Youichi Wada Says Xbox 360, PS3 Too "Over-Engineered"

[Crossblades]

RPGFan News - Youichi Wada Says Xbox 360, PS3 Too "Over-Engineered" (http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2007/1189.html)



Youichi Wada shocked the world when he announced that the next iteration of the Dragon Quest series would be landing on Nintendo's newest portable platform, the DS. He explained that the DS allowed Square Enix to reach the "widest array of people", and would expand the series even beyond those who are fans now. Wada also slams the 360 and PS3, explaining that, "There are too many specs - and you also need a high-definition TV, a broadband connection, and a deep knowledge of gaming - these consoles are mismatched to today's environment. In a year or two years, they will fare better."
Wada also believes that the gaming landscape is far different, with there being no clear leader in consoles. "[Whereas] in the old days, we could just focus on the PlayStation or the Game Boy, the environment has changed completely," stated Wada. With the hardcore no longer being the main driver of sales, Wada believes, "we have to make games for all kinds of people."

[LunarWeaver]

Maybe it's because I've been a gamer since I could barely talk and was playing Zelda and Mario one, but I don't see what's so complicated about the systems or anything. People like Wada are always saying it's just too involved for average consumers, but I dunno... Everybody knows how to work a computer, and they are 10 times more "complicated" than these consoles :Oo:

But whatev, I still want to play Dragon Quest IX :grover:

[Slothy]

Not really new. He was saying similar things months ago. IGN Advertisement (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/763/763512p1.html)

[Rostum]

Maybe it's because I've been a gamer since I could barely talk and was playing Zelda and Mario one, but I don't see what's so complicated about the systems or anything. People like Wada are always saying it's just too involved for average consumers, but I dunno... Everybody knows how to work a computer, and they are 10 times more "complicated" than these consoles :Oo:

But whatev, I still want to play Dragon Quest IX :grover:

You'd be absolutely surprised about the amount of people who can't use a computer in this world, and don't know much about the newer gaming consoles.

Computers are expected to be a lot more complicated as they do so much more. But now you have these newer consoles that are trying to get into that "do so much more" field by having broadband and the price tags (also having to get extra stuff like a HDTV).

I think it's a fairly smart move to put DQIX onto the DS. There's just so many people that have a DS or want to get a DS, and it's extremely easy to develop for (I think that would be a key thing).

Nintendo actually reported in April, that they had sold over 40 million (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS#Marketing_and_sales) Nintendo DS's worldwide. That's absolutely huge!

[Slothy]

You'd be absolutely surprised about the amount of people who can't use a computer in this world, and don't know much about the newer gaming consoles.

Computers are expected to be a lot more complicated as they do so much more. But now you have these newer consoles that are trying to get into that "do so much more" field by having broadband and the price tags (also having to get extra stuff like a HDTV).

*cough*You don't need to buy an HDTV*cough*

Ahem, now that I've cleared my throat, I wouldn't be surprised at how many people can't properly use a computer. Sure they can open and run programs, but beyond that... I see it all the time with multiple friends and family members. Even though I'm fairly knowledgable about a lot of things, there's still a lot about my computers that I don't know.

That said, new consoles don't exactly make things complicated. In fact, they do pretty much eveything for you and make using them as simple as pressing a button that says "install game data", or something equally simple. Hell, the hardest thing I ever had to do with my PS3 was set up the wireless network, and the only hard part was finding where the hell my dad had put the password since our network was secured. After that it does everything for you, and if your network isn't secure it will do everything for you.

From the users standpoint, these new consoles are really only slightly more complicated than last gen, and only slightly. They have more options under settings, but most of those you never need to touch and if you do mess with them, they're so simple a caveman could do it.

[JKTrix]

The market is different in Japan. The VG industry had been declining for a while, as indicated by the increasing focus of Japanese companies to the western market. So, there are less and less people who could be called 'real' or 'hardcore' gamers over there--the ones who have been driving the industry. Folks who grew up playing Dragon Quest on the NES may not have touched a game controller since then, so something with 2 analog sticks and 13 buttons would be intimidating to them. People who never even played games would be intimidated by it.

The DS changed the market. While the touch screen may be more complex than a bunch of buttons, it's more accessible when utilized practically. The 'Non-Games' that come out for it have people who don't play games buying the system. These non-gamers are now driving the sales--they're the new market. $400+ systems with features they don't understand do not appeal to them because they can't justify the cost. Not to mention the 13 button controller.

So I can understand where Japanese Wada-san is coming from. It might not be particularly true for the Western market, where there are still plenty of hardcore gamers, but over here the casual/non-gamers are growing as well. I doubt the market will sway as much to the casual side as it has in Japan anytime soon, but us 'hardcore' gamers are not the only target on the shooting range anymore.

[Rostum]

*cough*You don't need to buy an HDTV*cough*

Well that is true. I'd figure that it'd be best on a HDTV, as that is what they are optimized for. I know a lot of people that have that kind of mindset, that they need all the big fancy optional add-ons for them. But yeah, you're right.


The market is different in Japan. The VG industry had been declining for a while, as indicated by the increasing focus of Japanese companies to the western market.

Woah, I had no idea about that really. I mean, the video game industry is only just about to open up in Australia -- we're really pushing for government funding on independent companies in the industry.

It looks like it's only going to get bigger in the western countries. I'm quite amazed that it's decreasing in Japan.

[Slothy]

*cough*You don't need to buy an HDTV*cough*

Well that is true. I'd figure that it'd be best on a HDTV, as that is what they are optimized for. I know a lot of people that have that kind of mindset, that they need all the big fancy optional add-ons for them. But yeah, you're right.

I also know people who can be like that, including myself at times. Speaking from experience, next-gen games still look amazing on a SDTV. It's not like they look like a PS2 or Xbox game if you don't have an HDTV. That said, once I got an HDTV it was like night and day. Not only was everything sharper, but the colours were much richer. You really don't need one to enjoy a game since the gameplay is the same and they still look amazing, but if you can affordan HDTV and have a next-gen system, then why the hell not I suppose.

[JKTrix]

A good chunk of the system's cost goes towards making the games on it playable in High Definition. So you're not getting the full value of your next-gen system without HD. That's one of the things I mentioned above about non-/new-gamers not being able to justify the cost of a 360/PS3. $400+ is a lot of money for something you're not going to be using the full features of.

Kind of like PC games, you have 'Minimum System Requirements', and 'Recommended Requirements'. You don't need an HDTV to play the game, but an HDTV would be in the 'Recommended' list.

[Renmiri]

Meh... I think he is saying the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are too complicated for DEVELOPERS and have no big fan base to make it worth his while to learn it.

Meanwhile the DS is cheap, has lots of fans and is realtively easy to develop for. Great short term strategy.

A pity he is just thinking short term though. pretty soon the DS will be obsolete / tapped out and he will have a big learning curve ahead of him

[ShunNakamura]

Meh... I think he is saying the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are too complicated for DEVELOPERS and have no big fan base to make it worth his while to learn it.

Meanwhile the DS is cheap, has lots of fans and is realtively easy to develop for. Great short term strategy.

A pity he is just thinking short term though. pretty soon the DS will be obsolete / tapped out and he will have a big learning curve ahead of him


Actually I think he is doing a dual prong there. It sounds as if he is mentioning about both spectrums. And that would make sense because there is a lot more to these new consoles than the DS for example in both the consumer and the developer encampments.

I also think he is right in that the PS3 type console will do better in a year or two than it will at first.

[Slothy]

Meh... I think he is saying the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are too complicated for DEVELOPERS and have no big fan base to make it worth his while to learn it.

Meanwhile the DS is cheap, has lots of fans and is realtively easy to develop for. Great short term strategy.

That's what I took from it too, though to be honest, I've heard so many developers complain about consoles both current and in previous gens being difficult to develop for that I tend to not even care when they say it anymore. Of course new consoles are difficult to develop for; they're new technology. Funny thing is it's usually the devs who praise new hardware for the potential it offers rather than knocking a steep learning curve that get the most out of it.

[Renmiri]

Funny thing is it's usually the devs who praise new hardware for the potential it offers rather than knocking a steep learning curve that get the most out of it.

QFT!

Stop whinning and get developing, will ya Wada ?

[Rostum]

I would be inclined to highly doubt that all someone would develop for is the Nintendo DS. I think you are right in that it'll be more of a short term thing (at least until an advancement is made with handhelds, afterall the gb and gba were around for a very long time), but they'd also be focused on other consoles.

I have a CD that came with my Final Fantasy X that has all the interviews from the lead positions of each section of Square-Enix (producer, exec. producer, sound, field, etc.), and a lot of them say that the PS2 was extremely difficult to develop for. But they got around that, and they loved it.

I think that yes, the PS3 seems like it would be very difficult to develop for. But in time, developers will learn to overcome things.

[Bolivar]

Any article that starts off with "Youichi Wada shocked the world..." is probably written by someone who's way too excited about something.

I hear what he's saying though - I could easily see someone making a game with better gameplay on the DS than could be done on the PS3. I'll most likely be getting DQIX, although playing DQVIII on a TV with surround sound is an experience they can't duplicate on the DS.