Nintendo Plays A Different Game...
A while ago, I gave my spin on Microsoft’s XBOX 360 vs. Sony’s yet to be delivered PlayStation 3 in a post titled “It’s No Game...”
Both Microsoft and Sony have strategic ambitions for their consoles. They are music stores, commerce portals, HD players, social networks, and media centers. And yes, they also happen to play games, too.
When it comes to gaming, both companies point to the raw horsepower their consoles can provide in delivering high definition images at impressive frame rates. They showcase their consoles using games that offer richly textured environments with realistic shadows and reflections, and highly accurate ‘physics engines’ that simulate gravity and collisions with never before seen realism.
The games for these consoles also come with never before seen prices - typically $60 a pop.
Nintendo, who also has a new game console coming out this year, is taking a different approach. Their upcoming console, currently know as the ‘Revolution’, has modest hardware specifications compared to Sony and Microsoft’s latest. In fact, it is barely as powerful as Microsoft’s old XBOX console. But none of that matters to them. For Nintendo, it’s all about the games.
Nintendo feels strongly that the market needs games that that are simply fun. Games completely different from the First Person Shooters and car chase games that require the reflexes of a teenager (not to mention a near sociopathic acceptance of gore and violence). They want to bring gaming back to its roots by providing simple, addictive games that anyone can pick up and enjoy.
Nintendo has a strong track record when it comes to innovative game design. A recent example that I have seen is their handheld game ‘Nintendogs’ - a simulation the lets you train and care for a variety of dogs. If you talk to them and give them commands, they listen. If you rub them (via the touch-screen), they react the way you would expect a real dog to. You can even blow bubbles at them by holding a bubble blowing ring and literally blowing into the mic. None of these feature require incredible processing power or powerful graphics, but they offer something compelling and unique.
It’s a game both my son and my wife enjoy playing
To help spur innovative on their new console, Nintendo has developed a new motion sensing controller shaped almost like a TV remote. Move it or tilt it, and the object it controls on screen will respond. This could end up being a more natural interface for casual gamers, and will probably result in the development of some fairly unique games for this console.
The Revolution has more then enough power for what Nintendo is setting out to accomplish. It is refreshing to see a company looking at this market in a different way. They are focusing on creating a great experience for the user - not in promoting the technology behind it.
It would be nice to see a lot more technology companies follow Nintendo’s lead.
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
