2:24 AM on 12.03.2006
|
Dyson
Look how sad this guy is, and I don't blame him. Remember when you could buy a console, take it out of the box, and it would work? Yeah, me too, but times change. Over the last two, and now three, generations of console launches, we've been conditioned to expect possible failure from our systems. How screwed up is that? It used to be that early adopters of new consoles just payed more money than the late comers. It was worth the extra cash to be the only kid on the block with a new system on day one.
Those days are long behind us now, and it's a shame. Microsoft had big problems with both their Xbox's, and it looks like Sony is repeating their PS2 launch issues with their PS3. I can understand somewhat, their machines are pretty complicated, but Nintendo? Seriously, how high tech is the Wii?
Is this going to be the new standard for launch systems, and if so, how long are we going to put up with it? Maybe I'm just being bitter, but I don't remember anyone's N64, Dreamcast or PS1 having so many problems, or being potential fire hazards.
[Via GoNintendo]
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
23 comments | showing # 1 to 23
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
As for the older systems not having launch problems.. Well i remember tons of problems with older systems, going back as far as the very first nes. Case in point, Both myself and a friend had launch psones that didn't work right out of the box and had to have sony send us new ones. (it was some issue with the cd-roms)
I think it's just a simple case of forgetting your history. When new things come out for some reason we completely forget the past.
Nintendo are doing the right thing getting them all fixed asap.
Plus, with regard 'how high-tech is the Wii?'... sweet jesus. Why not ask the IBM, ATI, Panasonic and Nintendo engineers rather than offering an assumptive rhetorical question for the sake of tabloid blogging.
In the past, game consoles did not run any software to start games (SNES, Genesis, NES, basically anything pre-TG-16/PCE), or would just use built-in BIOS (most or all systems at or post-TG-16/PCE), BIOS being heavily tested to ensure reliability but having far fewer features than a real operating system.
I believe all the three modern game systems, XBox 360, PS3, and Wii, all run a special operating system, because each of the three have software updating features. And, like all operating systems (even Linux and Mac OS X), faults can be almost expected to happen, no matter how good the company is. Operating systems are just too complicated and unpredictable in what they might encounter, even with testing. Be thankful that Nintendo is helping out in the ways they can, I guess.
As a side note, I think the Gamecube did run an operating system, not BIOS, because it is much more functional than the BIOS in the PSX, Saturn, and Sega CD, but because the functionality is so limited, Nintendo didn't have it as hard to make it "perfect."
I'm sure it's not even the only broken system, but problems like this crop up all the time with a large variety of products. Something maybe jarred loose in shipping, maybe someone that worked at the store dropped the box, who knows?
And sometimes you just get a dud. Get it fixed through the proper channels and stop crying about it.
If I was in that situation, I would cry... till my eyes bleed.
Seriously, others have made good points about how the InterTubes have made it easier for people to share these sorts of things with everyone else. I doubt we'll ever get some reliable numbers on how many previous gen consoles had issues at launch, but I'm sure they were out there. A few dozen people blogging about their busted PS3/Wii/360 out of a few hundred thousand is a pretty small percentage.
I still feel bad for the guy, because if I brought home a busted system on launch day I'd be all emo. Probably start wearing eyeliner and cutting too.
I know that no system is perfect. I also know that there was a time when you could buy a system, and out of the box, you expected it to work. I too eventually had to turn my PS1 upside down to get it to work, and I've also had to find that elusive "sweet spot" on the original NES to get get the game to play. I, after time, even had problems with my Genisis. Keep in mind though, these problems come from both extended usage, and an initial lack of foresight in development. System developers eventually acknowledged these issues and made corrections, but this was over time, not right out of the box. Nowadays, you almost expect your new system to have a 50/50 chance of working when you buy it, and we've become numb to that. That's what sucks. Nintendo has an amazing track record of producing machines that, percentage wise, work from the get go. I had 100% confidence in them until I saw this. This doesn't mean that I won't buy a Wii as soon as can get my hands on one, it just means that I'm a little let down about how system developers can ship us half finished products and we'll scoop them up like hot-cakes. We all knew that the PS3 needed a patch on day one, and we were okay with that. Why? I still have the same damn SNES I bought at launch, and it still works. I have a Dreamcast I bought at Goodwill for $7 that works like a charm. Why can't companies make systems like they used to, and why can't we expect better from the companies that make these systems.
Also, I know that between the time these "faultless" systems came out, and now, that things have changed. If some guy in NoWheresville USA buys a system and it doesn't work, 10 million internet users are going to find out about it. This still to me, doesn't change the fact that we should expect better from the companies that we buy from. Your thought's?
I can totally understand you disappointment, but this has been happening with pretty much every technological device for years and years. The past is often viewed through rose-tinted glasses after all. :) We all should expect the most out of the companies we support, but realistically accept that no one can be perfect all the time.
Wow... that's a pretty ignorant statement. I have yet to have a problem with any system I've ever owned. And, between the 11 people I lived with for 3 years, and the dozens upon dozens of consoles between us, I believe that only 1 had a problem, and I'm pretty sure we can blame that one on a poor modding job. A few independent bloggers reporting minimal amounts of problems HARDLY constitutes a 50/50 shot of a broken console.
Additionally, you are completely ignoring the difficulty of programming modern day consoles. Yeah, SNES didn't have problems, but how hard can it be when all it needs to do is read a cartridge. Cartridge based consoles also have fewer moving parts (as do all older consoles, since new ones have adding everything from HDs to CD/DVD/BluRay drives to flash drives, to cpus, to gpus... TONS more complexity.
Are you going to complain that VoIP phones have come out with 10 different versions? Bugs are an inevitable part of programming. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just uninformed or ignorant. Yeah, you can catch some. But some will ALWAYS get by. And when you up the complexity of the system, that just increases the number of potential problems.
And get over yourself. So what if you have a few consoles from a while ago that still work. How about any of the ones that don't work? And are you going to complain about the XBox 1080 or the PS6 launching, quoting "My PS3 can still boot, why can't my new one? In my minimal research, I've determined that you have a 90% chance of failure when buying a new console."
But the Dreamcast had it's problems at launch, most of them involving the disc drive.
The way we can kick up a stink about 360s overheating and playstations chewing disks even seems to dwarf how car enthusiasts react when a whole production line is recalled due to dodgy brakes.
I don't ever 'expect' faulty hardware an I sure wouldn't be 'numb' to it if my new hardware was broken on first go. I also wouldn't sue the local council if I tripped on the pavement, because accidents and errors are characteristics I share with all those other people doing their best.
Sorry. This isn't personal at all, it's just tipped me over an edge that various forumites and news outlets have pushed me toward. No offence meant.
QFE. Good point there. Disappointing for sure, but it's not like this hasn't happened to anybody else before.
no need to get your wii's in a bundle
Ten minutes on the phone with a nintendo rep and I've got a new console in 3 business days. No stupid "did you drag it behind a truck?" questions, no bullshit, no hassle whatsoever. And no "wait nine weeks for a new one cuz they can't make 'em fast enough" headache.
They aren't perfect, but at least nintendo is willing to admit it and fix it immediately.
B) That's what you get when you get IBM to design your shit. lol
did you hear it BURNT SOMEONES HOUSE DOWN !!!!!!!!!!
be glad that ur wii just doses ent work like it does
Hey, it lived through that, remember? The Gamecube and the Gameboy are nearly invincible.
...hmm, maybe we're on to something here. Nintendo makes a system with "Game" as a prominent part of the system's name = the system becomes nigh-immortal.