Nintendo is very much on top of their game, but that hasn't stopped some analysts from giving their opinions on how they could do it better. The current tidbit of advice comes from none other than Michael Pachter, whose latest idea to keep the Wii a hot commodity is to drop the price of the console to $199, and drop Wii sports:
"The console has a price advantage over the Xbox 360 and PS3 that can be maintained if Nintendo chooses to un-bundle Wii Sports from the console. I think that if Nintendo were to do so and cut the price to $199, it would still sell a piece of Nintendo software to 80% of new Wii purchasers, and would end up effectively lowering revenues per console by only around $10. At that price point, the Wii should be strong again in 2009."
Sales figures seem to indicate that the Wii isn't in need of fiscal CPR just yet, but Michael's plan focuses on looking at the long-term demand of Nintendo's waggle box.
Because of the high-definition video features offered by the Xbox 360 and PS3, those consoles are more likely to end up in the living room, which could relegate the Wii to the playroom. If the Wii is not at the center of the home entertainment system, software sales could suffer as a result."
Price cuts are always nice, and welcomed by all; however, I'm not so sure about the part about stripping out a game in the process. We need to get out of the mindset that value means taking things away from the consumer, in order to lower prices. That, and I'm even less inclined to believe that most Wiis will likely live out the end of their days in the playrooms of children.
Its home is more likely to be dictated by how often it's used, and by whom. With the Wii's total sales in excess of 20 million, I'm betting that a sizable chunk of them can be found in gamers' living rooms -- next to their PS3s and 360s. I also tend to believe that most people don't like buying a console without any games to play on it. If you have to immediately spend another $50 just to have something to play on it, that kind of cancels out any savings. I think Nintendo is doing just fine the way things are. As long as quality games keep coming out, the Wii is going to continue to command a captivated audience.
[Via Gamasutra]
Contest:
11:52 AM on 01.30.2008
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he has a roughly 2% success rate.
fuckin hell.
Wii is overhyped.
Wii is overdusty.
Wii is a gimmick.
Nintendo fails at 1:1 response times.
Every time I see his name, he's always saying some nonsense about how the Wii is going to fail and he makes excuses for why he was wrong last time.
@that1dude - So did you play No More Heroes or did you write it off?
@Corak - STFU. I have an HDTV, and my Wii sees as much action as the 360. Using HDTV to predict a console's sales/third-party games/all-around success is fucking dumb. You're just like Moron Pachter.
@bruceleethree - so you've played a majority of the well-reviewed Wii games from beginning to end, so you know there's no quality there, just hype, right? Oh wait, no you didn't. STFU.
@MissHinasaki - Don't get your hopes up. Expecting a price drop on any item whose production can't keep up with demand is as retarded as believing games are the source of violence.
I haven't had a chance to play it yet.
@GameBoi
Great, there are a few good games. But in comparison to say the 360, there aren't that many fantastic games IMHO.
Nintendo can't fail at something they're not trying to do, e.g. 1:1 responsiveness. The Wii uses a more gestural control scheme.
But if you don't understand that by now i'll just assume you're a trolling fanboy. Go back to your haloes or whatever.
The Wii has sold for under $200 in Japan since day one :P
But why in the world would they lower the price when they can't keep them in stock at $250? They'll drop the price when sales start to slow a little or MS lowers the 360's price again.
Everyone really needs to stop looking at the Wii as if it is a part of the "console war". The 360 and PS3 are in a war. The Wii is a completely different product as far as I'm concerned. You might as well lump the DS in, and in that case, it's the undisputed console leader.
@Skullivan - "scamming?" No one is forcing people to buy the wii, or is your assessment based on the fact that the wii isn't nor has ever been a loss leader?
@Necros - "It's a sad fact, but the Wii is currently selling on Wii Sports." Right, that's why it has far and above the best attach rate.
Next!
I will end up buying a Wii, mainly for the Resident Evil title and Fatal frame. However I wouldn't never play Wii sports, I've played it twice and.. I'm not a fan. So a cheaper option minus wii sports would do me just fine.
I think the wii has a lot of potential, but really hasn't been unlocked yet. Whether or not we'll see that in the future, I don't know. Brawl does look damn good, though.
Wii is not selling boatloads because of its low price.
Wii is not selling boatloads because of its "revolutionary" motion controlls.
Wii is selling boatloads because it is simple to understand how to play. You can hand the Wiimote to your grandma, boot up Wii Sports Tennis, and she will figure out how to play in 5 minutes. Motion-controls are simply one way of SIMPLIFYING videogame controls so that everyone gets to play. Touchscreen was another. The Gamersphere will bitch about "casual" games, but it is the "EASE of USE" that is selling Wiis right now. And will continue to do so until everyone has one.
It is so funny coming to Destructiod and watching the Gamersphere bitch and moan about Wii. Like Nintendo's business strategy is a personal affront to the vocal, hardcore minority. Subtract the Destructoid readers from the TOTAL POPULATION OF THE EARTH, and I think Nintendo's plan is pretty smart. The hardcore ABANDONED Nintendo a decade ago. Why should Nintendo continue to cater to the Gamersphere who would rather play Halo anyway? Especially when there is ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WORLD to market to?
And anyone who says Wii has no good games is kidding themselves. No More Heros is 2008 GAME OF THE YEAR!!! That's right, I said it.
@Kusa - how about Metroid Prime 3, No More Heroes, Zack and Wiki, Battalion Wars? I do know about the Wii having quality games, and it does.
@atheistium - Price drop not coming. Not anytime soon, Michael Pachter is a moron, (see above, and anything he's ever said about the gaming industry)
I've played all of those games, and own MP3, and think they're fine games. No question there. I'm not saying it doesn't have ANY quality games, I'm saying that it needs more, because personally, I don't think any of those games (besides Zack and Wiki) offer anything that hardcore gamers can't get on other consoles/PC, and better. If you've got a wii and are enjoying it, then fantastic. I'm just voicing some of my disappointments with a console that I was extremely excited for before launch.
Anyway I know its been the standard for ages no but no pack in = fail. When you're spending that much on something it should DO something FUN straight out the box. I shouldn't have to invest more immediately to get something out of it.
That should be enough to anger fans of the industry no matter what it costs.
Crap has existed since the 8-bit generation. Games like No More Heroes and Metroid Prime 3 are not dumbing down gaming. Brainless FPS games like Frontlines and America's Army are. Nintendo's console is actually the only one of this generation doing anything totally new. Yes, faster processors and GPU's are making games more visually realistic and allowing better AI, but those things are only used to forward the status quo. The Wii is actually ushering in new gametypes and mechanics. Could a game like zack and wiki happen on a 360? Yes, but by the second level you'd be tired of using the analog stick to move your pointer around. I understand that change is scary, but your generic FPS games aren't going anywhere. I however, love that Nintendo is shaking things up and making the industry move forward. Failure to recognize that should be enough to anger fans of the industry.
Ok, come on, really... the Wii needs a price cut... WTF? They sell like crack filled pancakes in the projects and the majority of people who buy one only want it for Wii Sports. Unbundling would be a terrible idea!
That'll shift more consoles than HD would this generation.
What they should not do is cut out the piece of software that has generated that truck load of cash.
Wow, that's some brand new kind of WTF right there . . .
I just said that *if* (and I see no great reason too) Nintendo wanted to make the Wii a viable box for watching television on then focusing on making it a good box for Flash streaming with the newer client and building lots of nice interfaces for them is something Nintendo could do really easily and relatively cheaply, and it would make a much bigger impact than HD will during the Wii's lifecycle.