At the time, ARM was really pushing the sort of computer on a chip concept that now underpins every mobile phone, but back then was revolutionary. We did a tech demo for them. An ARM7 CPU with integrated graphics and an LCD screen attached to a circuit board.
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Then we got David Braben, the Elite guy, to do a few demo games. Most significantly, he did a software 3D graphics library and a mock up of a handheld version of Mario Kart in 3D. Nintendo’s high ups saw it and freaked.
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And not in a good way. They were making a huge thing about the prowess of their graphics hardware in the N64. This little tech demo was much cheaper and used no hardware acceleration, could run off AA batteries and was better than their N64.
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So they killed the project and we figured that was that. Except 18 months later, it suddenly reappeared as the GBA, only without the 3D graphics library stuff we’d shown them. I guess they decided to use what we’d build after all, but over a year later & nerfed.
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Replying to @GoatSarah @Nymphomachy
Yeah that's the Nintendo philosophy for ya
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This cyberpunk idea of the Evil Tech Corporation that has *control* as their one overriding value Quality comes second, sometimes they'll make better products if that gives them control, just as often they'll deliberately make worse ones
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It applies to many companies in history, sure - Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, all of them, it's the failure state of tech capitalism But I really believe it describes Nintendo most of all
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I think it goes beyond what you'd call "rational self interest" Like I think it's top down, it's because Mr. Yamauchi was never really a tech guy at heart, didn't really understand or like that world
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Nintendo started as a toy company when they got into this business, and kind of stumbled by fits and starts into making "computerized toys" and then just "computers", as an accidental side effect of the Great Video Game Crash of 1983 "opening up the space"
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(Kind of like Nintendo shoving Sony into making video games as a side effect of them being a leader in making CD players) And so like their "computers" ("Famicom" meant "family computer") were the least hackable computers yet made in the 80s It was a self-contained product
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I do wanna say that although the difference between a "home video game system" and a "microcomputer" existed before Nintendo, they really put up this impermeable wall between them, they established the modern idea of a "console" and made it a selling point you can't fuck with it
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The console landscape as it is today is a result of of Mr Yamauchi's personal aversion to tech, this culture he created of differentiating his stuff from the shit the computer geeks from California were doing by making it shiny and slick and unhackably opaque
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And, well, it succeeded in creating a massive industry and making him one of the richest men in Japan Whether it was good or bad for the world is up for debate (I'm guessing that as an emulation and ROMhack enthusiast
@Nymphomachy is not a fan)3 replies 1 retweet 7 likes - Show replies
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