Since when are MS and Sony good at keeping secrets? If new consoles were going to be unveiled this summer, we'd be hearing about it.

Of course not, but don't forget the 360 is a year older than the Wii and PS3, and as mentioned the PS3 is just now hitting its stride. I bet MS tries to compete with Nintendo while Sony rides it out a year longer than both.

At this rate, Sony's big E3 announcement will be that PSN will be "back online sometime in Q4 2012!"

I'd say the odds are ridiculously slim that Microsoft or Sony announce anything at E3. Maybe some rumblings towards the end of the year just to say they'll be way more powerful then whatever Nintendo puts out, but I don't see any reason to assume they're sitting on new tech already and just waiting it out. I never got the impression that Sony and Microsoft were in a big rush for the next generation, and 2013 wouldn't surprise me.

Yeah, Nintendo is the only one behind. Sony and Microsoft don't need to hurry up, they already are "next generation".

And I really don't expect anything from the new Nintendo console to be too superior.

It's kind of amazing how many people rag on Nintendo these days.

What's kind of amazing is how nintendo is always the last to adopt new technology. Maybe people wouldn't rag on them as much if they followed the times instead of trying to use gimmicks which will hopefully change with this. They were still using cartridges well after cd's became the norm

It's getting a bit tired of them to have systems that format wise and such are 2 or 3 years behind the times. That is why I don't really think of nintendo as being valid anymore. Hopefully they can make something that I can take seriously this time. Mind you,some of their games are great, but for god sakes, the wii had a dvd drive but didn't even play dvd movies. That is kind of ridiculous to not have the functionality.

Yeah, they totally copied half of Move only five years before Sony did it

Seriously, though, they innovate. HD wasn't a concern for the Japanese gamer in 2006.

The move is also a gimmick. I don't consider the wiimote or the move, or anything like that innovating, it's all a gimmick. I had the move for awhile and got rid of it as it just isn't very fun. That is just my opinion, but it doesn't seem like they take it very seriously. If they took the system seriously then I think they would do great, but that's just how I feel

I'm not saying they copy anyone, in fact they rarely copy, but it just makes me think they don't take making a system seriously, they would rather make a boy than a serious gaming system.

Yeah, it was ridiculous that Nintendo wouldn't at least have the Wii play DVDs, and while there was a degree of gimmick in the majority of third-party titles, the Nintendo games were all top notch.

And the motion controls aside, I actually liked the Wii Remote and Nunchuck for games; I found it a very comfortable and intuitive way to play the games and it gave me more freedom with position my hands than with other controllers.

I also don't see why people criticize the integration of motion controls just because some of it ended up being lame. For example, I loved the way it was integrated into Twilight Princess for things like shooting arrows and swordfights.

I guess I'm just biased because I've been with Nintendo since I was a kid; although I did get a PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, primarily for the DVD and Blu-ray capabilities, respectively, as well as a few titles. Like I said before though, as long as Nintendo gives me quality games from their main franchises, that's all I care about. The Wii was well worth it for Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Twilight Princess, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and other first-party titles.

Even "top notch" AAA titles couldn't get away from the gimmick. A few choice examples where waggle/pointing were forced into games that never needed them before:

Super Mario Galaxy didn't need it. Pointing at starbits is the same as walking past them, you get 'em anyway. Did we really need levels where you stand on a ball to move? Shake to spin? Nope. Nope. Nope.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Shake the Wiimote to pick things up? Uh, talk about a step backward, it was a button press for 25 years.

Metroid: Other M - Point to shoot missles and re-orienting the controller in the heat of battle? Worst design decision ever.

There are plenty more examples like those. In fact the only ones that I think truly worked from the ground up were Metroid Prime and the Wii Sports titles. Even then, I think Metroid was more of a lateral move versus true improvement.

I actually agree on this. Make it wireless and give me four face buttons instead of one and I'd be down for a Wimote 2.0 for the next system.


Most of us have. I've been there for every launch except the NES, ready to fork over the money (even 13 hours in 30 degree weather for the Wii launch) and the Wii was a disappointment. Sure Nintendo put out decent updates to a lot of the franchises, but as mentioned above, they had to fuck 'em up in some way with forced controls. Not to mention we are still paying $50 for what are ultimately Gamecube games.

only if you believe that all these supposed leaks are really leaks and not a marketing strategy

The movement controls of the Wii notwithstanding, the Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2. Also, the Gamecube was the first controler to have analog triggers and the wavebird was the first really good wireless controler. The Wii is really the only underpowered console Nintendo has ever made.

The problem with most of these new gaming "innovations" is that they have fuck all to do with the actual games. It's classic "cart before the horse" mentality, with the tech servicing itself rather than the game. It's as if the R&D department and the game developers are working independently of each other, and having to shoe-horn their shit together at the end of the process.

Neither Microsoft nor Sony can show off new systems yet. They need to see what Nintendo is putting out there first so they can copy it! *runs away

That is certainly true for the vast majority of the games. However, Wii Sports was pretty revolutionary and I think it has probably sold more gaming systems than any other single game in the last 20 years.

Yeah, Nintendo works very close with Miyamoto on each new system, and Cliffy B supposedly had some input in MS opting for 512MB of ram over cheaping out at 256MB. I think all three companies consider input from designers, it's whether or not they take their advice.

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/pos...onsole-for-e3/
"Nintendo has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii, which the company has sold 86.01 million units on a consolidated shipment basis between its launch in 2006 and the end of March 2011.

We will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo, which will be held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles.”

Nintendo not valid? They're laughing all the way to the bank. And leave it to Sony to "revolutionize" the portable market with UMDs while Nintendo relies on cartridges.

I think Nintendo is innovative, they just didn't prioritize HD gaming or DVD playback (and really, how many households would even use the Wii as a DVD player?). I think nearly every new system has a controller that has done something different than the rest. And they found a way to be successful by doing something different this generation, instead of building a system similar to the other two and trying to compete with the same market.

Admittedly, their lack of an online strategy for any of their systems is frustrating. Having the multiple variations of the DS only do WEP is frustrating. But now they're entering the HD space, in a time when HD sets are very commonplace.

What's funny is that Nintendo made this maddeningly complex online friends system in order to protect "the children". Yet, it's still the only console where I can routinely play an online game against an opponent whose face looks like a penis.

the whole balance board and wii fit was probably hated by gyms everywhere. but with kinect it's a lot better.

Kinect doesn't work for me, because I don't like flailing my arms around without something in my hand. At least with Wii, and even better with Playstation Move, I am gripping something that feels like a tennis racket, or a golf club.

Kinect is fine for dance games, if that's your thing.

The best thing about new consoles: fanboys come out in droves to condone or support a set of assumptions.

The worst thing is people automatically associate critical comments with "fanboy"