The Angry Gamer 06.24.04 – Video Game Implosion

Alright…so the Nintendo DS comes out this fall to replace the GBA…and in 2006 or 2007, Nintendo’s releasing another f*cking handheld (a “GBA Evolution,” as it were). Nintendo execs have even said that this is based on how well the Sony PSP does. They’re obviously scared…but are they trying to ruin the industry? They claim that the DS isn’t meant to replace the GBA, but that’s complete bullshit; why else would it be fully backwards compatible? That’s like saying the GBA wasn’t meant to replace the GBC. Sheesh.

This is f*cking insane, and totally unnecessary. We don’t need a new system every 2-3 years! What the bloody hell is Nintendo thinking?! They claim to “innovate,” but I think the word they need is “oversaturate.” If this keeps up, we’re easily headed for a repeat of 1983, when the entire video game market went down the toilet. Too much, too quickly, and it overloads the consumer.

Which brings me to my next point…if you think about it, a video game crash could be good for the industry. Instead of shelling out truckfuls of crap every other week, a market crash would force companies to really focus on what’s good, because every single title would really have to count for something.

Here’s another idea, though this is definitely a pipe dream: there’s a game crash, and ALL three big companies (Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft) back out of the hardware business completely. So what fills the void? New, innovative talent, much like what happened back in the 1980s, when Nintendo stepped up and released the NES. Imagine if someone like Samsung released a console? Or Apple? Or if NEC stepped back into the fold? Or, dare I say it, SEGA? No matter what your console of choice is, I don’t think any fanboy would complain about something new and fresh moving to the forefront for a change. Plus, with all of the open-source software out there these days, and the advent of cheap storage media (like CompactFlash cards and the like), there could be even more independent developers cranking out inexpensive software. There’s a whole slew of those folks out there, if the Java and PDA game scene is any indication.

So, to wrap all of this up, as horrible as the demise of the “Big Three” may sound, it could actually be a blessing in disguise. Of course, it would never happen, but one can dream. In the meantime, we’ll just have to deal with the various companies f*cking up on their own time. Nintendo’s currently at the top of that list with this latest handheld rubbish.


Posted

in

by

Tags: