Jeff-20 wrote:The Neo Geo console had a really long life time time. It may have tied the 2600 or exceeded it by a month or two. I think SNK may still be making commercial (not homebrew) games for it in Japan, but I'm too lazy to google it now and be sure.
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I remember reading game reviews for the Neo Geo back in the early nineties, but I never owned one and would be hard put to recognise the machine at first instance. As I recall, it was never really mainstream -- you couldn't just walk into Toys R Us and buy one like you could with the Mega Drive or the SNES. This is probably why it endured -- it always appealed to a limited market of serious gamers and didn't rely on the masses who usually play on a system for a couple of years, get bored with it and then move on to the latest model.
A lot of people have bought the Nintendo Wii as a novelty (they even have one in my local pub). I couldn't see myself playing on that thing for hours on end; the gameplay is all outside the system -- no sense of interaction or engagement with the machine. It's the computer coming to you instead of the other way round -- rather like Tron making a house call.
The reason the Neo Geo endured is because the Neo Geo ARCADE system was popular and long lived. The (very huge) Neo Geo cartridges were more or less arcade boards stuffed into a cartridge format.
Thus, providing software for the barely existent home console market was a small marginal investment after providing software for the very successful arcade market.
English Invader wrote:A lot of people have bought the Nintendo Wii as a novelty
Yes, more than 45 millions sold last time I checked. I wonder how many millions will end up at the dump in the next five years. It may be the console to soonest after its release hit $10 second hand value. That is if the Wiimotes etc still work.
I can see the significance of the Wii -- it's a tentative first step on the road to virtual reality just as the early home computers wetted the public appetite for the modern PC. As technology progresses, we may eventually see something like the total immersion video games in Red Dwarf (I'd love to play Better than Life!).
Great thread ... learned a lot from the differing perspectives of other countries.
Video Game charts shows Wii at the top with 52.5 million, Xbox (-20), PS3 (-29). Sony may expect increased sales from the new price drop and the new slim model, but I doubt it. As an early adopter during the HD format wars, it was a no-brainer to get it just as a Blu-Ray player. Their new pricing brings that back as an option.
Too bad Obama won't let us cash-in our old VHS clunkers for new HD players!
Earlier this year, I was faced with a choice between buying an XBox 360 for the new Ghostbusters game or the VIC-20. I decided to go retro because apart from the above mentioned game, Championship Manager and the Grand Theft Auto series there isn't a lot in the next generation scene to interest me. I plan to wait a couple more years. That way I can buy an XBox 360 for about £40 and the GB game for about £15
IsaacKuo wrote:The reason the Neo Geo endured is because the Neo Geo ARCADE system was popular and long lived. The (very huge) Neo Geo cartridges were more or less arcade boards stuffed into a cartridge format.
I think it endured because people who bought it made a serious investment! At that price, I would be hesitant to put the console aside.
rhurst wrote:Too bad Obama won't let us cash-in our old VHS clunkers for new HD players!
IsaacKuo wrote:The reason the Neo Geo endured is because the Neo Geo ARCADE system was popular and long lived. The (very huge) Neo Geo cartridges were more or less arcade boards stuffed into a cartridge format.
I think it endured because people who bought it made a serious investment! At that price, I would be hesitant to put the console aside.
SNK fanatics wouldn't put their SNK hardware aside regardless of price. The real question is whether it's economically viable for SNK to produce software. The marginal investment to produce Neo Geo carts was very low, so long as they were still making money off of Neo Geo arcade boards.
In contrast, the Neo Geo Pocket couldn't survive despite a seemingly larger market base (if you don't include the market for Neo Geo arcade boards). Speaking of which, I'd love to get into Neo Geo Pocket Color development. The ergonomics are excellent compared to all other pocket systems; the battery life and display quality are terrific also.
I love the Game Gear screen -- I call it the Dracula screen because it's ideal for playing in complete darkness but nigh on impossible to play in the car or in broad daylight. Another problem you get with the GG is battery power -- the battery pack takes eight hours to charge and gives you three hours play; if you don't have the BP, the GG needs six AA batteries for the same game time. The good news is that you can use a Mega Drive mains adaptor (nice long lead). The Game Gear is a system you either love or hate.
I also have a Game Boy Advance. The screen on this one prefers direct sunlight and eschews places without lighting -- the exact opposite of the GG and, IMP, a lot more awkward. The good news is that the batteries and the battery pack last an eternity.
I prefer the lack of backlighting--it's well worth it for the battery life. I wish my Libretto had a non-backlit screen. Getting good lighting for the NGPC is no more annoying than good lighting for reading a book.
My favorite portable ever: Nintendo Gameboy Advance SP (backlit version) with Flashcart. Long battery life, small form, durable, great selection (with emulation too). I think the gameboy's lifespan alone ensures great game selection, but I mostly play emu or GameGear and NES games!
I bought my GBA about six months before the SP was released. The screen on my first GG packed up after ten years service so I went and bought a GBA the very next day (if I knew then what I know now, I would have tried to repair my GG or bought another on eBay).
I'll have to look into the SP. The lighting and furniture arrangement in my flat makes it pretty much impossible to see my GBA screen properly. Where would you find GBA compatible emulators?
You guys like to compare the lifespan of the VIC to consoles.
I think its easy to forget that the VIC's younger brother, the Commodore 64, appears to outlast pretty much all machines you mentioned, both from a commercial point of view (it was commercially available from late 1982 all the way to 1994) and from a functional point of view.
Also, its not a console, its a real computer, an 8 bit one, just like the VIC and it seems to be just as tough and durable as the VIC.
I have 4 perfectly working C64s right here. The oldest was made in 1984, the youngest is a 64c and was made in 1988. All work just like new.
New commercial software and hardware is still developped and sold for the 64.
The 64DTV sold another half a million units in 2004 and 2005. Even tough it doesn't use the original architecture, officially it is a commercial Commodore product and so, in my book, it does qualify as real Commodore 64s.
Or maybe analog TVs for flatscreens?
