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[[Nintex]]

Can you link me to that?

sure:
http://twitter.com/#!/pkollar/status/58627307790798848

 

[thefro]

I was thinking about something like that too. There would be tons of cool potential multiplayer/co-op applications with this kind of setup.

How about counter-op where the player with the tablet is basically the "dungeon master" working against the other players? That'd be pretty fun even for a casual player if the interface was simple enough and balanced.

 

[Graphics Horse]

That's how I'm picturing it based on speculation (Coffee button is cool lol)

However, it would have to have a grip underneath to function as the Wiimote. Still not sure what the nunchuck would be though.

There is no nunchuck, but the idea is they're sick of adding straps and condoms for games that make you swing the controller around wildly. Pointing one or two handed should be comfortable as possible though.

When you say grip underneath do you mean to avoid obscuring the camera, or some ergonomic reason? My thinking was the IR camera is in the middle, between the two new beacon lights and under the face cam. Lights might need moving closer together to avoid fingers too.

 

[Retro]

Honest questions... could this be possible? Of course, with a lower resolution and everything...

Probably not. Again, there's laser-projected keyboards that can tell which key you're pressing, but it requires a flat surface to project on. But in theory, there might be ways to tell where your finger 'touches' the display by measuring the distance at which the player's finger breaks a beam... but, again... theory.

Here's the Laser Keyboard though, it's like $200 at amazon.

Here's a video of it in action (I think he's playing WoW with it); http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEuRSuLQrtk&feature=related

I haven't seen one, but I'm pretty sure you can only see the 3-D effect of the 3DS when you're pretty much looking at the screen anyways and it isn't actually producing a hologram or anything like that. Actually projecting an image in space isn't something we can do at that scale yet..

... As far as I know.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

How about counter-op where the player with the tablet is basically the "dungeon master" working against the other players? That'd be pretty fun even for a casual player if the interface was simple enough and balanced.

We need to stop coming up with cool ideas, it's only going to make the disappointment hurt more when the controller is something no one predicted at all.

EDIT: I guess the Wii price drop is confirmed now, not sure how fresh that news is. It's almost like Nintendo is gearing up for a fall/winter 2011 hardware launch...

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Just out of left field:

Could you integrate pointer functionality in some kind of fingertip attachment? Wire it to the controller, and you can hold a standard-ish pad and still manage to use a pointer.

Or would it be too awkward in practice?

 

[Vieo]

They should just resurrect PowerGlove-esque controls now rather than later. Everyone knows the immediate-future-standard for game console controllers will be some sort of setup that involves a glove, maybe even two gloves, a camera, and maybe some type of wand with a few buttons and an analog stick on it. I'm looking forward to our new PowerGlove Overlords already.

 

[Vinci]

We need to stop coming up with cool ideas, it's only going to make the disappointment hurt more when the controller is something no one predicted at all.

This is how I felt when the 3DS was released.... "That's it??"

 

[[Nintex]]

EDIT: I guess the Wii price drop is confirmed now, not sure how fresh that news is. It's almost like Nintendo is gearing up for a fall/winter 2011 hardware launch...

Now if only they had a game slated for release to clear out the left over controller stock....

 

[Fourth Storm]

Just had another crazy idea. Let's say P1 has the traditional controller and they're playing Call of Duty X as normal. Now, P2 has the tablet, and what they see is a top down view of the action, and do things like mark targets, move squads and control predator drones.

Would that work? Obviously P2's tablet would be rendering more lightly, maybe dropping stuff like particle effects and extra AA.

Very cool. This thread needs more creativity such as this.

On the topic of catering to the hardcore, I think Nintendo is playing it smart. I think they realize that you cannot possibly recreate the success of the Wii with casuals off the bat. They've tapped that particular blue ocean dry. What they can hope for, is what they've been stating all along: that those who started gaming with the Wii grow into proper gamers and stick with them for this next round. Thus, with the Wii 2, Nintendo can cater to core gamers (by including a controller with the standard amount of buttons and upping the horsepower) at first. They may potentially take a piece of the pie currently enjoyed by the HD twins and then, as the price drops, trust in the fact that those casual gamers who never quite graduated will jump on board. In my mind, they have the potential to create PS2 level success with this system.

 

[Graphics Horse]

Just out of left field:

Could you integrate pointer functionality in some kind of fingertip attachment? Wire it to the controller, and you can hold a standard-ish pad and still manage to use a pointer.

Or would it be too awkward in practice?

That could work well, probably better to somehow make it wireless to avoid broken finger lawsuits. How accurate is passive RFID triangulation these days?

 

[Vagabundo]

Now if only they had a game slated for release to clear out the left over controller stock....

lol flush out the channels. Announce at E3. Gear up for the big day. GAF will be fun this summer.

 

[Woffls]

EDIT: I guess the Wii price drop is confirmed now, not sure how fresh that news is. It's almost like Nintendo is gearing up for a fall/winter 2011 hardware launch...

I thought this earlier when looking at the price drop news. They really do seem to be clearing shelves in preparation for a new console to replace it. This supports the suggestion that devs have had kits for 2 years, and doesn't negate the suggestion that they've had them for months, either.

But to announce a new console that's such a radical change for them merely months away from launch? That's ballsy, even for Nintendo.

[edit] It does, however, bring into question what specs it will have. It certainly rubbishes the AMD Trinity suggestion Oh well!

 

[Rollo Lawson]

its beginning to sound gimmicky. i mean...not surprising but i though nintendo said they werent going there. maybe i misunderstood

 

[Vinci]

I thought this earlier when looking at the price drop news. They really do seem to be clearing shelves in preparation for a new console to replace it. This supports the suggestion that devs have had kits for 2 years, and doesn't negate the suggestion that they've had them for months, either.

But to announce a new console that's such a radical change for them merely months away from launch? That's ballsy, even for Nintendo.

Um, yeah... about the 2 years thing... it's likely they haven't had kits that long.

 

[JCRedeems]

C'mon, we all know if all the next Wii offered was more powerful hardware, enhanced motion controls and/or touch screen on the controls (something I think is ridiculous and lacks any kind of wow factor), then it will be N64 and Gamecube all over again.

I think with the next Wii Nintendo is go all out with a device that is so out of this world it's uniqueness alone will advertise itself.

It will be something akin to a mind reading device or brain computer interface.

Bundle it with a killer game (Wii Thought? Wii Mind-Age?) that showcases the technology and sell Wii 2 for under $250 then they got another uncle scrooge money bin full of cash.

 

[NewFresh]

Can it PLEASE make coffee? Forget graphics and controls, Espresso is where it's at, even drip would be awesome.

 

[qwerty2k]

Im hoping for vitality sensor somehow integrated into the controller (without having to plug something onto the end of your finger), having it be able to sense your heart rate etc just by gripping the controller, could open up some interesting possibilities.

 

[Eteric Rice]

Can it PLEASE make coffee? Forget graphics and controls, Espresso is where it's at, even drip would be awesome.

You should become a PC gamer.

http://www.boingboing.net/2002/12/08/coffeemaking-pc-case.html

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

Just imagine how crazy it would be if the system did come out this year. NGP (potentially), 3DS, and Wii 2, all on top of the dozens of great looking games that are coming out this year (or have already come out). It's a fun time to be a gamer.

 

[Cosmonaut X]

But to announce a new console that's such a radical change for them merely months away from launch? That's ballsy, even for Nintendo.

It could be a hell of a move.

Assume they have been in talks with third parties for ages, and assume that they are even just a half-step between the 360/PS3 gen and "next-gen". They should be well-placed to slot into the dev pipeline for all current PS360 multiplats, potentially stealing in with the definitive versions. If they could take a version of most big multiplatform games over the next 12 months or so, in addition to whatever third-party exclusives they can nab and Nintendo's own titles... well, it'd be a stonker of a first year.

It would be a big gamble on their part - they'd need to be confident that their competitors couldn't steal the show with another huge leap for their next consoles, or that they would have at least 12-24 months uncontested in the "better than PS360" space, and that they could hit with a big enough bang to dislodge the audience glued to the 360 and PS3 and take them to their system (which would require some really compelling content).

We'll see.

 

[DECK'ARD]

I thought this earlier when looking at the price drop news. They really do seem to be clearing shelves in preparation for a new console to replace it. This supports the suggestion that devs have had kits for 2 years, and doesn't negate the suggestion that they've had them for months, either.

But to announce a new console that's such a radical change for them merely months away from launch? That's ballsy, even for Nintendo.

It's potentially a very different type of change though for Nintendo with Wii 2, disruptive really.

Microsoft and Sony have tried to extend this generation through Kinect and Move, Wii 2 would be Nintendo's attempt to extend this generation on the backs of them. Developers wouldn't be having to adapt to a new level of development, they just move sideways (and probably a bit forwards). As such they wouldn't need to have had devkits for a long time before launch. Adapting to whatever the Wii 2's new idea is would take a lot less time than say the change from last gen to HD.

It would be very ballsy of Nintendo, but they would have the backing of a large portion of the industry hurt by the costs of this generation. 3 HD consoles as opposed to 2, more revenue from the same content.

Ironically Microsoft and especially Sony wouldn't actually mind this generation being extended with help from Nintendo.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

It could be a hell of a move.

Assume they have been in talks with third parties for ages, and assume that they are even just a half-step between the 360/PS3 gen and "next-gen". They should be well-placed to slot into the dev pipeline for all current PS360 multiplats, potentially stealing in with the definitive versions. If they could take a version of most big multiplatform games over the next 12 months or so, in addition to whatever third-party exclusives they can nab and Nintendo's own titles... well, it'd be a stonker of a first year.

It would be a big gamble on their part - they'd need to be confident that their competitors couldn't steal the show with another huge leap for their next consoles, or that they would have at least 12-24 months uncontested in the "better than PS360" space, and that they could hit with a big enough bang to dislodge the audience glued to the 360 and PS3 and take them to their system (which would require some really compelling content).

We'll see.

The Nintendo Wii 2 launching with the definitive console version of Battlefield 3...

 

[NewFresh]

You should become a PC gamer.

http://www.craphound.com/images/caffeinemachine.jpg

http://www.boingboing.net/2002/12/08/coffeemaking-pc-case.html

Already am one, which makes me confused as to how they keep that thing cool

 

[Vinci]

Ironically Microsoft and especially Sony wouldn't actually mind this generation being extended with help from Nintendo.

Actually, that should be MS and Sony's worst nightmares. They never want 3rd parties to imagine that working with Nintendo is not only doable but convenient or anything approaching a good idea.

 

[poppabk]

The Nintendo Wii 2 launching with the definitive console version of Battlefield 3...

All released footage was actually Wii2 and not PC.....

 

[Zeal]

Star Road Online seriously sounds awesome as hell.

why can't they go with awesome concepts like this.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

All released footage was actually Wii2 and not PC.....

LOL

 

[DECK'ARD]

Actually, that should be MS and Sony's worst nightmares. They never want 3rd parties to imagine that working with Nintendo is not only doable but convenient or anything approaching a good idea.

3rd parties are out of their control to a large degree though.

More money from the same content is a lot more appealing than forced higher development costs of PS4/720 sometime in the future, no matter what moneyhats are thrown around.

Wii 2 is basically a completely new situation. Nintendo walking in after Sony and Microsoft got burnt forcing developers to HD and saying here you go, here's a new revenue stream for practically no effort.

Could be very potent, especially if they did launch this year.

 

[duk]

Wii 2 is 80% More Powerful than 360

has this been posted?

that chart = LULZ!

and only 80% more powerful?

 

[wsippel]

All released footage was actually Wii2 and not PC.....

I really wonder why no console manufacturer ever did something like that. Sounds like a great marketing stunt.

 

[Vinci]

3rd parties are out of their control to a large degree though.

More money from the same content is a lot more appealing than forced higher development costs of PS4/720 sometime in the future, no matter what moneyhats are thrown around.

Wii 2 is basically a completely new situation. Nintendo walking in after Sony and Microsoft got burnt forcing developers to HD and saying here you go, here's a new revenue stream for practically no effort.

Could be very potent, especially if they did launch this year.

I agree completely that 3rd parties would jump on such an opportunity without hesitation. What I'm saying is that MS and Sony should be utterly terrified of this ever happening. Their one saving grace against Nintendo is that 3rd parties have generally avoided Nintendo's hardware. To see something like a feature-complete BF3 or Bungie's new title on a Nintendo console, even if it's just multiplatform, brings into doubt the whole, "Only Nintendo games on Nintendo consoles" myth competitors have perpetuated against the company for years.

 

[StickSoldier]

Like I said a few pages ago, they already have laser-projected keyboards that can sense which key you're pressing based on where the beam is broken. In theory that should allow for a method of sensing where on the virtual display your finger 'touched'.

They have glasses-less 3-D screens, maybe while working on that technology they found a way to project it at a different angle... would be fuckin' badarse, but I don't think it's gonna happen.

Yeah, I'm guessin that when it becomes cheaper to do this kind of stuff, thats the direction consoles will go. Shit sounds amazin though.

 

[Touch]

I really wonder why no console manufacturer ever did something like that. Sounds like a great marketing stunt.

The PC community would call foul upon first sniff of the footage.

 

[Retro]

Star Road Online seriously sounds awesome as hell.

why can't they go with awesome concepts like this.

That logo I designed is from before the Wii was revealed, when I was saying "Wouldn't it be cool if they had an online service that let you play Multiplayer GBA games online as if you were using link cables?" I had nobody to play Four Swords Adventures or Advance Wars with... and it seems like that would instantly give Nintendo a huge library of multiplayer games.

Here's the full thing;

Heh, still calling it the "Revolution" at that point, wow.

 

[Graphics Horse]

Depends how serious Iwata was about improving relations with third parties. Would be crazy if so much has been going on behind the scenes for the last two years.

 

[NewFresh]

Depends how serious Iwata was about improving relations with third parties. Would be crazy if so much has been going on behind the scenes for the last two years.

They surprised a lot of people with their announcement of all the 3DS third party support and their focus on it

 

[Wazzim]

Wii 2 is 80% More Powerful than 360

has this been posted?

I hope the guys who we are getting impressions from have more knowledge about hardware than these guys. Holy shit.

 

[Graphics Horse]

They surprised a lot of people with their announcement of all the 3DS third party support and their focus on it

Yep, although we've barely seen games from half of those guys yet, heh.

Important to remember the 3DS could have been a completely unnanounce surprise at E3, followed by a December launch. I'd be amazed if that happened for Wii 2 but you never know.

 

[Truth101]

Yep, although we've barely seen games from half of those guys yet, heh.

Important to remember the 3DS could have been a completely unnanounce surprise at E3, followed by a December launch. I'd be amazed if that happened for Wii 2 but you never know.

I'd like to think that we will see a lot of those developers showcasing games for the 3DS at E3 this year, but you never know....

 

[NateDrake]

The Nintendo Wii 2 launching with the definitive console version of Battlefield 3...

You can bet Battlefield 3 will be on Wii2 at E3. If it isn't I'll be shocked honestly. What better game to highlight new powerful hardware than BF3 and have it running at PC level specs.

 

[Woffls]

Depends how serious Iwata was about improving relations with third parties. Would be crazy if so much has been going on behind the scenes for the last two years.

I've brought this up a few times in this thread. Along with the E310 slide that EmmanuelMunoz posted, they've said that they had fewer 1st party launch titles for 3DS to make way for 3rd parties. I seriously believe that Nintendo have been making big positive steps in this regard, and they know that they can't tackle the core market on their own.

As for Sony/MS wanting this current generation to last. I would have agreed this time last week for many reasons, but if Nintendo can swoop in and start eating away at their market share? That leaves MS/Sony to attempt to differentiate themselves, and what will they try? Kinect and Move? Half off XBL and PSN+? Or resort to what they know best: MORE POWER!

 

[DECK'ARD]

I agree completely that 3rd parties would jump on such an opportunity without hesitation. What I'm saying is that MS and Sony should be utterly terrified of this ever happening. Their one saving grace against Nintendo is that 3rd parties have generally avoided Nintendo's hardware. To see something like a feature-complete BF3 or Bungie's new title on a Nintendo console, even if it's just multiplatform, brings into doubt the whole, "Only Nintendo games on Nintendo consoles" myth competitors have perpetuated against the company for years.

Definitely agree that it's Sony and Microsoft's worst nightmare, which is if why Nintendo you'd definitely do it. It fits with their disruptive agenda these days. They'd both be in a difficult position to respond, especially Sony, and that would be compounded by the message from an industry that doesn't want costs to escalate further.

Perceptions of platforms also change easily. If you think about how with the DS and the Wii they totally shed the just for kids image. That was through content, marketing and the design of the systems. The sticking point with Wii is the casual thing, but that could change very quickly by the 3rd party content that the Wii was missing.

New system, new content, rebranding.

 

[Vinci]

As for Sony/MS wanting this current generation to last. I would have agreed this time last week for many reasons, but if Nintendo can swoop in and start eating away at their market share? That leaves MS/Sony to attempt to differentiate themselves, and what will they try? Kinect and Move? Half off XBL and PSN+? Or resort to what they know best: MORE POWER!

Why would MS ever have to cut XBL's subscription price? It's not threatened by this new system.

EDIT: When I say 'it,' I mean Live. MS is definitely threatened by this possible system, but Live is so powerful at this point, it would be hard to ever pull people away from it.

 

[Holy Order Sol]

They surprised a lot of people with their announcement of all the 3DS third party support and their focus on it

Wasn't that the time when everyone laughed when THQ was mentioned? XD

 

[Woffls]

Why would MS ever have to cut XBL's subscription price? It's not threatened by this new system.

I was just throwing out suggestions, but to entertain your line of questioning, 3DS had massively improved online features which will only be improved again in the May update and in N6. If people can play the best looking version of BF3 online for free on - and this might be quite a leap of faith - a decent online Nintendo system, then I'd say that's slightly threatening to XBL Gold.

 

[Refreshment.01]

I know you like considering everything that's possible, but you are comparing apples and oranges. The benefits of touch is that it's immediate. The benefits of being able to touch the TV screen picture in your hands (if it was possible) would be completely destroyed if whatever you touched took time to register and respond. Lag on things like the wiimote and Kinect can be easier hidden, and because you aren't physically touching something and expecting a response back from that you are more likely to tolerate it.

For direct controls though, Nintendo would rather walk over broken glass than do this. And the lag would affect everything from d-pad, to analog controls to the touch itself.

Just did some quick checks. Its totally possible. A low resolution video feed with almost imperceptible lag is feasible. There are people gaming no problems at 1080p resolution at 60HZ with a wireless video feed.

So they could stream the same frames visible on the tv to the 6'' screen and use the screen to manipulate the action as a direct input, like you have in some DS games. Plus the given obvious uses like menus, HUDs, a second player controlling, etc.

So if this is attractive or not its a different matter altogether but is quite doable.

 

[Vinci]

I was just throwing out suggestions, but to entertain your line of questioning, 3DS had massively improved online features which will only be improved again in the May update and in N6. If people can play the best looking version of BF3 online for free on - and this might be quite a leap of faith - a decent online Nintendo system, then I'd say that's slightly threatening to XBL Gold.

I don't believe Nintendo will ever do anything online well enough to threaten Live, not entirely. Its built up a very concentrated, strong community around itself that would be hard to tackle for a company as conservative and family-focused as Nintendo. They might be able to get people to buy their system for this, that, or the other thing, but I seriously doubt it will ever be totally at MS's expense as long as Live exists.

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Wii 2 is basically a completely new situation. Nintendo walking in after Sony and Microsoft got burnt forcing developers to HD and saying here you go, here's a new revenue stream for practically no effort.

Interestingly, this would be a kind of echo of their position at the beginning of this gen:

2006 - "Here you go, guys, here's a system built off existing tech that you're all familiar with. It saves us money, and we believe it will save you money rather than launching headlong into HD"

2011 - "Here you go, guys, here's a system built off existing tech that you're all familiar with. It lets you carry on without incurring the crippling costs of another full-gen leap, and it saves us money (natch)"

 

[Woffls]

I don't believe Nintendo will ever do anything online well enough to threaten Live, not entirely. Its built up a very concentrated, strong community around itself that would be hard to tackle for a company as conservative and family-focused as Nintendo. They might be able to get people to buy their system for this, that, or the other thing, but I seriously doubt it will ever be totally at MS's expense as long as Live exists.

I don't think anyone other than Valve is capable of making an online system that can compete with Xbox Live at the moment, but Nintendo could certainly do something to decrease Live's value in relative terms, like PSN has.

And while we're at it, what if Valve were doing N6's online features? I'm fairly sure this has been discussed already, mind.

Also, regarding wireless streaming, this youtube video was posted yesterday by someone in this thread, but I can't remember who.