GDC 2007: "The Wii is a Piece of Sh*t!"

[wraggster]

via ign (http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/771/771051p1.html)

During a session at GDC this morning titled 'Burning Mad - Game Publishers Rant,' time was taken about half way through to allow developers a chance to spew their own rants. One speaker, Chris Hecker, currently working on Spore at Maxis, took the opportunity to call out Nintendo for not taken games seriously.

"The Wii is a piece of shit!" Hecker began his talk, which was called "Fear of a Wii Planet." He blasted a few bars of Public Enemy to set the tone. Hecker said the Wii is nothing more than two GameCubes stuck together with duct tape, and that the console isn't powerful enough to provide the next-gen experience he has been waiting for.

Although he stated the system is "severely underpowered," Hecker noted that he wasn't simply referring to the Wii's graphical capabilities. He wants to spend a console's CPU making games more intelligent, and he has found the Wii doesn't have the power to process things like complicated AI.

Hecker also took Nintendo to task for not taking games seriously enough. "It's not clear to me that Nintendo gives a shit about games as an art form," he said. To illustrate his point, he searched for references to games as art on all three console manufacturers web sites. While he found numerous such references on both the official PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sites, Wié.com had none at all. He then shared quotes from executives at Sony and Microsoft talking about games as a serious artistic medium, and then a quote from a Nintendo executive saying the company only wanted to make "fun" games.

Hecker ended his spirited rant with two demands for Nintendo: First, recognize and push games as serious art. And two, "make a console that doesn't suck ass."

Vent your anger at his comments

[mcvader]

I have to agree with this guy, if the Wii can't even do good AI then how is it next-gen at all?? The Wii-Remote is a good idea but they havn't even made good use of it yet. I was undecided for ages but I think I'm gonna skip the Wii and save my penny's for a PS3. I'll have to get one some day to complete my Nintendo collection but I'm in no rush, I've only had my NES for a year.

[Balthasar00]

+ 1.

Wii could be the gateway for old school rpg's.. that would be nice.. ^^

[SwordOfZork]

Wow... what a mature way to express you're opinion, Mr. Hecker.

[ICE]

my god!!!!! freaking idiots!!!!! yes its underpowered but so is the ds compared to psp!!! shut the crap up about graphics because its CLEAR that to the AVERAGE gamer they DONT matter!! if you want graphics and ai that stun you DONT BUY THE WII!! its not mandatory that you buy one. you can just ignore it.

[VampDude]

via ign (http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/771/771051p1.html)

During a session at GDC this morning titled 'Burning Mad - Game Publishers Rant,' time was taken about half way through to allow developers a chance to spew their own rants. One speaker, Chris Hecker, currently working on Spore at Maxis, took the opportunity to call out Nintendo for not taken games seriously.



"The Wii is a piece of shit!" Hecker began his talk, which was called "Fear of a Wii Planet." He blasted a few bars of Public Enemy to set the tone. Hecker said the Wii is nothing more than two GameCubes stuck together with duct tape, and that the console isn't powerful enough to provide the next-gen experience he has been waiting for.

Umm, ok...
...That is just a matter of his oppinion, but the console seems to be powerful enough for the people who did'nt buy it for the power of the CPU


Although he stated the system is "severely underpowered," Hecker noted that he wasn't simply referring to the Wii's graphical capabilities. He wants to spend a console's CPU making games more intelligent, and he has found the Wii doesn't have the power to process things like complicated AI.

One word that describes the Wii compared to the other two more powerful machines, that word is "PLAYABLE"


Hecker also took Nintendo to task for not taking games seriously enough. "It's not clear to me that Nintendo gives a shit about games as an art form," he said. To illustrate his point, he searched for references to games as art on all three console manufacturers web sites. While he found numerous such references on both the official PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sites, Wii.com had none at all. He then shared quotes from executives at Sony and Microsoft talking about games as a serious artistic medium, and then a quote from a Nintendo executive saying the company only wanted to make "fun" games.

That says it all, games are meant to be fun!


Hecker ended his spirited rant with two demands for Nintendo: First, recognize and push games as serious art. And two, "make a console that doesn't suck ass."

Hecker sucks ass, he obviously does'nt know Nintendo's perspective on games!

[rabidchild]

Wii doesn't have the super powered CPU and graphics because it isn't designed to compete in the "next-gen" console wars. Nintendo has revolutionized gaming and made it fun and easily accessible for people that would have never otherwise tried it. That totally sucks ass doesn't it? What a complete tool.

[alienanthropologist]

When you start hearing attacks like this, you really do realise how well the Wii has done.

The Wii is causing and will continue to cause serious disruption in the industrly. Because of its radically different approach, and its undoubted market success, some people in the more established part of the industry are feeling anxious about the new changes heralded by Nintendo's new console.

Plus this guy Hecker has a hugely undignified way of getting his point across. In the end it's the consumers who decide, as they are indeed deciding now; and sales don't seem to support Hecker's anxieties.

[Miria]

Hes just angry because he can't code for the Wii.. LOL Complicated AI?? WTF..

Make pong using the Wii-mote and you got money in your pocket.. Gosh how did things get so hard?? Oh thats right.. Sony and Microsoft..

PS3 and XBX360 are more like Hubs not gaming systems. Like your computer...

[HitmanRotto]

He is right on the mark, I think all devs should work on making the graphics and gameplay 100% instead of dabbling in the world of motion sensing that clearly has issues. The wii is such an overated console. I will always love Nintendo for what they have done in the past but Im sorry guys, i just can't support such a boring console.

[pt9087]

Wii does suk but the idea is good. Some people like me can only play games with good graphics and thats why i have a Xbox360, Others have different opinions on This "Thing" but it is turd.

[hadrian]

I dont give a shit about decent AI, if its as good as GC games then that'll do for me.

I was totally bored of gaming and then DS came out and suddenly I was into it, new ways to play and more varied games, though I'd would've paid an extra £100 for the Wii if it matched the 360 I still rather take what its got for the likes of Wii tennis.

Saying that I have a 360 and its very good and I have a Wii and thats very good too so I'm happy I've got both of best worlds.

[Metal_Spirit]

Man.. remember PS2 lauch?? Same crap. Same words, same rants, etc. When Xbox was lauched PS2 was even more crappier, and Xbox was the great system. XBOX is dead, and PS2 still sells like crazy, with awesome games comming out.
Wii is the future, and whether they like it or not, sales will make them have to learn how to program it and optimize it, and then we will see how bad the console is. WTF, look at wii Sports. Pure crap in GFX terms, and yet, pure GOLD in gameplay terms. Good graphics and highly complex physics don't make a good game, and never did.

[HitmanRotto]

Wii is the future, and whether they like it or not, sales will make them have to learn how to program it and optimize it, and then we will see how bad the console is. WTF, look at wii Sports. Pure crap in GFX terms, and yet, pure GOLD in gameplay terms.

Pure GOLD in gameplay terms? You're kidding, right? Have you tried playing any wii sport game for more than half an hour? Talk about dull, have you even played golf? don't get me started on that piece of sh*t.

[Yobumtin]

Well a game is a game. Like I said in some other thread people shouldn't have high standards for video games. I can enjoy classic old school games so I should be able to enjoy games that are released now.

[eLAy12]

The wii is more of a party system. It is ment to bring people together...notice the commercials. The hard core gamers don't realize that people do not want to play by themselves. Even hard core gamers search the online community for other people to play with. The reason the wii games don't really last for more than 30 min is because "you gotta take turns". No one wants to go to a party and just watch...they want to be part of the action and the wii provides the alotted time for everyone to play.

I challenge those who arent impressed with what nintendo has done to pause the silly rpg...yes silly because you are putting your life in a video game and not living it in the "real" world...and go out to hang out with some friends or do something productive.

[psp4me]

Its funny that a few years ago when we had no PS3 or 360, designers raved about how good the AI was in their games.

how come all of a sudden you need super fast CPU's to get AI when they have claimed for a few years their xbox and PS2 games had really good AI. And after all the Wii is better then a PS2.

Since using the Wiis control system I find the old D-pad boring, clumsy and way out of date.

I am not a Nintendo fan boy, I have been sony for the last 10 years, but the way you play a game and the way a game plays is VERY VERY important.

On the DS there is a mini game on Mario 64 and the NEW Super Mario where you sort out black and red bombs, VERY VERY simple. I find my self playing this game for hours. no AI no super next gen grafix.

[StormB]

psp4me is spot on. AI really doesn't tax a CPU that much. It's physics effects that are more demanding; but even still; as any PC gamer knows full well, graphics chip capability is key nowadays, not CPU. No-one seems to have concrete info on the spec of the Wii gfx chip yet, but it's definitely ahead of any of the 'last gen' consoles.

Factor in that the Wii doesn't have to worry about hi def gaming (which involves a massive amount more computational power than standard def), and I think the Wii is far more capable than we have currently seen. Remember devs have been using gamecubes to develop Wii games on for most of the games' development cycles, as such are not likely to take advantage of the extra power.

More to the point, the focus nowadays is nothing to do with AI, as so much of the game is online, where opponents are human controlled. This guy needs to sort his head out.

Even more daft is that he obviously fails to see how many Wii's have been sold. The fact that the consoles are out there means there will be a demand for games for it. I still have loads of friends who want one (most of which would never normally buy a console).

Disclaimer: I'm not a nintendo fanboy, I have a 360 and Wii, and probably spend an equal amount of time playing on each.

Will

[ICE]

Pure GOLD in gameplay terms? You're kidding, right? Have you tried playing any wii sport game for more than half an hour? Talk about dull, have you even played golf? don't get me started on that piece of sh*t.

:rofl: dude wii sports is awesome. ive played it all most as much as zelda. bowling is SICK and i actually love golf so i dont know maybe your doing it wrong or something if your having trouble with it. my personal best was a -3 for the whole course and i think a 277 on bowling.

wow dude above me hit the nail on the head. well said and very informative.

[-Xandu-]

VampDude, true.

The Wii just got released a while ago, there aren't many games released yet! How can he rate something that's just begun!

It's not all about graphics..

What would you like better, a boring game with super high graphics, or a fun addicting game with normal graphics?

[Torgod13]

Games are like movies...
You can have all the flash and bang...
But with out a solid plot (fun)..
they just suck... It would be nice to have all in one, but if i had the choice I will take FUN over flash any day of the week. This comming from a 38 year old gamer that has been in the industry for 15 year and still own my first ATARI 2600 VCS// nuff said..

[HomerSp]

Just had a look at wikipedia, and the Wii has a 729MHz CPU?? That's just way too low to satisfy today's gamers.

[WastingTheDawn]

Ok Mr Hecter.

You say the Wii is Shit,Well your intitled to your own thoughts.But lets take a moment and look at the facts for one second.If the Wii is such dog dirt than why is it out selling the ps3.And don't say well it because theres not enough out on the market yet because every time i go to walmart there is at least 5 consoles.Why has Wii sold over 5 million consoles in 3 months.Its funny people have bashed the PS3 for almost a year saying this is the death of soony and it will never be the same and so on.But now the PS3 survived and is moving up and the hype is re-building despite the negative press,we all turn our attetions to the Wii.I. a proud owner of the Wii am also what most call PS3 fanboy and i can sya i love the Wii.And for Mr Hecter to make such insane comments about the system is down right stupid.Nintendo has said repeatly that the Wii is not ment to be a next gen console but made just to have fun,which some people have forgotin about is the fun.The DS is doin just fine and compare to the PSP,Its the same fight with PS3 and Wii.The reason why DS does so well is the games and fun factor.PSP has hardly any games and alot of ports.PSP coulda took over the hand held easily but made to many mistakes.The Wii is powerful on its own level which gives it a sweet hand on the console war.

So Mr Hecter let me ended my spirited rant with two demands for you:

1.Shut the hell up.
2.And relieze your career is good as Shit and you suck ass

[danmiracle]

Just had a look at wikipedia, and the Wii has a 729MHz CPU?? That's just way too low to satisfy today's gamers.
By saying that you're assuming that all gamers can only be satisfied by the same thing.

I've owned pretty much every computer/console since the C64 up until the PS2.

I bought a Wii because I wanted something different. As great as the XBOX360 and PS3 are, I don't really have time to play FPS games seriously and certainly don't have enough time anymore to play RPGs which is why at this point in time myself and my partner are more than satisfied with the Wii (and PS2 / DC / PC for other classics)


Still prefer my DS to all of them though and that has an even slower CPU :P

[-Xandu-]

WastingTheDawn and danmiracle , agreed.

He can't even compare to the 360, it's out for more than a year now.

The Playstation 3 needs an HDTV in order to differentiate between it and the Playstation 2.
I've watched Playstation 3 (Ridge Racer) on a normal TV, and it's just as PS2 graphics..

Plus, if he's comparing Nintendo to Sony, Nintendo DS sold more than the Sony PSP, even though PSP has better graphics, yet Nintendo DS has better games..

[HomerSp]

By saying that you're assuming that all gamers can only be satisfied by the same thing.


I'm not the one to ask about gaming, since I'm pretty much against any next-gen consoles. But from what I've heard and seen people today want the best graphics and performance there is.

[ryan2006]

well i got a wii for christmas and i like it but there is noo good games out at the moment except zelda in my opinion i play more gamecube games on it than wii i also feel that if they had spent another hundred on it it would be on par with 360 graphics

[alienanthropologist]

Wii is awesome. That's why it's selling so well. That's why it's miles ahead of PS3. All the people who've played the Wii at mine love it and want one, but can't get hold of it.

PS3 is good, nice graphics, but it's not for me. If I ever need a blue ray player I'll probably end up buying the dedicated bd player which is cheaper than the PS3.

With respect to the Wii, yes, there is games scarcity, but just give it a while and then all the great titles will start to come out. Mario Galaxy, Brawl, Metroid, Brain Academy, Zelda Wii and Mario Karts Wii....

It's going to be so so good!

[pkmusicmaker]

It's sad to me that people find the Wii boring, instead of the other systems which only compete over who can make the bloodiest war game, or the fastest real looking race cars. Do we need to re-examine the word "fun" itself?

[danmiracle]

It's sad to me that people find the Wii boring, instead of the other systems which only compete over who can make the bloodiest war game, or the fastest real looking race cars. Do we need to re-examine the word "fun" itself?
well said

[UchihaSasuke]

Pure GOLD in gameplay terms? You're kidding, right? Have you tried playing any wii sport game for more than half an hour? Talk about dull, have you even played golf? don't get me started on that piece of sh*t.

You just are as noobs as they come.

all you have done on this discussion is to flame people who likes the wii. if you dont like can you just f*cking ignore it plz and keep on with your life like it never came out. god i hate guys like you who only wants to force their opinion on people.:mad:

[WastingTheDawn]

Oh and if the Wii is Shit than how come it has triple Thrid party Support than the gamecube and other companies such as Ea are not to concerned with PS3 and not so much 360

[UchihaSasuke]

Oh and if the Wii is Shit than how come it has triple Thrid party Support than the gamecube and other companies such as Ea are not to concerned with PS3 and not so much 360

You feel me

[gotmilk0112]

if he wants graphics why doesnt he go blow $600+ on a ps3?

and if wii is "shit" why is it outselling the ps3 by a shitload?

[ICE]

5 million wii's sold in 3 months eh? man people really must like crap huh?

[StormB]

Just had a look at wikipedia, and the Wii has a 729MHz CPU?? That's just way too low to satisfy today's gamers.

You can't compare the CPU's on a MHz for MHz basis as the Wii CPU uses a PowerPC (RISC) CPU, which provides more performance than (for example) an equivalent x86 chip for the same clock speed.

This is due to it using shorter pipes than the x86 design. I'm not sure about the other next gen consoles, but I do know clock speed isn't something you can generalise on.

The main issue with next gen consoles is the speed of the console graphics chips, as these are all at the same sort of level in terms of design, and a MHz for MHz comparison is much fairer. If you think at how much graphics detail a modern midrange graphics processor on a PC can produce at 640x480 (ie, Wii res) - it's very good. I think the Wii can surprise us a bit with graphics, as long as we expect it at 480p only.

Will

[WastingTheDawn]

Here you go

GDC 07: Hecker Apologizes for Wii Comments
A day after bashing Nintendo at a GDC developer rant, Spore designer Chris Hecker offered a public apology.
By Jason Ocampo, GameSpot
Posted Mar 8, 2007 8:49 pm PT

Spore designer Chris Hecker probably didn't realize that a firestorm of controversy would erupt over his comments yesterday regarding the Nintendo Wii. During a developer rant session at Game Developers Conference on Wednesday, Hecker said that the "Wii is a piece of s***," slamming the system for its lack of power and Nintendo for only making fun games and not artistic ones. A day later, and after much outcry on the Internet, Hecker offered up a lengthy apology just prior to a presentation that he gave on Spore's powerful animation system.

"I was trying to be thought provoking and entertaining and fun, and a lot of the stuff went too far over the top on the entertaining and fun side, so that it was no longer thought provoking, just inflammatory. And in the process I hurt a bunch of people I care about. And so, I want to apologize now," Hecker said.

He added that when he said those words he was speaking for himself and that he did not represent the views of EA or Maxis. Hecker also apologized to his coworkers, who he said were upset over the remarks.

"I do not think that the Wii is a piece of s***," Hecker said, and he applauded Nintendo for its innovation regarding the Wii's unique controller, its user interface, and the system's affordable price. He also commended Nintendo for its passion at making great games.

Hecker's apology was met with polite applause from the sizeable audience. He then launched into an in-depth explanation of the animation system in Spore, the ambitious and long-awaited next game from Will Wright, the creator of The Sims and SimCity. Hecker's session was titled, "How to Animate a Character You've Never Seen Before."

[bobcobb]

You can't compare the CPU's on a MHz for MHz basis as the Wii CPU uses a PowerPC (RISC) CPU, which provides more performance than (for example) an equivalent x86 chip for the same clock speed.

This is due to it using shorter pipes than the x86 design. I'm not sure about the other next gen consoles, but I do know clock speed isn't something you can generalise on.

The main issue with next gen consoles is the speed of the console graphics chips, as these are all at the same sort of level in terms of design, and a MHz for MHz comparison is much fairer. If you think at how much graphics detail a modern midrange graphics processor on a PC can produce at 640x480 (ie, Wii res) - it's very good. I think the Wii can surprise us a bit with graphics, as long as we expect it at 480p only.

Will

Indeed. Measuring performance based on clock speed alone is a fatal mistake that many who know little about computer systems often make. Without considering MIPS, clock cycles per instruction, and even considering those we don't have a complete picture of performance. In the end, it all comes down to benchmarks and I have yet to see why the Wii is not a good next-gen system.

It may lack the high resolution needed for HD and the parallel processing power of the PS3, but what is gained is ease of development allowing for greater innovation.

[SSaxdude]

Ok for the last time, the Wii was not made to be super duper powerful. It was made to be affordable and fun. If you want better graphics, spend $400 on a 360 or $600 on a PS3, just don't expect the games to be as fun.

[BobBobson108]

He is right on the mark, I think all devs should work on making the graphics and gameplay 100% instead of dabbling in the world of motion sensing that clearly has issues. The wii is such an overated console. I will always love Nintendo for what they have done in the past but Im sorry guys, i just can't support such a boring console.

Ya I'm with Hitman on this one -- Bringing games out of your tv screen and into your own hands, being able to experience games in the most realistic and exciting way possible, with only room for infinite possibilities is the most boring thing the world.

Wii boxing, Call of Duty 3, Wario Ware, the freekin photo channel is exciting cuz the Wii has MOTION SENSOR CONTROLS.

If you really think the Wii is boring you must wake up in the moring and do four lines of coke off a hooker's ass before dawning your twelve-gauge and hopping into your bat mobile.

[DessyDago]

Just had a look at wikipedia, and the Wii has a 729MHz CPU?? That's just way too low to satisfy today's gamers.

CPU: 733 MHz Intel Coppermine-based IA-32 CPU. Micro-PGA2 package. 180 nm process.

Thats the xbox. and like mentioned before the wii's 729mhz is faster then intel based (this was years ago) because of the different ways they measure their clock cycling speed. I really think the wii will be an xbox with a cool remote, and no offense, but if halo and doa and those graphics are capable on the wii, thats damn plenty for me. Also I realize that cpus don't control much of graphics I just think that all of this will be similar sinec it is already similar to the xbox... just not in size. xbox ai sucked?

[HitmanRotto]

You just are as noobs as they come.

all you have done on this discussion is to flame people who likes the wii. if you dont like can you just f*cking ignore it plz and keep on with your life like it never came out. god i hate guys like you who only wants to force their opinion on people.:mad:

It's funny because I love Nintendo, I always have and probably always will. The gameplay with the wii has not been good though, and i have had numerous friends and people on this very same board complain about the same thing. I also know that a lot of people on this board don't even care about flaming the wii and/or nintendo. They are just expressing how they feel about the wii. Whats wrong with that? this is a discussion forum is it not? It sounds to me like fanboys like you just dont like hearing things about how other people dont think the wii is some almighty system that has come to save us all. Your post is flaming everybody that disagrees with you about the wii. That is what i call fanboyism, UchihaSasuke.