Nintendo is like James Bond, a flashy character that's seen better days now he is tied up and inches away from being killed. This is it. The only way to get out of this alive is through other factors beyond his control.
Sony and Microsoft are the Bond villains that have successfully mounted a comeback, successfully had their plan in motion, and now have James Bond on the ropes, inches from his death. All they need to do is pull that one switch. Yet, inexplicably, they delay their death blow, allowing for James Bond to escape.
This is what essentially has happened in the past couple of weeks. Both the Playstation 4 and the XBox One have had their opportunity to unveil their system, and pretty much strip every last ounce of hope from the Nintendo WiiU. Instead, with a series of ridiculous decisions we now find ourselves seeing some hope in Nintendo---while uncertainty faces the gamers that want the next-gen systems but aren't sure how much they have to actually sacrifice.
Let's start with the issue of Backwards Compatibility: there is none. Sony's success with the PS2 as well as the only reason the PS3 had any playing time can be attributed to the ability to play games from the past. The sixth generation saw the PS2 as the only backwards compatible machine as it overtook the Gamecube, the XBox, and the Dreamcast quite easily. The PS3 had an extremely rough start because of its pure lack of games--but with the ability to play PS2 games (at first, not later in the seventh generation) definitely helped a little.
And then there's the XBox One, also not backwards compatible. Now, we have layers of advancements in gaming and production technology and we still can't find a way to play older games? What about downloadable games from the PS3 and XBox 360 days? What happens to those? Well, Microsoft and Sony are still a little iffy on the subject. The answers remained mixed.
And now there's the DRM issue. Nintendo not only has the ability to play Wii games (and games even older, but that feature remains extremely limited and extremely far from reaching its potential) but it does not believe in the DRM technique. The DRM technique is basically charging people money for using someone else's video game----that or not even have the chance to play it unless you buy your own copy or play it over at someone elses' house. Once again, Sony and Microsoft were mum about the issue.
So now begs the statement: why? Why? Why? Why?
Sony, you had it. You are riding so much momentum it looks like a tsunami sometimes. And yet, somehow, you not only manage to minimize excitement of the PS4, but gave the WiiU a good shot. Why on earth did you eliminate backwards compatibility? The PS3 had an amazing underrated arsenal of games that gamers realized only way too late and too deep into the lifecycle. You could have continued sales of PS3 games as well as PS4 games if you had made the smallest of efforts and allowed us to reach into the past. And remaining quiet about the DRM is issue is quite scary.
Microsoft, you also blew it. Your conference came off as company that wants to do everything, which means focusing less on games and gamers. Did gamers really want to hear about the exclusive content of the NFL? Not really. And now you are required to be online at least once a day? Required online connectivity with the Kinect at the helm is a hacker's dream come true, not to mention a conspiracy theorists' nightmare. So instead of us being excited for the upcoming E3, we are now worried about what we might see: Required online, potential DRM features, no backwards compatibility, and a strong potential for a heavy price tag at launch.
Nintendo, you escaped, for now. It is up to you to take advantage of the small breathing room that has just occurred.
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