Why won't Nintendo And Sony Think Of The Children?

Demon_Skeith

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Sony's new gaming handheld, the NGP, is teched out and glossy. Nintendo's new gaming hardware is expensive and the 3D function is not recommended for kids under six years old. So what the hell are children supposed to do, play outside?

Well, yes. That's exactly what they are supposed to do.

By pitching at an older market, this generation might be passing the smaller players by.

The NGP, which I got hands on with last night, is a fantastic looking piece of machinery, and I'm genuinely excited about it. So should you be. During the hands on, Sony had two staffers with white gloves constantly wiping down the NGP to remove the fingerprints. Of course, this was a courtesy measure so the machine would look its best for the press and for photographs.

But, as a father, I could imagine how it would look after a gaming session with my 7-year-old son. And worse, what my 2-year-old would or could do to it if he ever got his hands on it. The mere idea of saying, "Hey kids, enjoy your new OLED screen" seems beyond the realm of sanity.

Of course, plastic protective covers might sort these issues out right quick.

For years now, Nintendo have been touting that its games and consoles can be enjoyed by people of all ages, from very young to very old. While Nintendo is recommending that children under six do not use the 3DS's 3D feature (something Nintendo confirmed to Kotaku back at E3), young children can still enjoy the 3DS games in 2D. Of course, Nintendo is probably being overly careful and probably protecting its ass, but it's rather odd for a company with consoles and games that do appeal to younger players to release a handheld with a new feature and recommend that younger players not use said feature.

While the NGP and the 3DS seem like they are passing younger players by, Apple's iPad and the iPod Touch appear to be good alternatives for younger gamers. Or, you know, just give kids current gen hardware and tell them to deal.

source

anyone under ten should be playing with old systems.
 
I think that the question, "Why won't some people realize that not everything is actually meant for children and stop expecting everything and everyone in the world to accommodate them just because they decided to have children?" is a bigger and even better question.

Not everything that exists regarding video games and technology is actually meant for children. So, if something new comes out that probably wouldn't be suitable for them, then it is a pretty safe bet that it was never intended for them in the first place. Change is inevitable, and most times, necessary.. and it is both ludicrous and unrealistic to expect any company to only pander to one age group or demographic all the time.. The kids have had it for the longest.. and now, it is time for the adults to get their turn.
 
I hope this does not mean consoles are less durable since I notice stuff made for kids seem to last a long time like the original Gameboy, and Gameboy Advance. They both have a hard outer case, and a tough screen which is very durable in my experience.

The Wii which is made for kids also is durable since I read people throwing their Wiimotes into a TV, or wall, and the Wiimote still works like nothing happened.

A lot of stuff made for Adults like the iPhone seems not as durable, and breaks after a few falls.
 
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