The Gaming Lounge: Beyond - Part 6

[Nathan]

I remember when they Wii launched. My friend worked at a department store, and would get a discount using his, what do you call it, loyalty card? Anyway, we were like 4 people, each of us buying the Wii, various games and additional controllers. But now with the Wii U, I couldn't be less interested.

 

[Havok83]

Also with the wii everyone knew about it & that it had this new motion control whereas many non-hardcore gamers (a big market for the wii) don't even know about the wii U, never mind that it has a tablet controller. I remember trying to get a wii for Xmas for a friend and it was impossible. This Xmas it will be hard to get a wii U because not everywhere will be stocking it when they have PS4 & next Xbox launches to deal with.

The Wii-U will not be hard to get. Just bc the PS4 and next Xbox are launching doesnt mean it wont be stocked

 

[SpideyVille]

Also with the wii everyone knew about it & that it had this new motion control whereas many non-hardcore gamers (a big market for the wii) don't even know about the wii U, never mind that it has a tablet controller. I remember trying to get a wii for Xmas for a friend and it was impossible. This Xmas it will be hard to get a wii U because not everywhere will be stocking it when they have PS4 & next Xbox launches to deal with.

Yeah, I remember hearing how hard it was for my brother to get a Wii for me back in 2007. I was looking for one online before he got it and it was always sold out everywhere. I even had a ton of trouble finding Wii Fit 6 months later.

And yeah, the biggest thing that Nintendo has had working for it has been that there's appeal for the whole family. But I don't know too many mothers or grandparents who are buying PS3/360s for themselves.

 

[Iceman]

The Wii-U will not be hard to get. Just bc the PS4 and next Xbox are launching doesnt mean it wont be stocked

It's the wii U sales combined with 2 simultaneous next gen launches after 7/8 years (assuming they both launch around the same time) and limited space. There isn't space in the game shops I go to for all 3 to be stocked with enough supply even if they were all popular.

 

[Havok83]

It's the wii U sales combined with 2 simultaneous next gen launches after 7/8 years (assuming they both launch around the same time) and limited space. There isn't space in the game shops I go to for all 3 to be stocked with enough supply even if they were all popular.

that would only be the case if the demand for the Wii-U is high and I dont expect it to be. Just bc new systems are launching, doesnt mean all retailers will have a surplus of stock. With the exception of the Wii-U, most new systems generally launch with limited supply and that tends to be bc production hasnt yet reached the point where they can meet the demand. Its why worldwide launches are too common and Sony at least rolls them out by territory.

Each store will only get a limited amount and subsequent shipments will come in waves. Thats generally how it ALWAYS is. The PS4 and next Xbox will presumably sell out rather quickly and there wont be of any need to search for space to stock them bc they wont be around long enough to matter. Heck MS's system already has rumors of production issues and possibly may not launch this holiday. In the meantime theres plenty of space left to carry the Wii-U, PS3, 360, etc...

 

[Spidey-Bat]

when the Wii launched it was the only system with that type of motion control. Sony and MS didnt offer alternatives till 4 years later. Right out the gate, both will offer a tablet experience, Sony via the Vita and MS via Smartglass. What the Wii-U has going for it wont be exactly unique as people can get that elsewhere. Maybe not to the same degree but enough so that they arent missing out on a Wii-U for the experience

Both require purchasing another product though whereas the WiiU table is included with the system. MS is at least smart in having Smartglass work through a phone or tablet with an app but it still requires owning one and I would expect some limitations for Android and iOS devices since they don't have control over the hardware or OS. With the PS4, you're going to have to pay an extra $250 for the Vita which is a legitimately doomed platform. That'll come out to over $700 if we assume the PS4 will be $400.

 

[SpideyVille]

I still feel like the Vita hasn't been successful because it was created with the PS4 in mind. Also Sony needs to market it better and developers need to be less hesitant to make games for it. It's like some try to recreate the PS3 on the Vita while others just try to port the Wii version on it.

 

[Iceman]

that would only be the case if the demand for the Wii-U is high and I dont expect it to be. Just bc new systems are launching, doesnt mean all retailers will have a surplus of stock. With the exception of the Wii-U, most new systems generally launch with limited supply. Each store will only get a limited amount and subsequent shipments will come in waves. Thats generally how it ALWAYS is. The PS4 and next Xbox will presumably sell out rather quickly and there wont be of any need to search for space to stock them bc they wont be around long enough to matter. In the meantime theres plenty of space left to carry the Wii-U, PS3, 360, etc...

My local shops won't be selling 6 different consoles at the same time unless they want to sell 3 of each! t: If I go to London or a major city shopping centre I'm sure I'd find it in the big stores.

Both require purchasing another product though whereas the WiiU table is included with the system. MS is at least smart in having Smartglass work through a phone or tablet with an app but it still requires owning one and I would expect some limitations for Android and iOS devices since they don't have control over the hardware or OS. With the PS4, you're going to have to pay an extra $250 for the Vita which is a legitimately doomed platform. That'll come out to over $700 if we assume the PS4 will be $400.

True. I think I would really like the tablet, especially if you can continue your main game on it. It just hasn't been marketed well enough and maybe isn't as unique or feeling as new/revolutionary as motion control.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

My local shops won't be selling 6 different consoles at the same time unless they want to sell 3 of each! t: If I go to London or a major city shopping centre I'm sure I'd find it in the big stores.

Well itll be hard to fine a Wii U because no one wants a Wii U, thus the stores wont carry em. But go online and ull find plenty.

Come this holiday, no one will be saying, "Hmmm, do i go with the NextBox, PS4 or that Wii U for my next gen gaming needs". Unless Nintendo can truly show how revolutionary their tablet device is the way they did with the Wii and its motion controls. Then maybe theyll get the casual market to bite again.

 

[Iceman]

Well itll be hard to fine a Wii U because no one wants a Wii U, thus the stores wont carry em. But go online and ull find plenty.

Come this holiday, no one will be saying, "Hmmm, do i go with the NextBox, PS4 or that Wii U for my next gen gaming needs".

That's true. I don't really like buying hardware online though. And the last few times I've bought a console I've got some amazing deals by bargaining with the store people. PS2 I got so much stuff with it!

 

[Havok83]

Both require purchasing another product though whereas the WiiU table is included with the system. MS is at least smart in having Smartglass work through a phone or tablet with an app but it still requires owning one and I would expect some limitations for Android and iOS devices since they don't have control over the hardware or OS. With the PS4, you're going to have to pay an extra $250 for the Vita which is a legitimately doomed platform. That'll come out to over $700 if we assume the PS4 will be $400.

The Vita will be the primary vehicle for remote play but there will be functionality in other devices like MS is doing. The Vita has the advantage of having buttons which all allow you to mimic the PS4 experience straight from the console. Tablets and phones will be limited in serving as a second screen with limited functionality

My local shops won't be selling 6 different consoles at the same time unless they want to sell 3 of each! t: If I go to London or a major city shopping centre I'm sure I'd find it in the big stores.

Dude you are going under the assumption that Sony and MS will even release their consoles in EU this holiday season. This may all be irrelevant to you this fall

 

[SpideyVille]

I remember when my brother got his PS3, he paid like $800 since he got it from a Dell catalog since my mom had an account with them. That way he could pay for it monthly since he didn't have the money for it at full price. But I believe he got an extra controller and a couple of games with it.

 

[SpideyVille]

The Vita will be the primary vehicle for remote play but there will be functionality in other devices like MS is doing. The Vita has the advantage of having buttons which all allow you to mimic the PS4 experience straight from the console. Tablets and phones will be limited in serving as a second screen with limited functionality

Yeah, this is what I'm very anxious to see. I don't play games on mobile devices because I much more prefer having buttons, so I really want to see how much more of the Vita's capabilities are unlocked once the PS4 is released. I still don't feel the need to get one just yet, especially since there hasn't been a price drop, but that can all change depending on what else it can do with the PS4.

 

[Iceman]

Dude you are going under the assumption that Sony and MS will even release their consoles in EU this holiday season. This may all be irrelevant to you this fall

Oh yeah, that's gonna really annoy me if the delay happens again. Completely changed my allegiances last time because of that. An extra 3-6 months is a hell of a long time to wait when others are already playing it and you want it at launch. I'll think about importing from US or Japan if it happens.

 

[Iceman]

I remember when my brother got his PS3, he paid like $800 since he got it from a Dell catalog since my mom had an account with them. That way he could pay for it monthly since he didn't have the money for it at full price. But I believe he got an extra controller and a couple of games with it.

With my PS2 I got every peripheral in the shop and about 12 games. Everything apart from the console (which I paid full price on) I got for half price after bargaining for about 1 and a half hours at closing time on a Friday. t:

 

[Iceman]

Playing Halo 2 at the moment. Does any game do vehicle combat better than the Halo games?

 

[Soapy]

Well, there's Battlefield. I'm not sure if it tops Halo, but they're so different it's hard to compare them.

 

[Soapy]

The Guns of Navarro: The Void of Summer

Alex wonders aloud why game companies still so often treat the spring and summer months like some kind of deadly forbidden zone.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Yea i just dont get it. I mean with the avg age of gamers being what it is, they can clearly afford games in other situations outside of Holidays.

 

[Fading]

A Gameinformer article kinda surprised me. Since I wasn't a 360 owner, I never followed XBLA news, unless it was big news that spilled out into various forums. I was under the assumption (because of earlier in the console life cycle) that Live was still pretty friendly to indies, as I used to see that being said often. I knew that MS was notoriously hard to work with in other areas like MMO's, but I didn't know they shifted how they treated indies.

Anyway, the article painted a bleak picture for how MS treats indie developers. That some pretty good digital games had to not release sequels on XBLA (yet still release on PSN), because of how MS treated them. I don't have the magazine in front of me atm, but it's something along the lines of cost, and licensing problems.

That just a patch could cost the developer $40,000, which is impossible for a struggling indie developer. Also that they have to secure licensing through established third party groups (I'm guessing they meant like EA, or Activision) to release things on XBLA. On top of which, MS chooses the release date instead of the developer. One of which the article mentioned they forced him to release it January 2nd, which (according to the article) is a bad time to release digital titles like the one he was releasing (guessing because everyone already blew their Christmas money, and did their shopping at that point), and his game ended up bombing. Plus, I'll have to reread it to remember the reason, but something about his game took 2 years to develop for all platforms (PSN, Wii, Steam, and XBLA), and 1 year of that was just for the XBLA port.



I'm just wondering how this will play nextgen. Sony came right out and said they'd be even more developer friendly with the PS4. Which, according to that article, they already are more indie friendly than the 360. Will MS change their stance on indie developers, and work better with developers in other areas (again, like said MMO's, which multiple companies have reported having tough negotiations with MS over). If they don't change their stance, I wonder if this will mean less XBLA digital exclusives since a guy working out of his basement can't afford it, while Steam, PSN, and others are willing to work with them.





Anyway, it was in interesting read. I remember MS being the king of indie games at the start of last gen, so it surprised me. I still haven't gotten around to Gameinformer's PS4 articles this month to see if they have anything new to contribute yet though.

 

[Iceman]

MS have been hard to work with for indies, yes. But even if they're hard to work with, having a more Windows like OS will make it simple for them to programme for. MS really shouldn't be charging that much for patches though, pathetic policy.

 

[Iceman]

Well, there's Battlefield. I'm not sure if it tops Halo, but they're so different it's hard to compare them.

Oh I guess Battlefield is probably better for that. I kind of meant to exclude real world vehicles. I normally hate when sci-fi shooters add vehicle sections.

 

[SpideyVille]

So lost in all of this Xbox One hoopla was this interesting piece of news:

EA Developing Wii U Games After All
Looks like a certain company needs to get its story straight.

Oh EA, just make up your mind already, would you? Last week brought us a slew of controversial comments from the company regarding Nintendo's newest home console, Wii U. First, EA spokesperson Jeff Brown stated, "we have no games in development for the Wii U currently." Not long after, EA Senior Software Engineer and Architect Bob Summerwill tweeted, "WiiU is crap" and "Nintendo are walking dead."

Now it looks like EA is eating its words. During the Stifel Nicolaus 2013 Internet, Media and Communications Conference, EA's CFO, Blake Jorgensen, confirmed that the company is developing games for the Wii U after all - albeit, not as many as for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Jorgensen also said, "You know, I think Nintendo's business was more [an] extension of their last console." He also commented, "I think what the consumer will find is a lot more powerful gameplay with the new boxes that are coming out, and a lot of excitement, but it'll remain to be seen as to the services associated with those as to how consumers decide which direction they might want to go."

What a difference a week can make, eh? No details were given on exactly what EA has cooking for Wii U, though perhaps more information will come out of E3 this June.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/21/ea-developing-wii-u-games-after-all

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

The Guns of Navarro: The Void of Summer

It's funny because great games in the past were successful in the Spring, like Elder Scrolls Oblivion and GTA IV. Why are people scared of Spring? I can understand Summer (people would rather be outside than inside playing video games), but Spring is a good opportune time.

 

[zenith16]

Capcom: Next Gen And Internal Development Won’t Increase Dev Costs. May 22, 2013 . 11:50am

“Bringing development in-house will not increase development costs,” Capcom said to those in attendance at a financials Q&A session.



source:Siliconera