Comments on: Yep, Microsoft and Sony sell game consoles too

Did you know that Microsoft and Sony sell video game consoles? It looks like the average Amazon customer forgot.

[andybrc]

This Christmas we (me and girlfriend) decided to get a games console between us. I have played and loved PC and video games for years from the days of the speccy. Faves include the GTA lot, Broken Sword, Gears of War and loads of others. Initially I wanted PS3 or XBox, but went for the Wii as it is something different (BTW - this wasn't a persuasion by the other half!). GTA, although great, are just the same games each time with a better graphics and a different theme. Same applies to gears of war, again although great, basically just another (albeit amazing looking) shoot-em-up. The video-gaming market needed a new direction, a change, something more fun and more addictive - I think the Wii hit the nail on the head.

[Lakario]

No offense to the author, but I find the opinions expressed in this article to be incredibly short sighted. As an owner of the Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii I think I can fairly speak from personal experience. My Nintendo Wii has sat in a closet for the past 8 months, only just having been removed from its dormant state last week. My Xbox 360 (or the associated account) has never gone more than a week without play. The 360 dominates the Wii in quality of games, offers an infinitely greater level of value to a consumer as not just a gaming device, but also a home media center, indie development platform, and much, much more, and, above all else, sports hardware that is far beyond anything in the Wii. The Wii is a trendy idea that offers relatively unique gameplay that targets a very wide audience: family.

The 360 and PS3 have suffered in sales next to the Wii because the Wii has so successfully marketed itself as a family entertainment device akin to the board games in the closet. More families are willing to drop money they wouldn't otherwise spend on another system because they know they are getting something they can all enjoy. The 360 and the PS3 are NOT targeted at the family market whatsoever. Yes, the Xbox 360 and PS3 both have family games, but no, they are not built with that in mind. The serious gamer will always- hands down- prefer the 360 or PS3 because they are top of the line, have the best titles, and offer boat loads more value than the Wii. I'm sure Nintendo will continue dominating the market while they push this happening trend they've created, but eventually it will fall to the wayside for the bigger and better.

Being someone who has added homebrew support to their Wii, for all of the Wii games I have, there are at most three that I have wanted to play more than once. Chew on that Nintendo.

[sparrowhyperion]

Maybe if they priced the Xbox 360 and PS3 at a level where an average consumer can afford it, they would get better sales. As it is, the high price tags makes it not worth it for just a console; and to get it with a game so you don't end up spending another $50 or so, you have to buy a bundle for even more. I know I probably will not get a PS3 until the PS4 comes out and you can actually afford it. No game console is worth these high prices, and it's the people who actually spend that much on one which are keeping the companie3s from lowering them to a reasonable level, by keeping demand up. I think now that Sony and Microsoft are seeing that folks are having to just say no to their prices. As for the Wii. My mother in law got one for x-mas, she now has to go shell out money for a game and probably won't be able to do that for some time. I am not very impressed with the Wii games. I prefer some games with more substance, and it seems that most games for the Wii are more like the dozens of Mario games which litter the video game world. They are just too childish for the most part.

[DoughboyNJ]

Don-
Next-gen consoles (360+ps3) sales are higher than the Wi. Do the math.
Also, how big is the software market after the console sale?
Oh yeah, you failed to mention that at all.
CNet, please fire this guy. This hotshot has gone cold.

[thedletterman]

Sorry, but Wii is not a direct competitor of the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3.

PCs are a closer competitor because the game titles available for the two consoles above are commonly available for the PC. However, there are only a handful of games for the two consoles above that are available for the Wii, and none of the Wii games are available for the other consoles.

Taco Bell competes with McDonald's because they are both vying for your food dollars, but it's not like comparing Taco Bell, McDonalds, and Burger King is an even comparison.

[ThePuzzldPirate]

Man oh man, the bs just keep coming and it never stops. Allow me to clarify something....
Hardcore gamers don't exist, it never has. This title only exists in your mind to split you from the others so it turns the situation black and white. Your good and they're evil so it makes you right. This is simple thinking and doesn't make you any better than them.
These lackluster games on the Wii aren't exactly Nintendo fault other than the fact that they won't put thier foot down. Have you looked at some of these boxes of these games, you will see some bad publishers on some of them. But then here is the shocker, EA, Ubisoft, Activision are all doing the same thing. So don't be pointing your fingers at Nintendo, at least Capcom is taking them seriously.
Some of you might go, "Well hey, Nintendo made Animal Crossing and Wii music." Have you seen Wii music actually in play, I was just upset with it until I did but it does exactly what it was made to do. I share rent with another family so we could afford a bigger house and seeing thier two kids bonding with thier dad over Wii Music made me dismiss all the hate that goes towards it....did i metion thier 2 and 6.
Animal Crossing hate is well...unfair, here is also my proof-
Gears of War 2 is Gears of war 1
Fable 2 is Fable
World at War is Cod 4 and worse.
etc
What makes me so upset is that everytime someone does come out with a new innovative game or plays diffrently, we ignore it completly.-
Mirror's edge
De blob
No More Hero's
Okami
etc
these games push gaming forward and yet we rather stay at, "Im macho, Me shoot alien in face, TEA BAG!!!" (yes completly unrealistic but so are some of these views.) As long as they have the most pixal's as they can, it will sell well which bring me to the biggest problem of all....
When did Graphics come more important than gameplay, This is exactly why Genisis/Super Nintendo game can still hold on thier own to the games of today. People list the wii as a toy because of this and I agree with you completely, you wanna know why. Video Games are a toy, they are just over priced toys.
Sorry if I offend anyone and my horrible spelling but when are people actully gonna "Grow" up.

[VanorOrion]

I hear ya. I was shocked at the backlash at Mirror's Edge. The gaming public demands more and different, but then when they deliver, they seem to find things to complain about. No More Heros and Killer 7 are both amazing games. And you KNOW the tides are about to change when Capcom took their best selling franchise, Monster Hunter, and switched consoles for the next game. They saw the writing on the wall, and they started doing what they do best: Getting the most out of what they have to work with. Nobody was complaining about graphics at TGS (of course they were all shocked at how good it looked), they were eager to see how it PLAYED (and it played pretty well).

Gameplay first, and not at the expense of graphics. The Wii is really gonna divine the wheat from the chaff with how hard people work within the limits of the hardware to get the most out of the gameplay. And those are gonna be the games that ultimately define the console, despite it's "party/kiddy" stereotype people have stupidly attached to it.

[rlplaisted]

Why is it so offensive to some to say Wii is a competitor? Forget the VW, BMW comparison. It is more like a Ford Mustang and a Minivan comparison.

Both cars cost about $20,000 and they provide completely different experiences. I loathed the day I had to buy a minivan and would have much rather bought a new GT Mustang but it's hard to haul 3 kids in it.

My point? I wanted a Mustang, had the money for the mustang, but knew the minivan was the better purchase. In my case the Mustang and minivan were competing for my money, in some ways that makes them competitors. Car manufacturer understand that if you make too many cheap cars it eats away at sales of more expensive cars even though the different car classes don't seem to be "direct competitors."

So who cares if the Wii can't compete in features and graphics. People who care most about that will never buy a Wii. The point is the Wii is causing the Xbox and PS3 to sell less. Is there anybody willing to make a post saying that if Wii didn't exist, the Xbox and PS3 would be selling the exact same number of consoles?

[Soulmemories]

Your problem with the statitics is the business model of which each company runs.

Nintendo is doing "fine" in the hardware department, but they will soon find themselves in a position similar to Apple in which they restrict 3rd party publishers to use the wii to its fullest extent.

If you look at direct video game sales, Xbox 360 leads by a huge margin, ONE THAT YOU CANNONT IGNORE. Nintendo may do fine in the hardware business but where each company makes its money, is in software sales. This article is bias for Nintendo because without the whole story, these facts seem like propaganda from the Futur Nintendo himself.

Remember to look at software sales, and the microtransations made for each console all together, and get a bigger picture before writing an article like this.

[rlplaisted]

Attach rate folks is not the same as gross sales of software. Wii is leading in software sales, too. come on, you're smarter than that.

[clsmithj]

Funny people who I know who bought a Wii on launch don't even play with their system anymore.

Wii has a short life span to its non-gamer base attention. With waggle novelty wears off, it will collect dust.

[wadah1111]

No it's just cheaper , CHEAPER, some people just say I don't want to play games for much money they are just fun and fun should be cheap, and don't forget the people who still don't know the real all-to-all comparison of consoles, it's just the fun aspect apparent in the wii that makes parent's and adult's buy them for their little kids as a gift, the fun part which is focused on the new motion- thing and the kiddy games, really adults either buy a wii because they say wii-fit is good or they don't buy a game console, in fact I found that nintendo targeted the people who don't play games, and if wii wasn't produced these people were not going to buy any game consoles.

I still have one thing to say, how many of the people who bought wii-fit know that there is a really fun game call littlebigplanet or know there is a game called braid?

[wadah1111]

No it's just cheaper , CHEAPER, some people just say I don't want to play games for much money they are just fun and fun should be cheap, and don't forget the people who still don't know the real all-to-all comparison of consoles, it's just the fun aspect apparent in the wii that makes parent's and adult's buy them for their little kids as a gift, the fun part which is focused on the new motion- thing and the kiddy games, really adults either buy a wii because they say wii-fit is good or they don't buy a game console, in fact I found that nintendo targeted the people who don't play games, and if wii wasn't produced these people were not going to buy any game consoles.

I still have one thing to say, how many of the people who bought wii-fit know that there is a really fun game call littlebigplanet or know there is a game called braid?

[bctexas]

The craziest thing I see on these comments is that you all have no life. You squabble online about which game system is better?! I'm guessing you are all grossly obese or horribly skinny, and all so white because you havent seen the sun in months. I have no idea why there is little to no grey area when it comes to grown men and teenagers that stare at tv's for hours on end, you are all really fat or really skinny. And the only women you all look at are pre-teens on myspace or youtube, and the last time you saw a naked woman was when your mom gave birth. Sad sad people, I feel for you.

[markocheese]

It's not ludicrous to say Wii isn't a direct competitor because it's game base is all but completely different. Sure it's winning in dollars, but that's just because it's appealing to a much broader demographic, families, old people, parents and children. These groups control a great deal more money then the traditional gamer demo, that is, teenagers and boys 18-23.

Saying it's a direct competitor is like saying portable systems are direct competitors because they are vying for the same "gaming" dollars.

Your assertion is based on your inability to distingiush, rather then proper consideration of the distinctions.

The best evidence I have is the fact that every single one of my hard core gamer friends own a Wii in addition to a high-powered game system. Also consider that nearly all Wii games are first party titles from Nintendo.

[rlplaisted]

wow, you are missing the point. We get it. Wii is less powerful, less graphics and is hated by hard core gamers. The POINT is, if the Wii didn't exist, how many consoles would Microsoft and Sony have sold?

Would Microsoft have sold more than 26 million? Would Sony have sold more than 18 million consoles without the wii? Absolutely!

Even if Nintendo didn't intend to build a direct competitor, they stumbled into it. Wii is sucking money away from Xbox and PS3 that the big 2 were counting on. Every forecast that existed in 2004 said Wii would come in last place and for whatever reason it's kicking the crap out of the other two. Maybe it's just a fad, maybe not, but it's happening. There are many, many households that have only one console (yes, I know you hard-core gamers have 7) and if the Wii weren't so popular those households would've bought either Xbox 360 or PS3.

Finally, the Wii is not that less expensive. Especially before this summer, people were paying a $150 premium just to get it. That put the price above Xbox and approaching the PS3 so this isn't a price point difference. For an unexplainable reason (obvious to me), most households wanted to buy a Wii.

Enough with the console egos, the debate is just about sales figures.

[GameWit]

Who says there can be only one "winner?" Microsoft has already sold more 360s than they did Xboxes, and they've made a profit. Yeah, Sony is bringing up the rear, but they'll sell more PS3s than Nintendo sold GameCubes last generation. This, "Oh, wow, look at all the Wii sales" thing is childish and lame. There's room for more than once console on the market and the sales figures bear that out.

[stockyjoe]

Its really very simple. "Parents" are out buying gifts for their kids. Most parents will find the Wii "family friendly" thats the magic of the Wii. Nothing more.

[Ikioi]

This 'article' has all the articulated intelligence and reasoning of a raving internet fanboy. The sales numbers stated here are wrong for one thing. Wii has sold nowhere near the 43 million units you stated. Press reports like Amazon aren't meant to represent sales relevance. Xbox 360 games continue to vastly outsell Wii games. 360 games have dominated the top 10 best selling games for 11 of the last 12 months (one month Metal Gear Solid 4 for PS3 was #1). 360 is also selling much better than last year (PS3 is down slightly). Wii really isn't in the same market either. People buy Wii because they like Apple's marketing style and they want a toy to mess around with. Gamers buy a 360, PS3, or PC because they want to play games. The difference in market is that simple. No gamer would buy a Wii over another platform knowingly.

Anyways, the real problem is the Wii itself. I can't imagine anyone really being satisfied with the thing. Sure it's popular, but it's a fad. It's a fad by definition because people are buying the thing because it's popular, not because it's any good. Unfortunately this fad is lasting plenty long, the timeframe has nothing to do with the definition of fad. The games are mostly dismal quality, the hardware is archaic, and even the core selling point of motion control is overstated and inaccurate. Most people expect something like what the motionplus may deliver when they see the ads for Wii on TV...

[VanorOrion]

Yeah, but did you see the line for MH3 during TGS? Do you fully realize how significant it is that the franchise jumped ships from Sony to Nintendo over there? You say there aren't any good games now (which is also a blatant falsehood, based off of an individual's taste in games), but woooooo boy. That's gonna change real soon, real fast.

[fp1707]

the only reason the wii is so popular is because of the price. the wii is atleast $100 cheaper than an xbox atm, and half the price of the ps3.

the games on the wii are no where near as fun as those of xbox and ps.

[rlplaisted]

where have you been the past 3 years? People have been paying high premiums to get Wii. For nearly two years you could only buy $450 Wii bundles or pay a $150 premium on ebay to get it. Only recently has it been available at $250 base price (lower, by the way, than the cheapest 360 console).

So....you'll have to think of another reason why it's so popular. Don't hurt yourself trying.

[Scryer_360]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this article on one basis: the Wii has never competed for the same spending dollars as the Xbox 360 or PS3.

I'll address the hardware issue in a moment, but lets talk applications, games. What games are available on the Wii that are not available on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and vice versa? Is Halo or Resistance on the Wii? Is Wii Sports or Wii Fit available for the Xbox 360? What about this years finest games, like GTA IV, Saints Row 2 and Call of Duty: World at War? "Oh, HAH!" you say. " Call of Duty: World at War is available for the Wii!"

So lets get some sales figures and see if its sold as well on the Wii as the other two, shall we? And then can you really tell me the Wii was a significant platform for release?

Lets take a look at the customer who only owns a Wii and the customer who only owns an Xbox 360 or PS3. Or how about we take a look at how many of them that there are. Something I guarantee we will find is that there are very few customers with an Xbox 360 or PS3 who do not also have a Wii. Say what you want that the Wii supposedly has made an entirely new market segment of consumers with first time console ownership, I'll be here to scream "you're wrong" at the top of my lungs and point to said dual-console gamers, and then ask you how many of those Wii only customers are not friends/relatives of the dual console folk.

No one looks at Call of Duty and says "do I buy it on Wii or PS3," and no one looks at Wii titles and thinks "well maybe there is going to be an Xbox port later." The game consoles may compete for the same 'holiday' dollars, when people are buying gifts, but in software market, it is really two distinct groups of people.

And about that hardware: hardware follows software. Those who forget this tend to end up Microsoft's lackeys or conquests. If you have want to play FPS games, you are going to buy an Xbox 360. If you want to throw parties where everyone stays in the living room and you aren't cleaning every floor of the house afterwards, you get a Wii. Hmmm... I guess this won't penetrate the authors skull (he'd have to be thick or he never would've written such an absurd claim), but I have no mind to delete all I just typed so meh.

[VanorOrion]

Actually, it's up to the game developers to push the envelope of what a game system is capable of. I've heard game designers whine and cry about the technical limitations of the Wii compared to the PS3 and 360. Boo-hoo.

Actually, it's funny. You don't usually see developers whine and cry when they're making games for portable handhelds. Usually I bet the thought running through their mind is: "How can I make this really fun and enjoyable."

Whereas with the last two generations it's been: "How do I make this really pretty." What were the PR guys touting during the unveiling of the PS3? How the games looked, or how they PLAYED? They talked about how realistic stuff like clothing would look, and how the water would ripple like real water. What you got was a "dumb blonde" mentality for this generation of games, where graphics are everything, at the expense of gameplay.

Now, back to the handheld bit. What we need in video games right now is what I said earlier: People who code for handhelds aren't whining about graphical and technical limitations. They do the graphics as best as they can, but they really focus on the gameplay to make up for the lack of "phat graphics". And THAT is what the Wii is doing right now. Giving people limits to work within, and force them to up the ante on gameplay. Too much money is being dumped into gaming right now, and the hardware and software is beginning to cost too much.

What's gonna happen is that game developers are gonna have to learn to code games based off of gameplay and not necessarily having the bestest most greatest shiniest graphics. Graphics are all well and good, but what are we DOING with them? Compared to San Andreas, GTA4 feels incredibly limited in terms of gameplay. In the process of trying to make the game more realistic and "serious", they stripped away the FUN, they sacrificed gameplay from a GAME.

You got graphics that look really good, and really real. Great, but what are they doing for the GAMEPLAY. You could say that the Wii doesn't have any of the kind of games that I'm talking about right now in relation to gameplay first, and that's because game designers are have been on the fence with the system. I think they're shocked and scared. They've been coding games based off of "graphics first" for so long they've been dumbfounded by the Wii's success, when it should be obvious to them more than anybody precisely that is.

In my experience the best games that were made, were made by people who had to work within tight limits, and they bust their butts to get every ounce of potential out of what they were working on. If you wanna see a good example of this kind of mentality, look at handhelds. You'd be shocked at the kind of games these guys can make with such underpowered machines. And that's the kind of mentality that's gonna ultimately drive this generation, and there will be much rejoicing.

[Orion Blastar]

People love to buy the Wii because it is cheaper than the XBox 360 and Playstation 3. Plus the Wii does not overheat like the PS3 or give a red ring of death like the XBox 360.

[robkillian]

This article, and the pages of comments has driven me to write my own comment with a few clear observations.

1.) The Nintendo Wii is not a DIRECT competitor to other consoles such as the Xbox 360 or PS3.
A. Hardware abilities: The Nintendo Wii is FAR behind 360 and Wii in processing ability, memory, and graphical output. The Wii for one does not have any High Definition output to the vast majority of TVs purchased today. 360 and PS3 both output true HD signals through a variety of connections.
B. Software:
1. The Availability of games for Wii is quite limited, and the number of games for the console is very limited.
2. The Type of games for Wii cater to a "party" group, young children, and older, casual gamers. Although these markets are strong, they are not the SAME as the overarching markets encompassed by 360 and PS3.
C. Usage:
The people who play 360 are a more "hardcore" group of individuals who enjoy complex games with complex controls. The original Xbox grew huge in market share with the introduciton of Halo 2, and a simple, user friendly matchmaking platform. Those who play 360 spend MUCH more time online, playing against real people from across the globe than those who play Wii, and to a lesser extent, PS3.
The xbox has always been a media center, and 360 has proven to take that to a whole new level. Users watch videos from DVD, the Video Marketplace, as a Windows Media Center extender, and with the new firmware update, can even stream Netflix videos in HD. Although the PS3 shares some of these characteristics, the Wii does NONE of this.

2.) The Gaming Console Wars are fought on many fronts.
While the Wii may have a larger market implementation, I would argue that's only one part of the war. Wii users actually PLAY their consoles much less than those who own 360 and PS3. How many parties can you have where people will keep coming over to play Wii Bowling? Doesn't that get old after awhile? How many people will log actual weeks of time on one title for WII? Very few.
I would argue that a true measure of console viability and dominance is the revenue stream for these companies. MUCH more money is made is the sales of innovative games, which have a profit margin near 80%. My argument is further evidenced by the number of games sold per console. This statistic is called the "Attach Rate". The 360 has an attach rate of 8.1 games per console!! Wii has one barely above 3.1, and PS3 has one of 3.2. I would argue THIS is a much stronger indicator of console dominance.

While the Wii may have "dominated" the sales for the holiday season, this is because is is a much cheaper (in all senses of the word) console for those who will play it less, buy fewer games and accessories, and let it collect dust. Now that's what I call dominance. 360s collect dust because their fans run while they are on, as their owners play stellar titles such as Call of Duty World At War, Gears of War 2, Halo 3, and many others. Wiis collect dust because they never get touched after the initial honeymoon period of Wii sports has worn off.

Maybe Wiis have captured a whole new market, but thats the point... its a new market, of people who wouldn't have wanted a 360 or PS3 anyway.

Long Live the 360. PS3's a close follower, but still is too expensive for many.

[rlplaisted]

another comment that's off the mark....who cares about console capability for this argument. Pretend for a second that you don't play video games. If your job depended on selling as many Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles possible, does the Wii affect your ability to make a sale? Yes or No question. Is there anybody dumb enough to say no?