I agree with @kamjam that it would have been great if Ninty put it on their site but I didn't have the expectation from them to let anyone use their whole game.
Believe me, I wanted to love Nintendo after the Gamecube. NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, GBA, DS... I loved them all. But after that, somewhere along the way, it seems Nintendo lost its unique flavor and started to look like a pale copy of what it once was.
I'm not trying to defend the guy who coded a Mario Bros. clone (in fact, I couldn't care less...). I'm rather pointing out how saddened I am by the fact that the only instances where I hear about Nintendo now are for silly disputes like these.
EDIT: Hmm, I've touched a nerve. Good. When proponents of Nintendo need to resort to "They invented the thumbstick" as an example of their innovation, it becomes obvious that they're not innovating in modern times, else it would be easy to give examples. Nintendo has no recent innovations when compared to other game companies. (The Wii isn't recent, and the WiiU is dead.)
Of top of my head and I am sure there are plenty more.
- D-Pad (1982 on donkey kong)
- L-R buttons on SNES
- redefining handheld console as we know it today (gameboy)
- Analog stick on a joypad (N64 had it first)
- Rumble actuator on a joypad (N64 had it first)
- revitalization of game and game console market with NES
- Touch screen interface on handheld consoles with dual screen (before iphone)
- portable handheld console with 3D without glasses
- 'portable' 3d console (virtual boy)
- (re)defining 2d platformer genre as we know it today
- (re)defining 3d platformer genre as we know it today (N64 super mario)
- vast collection of super brands of games and characters
- Wii and that whole thing with motion controller
- Wii U with separate screen on a controller
.... many many more
So, what has Valve done exactly? They created a marketplace for games which has revitalized PC gaming (debatable on revitalized - more like set direction) and several popular games. Don't get me wrong, Valve is successful and likable company now (remember when everybody hated Steam?). They are just not in the same category with Nintendo as far as innovation goes, not technically nor creatively. Maybe some day they will be, but they are definitely not there yet.
The Wii U is dead. It completely flopped. The original Wii may as well be ancient, in terms of game industry time.
Nintendo was innovative. But they haven't been for awhile. When they have to resort to lawyering their fans, it's a bad omen. And they don't seem to have anything else up their sleeve right now, as Yahtzee elucidates: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation...
It's interesting that most people aren't recognizing what Valve's controller represents. The future of console gaming is Valve. I'll be happy to refer back to this comment in five years. Shall we bet $10?
The future of console gaming is Valve
I don't bet because I am strongly opposed, for personal reasons, against gambling. We can bet on proverbial 'I told you so' if you will. Even though I haven't alluded that I think Valve isn't the future of console gaming in any way, now that I think about it I am sure it won't be. There's a possibility they will be a major player in console market, but I don't see that happening any time soon. I am quite sure they will disrupt PC gaming market once again... console gaming? no.
So if you will, we can bet on that and come back to this 5 years from now for an 'I told you so' moment :)
PS
As long as I remember (and I remember back to the dinosaurs age) Nintendo has been regarded as 'soon to be dead'. Same with PC gaming. It just didn't happen over and over again.
So if you will, we can bet on that and come back to this 5 years from now for an 'I told you so' moment :)
You're on! :)
Regarding Valve, its controller may or may not represent a lot of things. But until it defines at least one generation, we can't say anything. Other than that, what have we seen from them that is so innovative?
EDIT: Also, "resort to lawyering"? It's not like they are suing the guy. They are just politely letting him know that what he is doing is illegal.
The DS was also huge. Remember, it had a touchscreen and came out three years before the iPhone. Everyone thought dual screens was a crazy idea.
The 3DS remains a crazy idea that hasn't worked out as well as one might hope, but you can't say it's not innovative.
Nintendo's efforts on the N64 are also often underestimated. They invented the modern analog thumbstick. Also, Mario 64 was an incredible achievement that has influenced game design ever since.
Are you joking? Making a PC that hooks up to your living room television is a good idea, but doesn't scream "innovative" to me. Valve is, just now, trying to do what Nintendo has been doing, successfully, for almost half a century.
In the annals of gaming, Valve has a long way to go to catch up to Nintendo.
Valve is not at Nintendo's (or Sony's or Microsoft's, for that matter) scale.
For consoles, they're about to be.
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/27/recap-valves-trio-of-steam...
For PC gaming, Valve is the gorilla. No one else comes close.
Valve has every chance to change things as much as Ouya. Unfortunately, but like everyone else, they don't control their destiny -- the consumers do. Consumers don't always pick the best or the most innovative technology as the winner. Only time will tell.
Only time will tell, sure. But until Valve or Ouya or any other company actually achieve something that big, they are just newcomers.