Why Nintendo?

wow

you guys must be young to mention the Sega Megadrive/Gensis system and not remember the real battle


Nintendo Famicon/NES v Sega SG-1000 Mark II/Sega Master System (SMS) ;)

The Super Famicon/SNES v Sega Genisis

as for the Nintendo's "Gimmick" with the Wii

Have you guys been living under a rock?

The Nintendo Power Glove anyone??
no?

how about the

Robotic Operating Buddy??

or

U-Force

Nintendo has always brought this cool gadgets to the table. Back then it didn't work to well. I bet no with UFC and boxing beeing what it is......... ;)
 
prtzlboy said:
I skipped the n64 and only recently picked up a cube to play eternal darkness and re4.
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wow I remember playing eternal darkness!!!! that game was amazing!! good call man.
 
it just seems to me that most people would consider a ddr pad being a "gimmick" when it was first released... but look what happened to that. That was basically derived from the power-pad IMO.
 
figgie said:
wow

you guys must be young to mention the Sega Megadrive/Gensis system and not remember the real battle


Nintendo Famicon/NES v Sega SG-1000 Mark II/Sega Master System (SMS) ;)

The Super Famicon/SNES v Sega Genisis

as for the Nintendo's "Gimmick" with the Wii

Have you guys been living under a rock?

The Nintendo Power Glove anyone??
no?

how about the

Robotic Operating Buddy??

or

U-Force

Nintendo has always brought this cool gadgets to the table. Back then it didn't work to well. I bet no with UFC and boxing beeing what it is......... ;)
Click to expand...

But now the 'gimmick' is integral to the playing experience. ;)

I don't even know how the Master System and NES was a 'real' battle, didn't the NES trash the SMS, lol. Plus, Genesis/SNES days brought the ads about blast processing, "Genesis does what Nintendon't," the ice cream truck commercials. :D

As for U-Force - ever used one? Did you want to saw your arms off after the fatigue set in? And on that matter - remember the Genesis octagon? Dance your dance of shame in the octagon.
 
BillLeeLee said:
But now the 'gimmick' is integral to the playing experience. ;)

I don't even know how the Master System and NES was a 'real' battle, didn't the NES trash the SMS. :p

As for U-Force - ever used one? Did you want to saw your arms off after the fatigue set in? And on that matter - remember the Genesis octagon? Dance your dance of shame in the octagon.
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well of course i remember the U-force..

at the same time have you gone to the Arcade? Instead of reading your hand now the Coin-ops read your entire BODY. Duck, move, punch punch... lol feels like super punch out ;)

and yes I remember that Gen Octagon..........the REAL DDR!! ;)
 
BillLeeLee said:
And on that matter - remember the Genesis octagon? Dance your dance of shame in the octagon.
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Ah yes, the octagon. I never actually saw one in person, but it was pretty obviously a horrible idea.
 
what about this, forget gimmik forget innovation, what do you like and enjoy, that is all that matters, unless of course your in the industry and being paid to do it. :D
 
Tigerblade said:
Serious question.

I've always wondered why the American gaming market loves Nintendo. Bar the N64 (which was poor bar KI Gold and yes I did own Mario64....boring) they have always been behind in tech and always looked at, how can I say......gimmicks, to sell a machine.

I mean who in their right mind would purchase a NES over a Megadrive/Genesis? That's the sort of thing I just plain don't get, but it all seems to be starting again over Wii. Please don't give me crap about 'innovation'......I've been able to pick up a tennis racket/boxing gloves for a number of years now and do these things.

Do Nintendo now expect they have to fill the niche market and heavily rely on on these gimmicks to get a decent market share?

Totally serious thread and I'd like to hear why ppl like the fallen giant so much. For what it's worth I know 0 amount of ppl that are buying the machine, yet the same ppl are lapping up 360/wanting PS3.
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I really don't see why you would care?

you buy what you like.. or think you'll like...

I'm trying to get a wii (it's sold out all around here).. just cause it looks like plain good ole' fun.. plain and simple.. I like graphics.. but whatever... i don't care that much for them.. I get my graphics from my PC anyway...

a nicer looking game isn't always a better game, and obviously a crappy looking game isn't always a good game either.. I'm sure this has all been sid in previous posts

that's not to say.. that graphics aren't important.. they just aren't AS important to me..
 
Tigerblade said:
Please don't give me crap about 'innovation'......I've been able to pick up a tennis racket/boxing gloves for a number of years now and do these things.
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yeah, I completely understand. For AGES, I have been able to use my eyes and look outside. I really don't get why people are making computer graphics that don't even look remotely close... pah! Why did people even bother making GPUs?
 
Astrogiblet said:
I didnt read the full thread, but I agree with the OP.

Hand sensing technology has been out for a while. For years you can walk into a walmart, meijer, etc. and play a game that just senses where your hand is. Kind of like what the Wii does with the wiimote.

They really didnt "innovate" at all, they just built off of something other companies have done for a while.. But somehow they gained massive popularity.
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Becuase they brought it into your home and availible for all the masses.........at a cheap price.
 
Astrogiblet said:
I didnt read the full thread, but I agree with the OP.

Hand sensing technology has been out for a while. For years you can walk into a walmart, meijer, etc. and play a game that just senses where your hand is. Kind of like what the Wii does with the wiimote.

They really didnt "innovate" at all, they just built off of something other companies have done for a while.. But somehow they gained massive popularity.
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please find me something older than the powerglove or the U-force as was avaialbe to Nintendo since early 1987 and I will concede. I am thinking you will be looking for quite a while ;)

So in reality they did Innovate.....they just updated the inovation with todays technology ;)
 
Simply put, people bought Nintendos because they liked what they provide. Those that didn't, didn't buy Nintendos.

Put Super Smash Bros on a PS2 and I'll buy it for the PS2. I don't give a @#^&! about the console at all beyond what the games are like on it.

This really isn't that hard to figure out. People want to play games so they go and play'em. There's no big console war except for the zealot fanatics picking a side. The rest just pick up whatever fun thing they can afford and play. Not just one console.
 
also, we must all not forget Nintendo's real innovative spirit.

Although the D-pad was basically used on the Intellivision it was larger, clumsy, and not as responsive at all. It was some metal contact push buttons under a plastic covering. There were a couple, no more, of other single game handhelds in the early 80s that had something like a D-pad, but nothing nearly as proficient as what Nintendo decided to use on the famicon/NES gamepad.

Nintendo took the plunge at that time, shrinking, changing, innovating what would eventually become the standard for control schemes of most if not all future consoles for the next 20 years.

Also, aside from flight sticks or controls of that sort, Nintendo was the first to successfully use an analog stick on their control. There were some different systems that Atari made that used ones... but they didn't self-center and had other problems. Sony eventually followed with two sticks of course.
 
figgie said:
please find me something older than the powerglove or the U-force as was avaialbe to Nintendo since early 1987 and I will concede. I am thinking you will be looking for quite a while ;)
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Pong :D
 
drizzt81 said:
yeah, I completely understand. For AGES, I have been able to use my eyes and look outside. I really don't get why people are making computer graphics that don't even look remotely close... pah! Why did people even bother making GPUs?
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Like OH MY GOSH, what have I been thinking all these years trying to get cooler video cards for my PC? Why did I never think of looking outside to see pretty things??!?!? This is amazing man, you could make like... money or something with that technique! :p
 
I see the idea of the Wii controller being a gimick. But how isn't it revolutionary? I mean, on the Wii it truely changes how one interacts with a console. I think it's a tad strange, but I'm getting old, and I play games on a PC. I understand that the PS3 has a motion controller of some sorts as well??

As far as the Wii keeping more lazy people inside because it's "exercise" is rediculous. But does not surprise me. That's like saying "Man, I got an awesome workout with DDR" Ok, an awesome workout in DDR is like the warmup I do to run 4 miles. But hey, it keeps them active :confused:
 
it's funny how you guys define innovated...

innovate doesn't mean yo uhave to invent some completly new Tech.. it just means you have to make something good with new or existing tech..

i don't know, speaking as an engineer .. when designing new amplifiers.. sure.. silicon transistors have existed since the 50's.. but people put them together in some very interesting and innovating way's that people never thought of before.. that's innovation in my book.. even though we've been using roughly the same technology that has been used for 50 years...

I just don't get the "wiimote uses existing tech.. so it's not innovating" arguement...

seriously.. who cares... bottom line.. they introduced a new way to play games.. no one else has done it.. even thought the tech has existed.. no one has done it... that's innovation.. the are trying to change the way games are played.. that is invention..

in my book.. innovation doesn't exclusively mean new technology..
 
RancidWAnnaRIot said:
it's funny how you guys define innovated...

innovate doesn't mean yo uhave to invent some completly new Tech.. it just means you have to make something good with new or existing tech..

i don't know, speaking as an engineer .. when designing new amplifiers.. sure.. silicon transistors have existed since the 50's.. but people put them together in some very interesting and innovating way's that people never thought of before.. that's innovation in my book.. even though we've been using roughly the same technology that has been used for 50 years...

I just don't get the "wiimote uses existing tech.. so it's not innovating" arguement...

seriously.. who cares... bottom line.. they introduced a new way to play games.. no one else has done it.. even thought the tech has existed.. no one has done it... that's innovation.. the are trying to change the way games are played.. that is invention..

in my book.. innovation doesn't exclusively mean new technology..
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This is what I thought as well....
 
RancidWAnnaRIot said:
it's funny how you guys define innovated...

innovate doesn't mean yo uhave to invent some completly new Tech.. it just means you have to make something good with new or existing tech..

i don't know, speaking as an engineer .. when designing new amplifiers.. sure.. silicon transistors have existed since the 50's.. but people put them together in some very interesting and innovating way's that people never thought of before.. that's innovation in my book.. even though we've been using roughly the same technology that has been used for 50 years...

I just don't get the "wiimote uses existing tech.. so it's not innovating" arguement...

seriously.. who cares... bottom line.. they introduced a new way to play games.. no one else has done it.. even thought the tech has existed.. no one has done it... that's innovation.. the are trying to change the way games are played.. that is invention..

in my book.. innovation doesn't exclusively mean new technology..
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that is not what I meant (curse the inet for not transfering that!!)

The Wii mote is not innovative in the sense of being new, or using old tech. What it is innovative about it is that it can be used as both STANDARD and motion senseing. No need to purchase seperate hardware. The tech was always there but they decided to move forward with it finally.
 
Nintendo has long had a history of trying to get people into the game, and let them interact with at a higher level than just tapping buttons on a controller. Sure, not all of them have been successful, but they've kept on trying because really, a controller is not a very immersive or intuitive way to interact with anything.

The Wii-mote isn't just something thrown out to dupe people into buying the product. Nintendo is really after changing the way people interact with games, and you know what? From all accounts, it's actually works. Sure, it may not be for everyone, but don't dump on it till you've given it a shot.

Nintendo made a relatively new and unconventional idea into something that works in a field where most are just in pursuit of the status quo. If that isn't innovation, I don't know what is.
 
Just to clear this up...

Main Entry: 1gim·mick
Pronunciation: 'gi-mik
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
1 a : a mechanical device for secretly and dishonestly controlling gambling apparatus b : an ingenious or novel mechanical device : GADGET
2 a : an important feature that is not immediately apparent : CATCH b : an ingenious and usually new scheme or angle.


Are all the "gimmick" spouter's even sure what they are calling it? :rolleyes:


Edit: Dammit, this is what i get for reading the thread backwards and posting before getting to the 2nd page :(
 
Honestly, WTF is a Megadrive?

I have played videogames for my entire life....

Pong, Atari, Intellivision, TRS80, Tandy, Apple, Commodore 64 and 128, PC from 80286 through today, macintosh, NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, Gameboy original through DS, PS1, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, PSP, Xbox 360, and most recently Wii.

Yet despite all this I never recall hearing of Megadrive.... Perhaps that's why it didn't do so well.
 
That more than likely is why it didn't do so well, I've never heard of the megadrive either. I've played a lot too when I was kid, had NES, Game Gear, and I thought the genesis was the first thing Sega ever had.... Perhaps that was the breakthrough?
 
cieje said:
sega's system before genesis. It's also basically the same as the Game Gear.
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No, Sega Mega Drive = Sega Genesis.

They used the name Genesis in the U.S. and Mega Drive in (most of) the rest of the world.
 
I alwys found it odd how the genesis had a head phone jack with volume controller on it... i wonder what was their motivation for that..

i never knew anyone that used the thing...
 
MonkeyShave said:
No, Sega Mega Drive = Sega Genesis.

They used the name Genesis in the U.S. and Mega Drive in (most of) the rest of the world.
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Ok, I feel like an idiot now.... Anyone remember the special cartridge you put in that thing, and then you could use these other games like DOOM. I remember that being so cool, and DOOM I thought was better than on SNES. Still best on my 486 though....
 
FlatLine84 said:
Ok, I feel like an idiot now.... Anyone remember the special cartridge you put in that thing, and then you could use these other games like DOOM. I remember that being so cool, and DOOM I thought was better than on SNES. Still best on my 486 though....
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the 32x adapter. it was dumb haha.
 
arentol said:
Honestly, WTF is a Megadrive?

I have played videogames for my entire life....
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Oh dear God.....

Megadrive is what Sega called their 16-bit console in Japan and the rest of the world. You know, the same Sega that is a Japenese company. It's name was only changed in the US for some strange reason......

I know it's already been explained but......

I despair sometimes.
 
cieje said:
the 32x adapter. it was dumb haha.
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Was it the 32x adapter?? This thing sat on top of the machine. Anyways, I thought it was cool at the time, my friend got it for his b-day along with DOOM. That's the only game he ever got for it... I guess that's why it's dumb.
 
BillLeeLee said:
The add-ons to the Sega were poorly thought out at best. It was like having three consoles.

Flatline:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/32x
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Holy crap, it is! That thing looks foolish now.

Edit: I had to add this.... "The combined unit was also very prone to tipping over, risking damage to the unit and games. In addition to the physical problems, there was also an issue with FCC approval."
 
hardwarephreak said:
Just because Nintendo took existing tech and formed it into an extremely fun package doesn't make it any less innovative. And doing something right the first time, when it has been done wrong so many times before, makes you successfull.



You have to be $hittin me right? You are complaining that a full motion sensing remote isn't innovative, yet the fact that a console can be oriented vertically is????

The fact that you are from the UK means that you haven't even played a Nintendo Wii...so you are basing your comments on released videos and reviews. I would like to see your comments once you had a chance to spend sometime with one, that is if you are open minded enough to enjoy something that you have spent a good bit of time talking down about.
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Hahahah! Excellent observation.
 
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