Google Nexus Technical Specifications
The Google Nexus (which shares its name with OTL's lineup of Google phones) is a smooth white box roughly the shape of a square, a bit longer than it is wide. It has rainbow-colored trim along the sides, the same colors as the Google logo, identifying the machine as a Google device. The Nexus is physically smaller than the Sapphire and the iTwin, comparable in some respects to an OTL Wii laid flat, but a bit taller. The Nexus has all the ports one would expect of a modern home gaming console, including four USB ports, an optical audio port, and HDMI inputs and outputs. Though the input can support a device like a Chromecast, the Nexus has a Chromecast built directly into it, allowing for streaming from one's phone or other devices. The Nexus has a disc drive for Blu-Ray games and movies, and is also capable of playing DVDs and CDs. The Nexus runs on a modified version of Android intended to be more versatile and powerful, though it does have some restrictions that bar users from downloading certain programs such as emulators. The Nexus' modified Android OS is designed to communicate seamlessly with the regular Android OS, allowing the console to have unprecedented connectivity with Android devices and to play nearly all existing Android games directly on screen. In a way, the Nexus can be compared to OTL's Ouya, but done much, much better, with vastly more support. While the Nexus isn't “backward compatible” with any existing system, per se, it does come with a three-tiered library of downloadable content: The Nexus itself is capable of downloading any Android game, any Nexus game (physical or digital), or any game from the Nexus' exclusive digital store, which not only includes many legacy Xbox titles, but also classic PC titles and other games that third parties choose to release for the device. There's also a lineup of “enhanced Android” titles that can be downloaded to either Nexus or the Nexus Companion app (making the Nexus Companion a sort of “handheld console” for Google), and then there's the Android ecosystem itself, which can be downloaded to phones, Companion devices, or Nexus consoles.
The Nexus is quite a powerful console, more powerful by far than the Sapphire, Xbox 2, and iTwin, and just a smidge less powerful than OTL's original Xbox One (and more powerful than OTL's Nintendo Switch). It's capable of running pretty much all eighth generation titles, save for exclusive games optimized for the Nintendo Reality or the Apple Virtua. Developed by Samsung, the Nexus is a collaboration between Samsung and Google, with Samsung hardware and Google software. It features an octo-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.61 Ghz CPU and a 789 Mhz Snapdragon GPU (very similar to the chips that would be included on Galaxy phones a few years later), and has a total of 1.2 teraflops of processing power. The Nexus has 6GB of RAM, far more than any previous console. The Nexus uses a wide variety of controller solutions for its games. While a traditional style controller is offered as an optional accessory, the main controller for the device is the Nexus Companion app, which can be downloaded onto any capable Android device, including a tablet or a smartphone. The Companion functions somewhat like the screen of an OTL Wii U controller, allowing for touch controls and on-screen information to be relayed to the player, or to function as a second screen utilizing remote play over wi-fi. The Companion app can be used with a controller accessory called the Nexus Grip, basically a controller in which a smartphone can be fitted. The Nexus Grip has all the standard buttons of a modern game controller, essentially looking like an Xbox One/PS4 controller with most of its top half cut out. The Nexus comes packaged with an Android device that essentially functions like a mini-tablet, or a Galaxy S2/S3 phone without calling capabilities. It can store and play Android games and use Android apps along with fitting perfectly into the included Nexus Grip. Together, the Nexus Companion and the Grip combine into something resembling a cross between a PS4 and a Wii U controller. The Nexus Pro controller also comes with a clip on which the Nexus Companion can be fitted, creating a device with functionality similar to an Nvidia Shield Portable. The Nexus has remote play capabilities with any Android device that can support the Companion app, and Google frequently updates this remote play functionality to ensure streaming quality and game compatibility. It's the first console to have full, across the board remote play compatibility (the Sapphire, iTwin, and Xbox 2 all had remote play capability, but compatible games were limited to some extent). If you have a good home internet connection and good wi-fi or cell service, you can stream any Nexus game to any Companion device. With updates, the required quality of the user's wi-fi connection decreases somewhat over time, allowing people with even mediocre connections to stream most of their Nexus games on the go.
The Nexus represents the fusion of game console function with Android versatility, while also representing Google's attempt to create yet another device for the home. With a massive amount of third party support, along with its own lineup of exclusives, the Nexus is able to flex its technical muscle almost immediately upon launch.
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Launch Title Summaries-
(Note: The Google Nexus launch lineup consists of 22 games in North America. There are a few other titles, licensed ones mostly, that won't be mentioned here. Most of the Nexus' launch lineup consists of ports, though there are some exclusives.)
The Covenant 5
The Covenant 5 is a third person shooter developed by Bungie. It's the fifth game in the series, taking place between The Covenant 3 and The Covenant 4. While it plays fairly similarly to previous games in the series, it also takes the series back to its roots, of Master Chief hunting down the evil Covenant forces to prevent them from destroying humanity. The game also dials back the epic scale of The Covenant 4, to show a more isolated Master Chief as he struggles to survive amidst waves of rogue Covenant soldiers. The game gives Master Chief some new powers, including the ability to slow bullets that are coming at him, as well as the ability to speed up time, and the ability to cling to walls and ceilings in certain situations, with powers gradually unlocking throughout the course of the game. The game's progression has somewhat of a Metroid feel, with some exploration, but also a lot of cramped, close-quarters fighting and sneaking around. Ammo is fairly limited to start with, but the game still allows players to engage the Covenant if they wish, giving Master Chief some new melee weapons and physical moves to damage Covenant soldiers (and also rewarding stealth by giving him some fun stealth finishers). The game primarily takes place on three planets, with a short segment on an abandoned capital ship, with each planet slightly longer than the last. Each planet has its own Covenant master who must be defeated, while there are also bosses in the form of large Covenant creatures, their DNA manipulated by these rogue alien troops. The game really emphasizes Master Chief's sense of isolation, cutting him off from communication with his fellow Space Marines, while also forcing him to fight solo throughout the game. As Master Chief explores, he'll find traces of previous human activity on these worlds, indicating that there was a soldier who explored these planets beforehand, and that he was cruelly cut down by the Covenant just before getting a chance to escape. Master Chief will learn from these communiques, with hints of potential ambushes or treasure caches among the scrawlings he can find. While the game shares elements with survival horror titles, it's more of an action game than a horror game (another similarity that The Covenant 5 shares with the Metroid series). It's definitely a new direction for the series, but it also continues themes from previous games, while also explaining some of the choices made by Master Chief in The Covenant 4. The game's plot sees Master Chief learning of unexpected Covenant activity in a distant star system, only to learn that an entire group of Covenant have broken off from the main civilization, and are being ruled by a triumvirate known as the Lost Traitors. Each of the Lost Traitors has their own motivation for leaving the Covenant, and each has staked out their own planet, on which they rule as a Master. Master Chief goes to each planet in turn (though after exploring the second planet, he finds an old ship on which he plans to return to Earth, only to learn of the third Lost Traitor's plans for Earth and ends up crashing the ship onto the third planet in an attempt to take the Lost Traitor out). He learns of a soldier named who has left clues for him on each world. He eventually learns that this soldier is Welk (who was one of the protagonists of The Covenant 4), and that he didn't die, but ended up escaping. Eventually, Master Chief confronts the final Lost Traitor, and the two have an extensive dialogue about the Covenant's role in the universe, which the Lost Traitors rejected as it would have led to the destruction of the universe itself. The Lost Traitors still seek to destroy humanity, but on their terms, not the Covenant's, and that Master Chief, as the strongest human alive, is the one who will decide the fate of his species and the Covenant itself. The two have an epic battle, with the last Lost Traitor fighting until his literal final breath. The game ends with a further connection to the plot of The Covenant 4, along with a tease for a potential future game in the series. Apart from the single player campaign, there's also an extensive multiplayer with a focus on PvPvE gameplay, though it also has the familiar lineup of deathmatch and shooter modes that fans of the series have come to love.
The Covenant 5 is considered an excellent game, albeit a bit too short by most critics. The graphics, which are by far the best in the series and probably second best among the Nexus launch titles, receive extremely high praise as a showcase for what the Nexus can do. The multiplayer is considered fairly unique for its genre, though critics feel that it hasn't changed up enough when it comes to the normal deathmatch modes, and only the PvPvE modes feel fresh and new. Overall, it's considered one of the best Nexus launch titles, and continues the series on a very strong note. It's by far the most popular launch title, purchased by a majority of the people who would buy the Nexus on week one, and continues to be a strong seller throughout the console's lifespan. Though its review scores are lower than those of its predecessor, it's still considered a Game of the Year contender by virtue of being the flagship Nexus launch title.
GameRankings Score: 87.04%
Forza Horizon
The continuation of the Forza series for the Google Nexus, this game has some similarities with OTL's Forza Horizon, but also some differences. It does feature plenty of open world/off-roading elements like OTL's game did, but also has more of an emphasis on regular racing, as this game is intended to be the start of a successor series to the original Forza, replacing it rather than continuing alongside it like OTL's Forza Horizon. It combines the best of both worlds and does it quite well, and though it has a lot less content than Gran Turismo 5, it's generally considered the superior game, due to its vastly superior graphics and its unique open world feel. It's also much more accessible from a difficulty standpoint, and is the best looking Nexus launch game visually. It's also the best reviewed Nexus launch exclusive, and is considered by most critics to be the best racing game of the year.
GameRankings Score: 91.32%
Combo Smashers
A puzzle game with similarities to titles like Candy Crush and Bejeweled, Combo Smashers is extremely addictive and is the primary digital launch title for the Nexus, offered free at release (though not through all retailers, just certain ones). It's not quite a pack-in game (since you have to buy it separately), but it's considered a pack-in for all intents and purposes. It's not nearly as successful as Pixelworld but it becomes an early killer app, with both single player and online multiplayer, becoming one of the most popular competitive puzzlers of its generation.
GameRankings Score: 88.82%
Wakfu
A tactical RPG that can be played both single player and online, Wakfu is Google's sort of attempt at making a Phantasy Star Online style exclusive MMORPG game. IOTL, the game was created by a French company called Ankama and released for PC. ITTL, Google purchases Ankama to develop Wakfu-related games for both Nexus and Android, with this being the flagship title and Android receiving spinoff games. The game features a similar art style and style of gameplay to OTL's Wakfu, and features much of the same characters and story. While not a sprawling epic like a lot of the other exclusive console RPGs, Wakfu is still a charming game with a dedicated fanbase, and becomes one of the more popular console-based MMOs.
GameRankings Score: 76.00%
Zombi
Much like OTL's ZombiU (which later became Zombi after it was released for the PS4 and the Xbox One), Zombi is a roguelike zombie apocalypse game in which the player must survive as long as possible while being pursued by hordes of the living dead. The game has a very similar plot and playstyle to OTL's game, and utilizes the Nexus' second screen quite extensively, much in the same ways that ZombiU utilized the Wii U screen. It's tough, it's scary, and it's fun, and becomes one of the Nexus' more popular exclusives (though, like OTL, it eventually comes to other consoles).
GameRankings Score: 82.44%
Road To Ode
A hybrid FPS/RPG title with some arcade elements, Road To Ode is a fairly unique, if somewhat impenetrable game. It's almost best compared to Crossed Swords back on the old NeoGeo, though obviously it's quite a bit deeper (and not nearly as hard). Its protagonist is a modern-day soldier who becomes trapped in a medieval-esque world after being charmed by a beautiful lady in a mysterious lake. As he fights his way through hordes of monsters and wizards, his mind begins to gain memories of an ancient knight, and he must uncover the mystery behind a tragic tale of love and loss. The game looks quite pretty on the Nexus, and can be fun, but is one of the more obscure Nexus exclusive launch titles, and doesn't sell all that well.
GameRankings Score: 70.54%
Lethalball
An original sports/online multiplayer title that can also be played locally, Lethalball is intended to be the Nexus' big online game. It features five players per side, and is a mix of rugby, basketball, and roller derby, with two teams attempting to pass a ball around a circle and through a hoop in the air while slamming ferociously into one another. While it does have some degree of success, it's not nearly as popular as Google hoped it would be, and it eventually fades into relative obscurity, enjoyed only by a small but fervent group of hardcore devotees.
GameRankings Score: 73.15%
Final Fantasy XIII
More about this game will be included in its own update, though it's safe to say that this is a sprawling epic of an RPG, and the Nexus version is the definitive way to play from a graphical standpoint. While it's not THAT great looking when compared with later Nexus titles, it's significantly better looking than the Sapphire version, though it's the exact same game in every other way. It's historically significant in that it's the first ever port of a mainline Final Fantasy on launch day, and it comes out the exact same day as the Nexus itself. Reviews are excellent for both versions, but especially for the Nexus version.
GameRankings Score: 93.91%
Madden NFL 13
It's Madden, nuff said. 2012's iteration of the game is a fairly average outing for the series, and the Nexus version isn't any better than the Sapphire or iTwin versions in terms of gameplay. It is quite good looking graphically, but wouldn't get a full next-gen coat of paint until Madden NFL 14.
GameRankings Score: 78.91%
Metal Gear Solid III: Angels Fall
There's no extra content here for Nexus players, though, like with Final Fantasy XIII, the graphics are nicer. While the previous Metal Gear Solid games would eventually come to the Nexus, this is the only Metal Gear on the system at launch, so if you haven't played the previous ones on other systems, you probably won't know what's going on. Still, it's considered the best version of the game to date.
GameRankings Score: 93.00%
NBA Elite 13
EA's annual NBA series continues strongly this year, and the Nexus version has a few extra features, including an expanded create a player mode and new lines for the announcers as well. It gets solid reviews, though like with Madden, this was an average year for the series.
GameRankings Score: 80.13%
Star Wars: A New Order
Another port to the Nexus sees mostly graphical and few gameplay updates. This does get a few small pieces of DLC included, so that's a plus.
GameRankings Score: 85.76%
Deus Ex: Oblivion
Another popular launch port to add to the Nexus' lineup, this is another “graphics only” upgrade over the other versions, but it's a hell of a game.
GameRankings Score: 92.76%
U.S. Army Rangers: Never Leave A Man Behind
A port of a game that launched for the Sapphire and iTwin just a couple months before, this game will also be discussed in more detail in a future update, but this one does see some added Nexus content, including three extra missions and more multiplayer maps. Overall, this is a good solid FPS game, though not quite as big as the year's major FPS launches.
GameRankings Score: 81.37%
FIFA 13
FIFA 13 was fairly popular, and the Nexus gets the definitive version of the game, with more teams and superior graphics. The best selling Nexus launch week game in Europe, it does fairly well in the States, but still sells more on the Sapphire and iTwin due to those systems having far larger install bases.
GameRankings Score: 78.00%
International Rally
Another port, this one also sees new content along with the enhanced graphics. Forza Horizon limits this game's sales potential on the Nexus, but it does okay.
GameRankings Score: 81.27%
NHL 13
The NHL games aren't as popular as they used to be, and this is a straight up port to the Nexus, with slightly improved graphics. It's not nearly as revolutionary as the Saturn's NHL 96 was, and doesn't perform nearly as well.
GameRankings Score: 72.11%
Hidden 2
This popular stealth shooter wasn't received all that well on the Sapphire, and is mostly a sales flop on the Nexus, despite having superior graphics.
GameRankings Score: 75.90%
Skulls: Black Tempest
Along with Final Fantasy XIII, one of the two multiplatform games to launch on the same day as the Nexus itself. The sequel to the critically beloved reboot from a few years back, this game will be covered in greater detail in a future update, but for the most part it's a strong sequel that adds a more serious and darker tone to an already somewhat dark series. The games aren't very strong sellers, and unfortunately, the Nexus version, despite being visually gorgeous, is no exception. The game is profitable overall, but the Nexus version sees the weakest sales.
GameRankings Score: 86.05%
Terror Trip
This digital indie darling gets a few bits of new content for the Nexus, but only a slight graphical upgrade. It's still a great game and just as fun and spooky as ever.
GameRankings Score: 89.51%
Life And Death
This port doesn't see much polish on the Nexus, but it is the only fighting game at the Nexus launch, so there's that. Still a good game, even with low sales on the system.
GameRankings Score: 83.33%
Sine Mora
A beautiful shooter that looks amazing on the Nexus, this is the perfect game for the system, though unfortunately, it's also its lowest selling launch title. Good word of mouth helps the sales to pick up later.
GameRankings Score: 88.04%
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October 25, 2012
The Google Nexus is launched worldwide, at an MSRP of $299.99. This includes the Nexus itself, the Nexus Companion device, and the Nexus Grip accessory. The Nexus also comes with a code for $20 on the Google Play store, which can be used to purchase Nexus titles, Android apps, or even digital movies and music on Google Play. Google will eventually sell the Nexus separately, without the Companion or the Grip, for people who want to use their existing Android phone and want to save on the purchase price of the Nexus itself, at an MSRP of $199.99. The Nexus receives a lot of hype prior to its release, as perhaps the biggest Google product launch ever, and Google itself launches a massive advertising campaign to hype up the Nexus as the ultimate Android device. Though this hype helps the Nexus to sell, it doesn't sell nearly as fast as its rivals did, with sales barely clearing a million worldwide in the first week (compared to twice that for the Sapphire on its first DAY). That's still an amazing achievement for a company that's new to the console industry, and Google would tout the Nexus launch as a success, despite sales slowing significantly afterwards. The Nexus would do best in North America, while doing marginally well in Europe and, at least initially, poorly in Japan (despite having Final Fantasy XIII as a launch title). The major success that Google is able to tout for the Nexus is the system's excellent software attachment rate, with the average first week buyer purchasing more than two games. This is primarily due to the Nexus' launch base consisting largely of hardcore gamers and hyped up early adopters hungry to get the most out of their new machine. The Nexus' price, lower than both the Sapphire and iTwin's when they launched, is also a big help. The lower price of the Nexus, along with its inclusion of a powerful (at the time) portable Android device, means that Google is taking a significant loss on each Nexus sold (with the company absorbing the brunt of Samsung's manufacturing costs). However, Google is still able to turn a net profit thanks to the information the company is able to gather on its users, some of it transparently and some of it otherwise. This would become a point of controversy later on, but at least for the moment, Google can consider the Nexus a success due largely in part to the money it's able to make from all the user data it's collecting.
Here are the launch week sales figures for the 22 non-pack in launch titles, based on North American sales (on a total of 709,861 first week units sold in North America):
The Covenant 5: 418,926
Forza Horizon: 175,482
Combo Smashers: 167,800 (about ¾ of these were purchased as part of free bonus deals via various retailers, or with a coupon given out by Google via Android, only about 30,000-40,000 were purchased at full retail price on launch week)
Final Fantasy XIII: 122,658
Madden NFL 13: 108,684
Metal Gear Solid III: Angels Fall: 96,481
NBA Elite 13: 74,662
Star Wars: A New Order: 71,335
Deus Ex: Oblivion: 59,318
U.S. Army Rangers: Never Leave A Man Behind: 50,518
FIFA 13: 46,318
Zombi: 45,822
International Rally: 32,481
NHL 13: 31,895
Wakfu: 30,764
Road To Ode: 27,401
Hidden 2: 24,118
Skulls: Black Tempest: 22,846
Terror Trip: 20,900
Lethalball: 19,863
Life And Death: 11,254
Sine Mora: 8,816
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With the launch of the Google Nexus, the next generation of console gaming has officially begun (I don't count the handhelds, as great as they both are). Not only does the Nexus provide a significant visual upgrade over its predecessors, but it comes with a wide variety of features that bring the connectivity and ubiquitousness of Android into the living room in a way that no other device has done before. It's great being able to play any Android game on the big screen, though obviously some of them just don't work on the TV (I'm looking at you, Fruit Ninja). While it's easy to look at games like The Covenant 5 and Forza Horizon and consider the Nexus just the “Xbox 3”, it's a much different type of device, which I think will be able to play a far wider range of games inspired by both the best of the mobile environment and the best of the current console gaming landscape. It's a more family-oriented game console, as whimsical anime RPGs like Wakfu can attest to. It's much more versatile in terms of its game lineup, and it's quite telling that Squaresoft chose the Nexus to be the first device they port a Final Fantasy game to at launch (though something tells me that the Virtua will see its fair share of Final Fantasy games as well). The Nexus' second screen capabilities unlock a world of potential, whether I'm aiming at a tricky enemy in The Covenant 5, planning my next move carefully on Wakfu, or studying my map in Zombi to make sure I'm not walking into a permadeath ambush. I could easily see the second screen enabling things like being able to play two games at once, with what happens in the game on my controller determining what happens on my TV. I could see the second screen being used for camera or tower defense games, or even used as a menu screen in an RPG to clear up clutter. The possibilities are limitless, and in ways that even Nintendo and Apple's (likely) technologically superior machines won't be able to provide. I'm impressed with the Google Nexus so far, but it'll be up to Google and Samsung to encourage developers to take full advantage of the innovative new technology. The sky's the limit for the Google Nexus, and I'm hoping it can succeed where Microsoft ultimately failed: creating enough room for three major console companies in this industry.
-from Alex Stansfield's review of the Google Nexus, posted on October 23, 2012 on Games Over Matter
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Anderson Cooper: The Google Nexus launched earlier today across the world, to the cheers of crowds from Tokyo, Japan to right here in New York's Times Square, where celebrities were on hand to celebrate the system's release at 12:01 AM. Just 13 years ago, Google was nothing more than a search engine, but now, the company is an internet giant, and this latest hardware release, a joint venture with Korean company Samsung, demonstrates just how big Google has grown. The Nexus comes with both a box that you can hook up to your TV, and a phone-like electronic device used to control the games. This is the Nexus' major innovation, and industry analysts are calling it revolutionary. Here's Marcus Detmer with a report from the midnight launch here in New York City.
*A crowd is shown outside an electronics store near Times Square, cheering as they count down.*
Crowd: 3... 2... 1... *cheers*
Marcus Detmer: Don't bother checking your calendar. It's not New Year's Eve just yet, but these gamers are celebrating with all the fervor of the famous Times Square ball drop as they wait to get their hands on the latest video game machine. It's the Google Nexus, and it's the most advanced home gaming console ever made, capable of playing your favorite games in high resolution.
*Scenes from The Covenant 5, Forza Horizon, and Final Fantasy XIII are shown.*
Detmer: The Google Nexus, manufactured by Samsung but with software created by Google, is the first ever home game console to utilize an operating system based on Android, the popular standard for a majority of smartphones. The operating systems are so similar, in fact, that the Nexus' games can be played on any Android smartphone, provided one has the Nexus hooked up to their home internet. The idea of taking one's games on the go, originally popularized by Nintendo's Game Boy all the way back in 1989, has been appealing to game companies, but never before has it been so easy. We talked to several people who said it was their biggest reason for buying the Nexus.
*A young man and a young woman are shown looking at the Nexus box, the man with a bag of games slung over his shoulder.*
Woman: We're going to be playing on our smartphones mostly, on the bus and at work. We don't have a lot of time to play at home, so it'll be good to play our games wherever.
Man: I can't wait to play The Covenant 5, it looks really awesome.
Woman: I'm gonna be playing Final Fantasy XIII.
Detmer: But Google's marketing strategy isn't just touting the Nexus' streaming capabilities. The Nexus will be a complete home multimedia device, able to play games, movies, and TV shows, and has Google's popular Chromecast technology built in, allowing owners to stream their smartphone videos directly to their televisions. It's an unprecedented, but perhaps inevitable synergy, between Google and its various online endeavors. The Nexus' social media app will run on Okuma, where members publish videos and blogs, while Google will also bring its vast knowledge of users' social media and browsing habits to bear, allowing the company to make game recommendations for users. While some see this as a natural extension of Google's information gathering applications, critics see it as a possible threat for users' privacy. We talked to Alice Greenwell, an online privacy advocate, about the Nexus and its potential to cause issues for its players.
Alice Greenwell: I'm actually very concerned that Google will use some of this information in the wrong way.
Detmer: Greenwell has been tracking Google and other social media companies such as Friendster for years, and has noticed what she says is a disturbing trend in the amount of information users are handing over.
Greenwell: It has the potential to be extremely problematic when you consider just how much these companies know about you. In many cases, they know more about you than you do. So if this new device is able to gather up all this information, it could sell that information, or it could manipulate users into buying things they otherwise wouldn't have intended to buy.
Detmer: Isn't that just what one might call advertising?
Greenwell: But it's getting to the point where companies are able to target that advertising like a laser, whereas before, they were just advertising to an entire group. If they look at your browsing habits and see that you have certain interests, they're going to be able to push games featuring those interests directly to users. Google could take a screenshot from that game that depicts what you're interested in, and use that to present the game as something different from what it really is. They could sell you a game just based on a single part of that game, a game that otherwise you'd never have bought.
Detmer: Do you see the other game companies following suit?
Greenwell: Absolutely, if it works for Google. If you saw where, today, Nintendo just announced that it's making a game system that you'll be able to hook up these googles to your eyeballs. If Google is successful in targeted advertising, you could see Nintendo doing the same thing with their games, right into your eyes as soon as you put on those goggles.
Detmer: And that scares you.
Greenwell: It absolutely scares me.
*A scene from “They Live” plays briefly, in which Roddy Piper's character puts on the glasses and sees the subliminal alien messages for the first time.*
Detmer: It seems like something directly out of a sci-fi horror movie, but if Alice Greenwell and critics like her are right, game companies could become more effective than ever in utilizing player information to advertise to their customers. While Google has promised not to misuse the information they're gathering, and have pointed to their company motto, “don't be evil”, as a continuing principle for their actions, some potential players may understandably be wary. Still, those fans lining up last night in Times Square didn't seem too worried, and the Nexus is poised to be one of the big electronic devices for this upcoming holiday season. Industry analyst Robert Barnes says that the Nexus could very well compete with Nintendo and Apple for years to come.
Robert Barnes: The Nexus, it looks really promising. *he continues to speak as more scenes from games play out on the screen* It's the first device to really take advantage of the growing mobile game market, and as mobile takes an increasing chunk of the pie away from more traditional home console devices, the Nexus could become the bridge between the two.
Detmer: So instead of destroying gaming as some critics believe, you think the Nexus might save it?
Barnes: Depends on what you mean by “save”, but yes, it could indeed carry the banner into the future. I think Google's biggest competition is going to be Apple. If the Nexus is successful, Apple's going to be tying their upcoming device into the iPhone in ways you didn't see with their last one. They could utilize some form of augmented reality, where the phone becomes not just a controller that you tap, but something that you move around with, using the camera in conjunction with the game. Nintendo, on the other hand, they don't have much in the way of mobile gaming. They're been working with Sony, and Sony's dialed it back on the phones lately. I could see Nintendo encouraging Sony to make more phones if the Nexus is a hit, but by then it might be too little, too late.
Detmer: So your prediction is that Google and Apple will be fighting it out for first and Nintendo will be third?
Barnes: It's too early to say. We still haven't seen what the Nexus is going to do. I think it'll be successful, but the game industry is a hard one to break into. We saw that with Microsoft over the last decade, where they brought all their might to bear and couldn't beat Apple and Nintendo. The recession, I think, hurt them a lot, but my point still stands. It'll be tough, but Google's got a lot of advantages, so I think it's certainly possible.
*As Detmer continues to speak, we see more video of those buyers at Times Square, leaving with their new Nexus consoles and bags of games.*
Detmer: Whatever the concerns about privacy or about Google's potential to break into the video game market, these smiling gamers are going home happy. They'll be among the very first to experience Google's foray into the world of video games, and their early days of play could set the tone for what to expect from the Nexus in the years to come. For ABC New York, this is Marcus Detmer.
-from the October 25, 2012 broadcast of ABC's World News Tonight with Anderson Cooper
