The Wii is a marvelous device. Even though it's constantly under fire by many in the gaming community that consider themselves "too hardcore" to bother themselves with "underpowered hardware," it doesn't seem to matter. Even I've been surprised by it all. I always expected the Wii to take a second-place spot behind the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 -- on paper, it just seems so underwhelming. Is Nintendo the least bit fazed by this? Not at all.
Nintendo continues to laugh all the way to the bank as Wii shortages continued through yet a second Christmas season, and there's still proof that people just can't seem to get enough of what critics compare to discount-bin hardware with yesterday's technology. Still, it marches on, oblivious to the criticism... and why wouldn't it?
The control scheme may be starkly different, but the Wii isn't exactly forging new territory on the hardware front. The PlayStation 2 proved long ago that having the most cutting edge hardware isn't necessarily the ticket to taking home the biggest prize. Though easily outmatched visually for several years by the Xbox and GameCube (before developers figured out how to optimize the code for it), it came out on top. Hell, it's still on top.
So why does analyst Michael Pachter seem to believe that the era of the Wii is near about over? He points to continued price cuts (and high profile games) from the competition to erode Nintendo's lead. There is no doubt that price cuts do spark interest in other consoles, but it's not exactly like Nintendo can't do the same. So what is a competitor to do?
More of this, after the jump.
Sony and Microsoft are by now, well aware of what is driving Wii sales -- the Wiimote. It doesn't exactly take an army of scientists to figure it out. What got you excited about buying a Wii in the first place? As much clout as Mario and Zelda have, it was most likely the thoughts of playing these games in a whole new way that first attracted you to the console. After all, we had great first party games on the GameCube (even with impressive visuals that rivaled the PS2), and history shows that Nintendo didn't take the world by storm with that hardware.
Price cuts and great games will continue to strengthen the positions of the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, but they aren't going to take out the top dog just yet. Somewhere in the well-lit recesses of the research and development departments of each respective company, Sony and Microsoft are taking this into account, and are deep in the planning process of countering Nintendo's next showing. Sony tried heading it off (this round) at the start with an offshoot of its own, the SIXAXIS controller. It didn't seem to help, and Microsoft took notice.
Does this mean that Sony and Microsoft need to resolve themselves to defeat and let Nintendo enjoy its time in the Sun? Like that's going to happen! With time, both are going to continue to cut into Nintendo's lead by doing what they are doing now: cutting prices and making great games. I'm not going to say that the Wii will stay on top forever, but I'm not going to predict its downfall either. Until near about everyone has it, sales of the Wii are likely to continue. Say what you may about the visuals and quality of the games as compared to the Xbox 360 or PS3, the underdog that is Nintendo is very much holding its own -- and like I said before, it has everything to do with the Wiimote.
Flashy graphics and blinding processor speed might be important to the most vocal in the gaming community, but to the average consumer, its all about interesting controllers that let you get off the couch and mimic movements that are familiar to us all on a basic level. They don't tend to hang out on message boards and blogs like us, but their buying power speaks for itself. We like to take an elitist's view of the whole situation, but we always seem to forget that we are but a slice of the complete picture. We just bitch a lot more.
I still wonder how naysayers would feel about the Wii if it had hardware that was somewhere in between the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Would they still love to hate it?
Contest:
10:29 AM on 01.18.2008
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I love it, I just don't have that "drive" to play it on a consistant basis right now. (or maybe cause i'm just too lazy to start a fire or heater in the basement.)
And there is going to be a blatant lack of sunlight hitting my eyes...
Wii sales have to slow down sooner or later, but I don't think it'll happen in the first half of this year.
The controller is useless without the good games to back it up, of which most of them are made by Nintendo. If Sony and Microsoft want to compete with that, it'll be more than just making a controller for their system and hoping the rest will take care of itself.
Sorry. I'm cranky before lunch.
In all honesty, barring a FF VII remake on PS3 that sends the mindless fanboys and devs swarming to Sony, I think Nintendo has this generation "won" (term used loosely).
If you ask me, the real question is what Nintendo will do next gen to continue their success. Motion control and some lower-end HD graphics won't be enough, because I GUARANTEE you Microsoft and Sony will be scrambling to implement motion control into their next systems. Nintendo will have to come up with some other innovation to stay on top.
P.S Pachter is an idiot.
I prefer being lazy on the couch and play with my wireless controller.
To each his own!
I saw this unfold in my living room as my in-laws played Wii Sports. You hand them a Wiimote and they figure out how to use it in a few seconds. I showed them a Wavebird and they had no idea how one would manipulate it. The secret to the Wii is not the motion-sensing controller. It is the SIMPLIFED controller that people who don't know the difference between A,B,X and Y can easily figure out. People are getting hung up on the "waggle." It's not about the motion sensitivity. It's all about the simplicity. The same simplicity of the NES controller with its d-pad and two buttons. Motion-sensing was simply one way of simplifying videogame control schemes in order to give non-gamers a chance to have fun, and possibly enjoy themselves.
Online complaints of Wiis collecting dust have no value. If every single person who visited Destructoid was a Wii-hater, the Wii would still be number one. The entire online gamershpere is still a tiny fragment of the total population of the Earth. And the Total Population of the Earth is Nintendo's target demographic.
I think if the PS3 and 360 today added motion wands and dongle controllers I'm not sure it could dethrone what Nintendo has made with the Wii its a brand much like the iPod. Its become almost a status symbol in itself.
But I do feel the Wii does have a probability to fade. If people don't buy new games and support the 3rd parties this may fade back to being a system we use to play the same Nintendo franchises we got a cube for.
Hype goes a long way to make people want a system its the hot toy but what happens when its easy to get if people get bored of it. The 360 and PS3's main targeted audience are gamers that have been gamers and will probably still be gamers for the forseable future. The Wii has those gamers too but they are a smaller slice (Zack and Wiki Sales should be a testiment to this). We will just have to see if the Wii can hold the interest of the casuals and maybe even make them more than casual players.
Sure, some consoles are just plain rubbish, but that's not what this post is about.
I too think that Wii has already tied this round up, just like the DS did the handheld market. By the end of 08', Nintendo are still gonna be on top, in fact I'd be willing to bet on it. Why?
The reason isn't what many expect, but I think its gonna be Wii Fit. While many have frowned upon it since its E3 debut, as far as those valuable casual gamers are concerned, I believe this game alone will seal this year for Nintendo.
Do you disagree? Then think about this. Many people across the planet pay huge sums of money for gym memberships etc, most of them female. Tie this bit of math to Wii Fit and once the ads hit home for its release, that the Wii shortage is gonna continue into 09', as more women will want one for their personal use. Never underestimate the spending power of the working female.
That's a whole lot of people and Wii sales.
Interesting point, and I see where you are coming from. We should never underestimate the casuals, as they are the reason the Wii has been so successful in the first place.
I'm also well aware of the temporary fitness craze that spreads across the nation after the holidays have passed us by. I'm just not sure if these people will be looking to spend $250 on a console, plus the cost of a game in order to do it. That is also taking into consideration that they are able to get their hands on either one in the first place.
For whatever reason, people are more forgiving about throwing away money on gym memberships that they don't use, than on an electronic device such as a console. I guess they justify it under the personal health improvement is greater than their entertainment argument.
I think if the PS3 and 360 today added motion wands and dongle controllers I'm not sure it could dethrone what Nintendo has made with the Wii its a brand much like the iPod. Its become almost a status symbol in itself.
But I do feel the Wii does have a probability to fade. If people don't buy new games and support the 3rd parties this may fade back to being a system we use to play the same Nintendo franchises we got a cube for.
Hype goes a long way to make people want a system its the hot toy but what happens when its easy to get if people get bored of it. The 360 and PS3's main targeted audience are gamers that have been gamers and will probably still be gamers for the forseable future. The Wii has those gamers too but they are a smaller slice (Zack and Wiki Sales should be a testiment to this). We will just have to see if the Wii can hold the interest of the casuals and maybe even make them more than casual players.