thats because the Wii is a Gamecube with a wireless remote. Thats all.
    • gunmod, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1You think Zelda or Metroid is "complicated" ?
      Jeez... Whats your IQ, 50 ?

      and grimzentide, your 100% correct :)
  • generalleoff, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Granny like most old people is going to have a heart attack waving the controller around playing tennis.

    I don't understand how Nintendo feels they can simplify gaming. I mean how much more simple can you get then the tried and true method of holding a controller and pressing a button at the proper time? If you now have to move the controller around while pressing the buttons it is more complicated not less complicated. At least lazy kids that forgot the joys of going outside and riding a bike or tossing/kicking a football around will get a little exercises.

    The new controls are a welcome change but I feel the ideas will be used up after the first year like the DS touch screen was. You can only move a cursor around the screen so many ways. One impression I got from all the E3 demos was it looked fun but the game play between most of the games was pretty identical.
    • Etheo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Don't forget that Nintendo's DS and Wii are still relatively new adapted technology in gaming. It's true that some games might seem identical in their touch screen application, but developers are still testing and exploring the possibilities the touch screen is giving. The way I see it, give it 2 to 3 years, and there will be at least a few more games that'd utilize the touch screen / Wiimote to their fuller extent. Either that or developers will give up on exploring, and turn back to traditional designs. However, I'd say the Wiimote offer unlimited possibilities, since the touch screen is limited in 2D, whereas the Wiimote is maneuvered in 3D.
  • mobbydick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2From the article:
    "But it may be hardest of all to convince nongamers that they won't feel like geeks if they pick up a game controller."

    LOL
  • Shironeko, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0After what I've seen at E3 I'll definitely buy a Wii the day it launches. Not only the price is low (200€), but also the new controller promises lots of fun! And many third parties are developing games for Wii... Now even rockstar!

    Inferny said that the wii has too less buttons. But did you ask yourself why?
    By including only a very few buttons nintendo has forced, and forces the third parties to use the motion sensor. If he had made the Wiimote with more buttons the third parties could have been lazy and use the sensor only a bit or not at all.
  • Ignitedude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Wii Stores Personal Character Profiles.

    http://sickr.wordpress.com/2006/06/03/wii-stores-character-profiles/
  • Etheo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I'm glad to see Nintendo's keeping it simple, as this will largely involve alot more people who get turned off by the learning curves required by more complex games. A friend of mine who's only 22 (still young) is unbelievably avoidant of learning the new and complex controls required by each games. I kept convincing him to have a few go with me, but he kept saying how it's hard to learn the controls and is simply not interested. Although eventually he did get on with a few games, it took lots of time and convincing.

    The trend I see, is that developers are aiming to include alot of elements in a game that the player can control. Not that it's a bad thing, but just learning how to play a game could be frustrating already, which would easily turn off those who simply want to relax and enjoy a quick game. Sure complexity served the hardcore gamers well, but simplicity will surely keep the balance and do well to not forget those who had less time to invest in gaming.
  • mutantmagnet, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2The article stated what I thought was obvious. As I sat through the E3 demonstration I was thinking of geting Wiisports as a party game but then I eventually noticed you didn't control the characters movements and that turned me off completely.

    It was then I understood Ninty's strategy of making really simple games to grab back the attention of gamers who refuse to play anything harder than Hearts, Minesweper and Runescape. LAter on it eventually dawned on me that this was counterproductive to Nintendo because there are going to be two ways people new to to the Wii will be exposed to it. By Nintendo's advertsiing campaign and by people who play on consoles already. Growing up with consoles we'll mostly want games with more advanced game mechanics and will end up introducing on average the more complex games to anyone we come into contact with.

    So I sent a letter to Ninty suggesting that they and their various developers should design games with varying levels of difficulty in control schemes.

    The less stressful control scheme would be for the new market Nintendo wants to get into. The next level of control scheme would be more acceptable to the current crop of players. The third control scheme would be for the most players who thrive off the most intensive game control functionality available. The fourth control scheme would be allow anyone to customize their controllers and provide support for those who want to experiment with dual wielding Wiimotes only and not a Wii mote with Nunchunku attachment because while both wiimotes like the analog stick of the nunchunku they have 3-4 times the buttons and additional motion sensing input.


    With support for varyng control schemes Ninty causes less friction between merging the two different gaming cultures.
  • mutantmagnet, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2

    The one thing this article missed out on is that Microsoft has the exact same goals as Nintendo but a completely different strategy. It was two articles posted already on digg that explained it.

    Essentially in one article MS doesn't believe the Wiimote makes sense as a medium to attract the gamers who stayed away from consoles as they became harder to use and games like the FPS, RTS genres on the PC because of their even greater or equal complexity.

    In the other article MS states that LiveAnywhere is their medium to bring together gamers. Cellphones have become a fashion accessory to people just as much as a tool. The PC is simply a must have for any house. A console doesn't have such a wide appeal.

    But with Liveanywhere even if people don't buy an XBox 360 initially they can interact with the gaming community through the more common pieces of hardware they own.

    If their experiences with the Xbox community are good (Halo community notwithstanding :p) then they'll buy an Xbox. Overtime this should allow such people to appreciate the 360 not only as a gaming platform but also as a multimedia center.

    I personally have issues with those articles.
    In the first article the MS staff completely misses the real reasons why the Wiimote might take off with non-console gamers. Designing the controller like a tv remote makes it more appealing and less intimdating to use. The Wimote iteslef use as few buttons as possible to further increase the appeal and decrease the threatening nature of current game controls. Lastly a good portion of the games Nity will offer will be simple.

    Luckily for MS they have Live Arcade which will provide a huge lineup of simple games people can play but the problem with the classic games is the lack of coop support which highlights the problem with the second article.

    The majority of MS games aren't going to be easy to play. And from what I understand of LiveAnywhere so far they won't support the ability to actually play Xbox games on cellphones(which cuts out part of the gaming community they are trying to attract) but considering how powerful xbox games are who can blame them for that.
    But the bigger issue is that the lack of simple coop games that can be played between pc and xbox users is practically nonexistent.
    Maybe the pc gamers who stayed away from complex games before might be drawn in by Live Anywhere but MS isn't making it easy for them to really get into the games.
  • akatsuki, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0I think the whole Wii thing could be great, but frankly they need to have more interesting games to adult players. Just looking at the trailers for Assassin's Creed for PS3 or some of the Xbox games makes me want those systems.

    As is, I may purchase a Wii and 360 rather than a PS3, but I would love not have to buy the 360 either.
  • cooltom2006, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Don't know why its got so many diggs because everyone already knows that Nintendo will make it simple
  • JAGUART, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Back in the days of the birth of console gaming, we only played simplistic console games because THAT'S ALL WE HAD. What we really yearned for was the sophistication that PC gaming has to offer. I can't understand this fascination with console gaming anymore than someone who would be satisfied with eating tuna fish everyday.
  • GeneralSun, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Idiocy, PC games such as Half Life 2 couldn't get any simpler. Point and shoot, doesn't take a math genius to figure it out. This article was written by someone who clearly jumped aboard the wii hype wagon, simple games are all over the place, he makes it sound like Nintendo invented them.
    • pdiddle, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Actually I know several people including family members who can't get used to using a mouse & keyboard. Sure that may be weird for you to hear but people don't like these interfaces if they don't use a PC often. Like, ooooh, a HUGE percentage of potential customers out there. And this is just one side to their target audience, attract new people and still provide immersive games for the rest of us, ala. SSBB, Zelda, Metroid, Red Steel (possibly good), Mario Galaxy etc. And you can't get these gaming experiences on a PC.
    • Daedalus81, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2WASD, 1-5, Space, Ctrl, Left click, Right click, Q, E, R, F, C, Shift

      That isn't simplicity. The Wiimote is point and click. Get it straight.
  • antdude, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Non-registration link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/arts/04schi.html?ex=1307073600&en=e049c85728a86b66&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
  • m00nstone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3At what point did people get so confused into thinking that the Nintendo strategy wreaks of symplicity. Show the new controller to the non-gaming demographic and watch them cringe. When did the Nanchuck wiimote ever present itself as simple!?!

    I've been a gamer since the 70s. Even I scratched my head when I first saw that controller.
  • spidoman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1But when will it be available for pre-order?!
  • DeadsideLegion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't find modern games to be complex at all. I do, however, find Nintendo to be full of raving *****. Nevermind that all the buttons are there because Nintendo kept adding more and more of them in the first place.

    Sorry, but I don't buy Nintendo's lies. If more than 5 buttons confuses you, too bad. Leave game systems bought by game players ALONE! But this is a company who wants to sell to non-games. In other words, "We're Nintendo and if you like video games, ***** YOU!"
    • gunmod, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Amen DeadsideLegion.
      If your too stupid to use an XBOX or PS2 control then your too stupid to play games anyway.
      Go watch the laundry spin for entertainment or something but leave the gaming market
      to people who like realism and CHALLENGE in their games.
      Oooh Zelda.. Tough games.. Kill bad guys, collect coins, rescue girl.
      Mario.. kill bad guys, collect coins, save girl.
      See a trend?
      Nintendo makes crap games that a 10 year old would like, but any of you over 15 can sit there and tell me that you would play Mario Kart for more than 4 hours is full of ***** or on Xanax when your playing.
      Over the last 10 years I have seen a steady decline in human intelligence and this Wii Wonder Love is just my proof in the pudding. Hell any of your Remember "Janes Military" games? Your fly like an F-15, 500 page manual, took weeks to learn. That was fun as hell, not only did I learn something new and interesting, but I had fun doing it.
      Hitting jump, collect coin, hit jump again is fun for 10 seconds.
      I guarantee you, 100% right now, that after the initial orgy fest of the release of the Wii most of you will be going.. "what the ***** did I buy this for?" After 2 or 3 days of playing this cartoony, simple games you will long for more stimulation and something to engross your mind.
      I have a 15 year old sister (I'm 33 BTW) and she got a Gamecube for Christmas 2 years ago. She played it TWICE. Guess what she plays now? Age of Empires 2 on her Mom's PC. And she is the typical ditsy 15 year old girl and even she found the Gamecube games too childish.


  • sam10685, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i don't think it will be any less better than the cube but i do think it will be awesome!
  • kilodelta, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1when did it become bad for those of us that WANT their games to take advantage of 10+ buttons?
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