Wii price point discussion
Miscellaneous Forums/General Discussion/Wii price point discussion
So, Nintendo said that the Wii will cost less than $250 US. Naturally, everyone then assumed that it costs precisely $249.99, and started discussing the matter as though it was actually officially that price.
So, let's start a discussion of our own!
I notice that a common argument is that consumers, when looking a system with rich eye candy and one with a fancy controller and only a $50 price difference, will pick the Xbox360 Core package.
I disagree:
The XBox360 has two packages, both with hugely different price points. The confused, mainstream consumer who is being talked about here would be scared off by this. Most would be unwilling to buy the cheaper one for fear of being ripped off (same reason some people buy a brand new $1500 computer to read their presently nonexistent email instead of getting a Mac Mini or some such).
If their paranoia from both Microsoft and the strange price differences isn't enough, we can be sure that various sales people will help matters and get them buying the more expensive model.
We also have to remember that the mainstream non-gamer probably won't go randomly falling upon a Wii at a store and buy it because it only costs $150. It can't work that way, because then that person would not be a non-gamer. A non-gamer would have NO interest in the video games section of a store, and would find the Wii either through a demo booth or a socially related human.
Another attraction which I've noticed but few others have touched on is that the system has a nice case that can be hidden away anywhere. This means that people don't need to make their Wii prominently on display as they are forced to do with the rounded shapes of XBox360 and PS3. That is in my opinion, a big point - Non-gamers think differently:
They still care about asthetics. The only thing that isn't asthetically pleasing about the Wii is the sensor bar... and from what I understand, it's not always necessary for everything. (Or is it?).
They don't necessarily care about brand loyalty, and the idea of seeing the sequel before the original always seems a bit strange -- why would someone read Bob Episode 1 without reading Bob Episode 2? Game consoles aren't that different (except that they actually exist), when they follow that sort of naming convention. Sure, with a second or two of thought you realize that it's a version number and there's not storyline involved, but there still is a little tiny thing at the back of a person's mind which has a varying level of strength depending on how much you really do recognize. The names XBox360 and PlayStation3 just sound less friendly for such a person. Besides, we've all heard these names. They aren't going to stand out. They could easily be mistaken as that console from 10 years ago. It's not difficult, and everyone understands the difference between new and old.
Most importantly, they don't really look at what is inside. Nintendo's non-gamer target audience is not going to be paying a huge amount of attention to system specs and will be looking more at what is on the shelves and the back of the box. Specs do not filter into the price equation.
So there you have it.
I managed to do it without a stupid rant!
I'm willing to bet anyone that the Wii will launch for $200. Nintendo knows their market, and parents aren't going to want to spend much more than that come Christmas time.
It appears that Microsoft and Sony have priced themselves right out of the running, and I couldn't be more pleased about that. This is where Nintendo's mantra of being all about the games really comes into play. While Sony and MS are busy trying to tie in all kinds of hardware for some kind of massive home entertainment system, people like me that already have a computer for such uses will stick with Nintendo. I personally don't know anyone who owns a 360, and those that I know from the internet that do are already bored with it. Microsoft's attempt to blur the line between the console and PC so that they could monopolize both markets is destined to fail. Specialized and innovative hardware like the Wii controller and the DS are where it's at.
I agree with Eikon. Besides, new Nintendo consoles have always launched at the 200 USD price range.
As for whose going to buy what, people are going to buy what their friends have. Parents are not going to buy the Wii because it's 200 USD, they're going to buy the console that most of their friends have. Why did you buy a Spectrum? C64? Amiga? Wintel PC? Certainly not because it was the best available.
Why did you buy a Spectrum? C64? Amiga? Wintel PC? Certainly not because it was the best available.
AHUM, AHUM... the C64 not only was the best available, it still is! >:(
The last time I checked you only need to spend a penny to have a Wii.
This ties into something I read in Wired today which is very important. There's a new book called The Origin of Wealth by eric D. Beinhocker. His point is that success doesn't lie in creating the best technology or similar strategy and sticking to that same principle but instead by adapting quickly to changes. It's something I've been thinking about quite a bit for myself. Heck it goes way back to Rome burning down when the Emperor was asked what to do and said not what you've been doing. Sony and MS are now following and pushing harder on the same old strategy meanwhile the playing field has been changed. Thus, it's not really a new principle but I found that tidbit relevant to this discussion.
I think PS3 and XBox360 are geared towards older generation of players (80s and 90s teenagers) and therefore properly assume that they have jobs to buy the systems. These same consumers also are the ones reading about the new ATi and GeForce cards and save their cash to buy $300+ video card.
Now, Nintendo is appealing to the parents of children and teenagers, therefore their market is different. I do not think, therefore, you can compare N vs S or MS.
Anyways, that out of the way, I wish Nintendo goes back to the good ol' days of two controllers and a game... Mario game at that. I would rather pay $250 for a console that comes complete with a game and controllers rather than 199 for system, 29 for extra controller, and 49 for a game... that is not even Mario!
Personally, I already have 360, I'm going to get Wii and when PS3 has a decent game out, I'll get that too. But these days, being an early adopter of consoles has left me a bit disappointed (camping outside of a store, ordering $600+ "packages", and having so so game launch).
EDIT:
Have you all noticed that now that game development costs are in the millions, games are so so? Maybe 1 or 2 great games per year but that is it! That is why I think GBA and GBDS is doing so well. Development is in 100s of thousands and so companies can take a risk.
Anyways, my 2 cents.
I think it's going to have the same problem as the gamecube. While people like us are going to love it, mr / mrs average are still only going to know the word 'playstation' (I know people who refer to any console as a playstation).
If the 360 has a following by next xmas, it will win some of these people over, but I'm really not convinced that the Wii can pull that turnaround off.
Hand held wise, Nintendo have always had well received products, the DS seemed to start slow, but seems to be pulling a real following now.. If they can get a halo effect from that it may help.
I 'really' want the Wii to do well, I think it has the potential to be really good fun, as well as a potential platform for us indies ;)
Yeah, true about the mr average. BUT, I think Sony is really pushing what an average customer would shell out for a Playstation. 360 was a lot. Remember, $399 is the model people buy the most and yet it comes with no games. Therefore you are looking at about $550 to buy something to play one game. PlayStation will be around $650 for 2 controllers and a game.
Now, as average joe, I will see $199, $399, $599 staring at me... $199 sounds really good.
I'd love to go back to the days when every game system got called a Nintendo. It was sweet. Even on the Tv people would ask "Can I go on the Nintendo?" even if it was a Megadrive!
*sigh* Now all people know is Playstation. I have no intention of buying a PS3, I don't own a PS2 and i only got a PS1 because it was that or the highly expensive games of the N64. (I'd have preferred the N64 but my parents thought otherwise ;) )
I am also not impressed with the 360, and the standard Xbox didn't interest me much either but that was the last system to make me look at the GFX and go "K-hool!"
I got my Gamecube because it cost me £50 and there were some good games in good genres.
Soul Caliber 2, Mario Sunshine (bit odd, difficult, but I like it), Zelda, Prince of persia... :)
I guess i'm a Ninty Fanboy relly, but I'll grab my wee when it comes out, if it's $200, then i'll buy it at the UK conversion, no problem!
I also got a DS because I wanted to lay my ole fave Super mario 64 whils't on a bus, Nintendogs for my GF (Who now shouts names at her system.) and Tony Hawk i got yesterday which is awesome :D
I bought a PSP however, so I could play MGS. (But what? there's no *REAL!!!!* MGS on PSP yet!) and promptly broke the screen.
Basically, for me, the systems I buy will be at around £100-150 max, and no matter what, I don't need a sony/MS system.
Gotta say though, Xbox live arcade is one thing I might end up getting an X360 for...
Personally, I disagree with everyone.
There are a few other factors or misrepresentations here.
1. The games for the 360 and ps3 cost so much to make, that in order to make any money on the game, it will have to sell a rediculous amount. Meaning, the game is either above average or great.
2. Games for the 360 and ps3 cost so much, that they don't spend the extra time money and effort to make a truely above average or great game, so games will not make as much as they used to even, and they will be much more likely to fail. This will cause 360 and ps3 games to be formulaic and the home of a million sequels. If you thought it was bad in the last generation, you're in for a big surprise. What many companies will, and already have started, doing is having games come out more often or having many of the same general game with different releases and such (like the 3 different games that will be Final Fantasy 13, or having more than 1 sports game a year. Can we say, road to the world cup, and world cup?) This way, they can re-use a lot of the assets from the other games. FF13's two console games will likely use the same textures and models and animations, drasticly reducing the dev costs. But is that really desireable?
3. The Nintendo Wii is not aimed towards parents (for their kids).
I'm not sure why everyone is automaticly assuming this. I would expect that come launch, the Wii will be advertised towards the every person as a new way to relax. Gone with the hard to control hard to learn Nintendo of the past, and in with the new.
I'm sure there will be ads directed at parents.... Telling them they can finally play, and beat, their kids at the game. There will be ads aimed at everyone, and you can bet they will be damn effective.
I also wouldn't be surprised if they released some games designed to teach. Fun learning games designed for certain tasks... Perhaps, a language game, or games, to help people who need to learn or would like to learn a language for their job. Perhaps other games of this sort. The goal is to make playing games valueable, desireable, and easy to access. If they play their cards right, they will be able to gather together a good amount of non-gamers.
(But what? there's no *REAL!!!!* MGS on PSP yet!)
There will be in a
year or two. =/
Regarding what Dampe is going on about with #3, I'd have to agree, it'll be quite the challenge for Nintendo to come up with the "right" commercials to try to make the product appealing to all, which they somewhat didn't get the point of with the NDS by just focusing on it's touch-screen.
(although some of them were quite humorous)
Gotta say though, Xbox live arcade is one thing I might end up getting an X360 for...
Same, unless Nintendo's "Virtual Console" section for indy games can rival Geometry Wars.
Regarding price-point, $200 seems to be the safe assumption by many as is apparent in this thread, it's what I'm rooting for, no way in hell I can ask for a $399 or $599 X-Mas gift.
AHUM, AHUM... the C64 not only was the best available, it still is! >:(
Except for the Amstrad CPC.
His point is that success doesn't lie in creating the best technology or similar strategy and sticking to that same principle but instead by adapting quickly to changes.
You should read up on agile organization models and software development processes if that kind of thing interests you. Kent Becks "Extreme Programing Explained" or Craig Larmans "Agile & Itterative Development" are both good books on the subject, where Kent Becks is geared more towards his process and Larmans is more in a general sense.
However being reactive (reacting to change) is only half of the equation. The other part is being proactive (a much harder discipline) which seems exactly what Nintendo have done with their magic wand thingy.
I think PS3 and XBox360 are geared towards older generation of players (80s and 90s teenagers) and therefore properly assume that they have jobs to buy the systems.
And no time to actually use them? Look at the XBoxes only really must-have title, Oblivion. Has like 70 hours worth of gameplay. It requires commitment to play. When you come home from a long days work, you don't want to pick up a game like that, you want a game where you can actually acomplish something in the hour or so, between doing the dishes, and going off to bed. The PS3 and XBox 360 mostly appeal to people who job is playing games. Web cartoonists, reporters, people in the industry. Few normal people are going to have the time to dedicate to actually play, never mind complete many of these games.
Now, as average joe, I will see $199, $399, $599 staring at me... $199 sounds really good.
You're going to get a) the most expensive one, or b) whatever the Joneses have, just with more games.
Well, they confirmed the Japanese price at 25,000 Yen, did they not? There were some rumors that would put the USD price somewhere between $200 - $250, if I'm not mistaken... I heard $224.99 from somewhere, would be the rough conversion from Yen to USD...
25000 yen is only 120 pounds. That sounds very cheap.
Oblivion has 70 hours worth of scripted dialog and main quests... if you add in all the other stuff, and the minor little quests, you get well over 250 hours.... it took me over 100 just to complete the guilds and the main quest. I'm not even level 20... so, if I wanted to shoot for level 100, I'd expect to play at least 400 more hours.
However... Oblivion isn't a 360 must have. It is on the PC, which is where I played it.
If all the truely must have games for the 360 are also on other systems, it will fall into the dumpster a lot sooner.
Xbox live arcade is not worth 500$
> it will fall into the dumpster a lot sooner.
It's already in there tbh.
Yeah... Sure, XBox Live's too overpriced indeed.
If I'm not mistaken, Nintendo's Virtual Console was supposed to work differently. Don't you pay as you download, or was it a monthly fee like XBox Live?
My prediction is that 2 years from now, XBox #1, Nintendo #2, Sony #3. We'll have to see.
Oh, regarding Oblivion, is it just me or was that game buggy AND repetetive? Every other dungeon and enemy looked the same. It just seemed to me like someone came up with a pretty cool world (skybox and terrain with speedtree) and wrapped it in a game and licensed the name. more than 20% of the time the "lip sync" didn't work, either.
Nah, 2 years from now: Sony #1, Xbox #2 (in europe and the US) and Nintendo languishing behind as an unpopular and hardly supported #3 (except for in Japan).
nintendo would have to sell twice as many units to hit the Gross sales numbers that PS3 and XBOX360 would have.
though i betcha nintendo will not lose as much per console as the other 2.
besides, the DS lite will outsell all of them...
When Gamecube hit $99, it sold like hotcakes. Gamecube is still a good platform. not alot of new stuff but whenever i want to play a game, i always reach for the cube (I have ps3 and xbox).
maybe it's the controller?
(I have ps3 and xbox)
How can you have the PS3 already?! It won't ship until the same time the Wii does (hopefully they won't launch on the same day)... Unless you mean you have the PS2, then I can understand that. However, knowing that I've been all over the map as far as consoles are concerned, I'm probably gonna hail back to my Nintendo roots for right now.
I think the numbers will be very close this round. The market will be more evenly split. I think in the end though we might see the big N back on top since it can sit right next to a 360 or a PS3. Sony could have stayed #1 easily if they had just come out at the same price point as the Xbox. The high price and nonsense Blu-Ray support dont' help them.
DVD's began to build up popularity in what 1998? The PS2 then comes out at the end of 2000 after DVD's had already been out for a while. While I do think it's a good idea to unleash a new format like Blu-Ray with a new game console, I don't think it's a good idea to charge a premium for it. The only reason it's a good idea is because people view the new format as a bonus on their standard issue game console. Now that new format has doubled the price of their game console which is just plain stupid. No one has even experienced a Blu-Ray movie yet and I don't think it's really such a big deal that people are going to pay a premium for it.
Sure, look at the PSP when the UMD drive was built into that (makes it so that movies can be watched in the palm of your hand). However, with the iPod now being able to let you watch movies via Podcast, the PSP would still be cheaper than the iPod for a portable media player, obviously, as well as being able to play your PSP games. At least when you think of the PSP vs. an iPod or a Creative Zen, the PSP is rather cheap, way to go Sony. However, when it comes to the PS3, tho, I don't think so... The X360 has those bells and whistles for a bit cheaper, and even with the HD-DVD, you'd still be cheaper than Blu-Ray, albeit not by much. However, if you're just looking at a game console, and not a full-blown entertainment hub, the Wii's your choice.
I agree that Blue-Ray for movies is not worth the increase in price hike. I don't think it doubled the price but it probably added 150 to it.
I mean, as consumers we have to decide what we want. I personally do not like too many 10-in-1 units. Only when it makes sense, but I never used my PS2 or XBox as a DVD player. I have a nice DVD player and I have upgraded it when new technology came out (DVI, progressive scan, 400 Disc Player, etc.). The only benefit that all in one unit has is for kids who have a tv in their room. Again, at 600 price point, not many kids have bday money to buy it.
You know what, I want the PS3 to have a blue-ray, TiVo, Web Browser, PodCast capture/edit/publisher, photo viewer AND editor, built in LCD for those of us on the go, and coffee heater. Com'on. That is where Nintendo is doing the right thing IMO, its a GAMING system.
I want a video game console, not these all-in-one media centers.
EDIT: Secretly, I hope Nintendo becomes #1 worldwide (US too) and put a stake into these huge prices. Then, on to cutting dev costs from 10 million to 1 million at most. We need more games, more inovation, and not have a company bancrupt itself because one failed game causes bancruptsy.
HDDVD in general will be a failure. People only just invested in their library of DVD and the first time they buy an HDDVD they will realize that even WITH an HDTV they can barely tell the difference.
The difference is a small amount of clearity. For movies, it simply doesn't make sense.
Both formats will fail in their own way. Being used only by a few people like laser disk.
They will be fine for PC use, as for storage they are great.... assuming we get HD media burners soon.
Without the burners, no one will care. We already have DVD and I don't know of ANY games or other things that came on more than 1. The only thing that I know of that will need more than one DVD is Vista.... or about 20 CD Roms... wonderful.
HD DVDs (and blu-ray) will fail. That is my prediction. HD media, the hyper graphics age, and with any luck, planned obsolecence will all go out of favor in the next 5 years with a BIG crash
Yeah, it's for sure that you'd better be smart about preordering the Wii, because it'll be just like the X360 at its launch date, selling out in less than a few hours in most cases... You saw how quickly the X360 sold out, and it cost as much as an Alienware PC when you wanted to buy it on eBay. Same thing'll happen with the Wii, you just wait and see, and then some, unless Nintendo learns from Microsoft's mistakes on the launch of the Wii.
I'm definitely waiting on the edge of my seat regarding the official launch date, so I can dart right down to my local game store, and put my name right into their database (just better make sure I leave about 10% of the retail price for the preorder, that's usually standard reservation down payment ($25 USD for the down payment if my math's correct)). Yeah, it'll be a sellout if any. Better preorder a game title with it, too... May preorder Red Steel or Zelda Twilight Princess, maybe both. Should be interesting to see, IMHO.
> HD DVDs (and blu-ray) will fail. That is
> my prediction. HD media, the hyper graphics
> age, and with any luck, planned obsolecence
> will all go out of favor in the next 5 years
> with a BIG crash
Depends on how you look at it. I remember the time when the concept of playing games from CDs over floppy disks and cartridges came over, like on consoles and PCs.
"WTF you can play games from CDs, but aren't they like for playing music?!"
And also when DVDs first came out people were like what the hell, buy all my favourites again but now all on DVD?!? The quality isn't that much better anyway, I'll stick with my VHS tapes ta very much.
How great a skill hindsight is.
There is even less of a noticable difference between the HD media than there was between VHS and DVD. It is almost unnoticeable to some people.
It wasn't all that long ago that people were forced to switch from VHS to DVD. I certainly don't plan on switching to HD media unless I see a reason to. Unless the cost of a player is about 50 bucks.
I'm perfectly content with older movies on DVD and even VHS. I don't even like new movies. They seem to all be crap lately... even the ones that win awards aren't as good as the old movies.
It is important to note that my family's first DVD player was my ps2, which I got the summer of 2002. We didn't get another one for a year or so...
assuming we get HD media burners soon.
Blu-ray burners are already out.
Unless the cost of a player is about 50 bucks.
Yeah, and they offer to trade-in your massive DVD collection to the new media, or remove the horrible DRM that will allow you to do it yourself. I already went through all this with my LaserDiscs (except 3 movies which simply don't seem to exist on DVD), and I'm not about to go through all that again - and my colection has increased considerably since LaserDisc went out of style.
As for who's going to rule this round of console wars, my money is on Nintendo too. Let's break it down, Nintendo is a brand, it has it's own characters, which translate directly into must-have titles, and it's the only console that has broad appeal.
The XBox 360 is clearly geared towards the American market, half of it's titles being sports games, holding preciously little appeal outside America it's best game being a overly repetitive game, very few people will have the stamina to endure to the end. The American market being the smallest of the three market, and people with relatively new First generation XBoxes I don't see it hitting in the near future.
The PS3 is odd. I'm certain it wil sell rediculously well, but judging from the PSP, it's not going to have much in the way of launch titles. It'll sell, sure. It'll have GTA4, Finall Fantasy whatever, and Tekken Sumo Tournament Tag Ultra and people will love it.
But Nintendo? They've got a tennois game you can play in your living room! They have lightsaber duel games and first person shooters, that actually work without mouse and keyboard. And that's not counting the onslaught of original Nintendo games we're gonna see, like Mario, Zelda and Metroid. I mean really! Priced at around 200 USD, and only counting those 5 games, plus the ability to play pretty much the entire back catalog of Nintendo games (hopefully including all Rarewares good games, from before they sold out to Microsoft).
How can a person look at all that and say it's not good value for money?
Here is an ad for the Wii
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Q-WR2-_Ss&search=nintendo%20???%20TVCM%20NDS%20VideoGames Seems like they're aiming for the everyman/woman.
The BlueRay thing will be nice for datastorage (backup), but one thing I don't understand with DVDs. Why don't they just use the same disks, but change the way the video is encoded. You could probably get 3 times the quality by using a modern codec, instead of MPEG2.
Really, even an iPod podcast could pump about about that quality in the digital video. So it's for sure that Blu-Ray won't become standard until HDTV becomes standard, which won't be until 2009, if I'm not mistaken, even then, it'll not sell up to standard...
AHUM, AHUM... the C64 not only was the best available, it still is! >:(
I always thought the graphics were too blocky compared to the Spectrum - sound sucked on the Spectrum though.
It is almost unnoticeable to some people.
HD-DVD & Blu-Ray movies seem to be exclusively for those with 42"+ TV sets where you can actually notice the compression artifacts and what have you, but again, they're a minority. ;P
I have a Black & White Zenith. HD is for Wussies!
Well, even tho I do have an HD-Ready 32" Westinghouse, it still means diddly-squat as far as wanting an HD gaming console to boot. From an article I read in Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), there was an interview between EGM and Nintendo's big cheese, Satoru Iwata. If you picked up the June 2006 issue, you may have seen this, it's a featured article, and it seems like there's a lot covered about that.
Also, looking at EGM's website, I see that Bill Gates let his feelings be known to the Wii controller. However, if MS feels that it's a gimmick controller, then who is Microsoft to think they can be the standard setter for game consoles? Who was the company who brought the game industry back in 1985, Mr. Gates?! Think about it that way!
Mr. Gates thought the Internet was a gimmick too. I wouldn't put too much stock in his predictions.
Nintendo pffft. I dont care what specs or price the console is because I just dont want cute fluffy games with chip music. I'm 30 odd years old ye gods! I've out grown Nintendo.
I'm 30 odd years old ye gods! I've out grown Nintendo.
That is so sad. I feel sorry for you.
You can't out-grow Nintendo. You can only admit defeat. You've let a bitter world yank out the last playful whimper of jubilation! I feel for you ;P
Besides that this console is going to be home to plenty of 'kick ass 'n take names later' kind of games like Red Steel. Additionally, you have to admit that playing the next Star Wars game with the sound of your light saber whooshing by your ear courtesy of the controller's built in speaker is intriguing.
It isn't intriguing... its friggin awesome
[quote]
I'm 30 odd years old ye gods! I've out grown Nintendo.
That is so sad. I feel sorry for you.
[/quuote]
Well, I'm 25, but that still doesn't mean that Nintendo doesn't appeal to the elder crowd, either. Once you play Red Steel, you'll see that Nintendo's getting into the more mature crowd now, to a point (that is, if you can even get your hands on Red Steel, fearing a sellout with that along with the console itself).
Been a while, but according to a find on the web, there's a little something that someone "thinks" there could be an official release date to expect. Here's the article from CNN:
Nintendo's Wii may get early launch
Industry observers expect company's new video game machine to launch before the PlayStation 3 - perhaps by a month or more.
Game Over is a weekly column by Chris Morris
July 5 2006: 11:32 AM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Nintendo has stated numerous times that its next generation video game machine will be less expensive than the competition. Now it appears that it might be on store shelves considerably earlier than many were expecting as well.
While Nintendo has not made any formal announcements about the launch date for the Wii, most of the industry has expected the machine to hit retail at approximately the same time as Sony's PlayStation 3 (which is set for November 17). Now, industry observers - and insiders - say they expect the system to be available in October, with late September a dark horse candidate.
cm_mario.jpg
Want more video game news and commentary? Click Mario Morris.
Indeed, the company appears to be already manufacturing final retail units of the Wii, according to a June 21st analyst's note from P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research. That would give it a significant head start over Sony (Charts), which has yet to begin final manufacturing of the PlayStation 3. Microsoft's first Xbox 360 did not roll off the assembly line last year until 69 days before the on sale date of Nov. 22. (That late start in production is the root cause behind last holiday's shortages.)
"October is a reasonable timeframe," wrote McNealy.
Nintendo has downplayed any suggested dates. Other industry insiders, who asked not to be named, though, said they, too, are expecting a September or October launch for the Wii.
Early manufacturing will certainly help Nintendo do a better job of meeting consumer demand. New console launches traditionally sell out fast. Because of manufacturing problems, Microsoft (Charts) was not able to come anywhere close to meeting worldwide demand. Widespread shortages of the PlayStation 3 are also expected. Nintendo, like Sony, has given guidance that it expects to ship 6 million units by March 2007.
A pre-November launch wouldn't be an unusual move for the company. In fact, it was only with the GameCube that the company opted for a November release for a home system. The NES, which established the company as a force in the gaming space, was released in the U.S. on Oct. 18, 1985. The Nintendo 64 dropped on Sept. 29, 1996.
Pricing for the Wii remains a question mark, but the most likely price points are $199 or $249. That would put it considerably below the PS3, which will sell two versions for $499 and $599. Microsoft is not expected to cut the prices of the two versions of the Xbox 360, which currently cost $299 and $399.
That price would also be closer to the sweet spot for mainstream consumers, which the company has said is its primary target this generation. The Wii breaks many of the video game industry's traditional rules for a "next generation" console. Graphics on games that have been shown to media are not dramatically better than those found on GameCube games - and the system will not support high definition video, unlike its competitors who are using the move to HDTVs as a major part of their system. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has also vowed to keep game prices lower than the $60 price tag for many Xbox 360 games (a price that's expected to be mirrored for many PS3 titles).
The most unusual aspect of the Wii, however, is its controller, which resembles a television remote-control. Instead of worrying about which button or which thumbstick corresponds to which action, Wii players will simply move their hands and wrists. That movement is then translated into onscreen movements. The remote also features two prominent buttons where the player's thumb and forefinger will rest.
Nintendo also has yet to announce the full list of games that will launch alongside the Wii, though it has confirmed "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" and "Metroid Prime 3: Corruption" - the latest installments in two of the company's premier franchises - will be available on day one. A new Mario game - "Super Mario Galaxy" - is deep in development, but will most likely come out after the Wii has launched.
Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2006/07/05/commentary/column_gaming/index.htm Is Nintendo planning a world-wide launch, or will us poor Europeans get stiffed with a later launch and a straight dollar-to-pound price 'conversion'?
Meh, I want to get myself a DS Lite before the Wii comes out, anyway. :)
from someone who knows absolutely NOTHING about consoles...
XBOX looks like it will rule.
--Mike
I'm quite looking forward to having a Wii. In fact, I may get so desperate i'll be dancing around the door waiting for it to open just so i can have one!
admit that playing the next Star Wars game with the sound of your light saber whooshing by your ear courtesy of the controller's built in speaker is intriguing.
It won't be all *that* good. How big can that speaker be? :)
Er... well I'm 46 and I am still enjoying every major game companies offerings, but I have a definate serious 'tilt' towards the Nintendo 'in-house' camp, why? Because although other companies do make games (and consoles) they have a tendancy to produce one or two good games. Nintendo's games producers (and I include our very own JP and SP amongst them) have understood something deeper about the design and development of a game. They continue to provide excellence, innovation and thoroughly enjoyable games of very different natures.
Wii should come in at a good price point and will probably have a killer disc thrown in too - with lots of fab things you can test out your new controller skills on . That alone will encourage a lot of old and new gamers to purchase.
Banshee's quite right - some people will feel they have out grown anything to do with the Nintendo system, but then probably end up playing Eye Toy 3 or something similar on other systems. People are different and expect different things from a games/media console.
Some just won't be able to afford the bigger toys and go for the less expensive ones. Some will see the idea of audio in your controller as awesome (as I do) yet others will just tut at the idea. Sony have their work cut out, but hey no one would have thought PS1 would have been so domineering that PS2 was a guaranteed success.
If I can I shall buy a Wii - and as soon as I can afford the others I shall consider them as optional extras.
IPete2.
PS I love my PSP too , but I have to say WOW when I look at my sons' Nintendo DS Lite, playing Metroid Hunters or Mario Kart - online over wifi in beautiful bold colours with two very bright screens and against lots of other players across the world - now that is something else - more akin to gamers heaven! Thanks Ninty.
The last stats i've read said that the market is turning more and more away from children towards the older audience, simply because there are more...
So the WII for sure has it's market but so have the others as well.
Gamecube was great for Pikmin (and still has the best controller of them all - hah!) but that was it more or less. The problem with Nintendo in my opinion is this whole Mario/Wario blablabla content. I don't want it...
I wanna play serious, entertaining or funny (Ron Gilbert where are you?!) games for adults or emulated retro games. I'm not interested in games where i have to get back a yellow slipper from a frog princess with baby eyes who got cought by turtle ninjas, no matter how i steer this...
Yeah, I'm not sure what to think about having a speaker in the Wii controller. As Cygnus says, how loud can it be, and won't it drain the batteries double-quick time if used alot? Also, how much can it really add to the experience?
Hmm, just thinking out loud here. I guess Nintendo have lots of plans up their sleeve for it. Could give each player on a quiz game their own buzzer sound and stuff I suppose. We'll see.
I've outgrown most games, but wii is the only console that really interests me. The others are over priced, and I'm really interested in the controler. I really don't like Japanese games, they always rub me the wrong way and get on my nerves.
But if some decent 3rd parties support the system and produce the kinds of games I enjoy. Bioware style RPG, RTS and Racing games then I'm more inclined to get one than any of the other systems. The price is right and the controler should be really cool (assuming it works as advertised)
I've not bought a 360 yet as its over priced and doesn't play Xvid etc, so its not worth the premium, and the PS3 is even less appealing to me. So who knows, maybe I'll end up with one of these. I refuse to pay more than $250 for a glorified gaming system when I typicaly prefer PC games 9 times out of 10
Gamecube was great for Pikmin (and still has the best controller of them all - hah!) but that was it more or less. The problem with Nintendo in my opinion is this whole Mario/Wario blablabla content. I don't want it...
I wanna play serious, entertaining or funny (Ron Gilbert where are you?!) games for adults or emulated retro games. I'm not interested in games where i have to get back a yellow slipper from a frog princess with baby eyes who got cought by turtle ninjas, no matter how i steer this...
I'm looking forward to Wii too.
Problem is, non-cartoony graphics on their hardware is going to make the differences in capability to their competition a bit more apparent.
Hopefully the focus on solid game play will prevail, and the above quoted attitude is limited. I imagine the only way Nintendo can get away with it is to focus on the new controller's capabilities, which seems to be the case.
Well it's more up to the content. Sam&Max also was cartoon style but it was more adult like. But i tend to predict that something like Sam&Max just isn't Nintendo's style. So beside of simple games like Tennis where you simply ignore children like characters i don't think it's gonna happen...well, time will tell...
I just wonder what exactly will be included with the Wii....will it be a bare-bones product last the Xbox360 including only a single controller and no games, or will it come full blown with two controllers, couple games thrown in (make it part of the system package, not a stupid "bundle" pack), along with a couple of those wii-mote shells (the nintendo Zapper one), along with a Classic controller......that'd be quite nice.