Only a few questions on the PSP, Starfox 2, and other matters as we endure a relatively slow news week. Remember to send in your questions to qa@n-sider.com.


The PSP debate continues...

I think it would be premature for Nintendo to release a new handheld just to counter act Sony's PSP. Right now, they're ahead of the game having one of the largest user base with the current GSP. Whcih provides them with other several advantages like backward compatibility with the other GameBoy games and soon cheaper hardware components to manufacture because of older technology.Since GSP has just been realease only a few manufacturers are actually taking advantage of it's capabilities! I think Nintendo should just hold of the second iteration of the GSP until they see how Sony competes with the current one. They have the edge in brand recognition in handheld that Sony doesn't. An irresistble bundle like a free Zelda 4 swords, with a carrying pouch at $69.99 ; with a plethora of new release games like a NEW metroid, fire emblem NEW mother series, maybe new renditions of old classic names would be enough to stop Sony's bid of a handheld conquest.
-M.

Josh: You're right about the Game Boy's current strengths and attributes, but the fact of the matter is that Sony -- provided it can launch the PSP at a reasonable price -- is going to have the "wow" factor that seems to grow more and more important every day with gamers. The casual, modern gamer -- someone who is not terribly concerned about spending their parents' money and who grew up on games like GTA3 -- will more than likely go for the PSP in a head-to-head comparison against the current itiration of the Game Boy; the Game Boy's vast and expansive library would probably not occur to him as he watched the PSP's fancy graphics, superior sound, and extra goodies like DVD-quality movie-watching. In this writer's opinion, not having a more powerful Game Boy ready at or around the PSP's launch could very well mean compromising a lot of market share. Instead, I think Nintendo would do well to have a new hardware solution ready; it wouldn't even necessarily need to have the extra capabilities such as the movie playback and whatnot. Just have the gaming technology perform similarly or better than the PSP, throw in some backwards compatibility with old Game Boy carts if possible, and keep the price point under the magical $100.


Do what you want!

Help! I'm being tempted by the Dark Side: X-Box and to a lesser degree, the 3 letter system that starts with "p". I have been a Nintendo loyalist up to now but I'm getting tired of being a second class citizen in the gaming world. The Gamecube sections are shrinking at every store I go to ;every other day I read about another company abandoning the cube; The world is acting like the Cube is a dead system. I enjoy the Cube and honestly feel it has the best games and deserves to be #1 based on quality however I am feeling tempted to invest in one of the other consoles and stop championing what is starting to feel like a lost cause. What is your take on this situation?
-Richard Diaz

Josh: Until a store not carrying a GameCube game or accessory personally affects you as a gamer, stop worrying. A store chain here and there may be shunting the GameCube, but what does this have to do with you or the games you enjoy? As long as those games keep coming -- and a cursory glance at this year's Q3 and Q4 release schedule should assure you that they are -- you've got nothing to worry about. If you want to investigate getting an Xbox or PS2 because you'd like to play some of the games on those systems, go right ahead. But don't consider buying something else just because you've heard that a few retailers aren't too keen on the GameCube.


Keeping up the momentum

N-sider,
I am really curious how you think the Big N will be doing from now till the rest of the year. I was wondering this because I was looking at a release list and games such as Mario Golf and Kart, 1080, Viewtiful, FFCC, Fzero, Rogue Squadron and thats only the exclusive titles. I was really surpirsed at this relatively hard hitting lineup. Do you think these games are enough to make up some ground, or are these just the games that the already cubers will purchase?.

-Ira

Josh: Undoubtedly, there are a great many very high-quality titles set to debut before the year's end, many of which you mentioned. While I don't think any of them are true "killer apps" that would scream "Buy me!!" to a Halo- or Vice City-minded Xbox or PS2 owner, I do think that with proper advertising, the combined weight of the titles could move some Cubes into homes where there previously were none. And so far -- at least in North America -- signs are extremely positive that NOA is really stepping up to bat as far as advertising goes.


Bubble Bobble

When will Rainbow Six 3 hit stores for gamecube and will the newly announced Ghost Recon game for Xbox be ported to GCN like the original? Plus I would love it if you all could write something up on how the Starfox 2 demo played at E3 even though I've heard it wasn't very exciting. thanx
-Jason

Josh: Don't expect Rainbow Six 3 for the Cube for quite some time; Microsoft has secured a time-release exclusive for the game for the holiday season. As for Ghost Recon, your guess is as good as mine.

On the Starfox front, I'm afraid an N-Depth on the version displayed at E3 wouldn't be very different from what you've already heard; the game controlled badly, was graphically unpolished, and generally just gave the impression of being very early in development. Nonetheless, there was a glimmer of something fun in there, and I think it just needs some time in the shop. Despite what was shown at E3, I'd put money on the next Starfox being one of the bigger titles of 2004.


Q&A By: Josh Righter.

Send your questions for next week's Q&A!