Gamecube Price Drop

[RurouniQ]

And dont get my started about the screen on the origional GBA.. They said that they used a crappy screen to keep costs down... but I really dont buy their shitty excuse. Think about the afterburner! The materials in the pacakge are worth about $2 (a replacement lighted screen sell for $1.50, and the resistor and wire cost a few cents)... And remember, this is a solution that hobbyest designed in their spare time.. How could Nintendo, with its leagues of professional hardware engineers not find a similar such solution?! I know why, because they suck ass.

It's not just simple back- or front-lighting that is on the GBASP. It's more complex than that. I mean, the Afterburner, and everything like it, doens't make the screen look near as good as the SP's screen does. It'd be more than a couple bucks per machine. Nintendo may be making a lot of errors, but they're not THAT stupid. At least, I hope not.

[Evilmagicpirate]

I realize the SP has other improvements over the GBA, such as battery life, size, the lack of headphone jack, etc.. and I agree with Nintendo hardware people when they say that the better batteries and stuff were not affordable 2 years ago, because it is true.. But the issue with the screen still seems a bit 'fishy' to me.. From an afterburner kit, there really is only a few dollars worth of material.. A peice of transparent reflective plastic ($2), and a LED or two (another $2), and misc wire, resistor and switch ($1). The rest of the cost comes with the special screw-driver, the packaging, and profits for the company..

Blah.. Im rambling..

Also, I like the way MS does it's exculsive titles.. I think it is brilliant and good for everybody.. I can imagine an conversation going something like this when developer X is deciding which console to bring its exclusive game to...

Developer 1: Well, how about the PS2, it has the biggest fan base, which ensure us lots of sales..
The Boss: Yes, that sounds like a good idea, lets go with that.
Developer 2: Wait, what about the Xbox, it has better hardware and Microsoft will give us a truck full of cash, and after 4 months we can release our exclusive to the other systems too!
The Boss: Yes, that sounds even better, lets go with that!
Developer 1: Wait, what about the Gamecube....
The Boss: What about the Gamecube?
Developer 1: Well, it....
(uncomfortable pause)
Developer 1: Zelda was a pretty good game...
(uncomfortable pause)
The Boss: So Xbox it is!

Long story short, Nintendo doesnt really have anything specail to offer developers.. and to make matters worse, Nintendo doesnt want 3rd parties either it seems.. WTF is their problem?

[RurouniQ]

I don't think it's that they don't want 3rd-parties... I think they're just stubborn and stuck in their ways. They're used to having things their way, and when that's taken away from them, they have a hard time adjusting. The era of the GC is a time of adjusting for Nintendo, of shifting from their old practices to the ones they're going to need to survive. Of course, if they don't make these changes, they're screwed, but most evidence points towards the fact that they're learning from their mistakes.

[BreakmanX]

Yeah, their learning from their mistakes. It's taken awhile, but I think they finally realize that they must do more than have good gameplay.

Its prolly kind of hard for them to swollow, too. I mean, they save the entire industry for the U.S. They invent many types of hardware and periphrials that have been used and copied by their competitors.

Is it time for Nintendo to start copying like the other companies? It just might be. They need to find out why they are losing, and fix it right there. I've come to believe it is not one thing. Not even a few big things. But, many small things that have added up over time, gradually pissing people off.

My Cube has still brought me the most fun of this generation. But, it seems that this generation sees the need for more. Game Systems are becoming more an entertainment center than game systems. People want them to play DVD's, rip their mp3's, and give them guidance in times of trial.

SEGA was always the crazy kid on the block. What, with its 32xs, SEGACDs, and Saturns. They had modem's for online play and all that, way before the others even thought about it. SEGA's looking for a buyer... And I think that this combination of crazyness, and conservativeness, might be just what Nintendo needs. SEGA was the first to embrace online console gaming.

Its prolly a crazy dream. But, it is a possible one. It was in the works once, but The New York Times got a hold of the story, and both companies immediately ceased talks.

Imagine SEGA building a sports network, online and off, with their far superior sports series. Casual gamers attention grabbed, biggity bam.

Hardcore gamers, mostly, have a pretty deep respect for SEGA. I even feel sorry for them. They tried to do so many things, they just forgot that they needed to sell them too.

Back to the DVD stuff, Storm Shadow at Penny-Arcade posted some interesting stuff on his latest episode of The Hook Up.

Sauron, I mean Sony, is backing Blu-Ray DVD which uses a blue laser (blue has a narrower beam than a red laser, and therefore manufacturers will be able to pack much more onto a disc.) and have already demonstrated the technology as viable for HD storage and playback. I think that Sony desperately wants to get in the DVD game, but plans to exclude Toshiba and the rest of the DVD consortium (yeah, they really call it that). This is why they went off on their own when they developed SACD, in order to guarantee a continued royalty revenue stream that they've enjoyed for the last twenty years. You do remember paying $18.99 for CD's right? Where do you think that money went?

Gandalf, I mean Toshiba, also backs an alternative blue laser technology, being one of the co-inventors of the original DVD, which includes the new DVD-Audio stuff that I love so much. Even if Toshiba doesn't join forces with little Frodo to power the next GameCube platform, (though I honestly doubt this), we may have a real fight on our hands.

Microsoft and Warner Home Video have been brewing a very powerful compression engine, so potent that they have demonstrated HD capable playback from older red-laser based discs. The Corona compression scheme will certainly benefit us in the near-term, giving us very efficient audio and video compression. The timing may be just right for the Xbox 2 to include that new technology, and challenge Sony's heir to the HD throne.

Its going to be a fight next gen, and someone will lose. Nintendo has already said that if they stop making hardware, they will leave the gaming industry.

They are the only company to announce plans for a next system, and they are definately looking towards the future. They now know their mistakes, and they are trying to fix them. If only the consumer will believe them. Ignorance is a tricky thing, especially when what they believe was at least partially true.

[Realm]

that penny arcade quote was very interesting. it almost makes me nervous, it feels like a big showdown is brewing in the console industry. like a climax. it's going to be fun to watch. i really hope nintendo can come out on top; they've done it before.

If only the consumer will believe them. Ignorance is a tricky thing

it's really scary how stupid the mass public is sometimes. i mean really, it's like what jack said:

RIGHT THEN...it doesn't matter who it is...the next line out of their mouth:

"Man, Gamecube is for kids....i don't want a console with a handle. And, it's purple." I tell them that it also comes in two other colors: Jet and Platinum, but they don't want to hear it

many people just don't care enough to find out the truth in a matter, they just feed off of what they've "heard" or what "they think" when they really don't know dick about it. and these are the ppl that MS, sony and nintendo are going to have to seduce in order to bring in the big bucks. MS knows the game well, and sony too, but i sure hope nintendo can pull it off.