Honestly, What Gives?

Posted in Games and Electronics 3 years, 8 months ago.

Imagine that I am a 30-something year old parent with a young child desperate for a Nintendo Game Boy (this demographic is the driving force behind the Game Boy’s success). My child tells me about the latest and greatest Game Boy that he/she must have because…well, it is the latest and greatest. I go out with little knowledge of the system or even the difference between the old and the new versions. Nevertheless, I purchase the one that my son/daughter begged for. Great, that should keep me in the clear for at least 2 years right? Apparently not according to the latest discussion that Nintendo is likely to release a next generation Game Boy by the end of 2005. (Note: This news may or not be factual) I recently added this story to my del.icio.us profile (seen to the right under ‘currently reading’) but I just couldn’t let this one by without more analysis.

To provide some background information, Nintendo has sold more than 100 million Game Boy consoles since their inception. The most recent Game Boy, the DS, released in the US on November 21, 2004 which was preceded by the Game Boy Advance (GBA) in 2000 and the GBA SP (a back lit GBA) in 2003. With the DS roughly 3 months and some odd days old, the talk of a new system by the end of this calendar year is disturbing. I realized that Nintendo has always (quietly) stated that the DS is not the “next-gen” replacement for the Game Boy Advance but from the casual gamers standpoint or those parents purchasing the systems, it feels like Nintendo is purposefully taking advantage of their largest demographic.

My dad has always joked about how these game companies already have the newest systems completed well before they are released but restrain from releasing the new hardware in order to maximize profits of their current hardware. While I always brushed off the comment, I can’t help but think that this is exactly what Nintendo is doing. They release the GBA, then the GBA SP, which is a legitimate upgrade since they clearly stated that the only difference was the back lit screen, built in battery, and foldable design. However, when the DS launched it was my belief that the system would be Nintendo’s new Game Boy for at least the next two years before releasing a full “next-gen” handheld system.

Why is Nintendo thinking about a new Game Boy so soon? If you look at the hype surrounding the soon to be released Sony PSP, the answer becomes quite clear. Sony has developed a handheld gaming machine that is able to push graphics comparable to early PS2 games. [the proof (13.8mb)] Aside from the impressive graphical power, the PSP is able to play movies, MP3’s, and has WiFi built-in for easy online gaming; features that the current Game Boy’s are far from capable of. Enough though the PSP will debut with a hefty $250 price tag, I believe that Nintendo is beginning to the feel the heat in the previously uncompetitive handheld market and unfortunately are reacting in the worst way. Rather than push support for the current Game Boy system and help developers maximize the use of the system, Nintendo is running frantic to compete on the basis of hardware.