Nintendo Wii to fade into obscurity, Xbox 360, PS3 will ultimately win
By Jonathan Schlaffer
Nintendo certainly has a winner on its hands for the time being. The Wii is still very hard to find unless you are willing to pay exorbitant prices for it on eBay. However, Nintendo is currently running a great game of great marketing, partly due to the unique Wiimote motion controller. Analysts say these novelties cannot last forever and the Wii may well end up being tossed aside after a couple more years, or sooner.
The company was all but betting on the motion controllers and games like WiiSports to sell the units and it has but some have doubts that Nintendo can turn this into an on-going success. One of the things mentioned in the original article and elsewhere are the Wii’s antiquated graphics, I still say they are little better than the original Xbox.
Many people may not have HDTVs now but three or five years down the line, quite a few people will and with the FCC forcing a push to digital broadcasting by 2009, you will either need an external box to convert the digital signal to analog or just buy a new HDTV, it’s that simple.
I must say, I was never impressed with the Wii’s graphics but it looks absolutely horribly when connected to an HDTV, horrible I say, avert your eyes! When all those analog sets are replaced with HDTVs then you will see just what the Wii is really capable of, some may not question their purchase, others might but I just stayed away completely, I’ll just skip the whole limitation of 480p output, this time.
Analysts are saying that interest in the Wii is set to drop of either due to Nintendo and/or its third parties being unable to continue delivering compelling software or Nintendo will not release a successor for the Wii within the five year shelf life. What, there’s compelling software for the Wii now? Where?
The point is Nintendo has marketed some interesting titles so far and gamers have decided for themselves. Though it seems those with more not less money are able to acquire Wiis which I think kind of defeats the purpose of Nintendo’s plan. Wiis are still in short supply and a production cut has just been announced. I would very much like to know why someone would pass up the high-def capabilities of a Xbox 360 or the Blu-Ray playing capabilities of a PS3 for the simplistic Wii.
Toss it up to great marketing on Nintendo’s part, I hope both Sony and Microsoft have taken notes. But it can’t run on marketing forever and eventually the antiquated graphics will get even more antiquated as time moves on and once 30% to 40% of the US population has an HDTV that could mark the end of the Wii right there. But, the PS3 and Xbox 350 have been future proofed what with those console’s HDMI outputs and 1080p capabilities allowing them to soldier on into the future leaving the poor Wii in the dust or collecting dust on a closet shelf.
I believe that Nintendo will have no choice but to play catch up to Sony or Microsoft in a couple years just because the Wii’s limited abilities will be way past prime.
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August 18th, 2007
[...] Nintendo Wii to fade into obscurity, Xbox 360, PS3 will ultimately winTECH.BLORGE.com, Australia - 11 minutesWhat, there's compelling software for the Wii now? Where? The point is Nintendo has marketed some interesting titles so far and gamers have decided for … [...]
August 18th, 2007
Actually in 2009 (assuming the FCC doesn’t move the deadline again) you will NOT be forced to buy an HDTV as you state in the article.
People will only be forced to buy a TV with a digital tuner. There are tv’s out there that have digital tuners that are not HDTV, or even EDTV. Case in point: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8206087&st=digital+tv&type=product&id=1165610667287
Digital tv and only 480i.
But I agree with the rest.
August 18th, 2007
No, but for those without digital tuners, an external box would still be necessary, why would anyone make an ordinary average TV with a digital tuner, that’s blasphemy or something. Anyway, just buy an HDTV (with digital tuner) and stop driving people like me mad
August 18th, 2007
What you wrote is the same that was written close to a year back - and look what’s happening now? Great marketing? Well, that means Great Product, Price, Placement & Promotion. And that’s certainly takes much more than just “novelties” as you call them. By your argument, HDTV is still very much a novelty in most parts of the world and for most families. I’m sorry you can’t see beyond your enclosed little “gamer” and “techie” world to see that there’s still a whole big population out there who are different from you.
August 18th, 2007
I’m afraid that YL is probably right. What makes you think that you are in the majority of people out there, Jonathan? In my opinion, maybe, oh, 20% are techies trying to get the biggest and best. The rest? They feel great with what they have.
August 18th, 2007
Let me rephrase that–I’m not afraid that YL is correct. After all, I’m one of those people who feels great for whatever systems and devices I have now.
Microsoft and Sony probably still have to see that–I could be wrong.
August 18th, 2007
Yes, but it’s still relevant today… I never said I was a majority, did I? If I implied that then I’ll certainly apologize for doing so BUT you have to understand from where I sit there is no reason to buy a Wii over a Xbox 360, how do you argue with BioShock, of course someone could always say how can you argue with WiiSports (which IMO is only good if you play in groups).
BioShock is an immersive single player game where WiiSports is not. Both could be considered good games in their own right and I guess it’s possible to like both.
But honestly, I simply have more time to play solo games than I do any kind of multiplayer game (unless it’s online).
August 18th, 2007
the psp’s graphics are a whole generation above the DS’s yet it is still losing miserably. people said the DS was a novelty but i think it has proved the doubters wrong.
the Wii has nearly outsold the 360 already even tho its been on the scene a year less. hell the ps2 still outsells the 360 in most places so that shows your theory working doesnt it.
i think what you call novelty i call revolutionary. the possibilities the wii-mote brings to console gaming far out weigh a slight improvement in graphics and little else.
if the Wii can bring quality titles like mario galaxy and metroid on a console like the Wii and attact casual gamers then the Wii can easily continue outselling the opposition. Also lets not forget the 360 just isnt selling in the 2nd biggest gaming territory in the world (Japan)
August 18th, 2007
[...] Nintendo certainly has a winner on its hands for the time being. The Wii is still very hard to find unless you are willing to pay exorbitant prices for it on eBay. However, Nintendo is currently running of great marketing patly due to … Read me … [...]
August 18th, 2007
also a pole on the everybody votes channel showed that only 50% of owners were using a widescreen TV, that means 50% were on a standard TV. thats before HD even comes into the equation. So i wouldnt be so sure that flatscreen HDtvs will be adopted quite as quickly as you assume. Maybe next gen they will be standard but as it stands the ps3 and 360 have got abit ahead of themselves and are aiming for a very small population of a possible gaming audiance. and with the ps3 and 360 sharing alot of the same games aswell as being rediculously similar to a PC people might decide to just go with something cheap and unique like the Wii.
August 18th, 2007
Jon, you really, really need to stop posting, you’re so stupid it hurts to see your name.
August 18th, 2007
Definition
Obscurity: The quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand.
This clearly resembles the state of the PS3 at this current point of the game you put a lot of energy into the article above but very little thought. The fact is that the X box 360 and the Nintendo Wii are running some pretty sweet numbers along with great momentum. You obviously have very little understanding of the current state of NSTC or ASTC governing standards or laws or what they apply to. The next time you write an article like this you should start it with “I hope the”. Its okay to be opinionated or even retarded for that matter just be honest and forthcoming about it.
You…dumb…animal.
LAWLZ
August 18th, 2007
1. A recent, well-publicized survey said that some 40%, or nearly half of PS3 and XBOX360 owners don’t even know what their machines are capable of. That’s right — 4 out of 10 people don’t know / don’t care about the Elite’s HDMI and the PS3’s Blu-Ray capabilities (bet Sony is kicking itself for not including a remote now.) Remember the iPod? There were a lot of “better” mp3 players, that had better sound quality, had more storage, features, and wanted to wash your dishes, fold your laundry, make dinner. But iPod ruled and continues to rule them all. Why? Because it did one thing very well - play digital music. Think of the Wii as the iPod of the videogame world… it just plays games. It’s effortless hip and cool, and for the most part — outside of Wii channels — it doesn’t try too hard to be more than what it is. It’s not a trojan horse trying to sneak an entertainment hub and digital extravaganza into your living room.
2. HDTV is still a niche luxury, and its current market is the same market that might buy, say, the latest nVidia or ATI graphics card. Until 1080p HDTV prices for 40 inch+ models fall into sub $1000, mass market levels, it will remain a niche market. And when — not if –HDTV picks up speed, the PS3 and XBOX360 especially will already look dated compared to PC GPUs in the future. Both companies will probably be already working on the next generation. And besides, what makes you think that Nintendo won’t release an upgraded Wii 1.5 / Wii HD edition with a shinier GPU (then surely to be at reduced component prices) and HD capabilities down the line for that segment of the market? So the XBOX 360 can go Elite with HDMI, the iPod can go iPod Video, Nano, Shuffle, but Nintendo is somehow going to just sit in the corner and cry? Remember how the DS Phat turned into the DS Lite? I think that worked out okay for Nintendo… to the tune of some 40 million+ units so far. Nintendo is turning the Wii into an image, a self-referential product, making Wii synonymous with videogames, just like how “Nintendo” and “Playstation” were synonymous with gaming in the 80s and 90s, and iPod is synonymous with mp3 player. Once the “Wii” reaches that point — and some might argue it already has — Nintendo is free to release Wii HD, their equivalent of the iPod Video or iPhone, at whim, to capitalize on their branding. Smart, smart, smart.
3. The fact of the matter is, if you want to talk about marketing, then you have to talk about the genius of Nintendo’s marketing. Its expanded market, the kind of people who don’t want to fidget with complicated buttons, are probably the same ones who don’t want to fidget with HDMI ports and component cables and aspect ratios buttons on daunting remotes. Basically, they’re having too much fun controlling their little 500 polygon Miis and are less likely to care if a videogame looks its best with bloom lighting in pristine 1920 X 1080 HD or whatever. With all due respect, what you’re lacking is self-awareness: You speak from a “hardcore” gamer’s POV, and you are only one fraction of Nintendo’s bottom line.
4. Lack of compelling software? Zelda: TP, RE:4 Wii Edition, Super Paper Mario, Wario Ware, Elebits, Trauma Center, Cooking Mama, Madden, etc. And of course the Holy Trinity of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Bros Brawl coming up this year. Not to mention the load of 3rd party titles coming in 2008 from the developers who’ve just caught the bandwagon the second lap around. Aren’t you being a little harsh on a system that’s only been out for 9 months? I hope you can write an article equally as scathing about the PS3. From what I’ve heard, it’s just been Motorstorm holding fort.
And so Jonathan’s Derailment of the Wii Train fails again. The only thing at risk for fading into obscurity are his arguments, I’m afraid.
August 18th, 2007
So basically what you’re saying is that the Wii will fade into obscurity a year or two after next generation begins?
August 18th, 2007
Jon Listen to your mama! Stop eating paint chips, put your bicycle helmet back on and stop posting these retarded articles.
August 18th, 2007
Just swap out Ps2 for Wii and can argue Sony faces a very similar problem. I do agree that HD is the future. Let’s hypothesize about a couple of things. The average life cycle of the modern game console of late has been less than 10 years. The changes although on the horizon will probably not drastically effect average Americans for at least 5. Sony wants PS3 to last 10 so that they can break even. Moneysoft wants something very similar. M$softs problem is the volume of known defective consoles at retail right now and the future changes they have to make to account for it. PS2 is still selling very well around the world. If big N can make solid profit for 5 years and then come out with a HD compatible version when HD tech cost less to manufacture, then what is the point? The N still makes profit on EACH CONSOLE SOLD for 5 years. The marketing is genius. If you want to argue graphics then you could say that Wii is ps2’s direct competitor. Both don’t look that great but also don’t look bleeding eye ball ugly on a lot of HD TV’s currently on the market.
August 18th, 2007
This guy is has no idea what he is talking about. The PS2 was the weakest console last gen and it won and it shows that gameplay trumps graphics every time.
He is just another hardcore lover that can’t admit that a casual system is kicking the hardcores @sses.
August 18th, 2007
I have a 50″ Plasma TV that I play Wii on and it looks great. I think fanboys problem is that he has a cheap HDTV. Any good HDTV worth a dime will upconvert 480p to the native resolution of the TV. If Wii doesn’t look good on a DVD won’t either. As far as the staying power of the wii? The 360 and PS3 games have no games to keep the consoles going. It looks like head to head in the sports games the Wii comes out on top.
August 18th, 2007
Yeah, it’s real hard to plug in an HDMI cable or find one at RadioShack, hardest thing I ever did (sarcasm).
I question those figures that say 40% or so of Xbox 360 and PS3 owners didn’t know about HDMI or Blu-Ray because you’d have to be pretty unintelligent to not know.
I ignore all things Mario, it was overdone by the late 90s and it’s charred to a crisp by now that it holds no interest for me at all, nor do any of the Mario “spinoffs”, overdone, overdone, overdone, how about something new for once?
Okay, I’ll give you RE:4 which is about the only game worth owning on the Wii (much like Fall of Man on the PS3) but I could just as easily buy RE:4 for my PC and play it properly with a keyboard and mouse, second best controls go to the Xbox 360.
I’m not a fan of racing games either so I’m gonna go ahead and say that it’s not Motorstorm because Fall of Man for the PS3 is right behind Madden ‘08. So that makes Fall of Man the second best selling game. According to Amazon and ONLY Amazon, I’d have to check charts elsewhere which I will do, later.
I can admit that the Wii is currently the most popular, what I’m suggesting (and other sites) is that the Wii cannot maintain these sales level without some kind of miracle.
Let’s revisit this in two years…
August 18th, 2007
well said Nathan, im 100 with ya bro
August 18th, 2007
Did I mention I don’t care for the sports genre, as for the Wii looking bad, I’ve only seen it on store displays which no doubt use below par screens, I’m not going to buy a Wii for myself unless I can get it cheap or Nintendo gives me one.
Even if the graphics look “fine” there are still things that the Wii can’t do and they still look “dated.”
Don, ever hear of a little thing called BioShock and Fall of Man, I suggest you look them up.
Take a look at Call of Duty on the Wii (which I saw at Best Buy) and then compare it to the Xbox 360 and tell me the Wii version looks good, I’ll wait. If you do, you’re lying.
August 18th, 2007
Okay, Jon, we get it. You’re a graphics whore.
August 18th, 2007
I will agree that Wii has underpowered graphics compared to the 360 and PS3, their has never been an argument there. Their is one major issue that people seem to keep forgetting.
Let me run a parallel for you….
Go back to the beginning of N64. This system was seen as the biggest and the best console out there. Nothing came close, and then there was the PSone, which could produce 3D Imaging, but very poorly. Polygons were very apparent, and 3D rendering looked very rough. PSone steamrolled over N64. Why is this? It’s because PSone, first off had a large number of ship jumpers from Nintendo’s loyalties (what is currently going on with everyone back to Nintendo again) and game production time was immense to program for the N64. Zelda:OOT took 3+ years to make, albeit it was one of the best games ever made.
Jumping back to the present. What has been stated numerous times by programmers is that programming for the PS3 is reminiscent of N64’s of past. That coupled with the fact that Nintendo has all the momentum and all of the fanbase this generation, what makes you think that PS3 or Xbox360 stand a chance?
Additionally,
Nintendo has always had a great PR team. They’ve been able to keep their core gaming demographic throughout thin times (see gamecube) and even turn a profit. Nintendo has the momentum that PSone had so many years ago with people jumping to the Nintendo band wagon.
August 18th, 2007
mario is done to death? yet its fine for the 360s best games to be yet another Halo or yet another GTA.
Nintendo hasnt just brought out another mario game or another pokemon game its also brought out genre defining games like Wii sports, brain training, Animal Crossing, Nintendogs…… and the soon to be Wii Fit.
If you cant see past a few idiots on a few websites claiming that Bioshock and Halo on a 360 = hardcore heaven there your no true gamer.
The Wii is offering more goodlooking “Hardcore” games than i can remember (Resi UC, Resi 4, Zelda, Metroid, Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, MoH heroes2, Sadness, Dragon Quest, Fire Emblem, FIFA, Madden, Guitar Hero 3, Ghost Squad, Final Fantasy CC, Nitrobike, Battalion Wars2, Mario and sonic at olympics, Nights: journey into dreams, geometry wars, smackdown vs raw, super paper mario, soul calibur legends, No more Heroes……..) just a few games off the top of my head that should give any true Hardcore Gamer more than enough reason to buy a Wii.
August 18th, 2007
Another article whining about Wii not having HD. By 2009 people will be talking about console coming in 2010-2011.
August 18th, 2007
Just a thought, maybe I’m wrong: Jonathan, do you mainly like shooting games? (You said you don’t care for sports) Cause that seems to be what you MAINLY get on the hard-core gaming devices. Probably another reason that the Wii is winning–different games.
August 18th, 2007
Why are people this stupid without a clue about games in general allowed to put articles like this on websites and then parade there thoughts as fact. Even if you dont like sport games or some of the best games in the world at least take into consideration that other people do.
Did u know Smash bros melee on cube outsold Halo1?
if your going to look at the success of a console you have to look ouside your own hopes and wishes and instead look at the gaming world in general which sadly for you prefers the likes of a nice cheap good ol game of Wii Sports over yet another standard shooter with improved graphics such as Halo3
August 18th, 2007
Yah I read articles regarding the 40% of some random sample that reported they did not know the full capabilities of say their PS3 (blue ray drive for dvds) and did you know that the age range of the sample was as low as a 5 year old… this kind of sample survey was not very accurate if you are potentially asking people questions about hardware to people as young as 5 years old.. as far as the Wii goes.. they should look back at their starting roots in the industry.. remember the old NES and SNES? Those consoles defined what gaming should be at the time with top notch graphics at the time, and hardcore gaming approach with very difficult software games.. thats what Nintendo is known for.. super mario brothers 1 is hard.. thats what made it super fun.. Contra and Mega Man.. those games were hardcore difficult great graphics at the time.. thats what defined Nintenodo.. . as I see Shigeru Miyamoto defend the Wii’s new casual game approach it makes me sick.. has he forgot how his company became so big? Sure this casual gaming approach might prove to be successful years and years down the line.. but I will tell you one thing.. it will never produce any Legendary titles, the likes of Gran Turismo Series, Halo Series, Final Fantasy Series, Mega Man Series, and all our other favorites from past consoles
August 18th, 2007
>>Yeah, it’s real hard to plug in an HDMI cable or find one at RadioShack, hardest thing I ever did (sarcasm).>I ignore all things Mario, it was overdone by the late 90s and it’s charred to a crisp by now that it holds no interest for me at all, nor do any of the Mario “spinoffs”, overdone, overdone, overdone, how about something new for once?>Okay, I’ll give you RE:4 which is about the only game worth owning on the Wii (much like Fall of Man on the PS3) but I could just as easily buy RE:4 for my PC and play it properly with a keyboard and mouse, second best controls go to the Xbox 360.>I can admit that the Wii is currently the most popular, what I’m suggesting (and other sites) is that the Wii cannot maintain these sales level without some kind of miracle.>Let’s revisit this in two years…
August 18th, 2007
>>Yeah, it’s real hard to plug in an HDMI cable or find one at RadioShack, hardest thing I ever did (sarcasm).>I ignore all things Mario, it was overdone by the late 90s and it’s charred to a crisp by now that it holds no interest for me at all, nor do any of the Mario “spinoffs”, overdone, overdone, overdone, how about something new for once?
August 18th, 2007
You’re missing the point. Some people aren’t tech savvy gaming nerds that have lots and lots of time to post comments to online blogs and debate whose console penis is bigger. Some people can’t even program the time on a VCR. A lot of people don’t know the difference between 480, 720, 1080, progressive, component, S-Video, HDMI, DVI, blah blah blah nor do they care. They just want to plug something in and play some games. A lot of Nintendo’s expanded market fits into this description. For example, My 55 year old uncle loves Wii Sports and Wario Ware, but I had to set up the system for him.
I know this is very hard for you, but if you look beyond the surface of things, you might see that Mario is just a marketing facade, to get people to buy a game. Nintendo has made so many amazing games that were influential and became the template for genres. Mario 64, Super Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, etc. Sure they rehash characters and franchises, but Mario 64 could have starred Bobo the Bear and it would have been the same influential 3D platformer defining the analog stick. Super Mario Kart could have been Super Robo Racers starring Lego creations and it would have still have been the same influential kart racer. Donkey Kong Julge Beat could have starred Mike the Monkey and it would have still been the same innovative bongo controlled game. You get the picture. They would have all sold less copies if they didn’t rely on the franchise crutch — that’s all. But they’re all remarkable games on their own.
August 18th, 2007
nd so, Mario is tired and over. Yet you’re not tired of stuff like macho buffed soldiers trying to save the world from the axis of evil or an alien invasion, in first person, by blowing up shit real good? Yeah, that’s a real fresh concept… like 20 years ago when it was called Wolfenstein 3D or Doom (sarcasm). Oh, the irony.
Again, your bias, double standards, and hypocrisy are all showing.
And, if you did your research — and you usually don’t, juding by how much you crap you talk about a system you don’t own — you would know that RE:4 for the PC not only suffers from a complete lack of mouse support, but also downgraded visuals as well. But since it’s on anything BUT a Nintendo system, maybe you’ll let both of these sore points slip by.
Duh. Nintendo Wii *IS* its own miracle. Each time I get some drunk asshole loser friends together for Wii Sports, one or two leave that night saying, “I’ve got to get me one of these things.” I can imagine this happening all over the world, whether people are playing with their drunk friends or other families, or their buddies from school. The machine practically sells itself on “fun factor” alone and through word of mouth. That some potentially great games are coming out for the system is just going to make it that much more desirable.
I would love to revisit this in two years. But first you’d have to stop writing mudraking “Nintendo Wii is going to die” type articles every few weeks.
August 18th, 2007
now here is where i though the xbox 360 will be thrown away as soon as they get a bit more games!! and that Nintendo Wii will probably have competition with the PS3, maybe they will be Neck and Neck i though!!
but it seem im wrong!
August 18th, 2007
Yes, first person shooters or third person action games is mostly what I play. The only RPG I ever played was KOTR (a great game, btw) and it’s too bad the sequel sucked. There is a shooter on the Wii, Red Steel but I have yet to see that particular game in person.
August 18th, 2007
but jonathan not every1 is you and not every1 likes FPS’s, most people are not hardcore gamers and most people are more than happy with a Wii and its graphics, this is where your argument fails
August 18th, 2007
Have you even considered that the wii has simply hit on the masses have been secretly clamoring.
Honesty, the wii is only one of the dozens of option that were available for the “next-gen” console. Each of those with their own technical merits. It just so happens that the wii-mote is a technical merit that has changed the face of gaming forever.
PS: if you don’t want play us. Wii are happy to see you play with THemm
August 18th, 2007
“Analysts say these novelties cannot last forever…”
“Analysts are saying that interest in the Wii is set to drop of[f]…”
You know, life is so much easier when you opine by making up facts or fail to cite relevant sources.
August 18th, 2007
Best of luck with that theory Jon. Lets face the facts, the 360 and the PS3 are not going to catch up with the Wii as far as sales are concerned… with that being the case, third party game developers are going to be inclined to develop more games for the Wii than they are to develop for 360 or PS3 (not because the Wii has done an amazing job with the advertisements…. but simply cause it has more installed units… plain and simple economics).
I’ll give you that the Wii doesn’t hold a candle against the 360 or PS3 as far as graphics are concerned. But that’s like complaining that the Honda Accord cannot beat a Corvette or a Viper in a speed test. But, you are going to sell a lot more accords than you are going to sell vipers. The best part is, Wii is the only console making profits. They are the only ones who DONT lose money with each console (the 360 was almost close to achieving that distinction, but the additional 1billion loss, they are back in the red again)
Do us all a favor, do some market research…. use ur common sense… and THEN put out an article.
August 18th, 2007
[...] Link [...]
August 18th, 2007
Any good journalist or speaker knows convincing is better than arguing. >_>
I agree with dan. I am a hardcore gamer but really he is right.
And also, what makes you think that by the time where most people have HDTVs, Nintendo won’t make an HD capable console?
And not everyone has money all over the place to buy HDTVs and expensive consoles.
August 18th, 2007
Let me tell you all why the Nathan hates the Wii so much.. here it is:
In less than ten months, the Wii has demolished the 2 year advantage the Xbox 360 had.
Xbox 360= 10.43 million consoles sold (not shipped)
Wii= 10.42 million consoles sold (not shipped)
Those are numbers based on retail sales estimates. Not PR numbers that M$ makes public. Those PR numbers from M$ not only include retail sales but also give aways in promotional campains, the thousands and thousands of replaced xbox360’s due to failure probs and also units shipped (not sold).
You see know? the Nathan sold her mother to buy a Xbox 360 and an HDTV and an expensive hard drive, Xbox live service and all the components necessary to run the 360. A small fortune spent. And for that he calls himself a “hardcore gamer” Because he can afford buying all that crap. Gee, by that logic, any rich kid is a hardcore gamer. One that owns every game console and several HDTV’s. Yet can they play those games? Probably not. They’re probably just like Nathan… incapable of playing anything but mindless shooters. LOL
So now, he sees that the Wii is rapidly gaining terrain and that in a few weeks, it will dominate the market. The PS3 will resurface next year and quickly take 2nd place. The Xbox 360? Well, that console is actually the one FADING INTO OBSCURITY.
That’s the real reason the Nathan is bitchin so much about the Wii… he’s no true gamer… he’s just a pampered bitch of a kid that is getting the vapors because things aren’t going his way.
August 18th, 2007
The so called “hardcore” continue to spit into the wind, even harder at this point. The true hardcore gamer looks at it and realizes the gaming potential. Great graphics are nice, they really are, but for the families that are only making $30-50k a year it gets difficult to buy all these fancy TV’s and equipment to make your games look pretty.
There is no doubt that the XBox 360 and the PS3 look wonderful with the correct hardware. My Wii looks great on a Samsung that does 720p, but it does a wonderful job of converting the 480p widescreen.
The difficult thing for analysts to see is the market outside of the current market. The market that Nintendo is now shooting for. They’re aiming for the older gamers that stopped playing due to difficulty, they’re aiming for the girls and mom’s out there that can’t push 10 buttons at once to play a game. This is why the Wii will be popular, not by graphics or power, but by normal people playing a simple gaming device.
In conclusion, Wii’s novelty will not wear off. It will only continue and improve.
August 18th, 2007
Only idiots still use the graphics argument. This is a Halo fansite full of Xbots, Wii is totally demolishing the 360, pretty obvious why he wrote this article.
This was all said a year ago, before the Wii came out, and look now.
Ah yes, this is also the same person who, called the Revolution dumb when it was announced, laughed when it was renamed Wii and said “PS3>Wii”, the same guy who called it a Gamecube 1.5, and who said it would flop, the same guy who said it wouldn’t stand a chance against the PS3’s “awsum grafix”.
Anyone that takes this guy’s article seriously needs their fucking head checked.
August 18th, 2007
So can we also say that the DS has now disappeared into obscurity as well?
*YAWN* Just another nintendo-hater
August 18th, 2007
BTW Nice trollbaiting, you certainly caught a lot of attention. Was is good for the ads click-thru?
August 18th, 2007
lol @ Jhanni
I thought that when reading half of the retarded articles here. Idiots will do anything for a few cents and attention.
August 18th, 2007
About the ease of HDMI cables….I don’t care what anyone thinks about “setup difficulties”, but I’d like to point out the price range-40 to 50 dollars for ONE CABLE. It’s really great if you have the ability to afford all these peripherals, along with the 40 inch screens with 1080p support etc. To make things worse, consoles like PS3 also demand you to buy their consoles at outrageous prices. The end result, in my opinion, is just a high-tech paperweight that is easy on the eyes. I like your automatic bias against the wii just becasue it isn’t “high-tech.” In fact, if Nintendo does end up releasing that revamped wii in the next few years to satisfy all those new digital tv’s, they’ll do fine. End of story. Besides, who has the time to spend ALL that money on GARBAGE that plays “hardcore games?” The only hardcore aspect applies to the persistence of ms and sony to assume people want to spend thousands on their high tech bricks. 3 words to that- Where’s the innovation? That is simply why the wii will never lose in the face of 360 and PS3.
August 18th, 2007
Well, I guess you forgot the most important reason for Wii (let’s say temporary?) success: Simplicity itself.
Back in the 70’s - 80’s when Atari 2600 was a success, it was because it was so simple and easy to play a game. There was just one button and a stick to move your character and jump, fire, whatever. With time, games turned more complex and so did the game controllers. A nowdays master piece Xbox 360 gamepad is an intimidating stuff for people who never played a videogame before, or just did it for quick funny moments years before. Videogames had just turned in some sort of microworld just for initiated freaks, like us. Now, Nintendo comes up with this thing that let you have those instant fun moments again, but even more easely than before. People (in real world) are getting inerested in videogames (well, only in Wii) and it’s not just by chance. They at Kyoto exactly knew wht they where doing.
It just can’t fail. They’re restarting a cycle. Sony and Microsoft’s next-next gen machines will surely have a pointer device as main input source, if they want to go anywhere. And that’s thank to that outdated machine called Wii.
August 18th, 2007
Jonathan, you continue to slag the wii. You are probably the most delusional graphics fanboy I have ever heard.
How you manage to find you keyboard in the morning far surpasses my capabilities of understanding, or actually, why would you want to spend any time with such low graphics such as text… geez, maybe they should make all these letters 3d, the nerve of them.
Simple fact, every single system with the lowest graphics has had the most sales. SNES>genesis, Ps1> N64 and saturn/dreamcast, PS2> GC and xbox. For the normal consumer who aren’t going around proclaiming that “graphics are teh shit” they’ll take functionality and gameplay over graphics.
I remember in a past article, you kept trying to say a game with bad graphics is gonna be a bad game, that’s just simply 1 of the most flawed arguments I’ve ever heard. as said, 8bit games like mario bros. isn’t bad because of its “lack luster graphics”.
However, judging by your picture, you were never able to get the pretty girl, so your trying to compensate for everything you lacked upon, enjoy smacking it to DOA.
Just remember I’m the illest, just go crying to mommy, and we’ll pretend this article never existed. How you like me now?
August 18th, 2007
Why are you guys paying any attention to Jonathan anyways? I didn’t even bother to read the article, I knew it was going to be the same crap I been hearing for the past year or so. He seems to fall into the so called “hardcore” gamer category. That’s fine, keep your lame-ass labels. I learned along time ago to ignore your kind. Nothing constructive ever came out of it. Me, I’m just a gamer. Simple as that. Have been for 20 plus years. Labels serve me no purpose, because I play games for the pure enjoyment of it. That’s the reason I don’t need to have HD. I may own a PS3 and a 360, but I didn’t buy one to be “hardcore” nor did I need to own one to make me feel like I am “mature” or that I matter. I’m secure enough in my masculinity that I play any and all games for whatever system they come out for.
But that’s not to say that I don’t hold developers to a certain level of quality, but to me, a good game is a good game. That’s why people play them. Just look at it this way. Had Gears or Resistance only been great looking games with no game-play whatsoever to back them up, nobody would have picked them up and be praising them.
We play to have fun. We don’t start up our systems to just sit there and do nothing but appreciate it’s visuals. Not to say that there can’t be any artistic flare games, but they’re VIDOEGAMES, not ART.
August 18th, 2007
If graphics meant so much, why would the Wii be murdering the 360 and the PS3? Marketing? Come on, do you really believe that?
The Wii will continue to beat the compatition until the compatition A) rips off the Wii remote controls and B) is cheaper than the Wii.
People don’t care about the visual jump from PS2 to PS3. They just don’t. Why else would the PS2 be selling almost as well as the PS3?
And if the message of this article is that in five years the Wii wont be selling any more, then I guess we at least agree on something. In five years the Wii 2 will be out with better than PS3 quality graphics, HD 1080i, and all that crap, and still cost under $250.
And if Sony or M$ is smart, they will team up with Nintendo to make the Wii 2. There isn’t room for three in this market, and the Wii is going to win for the next five years.
August 18th, 2007
What a foolish article. You lose credibility immediately when you say you don’t have one. Those of us who do understand the magic of the Nintendo innovation, and just how superior Wii software is over 360 and PS3 as a total package.
You do summarize some of the biggest arguments I have heard, but none of these are likely to overtake the momentum Wii has at the moment. Wii is selling at a faster pace than any home console in the history of consoles, including the original NES and the PlayStation 2.
Of course, PS2 had the poorest graphics capabilities of the last generation, and it managed to be number one for somer reason.”
As a Wii owner of nearly nine months, I have to say Wii is the most well rounded console I have ever owned. I would probably like the PS3 if it weren’t for my higher experience with Wii, which comes much closer to involving the whole body and the whole mind.
August 18th, 2007
LOL
funny to read how to kick someone(Jonathan) ass real bad in order to put him commiting suicide.
The only other subject i see so much violent arguments is about the war in Irak.
hey, they’re 6,5 billions people on earth.
http://www.royalsapien.com/pop1/
thats a lot of people
August 18th, 2007
30 to 40% of the country having HD means the Wii is doomed? Really?
FYI, the figure as of this summer is 30%. At the current rate of adoption, by the time that number is greater than 50%, it’ll probably be 2009. Two years before the next generation of consoles come out.
That’s still only half the country. By the time enough people have jumped into HD that supporting it is a necessity, it’ll be just about time for the next generation of consoles.
Yeah. I think the Wii is going to be just fine.
August 18th, 2007
Jonathan — There is so much wrong with this article that I don’t even know where to begin.
First off, it sounds like an article that was written a year ago.
“Analysts say these novelties cannot last forever and the Wii may well end up being tossed aside after a couple more years, or sooner.”
Those same analysts also said that Sony would trample everything. All analysts do is guess based on the CURRENT market — that’s it. As we’ve seen they do a horrible job predicting exactly what will ACTUALLY happen.
“The company was all but betting on the motion controllers and games like WiiSports to sell the units and it has but some have doubts that Nintendo can turn this into an on-going success. One of the things mentioned in the original article and elsewhere are the Wii’s antiquated graphics, I still say they are little better than the original Xbox.”
Those “antiquated” graphics of the PS2 sure hurt it against the GameCube and original XBox didn’t it??
[/extreme sarcasm]
The whole problem with your article is that it was written with fanboy goggles. Your only argument seems to say that “graphics are what matters”. Well as past generations have shown and as it’s being shown now, they don’t.
Criticize the Wiimote, but Sony sure must have seen it as a great idea when they showed off a half-assed-tacked-on-at-the-last-minute version of motion sensing in a dual shock controller at E3 06.
Your article is based upon your own personal bias and nothing else. It’s a horribly written article that could be any post on any console forum.
August 18th, 2007
Also, you mentioned that production has been cut. Production hasn’t been cut. They just aren’t able to INCREASE production. Reading in fundamental. Might want to try actually doing it.
August 18th, 2007
[...] Link [...]
August 18th, 2007
Jonathan go buy a Wii then you will finally stfu!!!
The only thing the PS3 is good for is Blu Ray just like the PS2 was good for playing DVD’s when it came out.
After owning all the systems you will know that the
#1 is Wii
2- Xbox360
then comes the Blu Ray player
August 18th, 2007
People who can’t write with proper grammar have no business writing articles. If the point of the article is to establish a validated point of view, crappy writing ruins whatever credibility the author hopes to achieve. I came across this article with an expectation that something substantive would be discussed. Instead? I find dribble. Very disappointing, to say the least. Who the hell writes these things?
August 18th, 2007
The reason I like the 360 so much is because I’m a queer who loves **** up my ass.
August 18th, 2007
After you learn to use grammar, I will listen to you.
August 18th, 2007
The bottomline is: it’s about the game play not the graphics. It can look great but if it’s not fun what’s the point? Does anyone see Pac-man in full 3D? It’s still fun after all these years.
August 18th, 2007
Dear Mr. Jonathan Schlaffer
Let me tell you a story. My wife and I are both 31 years old. The last console that I owned was a NES were I played Mario 1 and Mario 3. that was super fun to play back in the 80’s. My wife never really liked video games.
The last console she owned was an Atari 2600 were she love to play a game about a little girl who jumped buildings and was so long ago that she don’t even remember how it was called. Many years have pass since then and we were not interested in video games.
One day we saw the Wii and everything changed. Now my wife and I owned a console once again after so many years. We play many games together like Wii sports and she is all crazy about the Wii fit that we are planning to buy. Now my wife who previously hated first person shooters love to shoot zombies with the Wii-mote in Resident Evil.
The moral of this story is that if two adults like us (who did not owned a console for so many years) were convince to buy a Nintendo Wii because it is so incredible fun to play with your love ones and friends, then trust me, that product is not going to fade into anywhere.
August 18th, 2007
Gamer.Blorge.com - Engaging and compelling blogs that entertain and inform.
Well, it sounds good in theory.
How about…
Lamer.bilge.com - Enraging, and some smelly logs with splintered brains in bad form.
August 18th, 2007
Not a new argument, but still a possibility. However, most gaming industry growth is in smaller games on the web and wireless phones. If the old school rules are applied (graphics and power) then Wii would fade, but not when a newer, different market of moms, dads and daughters is thrown into the mix. This larger market doesn’t care about cutting edge graphics, they want better games. And the games Nintendo has been putting out are, in the judgement of this newer market, worth buying.
Don’t forget Microsoft has yet to make a profit from X-Box, and PS2 still outsells PS3. This is more than Nintendo doing things right, it is also other companies doing things very, very wrong.
August 18th, 2007
Jonathan Schlaffer Own3d!!!
August 18th, 2007
People like you make me laugh, because you were most likely one of the people saying that the Wii had no chance at launch. You were prooved wrong then and you will continue to be prooved wrong.
How long is it going to take the graphics whores to realise that graphics is of little concern to us. the greatest and most payed games of all time do not need HD…. and at no point should that change.
Nintendo is doing everything right for once and still the haters have to find a way to settle their insecurities. shame on you….
August 18th, 2007
The Nintendo Wii is very well capable of 720p. you will see a game with it supported very soon…
August 18th, 2007
You can’t argue against Bioshock? True, but what about Metroid Prime 3? That game is sure to be a critical darling as well, has a pre-installed fanbase, offers innovative and immersive controls for console FPS’s, and looks amazing, especially artistically.
Plus, seems to me Nintendo planned the timing about HD just right. The article says a majority of home will not have HD for another 3-5 years, well, that sounds like the next Nintendo console with HD will be coming just on time.
August 18th, 2007
I can certainly say that most of this doesnt stand true for the Australian population.
With the mostly unaffordable costs of the 360 and the PS3 in this country and the relatively minuscule adoption of HDTV, consumers are having hard times justifying a purchase as expensive as the 360 or PS3. That’s probably why Wii is doing quite well in this country.
August 18th, 2007
There is one major fault in your argument - you assumed that Nintendo, being one of the most innovative companys, is standing still and not renewing their product lines!!
Now Nintendo has a lot a lot of cash, has an very efficient and innovative management team. One shouldn’t be surprised to see Wii 2 or DS 2 with high-definition video support and backward compatibility coming out in one or two years time.
August 18th, 2007
This is a very foolish article.
The Wii will be poo-pooed by hardcore gamers with elite TVs. But they are a very small fraction of consumers.
My girlfriend plays the Wii. She would never touch an Xbox 360 or PS3. My mom plays the Wii.
That’s the reason Nintendo has a winner on its hands–it’s made gamers out of non-gamers.
Oh, the niche gamers will complain and complain, but they have their niche systems to feel superior with. The rest of the world will be playing Wii and laughing at them.
August 18th, 2007
I wish i had a xbox 350! XD
“But, the PS3 and Xbox 350 have been future proofed”
August 18th, 2007
The fact that you only discuss visuals/graphics shows your ignorance.
August 18th, 2007
Please just shut the hell up and stop making yourself look bad.
Everything your saying is opinionated, biased, and most definably not what the majority thinks. And what the hell are you doing saying that RE4 is the only good game on Wii?
You don’t like sports
You don’t like racing games
You don’t like mini games
And if you didn’t mention Zelda you most certainly don’t like adventure or roleplaying games.
So ahhh…… what the hell do you like?
If you only like action games then why the hell are you writing about a subject this broad?
If you only like action games then hell of course you won’t like any one game system.
Also next time you tell me something like this please actually put up some statistics that support your claims.
August 18th, 2007
This is so ridiculous. Let’s recap about what so called analysts said about the Wii.
Before the Wii was released analysts said the Wii would fail because it was technologically inferior.
9/06. The Wii became a smash hit when it was released.
Analysts then said the Wii “fad” will quickly die down and the PS3 will dominate because it has super duper technology.
2/07. The Wii is still selling like hotcakes outselling the PS3 like 4 to 1.
Analysts still say the Wii will fade away and the super duper consoles will dominate.
8/07 The Wii is still dominating. It is selling about as much as the 360 and PS3 combined. The Wii has sold more than the 360 worldwide even though the 360 came out a year earlier. Today, it is still hard to find Wiis available at stores.
So analysts don’t know what they are talking about.
Super duper graphics are not important to the mass market, only mainly to hardcore gamers which make up only a small portion of the market. The mass market want innovation, accessibility, affordable prices, and most of all fun. But analysts don’t get that.
August 18th, 2007
Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it like a million times already. “Nintendo is teh kiddy,” “Nintendo is gonna do a Sega,” “the Wii’s going to be dead in two years,” and of course if those don’t work we’ll go the alarmist POV of “Nintendo is ignoring the hardcore and will destroy the industry with casual games.” Blah, blah, blah.
Of course that doesn’t mean that I don’t agree that, by my personal preferences in games, the 360 and PS3 have a lot more games that interest me, but that’s not necessarily because of graphics. Heck, if these third-party developers actually bother to treat Nintendo systems like they did the Xbox and PS2 (as they do the 360 and PS3), great games would still supersede the wanting for better graphics. The only bad thing about the Wii’s graphics is that they’re generally not clean and lack good art style and presentation, but then that’s not necessarily the Wii hardware’s fault. We’ve seen games like Mercenaries, Black, Burnout 3, MGS3, FFX, etc. on the PS2, would you hear anybody complaining about those graphics, if those were the kinds of games in question coming for the Wii? Not likely. Because they are technically clean (not unreasonably overly riddled with “jaggies,” overly blurry textures, etc.), artistically detailed and colorful, and with gameplay/storylines/characters that are deep, and this is all regardless if they exceed 480p, have light blooms, etc.
We’ve seen images of games like Brother in Arms Double Time recently but I’ve seen Black Hawk Down on the PS2 recently being played in a shop and the latter looks very good but yet here we are, the Wii being a more powerful system than the PS2 and it’s like developers went into withdrawal with skills that regressed to the N64 era. I mean if I was paranoid I’d say these guys intend to make the Wii look as nasty graphically as possible so they, once again, can sweep a Nintendo console under the rug and of course blame us with their “not wanting to buy third-party games” hullabaloo. We want third-party games. Heck, I wouldn’t mind PS2 ports, that is if they came with a port of the Metal Gear Solid series, Silent Hill series, Final Fantasy, Tales of the Abyss, etc., y’know, real top notch efforts.
The simple matter is, it’s not the technical limitations people keep focusing on as the reason why they almost seemingly yearn for the Wii to fail (big surprise). Frankly, there’s the same loss in focus when people keep asking for “mature” games (i.e. it’s not the M-rated marked on the box, it’s the matured quality of a game, the depth in gameplay, character, themes, etc., factors that exist in E and T-rated games like Final Fantasy). It is the type of games coming out on the Wii people are complaining about. The alarmists have this notion that just because Nintendo expanded their focus (note: expanded) to actually give grandma a chance to play videogames too, they equate that to abandonment of “hardcore” gaming. Good grief, Nintendo took a step out of the line and stretch out a hand to those outside the box and people are actually going ballistic. Personally, I think it’s just more excuses to dislike the company and since they’ve been doing so well, it wouldn’t surprise me if “haters” would like nothing more than to tell traditional Nintendo gamers that Nintendo’s abandoning them. I highly doubt that’s the case, but regardless, we’re not even there yet. Frankly, the only abandonment I feel is from third-party developers on Nintendo consoles, not all, just a general speaking.
It’s the developers we should be complaining about. Just because Nintendo’s trying out these other things doesn’t mean that third-parties should follow Nintendo on everything, especially if the third-parties are simply better at other genres. It would be like Microsoft is best know for Halo and then everyone from Square-Enix, instead of making RPGs, decided to follow the Halo route. It would be completely mental. Now companies like Konami, they’re very good with games like Metal Gear Solid. Wii gamers should get that, not Dewy or Elebits. I mean they’re fine too, but Konami should have something MGS-like in quality, theme, etc. in the future for the Wii, otherwise, why isn’t the PS3 getting Dewy instead? Seriously, first game on Wii, Elebits; first game on PS3, MGS4? Then it’s Elebits and Silent Hill 5. Even Nintendo had Zelda, and soon the “big 3.” Who’s abandoning who here?
August 18th, 2007
The PS3 is future proofed !!!
The XBOX 360 is NOT!!!
The XBOX 360 will BREAK in future, proofed evry day!!!
August 18th, 2007
Wow! Jonathan hasn’t posted a comback in a while.
August 18th, 2007
well, I agree with everything that’s been said by most of the comments and I can’t really add much, I’d say that Jonathen, you’re argument’s been shot down pretty severly now over and over again… kinda funny though how no one agrees, almost everyone here likes the Wii and most of us must be somewhat hardcore gamers to even be reading such articles and leaving comments, so I’d say that not only do I think the average person doesn’t apply to your argument, but neither does the hardcore gamer, sorry about that, I’ll think more of you if you could just admit that you’re wrong, only an idiot would keep insisting that he was right after getting shot down as thourouly as you’ve been.
August 18th, 2007
This Author Jonathan comes off as an elitist with his “antiquated graphics” comments and boo hooo 5 years from now. What makes this guy think that ninjatendo wont come out with a High Def version in say 2 years. Does he really expect people to believe that Nintendo is stupid an arrogant as his Sony and MS heroes? ooohh Bioshock wow great yay… nintendo is well aware of you sudden revelations, theyve stated all along what the Wii is and what it is not at this time…Nintendo has marketed this product? yeah right, they only spent 500 million on marketing from what I can remember… chump change in the advertising world compared to your precious PS3 never mind Xbox360. your article is so biased…Yeah bioshock is cool but come on, stop being such an elitist pompus and get off your high horse jerk.
August 18th, 2007
I have a HDTV and I think my wii looks great in 480p. It may not look as nice as a game in 1080, but it sure doesn’t look as bad as you make it out to be. Your argument that once people get HDTV’s they will throw their wii away is flawed. I am proof.
August 18th, 2007
Also, learn how to write.
August 18th, 2007
“What makes this guy think that ninjatendo wont come out with a High Def version in say 2 years.” Ninjatendo! I like that!
August 18th, 2007
I have a HDTV, a wii, a ps3, and my roommate has his xbox360 hooked up to the tv as well. When we first played the wii with the supplied cables it did look horrible, but once we purchased the component cables, the pixel dithering was hardly noticeable. Obviously, our other systems look much much better, but that’s not to say the wii is unplayable, or looks so bad it makes your eyes bleed. Graphics lovers act like they never enjoyed playing games before they got a ps3 due to graphics. I feel in love with gaming on an Atari 2600, but once I got my NES I didn’t stop playing the games I loved on my Atari. Why? Because I enjoyed the game play, not the graphics. So far, the wii gets played almost 80% more a week than the other systems, with the xbox360 collecting more dust than game playing time. I enjoy the ps3 controls, and I can’t wait for them to incorporate more motion detection into the games(the sixaxis is just as capable of this as the wiimote) but right now, Nintendo is the clear winner with the software they and other 3rd party developers are supplying.
August 18th, 2007
Poor Jonathan is being relentlessly smacked down eh. Jonathan, if you have a minute, I have some constructive critisism. From your comments you seem to be arguing that Wii has no compelling software for you. While this is a valid opinion, this is in no way helping you convey your actual article, as you are saying that no HD-support is the downfall of the Wii. Try to stay on-topic.
Instead, you just show that you dislike the Wii, which may be the reason you wanted to write this article. Writing an article “I dislike a console, and I want to prove that I am right with facts” is not the right way to approach it, and causes you to unfairly judge the other side of things. In this case you would have had a point if you weren’t so quick to dismiss valid points for the Wii such as marketing and control, and had presented your possible outcome as a danger which may happen, not as a certainty.
“Our mission is to provide gutsy, honest and informed coverage and comment on key technology news and issues, without fear or favor.”
Good luck!
ps: because this article was linked on gonintendo, a lot of fanboys come here to express their opinion. Try not to think too much of it. Commenting back on childish arguments certainly won’t get your very far.
August 18th, 2007
I do admit that my article is a piece of crap and I don’t really know what I’m talking about…but the point is that I AM a graphics whore, I AM gay and this site is stupid enough to give me a voice
August 18th, 2007
you got pwned, big time!
August 18th, 2007
Believe it or not, I have several more articles even stupider than this one I am working on right this moment, well i mean after I jerk off to some gay bondage sites…
August 18th, 2007
Writing always came easy for me, I just sit and think what is the most asinine argument I can make, put in some biased but pointless statements, and then push the send button. It’s so easy any dildo can do it.
Sometimes I print my articles and tape them up in my room next to my Halo poster and pretend that I owned our house and my mom would go away…but I still love her…but hate her too!! Dang, I better get a bigger HDTV soon cause mom always wants to use the TV to watch her dumb soap operas.
Someday when I become a real big writer and get paid lots of money she’ll regret what she has done. I can understand why dad left now.
August 18th, 2007
I personally am happy for Nintendo’s Success, however I want this video game console war to continue between the big 3, and hopefully PS3 and Xbox to slowly catch the Wii.. but all 3 to get big and stay big.. more competition = better output of products and services for the Consumer.. When Big companies are faced with lots of pressure they really have to work for their big fat paychecks.. and after deciding to purchase a PS3 I noticed Sony’s really in the hot seat.. until late september anyone who gets a ps3 gets 5 free blu ray movies from a list (mail in request, few weeks delivery).. and the new exciting FREE playstation Home network looks very interesting.. also Microsoft after noticing the hardware malfunctions on the 360 were getting outrageous did a 3 year extension warranty for its consumer base.. and Nintendo is offering some interesting bundle game packs included with a Wii console purchase.. all this is because of the competition pressure.. as far as I am concerned a war between 3 different companies in the games industry is awesome and exciting! Hell if Apple were to bring back the Pippin with a version 2 model I would root them on too! Competition.. YES!!
August 18th, 2007
It’s funny that Jonathan said that he could easily go out and play RE4 on the PC with a mouse and keyboard. Well they didn’t enable mouse support. The game sucks on the PC. You do give a valid point though. Anygame on any system can be played on the computer with a mouse and keyboard. However the games that you play on Wii can’t be done on the PC to the same extent that they are done on the Wii. The PC can play any PS3 and 360 game with better graphics and controls.
Most 360 games are poorly done remakes of PC games anyway. The only system that has games that can’t be played on the PC is the Wii. Can you imagine 4 people around a small PC screen playing mini-games? I can port any 360 game to the PC and make it look better. As a matter of fact graphically the 360 and PS3 are already obsolete compared to the PC. So without the graphics what do they have to offer over the PC. Nothing.
This is why the Wii will outsell and continue to outshine the nextgen consoles.
August 18th, 2007
Exactly Don.. the PC really is the top dog.. if more people knew how to put together a computer each component purchased separate of say Newegg.. they would realize.. “Hey.. I can build a machine that is very similar performance wise to say the PS3, for about the same price.. that can run linux, run windows.. run games.. run nice applications for any multimedia/productivity task.. wow this is awesome!” The truth at least now and for a while is people don’t know this.. people just want simple/easy/plug and play stuff.. nothing that requires thinking.. which is why the Wii is so great for the masses.. and World of Warcraft is the number one selling MMO of all time.. ugh lol
August 18th, 2007
Why do people insist on writing this trash? Great marketing? I’ve seen a wii tv ad maybe twice, ever. I’ll tell you what sells the wii, cost and learning curve.
If the PS3 was suddenly the same price as the Wii then it would be a no brainer, I’d probably buy both!
The wiimote is unique but also extremely easy to use which makes the “non-gamers” interested to try and then get hooked on a game or games.
The Wii, or Nintendo, is here to stay. They are dominating the handheld market with the DS over the PSP because it has better gameplay AND it’s affordable. The PSP recently dropped its price so I’m sure sales will also go up but the games for the DS are so much better.
I had to comment. Just so tired of hearing people calling what is obviously a landslide victory, a pivotal moment in the “Console Wars” that will change games and the consoles forever.
August 18th, 2007
Joe’s response to JS’s article are way better than the article itself.
Jonathan, you need another hobby buddy because Nintendo bashing is not your forte.
August 18th, 2007
Nintendo may fade into obscurity from a gamer’s point of view. But the gamer demographic is no longer relevant to Nintendo’s bottom line.
Nintendo has switched targets. It’s pulling an iPod on the masses.
August 18th, 2007
I’m just going to tell you right away what everyone else is thinking right now. You have no idea what the fuck you are talking about, ok? Have a nice day.
August 19th, 2007
People believe what they see in commercials too much. Just because they show non gamers (girls and old people) playing the wii does not actually mean they use them regulary. I dont know a single person over 40 who has actually bought a wii.
It is interesting that the wii console is based purely around a perhipheral. To advertise the wii console is to show a picture of the wii-mote.
The aim of digital entertainment is photo realism, and as this gets ever closer the pathetic cartoon look of the wii games is embarrassing. I beleive there is a place for mini games, but in an “xbox live ” type environment.
Ultimately, when nintendo has done every genre of game with the wii-mote, there will be nothing original left, and will fade into obscurity.
August 19th, 2007
Lol Jonathan, being a FPS enthusiast, loves the XBOX360 because (among other reasons) oh Bioshock is so great as a single player game, whereas Wii sucks cuz Wiisports is not a great single player game. Oh there’s just no way that someone will pick Wii over Xbox360.
Well then isn’t the Wii great because it has Zelda Twilight Princess because it’s a great single player game, while XBox 360 sucks ass because its Bomberman Act Zero sucks ass. Wouldn’t you love Wii then?
Don’t compare different shit. Don’t compare a game from your favorite genre to another game from another genre.
Graphics can make a good game even better, but it can’t make a bad game good.
Software developers will have to pay attention to Wii some more, because some of the crap they made for the Wii ARE pretty horrible (gameplay wise).
August 19th, 2007
It is difficult to take him seriously when he can’t distinguish between a production cut, and a delay to increased production.
August 19th, 2007
Jonathan said: WiiSports (which IMO is only good if you play in groups).
SUCH A LONER!!!
August 19th, 2007
Ill will say this once. And in the sea of replies to your story I hope you see it.
You are going on about this rift in graphics eventually catching up to the Wii.
You are going on about this HDTV adoption rate increasing catching up with the Wii.
#1 The rift in graphics wont come 2 years from now man, Its already here, Wii sports characters don’t even have arms. While the characters in Gears of War and Resistance are some of the most realistic things I have ever seen. Are you trying to suggest the rift is going to get any bigger than that? Mii’s don’t have fingers arms or anything man. The graphical divide is already here, and its not making a difference at all. You want it to so badly that your ACTING like this sudden graphics divide will happen in the future, but your ignoring that its already present, because you cant face the fact that its having no effect.
#2 You should look at the astronomically high HDTV adoption rate of Japan my friend. HDTV is WAY ahead of the US there. The highest ANYWHERE as far as I know, many many many years (5+) ahead of our HDTV adaption rate, and guess which console is outselling the 360 and PS3 at rates of 6 times or higher each and every month. The Wii. You wont find your savior in HDTV adoption either my friend.
Your going to have to accept that consoles never gain this type of momentum and slow down later. It never happens, and never will. Your going to have to accept that EVEN THOUGH you cannot see a reason why someone would choose Wii sports over Resistance, or 480p stretched on their TV with horrid graphics over 1080p and 7.1 surround, that its going to happen ANYWAY. The same way it almost makes no sense to see people spending MILLIONS of dollars on IPODS every year when there are much better and much cheaper and much more EFFICIENT music/media players on the market! The same way you probably dont understand why people like Paris Hilton are SOOOOO famous and other people that do FAR more important things daily like school teachers will never achieve such fame. Etc Etc. Doesnt always matter.
The Wii is whats selling now, and will continue to. Do us all a favor and stop acting like you are man enough to admit you were wrong on this website 2 years from now once your predictions are shown to be nonsense. We can all tell from your verbal/types demeanor that you are not a man of that type of integrity.
Good day.
August 19th, 2007
Jonathan
You really should stop posting comments in your own articles. Not only is the original article 100% personal opinion (which is i must add laughably missguided), your comments just show you out to be the narrow minded fanboy that you are.
I won’t waste my time pointing out the errors, or contradictions in your piece, but there is one huge point you completely missed. In fact you pretty much said it, though you obviously don’t realise the impact.
The Wii will have a 3-4 yr life cycle.
My prediction…
In about 2 years time we’ll be buying Wii 2 and for about the same price as we are paying now for the Wii. The graphics will be on par with the PS3 only this time around the Wii will have much more unique technology, not expensive technology but something new and fresh.
Can you honestly see PS3 owners forking out for a PS4 in 3 years time? It’s a 10 year life cycle right? Consumers want the new thing and they want it now, a 5 year old PS3 product just isn’t as interesting.
August 19th, 2007
idiot
August 19th, 2007
if you think just cuz u think that, everybody else will, you’re retarded. I have a wii and xbox360, yet i play wii more because graphics don’t matter if it’s a piece of shit game, whereas wii games, with some exception, are pretty good and fun.
graphics themselves don’t make the game man.
August 19th, 2007
Thomas started one description about this gamer.blorge nicely.. I just have a few more to add
Lamer.blorge.com - Enraging, biased blogs about games.. written by narrow-minded people who know nothing about what makes a great game, on topics other authors wrote about before, for the purpose of trashing a system he doesn’t have or doesn’t like.
Okay.. MAYBE I’m being unfair to the other authors in this site. But seriously.. go back to see some articles this guy has written. In recent posts, he keeps trashing the Wii. In one previous post, he said “If a game has poor graphics but excellent controls, like many of the Wii games, that is also not a good game though Nintendo fans disagree.” How many of you Xbox360 and PS3 fans out there also disagree? Is this guy implying that his opinion represents those of Xbox360 and PS3 fans?
Great graphics doens’t make a game great, kind of like a good looking person doesn’t make him/her a good person. Looks over substance? Superficial and shallow.
If bad looks immediately makes something bad, YOU Mr Schlaffer, and not the Wii, should be the one tossed aside, and bagged and gagged, I might add (for those who don’t know what I’m talking about, look at his pic above. Actually, don’t, and take my word for it.. ‘horrible I say, avert your eyes!’).
PS: I’m sorry. Just because Mr Schlaffer look like an retard, that doesn’t make him like a retard. But you know, if you look like a retard AND write like a retard, then well…
August 19th, 2007
and i agree with despacio
August 19th, 2007
[...] link: Toss it up to great marketing on Nintendo’s part, I hope both Sony and Microsoft have taken notes. But it can’t run on marketing forever and eventually the antiquated graphics will get even more antiquated as time moves on and once 30% to 40% of the US population has an HDTV that could mark the end of the Wii right there. But, the PS3 and Xbox 350 have been future proofed what with those console’s HDMI outputs and 1080p capabilities allowing them to soldier on into the future leaving the poor Wii in the dust or collecting dust on a closet shelf. [...]
August 19th, 2007
Why waste your time writing complete egg. The average person doesnt go out to buy a game and go “oh that flower doesn’t look 3d”. They buy a game to have fun which is what the wii provides in mass amounts. Forget wasting your time writing silly things like this the Wii is here to stay.
“I would very much like to know why someone would pass up the high-def capabilities of a Xbox 360 or the Blu-Ray playing capabilities of a PS3 for the simplistic Wii.”
To answer that: Simplicity is best.
August 19th, 2007
Go, fanboyism, go!
Yes, I am referring to that very article up there.
Even 40% on HD is NOT the majority (just to refresh your maths, a majority is, given there are only two options, any group that includes more than 50%).
And until that happened (and, mind you, it will seemingly not happen outside the US within the next 20 years), the next generation of consoles is already well underway.
August 19th, 2007
[...] anscheinend besonders gerne zur Hetzjagd auf die Nintendo Wii ein. Diesmal hat er mit dem Artikel Nintendo Wii to fade into obscurity, Xbox 360, PS3 will ultimately win ein erneutes Manifest über den sicheren Untergang der Wii auf dem Weltmarkt [...]
August 19th, 2007
This is a perfect example of someone misleading the general public.
Case in point, 2009 FCC deadline… this only applies to those who receive television signals through an over the air antenna. If you have cable or satellite, you will not need to purchase a new television. If you have cable or satellite you will NOT be effected by this 2009 change. Why even bring this up, when only a small percentage of the people are effected? Also external digital tuners are becoming quite popular, just check your local Walmart.
Don’t be so sure that HDTV adoption will be as fast as YOU predict.
BTW. I have a HDTV and the Wii looks very good on it. As good as DVD.
August 19th, 2007
I think ive just come up with a point that makes this article a bit pointless. What audience is nintendo trying to aim the wii at? Casual, and like it or not the wii is held in high reguard by child gamers because of the sort of games that are on it. Now causly gamers probably don’t really care about the 480 output even if they do have a HDTV, they probably won’t even know what people are on about when they say something like the output is 480, they will just buy the extra cables and play it on the TV. Like some one said before not every one is a techie and this is ESPECIALLY what the casual audience isnt.
Also what 8 year old kid do you know has a HUGE HDTV in their bedroom? And if they are by chance they are members of Bill Gates family, if they are still like 8-12 years old will they know about or really care what the out put is? especially if they don’t have a HDTV in their bedroom.
August 19th, 2007
lol to be absolutely honest I find this quite funny, it is a perfect example of a fanboy either worrying or trying to make people belive his so biased opinions that hold no grounds. lol well HEY FANBOY I’VE GOT A MESSAGE FOR YOU!!! Back in the Game Cube days if you made a similiar article like this saying that the cube was bad then you would probably be met with alot of agreeing comments… But not any more, face it fanboy Nintendo has done something right, it has made a decent console and has made the right and sensible descisons about HD that is why like 90% of the comments about the wii are positive instead of the horde of negative comments there would have been for the Game Cube there is a hode of positive comments for the wii. This shows that Nintendo has made the right descsions and has made a great console and the majority of all audiences casual and gammer appear to agree with that.
Who would have thought that in the cube days a blogger would say negative things about Nintendo and a horde of people would come to defend Nintendo. FACE IT, PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR FANBOYIST BUTT HOLE AND ADMIT THAT NINTENDO HAS MADE A DECENT CONSOLE AND THAT THEY HAVE MADE THE RIGHT DESCISIONS!!!
see… fanboys like you just can’t admit that the wii is a good system and you seem to think that the “bash nintendo era because its consoles and games are sh!tz” is still here. And before you think im a fanboy, I have a 360 and have bought it for the sole reason of halo 3 and halo wars, and GOW.
August 19th, 2007
lol and the pole who will win the console wars next to this article proves my point, grow up fanboy.
August 19th, 2007
I’m 35 years old and the last time I bothered playing video games was when Donkey Kong was the latest thing. Why? Because the controllers became too complex, I don’t have spectacular hand-eye coordination, and I’ve got better things to do than spend hundreds of hours playing any video game, no matter how compelling.
So I watched my boyfriends play those games and was amazed at the dizzying rate at which they performed wildly complex button combinations to do basic things. I spent my time reading and watching movies and going to school and doing things outdoors and with other people.
Then the Wii came out, and made video games fun and accessible. For someone like me (and there are lots and lots of us out there, as the Wiis sales numbers will attest) the PS2/3 and XBox consoles don’t even compare, since neither has an easy-to-use controller. No amount of pretty graphics will change the fact that I don’t want to take the considerable amount of time that would be necessary to become even moderately proficient at using a PS or XBox controller. I can play Wii games with my video game-savvy husband or my 60 year old father, and have an equally fun time with zero learning curve. No one is excluded.
Also, many of the games offered on the Wii are short and fun - I can enjoy them for a half hour, win or lose, then go do other things. That’s nice because playing a game that requires 300 hours of effort to complete, with increasing levels of difficulty isn’t something for which I have time. Real life intervenes.
The fact is, Nintendo has defined a new market for video games and we are thrilled to be able to play again. Wii is a video game system, but it isn’t in direct competition with the others, because the others have been marketed very exclusively to the Johnathans out there, and the Wii eschews that kind of exclusivity in favor of plain old fun.
August 19th, 2007
One year ago this sort of analysis would have made sense and be perfectly legitimate.
Now it is completly empty and it only shows that the so called “analysts” were baffled by the Wii - welcome to the world of videogames, even if you know very little about them.
Apparently, these “predictions” which showed the PS3 to be the winner were based on hollow statements and arguments and no analyst has so far managed to put himself together now that their favourite machine is selling at a low pace.
August 19th, 2007
Sometimes, I don’t even know why I bother looking at blorge.com anymore. The amount of uneducated, immature article creators astounds me.
Jonathan, as you stated “you will either need an external box to convert the digital signal to analog”. Ever hear of a little system called a cable box? For those people with cable service, a good portion of them have digital cable for their high speed internet. Most of those boxes already come HDTV ready. So 2009 doesn’t change much. A person using rabbit ear antennae for their tv probably hasn’t gotten adopted DVD yet, never mind Blu-Ray and HDTV, and they likely will not, at least not until their tv burns out and the cheapest tv out there is HDTV.
Its sad to see you tout Bioshock as such an immersive game, that tells me that you really enjoy having the same stuff crammed down your throat. Bioshock is nothing but the inbred result of F.E.A.R and Doom 3. It looks very pretty, but the game design is old hat.
Also, you seal the deal about your pure ignorance by touting the Xbox version of RE4 as the second best controls to the PC. The Wii version has made the game flow so much better to the earlier releases. In fact, Id say its even better than a keyboard and mouse version, because you dont have to be hunched over a computer, and when you want to aim high, you move your crosshair in that direction, not forward towards the screen. Much more realistic that way.
You know what the scary part of the Wii’s success is? It’s demolishing the traditional way of gaming. I recently had the chance to play the baseball game “The Bigs” on XBox 360. This was after having played several innings of Wii baseball. By the 2nd inning, I was bored with the Bigs. Honestly, I dont care to see the batter sweat, Id rather have more fun playing. Pressing A to hit a baseball no longer makes sense in an age where I can physically swing at the pitch.
Whether you hate the Wii and Nintendo forever, the reality is, your next Xbox or PS4 will likely follow the Wii’s lead in controller devices, and your button mashing days will be a thing of the past.
It’s called evolution of gaming. In our industry, you have to quickly adopt it.
August 19th, 2007
Is it just me or is the wii mote controller method sometimes more compicated than a traditional controller.
I personally would prefer to easily press some buttons whilst relaxed in my chair, rather than frantically waving around some gay wand like a retard that has been shot with a tranquilser gun .
August 19th, 2007
How many times are you going to keep posting essentially the same wishful thinking? I can’t imagine why Google News keeps picking it up.
Ah well, at least I have adblock turned on so I’m not making you any money.
August 19th, 2007
Your argument is quite one-sided.
It doesn’t explain why kids (and adults) are crazy about the Nintendo’s DS, which has much inferior video quality, in Japan, where HDTV and DTV are more common. My relative in Japan has Wii and DS for their kids. But Kids are spending more time on DS rather than Wii.
With 2 ~ 3 years, Nintendo can deliver better graphics with much affordable price, something parents can afford to spend.
You may know Games but Nintendo surely knows Game market.
August 19th, 2007
You’re so clueless about the attraction of the Wii.
we’re a family of four, with a non-HD set, and like the physical-motion component of the play of the Wii.
HD is a nice-to-have but not a must have for us.
August 19th, 2007
Honestly, do you know what is around the corner for nintendo gamers? This is all the same crap that analyists were predicting about the DS “the psp will win this, the psp will win that”….well….they were wrong were they not?
Square enix is creating some great games for the wii… wiifit is just what all players want…oh and heck who says it wont create millions?…enough to keep sony and microsoft gagging at thier own stupididity.
Sony’s time is over.
August 19th, 2007
When in 2009 people are forced to buy a digital TV do some of you really believe