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.

[ludicrousspeeed]

Perhaps they were not selling because people already had the console? Also, I think that the more expensive consoles sell better during the holidays because people like to buy the more expensive products during that time.

[ludicrousspeeed]

rouse51, I agree.

Of course they are competing with each other! The Wii is succeeding partly because they have a wider demographic than the 360 and PS3 and I think that it is succeeding also because the people they are aiming their product at love innovation...the working parents and the small children love innovation, they love something different and creative. And that makes the Wii perfect for them. Which leads to the reason why they buy it.

Also I think that early on, the PS3 and XBOX took on a "face" of violence and "hardcore" gaming and that face prevented them from, in my opinion, be successful in the family market....You know you saw the commercials for the PS3 with a whole bunch of black metal parts and guns transforming into the PS3...I found that commercial to be pretty cool and somewhat made me want a PS3 because I'm 14, and a "hardcore"-ish gamer...I'm not really into "serious" gaming...My family just got a Wii and I have to say I love it so far, and I am looking for the release of Red Steel 2 with the Wii Remote and its update to the Wii Remote -- the MotionPlus peripheral to add more accurate Wii Remote positioning and to make it an even more reliable controller.

[mrc77]

I recently experienced the red ring of death on my XBOX 360. I had it for a little under a year before it happened. It happened while I was playing Fallout 3. I am going to send it in and get it repaired for free or get a new one free, I think. As long as get one back working, I will be happy because I will never want to play a game like Resident Evil 5 (coming soon) or Final Fantasy XIII on the childish Wii. XBOX 360 and PS3 are for better for people who like to play Mature games.

[cesium62]

If Sony and Microsoft can ignore Nintendo as a competitor, Nintendo, and Amazon, can certainly ignore them.

[stringarray]

Its pretty funny that this is such a hot topic for some of you. It seems to me that each console is tailored for different customers. For me all the systems have their strong points. Myself? I have a Wii and a 360 in the livingroom and a ps2 in the den. The PS2 is the game/dvd player in one room for that consoles strong titles. The Wii is for when the girlfriend and I, or even family/friends, feel like playing games that don't require button mashing, and the 360 for the sports games I like playing against co-workers across the nation. They are all game consoles and it is my belief that the consumers they are tailored to are buying them. It just so happens that the Wii is geared towards a much wider audience, therefore sells more.

And for me, the PC will be the only system running FPS for now. We should all praise Nintendo for their awsome innovative console. When the other makers follow suit we will be one step closer to having 3d like games. Just do a youtube search on "3d wii head tracking" and think of what could be next. If Wii-like controllers dont become available on the PC when the technology showed in the youtube example hits the streets then FPS on the PC may soon be dropped for me.

Love the competing market, dont hate it. It is what makes the market for us better in the end.

[lynxfx]

"OK, OK, so I'm sure some of you out there are saying that I need to remember that the "Wii isn't a competitor" to the other consoles. Rubbish. "

Not "Rubbish" at all. The Wii is not a competitor with the nextgen consoles. Nintendo can sell as many consoles and accessories and add ons that they want. Kudos to them, they found a real money maker. If anything it is a nice addition to a nextgen console. But when it comes to the nextgen consoles, there are only two. Microsoft and Sony will continue to fight it out and Sony will continue to have the PS2 try to cut into Wii sales. What what what?? That's right, Sony still has 2 consoles selling in this market.

[stringarray]

From you perception maybe you're right, but for those seeing the interactive gameplay of the Wii Nintendo is the nextgen. Apples and oranges.

Would people complain to Sony if they started making similar controllers and licensed the same games the Wii has but with better graphics? I doubt it.

[Nadatt]

If anything, the only "nextgen" console is the Wii. I don't know who can, with sanity, qualify a console that has simply improved its specs and done little else as "nextgen" when placed next to a console that has revolutionized the gaming market and marked a step that could define and influence future generations of gaming. Do I smell Sony testing the waters with SIXAXIS controls?

By the way, as a PSWii60 owner I can say that I enjoy the 360's games the most (the array of RPGs, especially with the introduction of so many JRPGs from Square-Enix, is spectacular) but the Wii produces the diamonds, albeit few and far between. Like many other veteran gamers, I don't consider Petz and Inspire: Baby as part of my ideal genre.

[D3vildog699]

Nadatt:

Xbox 360 and PS3 are considered next Gen because of the Gaming engines that can be used in the games. Havoc, and Unreal 3 are just two examples of gaming engines that the Xbox original and PS2 couldn't handle. I won't comment on the gamecube,cause i have never dealt with one before...

Is the Wii nextgen? sure in a way i guess because of the fact that it uses a new way to interact with the game. Could it play a game like Fallout 3? or Even ES4? GTAIV? Not even close..

Although i heard the Force Unleashed for the Wii is good...

In depth game talk? Sure if your a designer or you like the story lines that are involved or that could be involved, ever been around game designers? The way they talk about what could be and what should, what is done right and what isn't?

it can get intense, lol. and confusing...

[TheComputerNerd]

Nadatt made a good point about the SIXAXIS controller there was not even a rumor about it until the Wii controller was announced (it was original going to be a boomerang remember?

[dvdragon]

Don, you did it again. This dead horse is a golden goose for you. This is just flame bait to increase page views and comments. Congratulations on your success.

Nintendo will go down in history as the only console company to make money exclusively off hardware. Good for them, sucks for third-party developers.

[Thirdrail1]

No, they don't compete directly for the same dollars. The Wii targets casual gamers and non-gamers. The 360 and the ps3 target the core gaming audience. Your notion that they directly compete is silly, Don. Just because Barbies and Hot Wheels are sold in the same store, that doesn't mean they're in battle with one another. I guess that's a nice, simple way to look at things, which clearly suits you, but you're misleading your readers. Yes, Nintendo is doing very well with the Wii, but does anyone really think those casual gamers are going to stay around for the long haul? Or that they'll want to buy another system within the next ten years? Where is the emote for eye rolling? Damn, I need it so badly right now.

[roachbrain]

Yes but hot wheels and matchbox are.

Let me type this in slowly........these are counsels to play games on..........Wii is as much part of it as is the Xbox or PS3. They both would love to out sale Wii at the moment but can't. So what do haters do? Come up with reasons to discredit the winner.

Her is the thing that all of you (well most of you) and the idiot whowrote the article do NOT understand -

The Wii and the 360/PS3 markets ARE NOT THE SAME.

Let me repeat that - THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!!!

The Wii is designed for everyone. The 360 and PS3 are for gamers - hardcore gamers.

The reason that Wii outsold both of them this season is pretty simple - all of us hardcore gamers ALREADY OWN a PS3 or 360!! Hell, most of us own BOTH! We do not need to buy one every year. The thing is, for the most part, these boxes are so well made that they operate for years. And the only reason that the sales differ in 360 vs PS3 is because of the signature games for each platform. Some prefer 360, some prefer PS3. It is really THAT SIMPLE!

I wish the people at CNET would quit comparing apples to oranges.

[roachbrain]

Yeah, I bet MS people are sitting around thinking. So, we should just sell to a part of the group instead of the whole. That way we only make enough money to fix the broken Xbox we sold everyone.

Come on to say Xbox and PS3 are only meant for hardcore gamers is just plain ignorant. They want to sell to as many people as possible. Which is why they also release these family and party based games like guitar hero and make a movie bull crap, to bring in the crowd Wii has.

[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.

[drbyte]

The family fun angle is a big reason the wii is doing so well, but the biggest selling point of the wii is that you can use your good old fashioned tube tv with it. It looks great. To me, you have to be a liitle nuts to spend $2000 on a hi def tv + Zeus knows what to actually get hi-def content for it.

The day I can pick up a 32" lcd TV for $350, then maybe I'll consider a ps3. By the time that happens their will be plenty of used games to get for it. In the mean time I spent $45 for 9 ps2 games for gifts (good games too). That's not even enough for 1 ps3 game new.

[Cirris]

Let's face reality, the arguing of Console's abilities is irrelevant. The true nature of the numbers goes to Demographics of the buyers at this time of year, Parents.

It's no secret Nintendo has been marketing the system as the "family" console. This resonates during the holiday gift giving season. It also helps that "base" systems are slightly cheaper, which plays into the whole "Xmas spending budget" in a year when the global economy is a complete mess. I would conclude that being the cheapest and most "family" oriented may play a big role in the choices of cash strapped parents.

Also, you have to consider the name brand a factor in the key Demographic as well. parents of pre-teens and young teens are probably on average 35-40 years old. If you take 22 years off the number and calculate the years of their youth you come up with 1987 to 1992. What were the two most powerful Console gaming companies of that era? Nintendo and Sega. Sega is no longer a console manufacture, but they still make games, which are most prominent on the Nintendo Consoles. Nintendo is the brand most parents would most likely identify with and would most likely want to have for their kids.

----------------------------

My biggest point of all is that the number of Units sold is completely irrelevant to the true nature of the console wars. Most if not all Consoles are sold at cost or at a discount.. They want to have as many consoles out there as possible, which does bode well for the future of Nintendo. HOWEVER, the current calculator of the true dominance in the console market should be focused on "number of gaming software titles sold" not on the amount of consoles on the market. This is where the console maker's return on Investment comes from, not the direct sale of consoles to the consumers.

The fact that Nintendo has by far the most units in circulation does mean it could win out in software titles market eventually. But Nintendo's lack of a large game library and the fact that it's competitors are reinventing the console as a multimedia device could hamper their efforts in the future.

[Tatarius]

Has anyone else noticed how short adventure games are now? i think there is a wide spread phenomenon about making games, on all systems overly too easy. It would be nice to have a game that it isnt possible to beat in a day*sorry i would like just a little bit more play time for my 60 dollars* as for FPS's they are honestly only good for 1-2 times in "story mode" the rest of the time they get most of there game play from online interactive game play. i love FPS's but if i have 1-2 of them that i like for the purpose i want them for, there is no reason to get news ones honestly. and as far as not spending 250 dollars to play board games, how many ppl honestly play the board games they have frequently for the 15-25 dollars it takes for them? if they actually use it often its far more convient and useful for 250 bucks if you use it. if you don't its obviously a waste of money. as far as PS3 and 360 sales . its directly due to the fact that they havent, yet, come out with game that surprises its user with good game play. either you know a games going to suck or you don't. the wii doesnt have that problem cause from the most part*as indicated on this blog* each wii experience seems to be vastly different.. People buy a wii for the SOLE purpose of not really knowing much about the games. ignorance of how to play games is what is fueling the console cause its allowing people the abillity to connect to games like SNES did and Atari and N64, its a new way to look at games and by comparison the 360 and PS3, dispite the fact they can compute combined probally a nuclear missile launch, are a little bit behind the edge of the consumer curve. look at cell phones... its a PHONE, yet the ones thats sell the most are the ones you seem to be able to doo the most on. its all about new technology and the wii beat them too the punch. its not like they didn't have that technology, they just didn't have the nerve to base there new systems on a concept that had yet to be untested and its costing them in the long run. besides of all the gaming consoles nintendo has the most to lose by NOT doing well as a company as a whole. Sony sells blu ray, dvd's, tv, surround sound systems. MS creates computers and software thats completely unrelated to theirs systems. maybe if sony and MS took there systems as seriously as nintendo took theirs*i distincly recall nintendo supposedly being on its last leg before the wii came out* then maybe they would be doing better. im sure over the coarse of times MS and sony will outlive the wii. but that because they should. the Wii merely sucker punched them both when they weren't looking and now they look foolish for hesitating on capitalizing on what obviously*according to sales* is a desire for suchs games.

as a side note i think Wii sales are due to word of mouth and good publicity buzz*im not saying it ISNT a bad console* if you look at most "hard core" gamers ask your self... how many people do they honestly talk about games with Irl, probally just other "hard core" gamers who don't need to be told about a new release that they already had reserved 5 months in advanced. however the Wii is different in that respect that usually* more social people who really arent sure of themselves as gamers find themselves talking about their gaming experience with gamers and non gamers alike.. and thats always good for a product regardless of what it is.

if sony and MS have anything to be embarrassed about it should be about not handling the situation better.

[forestliu]

I don't think they're direct competitors. I think Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are. Wii works differently. Wii works for family for freidns who don't play much and it's great for parties and groups of people. Xbox 360 and PS3 are great for playing online and against hardcore gamers. MOST people will buy Wii's. They just aren't hard core gamers and the Wiimote is fantastic for that. Hardcore gamers on the other hand will buy Xbox 360 or (and) PS3 AND a Wii because they like playing with non-hardcore players too. That's why the Wii is hot and the others are not. Everyone buys the Wii only some buy PS3 and Xbox 360.

[richard993]

I have a Wii, PS3 and an Xbox 360... so far this is what I have found:

Compared to the other consoles, the games for the Wii have crap graphics but fun play (which I quickly got bored of after a few minutes). My Wii is now gathering dust because it fails to impress me with graphics and pales in comparison to the XBOX 360 and PS3.
The XBox 360 has a nice selection of games. Graphics are great on HD.
The PS3 has a limited selection of games but that is now changing. Graphics are similar to the XBox 360 and it appears that many games are ports from the Xbox rather than natively created for the PS3 so they don't utilise all the benefits of the PS3 processors.

I am a Sony fan and switched to the PS3 after owning a PS2, but there doesn't seem to be a compelling enough reason to pay extra for PS3 rather than an XBox 360 other than having blu-ray. Being a Sony fan, and supporter of new technologies, I would continue to recommend the PS3 for gamers because I think it has greater potential and will have a longer shelf life than the XBox 360.

But saying all that, I have bought more Wii consoles than any other console for the following reasons:
* There are a lot more non-violent games on the wii
* The Wii keeps kids occupied
* Parent have confidence that there will be a good selection of kid safe games on the console
With the points above in mind, it makes a fantastic present to give to your nephews, cousins, etc... etc... without feeling guilty about corrupting them ;)

[stringarray]

I had fun with Resident Evil on the Wii. Been itching to break it out again. I swore I would never FPS without a keyboard and mouse but the Wii sure challenged me on that. If the next Nintendo console that comes out exceeds the graphics offered by the PS3 and offered more games such as Resident Evil would jump the Sony ship?

My 360 is enough for the joystick-controller types of games, the Wii is fun for games ranging from Wii Sports to Resident Evil, and my PC for games with state of the art graphics and online game play.

Here's to hoping a hybrid of a PS3 and a Wii hit the market in the next couple of years. Just as it was meant to be for that old atari joystick with a single orange button to phase out, so it is meant to be for the controllers we see on the xbox and ps.

[lordmorgul]

"With 43.75 million units sold, the Wii easily dominates the market, which is also home to 26.49 million Xbox 360 units and 18.82 million Playstation 3 consoles."

You say 'dominates'... I do not think that word means what you think it means. Getting half the market, with the other half split between the two primary competitors is doing very well, perhaps even outpacing the competition by a sizable margin... but 'dominates' is a bit over the top to describe it.

The other consoles are nowhere near 'irrelevant' with those numbers, they are clearly still competitive.

[beatsageo]

I actually took the time to read all the above posts, it took me about 40min. I own a PS3, I have played the xbox, and have played the Wii with my nephews often, here is the deal.

The Wii is a toy you play with your kids, it is not a personal gym or anything else. Yes, it is fun and there are some unique titles for it but at the end of the day.....its a kids toy. Overall it does not impress with graphics or utility.

The PS3 and the Xbox are on the same playing field. They are basically media centers. You can connect them to your PC, play your music, watch your movies and view your photos in a slide show for your family and friends. This Christmas I was opening presents at my in laws across town, via video chat from my living room, you can not do that on a wii. For me the PS3 keeps my family connected, not like playing wii sports, but by bridging the distance that separates us.
The Blue Ray player is awesome. Most people who are buying a wii, do not by a PS3 or Xbox for the HD simply because Sponge Bob the movie does not get any better in 1080i. Clearly the Wii is marketed to the young and old but again falls short in its usefulness, any doubters can look at the list of functions between the wii and PS3/xbox. All are fun, two are useful.

[VOR75]

Sorry they are toys. That's just something you want to claim in order to insult the millions of adult Wii owners who dont follow Sony like you do.. Go to BestBuy.com and click on over in the games and TOYS section. You'll find a link to the PS3 and 360 just like you will the Wii.Yes the 360 and PS3 do other things.. That is not why most people buy a gaming console. They buy a gaming console to game on. PS2,Wii,DS, are the highest selling systems in the past 2 years. They prove everything you believe about gaming to be wrong. Also I love how your PS3 brings your family closer together by doing the exact thing Wii Sports does only according to you it doesnt do that and you cannot provide any clear examples of what exactly that means when it comes to PS3. Wii sports bridges the distance between people by allowing young or old to play together. Now how exactly does your PS3 do it without also saying it allows you to play together? Watching movies? Dont need a PS3 for that. Just seems like you have some bias against any system ruling the market that isnt Sony and will say anything to try to justify your hate. Even if any real Wii owner and gamer can see how limited your reasons and excuses are.

[LinuxProgrammer]

Games? Haven't played one properly in about 6 months. Go write some code people, its more fun :)

[3rdalbum]

In the top-10 weekly games chart in Australia, there are usually 8 games for Nintendo systems. Usually the number 7 and 8 spots are for some other system. This shows that Nintendo-based gamers are buying new games, and exposes exactly how popular the Wii is.

I'm not sure exactly what is meant by "serious games", but the Wii does have enough non-trivial games with more coming in the near future. No More Heroes, Pro Evo Soccer (the Wii version being the best version for serious gamers; the pointer control allowing very precise control), Zelda Twilight Princess, Bully (once again, Wii version being the best for motion and lightgun controls), Medal of Honour, Okami, The Force Unleashed, Need For Speed franchiseMetroid Prime 3, and heaps more that I haven't gotten my hands on yet. Coming up very soon for serious gamers on the Wii: The Conduit, Madworld, and Dead Rising (port from the 360 but looks promising).

The difference is: The Wii offers gaming for virtually everyone. The casual gamers, the party gamers, those who need to be tricked into playing games (Wii Fit!), highly-skilled players, aspiring players like myself, those who like to play for hours on end and those who like to dip in and out each day.

Of course I'd like some more "serious" games for the Wii, but there are more than enough in my collection already for when I'm in the mood for a deep gaming experience; and when I'm after quick thrills and spills there's always Mario Kart over the internet.

[VanorOrion]

Yeah, the 360 and PS3 have pretty much pushed all their major releases for the holidays. And the Wii's got a lot of more traditional "old-school" games slated for release in the new year, so yeah, the decrying of "Oh the Wii isn't a competitor" is pretty nonsensical.

[jlarsen77]

I have all 3 systems, and I can say that the one that gets the absolute least amount of use is the Wii. There are precious few games that are much fun. The waggle component of the games gets old quickly and the graphics compared to the PS3 and the 360 are terrible on my HDTV. Original xbox games look better than Wii games.