The Big Bad Console Thread - Sway your Station with an Xboner !

Man0warr

Molten Core Raider
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In marketing language, a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries. However,the special feature is typically thought to be of little relevance or use.
If you have ever used the Wii U controller, you'd know it's not a gimmick based on the accepted definition.

With more and more entertainment moving to the living room, Off TV play is the future - everyone console should have it in some form. Being able to watch a Twitch stream on the tablet or play Windwaker/Monster Hunter while someone else is using the TV is awesome.

Funny how all of Nintendo's "gimmicks" become industry standards. Those D-pads and motion control are suck gimmicks.
 

koljec_sl

shitlord
845
2
Wii U seems to be moving away from the "gimmicks" that plagued the wii. I know the new DK game that comes out tomorrow doesnt utilize the gamepad at all and the 3d mario did less times than I could count on both hands.

I skipped the wii and have not owned a Nintendo product since early Gamecube. For me the wii u is awesome even if only for backlogged wii games I missed out on (not to take away from the few solid wii u titles available). That goes double when they start adding DS games to the virtual console.

One thing I do enjoy about Nintendo is there propensity to deliver full games. No DLC bullshit, no buggy content or fps drops. Their studios take the time to release games the way they should be. Having played PS3 primarily as my console of choice last gen, I really appreciate that quality in Nintendo's products. Unfortunately therein may lie the problem for most core gamers. Without 3rd party support, these games are too few and far between. As someone who seems to be finding less and less time to get immersed in the AAA titles releasing on other systems, wii u's simplicity has been refreshing for me and I certainly see it's potential place amongst the console market.
Fewer gimmicks is good. I would light a decent light gun and modern Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley type games, though.

I agree about the quality of Nintendo hardware and software, too. Nintendo's bug-free releases are the exception anymore.

I don't mind that Nintendo has fewer games to offer as long as the quality remains high. I can't really justify purchasing more than a game every couple of months, anyway.

I think where Nintendo fails is its online service and pricing. The whole Nintendo library should be available on Wii U, 3DS games included. Everything should be downloadable, and store-bought games should be account-linked and become downloadable. Pricing should be more competitive, and some DLC should be available at low cost. 3DS' Fire Emblem Awakening had DLC out on a weekly basis. I looked forward to that stuff, and it was a complete game to begin with. There should be more online multiplayer, too.

It is unacceptable that the online service is so limited and such purchases so expensive for the Wii U. It is unacceptable that game purchases are linked to hardware and not a user account. Nintendo seems to be moving towards master accounts, but, until that's accomplished, any software bought goes poof along with the system.
 

Tripamang

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You'd be crazy to think that gaming PC's have such a large install base like they used to though. Selling a cheap console is the way to go, but they just obfuscate everything with their stupid wands and attachments.
The 75 million+ people on steam would beg to differ. If they targeted the lower end machines and relied on their art direction to keep the games looking good (They do that now really with their underpowered hardware) they'd be targeting an install base 10x+ larger than the WiiU install base. Nothing would really stop them from releasing their software on other platforms but they seem to be obsessed with selling some sort of hardware, the PC just seems like a nice middle ground for them.
 

Man0warr

Molten Core Raider
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It's a chore and is more work than it should be, but it's pretty hard to lose digital games you buy for Wii U/3DS. The only way really is if you are totally ignorant and just trade in your old system without transferring all your stuff to the new one first. If you lose your 3DS/Wii U or it gets stolen, Nintendo WILL restore your games if you provide what they need (namely a police report or serial #). Steam is pretty much the same way - if your account gets hacked it is a pain in the ass to get them back and takes a few weeks with direct communication with Valve.

It's still unacceptable in this day and age for your purchases to not be tied to your account (technically they are but only Nintendo can see it), but it seems they are slowly moving in the direction of tying everything to your Nintendo Network ID.
 

Vaclav

Bronze Baronet of the Realm
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If they're willing to take a loss, parts cost was estimated at something like $25 profit on PS4 and XBOne based on the breakdown costs.
 

kinadin

<Gold Donor>
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I think I read somewhere it costs around $75 to produce the Kinect but I can't find the article.

Which would win in a comparison - the PS Eye or Kinect? I don't know much about those gimmicky things.

edit: I think I should add it costs so much to make because it's got so much crap going on inside it. It's even got a built in fan I believe.
 

Vaclav

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Its even got its own CPU - Kinect is pretty crazy really just so limited for it's application.
 

Sean_sl

shitlord
4,735
12
Could Microsoft slash 100 bucks off their retail price while including the kinect? I have no idea how much those things cost to produce.
Theycancut the price and keep Kinect, but they'd be taking a big loss for sure.

The estimated cost is $471 for the Xbone and $381 for the PS4. The Kinect itself is supposedly about $75. That's just the estimated price ofparts, not including packaging, retail's cut, etc. They're both probably taking at least a small loss per unit right now as it is.

Found the articles:Microsoft's Xbox One Costs $90 More to Build Than Sony's PS4 - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

Production is actually included in that, which is around $14 per unit. Retail's cut and distribution and stuff like that is not though.

Console: $332
Kinect: $75
Controller: $15
Power brick: $25
Headset: $10
Production: $14
 

Sean_sl

shitlord
4,735
12
Unsurprising:Sony Japan President: Japanese Developers Want to "Bet on PS4? due to High Sales in the West | DualShockers

We're only a day away from the release of the PS4 in Japan and Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and Asia President Hiroshi Kawano is confident about the console's future and the support it's going to receive from Japanese developers, as he told Game Watch in an interview:

Kawano-san explained that the amazing initial sales of the console and the momentum that keeps the numbers growing are creating a sense of excitement in Japan that has spread not only between users, but also between developers, that are now saying "let's make a game for the PS4."

Both strong sales and the ability to play remotely on PS Vita are giving developers a feeling of safety and the companies that say "I want to bet on PS4? or "let's make a game quickly" is increasing steadily.
Kawano-san also mentioned that while the PS4 is aimed mainly to core gamers, it's also important for it to be an entertainment hub in order to grow a wider fanbase, for instance with anime streaming and interactive educational content.

He also feels that on the side of proper games it may possible to offer various forms of entertainment that include gaming-like characteristics.

One thing is for sure: tomorrow will be a big day for gamers in Japan. Quite a few are already lined up in front of the biggest electronic stores that are said to have day one stock, and pre-orders seem to be considerable, at least from what Kawano-san said himself in previous interviews.
 

Noodleface

A Mod Real Quick
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Could Microsoft slash 100 bucks off their retail price while including the kinect? I have no idea how much those things cost to produce.
Kinect is a pretty intense piece of hardware. I don't think developers make any money on consoles anyways, but I think a $100 loss on their part would be devastating.
 

KCXIV

Molten Core Raider
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Wii U seems to be moving away from the "gimmicks" that plagued the wii. I know the new DK game that comes out tomorrow doesnt utilize the gamepad at all and the 3d mario did less times than I could count on both hands.

I skipped the wii and have not owned a Nintendo product since early Gamecube. For me the wii u is awesome even if only for backlogged wii games I missed out on (not to take away from the few solid wii u titles available). That goes double when they start adding DS games to the virtual console.

One thing I do enjoy about Nintendo is there propensity to deliver full games. No DLC bullshit, no buggy content or fps drops. Their studios take the time to release games the way they should be. Having played PS3 primarily as my console of choice last gen, I really appreciate that quality in Nintendo's products. Unfortunately therein may lie the problem for most core gamers. Without 3rd party support, these games are too few and far between. As someone who seems to be finding less and less time to get immersed in the AAA titles releasing on other systems, wii u's simplicity has been refreshing for me and I certainly see it's potential place amongst the console market.
Same here, im trying to play 3 games at once on the WiiU. Zelda TP, SMBU and Donkey Kong Country that just came out a few hours ago. Its been a long long while since i played anything Nintendo related. Metroid Prime was the last Nintendo game i played.
 

Heckler_sl

shitlord
290
0
How dependable is the source? Because, hasn't this rumor been making the rounds for essentially every major recent event? Also, how likely is it that they will show it to the public, and not behind closed doors? I don't want to be hyped for nothing again :/
 

Laedrun

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Meh, the 720p sony hmd with no head tracking is a thousand bucks, either the ps4 one is gonna be crap or it's gonna cost $1700. not excited.
 

Selix

Lord Nagafen Raider
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$1700 will never move enough units to make it worth developing for. Even assuming it works flawlessly with existing games. $500 would be pushing the boundary and that's only if it's amazing to use and not just a somewhat entertaining new gimmick.
 

Soygen

The Dirty Dozen For the Price of One
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If the Oculus can bring out their commercial unit at their target price of around $300.00, then anything much higher will be a failure I would bet. I can't see someone paying more for the PS4 headset than the PS4 itself costs.
 

Tuco

I got Tuco'd!
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GDC2014 is the first event I've heard substantial rumors about. There were some murmurs about it in CES2014 but that was more wishful thinking.

I anticipate disappointment for sony's gaming HMD. The dinosaurs at Sony that have made their HMD product line a joke aren't going to be able to just whip up a good HMD by copying the Rift DK1. The barrier to creating a good HMD will always be the display, and since Sony and Microsoft have phone divisions its an embarrasment that Luckey Palmer is outdoing them with a hacked up Samsung.

In a couple years, however, if the Rift is as popular as people thinking it will be, both Sony and MS will have or be working on a console-specific version.