Quote:
Originally Posted by Infinite Improbability
"Because God forbid, the name sucks."
So even you admit it!
|
For some dumb, perhaps suicidal reason, I feel like returning to this point. I've been thinking about it a little bit.
Let's examine a few system names. Game Boy. PlayStation. X-Box. Saying "I'm playing my Game Boy" out loud today, had the system never come out in the first place, would have unusual and likely disturbing conotations. Were it "Game Man", things would be even worse (hint: say it out loud). PlayStation just sounds dorky. X-Box sounds like it's trying too hard to be "X-TREME 2 DA MAX!!1", which in fairness, the name really was.
Really, all video game systems have had pretty lame names. And for the most part, gamers haven't really noticed or cared. "Wii" sounds a bit different, sure. But is it really any worse than "Game Boy"?
Furthermore, I realize even you admit it's a silly bone of contention. But you still seem to have this eerie, somewhat forced bias against both of Nintendo's systems, with price being the only bit of logic I think has any bearing. Are the systems not 100% backward compatable? Yeah. Do they play movies? No. Has Nintendo made a few missteps in the direction of each? Definitely. Their insistance on using friend codes as the basis for their online system is absolutely silly.
But really, if you look around at the opinions of Nintendo fans, and if you'll examine the marketshare each is gaining monthly, you'll find that most of these people don't find these issues such a big stumbling block toward buying the system. I've seen more than one forumgoer on more than one forum call the software line-up on the DS the greatest, most diverse one Nintendo has had since the days of the SNES.
The fact of the matter is, Nintendo is in the midst of a second rennaisance of sorts. There are some really,
really stellar titles on the DS. And the Wii is just getting started, but by the end of the year it'll have a similarly ice-solid library -- I guaruntee. It's been a long time since the gamer community was this excited about Nintendo. In terms of sheer word of mouth, they're the company to beat right now.
So basically what you should be asking yourself, if I may, is this: would a future iteration of you feel any regret about missing out on such a creative boon the likes of which your favorite video game publisher hasn't seen in a good decade or longer? Is this something you won't feel bad about missing out on by then? Sure, you can always buy either system later, after the price drops dramatically and the next generation kicks off. But by then, the industry will have moved on and you'll be playing yesterday's greats. And you won't really be partaking in this new wave of Nintendo excitement. You'll just be getting the hand-me-downs.
I love my retro gaming, don't get me wrong. My entertainment center in my room has an SNES, N64, and Wii hooked up to one TV, with a shelf holding every iteration of the Game Boy. I still play plenty of old games. But there's something... special (hokey, yes) about going to an electronics store on the launch date of a major release and enjoying a brand-new experience while it's still refreshing and state-of-the-art.
Obviously the decision is yours. But by buying a last-gen system, you miss out on the current generation. The reverse is not the case.