Nintendo's Building a New, Massive, R&D Facility

[vansau]

Nintendo's Building a New, Massive, R&D Facility

Nintendo's got some big plans for an enormous new facility in Kyoto.

It's a well-known fact that Nintendo has more money in its coffers than some countries. As a result, the company is spending 12 billion yen (roughly $144.5 million) on a brand new research and development facility in Kyoto. From the sound of things, the facility is going to be absolutely massive.

The new R&D facility is being built in the Higashikujo Matsudacho area of Kyoto's Minami Ward. Since Nintendo's headquarters are also located in Minami Ward, this new facility will be much closer to the company's main offices than the company's current R&D site (which is located in the city's Higashiyama Ward).

The new facility will sit on a 40,582 square meter lot that Nintendo purchased back in 2008 and will apparently be able to house approximately 1,500 employees. The building is going to be a total of seven stories tall (one basement and six floors above ground); Nintendo is hoping to begin construction early next year and have things completed sometime in 2013.

It's not clear what's going to happen with the old R&D facility once the new one is completed. I'd like to suggest the company convert it into a videogame museum that the public could tour. Anyone got any other suggestions?

Source: Andriasang


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[XT inc]

I'm guessing they have top men working on how to fit DvD playback onto the Wii 2. Or an Industrial shovel to shovel their shovel ware, or a super secret Gimmick factory, Inventing all sorts of new expensive and easy to get bored of ways to play.

 

[Art Axiv]

It's where Holographic gaming will be created.

 

[IndianaJonny]

'Massive'...as in "mecha-sized" massive?

 

[Gerhardt]

The true and terrible prophecy is finally coming to fruition!
First they greatly expand their audience through the casual medium with the wii, then release the 3DS to record sales. No doubt this facility will be used to activate and manage the subliminal mind-control messages hidden within the 3DS Zelda remake. Nintendo's conquest of the world has begun!


In all seriousness though, that's really neat and I am curious about what will be going on in there. It's like the Wonka factory of gaming.

 

[OptimisticPessimist]

Just how much R&D does it take to remake a couple games fifty goddamn times?

 

[Xanthious]

Well, they should be able to develop all kinds of new useless gimmicks in that baby!

 

[CrystalShadow]

I'm guessing they have top men working on how to fit DvD playback onto the Wii 2. Or an Industrial shovel to shovel their shovel ware, or a super secret Gimmick factory, Inventing all sorts of new expensive and easy to get bored of ways to play.

Lol. Cynical much?

Not that I don't get what you're getting at.

(DVD playback is possible on a Wii anyway. The Homebrew developers proved it. So it's not an R&D issue, more like an intentional omission. Or... Refusal to pay licencing fees for each console.)


Still. That's beside the point, I'm sure. ;p

 

[Veloxe]

It's clearly a place to house Nintedo's remaining 1,500 "hardcore" fans. Or a yoshi breeding facility.

 

[Something Amyss]

I'm guessing they have top men working on how to fit DvD playback onto the Wii 2. Or an Industrial shovel to shovel their shovel ware, or a super secret Gimmick factory, Inventing all sorts of new expensive and easy to get bored of ways to play.

Top men?

I suspect it will be dedicated to finding a way to combine Wii units into MechaWii, which will smite all opposition....

...Too nerdy?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Citizen Nint-I-NDO-6, please report to RND sector for a perfectly safe and happy briefing on your future.

Trust The Computer. 
Wii are here to help. 
Keep your Wii-mote handy.

 

[ShenCS]

Or a yoshi breeding facility.

Yes.

Also, I like how they specify one basement. "Just one! Honest! Look, surely if we were building top secret Yoshi factories miles underground we just wouldn't mention any basements right! You can always trust Nintendo! Trust Nintendo! Trust Nintendo."

 

[JediMB]

Or... Refusal to pay licencing fees for each console.)

This is it. They figured that everyone already had a DVD-player by the time the Wii was released, so why bother with the extra cost?

 

[tekdeath]

Aww, why does all the cool stuff happen in Kyoto while I'm away? Although I'm not sure I'd be really keen to go all the way down to kujo. Not much interesting is down there, maybe this will change it.

 

[Electrogecko]

I'm guessing they have top men working on how to fit DvD playback onto the Wii 2. Or an Industrial shovel to shovel their shovel ware, or a super secret Gimmick factory, Inventing all sorts of new expensive and easy to get bored of ways to play.

Well, they should be able to develop all kinds of new useless gimmicks in that baby!

Yea, because everybody knows that the sixaxis is the most perfect form of control possible and will never be replaced by anything that involves touching something or moving your limbs. Seriously, why are people so stupid?

.....That was sarcasm...in case you couldn't tell.

If you can't admit that motion controls and touch screens elevate certain games and make others possible that wouldn't be without them, you're either incredibly ignorant or incredibly stubborn. Get over your ignorance/insecurity/pretentiousness.

 

[Electrogecko]

I really hope Japan stays safe....

 

[AetherWolf]

Something to print even MOAR MONEY?

 

[Jumplion]

I know I'm going to sound really stupid, what's the purpose of R&D in console development? Could someone explain to me, because I really don't know what they could really Research or Develop there aside from their next console. What can they research on? Or develop outside of hardware?

 

[Xanthious]

Yea, because everybody knows that the sixaxis is the most perfect form of control possible and will never be replaced by anything that involves touching something or moving your limbs. Seriously, why are people so stupid?

.....That was sarcasm...in case you couldn't tell.

If you can't admit that motion controls and touch screens elevate certain games and make others possible that wouldn't be without them, you're either incredibly ignorant or incredibly stubborn. Get over your ignorance/insecurity/pretentiousness.

First off, I didn't bring up the sixaxis, I prefer a 360 controller if I have to use one or a mouse and keyboard if possible.

Beyond that though I'm terribly sorry you haven't come to terms yet with the fact Nintendo gets by on recycling the same things over and over and just slapping a new gimmick on them each time they put em out. They've done it to games since the SNES but now they are doing it with their consoles even. Gamecube past it's prime? No biggie just add motion controls! DS need an update? Easy as pie, lets throw on a 3D screen. Beyond those gimmicks and a few minor changes the consoles are largely unchanged.

It would be one thing if they were innovating but they aren't. They are coasting by on their past success and using smoke and mirrors to make people think it's fresh and new. I've yet to find ANY game on any system that is better because of motion controls unless you count those horrible compilations that are more proof of concept than they are actual games. The same goes for 3D be it the 3DS or the PS3.

As for touch screens, those do have a use but not the way Nintendo implements them sadly. For Christ sake who in the blue hell still uses a stylus?!?! It's been probably a half a decade or more since I've seen a device outside of the DS that actually uses one of those things. You'd think since they were upgrading the DS they could of at least brought the touch screen into the latter half of the last decade . . . just a thought.

Bottom line is Nintendo has grown complacent and lazy and their fans are too shortsighted to see past the latest Mario or Zelda title to notice this. Instead, they happily devour whatever gimmick of the moment Nintendo tells them is the next big thing failing to realize that when you strip away the fancy gimmicks they really haven't progressed much past the days of the Gamecube/DS.