5 ms·
>The counter to this would be what Nintendo learned with it’s product redesigns. Their original Game Boy Advance looked like a toy, but when they redesigned it
by stryan 6y ago
>The counter to this would be what Nintendo learned with it’s product redesigns. Their original Game Boy Advance looked like a toy, but when they redesigned it into the Gameboy Advance SP, it became their best selling Gameboy up to that point. Nothing changed other than the design. The same could be said for the childish GameCube design, where the modern/Apple inspired successor Wii became their best selling console up to that point as well.
That seems to be a bit of stretch. The original Game Boy Advance was already selling very well when it came out, being the fastest selling console in both NA and Europe soon after release. The GBA also never was the best selling Gameboy lineup: that's always been the original Game Boy/GBC.
It also seems like you're implying the Game Boy Advance SP was mainly redesigned to look more "adult" and that's why it was more successful. This ignores the fact that the SP also added a rechargeable battery and, most importantly, a long-requested built in light (first front-lit, later back-lit). The latter feature alone was another for many people (myself included) to side-grade from a GBA to a GBA SP.
I'll leave the question of whether the original GBA and Gamecube actually had childish designs (because they're both..purple?) to people who actually understand design.
- runawaybottle 6y agoIt’s hard to find articles about it right now, but a lot of adults did not feel shame playing the GBA SP in public. The design impacted a lot. I encourage anyone to look up the original Gameboy Advance model and compare it to the GBA SP model to convince yourself how obvious that design change was. As for the subjectiveness of the GBA and GameCube designs, it feels obvious to me. Like, the GameCube had a fucking handle on it lol. No dear sir, “purple” was the least of it. To hammer the point home, Nintendo specifically mentioned that the modern redesigns of the Wii or GBA were Apple inspired, and were deliberate. They consistently made those types of modern design changes since the success of SP’s redesign (DS Lite). All the design changes looked less childish, a simple before and after google image search should confirm this for anyone.
- stryan 6y agoI couldn't find any articles agreeing with you on the GBA aspect, and I think you're overestimating the "adult design change" versus "you can now play video games without having the perfect light source" aspect. > Like, the GameCube had a fucking handle on it lol. No dear sir, “purple” was the least of it. I'm intrigued by your implication that adults never have to carry anything. The handle always suggested a briefcase look to me. I did find an interview[0] talking about the Wii's design and you're right that the Gamecube was viewed a bit like a "toy" and how they tried to avoid that again. It's a neat look into their design process, specifically how they wanted the Wii to be placed directly next to the TV, but to look more "fun" then just a piece of AV equipment. Not sure where you got the Apple inspiration part, the design imagery was set by the Nintendo DS. On a related note, the DS Lite is not an SP redesign. Typo perhaps? [0] https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Wii/Iwata-Asks-Wii-Hardware/2-A-Design-For-Everyone/2-A-Design-For-Everyone-205730.html https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Wii/Iwata-A...
- runawaybottle 6y agoThe DS Lite is in line with the same design imperative started by the SP (which was a stark shift for Nintendo design wise that they mostly have been following through on). The Switch lite design is something one could never imagine Nintendo doing before the SP, for example. Anyways, nice find on the article. If memory serves me well, Iwata himself mentioned the Apple inspiration.