Comments on: Why Microsoft and Sony should be scared of the Wii

Don Reisinger thinks Microsoft and Sony need to wake up and realize that the Wii is a major competitor. If not, they'll be destined to fail.

[dmsto]

Isn't that what the CEO of GM said back in the early 1970's when asked about Toyota?

[22mojom22]

i honestly don't think that his comments about the Wii being a niche system are completely out of line. I think both Microsoft and Sony have for a long while been acknowledging the fact that they have no intention of competing with the Wii because they feel that the Wii and Nintendo have targeted the product at a different segment of the population then Sony or Microsoft. It obviously has been a success as no one can deny the numbers that the Wii is pulling down. That being said though the Wii for the most part does primarily appeal to the casual gaming market. While there are a few hard core titles available for the system the attatch rates for the system speak to the fact that a majority of the Wii owners out there are not purchasing software in droves. It sadly still looks like the Wii is trapped into the same problems that plagued the Game Cube in that only the 1st party Nintendo titles are truly successful. Sony and Microsoft on the other hand appear to have a different demographic in mind for their systems. That demographic being the segment of the population that has traditionally been buying video game consoles. Nintendo was smart in their positioning, because the niche that has received their attention is huge and the sales reflect it. However, in terms of the video game buying public it is still a niche. Granted Sony and Microsoft have their own niche that they are targeting. I think that the decision by Sony and Microsoft to let the Wii have their niche and the fact that they are aware of the fact that they can exist with in that same space is a wise decision. The only thing that I can see threatening this market view is if 3rd party development on the WII takes off to the point that it can allow the Wii to compete directly for the hearts and dollars of the 'hardcore' audience of Sony and Microsoft. The Nintendo Wii is without a doubt a refreshing piece of hardware in terms of it's abilities. However, there needs to be development on the platform that will take advantage of the unique abilities of the system. The Wii could be brilliant for FPS games and as Metroid proves, if implemented correctly the Wii can deliver an experience that is totally unique compared to the other systems. the problem with the Wii is that where are the games that provide these experiences? Nintendo could very well secure a large share of the hard core audience by creating titles that utilize the special gifts of the system to offer hard core experiences that go beyond just a gimicky control scheme. That being said, I hope that Nintendo realizes how tenuous their window of opportunity is to grab these hard core players. As each month passes the hardware gap between the Wii and the other systems will only grow and become more apparent. For all it's innovative control scheme the Wii games are really going to not ever look much better then they do now. The same can not be said for the other consoles especially the PS3. As far as the PS3 goes developers are really just starting to scratch the surface of what that system might be possible of doing. To put things into perspective, I have long felt that the PS2 was never really used to it's full potential until the appearance of God of War, a game that came very late in the console's life cycle. The PS3 has that same potential, and that is why I believe over time in spite of the numbers in Nintendo's advantage will in the long run prove to be the longest living of this console generation. Microsoft has a bit more to be worried about because their hardware will hit a ceiling long before Sony's will. However, I am sure with see the XBox 720 appear once that plateau has been reached.

[rtoennis]

Who cares about the "hearts and minds of hardcore gamers" if their numbers are very small compared to the numbers, and dollars, spent by the total population of casual gamers? Business 101 - "Make more money, for a longer time, than the other guy."

[VOR75]

Sadly I had to stop reading this when I got to the point where you were talking about Wii software sales. While the attach rate is only 6 games that is more than then the 4.8 for PS3. Also half of the Wii's 25 million sellers would be considered "core" games, not casual. BTW every console improves over time. Not just the PS2 or the PS3. You cant tell me you didnt notice it between first gen 360 games and Gears? You really need to buy more than just Sony consoles. Also if you are going to talk about something stay current. You could have gotten away with some of that around launch time but now too many sites exist showing NPD that proves you wrong.

[gyranthir]

Hacking the Wii is much easier, and lots of people don't even pay for games for the Wii any more.
It's not a DVD player or a BlueRay DVD player, so that puts it in a different category. It's not a media center style device.
The Wii is a fairly novel, non-gamer niche toy. For children/groups/old people, 80% of it's games are for E audiences with very little acknowledgment of the normal gamer market.
The broadway processor it uses is the same cheap POS that the gamecube used just over clocked. In my opinion it's over priced and nintendo seems to be purposefully limiting the supply to make the demand higher. Because the parts to make the Wii are so ridiculously available that there should be no reason for a shortage.

In closing, it's not even in the same ball park as the other 2 console media center devices. It may be beating them on sales, but it's not a true competitor in the market where the other 2 aim.

[VOR75]

Little Economics lesson. It takes Nintendo 6 months to go from deciding to increase the production of Wii to actually seeing those units roll off the line.It is not as simple as run out buy more ingredients. Any major company that they would buy supplies from is not going to work that way. They are using every manufacturing facility they have between the Wii and DS. Don't really want to cut back on the DS it still sales very well. They have thought about opening a new plant, but they are not sure how long such insane levels of demand for Wii will last. They dont want to buy another one and instead of having 5 plants going 100% they end up with 6 running at 80% each.

[Renegade Knight]

I once went to a business and said, "If you can match the price of this non local business I'll use you guys and keep it local". That business said, "They are not our competitor". They lost my business to their competitor even when I spelled it out for them.

The Wii, 360, and PS3 have in common they are game consoles. They are game consoles first and formost. As much as I like the PS3 it's nothing more than unrealized potential and the Wii is all realized. There is more than enough time for the Wii2 to come out and compete with the other two consoles and steal what they do well as well.

[Clockpuppet]

To: VOR75

Little time lesson. The Wii has been out for about LONGER than 6 months. Three times longer actually. They still have the same supply numbers though....odd...though you might see the issue better with your head removed from Nintendo's @$$.

To Renegade: The Wii itself isn't realized. It is a gamecube with new clothes and a crazy control scheme. A scheme the major game companies don't like as it isn't compatible with their games. This is why when you look at the Wii line-up you see a few gems among a pile of junk.

So lets say this local store you were talking about sold live stock. You want a goat. They sell pigmy goats. Novel? Yes. Funny? Very. Relevant? Mmm, not really.

So basically, Nintendo is the petting zoo of the current gen consoles. Kids'll love it. Adults can enjoy it. And it cheap. But it gets old fast, as all gimmicks do.

[ewookie]

Don, I think you're close, but not quite. Sony and Microsoft are not competing with Nintendo. They are not competitors with Nintendo because they (Sony and Microsoft) are the REAL "expensive niche game device". That's what Microsoft and Sony are missing. They are aiming at a smaller, hard-core gamer audience while Nintendo aims for everyone. Also, Microsoft and Sony are not focused on gaming. They are focused on becoming the entertainment center of the digital living room. Microsoft and Sony are at war for this position. Nintendo is only focused on gaming for the masses, while Microsoft and Sony are focused on multimedia for the masses.

[DrtyDogg]

Excellent point, I had never thought of it that way, but you are 100% correct the Wii has mass appeal while the PS3/XBOX 360 are targeted to a smaller audience.

[k3yblademast3r]

ok are you a gamer? I have all three systems and the only one i dont play is the Wii. When I as a gamer go to gamestop, I dont even look at the Wii games for one reason, THEY SUCK!!! The are like two or three games worth looking at and all the rest are crappy. The only reason why the Wii is ahead in hardware sells is because it had good marketing and a one month old baby could play it. NO it is not in the same league as the PS3 or the XBox 360. And it wont be until Nintendo starts appealing to the hardcore gamer instead of the baby/child gamer. And the Wii is not in top place over the other two consoles. If you look at the XBox 360 software sales they have sold more first-party and third-party games than the Wii and PS3 COMBINED!! And that is what matters. Also the PS3 and the 360 have features that people actually want. For example Blu-ray, online play(for 360 at least), and DVD players! The Wii doesn't even have a DVD player!! And at last years E3 (if you even know what that is) the biggest thing that nintendo had to show was a fitness game that doesn't help you get fit and basically tells you that you are fat!! Wow, that was sooooooo impressive and that's really going to show the competition. Guess what?! It's not because they don't have any competition becasue there is no way they can compete with the PS3 or the XBox 360. Me, as a gamer, is going to leave the Wii for the people who calls themselves gamers (little kids and probably the writer of this article) and I'll go play my PS3 and XBox 360, like the people who really are gamers.

[VOR75]

Wii does have a DVD player but I guess you would actually need to own one to know that. Granted it cant decode movies on DVD but it plays DVD games just fine.

[thecoolnerd]

why dont u go outside for once in your life?

[Clockpuppet]

Good catch in the software sales thing. I hadn't though about that aspect at all, but it reinforces my argument.

[Clockpuppet]

To: TheCoolNerd

Are you serious? YOU should go outside, straight to the highway. Fast cars won't hurt you, they want to give you a hug.

Seriously though, us techies and gamers get enough ****, we don't need the in-fighting too. Posting on a board and telling HIM to go outside...

IDIOT.....

[jkart7]

The buck stops here: Nintendo is making more bucks. Thus, it is not only a major competitor, but it is the heavy weight contender. Sony & Microsoft are circling their wagons, trying to convince us that Nintendo isn't a competetor. Here's the deal, though: they know that Nintendo is a competitior, & they don't know what to do about it, except to resort to their last pathetic death cries " The sky isn't falling."
There's all this talk about the "true" gamer market. But check this out: the gamer market is a fluid concept. Nintendo is recreating the gamer market.
When Sony & Microsoft come up with exteremly popular kid's characters like Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, & Pikachu, then maybe my kids will want something to tdo with them. Until then, who cares about Microsoft or Sony?

[No_Spark]

I would suppose an argument could be made that all gaming systems is a "niche" market.

The problem is, that this market is very cost sensitive AND needs to be fun. After all it is only a game! Sony attempted to tell the market what they were going to get and you have to like it because we are Sony. Then out came the David of the gaming industry.

So what is really going on here?

I believe that game console managers at Sony and Microsoft sold the next level or two of management on the XBOX and PS3 as what ALL consumers really wanted. Guess what? It wasn't...
Now these gaming managers have to deploy various smoke and mirror tactics to keep their jobs. After all Sony and Microsoft executives expect their people to be on top of the market's wants and needs. If the product is a REAL bomb then a CEO comes out and defends the thing. He has to defend it otherwise, he is seen as making bad hiring descisions.

But you can bet your investment dollar that Sony and Microsoft are developing the next generation of the Wii type controller strategy for their products while I am writing and while they are criticizing. And watch, when they come out with their "new" systems they will tell you why it isn't like Wii and why it is better!

I read the comment that the best way to by a blu ray player is through the PS3. What the is that!!! I want a gaming system, not a top end video player. Does this suggest that Sony, now that they have the monopoly on video format, will insist their licensees have to include PS3 style gaming system on their blu-ray players?

So at this point I see the positions like this

Winner: Wii - for creative thinking. Or the little engine that could.
Runner-Up: Microsoft - At least Bill Gates didn't have to get involved.
Loser: Sony - The CEO had to come and defend an expensive blu-ray player/gaming system that played like every other gaming system since Pong. Just with a real good picture.

[jkart7]

Well said. It's only a game...I wish I had said that.

[cmpbllman9]

"I read the comment that the best way to by a blu ray player is through the PS3. What the is that!!! I want a gaming system, not a top end video player. Does this suggest that Sony, now that they have the monopoly on video format, will insist their licensees have to include PS3 style gaming system on their blu-ray players?"
You dont read tech news much. sony and microsoft were talking about a blu-ray deal, thus no monopoly.
The PS3 will be the better buy because you get and high gaming system, and a blu-ray player.
But, if your into childish games the wii is the way to go.

[Charpman]

I don't think they compete anymore than sci-fi books compete with romance novels. They are different markets that sometimes overlap. Everyone, including me, that owns a Wii also has either a 360 or a PS3. The Wii is the least played. More for party moments or niche games, just like Sony says. I play my 360 every day, Wii...maybe once or twice every other month.

[jkart7]

I hear ya. You said that everybody that has a Wii also has one of the other systems. However, everybody has to have a Wii. I must concede that it's more than a game system; it's a phenomenon. Seriously, though. How can Sony compete with that?

[LetsGoOs]

"Here's a newsflash: when I go to Gamestop, Target, Wal-Mart, GameCrazy, and any other video game retailer, the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 is sitting right next to the Wii. "

Don, good article. But I'm going to go right ahead and call your BS. The wii is not right next to the 360 or PS3 because its still sold out. I think the thing that seperates how successful these companies have been in the gaming industry is that Nintendo has seen profits from their hardware unit for some time now while the PS3 and 360 are still/are just out of the red.

[cmeplay]

I think he meant to he game/assessory line up.

[RRosal]

"I think the thing that seperates how successful these companies have been in the gaming industry is that Nintendo has seen profits from their hardware unit for some time now while the PS3 and 360 are still/are just out of the red."

Last I checked, the PS3 had high-def 1080p video output and a Blu-Ray drive which would add to the production costs for Sony versus the Wii's standard DVD-ROM and non high-def output hardware. There's no success there, just basically adding a gimmicky control system to what's essentially a Gamecube 2.0.

[todonn1]

Nintendo is totally a niche system. If you want a system for your kids or geriatric aunt, you should definitely buy a Wii. But, If you are a serious gamer, buy a PS3 of Xbox. The Wii is nice but 90 percent of its must-have games are Nintendo-made button-mashers with cartoony-graphics and sound. The rest of the Wii library consists of average to weak efforts 3d party platofrms with no in-depth gameplay. Say what you want about the Wii's broader appeal, but serious gamers make up a substantial portion of the gaming market and for them, the Wii has little to offer.

[The_Decider]

All console games and most PC games are very weak. They might have pretty graphics but the gameplay is simplistic and cliche.

I can count the number of truly good games on my hands and have fingers to spare that have come out in the past 10.

No, Halo 1,2, 3, Crysis, Quake 4, Doom 3, WoW, ect don't count as they might all look good but the game play is stale at best.

[cmeplay]

Funny how it's not a competitor, yet when it came time to step up to the next level of game system, I chose the wii. Sure I wanted one of each, but what it came down to is my wife thinking some of the wii games looked interested...and even fun! I jumped at the chance of getting her into playing some games with me, and figured I can always sell the wii and get a 360 after she got tired of it. Well we play all the time now and have had it for many months now. Heck, we've even lost a few pounds and got in a little better shape thanks to the fit we got not to long ago. I havn't looked back at the 360. Sure they are fun, but I'm a wii convert, and proud of it.

[Mappy44]

I've read through these comments and I think it?s absurd when it?s said that this isn?t a system for ?hardcore gamers?. I for one have been a game console owner since my Atari 2600 and have owned 2 game consoles from most generations. I have to bring a few points after reading this article.
1. Graphics/Processing power does not make a video game more/less fun to play.
2. If you group Xbox and Playstation as a ?media center device? that puts them in more of a niche market that I guess Wii is not part of.. But we are talking about gamers not movie buffs

[yamanoor]

Come on, Microsoft and Sony both are saying this to themselves? That was just an idiot from Sony brushing off Wii.

Don, Do you write or just scribble? Double check. MS just cut their price by $60. Where do you think the motivation for that came from?

I am sure MS is worried about Wii, its just wishful thinking on Sony. I am also surprised they have decided to not cut prices on the Don'tPlay Station (except that it would only add to more losses).

All said, this game's still a see-saw. There is no clear winner. There is a clear loser - Sony. They were at the top of the game once. In all likelihood, they will never be there again!

[dude_master]

first off there is no contest, so stop rooting you loser. Xbox and PS3 both blow the Wii out of the water on every scale, and if you think otherwise, you are for lack of a better word, a NOOB.

[cacamou]

wow your just the exact type of person that you mentioned at the begining of your text but your an idiot from nintencrap if you like to play with word i got another one for you. Why do you think they call it a wii? Cus it was a message of general intrest that says wii suck!

[dude_master]

The Wii is totally a niche system. It is a console built for everyone, not for gamers such as the Xbox and PS. Anyone that wants to argue my point listen to this, old people buy the Wii, senoirs. People buy it for their toddlers. It is a system built not to be taken seriously.

The Wii is just a gimmick.

Ever since I saw the specs for the Wii I knew that I was not the least bit interested. I was like "Ooooh, motion controllers, they've only had those for about a decade now." anyone that has ever played virtual baseball or time crisis knows what I mean.

Reasons the Wii sucks
1. motion controllers are default "why would I want to move my character with my thumb when I'd have to swing my whole arm instead!" The technology isn't relatively new anyway. Also, the secondary controllers are gamecube controllers? N64's controller's retarded son?
2. the graphics just straight suck for this day and age, it's like the Gamecube took a couple vitamins. The PS2 runs smoother graphics in a LOT of games.
3. no dvd or cd player features, even a ps1 could play CDs.
4. 90% of there games are retarded kiddy games, i think they have around three M rated games. Their games in general are simplistic and feel kiddy, even the so called mature ones.
5. It pretty much relies on Mario and his friends to get sales from real gamers.


So they've pretty much made a kiddy console for people who don't even play over one hour a day (if at that).



The Wii is a gimmick, get over it, grow up and go get yourself a real console with real games not "Mario and Sonic at the Olympics - Tibetan Oppresion".



Once again ps and xbox pwn the wii, to nooby death.

[pacomama]

dude_master: Can you explain to me how a "system built for everyone" is "totally a niche system"? Seems like those two statements contridict themselves, but maybe you know something I don't.

[BrianBattler]

No, paco, those two are mutually exclusive. Unless videogames are supposed to be designed for smaller markets, in which case the Wii being designed for a mass market would make it a "niche" system. But doesn't "niche" imply "small? Oh, ****, now my head hurts.

And seriously, does anyone really care if their console can play DVDs or CDs? It's 2008. I stopped listening to CDs when I got bought my iPod Nano two years ago, and when I watch movies I watch them on my---gasp---DVD player that I've had for the past six years that still works perfectly.

As as far as the whole "kiddy gamer" thing goes...well, that's like saying that "Showgirls" is better than "Shrek" because it had ******* in it.

[Jeff_F_F]

Have you actually looked at what sells? Games rated M sell at a tiny rate and the market is saturated because that's what every develper wants to make. Yet they are hardly a major part of the game market. They look cool. The generate marketing buzz. But they don't sell. E and T sell. It is as simple as that. The decision not to market lots of M games is sound marketing strategy.

[cacamou]

I LOVE my 360 and PS3. And what about my wii well i play it to fall asleep cus the games suck way too much.

Whats tihs about what Jeff_F_F said mature games arent selling? Call of duty 4 game of the year and winner of 43 awards? MATURE proof that what Jeff_F_F said is complete Bull s@!#

[t-b0ne]

To prove that the Wii is a real competitor to the PS3 or Xbox 360, you must show that the money spent on it would otherwise have gone to one of the other two consoles. I just don't see that. The PS2 was the best selling console of the last generation. If you look at number of consoles sold per month since launch, the PS3 is selling just as well as the PS2 did, even though it is competing with the 360.

Two important factors that don't appear to be considered here are console life spans and game sales. Game sales are where console developers make their profits. And looking at the technologies, the PS3 and 360 will be around longer than the Wii. I think as console prices continue to drop and more people buy HD TVs, the momentum will shift toward the PS3 & 360.

The Wii isn't dominating the market. It has created a new one. The reality may be that once Sony and Microsoft figure that out, they will be the one's eating into Nintendo's market.

[dude_master]

I'm glad someone finally said, the Wii ain't even in the same lueage as the XBox and PS3. It ain't even next gen.

[Jeema]

"In closing, it's not even in the same ball park as the other 2 console media center devices. It may be beating them on sales, but it's not a true competitor in the market where the other 2 aim."

It doesn't need to be a competitor in the "media center device" market because no such mainstream market exists. Except of course in the fantasy world of Sony corporate hubris and denial.

And meanwhile Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank...

[dude_master]

To bad their games sales are nowhere near Xbox and PS3.

And it never will be, simply because they are better.

It also helps that the XBOX has been out for three years more and still completely trumps the Wii.

Wii sucks, the games suck. Mario cart is almost good, I'll give you that.

[GamesShoudBeFUN]

I've been a serious gamer since the ATARI 2600. In my opinion, the best system out there right now is the Wii. Sure, the XBoX and PS have better graphics, but the Wii is more fun. All these so called hardcore gamers out there who are all about PS and XBoX, go ahead and buy yourself a top of the line gaming PC and see how your console compares. I'll tell you right now, it won't. All the top title games for these two consoles are the same FPS's that I've been playing for 10 years, with slightly better graphics with each iteration. BORING.

I have more fun playing 8-bit nintendo games then I do playing the same old thing with a pretty face lift on a High end gaming console. The reason is this:

When the main focus of your system is to push the boundaries of your graphics, that is what you will get, games that look great. I like games that look good just as much as any one, but if it isn't fun or innovative, it gets old real quick.

When your gaming system has reached a graphical plateau, the only choice that developers have to gain an edge is to make a game that is fun and original.

I have been waiting for something like the Wii since the PS1. It makes even the simplest idea of a game extremely fun.

When I want great graphics, I play games on my PC. When I want a game that is original and fun, I play the Wii (or DS or NES or Genesis).

[The_Decider]

Thank you!

It is sad that gamers today equate eye candy as innovative, fun game play.

[mario_kart]

As a father of two aged 6 and 9 I have already seen their game choices evolve; they *never* turn on our old PS2 and stopped asking for the XBox ever since the Wii came out. I agree with k3yblademast3r that the Wii third party games are mostly crap, but my son and daughter are relentless in their desire to bowl, golf, play tennis, mario, etc etc to exclusion of pretty much all else, Hannah Montana or Ben 10 included. Theirs is the target market all three companies are really after, when most of the *hard-core* gamers are in the real world or w/ carpal tunnel, I feel pretty sure my kids will still be on the Wii, or another version of a Nintendo product. Think about it: what kid these days does not own a Nintendo DS or game boy? If you have kids you know the true saturation Nintendo has achieved.. Game Over!

[Teasecat]

How funny!! I had to look at the date of this article. Isn't this the same thing they've been saying for almost 2 years now? No matter how many times they repeat it . . . it still won't come true!!! Is the PSP's main competitor the DS? Doesn't the DS consistantly kick the PSP's rear in all markets? Aren't the XBox, PS3 and Wii measured on the same sales charts each month? Howard Stringer is just bummed because the PS3 has never really panned out, and even MGS4 doesn't really justify $400.00. I guess I'll see when RE5 comes out. Until then I'll be doing some hardcore gaming on my Wii (virtual console) and my N64!!

[badabash]

Nintendo has done a great job of marketing and selling its Wii. As a Wii owner, I enjoyed the innovation of its playability. I wouldn't say the Wii sucks, but there was always something missing.

Consider it like this. Skateboards and cars are, at their most basic, both methods of transport. But their audiences are vastly different. I recently got a PS3 and as a gamer, not only do I feel like I'm home now, I feel like a grown-up.