E3: System Overload
So all three major console manufacturers are unveiling their new systems. Microsoft is the only one who will go for winter 2005; Nintendo and Sony are releasing theirs in winter 2006, barring, of course, Nintendo's traditional delay. As Nintendo game design legend Shigeru Miyamoto says, "a delayed game is eventually good. A bad game is bad forever."
First I should state my biases: I am a Nintendo guy. I've never owned a non-Nintendo system, and really the only reason I still play videogames are Mario Kart, Zelda, and Mario. So I don't really care about the other systems, unless they're interesting.
So, my first interest is Nintendo. The new Nintendo machine, still code-named as Revolution, looks like this:
Now, apparently some Nintendo exec said back in the day that the Gamecube, their current system, is powerful enough for anything they want to do. Since Nintendo games are mostly cartoony anyway, that's probably good for them, but not as good for companies like Capcom that are trying to port over horror-style games like Resident Evil that depend on lifelike graphics. So one school of thought is that Nintendo is just releasing a new system because they have to if they want to stay competitive. Another school is that Nintendo needs a new system to implement innovations: they have led the way on updating controllers to include shoulder buttons and analog sticks, and we haven't seen their next controller yet. Also, with Revolution Nintendo will finally embrace online gaming, which is a highlight in itself, but the exciting corollary is that they're going to make their entire previous library available for download. So if you want to replay the original Mario Bros. or take on Harrison in Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball for SNES, you can do it. That's awesome.
Sony decided to throw caution to the wind and name their next system after their two other systems. The Playstation 3, due holiday 2006, looks like this:
Yes, that's the Spider-Man logo. Apparently the PS3 is 35 times more powerful than the PS2, and runs on like 8 different CPUs at once. Again, I don't play many PS2 games so I can't really comment on the library. That said, apparently for the game version of Spider-Man 3 they're just going to run the CGI from the Spider-Man 2 movie. Put another way, whatever advanced system that Sony Pictures was using to create the effects in Spider-Man 2 is about as powerful as the PS3. Yikes. Finally, I'm impressed they stuck with the same button layout on their controller. Does anyone think the two analog sticks should be where they are? You can screw that up once, but screw that up twice, and ... [awkward pause] ... I won't screw up again.
Microsoft announced the Xbox 360 on an MTV special last week with the Killers and Elijah Wood. Elijah Wood looks like this:
Yeah, I know, they all look like iMacs or laser printers. Take your pick. Microsoft plans on launching its flagship game, Halo 3, not with their system launch but with Sony's next system launch. Observers have speculated for some time that Nintendo will fall further and further back in third place in the US market, and sooner than later will have to exit the console business. (Sega did the same thing; they make games now but not systems.) This ignores Nintendo's impressive profit margin, but for the sake of wild speculation let's go for it. Nintendo and Microsoft are both based in Redmond, Washington, and supposedly at events like this week's E3 the Microsoft and Nintendo executives go get beers together and make jokes about Sony.
So how about this idea: Nintendo decides it's not worth it being a system behind on something every time around (last time it was online play, this time it's HDTV support) and sells out to Microsoft. Nintendo realizes that Microsoft consoles are well powerful enough to support whatever Zelda and Mario Kart iterations they want to go with, and if Microsoft's in a good mood they even let Nintendo design controllers, since that's what Nintendo's good at. Who goes wrong with this? Anyone? All I care about are Nintendo games; I'll go where they go. So let's see how the next couple of years go in the video game industry, then let's start the petition.