Next Nintendo console to use Blu-ray?

By Tom Phillips Published 15 April, 2011

Reports suggest touch-screen controller.

Nintendo's next home console will use Blu-ray, a new report has claimed.

Sources close to Blu-ray.com suggest Nintendo will integrate Sony's tech into its new console.

According to yesterday's flurry of reports, Nintendo's new console will be "significantly more powerful than the PlayStation 3" and Nintendo intends to "recapture the hardcore market".

It has also been reported that the machine, pegged for a late 2012 launch, will be backwards compatible.

Would the universe collapse in on itself if Sony hardware was implanted into its rival's new machine? Would Nintendo fans stand for the sight of the next Mario disc being gobbled up by a darkly glinting Sony slot?

The inclusion of a Blu-ray drive may not necessarily mean Nintendo's next console will play Blu-ray movies. The Wii uses standard DVD discs for games but the ability to play DVD movies is locked - despite homebrew developers discovering the ability is there.

Other reports suggest changes to the system's controller too. IGN has word it will include a touch-capable screen. Will it work instead of buttons? As well as buttons? Or will you plug your 3DS in somehow? The mind boggles.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Phillips

Tom joined Eurogamer in 2010 and has quickly made his mark writing news and columns and coming up with puntastic straplines. Questionable beard. @TomPhillips151 on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Phillips archive page.

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Comments (88) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • MrXBob #1 1 year ago

    Sony don't own the Blu-Ray brand. The word "Sony" would not have to appear on Nintendo's next console if it does use the Blu-Ray format.

  • NOSAVIOUR #2 1 year ago

    Why is EG's always behind every other site.

  • Dolly #3 1 year ago

    I couldn't give a shit if it used Sony Media and a Microsoft operating system.

    New Nintendo games in HD with lots of processing grunt = Big Bucket of Win.

  • carterclan #4 1 year ago

    Rumours are thick and fast now, Nintendo should make an announcement to correct inaccurate rumours and put us out of our misery

  • Centrifugal #5 1 year ago

    Playstation used assets from Nintendo gained when Nintendo wanted to use CD-ROMS with their SNES add-on. And the world didn't quite end then.

    I'm sure we'll live.

  • MrXBob #6 1 year ago

    @Dolly - it's not "Sony Media". They are big in the Blu-Ray market and they developed lots of things for it, but they don't own Blu-Ray

  • el_pollo_diablo #7 1 year ago

    "Why is EG's always behind every other site."

    Do you scour loads of different sites for the same news? Loooooseerrrrrr!

  • eviroboy #8 1 year ago

    There have been a LOT of rumours just lately, and if a new console is not announced I will be bitterly disappointed. It's a bit late for an April Fool so hopefully there is substance behind the rumours.

  • MrXBob #9 1 year ago

    @el_pollo_diablo some of us know just how bad journalism can be. Not everywhere gets the same news - and when they do, not all of them report it the same way.

    If you just read the Daily Mail and nothing else, you'd have a very skewed view of the news. Same goes for gaming news. Nothing at all wrong with reading multiple sources.

    Also, EG have a habit of waking up the next day and copying/pasting articles from other sites that had the news the day before them. CVG do the same but they add their own obnoxious comments/views into the mix.

  • AliRay #10 1 year ago

    Very exciting! I'll get my preorder in ASAP.

    Because that CERTAINLY DIDN'T BACKFIRE WITH THE WII.

  • MiY4MOTO #11 1 year ago

    Quite ironic considering the "Play Station" (with a space) as it was originally called was going to be a Nintendo console with a Sony drive etc. We've come full circle it seems!

  • yellowParrot #12 1 year ago

    Wasn't this news supposed to be announced later - I thought this was what valve ARG was all about.

    Eurogamer are spoiling it!

  • wizlon #13 1 year ago

    Blu ray would be good but touch sensitive controller, no thanks.

  • Mr.Spo #14 1 year ago

    The more bizarre, yet technologically accomplished this system sounds, the happier I am. E3 is going to be very interesting.

  • PixelPirate #15 1 year ago

    Nintendo have a heck of alot to do to "win back the hardcore".

    They could start with some sodding buttons and new franchises too.

  • des #16 1 year ago

    Wii...DVD player that can't play DVD movies

    Super Wii...blu-ray player that can't play blu-ray movies

    Makes sense,Nintendo is not going to pay royalties to anyone.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #17 1 year ago

    Im sure i remember a report that Sony has the patent on a touch screen control pad for a console, but then again its probably only on a small feature of it.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #18 1 year ago

    Touch only controller would be bad, but I highly doubt that this will be the case. I guess Nintendo do know how much better buttons actually are, otherwise we would have seen a touch only DS (or even 3DS) by now.

    Blu Ray sounds nice, I don't have a Blu Ray player yet and might hold out if the rumors are true. Honestly I am really excited about the new console, the Wii was great at first but I have to admit that the waggle got tedious. Most of the excitement comes from the fact that I was pretty sure Nintendo would not yet announce a new console and especially not one that is directly competes with the 360/PS3 tech wise.

  • sir_tripod #19 1 year ago

    Nintendo's new console will be ..."significantly more powerful than the PlayStation 3"...

    I don't understand why they would spend all this time choosing a different market (casual and low-end) and do very well at it to then spend a lot of time, effort and money on competing at the sharp end again. Since the SNES, they've been bettered each time with the N64 and Gamecube against the rivals of that generation, be it the PlayStation, PS2 or XBOX.

    I'd take these reports with a good pinch of salt. Heaven forbid rumours like this turn out to be bullshit.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #20 1 year ago

    I don't understand why they would spend all this time choosing a different market (casual and low-end) and do very well at it to then spend a lot of time, effort and money on competing at the sharp end again.

    I guess because they can do both. Either put the casual stuff on the 3ds or do it like MS/Sony: Make the games available online like XBLA/PSN. It works very well, XBLA is a fantastic service and it does fit the casual market perfectly well.

  • emhaslam92 #21 1 year ago

    Touch screen controller?! Please no.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #22 1 year ago

    I don't understand why they would spend all this time choosing a different market (casual and low-end) and do very well at it to then spend a lot of time, effort and money on competing at the sharp end again

    You might very well ask why Microsoft would spend a lot of money on developing Kinect to capture the casual sector when they had the hardcore sewn up with 360.

    If backward compatibility can be maintained (and it likely will - I see no reason for them to abandon IBM or AMD as chipset suppliers), they can continue to foster the budget casual folks with the Wii brand, providing them with an eventual upgrade path, whilst chasing the hardcore with the new device.

    They could even put out Wii games that were specifically enhanced if you played them on the new console, like they did with the Gameboy Colour.

  • sega #23 1 year ago

    Ooh interesting actually - maybe the next Wii Remote will just be motion control stick with a touch screen on the front. Kind of like it gives you the ability to select button layouts of the Wii remote, GameCube, N64, Snes and NES pads ... I'm not sure how they'd do analogue sticks and shoulder buttons though ... hmm

  • Slikz #24 1 year ago

    If Nintendo did do a touch screen controller I expect it would be better than that of any idevice so far.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #25 1 year ago

    And as far as Blu-ray is concerned, it's the most widespread, and therefore the cheapest bigger-than-DVD media format around. Nintendo's disc drive partner Panasonic make Blu-Ray drives, so there's no conflict there.

  • justsomeone #26 1 year ago

    regarding the whole "significantly more powerful" bit - wouldn't it inevitably be the case that a non-portable console released in 2012 would be a lot more powerful than a console released six years earlier? even a nintendo console. whoever these "sources" are, i hope they don't get paid for their information...

  • flaming.carrot #27 1 year ago

    Not sure Nintendo have the internal studios capable of creating 'hardcore' games. That's not a blight against Nintendo but they have always been in the more family friendly end of the industry.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #28 1 year ago

    @flaming.carrot: You either have a total misunderstanding of the term 'hardcore' or the Wii is the only Nintendo console you know.

  • BonzoBanana #29 1 year ago

    touch screen controller sounds fantastic. I would guess/hope its a supplementary input method so the intense gameplay is on regular analogue controllers and buttons and then bringing up menu's etc and changing over some options would be the touch screen. A bit like the Atari jaguar but instead of an insert of plastic that slides into the pad the game itself programs the touch screen the way it wants it. Sounds awesome to me.

    I'll take the more powerful than ps3 with a pinch of salt and wait for proof. Nintendo are notoriously secret about specifications and when the info is finally available its normally pants. The wii was sub original Xbox so it wouldn't surprise me if Wii 2 was sub Xbox 360.

    I'm so hoping to be wrong and Nintendo actually push the envelope for this and we have something worth drooling over rather than urinating over.

    If the Wii 2 is announced and its not available lets say until next year then its possible it won't have that long before the more powerful microsoft and sony new consoles come out. Maybe 2013/4 for the next Xbox?
    Edited by BonzoBanana at 15/04/11 @ 14:23

  • Razz #30 1 year ago

    Nintendo need do one thing to win me back,

    F-ZERO

  • arcam #31 1 year ago

    eurinating

    Sounds like Nintendo's European pricing strategy.

  • darkphoenix #32 1 year ago

    ...since when does Sony own the bluray tech??

    Get your facts straight, and stop baiting fanboys.

  • Chibi-Kibou #33 1 year ago

    Oh no. I guess that means George Hotz won't be able to buy a Wii 2.0 now, either. What a shame.

  • Sylokx #34 1 year ago

    Surely if it is more powerful than PS3/360 it will make Sony/Microsoft accelerate development on their next consoles.

  • sanctusmortis #35 1 year ago

    The idea of a controller that's essentially half a 3DS begs the question: how will that work with games like Call of Duty, Need For Speed and Assassins Creed? Twin stick 8 primary button controllers are the norm, and will remain so. That's what the "hardcore" they seek want, and I don't think this weird controller idea suits that.

    Plus, I can't help but imagine the cost of such a controller is pretty damn astronomical, and if it's over £30 a controller most likely nobody will get any. It just seems an odd idea.

  • arcam #36 1 year ago

    Surely if it is more powerful than PS3/360 it will make Sony/Microsoft accelerate development on their next consoles

    A new Wii won't have taken MS or Sony by surprise.
    Edited by arcam at 15/04/11 @ 13:31

  • JahB #37 1 year ago

    it's about time for Wii HD, but you have to wonder - if they jump the gun before Sony/MS, the big other two are bound to improve their own launch hardware.

    i'd like a gen where all machines are on par for once...

  • JetSetWilly #38 1 year ago

    This is quality. What next? Nintendo shot JFK? Nintendo ate my hamster? Elvis is the lead developer at EAD?

  • sonicyoda #39 1 year ago

    Nooooooo! Don't use touch screen tech in the controllers! Touch screens are shit for controls (fine if it's implemented like the DS but not like the iPhone)! Keep using buttons! They are entirely necessary to "hardcore" gaming!

    @JahB

    Where's the fun in equal powered machines? I think this generation has been easily the most interesting in the history of gaming because everyone offered something different!
    Edited by sonicyoda at 15/04/11 @ 13:36

  • JahB #40 1 year ago

    @sonicyoda

    not really - Xbox and Playstation share the vast majority of their lineup, with only a relatively low number of exclusives on both sides; the wii ports of those games were shockingly bad in most cases.

    i'd really like to buy a nintendo console again, but i won't do so at the expense of missing out on 95% of 3rd party AAA titles. the 5 fantastic games that nintendo release per gen are just not enough

  • ColdShoulder #41 1 year ago

    Disappointed that no one had picked up the ball sega dropped with the VMU, I called this 18 months ago and drew a picture of the next wii controller with a touch screen built in. Every one laughed at me... it looked like shit... but I KNEW I was onto something!

  • CallousB #42 1 year ago

    I wouldn't want all touchscreen control...

    ..but it would be quite nice to have a secondary screen on the controller.

    If it was used to display lives,a map,weapon selection etc...it could leave the TV screen free from most of the clutter and remove the need to go in and out of item selection screens.

  • Kami #43 1 year ago

    "Since the SNES, they've been bettered each time with the N64 and Gamecube against the rivals of that generation, be it the PlayStation, PS2 or XBOX."

    Can we just clear one thing up here - Nintendo haven't made a fiscal loss since... well. I'm aware since they were floated, they've sometimes made quarterly losses but never an overall yearly loss. Business success is profitability - Nintendo have never ever lost on that front. So really, "Battered"? I'd say that's an odd choice of wording.

    Let us not forget also that Nintendo do tend to provide some of the best games in the world. That their reloving of Ocarina of Time appeals so deeply is a testament to how much gamers hold Nintendo in affection - the haters, whilst they may be very vocal about it, are clearly in a very tiny minority. Nintendo wouldn't be here today unless they were doing something right for their fanbase - keep that in mind.

    Anyway. Anything else at the moment is speculation and it's very clear with the overdrive of rumours that E3 will almost certainly be the "unveiling". From here to then, unless it is stamped with an official statement from Nintendo, I'd suggest people keep a truckload of salt nearby.

    At this rate, we'll soon be seeing things like, "Chuck Norris' Blood Used To Cool Wii2!" Sheesh...

  • Darren #44 1 year ago

    Nintendo have always used proprietary media since abandoning cartridges with the GameCube. Even the Wii didn't use DVDs, they're an expanded version of the optical discs the GC used I believe.

    I'd be surprised if the Wii 2 used BD to be honest but then what other format could they use without spending a fortune making their own custom one? DVD will be far too limiting for the next generation platforms and digital distribution is still in its infancy and far too unstable to support 10+ GB downloads on a regular basis for most people, especially here in the UK and likely won't for many years yet.

    BD is at least established, drives are now faster, the discs can hold upwards of 50 GB and costs are dropping all the time. I suspect the next Xbox will also use BD and I wonder if this is the real reason Microsoft are in no rush to release a successor to the 360, i.e. that they want to extend its life so that digital downloads are established enough to abandon physical media altogther. After all they've always been keen supporters of digital downloads and have never shown any interest in supporting BD since HD DVD flopped.

  • Widge #45 1 year ago

    I think they, as in console makers, will keep media drives in boxes as they want their machines to be these all encompassing media boxes that replace standalone units. The battle they are fighting is to be the one box that people have under their TV.

  • Caimbeul #46 1 year ago

    A personal touch screen on the Joypad would be cool. I am thinkng Madden and being able to select plays in total confidence that nobody knows your play.

  • Ikaros_O #47 1 year ago

    Da ja'vu, pretty sure I read this article last year, and the year before that...

  • BritishBlue1 #48 1 year ago

    Considering the ocean of money Nintendo have been raking in for the last few years you would expect their next console to be quite special. Look forward to seeing it.

  • cyacomini #49 1 year ago

    Could
    Not
    Care
    Less


  • smelly #50 1 year ago

    Gawd.. we've got another 2 months of this rumour mill crap.

    All because some publisher wasnt professional at his/her job and couldnt keep their mouths shut - for want of trying to look all knowledgable to the press...

    Wish i knew which publisher it was, so i know not to work with them in the future.

  • Sonic_D #51 1 year ago

    Return of the VMU?!

  • smelly #52 1 year ago

    @flaming_carrot : Not sure Nintendo have the internal studios capable of creating 'hardcore' games.


    Is your definition of "hardcore" a game which is played in first person, has guns, and gore, and can be completed in 4 hours without breaking a sweat by any chance?

    Because my definition is something like mario galaxy 2, which i've STILL not beat over a year after i bought it - because it IS properly hardcore.

    But something tells me you wouldnt touch it with a barge pole because it's "kiddy" right?

  • sanctusmortis #53 1 year ago

    I wouldn't expect media revolutions from Nintendo or Sony. MS might, MIGHT, make a play to use some sort of solid state wafer (basically proprietary SD cards) to avoid Blu-Ray, but that's about it on storage media. It's no massive surprise Wii2 going BD, as they typically work with Matsushita (better known here as Panasonic) for their drives.

  • smelly #54 1 year ago

    YAY! A small penised spammer!

    That's my cue to leave this thread.

  • mcreddie #55 1 year ago

    Wahey! I love it when new consoles finally come out :)

  • masterson #56 1 year ago

    I could be enthused by the thought of an HD Nintendo console aimed a little more at the "core gamer" with a touchscreen (with sticks/pad/buttons) controller. Even more so if a port of Zelda : 4 swords was forthcoming...
    Edited by masterson at 15/04/11 @ 15:03

  • smithdown #57 1 year ago

    I should have thought that any touch-control pad would be incorporated within a more traditional button-festooned controller.

    This is all sounds very interesting but I'm expecting a lot of it to be total bollocks.

  • comissars_handgun #58 1 year ago

    Wow it's hilarious to see all the console warriors coming out of the woodwork.

  • TonyHarrison #59 1 year ago

    Sony's tech... Lol.

    They'd likely go straight to Panasonic if they ever went for Blu-Ray, they've had interaction with them in the past (that DVD playing Gamecube that was released in Japan was from Panasonic).

  • Cjail #60 1 year ago

    Please don't make the mistake to think that Nintendo wants to recapture the hardcore audience because she cares, or because in some way she feels guilty of abandoning them; if they are going to make a new console it is only for money.
    If they really wanted they could make hardcore games right now even on Wii because hardcore games are defined by the type of gameplay and not by the graphic!

    P.S.
    Touch screen controller means that they are thinking about a portable device...unless, of course, that hey are planning to sell you a touch screen TV with the new console ;)
    Edited by Cjail at 15/04/11 @ 15:48

  • CatWeazle #61 1 year ago

    "recapture the hardcore market"

    Umm, Ninty's never had the 'hardcore' market!

  • man.the.king #62 1 year ago

    Blu-ray sounds logical. I'm guessing all three next-gen consoles will have it as standard.

    And no, Mr. Philips, Blu-ray did not exclusively come out of Sony's garage. It's not as if Nintendo is being *gasp* violated by Sony.

    Taking lessons from Purchese and Yin-Poole, are you?
    Edited by man.the.king at 15/04/11 @ 16:41

  • LEDgar #63 1 year ago

    Kami:
    "Can we just clear one thing up here - Nintendo haven't made a fiscal loss since... well. I'm aware since they were floated, they've sometimes made quarterly losses but never an overall yearly loss. Business success is profitability - Nintendo have never ever lost on that front. So really, "Battered"? I'd say that's an odd choice of wording."

    He said bettered not "battered", and he's correct. Regardless of the profitability of N64 and Gamecube, they were simply bettered in sales, revenue, profits and customers by Sony's offerings. This generation, Ninty avoided competing on hardware performance and focused on other areas of their product and it's paid off big time. It would be wise for Nintendo to stick with this winning formula and not go ape**** with the next console specs, saving them money in production costs (and myself in electricity bills.)

  • StooMonster #64 1 year ago

    Cjail: if they are going to make a new console it is only for money

    That genuinely made me laugh, do you think Sony and Microsoft make consoles for any other reason?

  • MORZTAN #65 1 year ago

    People need to relax when it comes to Nintendos new Nintendo hardware.

    It is always underpowered compared to industri standards when released. They want to make money of every sold system, and therefore will never be state of the art when it comes to technologi

  • MORZTAN #66 1 year ago

    People need to relax when it comes to Nintendos new Nintendo hardware.

    It is always underpowered compared to industri standards when released. They want to make money of every sold system, and therefore will never be state of the art when it comes to technologi

  • Ryze #67 1 year ago

    Razz
    +1

  • Climhazzard #68 1 year ago

    Since Nintendo made a console for kids i have gone off them considerably. Haven't touched my Wii for 2years. This would go some way to making me play Nintys games again as long as the software is there that appeals.

  • Nevflinn #69 1 year ago

    Okay, now you guys are just getting plain crazy.

  • Kaminari #70 1 year ago

    Latest reports indicate the new Big N system shares the same old architecture of the GC and the Wii, with a beefed-up triple-core PPC which is still not quite up to snuff compared to the Xenon. In other words, a cheap Game Cube 3. Suggesting that Nintendo can invest in an architecture as costly as the Cell is completely ignoring the Nintendo philosophy of spending as few bucks as possible in R&D.

  • weebl #71 1 year ago

    There's something missing from the article... Ah, that was it:

    Sony Outraged

  • carrotcake #72 1 year ago

    Come on... article is misinformation..... Nintendo using Blu-Ray format has nothing to do with Sony.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #73 1 year ago

    @Morztan: Actually Nintendo hardware was always state of the art. The NES was superior to any other console, the SNES had better hardware compared to the SEGA console, the N64 was better than the PS1 (and even faster than PCs back then), the GameCube was faster than the PS2. Only recently did Nintendo release weaker hardware since they are focusing on other areas. Their consoles sold less but technically they were always state of the art.

    I would not be surprised if they go down that route again and compete in the high end range again.

  • Kami #74 1 year ago

    Ahh, my bad then. Sleep deprivation not good for the eyes it would seem.

    "This generation, Ninty avoided competing on hardware performance and focused on other areas of their product and it's paid off big time. It would be wise for Nintendo to stick with this winning formula and not go ape**** with the next console specs, saving them money in production costs (and myself in electricity bills.)"

    The odd thing is, by ending up at the top of the heap, I think Nintendo has lost a bit of quality control. Whilst yes, rivals bettered Nintendo in sales - they rarely bettered them in terms of critical praise. The N64 was a hits factory, as was the 'Cube. The Wii, on the other hand, has had less success on that front - and one would rightly ask if being top of the heap in a console market is entirely healthy for anyone...

    Not saying that the Wii 2 should flop. But I think it's rather intriguing that when it comes to quality, the company that should have known better has this generation been one of the biggest crooks on that front... absolute power corrupts absolutely, maybe?

  • LEDgar #75 1 year ago

    Kami: I agree Nintendo's success means it could have become a little complacent. I know Sony were criticised forthe PS3 launch lineup and support for the first few years; When I bought mine the PSN store and first party support felt bare up until only very recently. It seems the success of the Wii gave Sony a much needed bloody nose, when it was generally assumed the PS3 would pick up where it's predecessor left off. Since PS3 isn't dominating as was expected, there's renewed focus on first party games, which has resulted in some absolute belters being released.

    We'll see what happens as there's still some big first party Wii games yet to be released (Skyward Sword for one.) If Xbox 360 and PS3 continue climbing in sales it may be a similar wake up call for Nintendo not to get too complacent with it's support for Wii 2. Still excited to see what all three next gen consoles have in store, but echoing what I said earlier, I just don't want any of them chomping at my electricity.

    "Ahh, my bad then. Sleep deprivation not good for the eyes it would seem. "

    Understand all too well sadly. Hope you get some decent rest :)
    Edited by LEDgar at 15/04/11 @ 23:39

  • Mashum #76 1 year ago

    There has to be some neat thing that no one else has done.. a touch screen controller seems a bit unweildy. Built in theremin maybe? A real pokeman that goes to work/school in your stead while you play zelda? Hmmm..

  • Sid-Nice #77 1 year ago

    It looks like Nintendo have given up on taping 2 Gamecubes together and decided to tape a PS3 and Xbox 360 together in the hope of gaining the hardcore market? Nintendo should have stuck to making playing cards they haven't got a clue. This will certainly be Nintendo's last console; they're about to follow Sega in the software only business for sure.

  • Kami #78 1 year ago

    Wow Sid, is it comfortable? I mean, I never knew people could bend that far...

    Anyway, it's all rumours - even the announcement of the console is a rumour (although because its gone into overdrive, a rumour with a reasonable basis in fact I suppose). Anything else is bollocks, and any criticising a machine we don't even know the looks, specs or intentions off is silly, moronic and dense.

    It's all rumours. Nothing is official yet - and it may not be, and then we'll all look silly. So best people remember - this isn't an announcement. It's people making shit up for the sake of getting paid, and we're all stupid enough to take their musings and maybes as fact...

    No wonder the world is so screwed up right now...

  • Chevinator #79 1 year ago

    Sony DOES Technically OWN blu-ray same with Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, And same as all the other share holders they all OWN Blu-Ray. Sony is actually Blu-Rays Biggst Share Holder AND Supporter

  • Marshall2008 #80 1 year ago

    Nintendo lost me after the snes. I don't like mario or any of the new zelda stuff so they will have to go a long way to get me back.

  • des #81 1 year ago

    People still think that Sony owns blu-ray???.So many chicken IQ people here...

  • Der_tolle_Emil #82 1 year ago

    It really does not matter "who owns" Blu Ray. Having to pay royalties because you are not using your own format is something every company has to do. It is something completely different and in no way a reason to dismiss Blu Ray just because the PS3 uses the format as well (and Sony was one of the initial backers of the format - but definitely not the only one).

  • Nevflinn #83 1 year ago

    @Kami:

    "The odd thing is, by ending up at the top of the heap, I think Nintendo has lost a bit of quality control. Whilst yes, rivals bettered Nintendo in sales - they rarely bettered them in terms of critical praise. The N64 was a hits factory, as was the 'Cube. The Wii, on the other hand, has had less success on that front - and one would rightly ask if being top of the heap in a console market is entirely healthy for anyone..."

    I'm glad you have a more positive view of that time, as my impression of then was that the majority of the mainstream audience didn't care one whit about Nintendo's ability. Everywhere I looked, the Gamecube was being criticised for being a kiddies' console in comparison to Microsoft and Sony's more 'mature' - despite the presence of games like Eternal Darkness. It was that kind of attitude which made me unphased by Nintendo's take with the Wii; it probably wasn't too hard at Nintendo to feel like the core gamer was 'abandoning' them first.

  • Kami #84 1 year ago

    @Nevflinn; You may be right with the feeling in Nintendo that the core gamer was abandoning them first.

    When I say that games always got critical praise, I mean it. The N64 had countless games that are considered classics (as well as a far superior Resi 2 port, which I always thought was hilarious - okay, FMV quality was a bit dodgier but the game was faster, smoother and handled better) - the Gamecube has just as many really, from Metroid Prime to Eternal Darkness, Paper Mario: TYD to Baiten Kaitos and so much more. These are games that generally the next generation looks back on and asks itself one very difficult question.

    "Why didn't we buy these games again?"

    With the Wii, I suspect we're going to look back in the opposite way. In the cold light of 2012/13, I don't know if I'll look back with quite so much fondness. I mean sure, Twilight Princess was amazingly amazing and brilliant. SSBB is as good as ever, and Super Mario Galaxy/2 are fantastic games. But the Metroids haven't been of the same quality. The third party stuff hasn't been of that similar quality - Capcom, usually stars of this, made the most amazing Resi 4 port and then proceeded to turn out shitty on-rails Resis. What a bunch of cocks. Not to diss the Wii, it has given me much pleasure, but I think in a couple years I'll look back on it and think it was all a bit... well... cheap.

    And that is the problem. The Wii has, I think, come to the end of its natural life cycle - although I would like to point out that I think the 360 and PS3 are suffering similar issues. The creative flow mid-cycle has stalled for these two - so many of their games now are recycling the same ideas from Halo, Call of Duty or Gears of War. And it's kind of frustrating to think we're back in a rut again - it's like no-one in the industry pays attention, or they have the memory capacity of roadkill.

    The industry could do with a bit of a short, sharp slap across the face - which is why I hope this rumour turns out to be true. There's still every chance it could be a big plate of bullshit and mash, of course, but it'd be nice to see a bit of a shakedown - and it'd be pretty amazing if it was Nintendo doing it and going back to their older ways...

    THen again, we could be so far off...

  • Collymilad #85 1 year ago

    I can see the logic behind going for the core market again.

    They've milked the chumps, they know how to do it and continue to do so. Why not use some of the money pile to have another go at the core market?

    Also, Blu-ray isn't owned and wasn't solely developed by Sony, like so many people seem to believe.

  • ATNR1 #86 1 year ago

    Uhm ok sony might not own exclusive rights on the /blue ray brand, but they did develop the original prototypes. Along with Pioneer as far as i can remember. So yeah it is kinda their tech.

  • Kami #87 1 year ago

    Except that it isn't.

    Sony may have had a hand in developing it, yes, but the owners of Blu-Ray licencing rights are the BDA (Blu-Ray Disc Association). This does include Sony - but also includes Apple. Hitachi, Dell, LG, Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, HP, Phillips, Mitsubishi - this is a fraction of the companies who were involved, and all have seats in the directors board of the BDA. The full list is 180+ long.

    Sony, although they use it and played a massive role in bullying it into the marketplace, actually don't seem to own proprietary rights to it - which surprised me when I was looking it up, seeing as the PS3 is the only console using it. But I suppose it was untested tech then, now it has been tested and costs have been driven down a bit there is more of an appeal there.

    But yes, Microsoft could stick it in their next X-Box and Nintendo could stick it in a Wii2 or whatever console comes next. Sony have very few legal rights to stop them - as long as they get majority approval from the BDA I would assume it's all fine and dandy.

    That's not to say, however, that MS or Nintendo will use it - but it's not something Sony can cling on to forever... they made it the base media format for HD content delivery and it cost them a lot of money to make it so...

    But in doing so, it made it an attractive media format for its rivals in the gaming industry. All actions, as they say, have consequences...

    edit; here's a couple of links.

    Wikipedia: BRD
    Wikipedia: Blu-Ray (Key point to note is the diode is attributed to Sony AND Phillips.)
    Blu-Ray.com FAQ
    Edited by Kami at 17/04/11 @ 16:59

  • Kami #88 1 year ago

    I'd also like to add in addition to what I wrote there;

    Even if Sony secretly have some secret right to veto those who use their tech, it is not in their best interests to do so. By withholding the tech, they will encourage either Microsoft or Nintendo to either revive HD-DVD for their content delivery or - worst case scenario - create a new media format or adapt an already existing one for delivering HD content, kicking off another format duel or two. If Blu-ray can't hold up to that, then it isn't just Sony with egg on their faces - it's nearly two hundred electronics, media and scientific powerhouses. The embarrassment would be absolute - the financial cost heavy even in a small-scale format war with a proprietary media format.

    As much as people think Sony are the only ones with the right to use BR-DVD in their consoles, truth is Sony didn't spend such an exorbitant amount of their time and resources relentlessly battling HD-DVD in order to hoard it for themselves - quite them opposite, their gain in this isn't financial - they're not likely to gain back the hundreds of millions of dollars it took to clinch Blu-Ray exclusivity deals. It's reputable - even though they don't own the format, they were the company who pushed it harder than most. The fact so many believe Blu-Ray is solely a Sony invention is a testament to how effective and instrumental Sony actually were in making it an industry standard.

    It would be suicidal - both financially and in terms of reputation - to veto Nintendo or Microsoft using it in their next system. It's entirely in their interests to allow it, take their share of whatever licencing costs are arranged and sit back, knowing they did something important. I doubt any other organisation in the BRD would have anything against it, so Sony will not want to compromise their position - or risk being overruled by any other directors of the board.

    This is not a simple thing, I grant you, because it requires a slight knowledge of the way these things work. However, in laymans terms - Sony have no power to stop Nintendo or Microsoft using it if they get a licence from the BRD, and it isn't in any of their interests to stop them using it anyway.

    I would assume if Nintendo announce a console with Blu-ray tech that they already have a licence to use it (and, seeing the size and nature of their company, would likely be welcomed into the BRD, if not finding a spot in the directors board by the time the next console cycle ends).

    Basically - let's feast on fanboy tears. Because Sony didn't waste all this time and money just to end up looking like dicks...

    Jack Tretton does a good enough job of that all on his own...
    Edited by Kami at 18/04/11 @ 04:06