MS 'comment' on Nintendo and handhelds.. (1 Viewer)

[paul h]

from www.computerandvideogames.com

19:24 The console war of words upped a couple of notches this week, as top brass from all sides took to the stage to give their own rallying cries at the first Annual ELSPA Games Summit in London.
Microsoft was represented by corporate VP for retail sales and marketing Peter Moore, who gave a keynote address earlier today, outlining Microsoft's longterm direction for Xbox.

And comments made by former Sega of America President Moore to us recently provide a crystal clear account of why the company believes its strategy is the best way forward. Asked if Microsoft was planning its own entry into handheld gaming, following the revelation of the PlayStation Portable at E3, Moore told us: "We're not in that business and there are no plans to be in that business right now."

Explaining this stance, he added: "If I believe, which I do, in the social aspects of gaming, at the furthest end of the gaming spectrum against that is handheld gaming, because that's a very solitary, time-killing activity.

"It's not something you share - we believe that the future is the social element of gaming, and that's going to be done through a console, not through a handheld gaming device."

And on the subject of connectivity, Moore launched into a stinging attack on Nintendo's key E3 focus, stating: "When I was at Sega we did that [GC/GBA connectivity] with Sonic Advance - and the consumer went [shrugs shoulders] big deal! Someone's yet to explain to me the value of hooking up your handheld device to your console."

Seemingly throwing the gauntlet down to his competitors he added: "If somebody can tell me what the value of [connectivity] is, I'm all for it." We're assuming Nintendo might have something to say on that matter...

Microsoft's position is clear: it believes wholeheartedly in the future of gaming as a social activity revolving around the myriad possibilities offered by its hardware and Xbox Live. So don't go holding your breath for that handheld Xbox anytime soon.

For the full, unmissable Peter Moore interview, covering a broad range of topics including Xbox 2 and Rare's software in fascinating detail, be sure to check back tomorrow.

 

[Scott L]

Though I can agree with some of his points he should've kept his mouth shut. This is the kind of jabber that starts fan boy wars. If you like handhelds go Nintendo, if you don't like em (or don't make em ) then don't buy em.

 

[Kevin Reckelhoff]

hmmm...I agree completely with him about the connectivity. I just don't see why Nintendo thinks this is a selling point.

On the other hand, he seems to have missed the boat on the real value in handhelds--portability. Wireless has a long way to go before we're going to be playing Counterstrike out in the middle of a park somewhere.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Yup, thusfar Nintendo has demonstrated it as a gimmick only. No killer app, and somethign tells me there will NEVER be a killer app.

 

[Dave Bennett]

I'm in agreement on connectivity. I think there's gotta be a great usage out there for it somewhere but I sure haven't seen it yet. The best I've seen so far is the Tingle Tuner and the Splinter Cell map/PDA but even those aren't that amazing.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

It's fun and it expands the amount of usage you get from your games. Do you need much else? You don't buy a GBA or GCN solely for the connectivity, it's more or less a bonus feature if you happen to have both platforms.

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

Morgan;

That may be true. The problem is that Nintendo is spending an inordinate effort on promoting connectivity. It is indeed a bonus, but it's not a bonus that convinces anyone to buy a game. The fact that they don't realize people's indifferent attitude towards the feature suggests they don't quite know what gamers want, and therefore, are not giving it to them.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

They're pushing the connectivity in order to create new gameplay experiences based off the gimmick. Cel-shading is a gimmick, but it is nearly half of the gameplay in Zelda:TWW.

Did you not see the thing about the Pac-Man game? Sure, it's a bit of a stretch to revive one of the oldest arcade games ever made to utilize one feature that requires 2 devices and a special cable to make work at all, but it's still unique and attractive.

 

[Kevin Reckelhoff]

Cel-shading is a gimmick, but it is nearly half of the gameplay in Zelda:TWW.

I have no idea what you're trying to say with this statement and even less of an idea of how this is analagous to GBA connectivity.

 

[Josh Q S]

Cel-shading is a graphical style, NOT a gimmick. Just like "anime" is a style of cartoon.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Nintendo seems to be saying "we're not going online because we think the future is GBA/GC connectivity"

Actually, Nintendo has been saying that they don't want to go online until they get enough of an idea as to how profitable it will actually be for them.

 

[Damien]

I don't see what ripping on nintendo's strategy really accomplishes in the first place, I'm sure nintendo could come up with something as well, but what would the point be?

 

[Jason Seaver]

I don't see what ripping on nintendo's strategy really accomplishes in the first place

Guy was asked a question, and gave a complete and well-reasoned answer that further promoted one of his system's key selling points (online play). Personally, I find that much more interesting to read than "well, they've got their strategy and we've got ours". From the excerpt in the first note, it looks like the reporter could have been interpreting the comments as more aggressive than it was.