God! Enough with the vertical consoles already. (Poll)

[mr.Curmudgeon]

WHAT is with all the latest consoles (PS3, Xbox 360) looking like they are specifically intended for a vertical orientation?

Even though they *can* be positioned horizontally, both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 look as if NOTHING could stack on top of them. What the hell? It's totally cool to have them designed to sit both ways (like the PS2)...but this new trend towards a vertical preference just sucks.

Are they trying to revolutionize the home entertainment system? If so, every rack I've got is built for horizontal units. I want my systems to coexist with my DVD player, my audio system, etc...

What gives?
mrC

[GGKoul]

its just a marketing thing...

[ChadTower]

The only current console I have is the GC... so, it could be said it sits both horizontally and vertically.  It's a freakin cube.

[JoyMonkey]

Looks like Nintendo is jumping on the band-wagon too. It does appear to be rectangular when you take it out of it's gray 'boot' though, so it could probably go horizontal.

Looks like you'll be able to legally download NES, SNES and N64 roms too.
From the GameSpot article:

Eschewing its previous business ideas, Revolution will be online-friendly, and support a broadband gaming service similar to that of Microsoft's Xbox Live. Its most significant contribution to online gaming will be the ability to download Nintendo's entire catalog of NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 console games. As for GameCube titles have the potential to be downloadable, though it's not clear whether the games will be saved to storage devices or memory cards.

[mr.Curmudgeon]

The only current console I have is the GC... so, it could be said it sits both horizontally and vertically.  It's a freakin cube.

I've got the PS2 and the GC. The Cube never looked right amongst all my A/V equipment. These crazy curvy consoles coming out are going to just look even more ridiculous. I wish they looked even more like traditional entertainment devices (1U or 2U high), the Nintendo Revolution seems to be going in the right direction, design-wise; but like always, it'll be behind the pack in terms of power.

mrC

[SOAPboy]

Looks like Nintendo is jumping on the band-wagon too. It does appear to be rectangular when you take it out of it's gray 'boot' though, so it could probably go horizontal.

Looks like you'll be able to legally download NES, SNES and N64 roms too.
From the GameSpot article:

Eschewing its previous business ideas, Revolution will be online-friendly, and support a broadband gaming service similar to that of Microsoft's Xbox Live. Its most significant contribution to online gaming will be the ability to download Nintendo's entire catalog of NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 console games. As for GameCube titles have the potential to be downloadable, though it's not clear whether the games will be saved to storage devices or memory cards.

i watched the live stream of the "official" showing of the revolution today.. its also a horizontal system.. as is the Xbox..

[daywane]

I have found a old stereo cabnet that was going to the land fill.
glad I snaged  it. plan on turning it into a console tower.

[RecycledPast]

My Xbox & GC are horizontal, but my ps2 is vertical, it's the only way I can fit them all in my tv stand.  I'm not a big fan of the vertical look.

[versapak]

I too hate the whole vertical thing.

TV's are getting wider, so now I guess our entertainment centers are supposed to be getting taller. It already looks like crap in my entertainment center thanks to all the odd shaped and colored stuff coming out these days. Large rectangles, small rectangles, squares, some black stuff, some silver stuff... I guess vertical is the next step in the frankenstein look of todays world.

[spiffyshoes]

I usually keep my PS2 in a Horizontal position but recently I've had it verticle and for some reason it doesn't heat up as much when I keep it verticle.

[Otraotaku]

Looks like Nintendo is jumping on the band-wagon too. It does appear to be rectangular when you take it out of it's gray 'boot' though, so it could probably go horizontal.

Looks like you'll be able to legally download NES, SNES and N64 roms too.
From the GameSpot article:

Eschewing its previous business ideas, Revolution will be online-friendly, and support a broadband gaming service similar to that of Microsoft's Xbox Live. Its most significant contribution to online gaming will be the ability to download Nintendo's entire catalog of NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 console games. As for GameCube titles have the potential to be downloadable, though it's not clear whether the games will be saved to storage devices or memory cards.

yeah check out their website... thats where they got the info... ^.<

always hated the vertical thing... whats up with that? it usualy spins off track  or gets knocked down deep inside... >.<

[Dire Radiant]

but like always, it'll be behind the pack in terms of power.

And ahead of it in terms of quality gameplay and innovation in the software if the formula holds true. Oh, I forgot. People don't want that. They want another cookie cutter FPS or Final Fantasy MMXXXIIIIV  on a system that pushes eleventy gajillion terapixels per second instead of games that are actually "fun"

[blackzc]

LOL yeah we know what kind of power it takes to make great games,2.13mhz 3mhz,90mhz its up to the developer.


And when has nintendo ever been making underpowered systems anyway.

N64>ps1
gamecube>ps2
snes>genesis
nes>sms

[orntar]

hey blackzc, your fanboy is showing.

how bout you back that up with some facts.

for instance the sms is more powerful than the nes. and i think it was out first to boot. which brings up another thing, releas date plays part you cant just say that oine is more powerful than another if one came out a year or two after.

and i think the genesis was still more powerful than the snes as well.

if you mean that you *like* the nintendo version of each generation, well, then see my first sentance. and thats your opinion, fine with me.

[daywane]

There are games on all systems I like.
but I must say the majority of them are Nintendo.
I seem to like the family games best
I do think Nintendo is the smallest in power out there and has been that way from the beginning . but they sure know how to program the games to push the systems
Personally I think systems come out to fast.
people like me can not keep up.

[blackzc]

Yes that was a bit fanboyish
 

sms 3.5mhz
nes 1.7 mhz


The genesis 7.8mhz to the snes 3.XX mhz
the SNES had like a 32,000 colors and 512 displayable to the gens 256 pallet and 64 dislpayable the snes had a killer sony made sound chip.

But the ps2 and ps1 were under powered to the nintendo stuff of the same gen.

[JoyMonkey]

It seems like these days Nintendo is more interested in developing new Pokemon brainwashing techniques than competing directly with the big boys. Not that they need to, since they've had the handheld market cornered for about 16 years- Sony is only just catching up with sales now.

Oh, and the SMS was a much better and more powerful system than the NES. I'm not sure why the NES became so popular in the US, in Europe everyone had a SMS.

[crashwg]

Oh, and the SMS was a much better and more powerful system than the NES. I'm not sure why the NES became so popular in the US, in Europe everyone had a SMS.

I can't say I remember ever seeing an SMS commercial as a kid.  NES on the other hand is a different story, and everyone knows what happens when a kid sees something on TV!  Mommy, I want that!

[JoyMonkey]

Funny, I don't think I've ever seen a NES commercial. Maybe Nintendo didn't pay much attention to the European market until later on.

[ChadTower]

sms 3.5mhz
nes 1.7 mhz

Keep trying:

ColecoVision: 3.58 MHz Z-80A CPU
Atari 7800:    1.79 MHz 6502C CPU
Atari 5200:    1.78 MHz 6502C CPU
Atari 2600:    1.19 MHz 6507 CPU
Vectrex:         1.6 MHz 6809

And 'slower' but very powerful by virtue of being 16 bit:

Intellivision  800KHz 16-bit CPU

By your standard, the raw speed of the CPU, I would say that the NES is one of the worst systems ever made.

[shmokes]

Man....some of ya'll need to wake up and smell the bs that Nintendo has been shoveling on your plates for the last five years.  Playstation had more great games than N64.  Yes, Nintendo is second to none with software development, but one or two great games per year is not enough.  The number of great games PS2 had over gamecube is even more pronounced.  What revolution did Nintendo give you for the gamecube?  Windwaker?  Great game, yes.  But the play mechanics haven't changed since N64's masterpiece Ocarina of Time.  Metroid?  Great, yes, but it's still just a great FPS.  No revolution.  And a lot of the stuff they gave us were plain mediocre at best, Mario Party 5 & 6, Luigi's Mansion.

Nintendo is imploding.  Don't get me wrong....I've owned every Nintendo system yet (including Virtual Boy) and they make brilliant games.  That's why it hurts so bad to see them setting themselves up to go the way of Sega. 

[Baker535]

They all can be laid on their side from what I  have seen...

Personally I agree with you, it is pretty stupid. Also I think it's a subliminal thing. Now, all they need to do is take media shots with two round discs sitting at the base.

Like I want that crap towering over my lovely Rotel amp...

-baker

[ChadTower]

3-4 great games a year is good enough for me.  I don't have enough time to finish any more than that.  I had a PS2.  I saw maybe 2 great games that weren't violent.  I do not like overtly violent games.  I sold my PS2 because it was collecting dust while I played through Metroid Prime.

[mr.Curmudgeon]

What revolution did Nintendo give you for the gamecube?

How do you define revolution? I've got both a PS2 and a GC...and I agree with you for the most part about the lack of titles on the GC.

However, Resident Evil 4 sure got a lot of people excited and the upcoming Zelda game looks absolutely amazing. Animal Crossing was pretty ingenious too.

mrC

[ChadTower]

How do you define revolution? I've got both a PS2 and a GC...and I agree with you for the most part about the lack of titles on the GC.

For people, like myself, who do not like violent games, the GC is full of great titles while the PS2 is a doorstop.

[spiffyshoes]

I love how you said you don't like to play violent games and then claim to play Metroid Prime, implying that it is a non violent video game.  I don't know about every one else but Metroid is Pretty Violent in my opinion.  What I would consider to be non violent games would be more like Harvest Moon, Tetris, The Sims, etc;

[ChadTower]

I love how you said you don't like to play violent games and then claim to play Metroid Prime, implying that it is a non violent video game.

[spiffyshoes]

"Shooting" that is a violent word.

[shmokes]

Resident Evil 4 was SUPERB.  So was Windwaker.  The new Zelda looks great.  I have Animal Crossing and think it was a great game.  Metroids were great.  But 2-4 outstanding games per year isn't enough.  It's not enough for everyone.  Nintendo can't be successful being the company that provides consoles for people without much time.  Common...

And even when it comes to family friendly games, PS2 has their bases covered.  There's Ratchet and Clank, Eyetoy games, Parappa, Pac Man World games, Sly/Sly 2, Herdy Gerdy, Katamari Damacy, Lego Star Wars, Mary-Kate and Ashley stuff, Mega Man, Beyond Good and Evil, tons of racing games and sports games, Psychonauts (from the brilliant mind of Tim Shafer -- Grim Fandango, Full Throttle, Day of the Tenticle, Sam & Max), Frogger, Pitfall, DDR games, Ecco the Dolphin, Tarzan.

That's a very short list - a complete one would take way too long to research and type out.  When you have a console with the kind of market penetration the PS2 has you are going to have something for everyone. 

And yeah, Metroid is pretty violent.  The character you control dies screaming on a regular basis.  The creatures you kill are sentient beings of an advanced civilization (at least the space pirates are).  It ain't no Grand Theft Auto, but it's no Mario Golf either.  Metriod is far more violent than almost any of the PS2 games in my list above.

What it comes down to, though, is that Nintendo will exit the hardware race soon if they continue down their current path.  It isn't about me hating Nintendo.  It's about me loving Nintendo but being mad at the way Nintendo is being run because they make the best games and controllers of anyone out there.  They have everything they need to be #1, and still manage to bungle it up through lameass management decisions. 

Hell, I don't even own a PS2 and the only reason I have an Xbox is because of the mod scene.  I bought a Gamecube at launch.  Actually I bought a PS2 at launch too, but just so I could turn around and sell it for a $350 profit on Ebay.

[blackzc]

.

[slayj]

Im sorry but the people who have time to play the 10-20 AA-AAA titles that come out for the PS2 a year, you need a life seriously.
 

I agree.  I have little time to do anything, and I dont watch  much TV and can hardly devote anytime to my cab.  I own a PS2 and Gamecube and the only one that ever gets turned on is the Gamecube when people come over.  It has such great party games.  I can pick them up and put them down, quick like.  Quality over quantity!!!

[shmokes]

Gimme a break.  Just because 20 AAA games come out for PS2 doesn't mean you have to play them all.  You can still choose the 3-4 that seem most interesting to you.

And if your memory can go back more than 5-10 years, where was this Nintendo is Nintendo bit about having just a small library of good games?  Nintendo and Super Nintendo had enormous libraries.  In fact, why don't we just look at a modern Nintendo system: Game Boy Advance.  Game Boy Advance has an enormous library because it is a successful system.  Why isn't Nintendo holding back on us in the handheld market?  I mean, Nintendo is Nintendo afterall - no argument there. 

The one and only reason Nintendo 64 and Gamecube have smaller libraries than their competitors' systems is because the Nintendo systems were not as successful.  It has nothing to do with some kind of martyr complex of Nintendo -- sacrificing themselves so that we don't have the "burden" of variety.

If the wait is the best part, why don't you just not buy games.  Then you can prolong the "best part" indefinitely. 

[slayj]

I also agree with shmokes with the fact that Nintendo has not been as successful, however, that is no indication of quaility.  The Atari Lynx was light years ahead of Gameboy but it failed due to support.  If Nintendo could get its head out of its butt and grab the third party support it needs I have no doubt it would be back on top.

[blackzc]

Your right the more (good) games the better. Im just saying i dont need that many to buy or enjoy a system.

[ackbar]

Are they trying to revolutionize the home entertainment system? If so, every rack I've got is built for horizontal units. I want my systems to coexist with my DVD player, my audio system, etc...

I would pay an extra $50-100 for a console that looked like a stereo component.  I think when I buy an Xbox 360 I'm just going to gut an old CD player and put the 360 parts in there.

[Hoagie_one]

Your right the more (good) games the better. Im just saying i dont need that many to buy or enjoy a system.

[shmokes]

i still don't have a playstation 2 and never will.  i think there's a pretty good chance that a playstation 3 is in my future, so there's very little reason to get a ps2. 

[Witchboard]

i still don't have a playstation 2 and never will. i think there's a pretty good chance that a playstation 3 is in my future, so there's very little reason to get a ps2.

That's true.  Since they are smart enough to make it backwards compatible all the way to PS1.  I thought it was a good move when they came out with the PS2 to do that, but now you're going to have 3 libraries of games to choose from.  Not to mention that you don't have to have all 3 systems to play the games you already own... if you owned the previous ones.

[Hoagie_one]

which lowers teh price of PS2's for those who havnt bought them yet

[shmokes]

which lowers teh price of PS2's for those who havnt bought them yet

Yeah, and for many people this would be a good reason to get one.  But I just don't have enough time to play enough videogames to make it worth it to me.  There will probably be very few games I go back to play.  Hell, I've still got Fear Effect 2 that I picked up over a year ago and haven't even popped into my PS1 because I have so many great Xbox/Gamecube games that are still unfinished.  It's hard to get myself to switch back to PS1.

I suspect it will be the same with the next generation.  Backwards compatibility is great, but probably not used much generally speaking.  So with the PS3 if I REALLY want to play a PS2 game I can, but I won't play enough of them to warrant a separate purchase of the system, even if it is a good buy.