From BBC News Online, Nintendo president Iwata says:
Can someone please explain how touch panel and voice input systems simplify gaming, or indeed take us back to the gaming experience of 20 years ago?
As far as user-interfaces affect gameplay, surely by definition the gaming of 20 years ago was a simple, and often beautiful, two-button affair. In fact, he alludes to this (the simplicity and effectiveness of two buttons) in another article I can't quite recall just now. If that is indeed the case, why does the DS have four buttons?
On the one hand, I can see why Nintendo is coming out with the 'let's simplify gaming' line so as to differentiate itself from PSP (and no doubt PS3 and Xbox 2 in the next generation), who can always boast technical superiority.
On the other, I can't help think that Itawa is contradicting himself, given all the bells and whistles slapped on the DS (I'm very interested to know how the stylus is going to fair on non-PDA/communications functions of the device), as well as Nintendo's hints that the 'Revolution' will offer ground-breaking gameplay experiences.
I agree that many of today's games are too complex for their own good and, if anything, Nintendo is the grand master of the simple, addictive gaming experience. However, surely Nintendo can't expect to re-focus developers in the industry towards simplified gaming by introducing complex user-interfaces on their hardware?
If Iwata thinks that todays developers lack creative discipline when faced with the latest graphics and sound chips, with a tendency to include everything but the kitchen sink in a game's dynamics simply to release their technical fireworks, I dread to think what some of them will do with the DS. Only time, of course, will tell.
"Nintendo wants to bring gamers and games back to the start line of 20 years ago," he said.
"In order to do this, touch panel and voice input systems will have big possibilities."
"In order to do this, touch panel and voice input systems will have big possibilities."
As far as user-interfaces affect gameplay, surely by definition the gaming of 20 years ago was a simple, and often beautiful, two-button affair. In fact, he alludes to this (the simplicity and effectiveness of two buttons) in another article I can't quite recall just now. If that is indeed the case, why does the DS have four buttons?
On the one hand, I can see why Nintendo is coming out with the 'let's simplify gaming' line so as to differentiate itself from PSP (and no doubt PS3 and Xbox 2 in the next generation), who can always boast technical superiority.
On the other, I can't help think that Itawa is contradicting himself, given all the bells and whistles slapped on the DS (I'm very interested to know how the stylus is going to fair on non-PDA/communications functions of the device), as well as Nintendo's hints that the 'Revolution' will offer ground-breaking gameplay experiences.
I agree that many of today's games are too complex for their own good and, if anything, Nintendo is the grand master of the simple, addictive gaming experience. However, surely Nintendo can't expect to re-focus developers in the industry towards simplified gaming by introducing complex user-interfaces on their hardware?
If Iwata thinks that todays developers lack creative discipline when faced with the latest graphics and sound chips, with a tendency to include everything but the kitchen sink in a game's dynamics simply to release their technical fireworks, I dread to think what some of them will do with the DS. Only time, of course, will tell.
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