Whew... someone doesn't like Nintendo

[cybercylon]

You're talking updated rereleases, I'm talking about what's going to happen with existing downloads if one or both is backwards compatible.

 

If backwards compatibility is there, there's little doubt we'll be able to log into our accounts and access our existing DLC. I see no reason why it's not going to be like the situation on the 3DS, Vita, and Wii U.

 

The big question mark is if they're even going to be backwards compatible.

 

I think we all have the fear that they won't be. Although, it is possible that the new systems will be powerful enough to run them under some sort of emulation; easier said for some games than others. If they are emulated, there is no excuse for them to have everyone pay again. If they have to make some tweaks to do a port, my fear is that they will want more money, and the only way that stops is if no one buys.

[Mord]

Okay... admittedly that was too harsh and I was being a bit of a dick with that post. Let's just keep our cool.

 

That being said, I do think you were pretty much spot on with how the majority tend to treat modern electronics. It's not about being pretentious or even needing to be smarter than anyone else. Just listen to how a lot of people talk about their cellphones, games, etc. And then notice how common the story has become. Even when it came to people complaining about the original Xbox being kicked offline and them being denied their patches and DLC going forward, the rest (the majority.. "masses" if you will.) bitched them out and told them to get with the program - the new program.

 

There's very little reason to expect anything different to happen this time around, and all Sony and Microsoft has to do to prevent a legit gamer rage is to SAVE money by not making the next gen backwards compatible. As a bonus they can then repackage and resell todays' greatest hits as digital downloads like how you're getting your PS2 fix on the ps3.

[Atariboy]

I really don't see the chance of remaking downloadable XBLA/PSN games being that important of a concern for them (And certainly not a big enough one to forgo the chance of continued sales of all existing available downloads on next gen platforms for). The money they'd gain from remaking and rereleasing one surely would be dwarfed by the lost sales they'd of gotten from 30 more existing games that could've continued to sell that never got remade but didn't since they wanted to maximize the sales of a single game. And that's without even considering the fortunes of XBLA/PSN software for current gen consoles that will release after their replacements hit. And remakes are a big deal this gen because of HD. What's going to be the big selling point for remaking current gen games? Certainly doesn't appear like it's going to be 3D and I don't see people lining up to log-in to purchase an upgrade that bumps you up from native 720p and surround sound to 1080p and lossless audio...

 

And they never included backwards compatibility out of the goodness of their hearts. They did it because it's financially beneficial for them within reason. It helps sell consoles when gamer's know that their existing library and releases for the existing console will continue to be compatible, particularly in the opening year or two when new high profile releases can tend to be few and far between and prices for what software there are is high. And it always takes time for several high profile genres to get established on a new platform so it helps to get people over those bumps when they can do something like play the latest rpg from the older console to tide themselves over until that AAA rpg they've been drooling over finally rolls around for their new console. So that helps increase your install base faster than it otherwise would've since people that would've otherwise stayed with their current console a while longer will be willing to upgrade earlier. And that means you have more people buying your next gen games earlier. And publishers love it since they know that their latest game for a last gen console can also sell to owners of the next. So that helps improve the commercial picture of your existing platform during that transition window since the older platform is penalized less than it otherwise would've been when next gen console owners still have the option of picking up new current gen titles.

 

Those reasons aren't suddenly unimportant this generation. There's still a compelling reason behind backwards compatibility and I don't think it's a given that the Xbox 720 and Playstation 4 won't be BC. The big question will be how expensive the feature will be. If it comes easy, such as if they use evolved versions of their existing CPU/GPU's that can play current gen software fairly easily, I bet they do it. If it cost a lot of money or can only be done half way, I don't see anyone treading down that path again.

 

Ease is going to be the deciding factor I think. Not the opportunity to maximize sales of potential remakes.

Edited October 8, 2012 by Atariboy

[thegamezmaster]

isn't the VC content determined by the console and not the username/password? unless that has changed, what will happen to all the VC stuff people bought on the Wii?

 

this was reason #1 why I refused to purchase anything on the Wii.

 

 

I sold my lauch Wii and got the Red Mario anniversary one. Couldn't transfer any downloaded games. Called Nintendo and was told any games downloaded to the first were tied to the serial number so they couldn't be transfered. So that ended me downloading any more games to my Red Wii. Plus given their business practices ie: starting with you open the game, you bought it no return from the NES days, still hate that one.

Edited October 8, 2012 by thegamezmaster

[onlysublime]

Those reasons aren't suddenly unimportant this generation. There's still a compelling reason behind backwards compatibility and I don't think it's a given that the Xbox 720 and Playstation 4 won't be BC. The big question will be how expensive the feature will be. If it comes easy, such as if they use evolved versions of their existing CPU/GPU's that can play current gen software fairly easily, I bet they do it. If it cost a lot of money or can only be done half way, I don't see anyone treading down that path again.

 

Ease is going to be the deciding factor I think. Not the opportunity to maximize sales of potential remakes.

 

if it's true that the next-gen hardware is going back to x64 hardware, then it will definitely not be backward compatible.

 

but even then, the 360 and the next Xbox will coexist peacefully on the same network so that's almost just as good as it means a whole generation of owners aren't abandoned. the ecosystem is built too far up for them to tear it down and start over again. it's different from the pioneering days of the original Xbox when there was no true online network (the nascent dialup networks for the other brands weren't even close in complexity to Xbox Live even in XBL's infancy). Even Microsoft was still figuring out what the online network was going to be composed of. Now they have a good sense of what features people want and they made it modular enough so that new parts can be added without having to rebuild the whole system again.

 

hoping that Nintendo studied the network systems of both the 360 and PS3 very well so they can build an equivalent or better. but so far the demos they've shown show they haven't learned much. it's still going to be the wild west and dependent on third parties which means no consistency.

[akator]

I'm tired of people calling out "the masses" or saying "most people are stupid" as if you're any better or smarter than any of them. As if you have greater insight than the rest of the world.

 

To call "a whole lot of folks" as "mindless" just shows how pretentious you really are.

 

ROTFL

 

Why would anyone be offended by this statement if he were not one of the mindless masses? Maybe you are a vigilante defender of all things sheeple?

 

To call "a whole lot of folks" as "mindless" just shows how pretentious you really are.

 

My hillbilly neighbors think it's pretentious for me to wear shoes and bath frequently.

 

Having standards is important.

 

Okay... admittedly that was too harsh and I was being a bit of a dick with that post. Let's just keep our cool.

 

And the internet award for Wussing Out goes to...

Edited October 9, 2012 by akator

[Metal Ghost]

ROTFL

 

Why would anyone be offended by this statement if he were not one of the mindless masses? Maybe you are a vigilante defender of all things sheeple?

 

 

I love how myopic this statement is, along with using a logic trap to prove it's point. Having standards is important. Name calling when your standards differ with someone else's is probably not the best way to go. Cyber has moved on, can't the rest of us??

[LynxVGL]

I sold my lauch Wii and got the Red Mario anniversary one. Couldn't transfer any downloaded games. Called Nintendo and was told any games downloaded to the first were tied to the serial number so they couldn't be transfered. So that ended me downloading any more games to my Red Wii. Plus given their business practices ie: starting with you open the game, you bought it no return from the NES days, still hate that one.

 

Nintendo has announced that there will be a way to move VC Titles and WiiWare over to a Wii U. They haven't said HOW yet. :/ If you send a Wii in for repair, Nintendo will transfer VC and WiiWare to a new unit for you however (Wii that is). You have to beg, scream, and make a huge deal about it though.

[Atariboy]

I imagine the process of how it's done on with DSi titles tells the story on how the Wii transfer process will work.

[high voltage]

I'm tired of people calling out "the masses" or saying "most people are stupid" as if you're any better or smarter than any of them. As if you have greater insight than the rest of the world.

 

To call "a whole lot of folks" as "mindless" just shows how pretentious you really are.

 

I think it's spot-on, look way back, Adolf Hitler and the mindless masses...same with Nintendo.

[DracIsBack]

I agree with everything you said except Madworld being a failure. THat was the most underated game on the WII, the conduit was garbage though. It was no fault of the game that it went ignored by the general public.

 

Conduit didn't sell that badly actually.

[onlysublime]

I think it's spot-on, look way back, Adolf Hitler and the mindless masses...same with Nintendo.

 

OMG. someone comparing Adolf Hitler to Nintendo...

[high voltage]

Yeah, I just realised, I'm so spot on too:

 

Nintendo threatening shops not to stock other systems or they’d pull out.

 

Nintendo threatening companies not to release a game on other consoles.

 

Nintendo forcing companies to buy 10.000s of carts or the game wouldn’t get published.

 

Nintendo lying in US court.

 

Nintendo lying to customers

 

And much more

 

 

Threats, force, lying.....just like Adolf

[DracIsBack]

Dude - Hitler killed millions of innocent people. That's a tasteless comparison.

[icemanxp300]

Dude - Hitler killed millions of innocent people. That's a tasteless comparison.

 

Nintendo has also killed millions of fans and prevented many awesome games from being produced on their systems.

 

Why the hell have I not been able to play super meat boy on a console yet?

[godslabrat]

Unless you can show me a mass grave of former Nintendo fans, let's not go there. If you can't make your point without referencing the holocaust, you probably don't have a very good point in the first place.

[jd_1138]

Nintendo doesn't make any profit on hardware, so it's asinine that they don't release Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and all the other character based games on other platforms. Software is where the profit is. Nintendo is a strange co.. Think of all the Xbox 360 and PS3 owners who would buy the Nintendo games.

[onlysublime]

Nintendo doesn't make any profit on hardware, so it's asinine that they don't release Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and all the other character based games on other platforms. Software is where the profit is. Nintendo is a strange co.. Think of all the Xbox 360 and PS3 owners who would buy the Nintendo games.

 

Actually, it wasn't until the 3DS was pricedropped that Nintendo didn't make profit on hardware. They have made profit on hardware for the past 20 years. Nintendo is also saying they're not going to be making a profit on the Wii U either.

[Atariboy]

Not to mention all the money they rake in from 3rd parties when they release products on a Nintendo platform.

 

If suddenly people didn't have to buy Nintendo platforms to play 1st party Nintendo releases, that huge profit source would be negatively affected. They'd have to be fools to do that when the gamer's that love Nintendo's core franchises seem perfectly content buying Nintendo hardware to have access to them even if they won't be touching anything else.

[Segataritensoftii]

Would I be a bad person to say I agree with these devlopers? If Nintendo are going to make it that frustrating, uneconomical, and unnecessarily delayed for third parties to make any kinds of games for their systems then honestly they reap what they sow.

 

I can't find the URL right now but my opinion of Nintendo changed majorly a few years ago when I heard the lack of support they gave Capcom when porting Tatsunoko vs Capcom for North America. Capcom needed online multiplayer servers and coding from Nintendo and apparently Nintendo told Capcom they didn't think it was necessary. For an online fighting game???

 

Since that situation there have been many others (Super Meat Boy file limitations, lack of demos on Wiiware, Assassin's Creed Revalations no longer a 3DS title, not to mention past failures like Mad World and The Conduit and the death of the Virtual Console) where I just get the feeling Nintendo doesn't want to operate like a normal gaming company anymore. I have money to give them but clearly they don't want it.

Nintendo, like Japan, is a company that won't change their ways until they absolutely have to. IMO, they will only start being nicer to third parties when their first party exclusives stop selling and/or they really start to hemorrhage money on their console business. Edited November 17, 2012 by Segataritensoftii