Nintendo Wii: 45 Million Served

[blackened144]

[citation][nom]beeyang78[/nom]I owned the Wii for like 9 months and it was fun for the first three months, but after that, the games got old and I didn't enjoy it as much. It's a great console when you have a lot of people and just want to have fun, but for serious gaming, my ps3/psp combo is the bomb! I wouldn't trade them for any other system. As far as the Xbox goes, they do have some great games, but the overall cost is what gets me. I have to buy an Xbox, then an HD DVD drive, then a wireless adapter, and also have to pay to play multiplayer games...why when I get it all on my ps3![/citation]

Im not sure what you mean by overall cost. The 360 Pro model thats been out for the last year or so with integrated HDMI also comes with a wireless adapter. Also, why would you ever get an HDDVD drive? How many new titles do you expect to be released in that format? The overall cost is $299 + games and controllers, which you will have to buy no matter what console you buy.

As far as the Wii goes, I play it at my friends place all the time.. Its good for gaming with a bunch of people together.. My friend says that since a month or 2 since he got it, almost no one in his family ever turns the machine on.. It only gets turned on when guests come over.. Of course, hes got the party crib where everyone goes, so it still gets used a lot..

 

[TheCapulet]

The wii is fun, but the hardcore gamers of today expect something more in the area of graphics technology. And that's not something Nintendo has ever been ahead in.

 

[Guest]

It's true the Wii is mostly casual gaming, but which console is not? I find it particularly funny when people compare Wii games with, for example, Oblivion. Beyond the look, Oblivion IS a casual game with a series of mini-games.

 

[Thurin]

"hardcore gamers" subjective terminology.. do you mean pro players, or peopl who play a lot of games ?... or are you referring to 3d-gamers, or those who only play for the looks ...

Like I said before, all platforms are aimed at a specific audience...

If you do not like it that is fine, but there's no need to rag the wii platform because it doesn't meet your personal taste.

There are those to whom the graphical appearance is less significant.

 

[Tindytim]

[citation][nom]TheCapulet[/nom]The wii is fun, but the hardcore gamers of today expect something more in the area of graphics technology. And that's not something Nintendo has ever been ahead in.[/citation]

I don't give 2 s**ts about it's graphics, and either does any real gamer. I personally think the last generation of console graphics was fine.

My issue is the content of most of the games. By attempting to include everyone, Nintendo is over-simplifying and bastardizing gaming. We now have a much larger market of ignorant people, who don't know the depth, or enjoyment of deeper gaming experiences, and will buy anything with bright colors and a sleek interface.

 

[zerapio]

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]My issue is the content of most of the games. By attempting to include everyone, Nintendo is over-simplifying and bastardizing gaming. We now have a much larger market of ignorant people, who don't know the depth, or enjoyment of deeper gaming experiences, and will buy anything with bright colors and a sleek interface.[/citation]

Who the hell are YOU to decide that people are ignorant because they like this or that game/platform. Get of your high horse and learn to recognize that there are different markets. You don't like the Wii or its games then fine but don't go calling people ignorant because they don't like what you like.

 

[nottheking]

I think the fact that Ninendo appears to be almost outselling their competitors combined would be sufficient evidence to say that they're definitely targetting the right people, and the right markets; In just a little over 2 years and 2 months, they've reached 45 million units, which if I recall, is still a record number, surpassing the speed of sales of the Playstation 2 before it.

Likewise, they're definitely getting a lot of the previous generation's market, given how this reflects in the sapped sales of both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3; The Xbox 360 is doing somewhat stronger than the original Xbox did, and obviously the PS3 isn't doing anything like what the PS2 did.

While one can generalize some of Nintendo's games, one must realize that Nintendo drew a lot on ideas that were popular before; Guitar Hero/Rock Band, DDR, Tetris, and all the clones of such have been massive sellers for years and years. Such games were also the cause of much of the success of the Playstation and Playstation 2. Basically, I'd say that "hardcore" games only make up a small portion of the market, once you remove the wildly popular "casual" games, as well as sports titles, both team-based ones like EA's Madden NFL, along with racing, skateboard, boxing, and other individual ones; I wouldn't exactly classify them as "hardcore," as they do attract novice gamers simply by the appeal of the subject matter, rather than the gameplay or graphics itself as hardcore games do.

Once you break it down that way, yes, Nintendo's done a very good job of handling casual games, though they've also made some ground in sports and hardcore games, albeit with varying success; Super Smash Bros. has always been a sort of hybrid casual-hardcore game, a bit unique in that while it certainly requires a lot of dedication to play it to its fullest (much like any other fighting game) it also draws in novice players as well. Additionally, Super Mario Galaxy, under no real jugement should be considered anything other than a hardcore game; and it, along with SSB Brawl, have both had sales success on a par with Halo 3, which remains the Xbox 360's flagship by a huge margin. Sports games might actually be where Nintendo's doing weakest; while their own themed sports games (Super Mario Kart, Mario & Sonic at the Olympics, etc.) definitely are massive successes, they really don't completely cover the same markets as the more realistic mainstream titles like Madden NFL and Need For Speed do, let alone some first/second-party titles.

Microsoft has started to make admirable progress with their Xbox 360. The original Xbox could, from some perspective, be considered as a flop if it weren't for the fact that it was mostly experimental, and producing a foothold for Microsoft. (as well as pioneering Xbox Live) They've shown that they could clearly capitalize and demostrate that their monetary losses with the Xbox could be made up for. Namely, I noticed that they expanded their reach beyond the hardcore audience that they almost entirely focused on with their first console, spreading a bit into the realms of casual games, (Geometry Wars HD, and especially the Guitar Hero series) but particularly made lots of ground in sports, which one can say they snatched from Sony, (which relied heavily on such games for the PS1 and PS2) and it appears Microsoft has dominance over. Some speculation could be made that perhaps this was partly owed to the fact that the Xbox 360 was out on the market first, before the PS3 or Wii. Another possible cause might actually be Xbox Live, as that meant online play had far more reliable servers from Microsoft rather than the ones EA provided for the Wii and PS3 versions.

Sony, of course, kinda bombed right out of this generation. Undoubtedly there were a bunch of things they did wrong, though also, one should rightfuly place the bulk of the blame on Nintendo and Microsoft for doing things right, for respectively taking Sony's prior lead in casual and sports titles.

 

[Tindytim]

[citation][nom]zerapio[/nom]Who the hell are YOU to decide that people are ignorant because they like this or that game/platform. Get of your high horse and learn to recognize that there are different markets. You don't like the Wii or its games then fine but don't go calling people ignorant because they don't like what you like.[/citation]

They are ignorant, I didn't call them stupid, so stop acting like it's a huge insult. Most of them haven't played many 'hardcore' games, so their knowledge of gaming in general is low, thus, they are ignorant.

If everyone one of those people spent a few hours playing various 'hardcore' games I doubt we'd have nearly as many Wii players. It does has some in depth experiences, but very few of the good ones aren't made by Nintendo.

[citation][nom]Nottheking[/nom]Sony, of course, kinda bombed right out of this generation. Undoubtedly there were a bunch of things they did wrong, though also, one should rightfuly place the bulk of the blame on Nintendo and Microsoft for doing things right, for respectively taking Sony's prior lead in casual and sports titles.[/citation]

Where the hell do people keep getting this idea that Sony is just magically flunking out of this generation? Am I the only one that cared to look at the sales numbers, and at the trends?

Look at this graph:
http://vgchartz.com/hwlaunch.php?cons1=PS2&reg1=All&cons2=PS3&reg2=All&cons3=X360&reg3=All&weeks=156

It's a graph of the sales from Launch. As you can see, the PS3 has sold faster than the 360, and it isn't as far away from the PS2 sales as many people think.

Just remember the 360 a year by itself with no competition, yet the PS3 still sold more in it's first 2 years, than the 360 did in it's first 2.

 

[Guest]

Okay, just to quick things before work... ignorant IS an insult. Ignorant usually is used in context with things people SHOULD know. Saying someone is ignorant is the equavalent of calling them self-chosen idiots.

Also, your assumption that hardcore games can somehow 'infect' casual gamers is insane. I can't get 14 year old preppy girls hooked on classical literature by forcing them to read the Divine Comedy (a hardcore book if there ever was one).

And the PS3 is falling apart. Final Fantasy is no longer an exclusive? God help them. I hate Sony with every fiber of my being (personal experience), but I never wished for them to get hit THIS bad....

 

[Tindytim]

[citation][nom]divinecomedy[/nom]And the PS3 is falling apart. Final Fantasy is no longer an exclusive? God help them. I hate Sony with every fiber of my being (personal experience), but I never wished for them to get hit THIS bad....[/citation]

I never cared much about Final Fantasy XIII to begin with, but Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII are still Sony exclusives.

I care more about God of War 3 and Uncharted 2.

But I don't see how you can say Sony is doing horribly if you looked at my post right above yours. That chart is all the proof needed.

 

[izzygodenov]

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]They are ignorant, I didn't call them stupid, so stop acting like it's a huge insult. Most of them haven't played many 'hardcore' games, so their knowledge of gaming in general is low, thus, they are ignorant.If everyone one of those people spent a few hours playing various 'hardcore' games I doubt we'd have nearly as many Wii players. It does has some in depth experiences, but very few of the good ones aren't made by Nintendo.Where the hell do people keep getting this idea that Sony is just magically flunking out of this generation? Am I the only one that cared to look at the sales numbers, and at the trends?Look at this graph:http://vgchartz.com/hwlaunch.php?c [...][/citation]

So my Mom is ignorant because she doesn't want to f' around with a 14 buttoned controller just to be able to chainsaw off the heads of zombies?

What is ignorant is producing a game console that could only be palatable to recently pubescent teens, and the 20 and 30 year old males that act like recently pubescent teens.

What is ignorant is M$ and $ony producing the same type of console over, over, and over again. Just harder, faster, stronger.

Nintendo zigs when the others zag and somehow 45 million households are ignorant? I think it says more about the mindset of M$ and $ony. They seemed to be ignorant of the fact that there was a vast untapped sea of casual, fun-loving, don't need to see entrails in High Definition glory blown all over the screen gamers. Nintendo sure didn't miss that little 45 million sold fact.

You seem to somehow feel slighted that while you 'know you are smarter' than the mass public, they still seemed to pull one over on you. Glad you have it all figured out. The people that work at M$ and $ony are of the same mindset. We have all seen how thatworked out this time around.

 

[izzygodenov]

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]As you can see, the PS3 has sold faster than the 360, and it isn't as far away from the PS2 sales as many people think.Just remember the 360 a year by itself with no competition, yet the PS3 still sold more in it's first 2 years, than the 360 did in it's first 2.[/citation]

And Nintendo out of the gates last has surpassed both. Combined.

 

[Tindytim]

[citation][nom]izzygodenov[/nom]Nintendo zigs when the others zag and somehow 45 million households are ignorant? I think it says more about the mindset of M$ and $ony. They seemed to be ignorant of the fact that there was a vast untapped sea of casual, fun-loving, don't need to see entrails in High Definition glory blown all over the screen gamers.[/citation]
The system is populated with Minigames. There are a few worth while titles, but those are hugely overshadowed.

I like having an interesting story, and compelling characters, interesting gameplay mechanics and inspired art design.

I happen to think the market is hugely made up of vapid Shooters and vapid minigames. The Wii just happens to have a larger concentration of minigames, so I dislike it. Don't get me wrong, I love most of the actual games Nintendo produces (WiiFit is not a game!), but just look at all the peripherals that come out for it every month, all the games with little gimicks, people gyrating about their living rooms in awkward positions.

[citation][nom]izzygodenov[/nom]Nintendo sure didn't miss that little 45 million sold fact.You seem to somehow feel slighted that while you 'know you are smarter' than the mass public, they still seemed to pull one over on you. Glad you have it all figured out. The people that work at M$ and $ony are of the same mindset. We have all seen how thatworked out this time around.[/citation]

You think more sales makes something a better product? This is just more of the media playing to the lowest common denominator.

Why do you think there is a new Saw movie coming out every damn year? Do you think because those movies do better commercially then, say, Goodfellas?

Metallica was more commercially successful post-...And Justice for All, but does that make any of that stuff better than Master of Puppets?

Sales ≠ Quality

 

[Tindytim]

[citation][nom]izzygodenov[/nom]And Nintendo out of the gates last has surpassed both. Combined.[/citation]
So?

My point was Sony isn't doing anywhere near as badly as some people seem to think.

 

[eccentric909]

They are ignorant, I didn't call them stupid, so stop acting like it's a huge insult. Most of them haven't played many 'hardcore' games, so their knowledge of gaming in general is low, thus, they are ignorant.

If everyone one of those people spent a few hours playing various 'hardcore' games I doubt we'd have nearly as many Wii players. It does has some in depth experiences, but very few of the good ones aren't made by Nintendo.

The 70-80 year old grandmas and grandpas standing in line to buy Wii's for themselves, want nothing to do with "hardcore" games. Little Jimmy/Julie 6 year old is having way more fun with pointing and clicking, and the group of middle-aged parents whom are throwing a super bowl party are playing Rayman Raving Rabbids during the half-time show.

They want nothing to do with "hardcore" games. Sure, some of those middle-aged parents might enjoy Halo or MGS in their spare time as well, but that is not the audience the Wii is aiming for. The Wii actually created a new audience for gaming, which is why it's sales are so high. People who'd have never bought a console for their kids, or older people who might have been playing spider solitare on their PC or Mac are the ones snatching up Wiis the most. It is a group that Sony nor Microsoft was selling to, to begin with.

Why are they ignorant? Because they choose to play games for 30 minute max sessions, with simple easy to use and intuitive controls? No, they're not ignorant, they've just finally found video games that appeal to them.

That is a different audience from you and I, who prefer to play games like Fallout 3, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, Halo, GTA, God of War, XBlades and so on. While there might be individual games in that list that you don't enjoy, my point should be clear.

Wii sales haven't really affected Sony or MS, because Nintendo created a new market. A market who isn't going to magically pick up a controller and spend 100s of hours playing Oblivion or Fallout and all of a sudden realize what they're "missing out" on. It is however, getting more video-gamers out in the world of all ages, period.. which is a good thing. They're not ignorant for enjoying games which you think are only a collection of mini-games and a waste of time, they're enjoying their own preference of video game.

Now Julie and Jimmy 6 year old, when they turn 11 or 12, might decide they want to play something with a bit more depth, asking mom and dad if they can buy them the latest Xbox1440 or PS30.. therefore producing a new audience for the higher-end consoles in the future (especially on Julie's end, since girl gamers are on the rise as it is). But now instead of mom and dad saying a flat out "No", because they've only heard about how bad video games are for kids, might have a change of heart now that they've seen that video games really aren't all that bad.. thanks to the Wii.

People aren't ignorant because they don't like the same video games as you, or don't care about super high production values like you do.. they're a different audience, an audience that really hasn't ever gotten into gaming until now.

I would say this is a good thing, no? More gamers = more games = more sales = more budget for games down the road. It's not like either the 360 or PS3 are doing "bad", they're both pretty well overall, both with their own little niche of exclusives (which is unfortunately getting smaller for Sony) and will continue to keep selling well into the next generation.

My point was Sony isn't doing anywhere near as badly as some people seem to think.

No, they're not.. however quite a lot of PS3's sales are bolstered due to the fact of it containing the cheapest and the best Blu-ray player on the market for quite a while (although it isn't the case now as far as cost goes). Believe it or not, there are a lot of people out there who play very little or no games on their PS3 and use it more for movie viewing, rather than a gaming machine.

I'm not saying this is good or bad, but it has helped contribute to the sales of the PS3.. like the DVD-rom did for the PS2.

To me, with the 360 and PS3, it's not which is better than the other.. they're both about the same.. it's all personal preference. I love my PSP, I love my 360, I love my PC, I somewhat like my Wii, but my PS3 just collects dust at the moment. It's a nice machine, but it hasn't had anything stand-out that I prefer to play on it, nor any exclusive until God of War 3 that I am looking forward to. Especially now that you can install 360 games directly to your hard drive. /shrug

 

[eccentric909]

Although, I do have to say.. the Wii game "No More Heroes" was incredibly fun and had me hooked for quite a while. Unfortunately for me, being that I've worked in I/T now for 14 years doing mostly coding, I'm starting to develop carpal tunnel. I can't play the Wii for long periods of time without it making my wrists burn and tingle.

I can't use a mouse for long periods of time either, which is why I'm stuck using a trackball.. don't get me wrong, I love my Logitech Marble Mouse.. (the one with the huge ball in the middle).. but the lack of scroll wheel is a downer. 🙁 Yes, I know they make trackballs with scroll wheels, but I've not found one that is nearly as comfortable or as nice to use as the Marble Mouse. I've spent upwards of $100 or more on others like Kensington or different Logitech, but none of them are as comfy or accurate (IMO) as my Marble Mouse. It's a shame too.. MS use to make an awesome trackball explorer, but it's all but disappeared and can only be found on Ebay for $200-300.

Sorry, got off on a tangent there.. but for the PC that leaves me playing MMOs, Turn-based and RTS for the most part. FPS are just not very fun with a trackball, although some I can play decently.

The XBox controller on the other hand is so damn comfortable, save for the cruddy D-pad. I can sit and play for hours and my wrists will not really hurt all that much.. especially if I'm wearing my wrist braces. Sony's controller isn't too bad either, but not nearly as comfortable as the 360's, all of course in my own opinion. The Wii controller, having to hold it up, is by far the least comfortable for me. 🙁

 

[Mach5Motorsport]

Any PS3 user bashing Nintendo for selling oaver 45 million Wii units is just sour grapes. After all, these are the same people thinking that Nintendo should just get out of the console market all together when the Wii was announced?

Nintendo has gotten over on Sony in a big, big way. btw, buying a PS3 just to play Bluray doesn't help the PS3. They need people to buy game titles. The Blu ray market ain't all that impressive anyway.

 

[Tindytim]

[citation][nom]Eccentric909[/nom]Wii sales haven't really affected Sony or MS, because Nintendo created a new market. A market who isn't going to magically pick up a controller and spend 100s of hours playing Oblivion or Fallout and all of a sudden realize what they're "missing out" on. It is however, getting more video-gamers out in the world of all ages, period.. which is a good thing.[/citation]

It might be for the gamers that don't care about game depth.

And it's not a good thing. Do you think other companies will ignore the much larger Down market? No.

We are going to see a huge paradigm shift where the majority of game development is going to turn to crap.


[citation][nom]Eccentric909[/nom]People aren't ignorant because they don't like the same video games as you, or don't care about super high production values like you do..[/citation]

You didn't read my posts at all did you? I don't care all that much about graphics. I was satisfied last generation.

[citation][nom]Eccentric909[/nom]Now Julie and Jimmy 6 year old, when they turn 11 or 12, might decide they want to play something with a bit more depth, asking mom and dad if they can buy them the latest Xbox1440 or PS30.. therefore producing a new audience for the higher-end consoles in the future (especially on Julie's end, since girl gamers are on the rise as it is).[/citation]
So I'm guessing you read maelstrom's (sp?) article then?

The whole idea of moving the downmarket up is idiotic. Sure, some Wii users may eventually move up to games with an actual story or gameplay mechanics beyond mashing a single button, but the idea that all of them will is ludicrous. Many of them will stay happy right where they are, and continue playing, more of them will start to move up towards the upmarket, but will never make it there, just creating an even more segmented market, with more crap.

Sure, some of them may become part of the upmarket, but nintendo doesn't care about the Loyal upmarket. The people that were with them since the crash don't matter to them anymore, because they can't make money off of them.

I'm more annoyed that nintendo is causing a large paradigm shift away from it's loyal customers.

 

[njalterio]

I think those of you ranting against the Wii have forgotten the whole point of gaming: to have fun. Everyone is getting so caught up in whether a game is hard core or not, or has the latest trend in video game technology.

I have been a Nintendo fan since SNES (I was five when it came out, NES was before my time). I also happen to really enjoy games like Fallout 3, Mass Effect, Never Winter Nights, UT3, HL2, FF7, the list goes on. You know what? I still enjoy the Wii! Rayman Raving Rabbids is absolutely hilarious. I just got Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii, and I've been blown away (yet again) as Nintendo finds a way to make an awesome series original again. Not enough characters, storyline, and art for you? I guess I must have imagined Mario, Zelda, Smash Bros, Metroid Prime, animal crossing, mario kart, resident evil, etc.

 

[ahmshaegar]

@njalterio: AMEN!!!

Finally! What's fun for someone is absolute GARBAGE to another person. But I see no reason to rain on anyone else's parade if I'm having fun.

But don't worry. I do understand you point, Tindytim. If you're into games with storylines and depth of that sort (and these games take time and resources to produce), this could be a bad thing. If companies see that these games with HUGE development costs just don't make the cash, they might scale back production on those games. This WILL hurt you. You won't be able to get those games anymore.

That is unfortunate, but hey... life's not fair. I used to play those kinds of games myself, but I no longer have the time to play any large games. Heck, I don't even have time for the casual games that Nintendo makes. It's all about puzzles that I can solve in a few minutes before getting on with work 🙁