Microsoft dismisses Wii as a child’s toy in yet another attack
A top US Microsoft executive has dismissed Nintendo’s Wii console as a child’s toy. This follows an attack on the PlayStation 3 by a Microsoft UK executive earlier in the week.
John Rodman, group product manager for the Xbox platform and Xbox Live, told the New York Times that the Wii is essentially for children, while the Xbox 360 is for serious gamers.
“We don’t feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing. We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14 they want something else,†said Rodman.
According to Rodman, six out of ten Xbox 360 owners use Xbox Live (Microsoft’s online service), which apparently indicates just how serious they are about their games.
This attack on the Wii follows a blistering attack on the PlayStation 3 earlier in the week by a Microsoft UK executive, Neil Thompson.
“In the technology and gaming there’s really little in the PS3 where I can say ‘gosh, I wish we had that’,” Thompson told the Times Online.
Thompson dismissed the PS3’s much hyped Blu-Ray drive as being “two to three years ahead of its timeâ€, arguing that people don’t want to replace their DVD collections and that in any case the Xbox 360 is better for watching standard DVDs than the PS3.
As Microsoft executives speak out more against the competition, I can’t help wondering whether it’s because they’re starting to feel threatened. Microsoft had the next-gen console market to itself for a year. Now that it has two strong competitors (and I say strong because Sony seems to be getting its act together) is Microsoft starting to feel the heat?
On the one flank it has the lower-cost, but fun, Wii to contend with. On the other flank, it has the technically advanced PlayStation 3. Perhaps Microsoft fears that it will loose the low-end of the market to Nintendo, and the high-end to Sony.
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16 Responses to “Microsoft dismisses Wii as a child’s toy in yet another attack”
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March 29th, 2007
Microsoft will only loose to the PS3 if they continue to make the XBOX 360 without WiFi or the HD-DVD drive. Being a XBOX 360 owner, I don’t want that many standalone accessories sitting around my 360. If the Elite had WiFi and HD-DVD built-in for the same $480, I’d be sure to buy it.
I won’t buy the PS3 unless the price comes under $600 or until they start including the HDMI cable with it. I won’t buy the Wii because it offers no high-def output and the graphics are mediocre at best, slightly better than the N64 but only just.
Even die hard Nintendo fans can’t deny the limited 480p output of the Wii is rather limiting compared to 720p and 1080i or 1080p games.
March 29th, 2007
“I won’t buy the Wii because it offers no high-def output and the graphics are mediocre at best, slightly better than the N64 but only just.”
Have you actually even played a Wii? They look at least 2x better than a gamecube, and if you play a Wii and a PS3 or 360 on two 480p TVs, it can be hard to tell the difference.
Don’t comment on stuff you haven’t tried.
March 29th, 2007
[...] TECH.BLORGE.com, Australia – 2 hours agoJohn Rodman, group product manager for the Xbox platform and Xbox Live, told the New York Times that the Wii is essentially for children, while that Xbox …Microsoft dismisses Wii as a childs toy in yet another attack [...]
March 29th, 2007
Oh yeah, on two 480p TVs, how could you possible tell the difference. No kidding. I was talking about comparing them on high-def TVs, the ones capable of at least 1080i, now try and tell me you can’t tell a difference on those. What would be the point of playing either the 360 or PS3 on a TV capable of only 480p. If you don’t have a high-def TV, I’d question your decision to buy a 360 and I would really question your sanity if you bought a PS3 and plugged it into a standard def TV.
March 29th, 2007
And also, don’t comment on stuff if you haven’t actually seen them in action on high-def TVs…
March 29th, 2007
Thw Wii is the must have of the three consoles as its the only one that offers anything different. . then your faced with a choice between the two ‘hi-def – high powered concoles’.
Lets face it, there isn’t really that much difference between the XBox and Playstation besides the logo.
March 29th, 2007
Ya, I am pretty sure the 360 would look better on a normal TV. But also Who gives a rats about high def, HDDVD and Blue ray? You guys must be overly picky or somthing because I have seen HD movies, games, tv shows, ect… countless times my friends houses. It just not that big of a deal. It looks sharper. So what? I have never in my life found myself watching a normal DVD and saying “man this looks like crap I wish it was more crisp”. To be honest I think these companies are pushing HDDVD way to soon. DVD was better than VHS because it offered countless features to improove movies and the most insignificant feature of them all was picture quality in my opinion and thats the only feature HDDVD offers.
Also ya Microsoft is only saying this crap because it looks like little old Wii is going to beat them and they hadn’t counted on that.
March 29th, 2007
“Even die hard Nintendo fans can’t deny the limited 480p output of the Wii is rather limiting compared to 720p and 1080i or 1080p games”
WTF? Dude, not everybody works for a gaming/tech blog/zine/website/etc. and HAS to own the latest HD TV/DVD/etc. in order to perform their job.
Here’s some news for ya… MOST people still play on regular CTR tvs. Only 17% of TV owners have a HD tv (according to a recent study). That means that the vast MAJORITY is NOT LIMITED by any of that sh*t concerning resolutions.
Sheesh, some of these techies need a reality check! They think because they own expensive “hardcore” equipment, everybody else does. Heh!
March 29th, 2007
>>Todd Center, general manager of CBS affiliates in Gainesville, said only 17 percent of Americans own HD receivers, and the technology is still a work in progress>17 percent of Americans now own an HD set, Forrester Research says
March 30th, 2007
I don’t think DVDs look like crap but I do think that HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray discs look better but not so much to justify their current price tags for the average consumer, you know… the ones that don’t own HDTVs…
However, the real differences in 480p, 720p and 1080i/1080p really come through in video games. It’s night and day when comparing 480p and 720p. It’s harder to tell the difference between 720p and 1080i/1080p.
March 30th, 2007
“Wii is essentially for children”-Utter bollocks. the Wii is for anyone that wants to have fun.
“while that Xbox 360 is for serious gamers” – true, so is the PS3. Pity serious gamers don’t take up the the whole demograph though eh?
“Wii graphics slightly better than N64″ – i’ve heard this reported even by journos who clearly haven’t played either console. The graphics are significantly better than GC. Sloppy reporting at best. Besides superior graphics don’t drive a machines sales, the PS2 was the the technically weaker machine of the last generation, yet it blew the competition away. The PS1 blew the n64 away despite being inferior because it came to maket first AND offered something different.
Traditionally games consoles spend the first few days of thier lives in a living room before migrating to a bedroom. Most people don’t have an HD tv never mind two. Bar hardcore techies most people won’t enjoy the benefit of what is undeniably a great picture.
At the end of the day, it’s sales that count. Wii is doing very well and is expected in some quarters to overtake 360 by the end of the year. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen but it’s looking good for it as it appeals to gamers and non gamers alike. Equally the 360 wil do well too. Sorry to say any fanbois reading this but the hardcore gamers ps3 is aimed at only represent around 10% of the whole market, the rest is up for grabs by a console that capture’s the public imagination.
Anyone else notice the similarity between ps3 and Neo-Geo/3do?
March 30th, 2007
“The graphics are significantly better than GC.” – I guess it depends on your definition of significantly. The Wii in most cases lacks real time shadow effects (which is just basic), is lacking in particle effects, there are almost no environmental or real time weather effects and then there is the whole limiting 480p issue going on. I’ll never let that go and I will never let Nintendo live down their seemingly shortsightedness.
“Most people don’t have an HD tv never mind two.” – Personally I have two and my parents have three in their house. CRT TVs? What, these people didn’t get the memo…
CRTs belong in the graveyard along with every other outdated technology, like VCRs and I wish stores would stop selling them, even the HDTV CRT variety, heavy, ugly, power sucking beasts. Yeah, I want one of them hanging on my wall… oh wait… you CAN’T hang CRTs on a wall, never mind.
March 31st, 2007
Real Time shadow, particle and weather effects, zzzzzzzzzzz. Most people don’t care, they just want engaging, simple fun and fun sells consoles. Think DS/PSP.
I reckon Sony have totally dropped the ball on this one. On a positive note i hear that it has a bangstick slot for the more serious fan…
March 31st, 2007
oh, and shortsightedness, come on!! They’ve shown incredible foresight by realising that when a console reaches the limit of photo realism, it can’t go any further and therefore needs something fresh to attract gamers. The Wii is a roaring success and you know it… people likeyourself who think graphics are the key to a good comsole are firmly in the monority…
March 31st, 2007
hmmmmm. Regardless of what will lacks, would it not stand to reason GC lacked more? lol. Most people don’t care about flash graphics and raw power, that’s so 90′s. the smart money is on fun. Two HD tvs eh? not bad, sounds like you are pretty well off, go buy a Wii and have some fun.
For the record, someone could hang a CRT TV on the wall if they wanted to. A tv hanging from a wall has been done for years has it not been. And heards me thiking your were up to the minute on technology…
February 12th, 2008
What games are there on the Wii? There’s zelda, I liked it better on the gamecube, theres ssbb, no negitive comments about it, and there mario galaxy which makes me very dizzy. Oh and Mariocart is coming out. So really there are two games for the Wii that I would buy, ssbb and mariocart. Not enough to make me regret selling my Wii to some dumb bink at EB around christmas. The only people I know that regularly play the Wii are 5 year olds and the ever coveted overweight 35-45 female market. And even then all they ever play is Wii sports.