Drunk Rant: AAA kills the industry

[Dr. Doggo]

so apparently Alien: Isolation has managed to just break even in terms of sales and profits

to break even

which is to say be profitable, but not enough to warrant e.g. a sequel

i fucking knew it

AAA development is killing the industry

you see AAA games with amazing as fuck graphics, top notch narrative, great voice acting, massive marketing budget and so forth which costs MILLIONS, but its sales make up just enough to break even

JUST ENOUGH.

Because various review outlets were too fucking retarded to play games that needed brainpower to enjoy (wah wah the Alien is too hard and unpredictable (wah wah AI that outsmarts me is bad)) which of course damaged sales because braindead retards believe in them, even though games that required even more brainpower like Resident Evil and Silent Hill or Alone in the Dark sold like hotcakes

I didn't even finish the damn game because I'm an easily distracted mongoloid but the fact that a game that good is just good enough to "break even" and therefore not good enough just completely infuriates me

I mean shit, that game reinvigorated the same feelings in me that the old Resident Evil/Silent Hill games did years ago, as with a number of other gamers, but that's not commendable?

blargh

This is a game that was a real breath of fresh air and there was literally nothing wrong with it that wasn't subjective. It was relatively unique, refreshing, interesting, scary, spoopy, and was a far cry from neo-Cowadoody crap. But it was "just" good enough.

This just triggers my assburgers

Edited October 2, 2015 by Sir Gibby

[Kaizy]

I've got to remember to continue playing Alien: Isolation. I started it and was enjoying it but I stopped playing for a while and completely forgot.

[Dr. Doggo]

I've got to remember to continue playing Alien: Isolation. I started it and was enjoying it but I stopped playing for a while and completely forgot.

thats what happened to me, kinda

i just kinda stopped playing because of Killing Floor 2 but then my PC got fried.

It's really fucking good though, I got more spoop and suspense out of that than I did with Amnesia. Amnesia is hella overrated, I preferred Penumbra and its sequel, Black Plague. I guess I prefer the more believable modern setting and the lack of a highly vocal protagonist who is so shit-scared of fucking everything that it leaves me scared of nothing.

[AshleyAshes]

Why not just play all the wonderful second and third tier games out there instead?

[Kaizy]

thats what happened to me, kinda

i just kinda stopped playing because of Killing Floor 2 but then my PC got fried.

It's really fucking good though, I got more spoop and suspense out of that than I did with Amnesia. Amnesia is hella overrated, I preferred Penumbra and its sequel, Black Plague. I guess I prefer the more believable modern setting and the lack of a highly vocal protagonist who is so shit-scared of fucking everything that it leaves me scared of nothing.

The Black Plague was so good.

[Dr. Doggo]

Why not just play all the wonderful second and third tier games out there instead?

cos this is about specific flaws of AAA, I've sperged enough about Darkest Dungeon in other threads

AAA is shit because the high costs and expectations castrate the game because the people who appreciate games with brains behind them are too small for the publishers to care

The Black Plague was so good.

I didn't even finish it because i was too fucking scared at one point and i got distracted by games with my bros

it was some part after coming out of some tunnel/ladder thing and there was a bit with computers after that, no biggie.

but there was something that really unsettled me and heavily discouraged me from coninuing so me being distracted was even easier.

at least I finished Penumbra: Overture

man did that ending make me shit myself and gear me up for Black Plague

really wasn't expecting that after all the doggie dogs

but even during Oveture, I was expecting much worse the entire damn time and felt constant paranoia like the game was going to throw something nightmarish at me at any moment

Edited October 3, 2015 by Sir Gibby

[Jerry]

I gave up playing video games a while ago because I've got the unusual ability to still be a noob after 100 hours+ playing a particular game, without even having reached 50% completion. But that's another story...

I grew increasingly disappointed of new games as well. Things were just not like before. And I won't even mention that fancy trend of motion-gaming or literally controller-less gaming. I was already pathetic with a controller! Needless to say my first experience with the Wii was a disaster, and not even in a funny way.

 

[TrishaCat]

And yet people keep pushing for bigger and better graphics, complaining about an industry that isn't evolving and getting better at great rates. I've been saying this for a while, but people seem to think that everything has to have huge budgets to be good and require attention. Worse yet, people complain about the same old things and yet won't buy anything but games with the same trusted titles that have been coming out for years instead of something new. Ever heard of the game Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom? Was a pretty good Zelda-like game where the company that made it went bankrupt. Expensive to make, and no one went for it. It was a title that wasn't part of a well-established series. Its incredibly difficult for something new to come out nowadays, and while Alien isn't exactly a new series, its never really taken off in the video game industry like it did in theaters. I mean, why buy a new Alien game when a new Resident Evil is coming out? People are too easy to buy the same old products and not try something new.

[TrishaCat]

Actually, the Alien games franchise has done very well since 1982, with far, far more titles made and sold than movies.

There's like 26 unique titles NOT including AVP.

I had no idea. What exactly went wrong with Isolation then?

[Summercat]

My understanding is that Isolation suffered from a lot of hype, overblown promises, and then had a slightly sub-par release.

Which means sluggish sales is somewhat understandable. If they did break even, there might be an internal faction pushing for a Gold/GOTY style edition that 'fixes' the problems. 

But what do I know I spent 8 hours playing EU4 last night. 

[Kaizy]

My understanding is that Isolation suffered from a lot of hype, overblown promises, and then had a slightly sub-par release.

Which means sluggish sales is somewhat understandable. If they did break even, there might be an internal faction pushing for a Gold/GOTY style edition that 'fixes' the problems. 

But what do I know I spent 8 hours playing EU4 last night. 

That's weird. From what I know, the game actually did really well. You sure you're not thinking of Colonial Marines?

[Summercat]

That's weird. From what I know, the game actually did really well. You sure you're not thinking of Colonial Marines?

Could be? I might be mixing up doom and gloom because A) These games aren't my genre so I'm less aware, and B) OP is ranting like it's a horrible thing.

Of course, as with all "AAA IS KILLING X", my question is thusly "Well, how do you address the issue of what the customer base apparently wants what the AAA titles are delivering?"

[Summercat]

CM sucked more wang than I do. The whole 'knockdown' mechanic killed everything.

That must be a lot of wang since you're a fox.

[Summercat]

Doubly so since I'm a kitsune. >:3

Gesuntite.

[AshleyAshes]

cos this is about specific flaws of AAA, I've sperged enough about Darkest Dungeon in other threads

AAA is shit because the high costs and expectations castrate the game because the people who appreciate games with brains behind them are too small for the publishers to care

But those traits that you are complaining about AAA are EXACTLY what makes AAA.  Big budgets, big graphics, big gameplay, big returns on profits!  It's an area of the industry where you must 'go big or go die'.  What else do you expect?  Low budget AAA?  Low promising, low expectation AAA?  It stops being AAA then.  Your 'flaws of AAA' are also 'the only defining traits of AAA'

I'm sorry Gibby but this is like you basically complaining that your grape juice tastes too much like grapes and that it is far too purple for your liking.

If AAA is disappointing you, the only solution is to play different games.

[Wolflich]

I don't know why you would expect that just because something is done well it's going to be popular. Popularity isn't a measure of quality so much as being able to target a very broad audience: if you're not giving many people what they want, it doesn't matter how well you do it, you'll still only impress the few who wanted that.

 

Gesuntite.

That sounds like some sort of mineral. Are you saying gesundheit?

[Dr. Doggo]

But those traits that you are complaining about AAA are EXACTLY what makes AAA.  Big budgets, big graphics, big gameplay, big returns on profits!  It's an area of the industry where you must 'go big or go die'.  What else do you expect?  Low budget AAA?  Low promising, low expectation AAA?  It stops being AAA then.  Your 'flaws of AAA' are also 'the only defining traits of AAA'

I'm sorry Gibby but this is like you basically complaining that your grape juice tastes too much like grapes and that it is far too purple for your liking.

If AAA is disappointing you, the only solution is to play different games.

AAA wasn't like this two decades ago

AAA costs ROSE

thus the way they make AAA games changed and AAA games suffered as a result

2015 is not 2005 or 1995

[PastryOfApathy]

Anyone hype for the new Assassin's Creed :^)

[Summercat]

AAA wasn't like this two decades ago

AAA costs ROSE

thus the way they make AAA games changed and AAA games suffered as a result

2015 is not 2005 or 1995

You mean as tech became more advanced, and they added more complex things like physics engines, HD graphics, full quality audio, voice acting, etc etc - things became more expensive?

GASP.

[Kinare]

I dunno yo, Alien: Isolation didn't look all that fun to me. I'll probably pick it up when it goes super cheap, but it's not something I would pay full price for. It just didn't grab me. Though to be totally honest, rarely nowadays do games grab me enough that I'd be willing to pay $50+ for them.

The problem I think that AAA titles have nowadays is such awesome competition from smaller developers. Cheaper games that are just as entertaining or more so... It makes a lot of sense why AAA titles might struggle. Back in the day there wasn't all this competition from no-name teams, but there is a lot of quality competition now.

[Lisek]

I'd chalk it up more to horror games, especially ones reliant on stealth, do not do as well as action packed AAA games. Having played Isolation all the way through I can see why people would dislike it, it is slow-paced but intense, you really need to get into it, most people don't have the patience for that. It has the distinction of being the only horror game to ever actually make me scream, well, "yelp" is a better word, I highly recommend you finish it.

[Ayattar]

I don't agree with you Gibby. This is mainly because I had such high hopes for that game, but it all ended in dissapointment and uninstalling it after only one hour of playing.

I wasn't scared. I was rather frustrated by the never-ending "go there", "fix that cable", "find a way to open the doors", which only required me running like an idiot from one side of the level to the another.

And AAA games can still be sucessfull. They only need to be good. And in my opinion Alien: Isolation wasn't.

[Dr. Doggo]

GASP.

and shittier as a result

see:

I'd chalk it up more to horror games, especially ones reliant on stealth, do not do as well as action packed AAA games. Having played Isolation all the way through I can see why people would dislike it, it is slow-paced but intense, you really need to get into it, most people don't have the patience for that. It has the distinction of being the only horror game to ever actually make me scream, well, "yelp" is a better word, I highly recommend you finish it.

due to the ever-rising cost of AAA games the devs/publishers are pressed to make certain decisions, which means making their games retard-friendly and trying to appeal to the broadest number of people, instead of just making a good game with an intent behind it, which is something that USED to happen, but not so much any more. There's less and less room for brains or niches in AAA games.

a niche game that excels in its chosen areas and has high production values helping it be even better at it will fail because only a minority end up being interested in it. the successful games with high production values are much more bland.

im not sure why this is difficult to understand

Edited October 3, 2015 by Sir Gibby

[Sarcastic Coffeecup]

I have mixed feelings of Isolation.

I played it a bunch but then there were androids and it was just..android this and android that imo.

[Zerig]

this thread made me realize I haven't bough any videogames but Crusader Kings 2 add-ons for almost 2 years

I haven't paid any attention to AAA shit

what a bad goy

[Dr. Doggo]

this thread made me realize I haven't bough any videogames but Crusader Kings 2 add-ons for almost 2 years

I haven't paid any attention to AAA shit

what a bad goy

aren't those map-painting simulators really overpriced though

[Zerig]

aren't those map-painting simulators really overpriced though

yes I've spent over $200 on CK2 and add-ons

1232 hours and still going though, so I feel like its worth it

[Conker]

Yaya Metacritic, but Alien Isolation actually didn't review all that poorly. The PC version is sitting at a 81, which IMO, is pretty fair. I just finished the game like last week and I'd give it around that. Maybe a little higher, but not much.

The problem specifically with Isolation is that it's a bit of a niche game despite having ALIEN slapped on the front of it. There is a market for survival horror, and it's bigger than the AAA think it is, but it's still not quite big enough for a giant, blockbuster-costing game.

That's less on the audience and more on the development/marketing side though. The game did sell over a million units, and that was back in January of this year. If your game breaks a million units and you still haven't made even, then the problem isn't on the market but the marketing.

It's crazy that video games cost this much to make now. Just crazy.

[Kellie Gator]

fuckin' batteries ruining everything

[Calemeyr]

Could be? I might be mixing up doom and gloom because A) These games aren't my genre so I'm less aware, and B) OP is ranting like it's a horrible thing.

Of course, as with all "AAA IS KILLING X", my question is thusly "Well, how do you address the issue of what the customer base apparently wants what the AAA titles are delivering?"

Kill them. Kill zee untermensch dudebros. :V

Stuff like Destiny is even worse. Strip out all the interesting bits during development, put out a virtual review embargo, and laugh your way to the bank. Dudebros won't care, they just want pew pew, because they're retarded 12 year old manchildren jocks. Because of this undiscerning consumer base, the gaming industry can shove out more low-grade shit and make money, and when they actually try something interesting, dudebro mongrels don't understand it, and it doesn't make enough money. Games are being dumbed down for the average knuckle-dragging, pea-brained American. Same with movies, music, art, TV, etc. The indie scene (where you get games with amazing stories, like Soma...pity the gameplay is meh), or the hardcore japanese stuff like Bloodborne...that's good. But this is pretty much a (though large) underground gaming scene.

 

Imagine the average dumb, sex addicted fratboy. That's your dudebro.  He drives the industry. And add the dumb soccer moms addicted to Candy Crush and other freemium games because they can't budget for shit, and you have microtransactions and the freemium model starting to pop up from traditional developers. On-disc DLC. Weird DRM. DLC sold to you to fix the shit story. Content removed from main game to be sold as DLC. Review embargos to hide their shitty game. And so on. It's fucking depressing. :/

[AshleyAshes]

Imagine the average dumb, sex addicted fratboy. That's your dudebro.  He drives the industry. And add the dumb soccer moms addicted to Candy Crush and other freemium games because they can't budget for shit

You seem to think that everyone who doesn't play the games that you like to play are mentally deficient.   Like, why the elitism?  Why not just play the games that you like to play and enjoy them?  Do you know what my favorite game on Steam is?  What game I've put, uhh, *counts* $165.95, plus $15 for a Kickstarter into?  Pinball. Freakin' PINBALL.  'The Pinball Arcade' on Steam, I've bought all five seasons on their day of release.  It's also on just about everything else, including mobile, except for Nintendo.  Cause I'd rather invest my time and my money into the games I want to play rather than the games I DON'T want to play.  I don't understand this elitism, where those people playing the games that you don't want to play are somehow 'flawed' and that you are investing any time or energy into it at all.

[Calemeyr]

You seem to think that everyone who doesn't play the games that you like to play are mentally deficient.   Like, why the elitism?  Why not just play the games that you like to play and enjoy them?  Do you know what my favorite game on Steam is?  What game I've put, uhh, *counts* $165.95, plus $15 for a Kickstarter into?  Pinball. Freakin' PINBALL.  'The Pinball Arcade' on Steam, I've bought all five seasons on their day of release.  It's also on just about everything else, including mobile, except for Nintendo.  Cause I'd rather invest my time and my money into the games I want to play rather than the games I DON'T want to play.  I don't understand this elitism, where those people playing the games that you don't want to play are somehow 'flawed' and that you are investing any time or energy into it at all.

I'm not being a "hardocore" elitist. I just want to see the industry stop pandsring to the lowest common denominator and get away with crappier and crappier games. Same with movies, you keep getting shit like Michael Bay films and horrible comedies because it panders to a certain audience that isn't discerning. They don't care they're being served shit, they find it entertaining. It's a way to maximize profits. Pander to the ignorant, laugh your way to thr bank.

It's because you're not going to see high production values and risk-taking in the same game anymore. Gaming is no longer in that stage, it's too commercialized. Same with movies, anime, TV, music--basically any form of entertainment. The game industry lacks innovation, and what innovation there is is usually in the indie scene, which sadly doesn't get as much attention as the mainstream, sure-win big box games. See, I want to see this generation's equivalent of Half-Life or Halo, FFVI/FFVII, Zelda, or Super Mario 64. Something huge and gamechanging. But everything seems so stale. And the 4-hr play times...wtf is that?

 

(btw I'd totally buy a pinball game....I miss space Cadet)

[Clove Darkwave]

Honestly these days gaming has reached such a pinnacle of success that it doesn't even matter. We're living in a video game Utopia right now where everyone can find games to enjoy released regularly and surprisingly cheap if you know how to shop. Enjoy it while it lasts.

[Zaraphayx]

Honestly these days gaming has reached such a pinnacle of success that it doesn't even matter. We're living in a video game Utopia right now where everyone can find games to enjoy released regularly and surprisingly cheap if you know how to shop. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Yeah I can't really even relate with rants like this because on the rare occasion I game these days I just play the games I like and may as well not even be aware the others exist.


Every time a new Call of Duty game is released and internet nerds are complaining about it I just get reminded of the time I was walking by a CD display at Walmart and laughed because "Now That's What I Call Music" was on like volume 50 and I stopped caring when I was like 10 and it was at 8.

I couldn't even tell you what the latest CoD game or sportsball 2015 title is.

Edited October 4, 2015 by Zaraphayx

[Clove Darkwave]

Yeah I can't really even relate with rants like this because on the rare occasion I game these days I just play the games I like and may as well not even be aware the others exist.

Every time a new Call of Duty game is released and internet nerds are complaining about it I just get reminded of the time I was walking by a CD display at Walmart and laughed because "Now That's What I Call Music" was on like volume 50 and I stopped caring when I was like 10 and it was at 8.

I couldn't even tell you what the latest CoD game or sportsball 2015 title is.

Oh man I remember the ads for those CDs, all loaded up with 80s pop music.

Seriously there's such a backlog of games that'd be nice to try that were supposedly good I'll never catch up.

 

 

[Zaraphayx]

Yeah, my friends are always like "new_game_title" is really fun you should try it out sometime.

I'm always like "definitely" and even though I fully intend to at the time it never happens.

I am the worst.

[Spot]

As long as the sheeple (lol) get their watered down, brainless, over-milked franchises like Call of Duty or Battlefield, they'll be all "Happy as Larry" and won't give anything truly unique and challenging a second thought. 

[dischimera]

This again? I thought I had posted here. But I guess there was a similar topic in the games sub-forum.

Anyway I don't mind sequelization on its own. I like having a new entry to play if it actually plays like an entry and not "slap Final Fantasy here despite having nothing to do with the previous one other than a guy called Cid and a giant yellow chicken to ride once".

I don't like people like Epic Games and Hollywood bigwigs making the mainstream retail industry become all about expensive hyper-realism, pointless ultrarealistic physics applied to things that don't even affect the gameplay, and shoving B movie writer rejects or famous actors that make the budget skyrocket. The whole open-world worshipping too. No, I do NOT believe everything can or should be open world. No I do not enjoy sandbox games. They easily make you lose track of what you were supposed to do in first place so you can screw around like a kid in a playground. People keep asking for bigger worlds. For RPGs or games like GTA or AC I can understand. But oh my god do they want EVERYTHING to simulate real-life sized worlds. So much trivial "questing" shit and so much pointless extra space that is only there to look pretty. That doesn't belong in other genres and only multiplies the time and cost of development.

Open world environment doesn't even age as well as the more linear level design. Once Witcher 4 comes out the games before it that tried to rely too much on the scope of its setting have most of it become irrelevant and dated.

Edited October 4, 2015 by dischimera

[Dijon]

At least we can rely on Platinum to make god-tier games on the budget of whatever they could find in their couch cushions.

[Eggdodger]

I dunno what to say, man. You kind of defined what AAA is: high risk, high reward. The cost of taking that risk has gone up lately, but then, most of the world economies are in a recession right now anyways. The cost could suddenly become totally manageable if we hit another economic boom (which won't happen for a while, but we can hope).

Gibby, we live in a world where some companies would rather make video game franchise themed pachinko machines than new installments to said franchises. AAA isn't killing the industry; it's really killing itself.

[DevilishlyHandsome49]

"AAA is destroying the industry"

"Indie is destroying the industry"

"HD Remakes are destroying the industry"

"Consoles are destroying the industry"

Etc, etc...

Seems like every other week, "something" is destroying the industry when it really isn't. Give me a break  

Wanna know what's really gonna end up killing the industry? Gamers

Edited October 6, 2015 by DevilishlyHandsome49

[Kellie Gator]

"AAA is destroying the industry"

"Indie is destroying the industry"

"HD Remakes are destroying the industry"

"Consoles are destroying the industry"

Etc, etc...

Seems like every other week, "something" is destroying the industry when it really isn't. Give me a break  

Wanna know what's really gonna end up killing the industry? Gamers

You forgot feminism and SJWs. >:[

[Eggdodger]

 

"AAA is destroying the industry"

"Indie is destroying the industry"

"HD Remakes are destroying the industry"

"Consoles are destroying the industry"

Etc, etc...

Seems like every other week, "something" is destroying the industry when it really isn't. Give me a break  

Wanna know what's really gonna end up killing the industry? Gamers

Interesting you'd mention consoles. Many people think consoles are going to go the way of the Walkman as PCs get beefier and more multifaceted and mobile devices become more prevalent. I think there may be another generation of consoles yet, but it remains to be seen. Either way, they're definitely going to be making smaller splashes in the industry as technology marches forward and the idea of dedicated gaming machines becomes obsolete.

[AshleyAshes]

 

Interesting you'd mention consoles. Many people think consoles are going to go the way of the Walkman as PCs get beefier and more multifaceted and mobile devices become more prevalent. I think there may be another generation of consoles yet, but it remains to be seen. Either way, they're definitely going to be making smaller splashes in the industry as technology marches forward and the idea of dedicated gaming machines becomes obsolete.

PCs won't displace consoles, I'm a big PC gamer even I can see why many consumers like consoles.  It's a $400 machine that 'just plays games'.  You plug it in, stick in the disc with the same logo on it as the machine has and games happen.  No fuss, no muss, instant gaming.  Mobile won't kill consoles either, it's a separate market, it could kill HAND HELD consoles, sure, but they won't manage anything in the living room.

[Eggdodger]

I sure as hell remember having to update my console first, then wait about 20 minutes for MGSIV to install from disc. Ditto for GTAIV and V. Oh, and that console update WIPED OtherOS, which I used. No fuss, no muss, instant gaming my ass. When things were on cartridges, sure. That hasn't been the case in roughly 20 years.

There's rumors Nintendo might bring back cartridges with the NX-- rumors, sure, but flash storage has improved dramatically since the days of the N64. Imagine: virtually no loading times for your console games! That'd be heaven.

[AshleyAshes]

I sure as hell remember having to update my console first, then wait about 20 minutes for MGSIV to install from disc. Ditto for GTAIV and V. Oh, and that console update WIPED OtherOS, which I used. No fuss, no muss, instant gaming my ass. When things were on cartridges, sure. That hasn't been the case in roughly 20 years.

Updates are hardly 'fuss'.  Everyone is used tot hat, even phones have updates that they download and install and on appliances like consoles it's an automated process.  It's certainly a lot easier than the many things that can go wrong on a PC when attempting to go wrong.  As for OtherOS, putting Linux on their game console is NOT something that the VAST majority of users are interested in, it's a non-issue to them.  I'm painting a broad picture of console gaming market, just because consoles don't suit your needs and your expectations doesn't prove that it's not true.

 

There's rumors Nintendo might bring back cartridges with the NX-- rumors, sure, but flash storage has improved dramatically since the days of the N64. Imagine: virtually no loading times for your console games! That'd be heaven.

That's hardly revolutionary today.  Optical media as a whole is on the way out and flash media doesn't offer anything that an SSD in a console will offer.  And frankly, cartridges are a poor way to go, they'll be more expensive to produce than optical media and really, everyone is going for downloads.

[Eggdodger]

That's hardly revolutionary today.  Optical media as a whole is on the way out and flash media doesn't offer anything that an SSD in a console will offer.  And frankly, cartridges are a poor way to go, they'll be more expensive to produce than optical media and really, everyone is going for downloads.

You're right; good thing SSD is a form of flash media! That's what they would put in the cartridges rather than the old ROM architecture. I doubt they're that old-fashioned. Nintendo gamers will happily pay more for cartridge games, and not just for the nostalgia or cool factor. If optical media's on its way out, and it is, then that's where flash media can come in and rid us of those glacial loading times for console games. Alternatively, dedicating an SSD to cache would make the downloaded games faster (and be rather unprecedented for a console), if that were really what somebody wanted to do. It's personal preference in my case, but I like having something tactile.

[Dijon]

GET WITH THE TIMES GRANDPA BROKEN RELEASES AND 5 GB DAY ONE PATCHES ARE THE NEW GOLD STANDARD QUIT LIVING IN THE PAST MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN

[AshleyAshes]

Nintendo gamers will happily pay more for cartridge games, and not just for the nostalgia or cool factor.

Umm, wow, no?  You're even ignoring Nintendo history here.  The prime example is the Nintendo 64, the N64 cartridges cost about $20 to produce, $10 later in the consoles life where as a CD-ROM disc for the PlayStation cost about 5 cents.  This lead to the typical N64 game costing $10 more than a PSX game in the market place.  Going with a more expensive medium is a bad idea because the cost is put on the consumers.  This isn't an idea that is going to save Nintendo from it's distant third place in the console wars.

Alternatively, dedicating an SSD to cache would make the downloaded games faster (and be rather unprecedented for a console)

The PS3, PS4 and Xbox One can all have SSDs installed and their games installed from the optical disc to the internal storage.  This is not unprecedented for a console, it's infact very precedented.  A precedent was set last generation in fact.

Edited October 8, 2015 by AshleyAshes

[Eggdodger]

The PS3, PS4 and Xbox One can all have SSDs installed and their games installed from the optical disc to the internal storage. 

Through modifying the console. I'm talking about standard, in the box.

Anyways, I don't like how you're talking to me. It comes off as a tad rude. I hope you aren't intending to come off that way.