 |
Okay, first let me start by saying that I am NOT going to condemn Nintendo yet because I haven't tried the controller. But my initial reaction is, like many people, WTF?!?!?!
 Nintendo is fighing an uphill battle. They want to push creativity, they want to push new gaming experiences. The problem is that they may be pushing away third party developers. The more they stray from the norm the more expensive it becomes for third party developers to create games for them.
Here's an example, lets say Namco wants to create the next Soul Calibur in the series. They sit down and have a meeting and decide which platforms to release it on. First they examine the costs involved in releasing the game for each system, then they sit down and determine the total sales they can expect from each platform. Compare the two numbers and decide if it's worth it.
Although the process is actually much more complex and involved than that, it still amounts to the same thing: the more diverse the challenges in bringing a game to a platform, the less likely it will be released on it. Most of the big publishers don't care about new gameplay experiences, and creativity only needs to extend as far as the box-shots and the ad campaign. If it takes an extra $50,000 just to get their game to work on the Nintendo controller, the game isn't going to happen.
But Nintendo has never been one to shy away from a fight. When everyone else moved to CD's they stuck to their guns on cartridges for the N64. Did it work for them? Not really, but they didn't buckle. They didn't put out a CD add-on, they forged ahead. With the proper developer support, and a strong commitment to their ideals, the Revolution could be a genuinely fun platform, or it could be the next Virtual Boy...
Am I going to buy the Revolution? Hell yes. I support creativity, and I love finding new ways to play. Am I going to feel like I wasted my money? Only time will tell.
|
|
