As we all know, Microsoft will be adding user avatars to the Xbox 360 as part of its upcoming Fall Update, but they have faced a lot of criticism for taking the idea directly from Nintendo's Miis.
Rare, the developers of these Xbox avatars wants you to know that they were working on customizable characters for the Xbox 360 before Nintendo even revealed Miis. Who do you believe?
Speaking with Eurogamer, Rare head of art Lee Musgrave, dropped some quotes on them regarding the issue:
"It was an idea we had, even before Miis were part of the gaming scene, of putting these characters that you have an affinity with, not necessarily as part of the Xbox dash, but somewhere in the Xbox that you would play multiple games with, that you would have multiple experiences with that same character."
That's certainly one way to look at it and we're sure that they are telling the truth. It could be a Deep Impact / Armageddon thing. It's more likely that this was an idea in a sea of possible ideas for Xbox Live with the popularity of the Wii and Miis bringing it to the top of the pile.
What's Microsoft's role in all this? Musgrave clarified, saying, "Microsoft did not turn up one day in a speeding car and say, 'They've got Miis - do something!' It wasn't like that at all; it was something that fell into place over a period of time."
What do you think? Did Microsoft jack Miis for their own purposes or were they really working on avatars before Miis were even revealed? Where does Sony's Home fit into all of this? Why can't we just play games on our consoles?!
Comment(s)
It's not a bash against the 360. It's a lot of us calling BS on Rare. If you actually believe it took them this long to even release a screenshot of their avatar system then I have a bridge to sell you. They clearly copied an idea off Nintendo (they even look almost identical to Miis) and they aren't manning up about it. It's hilarious to some of us that they actually think we'll believe them.
If you are so serious about your 360 that you take anything negative about any company dealing with it as an attack against the system, you need to lighten up. I'm a big PS3 fan though I own all 3 consoles, but even I have to admit Home is a pretty silly idea just to get us to look at advertising all day and night.
http://communities.canada.co m/shareit/blogs/gamesnews/arch ive/2008/07/17/xbox-head-i-inv ented-avatars.aspx
I came up with the idea of the automobile before Ford did.
But does anybody care? NO!
Microsoft's XBOX division and friends are getting more and more retarded all the time.
And all this fuss amounts to nothing. I don't even plan to use this feature.
You're gonna spend a couple of hundred dollars or close to a thousand dollars because of some stupid avatar. You do know that the main purpost of the PS3,360 and the Wii is that they are GAMING CONSULES.
The PS3 avatars looked stupid (god damn I hate second life)
Nintendos worked because it was just a random fun thing to pass time and I could make millions without it being part of a new account.
Micrsoft skrewed up big time, I liked the dashboard and they're geting rid of it.
This is one of those things that might make me switch from pc to apple
In the future expect me to say: "I remember a time when xbox was cool and not lame."
But who cares. They can have miis too. Just don't greet with someone else's hat (Don't know if Americans have that saying though)
so is there anything else you have thought to do you wanna share before everybody else do it before you? Maybe the "home" system?
Nintendo did not come up with the shoulder buttons. PS1 did. PS1 was released in 1994. N64 was released in 1996. AND PS1 made the analog sticks... too! Dont talk about Nintendo always making inovative things. they still havent beat Last gen graphics... which is quite sad.