http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/nintendo-bad-design-choices.jpg (http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/nintendo-bad-design-choices.jpg)
Due to my internet being down I spent most of the weekend trekking around my neighbourhood with a laptop trying to find an unsecured wireless signal. However, when I wasn’t standing on a street corner looking very suspicious, I also had a chance to have a break from Xbox Live and sink some time into my one week old Wii.
What can I say? After getting some extended time with the little, box, this Nintendo fanboy learned one thing:
Nintendo made some stupid design choices.

First of all, let me start by saying that I know all these issues have been discussed and discussed and discussed to death, but my internet is down at the moment, so I’m going to carry on anyway. I mean, you can never have too many opinions out there, right? Left? Forwards? Diagonally North East?
The Wii has been out for a while, but even from launch it was clear that there were problems. Let me start with the Wii’s menu. Nintendo’s decision to use channels for each individual Virtual Console or Wii Ware game is completely ridiculous. It’s like having a blade for each Arcade game on the 360 or an XMB icon for each PSN game. It’s not just a mistake; it goes completely goes against common sense.
Then there are the channels that aren’t VC or WW games. I don’t mind having a disc channel, or a Mii channel, but it starts getting plain stupid when the Mii Contest channel isn’t integrated into the Mii channel. I can just imagine the conversation between the execs that made this decision:
Mr Faceless Exec 1: ‘Ok, we want to expand the Mii’s functionality. We know they haven’t been used much so far, but all this is about to change with the new Mii Contest channel. Basically people can vote on other users’ Miis, and the best ones are displayed in a special section. Also, we’re going to set regular challenges to make Mii lookalikes of famous people, and the best one wins - as voted by the community.’
Mr Faceless Exec 2: ‘That’s sounds good Mr Faceless Exec 1, where should we position the channel?’
Mr Faceless Exec 1: ‘Well, it’s a Mii related thing, so naturally it should be far away from the already existing Mii Channel. How about giving it its own channel on the main menu?’
Mr Faceless Exec 2: Genius! Why didn’t I think of that? We should also think about moving the Shop channel into the Wii’s Data Management menu
Janitor who, for some unknown reason, is at this meeting and is considering going into antiquity auctioning. He has a moustache and occasionally yells ‘MAINTENANCE!’ as he patrols down Nintendo HQ’s corridors: ‘Sorry to interrupt, but surely it would make more sense to put the Mii Contest channel in the Mii Channel. That way all the Mii related stuff is in one place’
Mr Faceless Exec 1: ‘SILENCE! Why are you even here?’
Janitor who, for some unknown reason, is at this meeting and is considering going into antiquity auctioning. He has a moustache and occasionally yells ‘MAINTENANCE!’ as he patrols down Nintendo HQ’s corridors: ‘Dunno’
Mr Faceless Exec 1: ‘Well get out then.’
Janitor who, for some unknown reason, is at this meeting and is considering going into antiquity auctioning. He has a moustache and occasionally yells ‘MAINTENANCE!’ as he patrols down Nintendo HQ’s corridors: ‘Sure thing Mr E.’
*Cartwheels out room yelling ‘MAINTENANCE’.*
Mr Faceless Exec 2: What the hell did he do that for?
Mr Faceless Exec 1: I don’t quite know…anyway, about moving the Shop channel…
Ok this could go on for hours. My point is: why didn’t Nintendo do what Microsoft did? They should have a media channel for photos, keep the shop channel, put the Mii channels and the Everybody Votes channel in a Community Channel and dump the News, Forecast and Nintendo Channel in some sort of collaborative News channel. Finally, and most importantly, they should have a game channel for Virtual Console and Wii Ware games. Even if they didn’t do the other stuff, they should do this. Scrolling through pages of channels looking for a game is just plain stupid.
Anyway, enough of that for now.
Right about now you’ll be thinking I’m some sort of satanic Nintendo hater or worse, a fanboy. However I assure you, the only thing I’m a fanboy of is good video games and so I praise the great bits and criticise the bad bits of all the consoles. Let’s focus on some of the Wii’s good points for a bit. Unlike a lot of people, I don’t think the Wii’s motion sensing is a gimmick. I’ll happily admit that most games don’t use the motion sensing to its full potential, or try to use it too much (like making you spin the controller in the air on your head in order to open a door), but I enjoy shaking the controller to attack or reeling in a fish with the nunchaku. I don’t see how you could call motion sensing a gimmick as it doesn’t really get boring; it just doesn’t add a whole lot to most games.
Hit the next page to read more!
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/TheSarcasticGamer?i=dhiI2Z</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/TheSarcasticGamer?a=dhiI2Z)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?i=XvE6EJ</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?a=XvE6EJ) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?i=gL7JAJ</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?a=gL7JAJ) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?i=D6M67j</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?a=D6M67j) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?i=1YdENj</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?a=1YdENj) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?i=FHQYgJ</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?a=FHQYgJ) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?i=nI9znj</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?a=nI9znj) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?i=JfEoOj</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?a=JfEoOj) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?i=1XYyOJ</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?a=1XYyOJ) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?i=DMAQ4J</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheSarcasticGamer?a=DMAQ4J)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheSarcasticGamer/~4/328982325

Click here to view the article. (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheSarcasticGamer/~3/328982325/nintendo-are-pretty-stupid.html)

You, sir, make very good points. However, we disagree on a few things regarding the channels. I personally like having the different VC games on different channels, but can't put a finger on why. I agree that they should consolidate all Mii-related stuff in one channel, and have a Community channel for the news, weather, and maybe even "Everybody Votes". However, being Nintendo, they aren't going to fix what isn't going to get them more money. The only reason the storage problem is being addressed is that it's keeping the hardcore gamers (the nostalgic ones with all the money) from downloading as much VC stuff as they want. This is why they won't address the Voice Chat problem anytime soon, until it becomes a barrier to more cash.

There's still hope for them, though. :D Hopefully they'll have learned from their mistakes with the Wii and make the Wii 2 even better. (I will kill them if they actually call it the Wii 2. :angry:)

Gotta agree with the article for the most part right down the line.... though I will say they are getting a LITTLE better about online... after all, unlike the DS, friend codes are not enforced. Nintendo uses them, but for example, EA's skipped on it twice now.

Gotta agree with the article for the most part right down the line.... though I will say they are getting a LITTLE better about online... after all, unlike the DS, friend codes are not enforced. Nintendo uses them, but for example, EA's skipped on it twice now.

Yeah, but all of the GOOD online games (I.E. Brawl) use the friend code system. That's what counts.

All seriousity of me reading this and understanding left me as I burst out laughing at the Janitor. My kinda guy :lol:

Yeah, but all of the GOOD online games (I.E. Brawl) use the friend code system. That's what counts.

Unless you are into WW2 games... then one of EAs is there too. (sadly, this is only to be argumentative as I hate WW2 games outside of Wolfenstien it seems)