Glen's Revolution
It's May 16, 2005, the day before Nintendo's 2005 E3 press conference and two days before the E3 Expo. I was sitting patiently, watching the CNN Airport Network while awaiting the arrival of my airplane. A poll that was attached to one of the news stories caught my interest. According to this poll, 22 percent of those that responded feel that the government should censor the press. In case one of you voted in this poll or if given the opportunity would vote this way, allow me to present a hypothetical situation closer to home that will change your mind. How seriously would you take us and our "opinions" if Nintendo and other publishers were allowed to dictate the content we presented on our website?
Ahem, so here I am, uncensored and brutally honest. I hate Los Angeles. Maybe it's the fact that the area around the LA Convention Center is what many would describe as "ghetto", but I really cannot take more than a week of the filthy streets, strange smells, crazy traffic and excessive hobo juice. It's so dirty they water the sidewalk and sweep the grass.
This was my fourth year attending E3. So to give you an idea on my perspective -- I've utilized my mathematical 'skillz' and formulated the years into a fancy chart that displays my favorite year followed by my lesser favorite years (I say lesser favorite for the simple fact that it wouldn't be right to call any E3 crap -- after all, it's an event that most people can only dream about attending).
- Fancy Table
- 2001
- 2005
- 2002
- 2003
For 2005 to come in second is saying quite a bit since I never saw or touched the new Legend of Zelda (I'm on a media blackout and closed my eyes during the pre-show. Geez.) It wasn't the very best E3, but it was an enjoyable experience nonetheless. For me, meeting all the N-Sider staff and Nintendo's press conference are always the highlight of E3. But there was an additional highlight this year. This year we got our first glimpse of Nintendo's revolution.
Nintendo's pre-show usually occurs during the morning prior to the first day of E3. This is the third year in a row Nintendo has held the event at the majestic Kodak Theater on the corner of Hollywood and Highland. The show seems to get more and more crowded each year. We were able to get all of our staff access to the show so I'm not about to complain but I found it amusing that the event was so over-crowded that it was delayed a half hour because the fire marshal's request of "no people in the aisles" had to be appeased.
While waiting for the press conference to begin, the N-Sider staff got a hold of a newspaper article that detailed the first information on the Nintendo Revolution. One particular nugget of info that caught our attention was the revelation that Nintendo would offer retro titles (from NES, SNES, and N64) for download over the Nintendo Wi-Fi network. If you've followed Nintendo's history, you may recall Nintendo experimenting with a similar idea on the Nintendo 64. The 64 Disk Drive peripheral would have offered users a similar service. In particular, Randnet and Nintendo created an emulator that would allow NES games to be downloaded for as low as $1. This was partially in response to Sega and NEC's announcement of downloadable Genesis games for Dreamcast.
In my NintendOnline article from over a year ago, I predicted Nintendo's future would "involve the downloading of classic Nintendo video games". So I'm very happy to finally see this become reality. However, this quote from Shigeru Miyamoto in an interview with IGN has me a bit worried about how Nintendo might limit the breadth of games available on Revolution's virtual gaming catalogue.
"At this point, we've only been talking with a few companies. However, if other companies come forward and they want to join us to work with us to create games, of course that would be great for us. One thing we want to make sure that we don't do is have too many games of the same type or genre. We don't want too many games involving the same themes or characters." - Shigeru Miyamoto
If a game was released on NES, SNES or N64 there shouldn't even be a question as to whether or not Nintendo should allow it to be offered on the Revolution gaming network. It gained Super Mario Club's approval back then and Nintendo would only be painting itself a hypocrite if they denied it now. Besides, wasn't anything learned from the Mortal Kombat fiasco on SNES? Dictating content will only frustrate consumers and third-party licensees. To tie this in with the original topic, no one wants the government telling them what news they can read and no one wants Nintendo telling them what games they can play. There's very little mystery as to why the Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Game Boy have been so successful (they have thousands of games to choose from). People like variety and they like choice. Furthermore, loosen up Nintendo, most of the crappy publishers are long gone (Acclaim, 3DO, etc. -- Rest in Peace.)
N-Forums user Melodimancer posted a link to the longtail theory. He suggests Nintendo "employ a recommendation system and offer everything and the kitchen sink." I would have to humbly agree. This virtual gaming catalogue is a great idea; so Reggie, if you're listening, absolutely do not let Nintendo fumble its potential.
Everyone doubts Nintendo's ability. Even I do sometimes. However, Nintendo's overall strategy has remained the same. In the simplest terms, the company wants the Nintendo name to be associated with interactive entertainment. As such, Nintendo will respond to the threat of Microsoft and Sony's yearning to 'own' interactive entertainment and the living room. The SNES Nintendo Disk was Nintendo's response to Sega and NEC's attempt at multimedia. The Panasonic Q was Nintendo's response to Sony potentially placing its PlayStation 2 tech in DVD players. In one way or another, Nintendo will again respond to this new threat even if it never comes to fruition. Don't get me wrong though. Nintendo's strategy is also much more than merely reactionary. Its experiments with online gaming on every console from NES, SNES, N64, GCN to even the Game Boy. Its efforts at simplifying the user interface by using colored buttons and creating the joystick. Its goal of increasing participation in games with its addition of four player control ports. At the end of the day, for Nintendo, it's all about improving communication and interface -- Nintendo has always had this master plan even if it doesn't explicitly come out and say it. Although in regards to the Revolution, that plan has been clearly defined.
"With IBM, we are creating Revolution's core processor, which we have codenamed Broadway because Broadway is the capital of live entertainment," said Satoru Iwata during his speech at the 2005 Game Developer's Conference. "With ATI, we are developing the graphics chipset, codenamed Hollywood because Hollywood is the capital of movie entertainment. With Revolution, we are determined to create the new capital of interactive entertainment."
It's a known fact that Nintendo admires Apple. Nintendo executives Satoru Iwata and Reginald Fils-Aime have complimented the company during speeches at the Game Developers Conference, during interviews, as well as at this past Electronic Entertainment Expo. It's also a known fact that both companies recognize the importance of simple and accessible interfaces.
Beyond this, it's becoming more and more clear why Nintendo has labeled its "virtual gaming catalog" a secret weapon. The Revolution console will have downloadable access to 20 years of titles originally released for Nintendo 64, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Nintendo Entertainment System. Like Apple did with its iPod and iTunes service, Nintendo may very well be getting a jump-start on competitors with its gaming download service.
"...software sells hardware. People buy hardware to play the games they love. I agree with Steve Jobs, the head of Apple, when he says, "Software is the user experience." Software is the driving technology not just of computers, but of all consumer electronics..." - Satoru Iwata, GDC 2005
Could it be that the bottom slot accommodates an iRev type device? It's way too big for a lone SD Card in my opinion. Nintendo's assurance that users will be able to organize their game files on a PC, I think only furthers the possibility of such a device. The only question however is would it even be useful to have a device that only carries around video games (doesn't actually play them). After all listening to music is considerably less involved than playing video games. I think such a system could only be feasible if the iRev plugged into a Revolution controller. Unfortunately this removes a significant portion of its portability.
Perhaps even, somewhere in this corridor of secrets, it will be possible for players -- thanks to the flash memory and the Nintendo Wi-Fi network -- to play certain games with each other using a single Revolution disc (or single downloaded piece of software).
I've followed Nintendo enough years that I've become good at predicting its path. Although I'm not 100 percent confident in these particular theories, I know for a fact that the revolution will be in at least these three areas -- interface, communication and wireless interaction.
As confirmed at E3, communication will be enhanced by the free "Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection" service. Nintendo is creating an environment where people can choose who they want to play with. Parents worried about their children's ears being filled with explicatives every five minutes can choose to have them play games from Animal Crossing to Super Smash Bros. with friends, rather than being forced to endure the testosterone-filled services offered by competitors. Furthermore, those angst-filled teens who enjoy playing with other angst-filled strangers will have the option to. If that's not opening up the market to new users (on top of the fact that's it's free), I don't know what is.
"Nintendo may be regarded as unique, or even weird, while the majority of developers are concentrating on murder, war, excessive violence or car racing. We do not want to limit the potential customers for Nintendo to the existing market. We want to include current non-gamers, like female and senior audiences. The primary objective of Nintendo right now is how we can expand the gaming population itself." - Satoru Iwata
Nintendo has always been about maturing video games not only technologically but also as an art form. No, not that kind of art, but more in terms of how people define or interact with a video game.
A large piece of the Revolution's interface will be presented with its controller. You've all likely read the E3 news stories. Nintendo's focus was largely on Nintendo DS and GameCube software. There was also the short unveiling of the Nintendo Revolution and aforementioned note of some of its capabilities...
I find it amusing many N-Sider staff and readers were expecting more than that. Sure some technical demos would have been nice but since Nintendo is selling the Revolution based on its Revolutionary interface and communication aspects, what good would graphical demos do? Sony is banking on graphics and that's exactly what you got. Why didn't Nintendo show the controller? That answer is easy. Nintendo doesn't want competitors to copy its innovations and ultimately the only way to avoid that is to wait until their competitor's hardware is finalized. Really, that's all there is to it. As much as it might frustrate you, Nintendo is strategically preparing for the next-generation. Plus, it made clear during the months prior that E3 2005 would not be "Revolution's coming out party."
As announced at E3, another significant piece of the Revolution will be in its wireless interaction. Something that should be apparent by now and I first pointed out at the 2003 show, is that Nintendo is showing more and more third-party titles during its press conference as well as within its booth. Whereas years prior Nintendo's booth would almost entirely be home to Nintendo published software, Nintendo has become far more open to acknowledging the efforts of its third-party supporters. Of a curious note, Nintendo has recently expanded its licensing division in Japan. As a result, I think we'll only continue seeing more and more of these collaborations with third-party developers. The companies working on Revolution may even surprise me.
"What's more prominent in my thinking these days is how our industry is getting smaller. We are smaller in the amount of risk we're willing to accept. We are also smaller in how we define video games. The list of genres seems fixed - shooters, sports, platformers, puzzles, and so on. When is the last time we invented a new genre?" - Satoru Iwata
It's my honest opinion that the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will provide a friendly environment for small developers to get their games to consumers. For this reason, the Revolution will be the easiest console to develop for. By the conclusion of its life, I suspect it will also feature the largest library of new games and perhaps even largest library of old games (eclipsing even PlayStation's massive backwards-compatibility).
Nintendo's announcements at GDC earlier this year and at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo have only furthered my confidence in the company's future. I've heard reports that the Revolution unveiling was a last-minute knee-jerk reaction to the console unveilings from competitors. That is just absolutely false. If Nintendo's reorganization of its development production is any indication, this is something the company has been planning for years. In fact, Revolution is a culmination of over 20 years of ideas and philosophies. With this coming generation, Nintendo will finally have the opportunity to make so many of its ideas....real. Nintendo has stressed the importance of both "communication" and "interface" since the very beginning. And with Revolution, Nintendo will be presenting some incredibly innovative methods to provide these aspects to consumers. I also think we will see Nintendo's game creators emit the passion and magic that we felt previously with the NES Revolution and the N64 Revolution.
With the NES, Nintendo established the video game business model, game genres and in fact, the industry that exists today. With Revolution, Nintendo will once again change that paradigm.
The Revolution is the answer. A platform that supports a market for games beginning with simple 2D graphics extending to games with extravagant 3D visuals. Games that begin with traditional control extending to games that promote intuitive interactions. Games that begin on discs extending to games that arrive only as data. Ultimately, Revolution will create a market for developers, gamers and games of all shapes, sizes and precision.
As I recently explained in my All-Access Gaming editorial, the Revolution will be the product of many parts and many philosophies. What you probably saw and heard at this past E3 -- it wasn't a Revolution. You viewed a partial console in Iwata's hand and heard partial hints from Iwata's mouth. I only wish you all could have seen it through my eyes. I'm fortunate enough to have a firm understanding of Nintendo's history which reveals the path they're taking. I saw a Revolution. Give it some time and soon, I'm sure, you will too.
"The motto of Nintendo is to 'do something that others don't'. We are in the entertainment industry, which is to surprise people in a meaningful way. In order to surprise, we need to act differently."
- Satoru Iwata