The Wii

[doobiwan]

unfortunately I think that may very well be the case, but I don't think it will necessarily be Microsoft.

Nintendo is rolling in Moola and goodwill at the moment with no sign of the Wii's popularity abating. By 2009 component prices would have dropped to where they could roll out an HD Wii, with HiDef drive, output and a harddrive and maintain the $250 price point. People aren't going to be too offended because it wasn't a huge outlay in the first place.

That could in effect annihilate the PS3 which would still be trying to cost reduce - probably around $300 by then.

That's also not to say Microsoft comes away unscathed, they'd also have to buck up, but they're in slightly better position to compete on price, but at this point still lack a bit of the mainstream love.

 

[abev]

I just feel that the Wii unfortunately only has one thing going for it, and sadly I feel that its a fad at best, I dont think Nintendo will have games line up to keep building fans over a long period.
The dropping of ps3 prices will decide the war, if the price on the ps3 could come down to the level of the xbox, then I think the ps3 will easily annihalate the competition,
remember we also have a vastly different price scheme in sa and other parts of the world also suffer from this, as soon as we get a true rand/other currency to dollar exchange it would better

 

[rorz0r]

You know if they actually brought the Wii out here at a price about 2k I would have gotten one. But they f*cked around and faffed and farted so much that I got an Xbox. With an xbox you can play with other people and stuff. The Wii also hasn't been 1/3 the price of a PS3 in SA, most like >1/2.

 

[squirrel]

*cough*Geroge Bush re-elected *cough* It also costs a third of what the PS3 does.

If cost decided who was the winner, the GameCube would've won the last generation.

 

[BUDDH4]

I just feel that the Wii unfortunately only has one thing going for it, and sadly I feel that its a fad at best, I dont think Nintendo will have games line up to keep building fans over a long period.

*Yawn* when will the Sony fanboys stop regurgitating Sony's PR bull and start coming out with criticisms for themselves.

They called the DS a gimmick too and said it didn't stand a chance against the PSP and now two years later the DS is wiping the floor with it. Hell the DS is the best selling gaming device week after week in every major market. Every time I hear the usual "Wii is a fad" crap I feel like it's deja vu b/c the same was said about the DS and the Wii's proving the haters wrong(again) by continuing to fly of the shelves (it's still hard to find despite being released 10 months ago).

The dropping of ps3 prices will decide the war, if the price on the ps3 could come down to the level of the xbox, then I think the ps3 will easily annihalate the competition,
remember we also have a vastly different price scheme in sa and other parts of the world also suffer from this, as soon as we get a true rand/other currency to dollar exchange it would better

July Hardware Sales in North America say otherwise. Even with a $100 price drop the PS3 still couldn't outsell the 360 let alone the Wii (who's sales skyrocketed in July btw). How many price drops you think it will take before the PS3 reaches that crucial mass market price of $200? And do you really think Microsoft and Nintendo are going to sit by and watch as the PS3 price starts to catch up?

I think you need to wake up to the reality that the PS3 is not winning this console war. The Wii and PS3 launched around the same time and ten months later the Wii has already sold more than double what the PS3 has sold. Thats not to say the PS3 is a bad console. Sony have some really interesting things lined up for the PS3 like Eye of Judgement, Little Big Planet and Home. But the outcome has been decided and the only battle this gen is going to be for second place.

 

[abev]

Now why did you have to bring the whole fanboy thing into a perfectly rational conversation?

When I talk of price drops I dont mean current price drops or price drops next year or even the year after that which will decide which console ultimately sells the most.
Im talking about four or five years down the line. The ps3 will be in the same situation that the ps2 is currently in, It has a very long shelf life and a mass of loyal followers, and so when the ps3 reaches dirt cheap prices it will continue to sell well even against the next nexgen consoles as the ps2 is currently doing.

If you forget everything you currently know about both consoles and go to another world where both were released at the same at the same price, I dont think this whole war would exist. Sony would be triumphant by a mile, this may be purely due to sony marketing and followship but its the truth and thats why I believe that once the ps3 can compete in terms of price it will over take the other consoles

 

[BUDDH4]

Now why did you have to bring the whole fanboy thing into a perfectly rational conversation?

Sorry if I called you a fanboy abev, it's just that "Wii is a Fad" phrase has become the official slogan of the Sony Defense Force so you can understand where I'm coming from.

When I talk of price drops I dont mean current price drops or price drops next year or even the year after that which will decide which console ultimately sells the most.
Im talking about four or five years down the line.

I'm a little confused by this statement. You're saying that the PS3 sales will start to improve four years down the line? Four/five years down the line is when the mass market are buying consoles and do you really think Sony will be able to drop it's price to the mass market $200 price tag before it's rivals can? Something you need to realise is that the mass market make up most of the PS2's user base and they are not brand loyal. If something more exciting comes along they'll jump ship (in this case that's the Wii b/c it has fresh new way of playing and a low price tag). The PS3 is $600 so by the time the it can be a viable option to the mass market it would be too late as the winner would've already been decided. Consumers and game developers will obviously choose the winner.

One thing you need to learn about the gaming industry is that to win you need to start off well from the beginning and take advantage of your rivals weaknesses so that by the end no one will give second thought as to what your rivals have. Sony has to take action now if doesn't want to sit in third place but in order to do that they will have to make major sacrifices and looking at the financial troubles they've been facing lately I don't think that's a possibility.

The ps3 will be in the same situation that the ps2 is currently in, It has a very long shelf life and a mass of loyal followers, and so when the ps3 reaches dirt cheap prices it will continue to sell well even against the next nexgen consoles as the ps2 is currently doing.

No. The situation this generation is very different. When the PS2 launched it had alot of hype and it's only rival on the market was the Sega Dreamcast and that console was already on a downward spiral anyway(it didn't even have support from EA). The PS2's true rivals, the Xbox and the Gamecube, were only launching a year later giving it a year without any real competition. By the time they launched, the PS2 was already far ahead which meant third party developers didn't bother with them and that is one of the reasons the PS2 has such a huge library of games today.

This generation the PS3 had to launch a year after it's biggest rival, the Xbox 360, and all of it's hype was quickly overshadowed by it's other rival, the Wii. Add to that a $600 price tag and it would take nothing short of a miracle for you to be successful when so much is going against you.

If you forget everything you currently know about both consoles and go to another world where both were released at the same at the same price, I dont think this whole war would exist. Sony would be triumphant by a mile, this may be purely due to sony marketing and followship but its the truth and thats why I believe that once the ps3 can compete in terms of price it will over take the other consoles.

Now you're just speculating. The PS3 did launch the same time as the Wii but it didn't come at the same price and that played a major factor. Realistically the PS3 is not doing so well and the market isn't going to wait for them to catch up. They will move with what benefits them the most. With regards to third party developers, who play a big part in deciding a winner, most will opt to develop games for the Wii over the PS3 b/c software sales on the Wii are better and it's far cheaper to develop for which therefore means creating more games at a lower cost with greater benefits. Of course you realise more games = more sales b/c thats what the majority consider when thinking of buying a games console. Brand loyalty goes out the window when money's involved.

 

[GougedEye]

I just feel that the Wii unfortunately only has one thing going for it, and sadly I feel that its a fad at best,

I agree with you, but I really don't get the Wii, so I am probably wrong.

I dont think Nintendo will have games line up to keep building fans over a long period.

Couldn't agree less If they sell lots of units (which they are) then the games will definitely come. Also, as doobi pointed out, just because we think their games lineup sucks doesn't mean a bajillion others think that Mario rules the universe.

The dropping of ps3 prices will decide the war, if the price on the ps3 could come down to the level of the xbox, then I think the ps3 will easily annihalate the competition,

Assuming the Xbox stays at the same price and doesn't also drop? But yeah, I agree that the PS3 is a nicer machine which has been hampered by utterly inept marketing. But I think you are over rating fans Sony loyalty. Most people really don't care who makes their "TV Games". And most people are not serious gamers. The Ps2 did so well because it had broad appeal. The Wii is doing so well because it has broad appeal. Your 100 million odd PS2 users are jumping over to the Nintendo ship.

I dunno. I think Sony has missed the boat. They relied too much on Brand Loyalty and didn't really do their market research properly. Now the PS3 is always going to be trying to play catchup. Every month the extent of that catchup is getting bigger, not smaller. At this rate, in four or five years, the Wii will have sold 100 million units. How is the Ps3 going to catch up then?

 

[GougedEye]

If cost decided who was the winner, the GameCube would've won the last generation.

Many factors decide the winner. One of these is definitely the cost. One of the things about the Wii which appeals to people is the cost. Another is the fancy wifflebat controller. Another is it's games lineup, but why I'll never understand.

 

[eye_suc]

Many factors decide the winner. One of these is definitely the cost. One of the things about the Wii which appeals to people is the cost. Another is the fancy wifflebat controller. Another is it's games lineup, but why I'll never understand.

much like the ps3's lineup is also a deciding factor when buying one. ohhhh wait! IT ISNT!

 

[doobiwan]

If you forget everything you currently know about both consoles and go to another world where both were released at the same at the same price, I dont think this whole war would exist. Sony would be triumphant by a mile, this may be purely due to sony marketing and followship but its the truth and thats why I believe that once the ps3 can compete in terms of price it will over take the other consoles

But isn't that the crux of it? That's why Microsoft made so darn sure to launch early? It's not just that they're a year ahead in sales and customer perception, but they're a year ahead in terms of cost reduction. That $billion goes a long way to negate that, but smartly it's in the past. For every price cut Sony can manage, so can Microsoft, or Nintendo for that matter. They both understand that very well - because it's exactly what Sony did to them with the PS2.

Something else - If the CH-DVD thing is the HD-DVD silver bullet it smells like it could be, Sony is in for a hectic cost reduction battle - they won't be able to rely on BR royalties to subsidise the PS3 anymore.

I do agree with you though, that when the PS3 starts hitting "affordable" it will starting catching up, quite probably overtaking the 360, but I have doubts whether they'll be able to overtake the Wii if Nintendo gets it's 3rd part act together. Sony has mindshare, and that definitely plays to their favour.

That's why this Xmas battle is so critical. Not so much in terms of actual sales numbers, It's not about a "killer app", but image - MS's biggest battle is convincing family gamers that the Xbox is a viable alternative to the tried and trusted PS or Nintendo brands.

 

[GougedEye]

much like the ps3's lineup is also a deciding factor when buying one. ohhhh wait! IT ISNT!

Well the line up, or lack thereof has been the deciding factor in me not buying one (yet).

 

[eye_suc]

Well the line up, or lack thereof has been the deciding factor in me not buying one (yet).

thank you for the evidence

 

[abev]

Wow Doobi, we seem to be getting along well lately
I think all your points are spot on, but when it comes to pricing the becomes a point were price reductions become saturated and I think all the price points will level out at around the same level with the wii perhaps remaining slightly lower, however I think for the wii to keep outselling everyone else they have to have a major price difference especially against the ps3 and its large "mindshare" as doobi called it.

 

[demon angel]

Remember when analog controllers first arrived, and we all drooled to get one....
Nintendo took it to a whole new level, revolutionising games forever.
Seriously, how can you compete with "4d" gaming?
Graphics can only go so far..
Nintendo is back and ill bet my life, they will outsell the competition 4 fold!

 

[brevity]

Demon angel - I'll take your bet and raise you my soul, my Gamecube, my DS and my Wii. What the hell am I saying? I'm clearly a Nintendo fan through and through - I knew the Wii would win long ago, I felt it's domination long before even the DS was released.

Oh, does the PC count as competition, cause then I'll take your bet and you lose immediately. Woohoo.

 

[LandyMan]

According to me, the Wii is designed as a family gaming "experience", because it is totally different than anything else.

I held off buying a PS3 or XBOX 360, cause I want my 3 y/o son to be able to play with me (thanks to the guys telling me to wait for the Wii) ... He is already practicing slaying the dragons on the patio using his plastic sword ... Legend of Zelda is going to be a laugh a minute ... So is golf

 

[shirajc]

The Wii should be excellent. Its interactive and that is a hit with youngsters. My nieces and nephews love dance dance revolution, singstar, guitar hero, buzz etc and i think the wii takes all this to the next level. I cant wait to try out tennis with 2 or 4 players etc

The Wii is available tomorrow - Friday at certain stores only though. Just called the Canal Walk branch of Incredible Connection - who stated they not stocking it any time soon - I wonder if they even know what they missing out on. CNA at Canal Walk will have it available but seems like limited stock...you have to put a R300 pre order amount down...

The price is steep though - R2899.00 and R499 to R599 for games...ouch!

Happy gaming folks

 

[Hogrod]

The Wii should be excellent. Its interactive and that is a hit with youngsters. My nieces and nephews love dance dance revolution, singstar, guitar hero, buzz etc and i think the wii takes all this to the next level. I cant wait to try out tennis with 2 or 4 players etc

The Wii is available tomorrow - Friday at certain stores only though. Just called the Canal Walk branch of Incredible Connection - who stated they not stocking it any time soon - I wonder if they even know what they missing out on. CNA at Canal Walk will have it available but seems like limited stock...you have to put a R300 pre order amount down...

The price is steep though - R2899.00 and R499 to R599 for games...ouch!

Happy gaming folks

I don't know how bad CNA stock is at Canalwalk but on wednesday I was only the 2nd name on the prebooking list, which suggests there is no threat to them running out early.

 

[shirajc]

thats what i also thought...but telephonically they make it sound like a booking was necessary...i was there on Sunday and no one had placed any booking yet for the wii...lets hope though that they get more than just 10 or 20 consoles...any news on special opening specials / bundles / give aways?