Doobie_wop said:
So, what Nintendo said wasn't trash talk? I can't see how what they said about 3D and the I-Pad is any different (maybe less aggressive) than some thing's Sony and Microsoft has said in the past. Saying that Sony's 3D tech won't work or it would be embarrassing for people to wear glasses while gaming (it's not embarrassing to stand around and wave your arm's apparently), that's an attack against Sony. Saying that the Ipad is just a bigger Ipod touch and that it was unimpressive, that's an attack against Apple. If Sony or Apple had said that 3DS at E3 this year was just a DS with 3D, that it was unimpressive and they couldn't imagine someone walking around playing one, then the Nintendo forum's would be in uproar. In the end, I'm just trying to say that Nintendo aren't perfect, they just happen to be ahead of everyone else in the game and so they don't need to trash talk. Iwata and Reggie aren't saint's under the God that is Miyamoto. |
I think that was a misunderstood quote. Iwata wasn't saying it'd be embarrassing for people to wear glasses. He was questioning whether everyone in the house would wear the glasses, and how the people without them would see the TV - it would not be 3D for them, so they'd be missing out on the experience.
When he says something along the lines of "3D won't work," he just means it won't be enough of a draw to be worth implementing in, say, the Wii. If the 3DS really is only a DS in 3D, people have every right to be unimpressed, and I doubt people would be that offended if Sony or Apple commented on such a thing, as Nintendo execs said the same about 3D themselves. Personally, I'm expecting more than just a DS with 3D visuals.
You'll often hear Nintendo execs say stuff like, "I don't think the consumer is interested in online play." That obviously doesn't mean they think it's worthless, but generally they're trying see things from the majority's perspective, and it may sound bizarre sometimes because they include both gamers and non-gamers (as they're targeting everyone, while the other companies focus primarily on current customers).
If you want examples of trash talk, it'd be when they actually take jabs at each other, like so:
Hirai on MS: “You need a word that describes something that lacks longevity. Last time I checked, they’ve never had a console that’s been on the market for more than four or five years and we’ve committed to a ten year life cycle, so you do the math.”
Greenberg on the Wii: "They’re buying it, it’s like something they break out when people come over, and it’s maybe a fun thing, but it’s almost like the same people that buy a karaoke machine, you know? They’re not really buying it for games, they’re just buying it as a novelty."
Reggie on Apple: "If our games represent a range between snacks of entertainment and full meals depending on the type of game, [Apple's] aren't even a mouthful, in terms of the gaming experience you get."
As for Nintendo not being perfect, that's obvious, but I'd definitely argue that they try to refrain from the smack-talk much more so than the others. I don't think it's because they're on top, either. Once Yamauchi stepped down, Nintendo's main source of badmouthing left with him.
