Connectivity in Consoles

Connectivity on the video game front has failed tremendously.  Here’s hoping for good DS to Wii connectivity!

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the buzzword in technology was “connectivity.” You had Palm with its popular “Connected Organizer,” and Apple with its “Digital Hub” strategy. It was cool to connect your devices into your computer and sync them up for the sake of productivity or entertainment. But what about for the sake of interactivity and gaming?

In the world of video games, console manufacuters experimented with connectivity through the Sony PocketStation and Sega Dreamcast VMUs; but these efforts were extensions of the Tamagotchi phenomenon, where grayscale LCD screens and buttons were tacked on to a memory card. Nintendo also decided to play with connectivity via the N64 Transfer Pak, bundled with Pokémon Stadium. While the Transfer Pak was under utilized by other Nintendo franchises, it was certainly successful in maintaining the Pokémon momentum, at the height of its popularity. It was only natural for Nintendo to take the next step.

Nintendo knew that it was no longer the leader in console gaming, and N64 had lost to PlayStation; however, Game Boy was a virtual monopoly on the handheld front. Nintendo wanted to create a halo effect for its next console, where the next-gen Game Boy would help sell a home console that could serve as a Game Boy hub and could expand the home gaming experience via connectivity. So Project Dolphin became “GameCube” and connectivity with Game Boy Advance was promoted as a major feature at the 2001 launch of both systems.

Here we are five years later, and what happened to connectivity between GBA and Cube? Game Boy Advance was phenomenally successful, but the halo effect never came. The promises of connectivity were “technically” fulfilled, through the distribution of a connectivity cable. But in the end, gamers felt ripped off for three key reasons by paying for a cable that failed to deliver a truly enhanced gaming experience.

No Killer App – According to Wikipedia, over 50 GameCube and 30 Game Boy Advance games have connectivity features. But of those titles, very few of them use connectivity as a primary feature. Connectivity was used for unlockables and other minor special features. Ultimately, Nintendo and third parties did not give gamers a compelling reason to buy into the concept of conncectivity. The highest profile games to use connectivity were The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. But to play them, you payed dearly…

Get Ready to Pay - One GameCube: average price 150 dollars. Four Game Boy Advances: about 100 dollars each. Four Connectivity cables: 15 dollars each. A connected GameCube game: 50 dollars. The ultimate gaming experience: priceless About the cost of a high-end PS3 with one game. Ouch. While the idea of playing a game that has up to five screens is incredible, paying for all the hardware was not fun. While your friends and family could contribute their GBAs to the mix, then you need up to four connectivity cables. Had the cables been priced four for 15 bucks, or even bundled free with the game, it would have been easier to swallow. But 60 bucks for four cables? No thanks.

Other Peripherals Cannibalized its Potential – Nintendo had an opportunity to make connectivity a dramatic success The GameCube had the ability to perfectly emulate Game Boy Advance, as evidenced by kiosks playing GBA games on GameCube demo discs. Nintendo could have included a “Game Boy Player” disc with every connectivity cable, but decided to sell a Game Boy Player peripheral instead. Had Nintendo chosen to support online and SD memory beyond selling worthless adapters, connectivity could have made the GameCube an ideal hub, where Nintendo could have delivered many Wii-like features, up to five years ago.

It is clear that Nintendo saw the potential of connectivity, but the pieces did not come together for ideal success. Who knows how things would have turned out had Nintendo been more agressive in pushing connectivity in general. Nintendo’s console market share was cut in half this generation due to the success of Microsoft’s Xbox. Had Nintendo delivered a true killer connectivity app, perhaps GameCube would have benefitted from a GBA halo effect. Instead GameCube got creamed by Xbox’s Halo+Halo2 effect and the competitions’ online connectivity.

Wii and Nintendo DS are finally delivering on the connectivity promise of the last generation. Nintendo initiatives such as Wii-DS interaction, WiiConnect24 and Virtual Console possibilities make next-gen connectivity potential look bright. In addition, Nintendo’s commitment to industry-standard connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, USB and flash memory will enable Wii to interact with other gadgets much better than the GameCube ever could. Add in the prospect of reasonable pricing, and Wii will “connect” with consumers, which is the ultimate goal in any generation.
http://www.nintendojo.com/editorials/view_item.php?1155179381

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