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pokoko on 18 August 2012
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Nem said:
Theres really no reason to hate nintendo, except if you're a fanboy. I used to be a SEGA fanboy so i know the feel.

 But, today i see clearly. Nintendo is actually the greatest hope there is in the game industry because they keep trying new things instead of engaging in costly graphical power wars that in the end dont bring much benefit. 


I would very much argue with the idea that Nintendo is, by itself, the "greatest hope" for gaming.  They might be doing things differently than the other two, but that doesn't mean what they are doing is more significant.

 Nintendo pioneered motion controls as the main input method for a console, but they also fell far, far behind in online capabilities.  Are motion controls really more important than online networks or cloud usage going forward?  Even with motion controls, Kinect is probably closer to the path that the technology will take.  And, truthfully, Sony was actually the innovator here, though they completely failed to use it in a meaningful way.

When it comes to games, while Nintendo is extremely good at polishing games and perfecting formulas, it's pretty rare that they do anything innovative.  In my opinion, Sony's World Wide Studios is at the top with the way they work together, share technology and knowlege, and even help each other out with personel.  There is some incredible stuff coming from that group, even if you don't like the games personally.

I also take exception with the idea that increasing the computational power of gaming consoles is all about graphical output.  Personally, I'd be content if the visual quality of gaming never moved beyond what it is now.  However, I very much WOULD like to see AI systems improve, interactive environments improve, the number of possible events happening at once increase, and the number of possible enemies per event increase.  Those are the real reason devs are wanting new consoles.

 My point is that you have to take all of that as the future of gaming.  All three companies are doing stuff that will move gaming forward, even if a good portion of it will fall away.  With technology, there will always be more misses than hits.   What Nintendo does is important, but I don't see how it's more important or significantly innovative than what the other guys are doing.