WarCry™ Network:
On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman faced off in the “Rumble in the Jungle.” The much-anticipated fight featured Ali breaking out a new style, later named the “Rope-A-Dope,” with a seemingly-suicidal strategy. Ali let the hard-punching Foreman hit him and hit him and hit him. Ali played defense, laid on the ropes, and let Foreman wear himself out. Much to the surprise of just about everyone, it worked. Ali survived, George Foreman punched himself into exhaustion, and Ali put together a furious barrage in the late rounds that knocked Foreman out.
I happened upon Shannon’s article that lays out where he thinks Nintendo’s going w/ it’s upcoming Revolution console. Shannon’s theory is that Big N may be waiting for Sony and Microsoft to wear themselves out, based on the fact that they both lose money on each console sold.
If my memory serves me right, Nintendo’s the only company that’s always made a profit on their hardware, and though they’re often underestimated because of it, we have to pay attention to the fact that they are the grandfather of home consoles. While I’m not completely convinced that Nintendo’s approach was explicitly aimed at pulling a Rope-A-Dope on their two competitors, it’s obvious that they are completely satisfied w/ not competing for the hardcore gamer’s dollars.
If you watch the video they released at the Tokyo Game Show this year, you can see that they’re already starting to market their product to the broader, casual gamer market. To win this, it’s going to be essential that they come in at a reasonable price.
Personally, I can’t WAIT to see where they’re going w/ that new controller.