Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 sales numbers

[cdog90260]

"Wii sales in Japan totaled 1.69 million units as of Feb. 25, compared with 700,747 for PS3, according to Enterbrain Inc., a Tokyo-based research firm"

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=akC4ohHFOXS4

------------------------

This may not be a surprise, but it's interesting. The article also notes DS compared to PSP sales numbers.

[Libertarian]

Here are some overall numbers.

The Wii is kicking booty.

http://nexgenwars.com/

[RonDo]

Not suprising in the least bit.

[cawgijoe]

Not suprising in the least bit.

Not surprising at all considering the cheaper price of the Wii and that it's geared towards every member of the family being able to use it including Grampa and Gramma.

The Wii is a really fun system....wii(pun intended) own one, but so is the PS3.

[YfzinJay]

http://www.vgcharts.org/
More accurate in depth chart.

[AllSmilez]

Mmm...I wonder if this will start another console fight? Time will tell. :rolleyes:

[Square]

Mmm...I wonder if this will start another console fight? Time will tell. :rolleyes:
Has their been a thread in this section that hasn't become a console fight? I'm not sure it is possible :eek:

Completely random (sorry):

Honestly...had a good idea the other day. It will probably never happen, but I thought it was genius (at least for me). They should have one very good shooter type game that is a port to all the consoles. Then have a Gamespy type company host the online portion of the mulitplayer. THEN, you could only be on certain teams if you have certain consoles. The fanboys could ACTUALLY shoot each other and talk trash in game. It'd have to have mute buttons o' plenty for the real annoying people but I think it could work. Matter of fact...it'd probably be a blast (when you are winning). So many people take this console stuff so seriously...it'd be interesting to see which console had the best gamers. I mean it would probably turn the current fanboy wars into a more ridiculous mess (if possible), but it'd be interesting. I dunno, there'd probably be plenty of bad with the good though.

[muskgrave]

then they could meet out on the street and slaughter one another over a peice of electronics and the gene pool would be a little cleaner.

[ssjmichael]

Recent reports showed PS3 sales were increasing in Japan while Wii sales were going down. Again these initial numbers hardly mean anything. Come back in 1-2 years and see if they still hold up.

[Phreaker47]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Wii's initial surge die down. People who are normally non-gamers see that wiimote/nunchuck gameplay and want to give it a shot. It could account for the early surge and also explain why it may not last. But to be fair, Nintendo obviously has their most successful system since the SNES on their hands. I just don't expect their early lead to last over Sony. It's just my honest opinion, not a fanboy thing.

[THQ Bone]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Wii's initial surge die down. People who are normally non-gamers see that wiimote/nunchuck gameplay and want to give it a shot. It could account for the early surge and also explain why it may not last. But to be fair, Nintendo obviously has their most successful system since the SNES on their hands. I just don't expect their early lead to last over Sony. It's just my honest opinion, not a fanboy thing.

i couldn't agree more.. just from personal experience. i jumped on the wii out of curiosity, got it home, played it for an hour and hated it. i guess i'm in the minority. i'm now the happy owner of a PS3 and the wii is out of the house. the PS3 will pick up the lead, imho.

[YfzinJay]

Wouldn't it be easy for sony to develop a wii type controller for their ps3?

[jacks81x]

i couldn't agree more.. just from personal experience. i jumped on the wii out of curiosity, got it home, played it for an hour and hated it. i guess i'm in the minority. i'm now the happy owner of a PS3 and the wii is out of the house. the PS3 will pick up the lead, imho.

I agree also. Once the novelty of the wiimote dies down, the sales will level off. Both the 360 and PS3 are built to last for the next 5 years. While the Wii is built to succeed now. It's fine if people say they don't need the next-gen graphics or HD support right now, but in 2 years time they're going to want all that.

[RonDo]

The PS3 may take a lead eventually but anywhere in the 360 premium price range and up means it'll never get close to PS2 system sales numbers and that will likely be the ultimate benchmark on whether it is successful or not.

[ssjmichael]

Wouldn't it be easy for sony to develop a wii type controller for their ps3?

Sure. The Wii controller could be made for the PS3, Xbox 360 and even the PC. The point is, is that the way want to play all our games? I personally do not, at least not as my primary style of gaming. The Wii is the perfect secondary console for times when you want to be a bit more physically interactive with games.

[noobody]

I agree also. Once the novelty of the wiimote dies down, the sales will level off. Both the 360 and PS3 are built to last for the next 5 years. While the Wii is built to succeed now. It's fine if people say they don't need the next-gen graphics or HD support right now, but in 2 years time they're going to want all that.


that is the point, big N can introduce wiii in 2 years, with better graphics, hd-dvd/bluegay (whatever wins) and better online play, ppl will spend 250 all over again!

[RockOut25]

that is the point, big N can introduce wiii in 2 years, with better graphics, hd-dvd/bluegay (whatever wins) and better online play, ppl will spend 250 all over again!

NOT:lmao:

[Shink]

http://www.vgcharts.org/
More accurate in depth chart.

The most amazing thing about this chart, to me, is just how the Nintendo DS has taken off. When it was released, no one really cared because it was all about the PSP, but then Nintendogs kicked off some kind of golden age for the system and it hasn't looked back. The DS Lite also helped with that.

[ssjmichael]

The most amazing thing about this chart, to me, is just how the Nintendo DS has taken off. When it was released, no one really cared because it was all about the PSP, but then Nintendogs kicked off some kind of golden age for the system and it hasn't looked back. The DS Lite also helped with that.

DS Lite is definitely a big part of it. I would've never gotten the original DS but the DS Lite had a great design and a mice bright screen. PSP sales realyl aren't horrible and I'd say it was a successful debut handheld for sony. Sales have been increasing steadily with it and when PSP 2.0 comes out, they should go up even more. I'll probably get one myself

[cdog90260]

NOT:lmao:

you can bank on it; if anything we've noticed in the past is that game consoles never stay the same. They always upgrade

[jacks81x]

The most amazing thing about this chart, to me, is just how the Nintendo DS has taken off. When it was released, no one really cared because it was all about the PSP, but then Nintendogs kicked off some kind of golden age for the system and it hasn't looked back. The DS Lite also helped with that.

I think that was more of a product of Sony spending all that money marketing the PSP and creating the hype. It's not that people didn't care about the DS. If you check the initial sales of the DS and PSP. The DS crossed the 1 million in its 4th week of release while the PSP crossed that mark in its 13th week of release. So right off the bat the DS has been in the lead the whole time.

[RockOut25]

Nintendo has always been in the lead when it comes to handheld gaming. But, Sony has actually made a dent (~35% or so of market share based on the #'s btw ds and psp). Which is pretty good imo. Now they have to build upon it with the next psp, etc.

And why do people only mention the Wii against the PS3? If I was M$, I'd be shitting in my pants.

The only problem I foresee with the Wii is two things:
1) The increasing number of hdtv's that will be sold over upcoming years
2) The extreme ease of modding the system. ----> No point in buying games.

[Square]

And why do people only mention the Wii against the PS3? If I was M$, I'd be shitting in my pants.

I dunno. M$ seems to be doing as good as they ever have. People seem very content with their systems (the majority) and the Live service. I think M$ is just always going to be first to market so they get a head start. It makes some sense.

[thermoelectron]

that is the point, big N can introduce wiii in 2 years, with better graphics, hd-dvd/bluegay (whatever wins) and better online play, ppl will spend 250 all over again!

That's an interesting speculation that has crossed my mind. 2 years down the line nintendo could come out with a system that's more powerful than PS3 with their controller scheme and at a lower if not more competitive price due to lower manufacturing costs of better components 2 years down the line. They're in a good position to do this because the Wii, unlike PS3, has profitted since launch. By that I mean that while the PS3 sells at a loss, the Wii does not. Now we can bring up sega CD and saturn and sega32x. but if it's priced right,backwards compatible, developer friendly, you could see a more stable transition from one system to the other. Nintendo has been quite successful with reintroducing new versions of GB and now DS. granted they're more aesthetic and minor hardware increases, but it can be done.

It would definitely put a lot of pressure on Sony since the main selling point of PS3 is that it's next gen hardware wise. Well if the next gen for nintendo came earlier than expected, Sony might be forced to focus on PS4 well before they reap the benefits of PS3.

But on the otherhand, it's too early to tell the long range appeal of the Wii is. based on the past 2 home systems for nintendo, it looks bleak. Both N64 and GC generated huge interest at launch and became lackluster as time progressed. But this time it seems that nintendo has a new target demographic so it's a little more difficult to predict the system's overall success.

In the end it comes down to which of the 3 system provides the better library of games. Will better graphical potential provide for better gameplay or will a different control scheme do it? That's the question we should really be asking. I personally don't know the answer to that one, but it's wrong to simply conclude that only graphical potential =better games.

By the way, I think the best selling nintendo system to date since the SNES is one of the gameboys.

[cdog90260]

The only problem I foresee with the Wii is two things:
1) The increasing number of hdtv's that will be sold over upcoming years
2) The extreme ease of modding the system. ----> No point in buying games.
1) wii already has the component cables for 480p if you wish; it's not 1080p, but fills the slot nicely.

2) The people that do mods are a small portion. Ps2's were modded by a very minute amount of people.

[Shink]

I think Nintendo's problem will be this first year of release. I think the runaway success of the Wii caught most people off guard as you don't really see any big third party titles planned at all for 2007. Assuming a Wii game's dev cycle is much shorter than a PS3 or XB360 game, if developers started projects around launch time, it would be mid to late 2008 before we see a non-Nintendo killer game for Wii.

I just hope the Wii will allow for lower budget and more creative games back into gaming. I, for one, am tired of sequel after sequel.

[QUOTE=cdog90260;5972419
2) The people that do mods are a small portion. Ps2's were modded by a very minute amount of people.[/QUOTE]

I agree, the only system truly hurt by piracy was the Dreamcast, and that was because it didn't require a mod chip.

[YfzinJay]

hat's an interesting speculation that has crossed my mind. 2 years down the line nintendo could come out with a system that's more powerful than PS3 with their controller scheme and at a lower if not more competitive price due to lower manufacturing costs of better components 2 years down the line. They're in a good position to do this because the Wii, unlike PS3, has profitted since launch. By that I mean that while the PS3 sells at a loss, the Wii does not.

Sony is a big corperation they are not suffering at all by losing a few dollars on PS3. Keep in mind of everything they make and just not video games. Also, I believe it would be easier for sony or xbox to introduce a new controller a la the wii than it would be for nintendo to develop a new console.

[cdog90260]

Sony is a big corperation they are not suffering at all by losing a few dollars on PS3. Keep in mind of everything they make and just not video games. Also, I believe it would be easier for sony or xbox to introduce a new controller a la the wii than it would be for nintendo to develop a new console.
I think it would be the other way around. Nintendo probably has a zillion patents on it.

While making better graphics will be cakewalk; in the next two years, price of graphics technology will go down, and they can use older cheaper processors capable of 1080p. Another console release in say 3 years? will be a nice surge for the wii.

[jacks81x]

Not that Nintendo can't come out with a new console in 2 years time, but I think it's unlikely they would. I don't think 3rd party developers would like that idea very much either, knowing that they only have a 2 year window to develop and sell their games before the next Nintendo console comes out. 3 or 4 years I can see happening, but I think 2 is a bit too soon. It's more likely I think that Nintendo will release an upgraded Wii as opposed to releasing a brand new console within the next 2 years. I don't know how accurate the report is, but according to what I read a while back on IGN Nintendo is releasing a new Wii later this year with more multimedia functions, such as movie playback capabilities.

[Phreaker47]

That's an interesting speculation that has crossed my mind. 2 years down the line nintendo could come out with a system that's more powerful than PS3 with their controller scheme and at a lower if not more competitive price due to lower manufacturing costs of better components 2 years down the line. They're in a good position to do this because the Wii, unlike PS3, has profitted since launch. By that I mean that while the PS3 sells at a loss, the Wii does not. Now we can bring up sega CD and saturn and sega32x. but if it's priced right,backwards compatible, developer friendly, you could see a more stable transition from one system to the other. Nintendo has been quite successful with reintroducing new versions of GB and now DS. granted they're more aesthetic and minor hardware increases, but it can be done.

It would definitely put a lot of pressure on Sony since the main selling point of PS3 is that it's next gen hardware wise. Well if the next gen for nintendo came earlier than expected, Sony might be forced to focus on PS4 well before they reap the benefits of PS3.


Won't happen. Not ever, not by a long shot. For Nintendo to introduce another new console, after barely (or less than) half the expected life span of a console generation, sporting PS3-like bells and whistles, would be a complete about-face and insult to the entire image Nintendo has built and the target audience of the Wii. Wii marketing revolves around the whole "fun and innovation doesn't have to be expensive" idea. And price wouldn't matter, because even another $250 console would still have gamers feeling cheated with the Wii. Imagine what people would think of them if they suddenly pulled this 180. It would be total and complete suicide.

[thermoelectron]

by the way here's a link to the patent for the wiimote. I didn't read it all..

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20070049374&OS=20070049374&RS=20070049374

I believe console hardware is patented too. So the answer is no, you can't just take a PS3 and tack on a wiimote and least not legally. Conversely, you can't copy the PS3 cell and bluray architecture. However, you can design a system architecture that outputs better graphics easily without infringing on copyrights since hardware components are readily available. However, designing something that does what a wiimote does without infringing on patents isn't as easy.

What is the life of a patent? I'm pretty sure it's not forever. With pharceutical drugs, it's about 7 years. I don't know what it is for other things anyone know?

[Jason's Storm]

Another thing that hurt PSP was that their UMD (or whatever it was) to play movies on it PSP bombed terribly. I think it was rated as one of the worst technology disasters of all time by CNET.

~JS

[thermoelectron]

Won't happen. Not ever, not by a long shot. For Nintendo to introduce another new console, after barely (or less than) half the expected life span of a console generation, sporting PS3-like bells and whistles, would be a complete about-face and insult to the entire image Nintendo has built and the target audience of the Wii. Wii marketing revolves around the whole "fun and innovation doesn't have to be expensive" idea. And price wouldn't matter, because even another $250 console would still have gamers feeling cheated with the Wii. Imagine what people would think of them if they suddenly pulled this 180. It would be total and complete suicide.

I wouldn't say "not ever". It really depends on the long term appeal of the console. Nintendo's not going to continually support the system if a couple of years from now, it lags behind the other 2 consoles. For the foreseeable future, it's a ridiculous notion,I agree, since Wii is right now selling like hotcakes. But if software support dwindles and console sales lag, and the bottom line is hurting, then I wouldn't be surprised if nintendo is first out of the gate for next gen by an early margin.

[jacks81x]

Wouldn't there be patents for motion sensoring devices well before the Wii even came out? I've played plenty of arcade games in the past that utilized that technology. Anyway, it seems there has already been a lawsuit brought against Nintendo on patent infringements.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/750/750001p1.html

Either way, I wouldn't want a wiimote on the PS3 or 360 anyway. As "innovative" as the wiimote is, I think it's only suitable for certain games. I would still prefer using a controller for most games I play.

[ssjmichael]

Another thing that hurt PSP was that their UMD (or whatever it was) to play movies on it PSP bombed terribly. I think it was rated as one of the worst technology disasters of all time by CNET.

~JS

Mainly due to pricing. You can't expect people to buy movies on UMD's at the same price they cost on DVD. The technology is perfectly fine and playback quality is excellent.

[jacks81x]

I agree that Sony made a mistake in releasing movies on UMDs, but I don't think it had that much to do with the sales of the PSP. In the end it's the games that sell the system. If Sony never released movies on UMDs and just let it be a proprietary game format like the DS cartridge, I think sales would've been the same regardless.

I know a lot of ppl say the PSP failed because the DS outsold it, but I don't think Sony ever intended the PSP to overtake Nintendo's handhelds right away. All they wanted was to cut into Nintendo's dominance of the handheld market and go from there. It's been a success from what I see. They now have a ~35% market share on the handheld market. That's 35% more than what they had before the PSP.

[thermoelectron]

Wouldn't there be patents for motion sensoring devices well before the Wii even came out? I've played plenty of arcade games in the past that utilized that technology. Anyway, it seems there has already been a lawsuit brought against Nintendo on patent infringements.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/750/750001p1.html

Either way, I wouldn't want a wiimote on the PS3 or 360 anyway. As "innovative" as the wiimote is, I think it's only suitable for certain games. I would still prefer using a controller for most games I play.

I believe the gray area is utilization of the controller. I don't know how valid this lawsuit is b/c patent infringement lawsuits are brought up all the time.

There was a lawsuit brought on apple a few weeks back from a company that claims to have invented the mp3 player...

[RockOut25]

1) wii already has the component cables for 480p if you wish; it's not 1080p, but fills the slot nicely.


1) Please don't try and compare 480p to HD. That's silly. 480i to 480p in gaming is a slight bump. 480i/p to HD is a huge leap.

[RockOut25]

Mainly due to pricing. You can't expect people to buy movies on UMD's at the same price they cost on DVD. The technology is perfectly fine and playback quality is excellent.

yeah the pricing killed it.

Now, if they priced it to be $12 or less....or added it as a bonus to Sony DVDs/BDs...

[Libertarian]

I really think the new Mario (http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=41565&t=467973) will push Wii sales through the roof. Remember how many people bought an SNES just for Super Mario World...or a N64 for Mario 64?

[RockOut25]

I'd be surprised if Nintendo released a new console a couple years down the road. Wasn't the Wii fairly easy to make since its rather similar to the gamecube?

[jacks81x]

I really think the new Mario (http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=41565&t=467973) will push Wii sales through the roof. Remember how many people bought an SNES just for Super Mario World...or a N64 for Mario 64?

Those Mario games have sold less and less since the SNES days. Mario Sunshine on the GC sold less than 4 million units worldwide, well below the 12 million units that Mario 64 sold. Those platform Mario games are no longer as popular as they once were. The flagship system seller game on the Wii IMO is going to be Smash Bros Brawl.

[BrunoWii]

You guys are missing something important. The reason the N64 and GC couldn't keep the fervor of their respective launches is because, for various reasons, Nintendo couldn't garner enough 3rd party confidence, and the quantity of 3rd party games for the systems suffered. At this early stage, Nintendo seems to have the full support of some of the bigger 3rd parties like EA. This will make a huge difference in keeping the Wii on the cutting edge. As long as Nintendo doesn't somehow screw that up :)

Once Nintendo can make a Wii Mach 2 with HD capabilities for 250-300 bucks, they'll do it.

[YfzinJay]

This is very true. Current Wii owners are very diverse scoping many demographics. This will attract developers for every genre instead of ones targeting children.

[cdog90260]

1) Please don't try and compare 480p to HD. That's silly. 480i to 480p in gaming is a slight bump. 480i/p to HD is a huge leap.
huge leap? With movies then yes, but with cartoon type stuff, not a big issue.

wii games are not high graphics type games, and it really doesnt matter much. the HD factor is a very small reason why people buy the wii, and that is the main core of the arguement.

I watch a lot of programming in SD, and do watch the occasional HD. There's a noticeable difference, but It's not like when stuff went from vcr to dvd, that was a huge jump. DVD to HD, not much of a jump. If you must have it, then it's available; I just think it's overhyped, especially when you sit back a few yards to play games. It's an absolute non factor once you're hooked into the game.

[Shink]

It's also worth noting that the highest rated game in 2006, according to Metacritic, was Twilight Princess for Gamecube (96), followed by the Wii version (95), and Gears of War (94), Metal Gear Solid 3: Substinence (94). Graphics definitely can enhance the game, but they don't define the game - three of the four titles are essentially "last gen". And 2007's top title so far looks like it might be God of War 2, which has checked in at a 95.

[skudzu]

it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Wii's success. plain and simple, it's ease of play. with each new next gen system, comes even more complicated game play manuvers. people are yearning for the days when you could just pop a game in, and play instantly without having to read a MANUAL on how to work the controllers. Nintendo brought the "fun factor" back into the game. graphics wise, it holds it's own with the Xbox and PS2. so what's the beef? you want better graphics? then get the 360 or the PS3.but keep in mind, to get those better graphics, you're gonna have to dish out even more money for an HDTV. til HDTV'S start dropping in price, the Wii is the more feasable option for now. that's the reason for it's success. and don't think Nintendo's sitting idlely by, you can bet there's expansion plans for the near future. in case you forgot, they brought video gaming back from the dead. in a sense that's exactly what they're doing AGAIN.

[jacks81x]

I don't see how Nintendo is bringing video gaming back from the dead "again" when the video game industry has experienced its greatest growth in the last 5 years....

[muskgrave]

yeah that's really not an accurate statement about nintendo bringing video games back from the dead...perhaps in the 80's but not today. If anything they sparked interest in those who never were gamers and perhaps "resurrected" those who were gamers in the past but grew weary of the 18-button combo's the new games require :P.

Someone the other day made a comment about Halo being a "ground-breaking" video game...you're kidding right...a FPS is not breaking any ground, it's treading the same ground since the early 90's.

[Phreaker47]

I don't see how Nintendo is bringing video gaming back from the dead "again" when the video game industry has experienced its greatest growth in the last 5 years....

It's marketing hype. They're trying to carve a niche.

[jacksonpritt]

Wii does in fact rock faces in February

Posted Mar 16th 2007 10:40AM by Jason Wishnov
We won!So, for once, video game analysts were right and, once again, Wii Fanboy claims bragging rights around the office; this means that PS3 Fanboy and Xbox 360 Fanboy have to do the dishes for the entire month. Awesome.

NPD data shows the Wii as the clear console sales winner for the second straight month with 335,000 units sold. The only system able to top the Wii was its cute little sibling, the DS Lite, selling a whopping 485,000 units; Nintendo claimed 54% of all hardware sales last month. As proud as are, we can't help but wonder how many would have been sold with a decent supply chain. It was cool for awhile, but the fact that Nintendo can't produce enough units five months after release is getting a bit disturbing. Get it in gear!


LINK (http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2007/03/16/wii-does-in-fact-rock-faces-in-february/)
Same info was posted on Joystiq.com but I like the NintendoWiiFanboy.com writeup better. :)

[skudzu]

[QUOTE=muskgrave;5984082]yeah that's really not an accurate statement about nintendo bringing video games back from the dead...perhaps in the 80's but not today. If anything they sparked interest in those who never were gamers and perhaps "resurrected" those who were gamers in the past but grew weary of the 18-button combo's the new games require :P.

isn't that what i said?

[funkmasterta]

then they could meet out on the street and slaughter one another over a peice of electronics and the gene pool would be a little cleaner.

:lmao:

[funkmasterta]

I don't see how Nintendo is bringing video gaming back from the dead "again" when the video game industry has experienced its greatest growth in the last 5 years....

i think he meant that they brought it to the masses and you have to admit that they did "revolution"ize the way humans interact with games. u don't need 18 button controllers, u just need a 3d controller.

of course nintendo can't rest on its laurels becuz you can bet that sony & xbox are coming out w/even better and more accurate 3d motion controllers for their next gen consoles.

man, those two never saw this coming, feeling so confident with the specs of their hardware. i love it when the little guy wins.

[timsy]

I dunno. M$ seems to be doing as good as they ever have. People seem very content with their systems (the majority) and the Live service. I think M$ is just always going to be first to market so they get a head start. It makes some sense.

Snort.
Sorry but I try not to comment on these threads and here I am.

I'm a marketing professionally in a very different industry but many of the principles are the same all over. Key to a new platform launch are a few metrics: when does the volume sold hit mass acceptance i.e. give you pricing power, when have you sold enough to pay back your upfront cost (NRE), does the new platform grow your marketshare, and when have you sold enough systems to make 3rd party support profitable and attractive.

The XBox 360 has been an amazing success for MS. They started with 10% share and the most pessimistic projection puts them at 35+% worldwide marketshare for this generation. Some recent studies estimate is takes $9M to develop a top ranked game and it needs 900k units sales of that game to hit profitability. With 10M units sold a developer needs a less than 10% sell rate to achieve that and it's a no brainer to develop for Xbox 360.

Wii has gone from <10% share and is projected to hit maybe 30% over the life of this generation of consoles. Development costs are lower so it will attract 3rd parties. Another huge success.

PS3 came in it at 2x the original development costs and will shrink Sony from 70% to 30-40% marketshare or less. They do not have enough units sold to make their console attractive to 3rd parties and won't hit that point until next Christmas selling season. Check what the head of Electronic Arts said. Until then, Sony will keep writing checks to keep 3rd parties on board and selling the fact that they were big winners in the last generation. Sony will eventually get their upfront money back but any dispassionate estimate of the PS3 would call the massive marketshare loss, cost overruns and schedule misses a huge failure, hence the head of PS3 development losing his job.

I bought the first console I have ever purchased for Christmas this year. All 3 consoles were in a row for a demo and I tried each one. The Wii had lots of initial attraction but wasn't in stock, the Sony and MS systems had better graphics and were basically very similiar to each other. The system I bought was $199 including wireless remote, a hard drive and a robust online system. There was a huge long row of games available for it at the store where I bought it. It was a very easy decision given the $600 competitor had few games, wasn't really available and promised it would someday support an online system.

[mwoodruf]

it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Wii's success. plain and simple, it's ease of play. with each new next gen system, comes even more complicated game play manuvers. people are yearning for the days when you could just pop a game in, and play instantly without having to read a MANUAL on how to work the controllers. Nintendo brought the "fun factor" back into the game. graphics wise, it holds it's own with the Xbox and PS2. so what's the beef? you want better graphics? then get the 360 or the PS3.but keep in mind, to get those better graphics, you're gonna have to dish out even more money for an HDTV. til HDTV'S start dropping in price, the Wii is the more feasable option for now. that's the reason for it's success. and don't think Nintendo's sitting idlely by, you can bet there's expansion plans for the near future. in case you forgot, they brought video gaming back from the dead. in a sense that's exactly what they're doing AGAIN.

I agree with all that. But you forgot the most important thing. It's $150 cheaper than its nearest competitor.

[skudzu]

i think he meant that they brought it to the masses and you have to admit that they did "revolution"ize the way humans interact with games. u don't need 18 button controllers, u just need a 3d controller.

of course nintendo can't rest on its laurels becuz you can bet that sony & xbox are coming out w/even better and more accurate 3d motion controllers for their next gen consoles.

man, those two never saw this coming, feeling so confident with the specs of their hardware. i love it when the little guy wins.

Thank You. my point exactly. also read the article i enclosed. Nintendo is definately not sitting around twiddeling their thumbs.







During the mid-1980s, Nintendo revolutionized home video gaming when they introduced the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Now, it looks as though history is repeating itself. Once again, Nintendo has changed the way we get our game on with their latest offering, the Wii. While Wii’s claim to fame is its ability to provide the gamer with a truly immersive gaming experience, the fact that Wii possesses a number of other “Next Gen” capabilities is sometimes overlooked.

Wii Channels
One of Wii’s most important features is its effortless internet connectability to Ethernet hardwire or Wi-Fi networks. In a matter of a few utterly painless minutes, Wii becomes a true living room multi-media internet portal. Access to Wii’s many channels providing online content is obtained simply via the main menu. Wii’s Weather Channel plugs directly into weather data from around the world. One can view the current local weather conditions and both a 24-hour and 5-day forecast for just about any city on Earth, large or small. The interface has an almost “Google Earth” feel to it and is very user-friendly.

Wii’s online uses continue with its News Channel. Connecting directly to the Associated Press newswire, users can browse for anything from the latest in world news to up to the minute sports scores. Again, Wii demonstrates its user-friendly attitude by offering a unique way to find just the news you want. Like Wii’s Weather Channel, the News Channel features another Google Earth-type graphical user interface, allowing for the selection of news relevant to a certain city or geographical region. For example, if New York City news is desired, the user simply spins the globe until they see “New York City”, and then clicks on the city’s icon. All news pertaining to NYC will then be presented for browsing. It’s really like having an up-to-the-minute newspaper delivered directly through the T.V. on demand.

Wii also offers a Shopping Channel. The user may purchase “Wii Points” to use for acquiring new pay-based add-ons. Wii points are either purchased like gift cards at major department and electronics stores, or they can be obtained online through the Wii Shop Channel with a credit card. Wii Points are sold in allotments of 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, or 5,000 and cost $10, $20, $30, and $50, respectively.

Web Surfing
Another great feature of Wii is its Opera-based web browser. It allows a person to sit back and point-and-click their way around the World Wide Web while lounging about the living room. As with every aspect of Wii’s user interface, browsing is done using the “Wii-mote”.

Surfing the web has never been easier, and can be enjoyed by anyone from almost any age group. Wii has all the functionality of a standard PC web browser, and even allows for viewing online videos. Although Wii really isn’t a PC replacement, its online browsing capability lends itself easily to providing the user with internet-based entertainment.

Virtual Console
One truly exciting and fun aspect of this channel is the ability to purchase video games of yesteryear for download. For an average of a few hundred Wii points, a person can download an old favorite from the NES, Super NES, Sega Genesis, Turbo Grafx 16, and Nintendo 64 consoles. After purchase, the Virtual Console game is downloaded onto Wii’s hard-drive where it will be ready to play immediately. Keep in mind though, the majority of Virtual Console games require the Classic Gamepad which is sold separately at most electronics outlets.

Photos
Wii can be used as a platform for enjoying all day to day photos via the Photo Channel. It provides a number of viewing and editing options. What makes it so great is Wii was designed to accept direct input from SD memory cards. This means the SD card in a digital camera can simply be removed and inserted directly into the SD slot on Wii’s front-side access panel. From the Photo Channel, shots may be immediately accessed either individually, or by starting up a number of slideshow options that will progress the photos to a selection of music chosen by the user.

There is even a photo-editing element for having some extra fun with pictures on-screen. It allows for making basic changes like black & white and brightness, and features a simple way to draw on-screen with the Wii-mote. Another cool little function will take the photo and break it into a 6-piece puzzle. Understand though that the photo editing does seem to be geared more for children than for adults, but sometimes it’s fun to act like a kid every now and then, right?

Always Something New
On the system-side of things, Wii points may also be used to purchase new system add-ons as they become available. For example, email is reportedly on the way. Nintendo intentionally designed Wii to be upgradeable. As an upgrade becomes available, Wii’s blue LED lighting will glow and pulsate. From there, a simple push of a button or two delivers the new upgrade. This may be a free software addition or fix, or it could mean a brand new pay feature has become available. Either way, the user will never have a doubt whether or not something new is in store.

Nintendo’s television and print ads make the statement, “Wii would like to play.” That statement is quite true. The gaming experience Wii provides rates about a “10” on the fun factor scale; however, Wii also likes to “do”. It does so much more than play straight video games. The extras discussed here are merely the beginning. One only needs to see the number of empty channel slots to realize that Wii has much more in store down the road. For a box slightly larger than a paperback book, Wii can already transform a living room into a fairly powerful multi-media gateway. And with regular content and capability upgrading from Nintendo, it just keeps getting better.

[jacks81x]

They should've included some "current-gen" capabilities also, like DVD movie playback.

[skudzu]

i'm sure that's on the horizon. but my question is, why would you want DVD playback on a gaming system? my understanding is there are still over heating due to DVD playback issues with the PS2 to this day.

[jacks81x]

i'm sure that's on the horizon. but my question is, why would you want DVD playback on a gaming system? my understanding is there are still over heating due to DVD playback issues with the PS2 to this day.


Why would I want to browse the internet or do my shopping on a gaming system? I'd much rather have the DVD playback capabilities personally. I have a 1st generation PS2 and XBox 360. I have yet to encounter any over-heating issues due to DVD playback.

[valkyriex]

I would've liked if my Wii could play DVDs too. I haven't had a standalone DVD player for years and have always relied on my PS2. I gave my PS2 to my little cousin after I bought my Wii. I had no idea it couldn't play DVDs. That to me is much more essential than being able to do stuff like photo editing, which I would never do on a game console anyway.

[skudzu]

Why would I want to browse the internet or do my shopping on a gaming system? I'd much rather have the DVD playback capabilities personally. I have a 1st generation PS2 and XBox 360. I have yet to encounter any over-heating issues due to DVD playback.

ok, but does it still work? have heard horror stories about PS2 dvd functions. by the way, you can go out and get a TRUE DVD player for cheaper than the cost of a PS2 DVD remote.so what's the point? you don't wanna browse the internet on a game system, but you wanna watch tv? go figure.

[jacks81x]

ok, but does it still work? have heard horror stories about PS2 dvd functions. by the way, you can go out and get a TRUE DVD player for cheaper than the cost of a PS2 DVD remote.so what's the point? you don't wanna browse the internet on a game system, but you wanna watch tv? go figure.

Yes, it works perfectly fine. I don't need to buy a DVD remote since the controller is fine for me. Second, I like to watch movies on my TV in my living room. Is it that strange? I have a PS2 and XBox 360 hooked up to the TV. Both can play DVDs. So there's no point for me to go out and buy a THIRD device to just play movies.

I prefer using the mouse and keyboard to browse the internet. When I download files off the internet I want it to be on my PC. That's what's convenient for me. If it's more convenient for you to browse the internet on a gaming system, then good for you. It's not an issue with the Wii. Internet browsing on any gaming system doesn't really appeal to me at all. It's much more convenient for me to come to SD and post messages using my PC than it is using a game system. If I'm in the minority on this then I'm in the minority. I'm not going to change my lifestyle just to conform to others.

[skudzu]

am i missing something here? who's telling you to change your lifestyle? you don't want a Wii, but you beef cause it doesn't have a DVD player. believe it or not, people want it for the gaming experience, as most already have a DVD anyway. just as you prefer to watch movies with a gaming system, i find it an experience to be able to play a game then surf the net on my TV from the comfort of my living room, without having to tie up my PC. so to each his own. if you have kids and only 1 PC this option is a blessing in disguise.

[valkyriex]

I think it would be a good feature to have. I certainly would prefer if my Wii can play my DVDs. Like I mentioned already, I depend on my game console to watch my DVDs. The only other option is my PC. I only have 1 PC at my house and there are 5 of us in the family. So if my Wii can play DVDs, that would also be a "blessing in disguise".

[RockOut25]

would it really have raised the cost of the wii that much to include dvd playback? I mean, a few people here have said nintendo could just do a firmware upgrade. if it was that simple....

[valkyriex]

would it really have raised the cost of the wii that much to include dvd playback? I mean, a few people here have said nintendo could just do a firmware upgrade. if it was that simple....


No, it shouldn't. You can get a cheap POS DVD drive off the street and it'll be able to play a DVD. I can't imagine how much more it could've raised the price of the system. :rolleyes:

[STREND]

OMG why do people care so much what other people buy?

My system is better than yours Bla Bla Bla

I also like:

Pepsi vs. Coke
Chevy vs. Ford
Pepper vs. Salt

:shake:

[cdog90260]

Very interesting tidbit about the wii and it's mass appeal:

"The Wii has been a big hit in an Illinois retirement home, where the inmates are organizing Wii Bowling tournaments and showing up their grandkids. The Mayo Clinic and the International Sports Science Association are already studying the potential health benefits of Wii games. You can't buy that sort of word of mouth."

http://videogames.yahoo.com/ongoingfeature?eid=509116&page=1

that's gotta be a video game first. Aside from DDR, I havent seen a system/game have such a reach on a wide array of people.

[Square]

OMG why do people care so much what other people buy?

My system is better than yours Bla Bla Bla

I also like:

Pepsi vs. Coke
Chevy vs. Ford
Pepper vs. Salt

Dude...Salt kicks Pepper's ass. *pulls out a spork* Who wants to fight about it?

[muskgrave]

pepper rulz

[H00t]

Nintendo has never had DVD or any other sort of video playback on any of its consoles before. It's almost as if they want to make a statement that they are focused only on gaming and are not interested in being some sort of media player...but then they had those overpriced cartoons on GBA cartridges, so that kind of blows that theory out of the water...

[jacksonpritt]

Nintendo has never had DVD or any other sort of video playback on any of its consoles before. It's almost as if they want to make a statement that they are focused only on gaming and are not interested in being some sort of media player...but then they had those overpriced cartoons on GBA cartridges, so that kind of blows that theory out of the water...

As a Wii and DS owner, I have to admit to being pretty annoyed at the lack of DVD on the Wii.
THAT SAID, I doubt I'd use my Wii as a DVD player even if I had the option.
I had the DVD playback stuff for my Xbox and almost never used it, and the Wii would have to put out 480p (or maybe 1080i) widescreen video for me to want to use it as a DVD player and I don't know how realistic that is.

[Shink]

Umm, the Wii puts out 480p widescreen in games, so I'd say it would be realistic :)