Apple + Nintendo? (No?)

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Well, this man seems to think it is a good idea.



http://homepage.mac.com/planetpm/mac...ploration.html



But there are definitely some BLATENT similarities between the two. Where to start?



The iMac DV's.





Tangerine, strawberry, blueberry, grape, lime?





? and graphite.



Now look at the funtastic N64's?





Grape, watermelon, ice, jungle green, fire and smoke. COINCIDENCE?



The PowerMac G4 Cube.





An 8" cube suspended in a single piece of molded plastic.



Now, I think you've seen the GCN?





Not actually a "cube" until you buy the GameBoy Player to go with it. Then it becomes a 6" cube you keep buying peripherals for. The G4 Cube was really expensive. COINCIDENCE?



The Toilet Seat iBooks.





They first came in two flavors: blueberry and tangerine.



Now look at the originally intended color schemes for the old GameBoy Advance:





Bright blue and orange? or should I say BLUEBERRY AND TANGERINE!? COINCIDENCE?



The TiBook.





This is crucial: notice the hinge.



And then look at the Platinum GameBoy Advance SP?





Different metals, SAME LOOKS (granted, the Platinum GBA SP is molded plastic, seasoned with glittery shit). COINCIDENCE? I think not.



Though we have seen Apple's little outing into making a sort-of game console (The Pippin?), would they be willing to somehow join? even a slight partnership? There's Nintendo and Apple both using PPC's, so integration would be that much easier. There's no doubt Nintendo would benefit, but what would Apple get out of this, that they might've gotten if the Pippin were succesful? Gaming on Macs is? not tops. Could open the door to that market for them.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    The gamecube uses a powerpc g3 variant if I remember correctly.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Wrong Robust

    The gamecube uses a powerpc g3 variant if I remember correctly.



    This would be it:



    http://image.lik-sang.com/content/gc/gcopen08_l.jpg



    From a GameCube Autopsy, yes.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    stevesteve Posts: 523member
    Superficial hardware trends and underdog status are where the similarities end. If Apple is driven by standards, Nintendo is a proprietary beast. They are like night and day, as far as I'm concerned.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Steve

    Superficial hardware trends and underdog status are where the similarities end. If Apple is driven by standards, Nintendo is a proprietary beast. They are like night and day, as far as I'm concerned.





    How about this for another parallel, both companies used to be king of their respective hills, both have fallen to underdog status.
  • Reply 5 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Steve

    Superficial hardware trends and underdog status are where the similarities end. If Apple is driven by standards, Nintendo is a proprietary beast. They are like night and day, as far as I'm concerned.



    Oh, ho? You don't think the iPod is proprietary? And how is a console developer supposed to get anywhere making cables and ports that are compatible with another competitor? Proprietary is the way consoles work.



    Another similarity: both companies make both software and hardware designed for eachother. The "whole widget," if you may.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    If Apple were to partner with Nintendo, they would do something innovative. Ideas:

    * iGame: A FireWire GameCube for your Mac!

    * iTV: Links your GameCube, TV, and Mac together via Rondezvous (or something...)

    * iMedia: Competitor to Windows XP MCE PC's. MCE is basically Windows XP + MCE program. Apple could integrate Mac OS X and iMedia better. (And it would be compatibile with GameCube).

    * iGame Mini: Portable iGame features GameCube comptatibility, in a laptop-like package (no TV required.)

    Also, I think Rondezvous is great to some keys of Apple Innovations...

    * Play music wirelessly from your iPod to iMedia or your stereo system!

    * Could be a basis for the iDisplay, a Mac Smart Display!

    etc...
  • Reply 7 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Dog Almighty

    Oh, ho? You don't think the iPod is proprietary? And how is a console developer supposed to get anywhere making cables and ports that are compatible with another competitor? Proprietary is the way consoles work.





    Well...the PS2 has USB and firewire inputs.



    as well as optical and component outputs.



    those are not proprietary.



    PS2 AND X-box use standard DVD media, meaning any computer can play them(though you might need some software to read it) Gamecube uses mini DVD, a very specialized format.



    furthermore, PS1 controllers work with PS2 can't say the same about gamecube and N64.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    Nintendo makes a killing on their proprietary hardware. For example, they charge full-price for memory cards that hold sixteen times less than the competition. Their discs are of some odd creation, measuring 3" in diameter, and are read and written to in a backwards fashion (done to prevent piracy). They lack any online plan whatsoever. They see the GameCube as a games-only machine and refuse integration with any other medium, such as DVD-playing, or ripped-audio playback during gameplay. They provide vacuous incentives in the form of connecting their Game Boy Advance to the GameCube to reap benefits through "connectivity" (these features should already be on the disc; the GBA instead serves as a $99 VIP pass to exclusive content -- actually, that does have a dot-mac ring to it, doesn't it?).



    All told, Nintendo is the anti-Apple. Apple is driven by innovation, constantly pushing new types of computer experiences, even if others have had a hand in them, while Nintendo is frightened by technology that they don't command, content to rehash the same types of games, letting franchise names sell themselves.



    Another aspect of Nintendo you seem to be forgetting is its monopoly on handhelds (no, the iPod doesn't count). The company not only over-inflates the hell out of the product, making substantial financial gains off the hardware (profitability has traditionally come from software, while slack has been cut for the consumer in the initial purchase), but also the games are priced at a ridiculous $30-35, a mere five to ten dollars away from the average home console game. Not to mention that nearly every GBA title they publish is a port from the decades-old Super Nintendo. Super Mario All-Stars contained four mario games (five in its 1994 re-release); Nintendo now feels content to price them individually at bankrupting prices. And Nintendo abuses this monopoly. They can practically give GameCubes away and still maintain a profit. They're extremely self-pretentious. They lack Apple's "philanthropy" in that sense (I realize corporations exist to make a profit, but Nintendo is the Microsoft of portable gaming).



    While Apple embraces the digital lifestyle with innovative twists, Nintendo buck any sort of industry trends, refuse to cater to modern audiences. (And I don't mean the so-called "mature" angst-ridden 15-year-olds who can't get enough breasts and blood; I'm talking about software that adheres to the game design sophistication of the 21st century, and one that has a tone that isn't saccharine-drenched, for once.) The only two titles published by Nintendo of America I've seen demonstrate this philosophy were Eternal Darkness by Silicon Knights and Metroid Prime by Retro Studios, two games created by North America-based second-party studios, not NCL, the parent company. Even the heavily-stylized F-Zero was farmed out to Sega-owned AmusementVision. Every other of Nintendo's games does not make use of modern technologies, still using simplistic MIDI music, not possessing any scripted- or awe-evoking moments, and generally come off as toys rather than involved gameplay experiences. Imagine if Apple just stuck with OS 9, and said "screw everyone else; we have a loyal fanbase." To those who understand game design, that's a fine analogy.



    Nintendo's formed a relationship with Panasonic, which is in-turn owned by Matsushisha (which has many people on Nintendo's board of directors). This company created many components of the GameCube hardware, including the disc, drive, memory cards, controllers, and a variety of inane doodads like the e-Card reader, various link cables for connecting a slew of Nintendo-branded devices, the GB Player, among other things (they even were involved in creating a GameCube adapter for Panasonic's SD cards, which would offer huge, 64MB capacities that would be a great alternative to, say, the Xbox hard disk, but Nintendo has since abandoned these plans, opting for the greater profitability of 2MB memory cards). The point is, all of this stuff has to do with gaming. What does Nintendo have to benefit from partnering with Apple? Gaming, of all things, is farthest from Apple's concern, as is apparent from the Mac gaming situation. Nintendo is not interested in non-game-related technology.



    The IBM-Nintendo connection makes sense, as IBM needs to create the processor to fuel the console. The ATI-Nintendo connection makes sense, as ATI needs to create a bad-ass GPU for the next console. Apple, as primarily a [kick-ass] software company and creator of pretty boxes, offers nothing. Because IBM makes the 970's and 750FX's for Macs doesn't necessarily mean Apple should join hands with Gaming's Biggest Incongruity. That would be like saying that because iChat is compatible with AIM, that Nintendo should side with AOL. Like that will ever happen.



    If you want a more appropriate game metaphor for Apple, I hate to say it, but it's the Xbox. Xbox Live's elegance reminds me of something Apple would do. It's innovative, and it's the first true solution for online console gaming, with all the bells and whistles, like voice chat, and consistent user names across all games. Not to mention the hardware is complete, just like a Mac (unlike the PS2, for example, the hard disk and Ethernet adapter comes included). If anyone has an Apple-like vision, it's the boys at MS.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    Well the team that is the MS gaming division did do a helluva job. I'd compare what they did with the Xbox as being similar to what Apple did with the iPod. They took off the shelf parts and packaged it in an innovative way. MS did their homework on this one, and despite putting out a shitty OS, I think the Xbox marks the spot, just look at Sony trying to match them with their PSX system.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    dglowdglow Posts: 147member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Steve

    All told, Nintendo is the anti-Apple. Apple is driven by innovation, constantly pushing new types of computer experiences, even if others have had a hand in them, while Nintendo is frightened by technology that they don't command, content to rehash the same types of games, letting franchise names sell themselves.



    Whoa. I sense a hint of anger in your post. Did Howard Lincoln's kid egg your car or something?



    Quote:

    Every other of Nintendo's games does not make use of modern technologies, still using simplistic MIDI music, not possessing any scripted- or awe-evoking moments, and generally come off as toys rather than involved gameplay experiences.



    I'm sorry, but I think you're just plain wrong. Have you actually played Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker? Whether it's involving and awe-evoking may be matters of opinion, but I'm fairly certain those in-game cinematics were, in fact, scripted...8)



    IMHO Nintendo has produced some of the most beautifully-crafted videogames of all time. Sure, the Gamecube has let us down a bit, but you can only do the first 3D Mario once, and that honor went to the N64.



    Business practices aside (they are a corporation, after all), Nintendo's games - primarily Miyamoto's creations - have brought me immense joy and satisfaction. Given that, I'm willing to accept the Cube as a stepping-stone and give the big N another chance with its next-generation system.



    (Hopefully, we'll be able to argue that Nintendo hits its stride every other generation - SNES lovers, forgive me! )
  • Reply 11 of 15
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    The last console I actually owned by meself was a sega genesis. Now I've played the others when cousins have the kiddies around. Not fun, too much gore, too much story, too complicated. I did like racing around on the Xbox and PS2 though. So mebbe I'm just getting too old for that stuff, but then I thought, hey, I can't get enough Tetris and Bubble Bobble, I think the Simms are good for a laugh now and again, I still like smashing about in the old 2-d sonic, and the older versions of NHL hockey. Could it be games aren't really as much fun as people hope they will be?



    I recently played with a GB advance SP. Easily the bext gaming system on the market right now. It's simple, cheap and sturdy, the games don't cost a lot and they're actually fun. I own a GB, can't get enough "tetris" and it may be time to buy an SP.
  • Reply 12 of 15
    I don't play many console games, but if I did I'd buy the game cube. I also think Apple and Nintendo are similar in many ways.



    The stuff about Apple being anti-proprietary makes me laugh as that is *so* recent and surprising a development and they are still quite half-assed at it sometimes.



    I think the Nintendo's focus on gaming to the exclusion of DVD and other do-dahs (including on-line gaming) is very reminiscent of Apple. For example there is Steve Jobs' hatred for television and love for the one button mouse. These decisions and directions for the reflect a vision, rather than mere short-term profit chasing and focus-group pandering.



    Someone already mentioned the combination of hardware and software to push boundaries so I'll add the fact that they both produce the innovations that drive the industry forward and set the benchmarks for what is possible.



    I also find it amusing that both Nintendo and Apple get slammed for making products for kids/girls/homos instead of for adults/men/hetros.



    Speaking as an adult male who would rather watch a subtitled film than something with Vin Diesel or Pamela Anderson in it I've always found Nintendo products to be more involving than Naked BMX 2000 or whatever you get on the other consoles.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    stevesteve Posts: 523member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by dglow

    I'm sorry, but I think you're just plain wrong. Have you actually played Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker? Whether it's involving and awe-evoking may be matters of opinion, but I'm fairly certain those in-game cinematics were, in fact, scripted...8)



    Anyone can do fancy cinematics. I'm talking about gameplay-integrated narrative. The last 20 minutes of OOT remains the only standing example of this by NCL.



    On the whole, Wind Waker wasn't that bad, but it was held back by some egregious design decisions that constituted just a hell of a lot of filler. Having to go around feeding a fish 47 times to uncover the map, putting down my wavebird and preparing dinner while Link sailed absent-mindedly for two minutes toward the next island, the absurd fetch-quest of a Triforce scenario at the end of the game. The same thing could be said for Mario Sunshine, which had you repeating similar challenges over and over (not to mention its very progression structure inherently wastes your time, suggesting nonlinearity, yet nonsensically requiring completion of every goal). Unlike the SNES era, Nintendo's games are no longer condensed and elegantly cohesive, and in that, they do not appeal to modern gamers who do not have seven hours a day to waste playing videogames. It'd much rather skip all the B.S. and get to the important stuff.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    I always thought they used 3" DVD's. I maintain that Nintendo could benefit from Apple's hardware design?



    Quote:

    Originally posted by Steve

    Anyone can do fancy cinematics. I'm talking about gameplay-integrated narrative. The last 20 minutes of OOT remains the only standing example of this by NCL.



    On the whole, Wind Waker wasn't that bad, but it was held back by some egregious design decisions that constituted just a hell of a lot of filler. Having to go around feeding a fish 47 times to uncover the map, putting down my wavebird and preparing dinner while Link sailed absent-mindedly for two minutes toward the next island, the absurd fetch-quest of a Triforce scenario at the end of the game. The same thing could be said for Mario Sunshine, which had you repeating similar challenges over and over (not to mention its very progression structure inherently wastes your time, suggesting nonlinearity, yet nonsensically requiring completion of every goal). Unlike the SNES era, Nintendo's games are no longer condensed and elegantly cohesive, and in that, they do not appeal to modern gamers who do not have seven hours a day to waste playing videogames. It'd much rather skip all the B.S. and get to the important stuff.




    Half the game is spent on that gimmicky Tingle-tuner bullshit meant to sell more GBA's and link cables for the GCN. What it leaves left is a very excellent, but extremely short, game. Only two temples? That's less than Majora's Mask, and that had more playtime. They should have made a dungeon for every one of those triforce pieces, instead of that monotonous fishing sequence. They had better get their shit together for the next one, because that ****ing bonus disc just didn't make up for anything. It was easier than the original OOT! "Only for master adventurers?" My ****ing ass, it was.



    But other than that, it was the most well-written and beautiful to look at Zelda game, thus far.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    Steve, you have a few inacuracies:



    Quote:

    Originally posted by Steve

    [B]Nintendo makes a killing on their proprietary hardware. For example, they charge full-price for memory cards that hold sixteen times less than the competition.



    Not exactly. Memory card 251 holds half as much as the PS2 and Xbox cards yet cost 20 vs 30. More expensive, yes, but not nearly as much as you stated



    Quote:

    They provide vacuous incentives in the form of connecting their Game Boy Advance to the GameCube to reap benefits through "connectivity" (these features should already be on the disc; the GBA instead serves as a $99 VIP pass to exclusive content -- actually, that does have a dot-mac ring to it, doesn't it?).



    False. Most of the time, the GBA does something you cant do without it, like taking NES games on the go, or adding a nw screen



    [QUOTE] All told, Nintendo is the anti-Apple. Apple is driven by innovation, constantly pushing new types of computer experiences, even if others have had a hand in them, while Nintendo is frightened by technology that they don't command, content to rehash the same types of games, letting franchise names sell themselves. [/QUOTE}



    Problem is, Steve, that the games are actually of quality. Mario might star in 20 games, but the majority are great games. Not to mention original games such as Animal Crossing, Eternal Darkness, Giftpia, Pikmin, Doshin the Giant and many more



    Quote:

    Another aspect of Nintendo you seem to be forgetting is its monopoly on handhelds (no, the iPod doesn't count). The company not only over-inflates the hell out of the product, making substantial financial gains off the hardware (profitability has traditionally come from software, while slack has been cut for the consumer in the initial purchase), but also the games are priced at a ridiculous $30-35, a mere five to ten dollars away from the average home console game.



    Where do you shop? I pay 25-30 for GBA games and 50 for console games



    Quote:

    Not to mention that nearly every GBA title they publish is a port from the decades-old Super Nintendo. Super Mario All-Stars contained four mario games (five in its 1994 re-release); Nintendo now feels content to price them individually at bankrupting prices. And Nintendo abuses this monopoly.



    I can name 5 ports...the MSA games and Zleda. I can then name 10 Nintendo original GBA games.



    Quote:

    Every other of Nintendo's games does not make use of modern technologies, still using simplistic MIDI music, not possessing any scripted- or awe-evoking moments, and generally come off as toys rather than involved gameplay experiences. Imagine if Apple just stuck with OS 9, and said "screw everyone else; we have a loyal fanbase." To those who understand game design, that's a fine analogy.



    Super Smash Bros Melee is completely orchestral I believe



    Quote:

    Nintendo's formed a relationship with Panasonic, which is in-turn owned by Matsushisha (which has many people on Nintendo's board of directors). This company created many components of the GameCube hardware, including the disc, drive, memory cards, controllers, and a variety of inane doodads like the e-Card reader, various link cables for connecting a slew of Nintendo-branded devices, the GB Player, among other things (they even were involved in creating a GameCube adapter for Panasonic's SD cards, which would offer huge, 64MB capacities that would be a great alternative to, say, the Xbox hard disk, but Nintendo has since abandoned these plans, opting for the greater profitability of 2MB memory cards).



    Panasononic does not make the memory cards, controllers, GBP or E-card reader (Olympus does that one)



    The SD card adapter is available in Japan since Summer







    Just pointing out various errors.
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