Nintendo Press Conference (discussion and live stream)

I think a 249$ pricetag is decent in comparison with the others, however, with the system specs being considerably lower than the competition, the price should be 150$ or 200$ at the very most.
On another note, some of the WEEEEE games look really good but others look like cheap ass GC ports. WHY THE F$ck. I hate crap like that, its what makes public opinion about systems power falsely speculated. All because a lame ass company wants to make a cheap quick buck on a crappy last gen conversion. Examples: Pixars Cars, Excite Truck, Tony Hawk Downhill, DragonBall Z and the other disney games. Crap like that will ruin the Wii making the non-tech savy folk who don't understand the industry think that it is just a Cube with a new controller.
Games that actually look good: SSMB, Mario Galaxy, Madden 07, Red Steel, Metroid 3, and Sonic.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

ExciteTruck does not belong in the same sentence as Dragonball Z. The BIG DAMN TRUCK racer is shaping up to be the best over-the-top arcade racer since San Francisco Rush.

Yes, DBZ and Cars did look like complete rubbish. They're ported clown meat filler for the launch, every console has them. 'Sup GUN for Xbox 360, Ridge Racer for DS, other example here, RC Revenge for PS2.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

yea, well maybe the vids at IGN are just making excite truck look bad, but visually it just doesn't look like any better than what a GC can do. All systems have these crappy first gen games but for Nintendo, it is absolutly crucial that they show that 3rd partys can pump some decent visuals out of the system in order for them to compete with sony and microsoft's technical colossi. Because like it or not, visual upgrade in a next gen system along with innovation, is a very very important factor. Horsepower is not the only factor, but it IS an important factor.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Quote:

Hands-On: We get some playtime with the twenty years of gaming, thanks to the Virtual Console.

One of the most highly anticipated releases for the Nintendo Wii when it launches later this year is not, after all, a single game, but thousands. Nintendo’s Virtual Console system, along with its download service, will allow gamers to enjoy some of the great history of the industry, from every Nintendo console as well as the Sega Genesis and Turbografx-16. Nintendo had a tech demo off the system on-hand today at its E3 pavilion. The current system is still a prototype, and only a simple menu and four games were shown, with no particular price point announced and a final interface for the Virtual Console still in the works.

That said, the menu system currently in place is simple and sleek. Showing a picture of the console the game is from in the background, each game entry features its title and a short description. Once gamers select that game, the system shows a screen describing the basic control layout for the title and then jumps immediately into play. Load times were nominal, averaging just a couple seconds. Gamers can quickly and easily leave a current game and return to the menu system by simply pressing the Wii remote’s “Home” button. It is important to point out that doing this will end your game in the same way turning off the emulated systems did; in other words, gamers should not expect the action to freeze in the background infinitely as they search for other games and should be sure to save their progress in games before exiting.

On display today were four titles, Super Mario Bros. for the NES, Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64, Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega Genesis and Bonk’s Adventure for the Turbografx-16. Super Mario Bros. was exceptionally clear on the system, which has upconverted these classic titles to 480P video. Sonic the Hedgehog played at a framerate possibly higher than the original Genesis offered; for example, when losing a significant amount of rings, the Wii did not drop its framerate like the Genesis often did. Super Mario 64 looked just fine on the system, once again showing an appreciable difference in picture clarity from the upconvert to 480P.

However, the hardware and software is only half of the story. The new games are controlled via the Wii’s “Classic Controller” peripheral. The peripheral- the Classic actually is connected to the standard Wii remote via the same extension socket that the nunchuck uses- is similar in shape to the Super Nintendo’s controller and features a button layout reminiscent of Sony’s DualShock design. I found the button setup to be friendly and familiar for the most part, with only two potential issues. First, the joysticks are a little too close for someone with relatively large thumbs. I found myself often bashing my knuckles together when using both at the same time. This will be a major issue, because the second joystick replaces the Nintendo 64’s C-buttons, thereby promising a lot of dual-joystick action with games from that platform. Secondly, the Z button has been moved to the same shoulder side as the R-button, similar to the layout of the Gamecube’s controller. This doesn’t matter with NES/SNES/Gensis/Turbografx titles, but may pose an issue with Nintendo 64 titles. While I adapted quickly to the new scheme for Mario 64, games like Ocarina of Time and Goldeneye would be best served with a remapped control scheme, as the Z-button is inconvenient for titles like those that use it often.

Overall, the Virtual Console system results in impressive versatility from the beginning of the gaming industry on to the present. The games all benefit from the extra progressive scan support, and also seem to actually see some minor improvements in areas where the original hardware was not powerful enough to sustain the software. This should remain on every gamer’s list of reasons to own a Wii, as its potential is seemingly unlimited.

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What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

According to the press.nintendo.com website, the media:E32006 user/pass will be available until May 30. I downloaded the entire site (around 700 Mb.) and can upload it somewhere if needed. If the videos aren't needed I can strip a good 200 mb.+ out of it, so, tell me what do you need.

FELIPE NO

Quote:

and features a button layout reminiscent of Sony’s DualShock design.

Idiots.

The analogue stick placement is similar to the Dual Shock. The button layout is identical to the SNES controller's setup, which the Dual Shock then copied.
Last I checked, an analogue stick is not a set of buttons and it utterly confounds me why they'd acknowledge the shape of the pad, but fail to acknowledge who made the layout in the first place.

Goddamn misinformed "information". It's crap like this and the guy on the news talking excitedly what a revolutionary concept the Dual Shock 3's movement sensor is that pisses me off. IT'S NOT EVEN A MOVEMENT SENSOR, IT DOES NOT DETECT MOVEMENT YOU ASSMONKEYS.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Uhh, I'm a little worried about what they say regarding "upconverting". They say that Mario 64 was "upconverted" to 480p, but shouldn't it be playing 480p natively? It wouldn't make sense to render the game in 320x240 and then upconvert it to 640x480 when they could just run it at 640x480 to begin with. I hope they just didn't know quite what they were talking about.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I just had this underfull idea and I'm asking you guys if you know anything about it and what do you think too.

The Wii has Gamecube ports isn't it? That means you use the Gamecube controllers with it? That would kill half the pain of the Wii (sorry all but the classic Wii pad just found it's way to the 1st place of my most hated pads ever)

Also the Wii has USB ports too... does that mean I can use USB pads with it like... say... a XBox 360 USB pad or a Sidewinder? That would be utterly sweet (but unlikely)!!

Anyway, since the Wii can (probably) use GC pads wouldn't it be awsome if the game devs had an option to use the standard controler or the Wiimote? Like we have today button configuration (free button assignment), screen configuration (4:3/16:9) and sound configuration (mono/stereo/surround) wouldn't it be great if the had controler type configuration (classical/remote)?

That would definitely put me in the Wii bandwagon not only because Sonic Wildfire looks better than the 360 Sonic but also because it would show that Nintendo respects our choices regardless of their stand, a truly democratic console I say!!
And if you think about it...why not? Afterall isn't choice a good thing? The freedom to use whatever pad best fits you and your kind of game. At least that's what OpenSource™ dudes are always saying.


So what do you have to say to the guy (and gals if any)?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I figure this is the best place to put this.

Over at Joystiq (I know, I should just stop reading that site ) they've started to write off Nintendo's Wii, citing overheard conversations.

Quote:

Overheard at E3:

Gamer 1: So what do you think of Wii?

Gamer 2: I like it but I want to like it more.

This short snippet captures a sentiment that we're hearing more than just once on the show floor. There's a sense that people who are really rooting for Nintendo want to believe that this is the promised breakthrough that gamers have felt is necessary. In other words, we buy the argument that gaming must be kept fresh, but we may not be buying Nintendo's freshmaker.

Joystiq reader and contributor Darth Pixel (5 stars) concurred in his response to our post on Madden for Wii. He wrote, "You see, the gaming world is so desperate and sick of the direction gaming has taken during the past few years that every gamer and their dog hang onto any glimpse of a possibility of something different and new."

I don't know about you guys, but I agree with some of the comments posted inside the article. Like most of them are saying, people were skeptical about the DS and figured the PSP would trump it because it had better graphics.
Yet here we are today, with the DS leading the handheld market and flooded with great games, while the PSP has a handful of original stuff and the rest all ports of PS2 games gone awry.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Just thought of something else - with Opera as the web browser for the Wii, we should be able to use "mouse gestures" by moving the Wii controller. :ninja:

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

SUPER MARIO GALAXY NOT MAKING Wii's LAUNCH

I thought I heard it was gonna be a launch title but sadly, they announced today that it wasn't gonna make the launch. But it'll supposedly arrive in the six months window of the launch.

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A bit sad, really... I would soooo have bought Wii if Mario was a launch title. Sure, we (pun intended) still have Metroid Prime 3 (Oh yeah, and Zelda too), but other than that I really haven't seen anything really great. Smash Brothers has always been 'meh' in my book, and the sports titles and such, like Wario ware, which I think is tosh, just doesn't appeal to me...

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Keep dreaming if you think Metroid Prime 3 will make launch. Last I checked, Retro has repeatedly delayed every game they ever made.

It really is too bad. Mario and Smash Bros would've been enough to convince me to buy a Wii at launch.

FELIPE NO

It might be for the best that some of the games won't be ready at launch. I know when Dreamcast launched, there were so many awesome games that I couldn't figure out which one I wanted first. (luckily, Soul Calibur was so far above the rest that it was an easy choice.)

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

SOLDIER, if you knew anything about Retro Studios you would know why the first Metroid Prime was delayed time and time again. They were in an internal company crisis for the longest time before Miyamoto came in and bitch slapped the lot of them into the fine company they are today. And if you're referring to the delay for Hunters you are wrong again since that was made by NST. Metroid Prime 3 has been slated for launch and I expect it there with Twilight Princess and a whole bunch of games.

Also, I imagine Super Mario Galaxy will be in the launch window somewhere between late 2006 and early 2007. The game looks to have way too much polish to not be very deep in development.


And Qwarky, my sentiments exactly. I'm tired of the total dual shock reference as well. It's an SNES pad with two analog control sticks placed in dual shock layout.

devilmaycry, you won't be seeing a lot of Wii titles supporting the cube controllers. A lot of the functions that the Wii controller and analog attachment provide won't be able to be recreated on a cube controller.

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Have they announced any Wii games that could be played with the Cube controller too, aside from Smash Bros. Brawl? I personally like that decision, since the control scheme in Melee was excellent for combat and didn't really need any fine-tuning anyway. I can't see it being a very good decision for many other games though, since it would only cause complaints of Nintendo releasing "old generation" stuff on the Wii.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by SketchTheArtist

Wow, seriously, at 249$ (roughly 300$CAN), that'd be freaking sweet and believable!

You might want to check that again.

$249.00 USD = $274.037 CAD

$1 USD = 1.10055 CAD
$1 CAD = 0.908638 USD

You'd better beleive it.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Tritoch

Have they announced any Wii games that could be played with the Cube controller too, aside from Smash Bros. Brawl? I personally like that decision, since the control scheme in Melee was excellent for combat and didn't really need any fine-tuning anyway. I can't see it being a very good decision for many other games though, since it would only cause complaints of Nintendo releasing "old generation" stuff on the Wii.

No, and I think SSBB will be the exception to the rule. I wouldn't expect it outside this game.

Think about it. How much longer after Wii is released will retailers still be selling new GameCube software, hardware, and accessories. Cube controllers would have to be easily available for consumers everywhere for people to get for that option to be used. I just don't see that happening. And no, for official support counting on resale stores like EB and Gamestop for old controllers does not count.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Aren't all the Gamecube games fully compatible with the Wii? I'd imagine they'd still be selling the controllers if nothing else. Or was this feature dropped?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Yes, they are. It's possible that they'd still sell controllers for that but for how long. But I expect that support is for people who own a cube, have games and controllers already, and want to play them on the system.

How ya doing, buddy?

Oh my.

Quote:

While speaking with Hudson Soft today, IGN learned that the company will bring upwards of 100 titles to Nintendo's Virtual Console. As developer of such classics as Lode Runner, Bomberman, and Bonk, this news is huge for fans of games long past. But that's not all, the news gets even bigger.

Quote:

Hudson Soft is currently attempting to acquire rights to other third party games to release on the Virtual Console, the company revealed to IGN on Thursday. Developers who no longer exist as actual companies could still see their games make the way to Nintendo's system for downloading. According to one Hudson Soft representative, they "have every single one of [their] lawyers checking into it."

Quote:

Currently, Bonk's Adventure from the Turbografx is the only actual title announced from the company, and is available to play at Nintendo's E3 booth. Hudson seems to be looking for feedback from gamers on what titles they'd like to see though. IGN was quick to suggest Adventure Island, the classic released on the NES. A knowing smile and "that is important for us to know, thank you," was our reply (so if Adventure Island shows up on the VC, you may thank us personally).

Bob's House of Hardware

I will need ALL THE BONK/B.C KID GAMES and Super Bomberman 3 thanks Hudson.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by SketchTheArtist

SUPER MARIO GALAXY NOT MAKING Wii's LAUNCH

I thought I heard it was gonna be a launch title but sadly, they announced today that it wasn't gonna make the launch. But it'll supposedly arrive in the six months window of the launch.

Miyamoto said he wasn't going to promise it at launch only to have to break the promise later. It could still be a launch title, it's just nothing it concrete.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Not sure if anyone else noticed this, but:



That's the Mario theme!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Check this out guys, the Wii line - http://www.gamespot.com/pages/profil...iM2l2H65bsMuj4

6 hour wait to play Wii games! PS3 and Xbox 360 wait is just 5 minutes.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Bah haha, that's INSANE.

I don't know if I could wait that long standing up... It would be tempting though.

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