Amongst the many things that make Nintendo truly stand out in the gaming world, perhaps the most obvious is its approach to hardware design. Where others aim to offer the most powerful systems on the planet, serving as a one-stop platform for all of one's entertainment needs, Nintendo has taken a different path, opting to explore innovative and fresh ways of gaming that are all about having a fun experience.
In an interview with The Guardian, Nintendo's Shinya Takahashi and Hisashi Nogami have discussed the process of introducing these new consoles, noting the struggles that come with explaining something that has never been done before. Perhaps the most famous case of a non-traditional Nintendo console is the Wii, something which caused confusion even amongst Nintendo's developers at first, as explained by Takahashi.
“Even among our developers there are often doubts! When the Wii remote was first introduced as a concept, the reaction was: what is that? Is it real? Will it actually work? But once we’d all tried it, we were surprised and delighted by it, and that made us realise that it was going to work out."
After the failures of Nintendo's next home console, the Wii U, which appeared to be linked somewhat to miscommunication with consumers about what the product actually was, Nintendo's efforts moved onto the Switch. You likely don't need us to tell you that the new console is doing wonderfully well for itself, perhaps thanks to how impressive and easy-to-understand it is when first picked up.
"With the Nintendo Switch, we all knew the concept, but when we picked up the prototype for the first time and saw Mario Kart running perfectly on the smaller screen, we were flabbergasted. Even people who are well aware of the concept and design can’t always tell if something’s going to work.”
Nogami agrees, saying that "it’s not good enough to put your idea into words; you have to give people a concrete example to show them how it works. It’s on us to create things that allow players to experience that ‘wow’ moment.”
If you want to check out the interview in full (and we'd urge you to as it's an interesting read) you can check it out over at The Guardian right here.
Do you think Nintendo provides that 'wow' moment with its consoles? Is that what draws you to Nintendo's products, and why we're all here together on this very site? Share your thoughts and any 'wow' moments with us in the comments below.
[source theguardian.com]
Comments 54
They lead, others follow. And yes, I'm always surprised by Nintendo - not always pleasantly, but that's the risk you take when you are a....risk taker
@Lordplops Sony also takes risks. They wait for Nintendo to do something, then copy it.
And when they don't copy something, they take the huge risk of... releasing the exact same controller over for the past 20+ years.
With Nintendo it is either a "Wow" or a "WTF???" moment when they announce something.
I really hope Labo VR is one of those "Wow!" moments--as opposed to being a "This is totally meh" moment. VR needs only the "Wow!" at this early stage and not companies going in half-*ssed and poisoning the well for every other manufacture and developer that genuinely loves this new and awesome gaming and entertainment platform/medium and wants it to truly shine to its best ability. So, Nintendo, the onus is on you to bring the "Wow!" with Labo VR. . . .
The fact they make missteps and take the occasional baffling decision is what makes me enjoy this company all the more. It feels more “human” and when they get it right, no one can touch them.
@KIRO That and the fact that you can see where they visibily learn from their mistakes. You can see the hard lessons learned with the Wii U in how they approached the Switch. You can see their slowness to enter into VR as a major project as a lesson learned from the Virtual Boy. The list goes on and on.
@Rhaoulos Let's not get too ahead of ourselves here. Sony's been investing in streaming and VR which are no doubt going to have huge ramifications on the gaming industry. While it's easy to point and laugh at all of Sony's copy-cat stuff like the Move (trust me I laugh at that too), they still have stuff of their own that people shouldn't ignore.
@EvilLucario And also, why wouldn't a company want to emulate the success of a competitor with their own version of an experience. Sony's issue often doesn't seem much to be the tech side of an idea, but the execution and messaging. And those two things are industry-wide struggles. I've always thought each of the big 3 have their own strengths and merits, they're not 100% comparable.
@EvilLucario @Rhaoulos I mean, this is also a thing, and it was way before the Wii, the Move controllers and the Kinect.
If you go back far enough, no idea is truly original. You can always find some older tech that precedes it. Hardly any innovations are made in a vacuum.
@Octane
I always found it really odd why Sony went with the Move, and thus inevitably invited such ridicule for ripping off the Wii Remote, when they had a motion control device already (even though, to your point, these things always go back way further and there was even a wand-like motion controller on the Atari called Le Stick in the 80s. Not to mention the dozens of other motion control devices throughout the years, despite it apparently being a Nintendo invention with the Wii...)
I mean, the PS2 EyeToy had motion controlled party, sports and fitness games on the market when the Wii was announced. If they'd just announced an EyeToy 2 for PS3 at E3 2006 (at which point we all knew about the Wii), they could have potentially embarrassed Nintendo, instead of themselves. I mean, most Nintendo fans accused Kinect of being a rip-off of the Wii, when it has far more in common with the EyeToy, so using their logic, surely that would make the Wii a rip-off of the EyeToy, as it's the same difference.
I had that wow moment, when I realized Splatoon 2, SEGA Megadrive Collection, Superbeat Xonic and most disturbingly Taiko No Tatsujin had bad Input lag and on PS4 and Wii U not. Something is wrong with the BT connection or the microchips inside their controllers.
I love Nintendo games and the switch but this lag thing is a major problem.
@Haywired I think it comes down to the tech. Look at VR, and how it uses motion controllers. It's just a lot easier to track a controller (or a pair of controllers) than an entire person. The EyeToy games worked, but anything moving in the background could affect the game. I remember we used to pull on the curtains in the background during one of those EyeToy Play games, an easy hack to win some of those mini-games
I'm certain the tech is a lot more capable today, but I can imagine it still retains some of those unwanted side effects.
Regardless, the PlayStation Eye was made for the PS3, and we still have the PlayStation Camera for the PS4, so it's still around in a way.
@Octane That's why Kinect is actually a much better variation of the EyeToy, because it works with infrared and DoV measurement. No cheaters are gonna be winning by pulling curtains with that kinda tech, unless they're pre-heated...
On a side note: in general, they're obviously ALL motion controls,
but I wouldn't put the Wii remote and the EyeToy in the exact same (sub-)category. I would only ever compare Kinect to the EyeToy.
And as such, Sony did NOT precede Nintendo with motion-controlled tech in that specific manner, but they in turn DID copy Nintendo with the Sony Move controllers.
Which, by the way, were FAR more hindered by external light/movement sources than the Wii remotes ever were (and with the Wii remote Plus, the effect was even more negligible), so between Move and the EyeToy,
I kinda see a negative theme going on here...
@Octane This is just an evolution of the Gameboy Camera. You're right, nothing is new
@EvilLucario I know, Sony is an easy target for quite a few things, but they had the guts to put a Blu-Ray player in the PS3 to promote the new format and break the HD-DVD, but it is more an evolution than a revolution. They have never done anything like the Virtual Boy or the Wii U because they know the current formula works: releasing a powerful console, securing as many good exclusives as possible and stay ahead with a huge console base because idiots (like me) would buy a PS4 just for one game (then buy 25 more games because I already have the console).
@ThanosReXXX The PS Move controllers do have accelerometers and gyroscopes as well.
Anyway, Atari was ahead of everyone else
@Octane you’ve seen the dreameye right ? It was a few years before eyetoy
@Darknyht You can see the hard lessons learned with the Wii U in how they approached the Switch.
Such as?
Nintendo either saves industries (the NES) and revolutionizes industries (the Gameboy/handheld gaming, the Wii/motion controls, the Switch), or on the other end tries things out and fails miserably (Virtual Boy, Wii U). Rarely do they compete head to head on specs with a competitor (the Super Nintendo and to a lesser extent the GameCube being the only exceptions).
And then there's the Nintendo 64, a fun system that birthed the Sony Playstation (which was to be a Super Nintendo add-on) and the most dominant (sales wise) video gaming brand in console gaming for the past twenty years.
Nintendo's influence in the industry is so vast and powerful. I appreciate that they rarely ever play it safe.
For me the best "Wow" moment was the E3 when the Wii was shown properly for the first time.
Not just the console itself but the highlight reel of games that went with it.
Jaw dropping I think would be an appropriate description
@Octane Either you're missing my point, or I am missing the (different?) one that you're trying to make.
I explicitly said that Sony copied Nintendo in this regard, which is true, because Move is just Sony's version of the Wii remote, so what you now said, changes nothing about what I said earlier.
For me the SNES was a wow moment. Games like Pilotwings, Axelay, Contra, Castlevania V. Blew me away, still my favourite games of all time. Then the other wow was Playing Mario 64 for the first time, completely revolutionary.
@Gs69 ''If you go back far enough, no idea is truly original. You can always find some older tech that precedes it. Hardly any innovations are made in a vacuum.''
@ThanosReXXX Of course, Nintendo showed there's a big market for motion controls. If that's what the people want, why not play into that?
Mad props to whatever translator managed to pull "flabbergasted" from whatever the original response was
@Axelay71
When I first saw a screenshot of the fire boss from Axelay in the early 90s, it completely blew me away. Now You're Playing With Super Power!
And to be honest, it still does. Some of the best sprite graphics ever.
@NEStalgia lol. He done good
That "Wow" moment is what first drew me towards Nintendo. It worked with the dual-screens and touch input of the DS, the 3D on the 3DS, Wiimotes of the Wii, and the Wii U's gamepad.
Unfortunately, I find that completely missing from the Switch, which is a major part of my lack of interest in the console. The playstations are the same at launch, but I end up buying one a few years down the line when they have built up a library of compelling, exclusive software. The Switch just doesn't have that yet, and prices on the games/accessories it does have are usually far too high.
@Octane already read that in one of your previous comments so thanks for pointing that out again
@Octane
@Haywir
@yuwarite
I think he was more referring to the EyeToy being a motion control device (ie. that Sony didn't necessarily rip-off the idea of motion controls when they were already doing them before the Wii), rather than just being a camera.
@Haywired
Yes I agree these amazing games are timeless. Axelay is practically perfect, and I love 2D shooters anyway. Glad someone else can see what I see:)
I was wowed at the presentation in 2017 when they were showing off the Switch... Then they showed 1-2 Switch as their first game, lol. The wow factor kinda disappeared, but was thankfully revived when they showed the newest BotW trailer.
@yuwarite
Nintendo makes great games and hardware that makes me say "wow, I wish I could play this with a regular controller"
@Crono1973 The most direct one is the console/portable nature is directly due to how people mostly used the gamepad of the Wii U. The second was going with hardware developers preferred vs what Nintendo used.
@Crono1973 dude, the Wii U sold 15 million units in 5 years, the Switch managed that in 10 months.
What exactly are you unsure about?
He seems to think that invoking laughter is something a new console should do... Maybe that does explain the Wii U after all, haha.
@RainbowGazelle I partly agree with this. While I have the Switch and love it and recommend everyone get it... The other day, NISA announced a Switch remake of the Alliance Alive (originally for 3DS). I played the demo of the 3DS version and it used the touch screen really well. I can't imagine that the Switch version is better, or even as good, without the unique features of the 3DS.
@Octane So what was your point then, by saying "The PS Move controllers do have accelerometers and gyroscopes as well." in reaction to my comment?
It reads like I've said that they don't, or that only the Wii Remote has them, which is why I didn't understand the point you were trying to make with that comment.
Yep, 2 years on and I'm still loving the "full experience in handheld" wow factor that first grabbed my attention when it was announced.
@ThanosReXXX ''Which, by the way, were FAR more hindered by external light/movement sources than the Wii remotes ever were (and with the Wii remote Plus, the effect was even more negligible)''
I don't have them, so I wouldn't know, but if the Wii Remote Plus (gyroscope and accelerometer) made the effect of bright lights almost negligible, why wouldn't the same apply to PS Move controllers?
Why are we having this discussion again?
My biggest "wow" moment in gaming to date, came out of me watching Super Mario 64 running for the first time at my local vide game rental store.
Seeing Mario run freely inside that big 3D sandbox environment, spinning Bowser by his tail...
My childish brain just couldn't fathom how things had progressed from the 2D sprites of SMW, to something like what i was seeing in SM64.
@Octane We are having this discussion, because I honestly didn't understand the point you were trying to make with the sentence I quoted in my previous comment, but I get it now, finally. Maybe we should try it in Dutch next time. If only that was allowed on here...
But to answer your question: it was more sensitive because of the stupid ice cone bulb on top of the controller, which created a completely exposed, 360 degree entry point for distortion factors, whereas the Wii remote only had the one small, rectangular IR window at the front, which was also covered by a darkened piece of plastic, which reduced the intake/influence of external light sources even more.
I've seen it displayed on a game event once, where camera light from a crew filming did distort Move functionality, but not Wii remote Plus functionality, so hence my original point.
Move was to some extent technically superior, but perhaps exactly because of that also more sensitive to external factors.
Or perhaps, Nintendo's design was simply smarter and more straight forward...
Well We've been seeing kids play with stick and hoop for a lot longer than this. I'm not impressed.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Boys_with_hoops_on_Chesnut_Street.jpg
I've had many wow moments with almost every nintendo system I've owned. They make magic happen.
@GhostGarrity XD Sometimes I say the same.
@Octane The SEGA Dreamcast "Dreameye" Webcam was on market before the ps2 camera Also the Microphone for speech recognition in games like sea-man
@eRaz0r Could the DreamEye be used to control games like the EyeToy?
EyeToy supported visual/motion controls as well as AR.
Of course I'm still disappointed that Maraca-based gaming never became as big a thing as it should have been.
@blecch it was planed to create cam enabled / gesture controlled games for dreameye, but beside video/voicechat in games, no games were released for the camera, due to the "bad" dreamcast sales. and unfortunately, sega never released the camera outside of japan, even it was planed, to release it worldwide.
all we've got in europe, was the microphone, to "party chat" during online gaming.
https://web.archive.org/web/20071015150057/http://sega.jp/dc/hard/o_eye/
so basically dreameye was the "mother" for ps2 and all other webcam based gadgets on other consoles ;D
https://segaretro.org/Dreameye
You guys took one article from The Guardian and turned it into two “articles.”
I know you need to always update the site with “content” every day, but come on...
Making “articles” from comment thread rumors and out of context tweets doesn’t cut it either. I think the world is just fine with fewer posts of substance rather than a constant stream of nothing much.
@Octane Just pointing out that Nintendo released a digital camera for a gaming device first.
And I'd call the EyeToy more of a Richard Marks idea, less an internal Sony R&D idea. Marks wasn't employed by Sony when he came up with the idea in 1999; he was later employed that year after presenting the idea to them.
@Haywired The Wii didn't invent Motion controls, it just popularised them to a mainstream level. But you could argue Nintendo were doing motion controls to some extent with stuff like the NES Zapper before that. And there were other motion controls and camera based gesture technologies that existed before the EyeToy as well.
@yuwarite @eRaz0r I think you all missed my point. You can always find a similar device or festure that precedes it. My point isn't that Sony was "first", or that Nintendo "copied" them. My point was solely that these new ideas don't exist in a vacuum. The Switch isn't the first "hybrid" console for example. Does that matter? No! Of course not.
I will always love Nintendo for their approach to making interesting software. The ps4 has a stellar library and awesome QOL system features but I truly prefer gaming on the switch whenever I get the chance. (might be to my bias as I vastly prefer handheld gaming)
That said, you guys need to lay off sony, sure they copy but they have pushed the medium forward quite a bit. They popularized every single format (CD's, DVD's, Blu ray) which may not seem like much but you wouldn't be able to have games like Metal gear solid IV during that era. Also they are probably the most successful mainstream VR company which had one of the most innovative VR titles called AstroBot Rescue Mission. I had the same giddy feeling playing that as I did something like Mario 64 back on the N64.
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