Featured Discussion: Gaming in 2010
Where do you see gaming going in 2010? This was actually the discussion topic of ITC's 149th episode, which was lost to the abyss, so we're going to start off our new site with this topic since it's fresh in our minds. 2010 promises a lot of interesting changes to the world of gaming, and we want to explore the possibilities and hedge our bets on what we think we'll be seeing in gaming in the coming year. Some things of interest are Sony's as-of-yet unnamed motion controller, as well as Microsoft's still-codenamed Project Natal. We are also curious to see if Nintendo will do anything new to push the Wii even harder.
So let me take a look at each of those big three, in, yes, a very particular order. First up we have Sony, who is taking what I think is probably the right approach to take on motion controls right now. The rumors as of now are that Sony will launch their new motion controller sometime in the first half of the year, probably around March. We don't know the price, or really much about the actual software that it will work with, but we do know that they're combining a mix of Nintendo's waggle with Microsoft's whole-body approach. This is why I think it's the right way to go.
So let me take a look at each of those big three, in, yes, a very particular order. First up we have Sony, who is taking what I think is probably the right approach to take on motion controls right now. The rumors as of now are that Sony will launch their new motion controller sometime in the first half of the year, probably around March. We don't know the price, or really much about the actual software that it will work with, but we do know that they're combining a mix of Nintendo's waggle with Microsoft's whole-body approach. This is why I think it's the right way to go.
Sony seems to understand that you can't use gimmicky motion controls as the only means of playing a game, at least in most cases. Their controller, which I'm betting will be called Sphere when it's released, uses precise motion tracking in combination with buttons on a wand-like device. Their tracking is going to be far more accurate than what Nintendo currently offers, even with the Wii Motion Plus. Essentially, if you imagine what the Wii *could be*, if it were magically an HD console with a solid online network, killer software and tight controls, you'd end up with the Sony Sphere. Here's hoping it will retail at a decent price and with an amazing lineup of software to get things started.
Microsoft, on the other hand, is going for a completely different kind of motion controls. We've all seen the demos of people, Jimmy Fallon included, flailing themselves wildly about trying to hit soccer balls with their heads or drive a car with an invisible steering wheel and so on. This approach seems odd to me because I'm a firm believer in physical interaction with your gaming. You probably know my thoughts on the iPhone "gaming revolution" and how it's, for the most part, just another gimmick. I think the same line of thought might apply to Project Natal.
The technology behind it is fantastic, don't get me wrong, but at this point I feel that Microsoft might be banking too heavily on it and forgetting that you still need buttons to push. They've got a while to get things sorted out, since it looks like Natal won't launch until October or November of next year, and I hope they make some smart choices. The Xbox 360 is undeniably the leading console at this point, and Microsoft has done almost everything spot-on this generation. I just hope they don't screw it up with their official response to Nintendo's motion-controlled phenomenon.
Speaking of which, I think Nintendo basically pulled "an Apple" in that they released a profound new product that was groundbreaking on one or two levels, and has rested on its laurels ever since. Nothing new has come to the Wii since its launch three years ago - and I firmly stand by that statement. There have been far too few titles that truly take advantage of the Wii and far too many titles that simply encourage me to get my grandma to shake it, throw it, twist it, etc. Would I have still bought a Wii three years ago if I'd have known the only games my wife and I would truly enjoy on it would be Mario Kart, Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime? Probably, but it would have made me reconsider the $250 asking price.
From what we can tell, Nintendo is offering is absolutely nothing new in 2010. We know that there are new games coming out that we all want, Metroid: Other M and Mario Galaxy 2 chief among them. But those sound awfully familiar, don't they? Sure I'm missing other great titles that I'm just not into, and hopefully the rest of our writers can fill in some gaps, but this has always been my style of gaming, and I grew up on Nintendo! So where is my Star Fox? Where is my F-Zero? Where is Pikmin 3? I'm sorry, Nintendo, but one or two franchises and the promise of a heartbeat sensor that I wear on my finger and is going to change the way I game (sigh) are not really enough to keep me interested. In 2010, Nintendo either needs to start showing off new hardware, or show the gaming world, people like you and I who grew up on their industry-defining titles, that they've still got some kahunas.
-Phil
Related Links
Famitsu - 2010 In Videogames Already Revealed
9 Comments On This Post:
I think you're pretty much spot-on with this one, Phil. Since getting an Xbox 360 a month ago, and now as a subscriber to Xbox Live, I can see lots of possibilities for gaming in 2010. But Natal just isn't one of them for me. It seems rather clunky and imprecise, and despite Microsoft's claims, I don't see any of the "hardcore" 360 audience really caring about it that much. I can't imagine playing Call of Duty, Gears of War, or Forza without a physical controller. As for the Wii...the problem with Nintendo is that financially they are still raking it in and thus have no incentive to do anything revolutionary or even new with their system. *sigh* I miss the days when Nintendo innovated.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 8:12:00 AM CSTSo in 2010, I see a lot more people getting into online gaming on PSN and XBL, but these weird peripherals like Natal and Sony's sphereoid controller gimmiks as...well...little more than gimmiks.
I need to add a short addendum and a little bit of in your face to both John and Drew.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 9:42:00 AM CSTNetflix Instant Streaming is officially coming to the Wii. I didn't mention this in my post, but it is something I'm looking forward to, even though up until today it had only been rumored.
I don't remember which episode it was, but I stood firmly by my believe that the Wii would get Netflix this year, only because it won't need Nintendo's toasters, sorry, servers to get the job done.
And unfortunately for you, Simon, this is just another reason for me not to pay for Xbox Live. Sorry man.
Lemme get this straight. You're not going to pay $35 a year (less than the price of a new video game) to have access to the most rock-solid online community gaming environment available...because non-HD Netflix streaming is coming to the Wii in a few months?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 3:50:00 PM CSTAfter messing with Friend Codes for over two years, not having anything in the way of chat (Wii Speak doesn't count), no access to a central Friends list, no Party functions, no cross-game integration...Xbox Live is *well* worth the price. Sorry Wii, but this is too little too late.
Where do I see gaming in 2010? Not on the Wii, for starters. And apprently, neither does Nintendo. :)
I think that one thing you both forget about Natal is that it's not quite as limited as the others. Unlike the other two methods it doesn't eliminate the possibility of using the existing controller as well as the Natal interface. I actually think the concept of being able to use Natal for simpler things such as menu interaction and voice recognition is a HUGE plus. Being able to just say "Marketplace" and being taken there or "Play" and it playing whatever disc is in. Easily could've been done with the microphone we all expected the WiiMote to have.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 5:03:00 PM CSTAnd as for your misguided Xbox Live beliefs... Just wow Phil. I honestly believe you are missing out of the non-game aspects of the service that Simon seems to be latching onto. Imagine being able to sit down with Simon and Eve, me and Jess, Drew and Casey, and others to hang out and watch a flick. You just know the Wii won't be able to do this. Not to mention the lack of Dolby Digital on the movies that offer it... *shudder*
I am here to throw a different opinion into the ring. As for where gaming is going in 2010, first off, you have the great exodus from Modern Warfare 2 so Q1 is full of "AAA" titles like Bioshock 2, Gran Turismo 5, Mass Effect 2. Dante's Inferno, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Bayonetta so the first three months will be eventful in terms of releases. I am interested to see how Sony's and Microsoft's motion control efforts will pan out, I really don't think they will get the same market penetration or success as Nintendo. For however badly you decry them, Nintendo has always been very cagey in how they go about their business, its just this time around, they took a different route.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 7:57:00 PM CSTFor the longest while, I only had a Gamecube and Nintendo handhelds so this dearth of what you would call "gamer's games" is nothing new or weird, ever since the NES, Nintendo (with a few exceptions) have been the only ones to make their consoles really sing, you more or less buy a Nintendo console so you can play Nintendo games. I am very much enjoying both LoZ: Spirit Tracks and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, both are the "gamey-est" the series have been in a while, Spirit Tracks is very deep with some of the best puzzles I've seen from the series and NSMBWii just as good as Super Mario Bros. 3 (just as hard too). I am also looking forward to No More Heroes 2: Desparte Struggle as well. If you cannot tell, I throughly digest my games and I am picky about which I will buy (on consoles). In short, I am not particularly perturbed about Nintendo current "lack of loyalty" towards the core gamer, they will keep making games that I like and I will buy them and that is all there is to it.
I am not any longer an exclusively console gamer, I make sacrifices to the dark altar known as the personal computer more often than I do consoles (in terms of raw time). I still play my DS and Wii quite a bit but I now have an outsider's perspective on the matter. I really see the Xbox 360 as Microsoft parsing down that PC gaming experience into an easier to swallow format. Both the Wii and PS3 are doing just different things, The Wii is more aimed towards fun (Nintendo was a toy company) and the PS3 as the home entertainment appliance (that is what Sony started out making) neither of them are trying to replicate what the PC can do. What I mean to say is that I have no interest in the Xbox 360 primarily because I have a PC. I also like it's less regulated nature which allows for great things like mods.
I am just looking forward to new games coming out and the fact that I will play them, as I always do.
You've got a good point about Natal, John. It can augment the experience rather than replace the traditional controller--and maybe that's where its genius lies. I don't want another controller to wave around like what Sony is promising, but perhaps Natal will be a true innovation rather than an iteration.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 10:28:00 PM CSTI'm with you on the non-gaming components of Live, too. The more I'm on, the more it feels like I'm part of an actual online community. A few nights ago I met some dudes while playing 1 vs. 100, and the four of us chatted while playing and we had a really good time. If I want to, I could "friend" them and maybe join up with them in the future--in fact, two of the guys said they met on Xbox in that very way and have been gaming ever since.
Even Sony's PSN can't touch that (there are no persistent gamertags like XBL). And Nintendo? pshhh. Forget about it.
I haven't read Tim's comment, though. Silly bedtime. I'll get to it tomorrow!
Good point about Nintendo, Tim. It's hard to argue with results, and as much as people decry Nintendo for its kid-friendly, semi-innovative, even downright lazy approach to game development, they are the most profitable console/game maker out there. And Nintendo does typically make the best games for Nintendo consoles. So if their system
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 8:08:00 AM CSTa)is selling really well, and
b)continues to be a platform on which Nintendo can sell quality games,
then why should Nintendo change? From their standpoint, if you want less kid-friendly games, go buy another system. Because they are doing fine just the way they are, thank you very much.
You guys all have some very valid points, some of which I'll admit I'm simply hiding under the rug. Another reason I don't want to get Live right now is because I simply don't use my 360 very much. Heck, I don't game very much at all right now, but it's my own fault.
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 9:04:00 AM CSTAll of my game systems except for the Wii are in the basement where we rarely tread right now. We don't heat the basement anymore than we need to so we can save money on natural gas, etc, etc. Point is, we have a nice, 26" 720p TV in the bedroom with enough hookups to support all three of my systems. Since that's where we spend the most time right now because of our baby, it just makes sense for me to move my gaming systems up there, so there's really no excuse.
Money's normally not that big of a factor either, but when you're shopping around for daycares and the price will easily exceed $400/month, $35 can seem pretty valuable. But at the same time, it's a few skipped fast-food meals and boom, there's your $35 back.
So in the end, regarding Xbox Live, the excuses are mostly my own, and I probably just need to get over it and buy it soon. The benefits will obviously outweigh the small cost, and I'll be eating my own foot, or feet even, as soon as I realize what I'm missing out on.
And Tim, You are, and always have been, right about Nintendo. I think personally the difference in feelings is that now I'm old enough to really see what's going on. It's the same thing that's always been going on, but I was young and naive, and never bothered to look outside of my precious, safe Nintendo Bubble.
I grew up a total Nintendo Fanboy, and completely put off all other systems as if they were "the enemy". That's just dumb, and those are the kinds of people that I strongly dislike when I see them online nowadays. Now that I've had a chance to see what else is out there, I've come to realize that the majority of the best gaming experiences can, in fact, be found on non-Nintendo hardware. Plain and simple.
If I were to go back and look at all of the SNES, N64 and GameCube games that I enjoyed to no end, most of them would have probably been published by, if not developed by, Nintendo. You buy Nintendo systems to play Nintendo games, no matter how sparse they may be. The quality will (almost) always be there, and I should be happy with what they're continuing to give me.
If I'm bitter about it, I've got two other great systems sitting in the cold basement with a shelfload of games just waiting to be played.
I just wanted to take a moment to point out that the mainstream press is, once again, taking their cues from ITC. The most recent issue of GameInformer has a three-page spread on "Gaming in 2010" wherein they interview prominent industry insiders about a variety of topics relating to Gaming in 2010. Nice job being on the cutting edge once again, guys!
Friday, January 15, 2010 at 8:19:00 AM CSTPhil's right...everything changes when you buy a house (and even more when you have a kid, but we're not there yet). My wife and I hardly ever eat out like we used to, and we have cut other expenses too. Not that money is tight, it's just that priorities change and video games suddenly aren't as important as they used to be.
And John, if you're coming to Moses Merrill, I'm bringing my original Xbox, 4 controllers, and Halo 1 and 2. :)
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