Square Enix CEO says handhelds are where it's at!

Jeels · June 14th, 2007, 02:21 AM

Kingdom Hearts Insider - Kingdom Hearts 2 II 3 III Final Mix

According to Yoichi Wada, Square Enix's current CEO, consoles are out and handhelds are in. Yep, the head of SE says that the 360 and the PS3 aren't what the majority of gamers want right now, despite the widely-covered "console wars".

"There is a new breed of gamers in the market - we have to make games for all kinds of people. In the old days, we could just focus on the PlayStation or the GameBoy, but the environment has changed completely," said Wada, in an interview with the Financial Times.

With handhelds shipping more units and garnering higher sales than consoles, it's little wonder that Square Enix is taking advantage of the current trend rather than through all of its effort behind titles for consoles.

Wada went on to say that consoles like the 360 and the PS3 are over-engineered, commenting that, "There are too many specs - and you also need a high-definition TV, a broadband connection and a deep knowledge of gaming - these consoles are mismatched to today’s environment. In a year or two years they will fare better."

So it sounds like, until the majority of gamers catch up to the console technology, the handheld titles are going to keep coming, at least where SE is concerned.

Deeman · June 14th, 2007, 02:29 AM

Kinda' already knew that, but it's always good to have the official word! Thank joo' <3

Haku · June 14th, 2007, 02:48 AM

This is something totally new to me, I guess you do learn something new everyday xD.

Shinjuku · June 14th, 2007, 02:55 AM

Yeah I can see where they are going to take all this back in the coming months. The 360 and PS3 aren't really ahead of time especially the 360. I mean if Sony wanted to they could just shut down the PS2 game production part, and move on to PS3. I bet those PS3's on the shelf won't be there anymore even with the $600 tag.

Luppi · June 14th, 2007, 03:00 AM

nooo! I detest the handhelds! *except the PSP* games just don't look as good on handhelds as they do on the consoles. in my opinion.

Jeels · June 14th, 2007, 03:55 AM

This just more then confirms the next KH game will be on the DS or PSP.

Luppi · June 14th, 2007, 04:02 AM

urrr... I hope at least it's on the PSP.

Rokkusasu · June 14th, 2007, 04:14 AM

Eeeewwww!!! Handhelds suck!!! Graphics aren't as good as they would be in a console. Besides, it's easier to enjoy a game while playing peacefully in your room than in a car after 5 hours tarvelling under the sun and your mom/dad saying "turn that thing off! enjoy the landscape! Don't be anti-social! (jeez...this kid is weird... he's always dreaming/playing...)" Ok I exagerated, but imagine yourself saying "yeah! take that Xemnas/Ansem! *cries with the ending*" (in your room) and You:"yeah! take that Xemnas/Ansem!" Brother:"aaah!!! why do you scream!! I was sleeping!" Mom:"let your brother sleep peacefully!" Brother:"*yawn* Let me play! Mom tell him to let me!" Mom:"You've played long enough. Let your brother play" You:"but...but..." Brother:"now! turn that off!" Mom:"Stop fighting or I'll confiscate it." Handheld: "The End" You:"T_T I'll have to finish it again..." Brother:"give me that!" You:"Mom!" Mom:"that's it! give me that!......hmmm....what does erase file mean? I've just selected yes..." You:DX (in a car/while waiting for something) Hehe, I got carried away, but you get the picture. Besides, after a long while playing or finishing a game, your back would hurt so badly...that's unhealthy.

Conclusion: Handhelds are bad for your back and nerves. Therefore SE should forget about handhelds.

~End of handheld-hater commercial~

Jeels · June 14th, 2007, 04:18 AM

^xP Wow, what a rant.

Well, I think we'll get a good graphics KH on the PSP, mainly because Nomura seems to like the PSP much more. He's making FF7CC and FFDisida on them. The only game on the DS I can think of that he's making is It's A Wonderful World.

Ip Man · June 14th, 2007, 04:43 AM

It saddens me that people still think graphics are what make a game good. I say bring on the handheld games. If there's one thing CoM taught us, is that they can be better than consoles games. A lot better.

Rokkusasu · June 14th, 2007, 04:51 AM

lol Well, I really hate handhelds XDD. Graphics dont make a game, I actually liked CoM, but I say it's better to have a console game than a handheld game. Read my passionate speech and youll see my point of view (I dont have a bratty brother...ok he's kinda bratty, but I do have that kind of mom). Anyway, SE should also think about non-US players. Here in Mexico a PSP costs almost as much as a Wii or 360. That's a theft! I'd rather buy a Wii than a PSP. If the next KH is released for a handheld I'll have to buy a PSP/DS/whatever and I'll have to wait a LONG time to save for it. I think I'm not the only one that would have to wait a long time to buy that kind of product. Just because players are starting to buy more handhelds than consoles doesnt mean everyone can afford buying a new device instantly and waiting is painful. WOW...I've got carried again XP....apologies. Still I'd prefer to see KH characters with a PS3 graphics than handheld ones, besides, a handheld wouldn't have all the possibilities a consoles has. -End of speech before I go crazy again-

Vandread · June 14th, 2007, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xansemx

It saddens me that people still think graphics are what make a game good. I say bring on the handheld games. If there's one thing CoM taught us, is that they can be better than consoles games. A lot better.

My thoughts exactly. Far too many people judge games based on graphics rather than gameplay. Take the Katamari series for instance. The graphics were far from spectacular, but the gameplay was fantastic. Anyway, this is new news to me, but don't you think this would be more appropriate in the Square-Enix sub forum?

luffywang573 · June 14th, 2007, 04:53 AM

graphic dont really matter, but the game play does and so is the story, thats why 360 never excite and i dont like it cause it dont have any games i like and only with good graphic arent any thing, yea to u it might be a bad thing to have a handheld but do u know in japan, u can see people been playing game eveywhere, the buses, metro and on the street, gaming is everywhere and alot people enjoy handheld.

var1ables · June 14th, 2007, 05:17 AM

I'm personally for it, as in the hierarchy of video games(historically) handhelds>consoles. I might actually buy a handheld just to play a game... I never thought i'd do that.:P

swizzle · June 14th, 2007, 05:25 AM

its not that i have anything against handhelds, but i like to enjoy the graphics of hte game, the artwork, and the character design, plus, i dont really like the way that the PSP is, like hte design, its just not comfertable for me, its all wrong. the DS on the otherhand is alot simpler and alot more comfertable to me. but hey, if it comes out for the DS great! but if not, then damn.