Welcome to Joystiq Nintendo!
by David Hinkle 
{ Jan 27th 2009 at 2:01AM }
Well, folks, we've made it. Welcome to the new home for all things Nintendo here at Joystiq. We've had fun running DS Fanboy and Wii Fanboy for these last couple of years, but that was small potatoes, in all honesty. It was really only training for the long road ahead that would eventually lead here. A road paved with functionality and sexy design. A road that rewards a traveler not only with a cleaner, much more efficient way of getting gaming news and original content, but with a brand new, organized way to get at it.The new Joystiq Nintendo will be everything you loved about the old Nintendo Fanboys. You'll get the same editorial direction, but packaged in a far better manner. We're benefiting from this transition through a sleek, customized version of Joystiq. One that fans of the Nintendo Fanboy spaces before will hopefully come to love as much, if not more, than those previous blogs.
You all made this happen because you choose to stop by our little corner of the internet every day and brighten our lives with your opinions and tips. We appreciate that and hope you all enjoy our move. We're hoping it gets you more content, much more quickly. Let us know what you think in the comments and we'll see you out there!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Blue_Falcon @ Jan 27th 2009 2:05AM
About every site I go to has had major site redesigns within the past year (IGN, kotaku, newsarama, thesixtyone...now joystiq and the fanboys)
This is the first time it hasn't sucked. It's a bit to get used to, but I'm kind of liking it. Good job, guys.
David Hinkle @ Jan 27th 2009 2:10AM
Thanks! I really like the design myself, and having Justin Glow on staff means this area of the site will get the soft touch and TLC that the Fanboy spaces (and Joystiq itself, admittedly) were neglected in the past. That means, we'll constantly be evolving and improving the site and its spokes. Instead of in big chunks, as was the way of the past.
N4N0T3CH @ Jan 27th 2009 8:29AM
Joysiq and the Fanboys- that would have been a good band name
Stephen M @ Jan 29th 2009 3:37PM
N4N0 made me LOL. I would have made a great Joystiq.
megapenguinx @ Jan 27th 2009 2:11AM
I'm going to be lost for a while but I think it's ok so far
David Hinkle @ Jan 27th 2009 2:12AM
Just remember: deep, slow breaths. Take your time. We're not going anywhere. :)
Cyber-Tyrant @ Jan 27th 2009 2:47AM
Same here. This was unexpected.
Dani @ Jan 28th 2009 5:40PM
woah!
talk about unexpected. ummm, right. well, im lost.
It all a lot more... colourful.
well, if you say its going to be the same content, I suppose I am happy.
Jayenkai @ Jan 27th 2009 2:15AM
So, what's the big difference? (Other than the URL change, the background change, and the loss of recent comments on the sidebar)
I was expecting something AMAZING!
David Hinkle @ Jan 27th 2009 2:32AM
Some of the minor stuff needs to be worked out, but the video module in the sidebar will be spoke-specific, I believe. Other than that, you get the ticker at the top pointing you to the most recent post, the tabs showing breaking and featured items, and the other sidebar module that shows recent entries for each console. It's just way more content, easily available.
ggamdizzle @ Jan 27th 2009 2:19AM
for the few that don't game on both platforms..
i liked the fact that each site hosted on joystiq was console specific, in that all the content was relevant specifically to whichever fanboy site i chose. i don't have a wii, and i don't plan on getting one.
to be honest, i'm going to be a little disappointed if the wii news and the ds news isn't separate.
David Hinkle @ Jan 27th 2009 2:36AM
This is the dedicated area for all things Nintendo. You'll be able to filter the posts for Wii and DS yourself, but when you load up nintendo.joystiq.com, you're going to get it all together. Sorry, but it makes more sense to do it that way.
Jackson H @ Jan 27th 2009 9:51PM
No, it makes a lot more sens to keep things console specific. I have no reason to read Wii-related news when I don't own one. This sucks.
Turbo @ Jan 27th 2009 11:02PM
I agree. I honestly hate this joining, and will not be coming to the site as much now. I remember being able to look at my separate Wii and DS fanboy RSS feeds and finding an amazing new story everyday. Now it's just a mess, and the blogs are all over the place. Bad move guys. BAD MOVE.
Shin @ Jan 28th 2009 5:25AM
Actually, I agree. I went to DS Fanboy to keep updated on DS related things as this is the only system I have right now. I say yes for separation and/or tags. D:
braeburn @ Jan 28th 2009 4:12PM
"This is the dedicated area for all things Nintendo. You'll be able to filter the posts for Wii and DS yourself, but when you load up nintendo.joystiq.com, you're going to get it all together. Sorry, but it makes more sense to do it that way."
Really? How so? To me, it seems that it makes much more sense to separate by platform than by manufacturer. I really can't think of any reason (at least from the reader's perspective) that it would make more sense to separate by manufacturer. Wii news is not DS news. PSP news is not PS3 news. Many people own consoles by different manufacturers and not all of the consoles by one particular manufacturer. Like me and... everyone else I know.
I don't understand what was wrong with the Fanboy names -- I, for one, liked them -- but I guess I'm fine with you deciding to merge everything under the Joystiq name. I'm also totally on board with the other behind-the-scenes changes you're making. They're definitely for the benefit of all involved, including the readers. I just don't understand why it couldn't be wii.joystiq.com, ds.joystiq.com, and so forth. It's not like that's an original idea (IGN?).
I've been part of large organizations during times of big changes that produce a lot of negative feedback from customers/readers and I know there's a tendency to dismiss the criticism as people just having knee-jerk reactions against change. Sometimes that's the case. But it's important not to lose sight of the fact that, sometimes, the complaints are legitimate. Unfortunately, as is all too often the case, at this point you've invested so much in the change that it is unlikely any amount of criticism will convince you otherwise. That's really unfortunate because, as the volume and content of the comments on this post indicate, you've alienated (and probably lost) a lot of readers.
Some solicitation of suggestions and feedback from your readers PRIOR to the change would have been nice. Or, at the very least, some warning and beta testing.
DavidW @ Jan 27th 2009 2:23AM
I agree with ggamdizzle
I don't really care about the DS stuff...just Wii...any kind of filter that could be implemented?
Zero @ Jan 27th 2009 9:54AM
Yeah, I am in the same boat (kinda). I own a DS but not a Wii. I really liked browsing through DS fanboy because it was limited to news about the system I own. This morning I was looking through my RSS feed and saw a story about a Klonoa remake and I got all excited.... only to discover it was a Wii game.
If there is a way to sort stuff that shows up in the RSS feed, I should be fine... but right now (looking through your RSS feeds), it doesn't look like there is any easy way to get the same content I used to get through DS Fanboy without also getting a bunch of Wii stories.
Chances are, I will simply have to find a new source for DS specific news. It's a shame too, because I REALLY liked DS Fanboy :(
kavorka @ Jan 27th 2009 11:44AM
How does it make more sense to do it this way? DS has an incredible amount of tonage as far as news and new software coming out, attention will be neglected from both the Wii and the DS if you try to cram both of them into a single post site. Frankly, I didn't think anything was wrong with the old site-- save the fact that the login *never* *worked* *ever*. But I can see that hasn't changed, so what the hell's the difference, I guess.
Garst @ Jan 27th 2009 2:27AM
A little heads-up would have been appreciated. All I'm saying, it was annoying having duplicates of the feed after the switch. I'm fine with the design though.
David Hinkle @ Jan 27th 2009 2:34AM
We're trying to iron all of these nasty things out. We appreciate you sticking with us through this time of transition.
ggamdizzle @ Jan 27th 2009 2:42AM
yeah i understand that things need to be ran as efficiently as possible. we can't have things the way we want them all the time.
thanks for continuing to put the news out there.
David Hinkle @ Jan 27th 2009 2:45AM
That doesn't mean we aren't trying our best to get things the way you want them, though! ;)
shane86 @ Jan 27th 2009 2:47AM
Good move on merging the two sites :)
Drahken @ Jan 27th 2009 2:48AM
Oh. Well how about that.
esposch @ Jan 27th 2009 2:51AM
I just typed in nintendowiifanboy.com to see how many people I had got with my Rickroll, and immediately thought WTF. I then closed the tab and typed it in again. The site is really different Joystiq, but luckily not in a bad way.
I'm going to try to edit my comment after posting, too!
esposch @ Jan 27th 2009 2:53AM
Shit, I can't.
Zippon @ Jan 27th 2009 2:51AM
"This is the dedicated area for all things Nintendo. You'll be able to filter the posts for Wii and DS yourself, but when you load up nintendo.joystiq.com, you're going to get it all together. Sorry, but it makes more sense to do it that way."
Can you elaborate on this? Since precious few DS games have anything to do with Wii games, I don't see anything at all sensible about mixing the news feeds. I suppose it makes things easier for joystiq, but not for your readers who have been coming here for console-specific game news.
How will we be able to filter the posts? Will it be a setting that can be saved? Or will we be forced to manually tweak something every time we visit to get rid of all the unrelated articles?
Thanks.
David Hinkle @ Jan 27th 2009 2:57AM
I haven't heard anything specifically about it yet, but now that we have our own designer, we can implement these things fairly quickly, now that the new site has launched. In the meanwhile, there will probably be a tag-based solution to help you get through those first few cold nights.
JonP @ Jan 27th 2009 9:58AM
Just another vote for a Wii-only RSS feed. Looks like one could be cobbled together from all the available feeds available right now, but I am sure you don't expect your readers to have to jump through hoops like that.
TomeOne @ Jan 27th 2009 2:54AM
Please create separate feeds for Wii and DS items. I don't own a Wii and am not interested in Wii articles. Thanks!
esposch @ Jan 27th 2009 2:54AM
HUGE BUGS GUYS!
I mean seriously, how can you manage to have bugs on a site launched half an hour ago. :)
David Hinkle @ Jan 27th 2009 3:02AM
We can't fix them if you don't tell us what they are!
http://www.joystiq.com/contact/comments/
FormerFanBoy @ Jan 27th 2009 3:06AM
You pretty much killed anything that made DSFanboy great, namely that I didn't have to wade through crap about other consols like I do now. And I am willing to bet the corporate overlords are going to make sure the Homebrew section gets lost in the shuffle very soon. I've seen so many good sites die this way. Anyone who ever spent time at TWOP before the Bravo buy knows what I mean.
I posting this comment because I am willing to bet that there are a lot of readers who feel the way I do but won't bother saying anything on their way out the door; this was a great community about the DS and by the DS community. It may be easier for you to ruin that by taking away what made each site special and trying to cram it all under one ad selling space, but it is even easier for me to just go to one of the many sites that remain DS specific.
What you have basically said is "we may lose some people, but we think we can save/make more money this way and we are willing to sacrifice the users for the dollars."
Too bad it never works out that way. Lose sight of what your users come to you for and you lose the money their eyeballs brought in when they quietly leave.
Farewell.
The former DSFanboys
David Hinkle @ Jan 27th 2009 3:12AM
I'm sorry you don't like the new approach, but we had to ditch those Fanboy sites for many reasons. First of all, the sites themselves were severely outdated. Secondly, it's hard to be taken seriously when you have "fanboy" in your name.
Also, I want to add that this redesign will in no way affect how we cover the DS. Homebrew is still going to be a big priority for us, as it always has been. We haven't changed, just where you're getting the content has.
I'm sorry you feel the way you do, but this isn't some kind of ploy to cover up cutbacks or to save money in some way. It's a much more streamlined experience that offers way more content than before. It's going to allow us to post MORE stories and write MORE features. It's going to improve on the experience that we hope you already loved in the first place. How can that be bad?
Again, sorry you feel the way you do. Hopefully I changed your mind, but, if I didn't, then I hope you'll find your way back to us one day. If not, happy gaming!
Shoeboy @ Jan 27th 2009 9:03AM
I have a similar opinion but...
As long as you guys implement a filtering process which allows me to see Wii only then I'll be happy. I have no interest in the DS stuff, same goes for the Playsation site I want to go there for PS3 news I have no interest in the PSP, I'm happy for a change but lets do it right.
I don't want to ditch, it's just I do not care about the news which isn't about Wii or PS3...
David Hinkle @ Jan 27th 2009 2:09PM
It's in the works, you just have to show a little patience. We're cataloging everything that needs to be done now and will be adding them soon. It won't be as it has been in the past, where it's taken us forever to change things. We have our own designer now, so changes will be made much more quickly.
Pyrocat @ Feb 3rd 2009 3:25PM
I agree, I hate the new design, the changed releases this week feature, and the extra content. Who cares if people "take you seriously" with fanboy in your name or not, it's the community that comes here and they are the ones you're trying to please, not impress some haughty third party. The previous poster made a good point about "consolidating" and how it ruins the site. It was a good blog while it lasted, and I read it weekly. I will not be coming back.
Billy @ Jan 27th 2009 3:26AM
I agree with everyone who says it is a BIG mistake to combine the Wii and the DS together into one big "Nintendo" news site. They are completely seperate playforms with zero relation to each other, other than the fact that they are made by the same company. I could care less about Wii but I do love the DS. I never read DS fanboy or Wii fanboy but I will say that if I was interested in regularly reading a site about DS news, it would not be this one, because I don't give a damn about the Wii.
Carl @ Jan 27th 2009 3:39AM
Cool... I like the new design... I also like not needing to jump to the DS section... :)
Apollo26 @ Jan 27th 2009 3:47AM
LOVE the new layout.
Even though i only read Wii news, it's good to see some DS daily articles in here as well.
Will definitely stay.
Derek Gibb @ Jan 27th 2009 10:13AM
Dont like - ds fanboy was the best blogging summarizer on the web now you changed it and added wii stories.
NOT GOOD
Barnaby @ Jan 27th 2009 4:00AM
How do you filter out the wii stuff? I want the old DS Fanboy back I'm afraid. This is not a change for the better. It's a lazy move to combine two sites.
hvnlysoldr @ Jan 27th 2009 3:59AM
I now regret my stats for the fanboy sites are now fixed in stone. (still reaching for 9000) Puts baseball card on spoke of bike for good luck. (knows no appropriate spoke joke)
hvnlysoldr @ Jan 27th 2009 4:05AM
Funny how the fanboy stats currently read under WIN FRAMEWORK TM. And I see I've posted about 44% under Nintendo.
Mr Khan @ Jan 27th 2009 8:47AM
Wait. How exactly are they changed? (though the point of posting this is so i can find out)
hvnlysoldr @ Jan 27th 2009 4:18PM
Wow! The email I received took me straight to this comment. I can even subscribe to different ones. Thanks for the hard work.
F @ Jan 27th 2009 4:49AM
I agree with many that the new site design blows. I don't have a Wii, don't want one, and don't want to read anything about one! I used to love coming to DSFanboy as it is one of the few sites which actually covers the DS well, AND ONLY THE DS! IGN has a great DS section but lacks the updates and detailed info that was found on DSFanboy. Gamespot, 1UP, and other networks all have shoddy DS coverage which only updates like once a month. Now I am stuck wading through Wii crap rather than staying on a site with 100% other DS gamers. We'll also now be having Wii owners talking in the DS comments. WTF were you guys thinking? This makes sense? You should have fixed the long standing issues (crappy comment system, an actual login system, etc...) with the old site before trying to create something new, which is worse than what you had. And I'm still looking for those, "filters" you keep talking about? You could have put all of the sites under the Joystiq name without combining all of the manufacturers and consoles! Arg!
Erik Sagen @ Jan 28th 2009 11:56AM
See, I don't completely agree with you. I own both a Wii and a DS and certainly don't mind that the news has been combined, makes it easier to get the full spectrum of Nintendo console-related news.
The ability to filter by console (Wii or DS) has been added for those who would rather have one or the other. It's a personal preference, but remember that there are people out there (like me) that don't mind the mashing of content.
buffalo_aaa @ Jan 27th 2009 4:50AM
I think there are a lot of people overreacting to a decision that is not only self explanatory but almost guarantee more content coverage for both sides of the nintendo world. I'm looking forward to it in hopes of the DS coverage getting back to what it used to be, as opposed to 2, maybe 3 posts a day tops.
And while I'm on the topic, what happened to game night?! Has this permanently gone by the wayside or will that be returning now that the site has switched over? Did I miss the memo about that not coming back after the holidays?