Wii: Good for people holding off on buying a GC?

[RelentlessRolento]

Over the last year I've started wanting to pick up a GC due to it's affordability and unique titles (primarily cubivore and PN03).

The problem with that is that I feel I really shoudln't get a GC yet... or at all. The Wii is backwards compatable with all GC titles, so instead of using money on a GC I'll be using it on a Wii.

I don't know when I should start picking up GC games, but as the Wii apporaches release, it becomes less and less likely that buying a GC is a good idea. Anyone else in the same pickle as me?

[basketkase543]

I have a GC but I understand your point and agree entirely. I see no reason to pick up a GC if you know for sure that your getting a Wii...and you're willing to wait about 5 more months to get it.

[chewster777]

Yeah, just wait for the wii, but grab gamecube games as you can.

[Vampyre611]

I'm in the same place, i cant seem to justify dropping any cash right now for a cube when the wii will be out in a few months

[Dr Mario Kart]

The problem with this is, when the Wii launches, you wont have time for GAMECUBE games.

[RelentlessRolento]

The problem with this is, when the Wii launches, you wont have time for GAMECUBE games.


I'm expecting a glut in the market for a few months with the Wii like almost every console launch. I'll have time during that period.

[guessed]

I just traded my GC in because I intend to get a Wii at launch. The $50 that I got will go nicely towards the Wii. The GC has some great games, but you've waited this long, you can wait a few more months.

As far as when to pick up games, you may as well wait. 99 games out of 100 will either go down in value, or stay the same -- only 1 in 100 might go up in value (I didn't make up these numbers, they are real... Their application here, however, was my invention. i.e. this is a guesstimate). So, if you want to buy a game or two now that you won't be able to play until launch, just try to keep it under $10 a game, or you will be kicking yourself when they drop in price later.

[guessed]

I'm expecting a glut in the market for a few months with the Wii like almost every console launch. I'll have time during that period.

I do not think it means what you think it means.

[RelentlessRolento]

I do not think it means what you think it means.


as long as people know what I am trying to say, it's fine by me.

[Quillion]

I do not think it means what you think it means.

Inconceivable!

[Dr Mario Kart]

I dunno. I dont think people are gonna buy some brand new fanciness just to play what came before. The people who bought 360's probably were playing 360 games more than xbox games.

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7312/montoya8gv.jpg

[Genocidal]

Even though the Cube is so cheap, I can't see picking up another one to replace my dead one, especially since the Wii will be no more than $250. If only Gamecube games dropped in price... well, ever really so we could start picking some up.

[Ecofreak]

I'm expecting a glut in the market for a few months with the Wii like almost every console launch. I'll have time during that period.

Probably true, unless you`re interested in what the VC has to offer. Suddenly, that extra time becomes Negative Time as you sink further into a library of games you want to play but can`t due to the lack of a 48 hour day!

[RelentlessRolento]

Probably true, unless you`re interested in what the VC has to offer. Suddenly, that extra time becomes Negative Time as you sink further into a library of games you want to play but can`t due to the lack of a 48 hour day!

Good point... knowing me I'll be playing alot of VC games...

[jkam]

The only reason I would pick one up is if you planned on getting a GB Player. It's the only thing thus far that the Wii doesn't have...but then again that could change. It can't hurt to pick some games up now though if you can get some good deals.

[BustaUppa]

What about import games? Have they addressed how the Wii will handle those? The only import game I have is Nintendo Puzzle Collection... do you think I could still use the GC Action Replay to play that on the Wii?

[MarioColbert]

BustaUppa:

The fact that your avatar is a lemming and that the first game in your signature is Psychonauts makes me want to thank you for being alive.


I have nothing useful to say in this thread apart from "I hope the original NES Mother will be playable in VC"

[Rozz]

I'm expecting a glut in the market for a few months with the Wii like almost every console launch. I'll have time during that period.

Actually,I think that would mean a ton of titles would be coming out, but anyway, I knew what you meant.

If you go on alot of trips the GC could make a great system to take with you when your visting somewhere. Besides that, though, theres no real reason to buy one. Might as well wait for the Wii, as long as the BC portion of it is good...

[rlse9]

If I didn't already own a GC, I would have picked one up when they had the bundle with Mario Party 7 and 2 controllers for $99. That was a great deal. But now, I'd definitely hold off. It's not like with the PS3 or 360 where the new console will be so much more than the current one, the GC is $99 now and I'm guessing the Wii will be $199 so it definitely makes sense to wait.

[BustaUppa]

BustaUppa:

The fact that your avatar is a lemming and that the first game in your signature is Psychonauts makes me want to thank you for being alive.


I have nothing useful to say in this thread apart from "I hope the original NES Mother will be playable in VC"You're welcome. :D

I faced a similar scenario when I was pondering whether it was worth getting an XBOX, with the 360 coming around a year later. Fortunately I did the right thing and just bought the XBOX. I played the crap out of it, and a year later the backward-compatibility for the 360 turned out to be a huge mess.

O.P.'s situation is quite different though, as we have every reason to believe the B/C will be flawless in this case. I say you should just wait a few months, get the Wii, get Super Paper Mario, and pillage the used shops for cheap gems (Metroid Prime for $4.99 at most, and other such goodness).

Does anyone think that backward compatibility might actually PREVENT some titles from dropping further? I was thinking that since the Wii's b/c would preserve the GameCube as an "alive" format, there may be no rush for game retailers to dump all the GC product. After all, we still saw a trickle of PS1 games on the shelves, deep into the PS2's lifespan.

[RAMSTORIA]

well. do you think youll play any of the games between now and when the wii comes out. you can get a cube pretty cheap. but you might have enough games to hold you over for the next several months.

[screwkick]

I say go for it. I just purchased a used Gamecube last week for $49.99, and managed to find an HDTV component cable too.

When the Wii comes out, I'll sell the console and cable and get some money back.

[MarioColbert]

Does anyone think that backward compatibility might actually PREVENT some titles from dropping further? I was thinking that since the Wii's b/c would preserve the GameCube as an "alive" format, there may be no rush for game retailers to dump all the GC product. After all, we still saw a trickle of PS1 games on the shelves, deep into the PS2's lifespan.

Actually, I thought it was a bit more than a trickle. I recall being extremely impressed with PS1 still being devloped for, although it could have been that apart from PCs, we haven't really seen that happen in the console arena...

I think one of the important things to consider would be the cost benefit analysis for a business to develop GC games. First and foremost, the publishing costs are still going to be high (not that they weren't for PS1 development, yet the gap between coding PS1 games versus PS2 was rather extensive: PS2 was much harder to code for, and generally implied (due to it's power) a much larger-scale production than PS1.) That isn't to say that there will be no developers that would consider GC (I'm looking at YOU, little indie developers!) yet since GC does not have the reputation of Sony's Love Child (the one and only, as far as I am concerned), the outlook is really not as good.

Having said that, I'm with you in having my fingers crossed. It would be wicked to have new GameCube titles. I say this simply because I really love that gaming system. To me, despite the fact that so many wish to point out it's flaws, it symbolizes everything that a gaming system is ought to be. From the controller to the old-school-ness of the interface, to the choice titles that it has made available to me, I love it to death.

[epobirs]

Since a used GameCube can be had so cheaply, about 25% of the expected Wii price, the real question is how soon you want to start playing GameCube games.

If you picked up a used unit tomorrow for $60 (assuming complete including a memory card) and got a lot of use out of it before the Wii launch, that time with the machine is worth something. If you can then turn around and sell the GameCube for $30, wasn't it worth $30 for the time you had with it befor ethe Wii took its place for running both GC and newer games?

The games mentioned aren't going to change much in price. PN03 is practically free because it did so badly in sales. (Almost a case study in how to do a game that seemingly has eerything going for it except mainstream interest.) Cubivore is going to set you back some real money because it is genuinely rare. Unless it gets a Wii revival it will continue to carry a collector's price. The last one I saw was marked at $30.

If you have the desire for a GameCube game right NOW, there is no reason to wait. The Wii will still be there when you're ready to buy but in the meantime the GameCube will deliver some real value.

[epobirs]

Actually, I thought it was a bit more than a trickle. I recall being extremely impressed with PS1 still being devloped for, although it could have been that apart from PCs, we haven't really seen that happen in the console arena...

I think one of the important things to consider would be the cost benefit analysis for a business to develop GC games. First and foremost, the publishing costs are still going to be high (not that they weren't for PS1 development, yet the gap between coding PS1 games versus PS2 was rather extensive: PS2 was much harder to code for, and generally implied (due to it's power) a much larger-scale production than PS1.) That isn't to say that there will be no developers that would consider GC (I'm looking at YOU, little indie developers!) yet since GC does not have the reputation of Sony's Love Child (the one and only, as far as I am concerned), the outlook is really not as good.

Having said that, I'm with you in having my fingers crossed. It would be wicked to have new GameCube titles. I say this simply because I really love that gaming system. To me, despite the fact that so many wish to point out it's flaws, it symbolizes everything that a gaming system is ought to be. From the controller to the old-school-ness of the interface, to the choice titles that it has made available to me, I love it to death.

There is a huge gap between the current status of the GameCube and where the PS1 was when the PS2 launched. The PS1 was the then #1 platform by a huge margin with substantial momentum. A big PS1 game like FFIX did enough business off PS2 owners to justify its production and between both PS1 and PS2 did huge business.

Other than Zelda:TP, there just isn't anything left on the GameCube schedule with remotely that potential. The next biggest non-multiplatform title remaining is Super Paper Mario, a far lesser franchise. There are some titles like Baiten Kaitos Origins that will score very high among its fans but not in the mainstream. After that, all that remains on the schedule is nearly all 'might as well do a GC version, too' multiplatformers whose focus is more on the next gen machines and a couple dozen movie/TV licenses, most of which can dependably be expected to be crapfests.

The Wii doesn't even have a specific launch date and price but the GameCube support is winding down fast. EB Games is showing only one title after early December of this year. And that item, Stage Debut, has been seen before solely as a GameCube adjunct to a never released GBA camera. With that in mind, it would appear the GameCube software releases end mere weeks after the Wii launch.

Stick a fork in it, because it's done.

If anything, the circumstance lead me to expect developers to drop GameCube much more quickly than they would if the Wii were a major instead of minor upgrade on the chipset side. Those indie developers can do far more business by having a Wii title out early on than having a GameCube title out at the end of its life. Just being there at launch means they can be a big fish in a small pond rather than a bacterium in a mid-sized pond. So although the Wii will only have a limited installed base the visibility for any title will be huge compared to trying to get recognition for a new GameCube title without a serious marketing budget.

Because the difference between developing a GameCube game and a Wii game is so trivial, they're practically the same platform aside from the Wii-mote, there are probably any number of GameCube titles that have been rescheduled to instead be Wii games. The difference may be so minor that the only thing that keeps them from working on the GameCube is that they come on a DVD. True, a developer could have both a GameCube and Wii versions but for many the GameCube version might be seen as having negative value compared to having a Wii exclusive.

[SpazX]

I was planning on getting GC games and just wait for the Wii, but then I decided to just buy one and start playing since I already planned on getting so many games (now I have 21 with more coming...). So I won't be able to even beat them all by the time the Wii comes out with so much time taken for work and then school...

[MarioColbert]

If anything, the circumstance lead me to expect developers to drop GameCube much more quickly than they would if the Wii were a major instead of minor upgrade on the chipset side. Those indie developers can do far more business by having a Wii title out early on than having a GameCube title out at the end of its life. Just being there at launch means they can be a big fish in a small pond rather than a bacterium in a mid-sized pond. So although the Wii will only have a limited installed base the visibility for any title will be huge compared to trying to get recognition for a new GameCube title without a serious marketing budget.

Very true.

The only thing that I'm curious about is the actual Wii hardware. I don't think that developing for Wii will be as easy as developing for the Cube, or at least I hope that the only reason it is true is because the Nintendo SDK for the Wii will be as good as the GameCube one (now, I haven't see either, but I know people who have Xbox / Cube / PS2 kits, and it's almost unanimous that Xbox is the best, Cube is #2, and PS2 is -inf.)

I am willing to bet that the power upgrade of the Wii is more substantial than most people give it credit for.