A Whole New Ball Game

Recent rumors have been flying around that Nintendo has been working on a new console already. In fact if these rumors are correct they may be so far along in development that they'll be ready to reveal their newest creation at this year's E3 show. Now I know Nintendo doesn't get a lot of love here on the blog but there's a reason for that and it's not because I personally hate Nintendo. I just think their business model is a little wacky. And that's not to say that it isn't effective though because quite frankly everything they've developed in the last 9 years or so essentially just prints more money for them. However I feel like some of my dislike for Nintendo for so heavily investing themselves in the motion gaming movement of the last six years. Okay dislike is a strong term. I don't hate Nintendo or anything. I have a great deal of respect for them as I grew up with the brand being very prominent; loved the SNES and Nintendo 64. 

However as I have matured and my tastes have changed, Nintendo has essentially stayed the same. When they finally did change with the Wii I just felt they were riding out a fad. The system sold well and for all intents and purposes revolutionized the industry. So much so that Sony and Microsoft were quick to turn around and create their own motion tech; the Move and Kinect respectively. The difference however is that this is additional hardware for Microsoft and Sony whereas Nintendo made a huge gamble by making the motion control of the Wii its main feature. Almost every game has been designed to include some level of motion control. Big gamble with some huge payoffs. The system is profitable and fun at the same time. But here we are five years later and Nintendo is already working on a new console when Microsoft and Sony are rumored to be looking at 2014 as the launch date for the next "console war" to begin. That's a full two years after the supposed debut of Nintendo's Wii 2.0. The plan for this system is to retain the Wii's control system but to basically increase the power of the system and it's graphical output to be on level, if not a little better than the PS3 and the 360. 

Now I'm not an industry insider or anything, but I do follow the way things trend. I've seen systems launched only to be declared dead in the water shortly after. Is that going to happen to Project Cafe as it's being called right now? I have no idea. But if the rumors of a 2012 launch date are true I do think Nintendo is being a little short sighted here and it's because of the Wii itself. When the Wii launched it was all about the user experience and not the graphics. It was a solid mantra for Nintendo. The graphics weren't terrible but they weren't on par with the high definition visuals Sony and Microsoft were pumping out win their games. Cross-platform games meant a whole different engine scaled down for the game to even work on the Wii, not to mention a completely different control scheme. But the motion control scheme would add a whole new level of depth and fun that was appealing across the board; from casual to hardcore players alike. As the years go on though the difference between versions became glaringly obvious. Some games don't even get ported to the Wii because of it. Sales have slowed, and while it's still a high selling item Sony and Microsoft have gained considerable ground. 

This would be fine if the Wii could continue to stand against the two machines. But once you exhaust the motion controlled play mechanics, there's not much room to grow. The other two systems though have room to keep increasing their graphical output as well as offer various modes for online play in their internet services, which is another department Nintendo is severely lacking in. So the gist of what I'm getting at here is the potential scenario of Nintendo dazzling crowds and dropping their new system in 2012. The system builds upon the success of the Wii and prints more money for Nintendo with it's fresh graphical capabilities and the new power source packed under the hood. Finally they would be on par, if not a little better than the 360/PS3 games coming out at the time. 

Fast forward to 2014, Sony and Microsoft introduce full fledged console follow ups even more powerful than the PS3 and 360. Once again Nintendo would be the one fighting an uphill battle in the visual department and must rely on the user interface to be the deciding factor. Unless they go with a full fledged upgrade in their next system, once again they'll be faced with cutting a console's life cycle short in order to catch up with the capabilities of their competitors. Again, I respect Nintendo, and I'd hate to see them go down the same road again. More power to them for wanting to hit the market early much like Microsoft did with the 360 in 2005. There's no doubt that being first to market can have huge advantages. However if the rumors of a slightly better Wii with HD graphics is true, then it has the potential to come back and bite them in the rear. Now we still have a ways to go before E3 2011 kicks off where they will supposedly show off Project Cafe for the first time. Between now and then things could certainly change and they could prove me completely wrong with what they actually show off to the public. I just think it would be more beneficial for them and gamers alike to think more in the long term battle against Sony and Microsoft than in the short term. Create something that's still going to be viable competitive when the "war" kicks up again.