Developers comment on what they’d like to see in Project Cafe
“Without a doubt, my first request would be for an improved digital marketplace more along the lines of XBLA and PSN. We’d love to be able to offer downloadable titles for Nintendo fans in a more user and publisher friendly environment. Two additional possibilities that we’d love to look at would be a camera for augmented reality and stereoscopic 3D.” – Steve Couture, Frima Games, CEO
“I think our wishes are pretty basic. We’d love more processing power, which is essential, and a better GPU as well. Aside from that I think the key to success would be to improve the whole shop system.” – Ole Teglbjaerg, Press Play, Director
“My biggest wish would be for Nintendo to open up development to everyone just like on iOS. It’s obvious that it will never happen but I might as well wish big. At the very least, they could make it easier for indie developers to make games on the new device and have a better, more thought out digital store. As far as hardware goes, It would be nice if you didn’t need a separate dev kit to make games for it – that you have the ability to develop right on the retail version of the device. From the consumer perspective, I’m sure Nintendo will put lots of interesting bells and whistles on the device. The iPad-like controller sure sounds interesting (although a little expensive if I need to buy 4 controllers for multiplayer).” – Dave Castelnuovo, Bolt Creative
“I’m always excited about a new console from Nintendo because I know they’re going to innovate somehow and do something creative. They never fail to do that. On top of that, their games are always fantastic and I just can’t wait to play their games so it comes hand in hand. So those are the things that I’m – I know it’s not anything specific on a tech basis, but those [tech] things excite me far less than some of the innovations and some of the games that Nintendo’s going to make. So that’s what I look for from Nintendo – something new and fresh, something of very high quality. That’s what gets me excited.” – Denis Dyack, Silicon Knights, President
It’s no surprise that one of the common desires among developers is an improved online/digital service. I think the 3DS eShop will be a good indication of how things will play out on Project Cafe. I’m also hoping that Nintendo will take online another step further with the console – let’s get rid of those Friend Codes once and for all!
