22nd August 2009, 7:01 AM
Gokarts Vs. Expensive foreign cars. Nintendo has done everything right.
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Fanboys a side, the Wii is in trouble. And more so than it already was.
Right now, the 250 dollar Myfirstconsole that is the Wii has hit its ceiling and not in terms of graphics or gameplay. We've yet to see what the system that is "2.5" a Gamecube can do when the Gamecube can still impress with TP, RE4 and etc and I suspect by this time next year Zelda will give us that insight but I can tell you who wont be bringing it.
Any third party.
Why is that you may ask, with all the install base and the ability to cash in on something that brought two ii's in to our collective language.
Rip music, store and stream movies and download full games to its 60gig hard drive off a huge exclusive network, play proscan DVDs, jump in to the world's largest online gameplaying community with the option to actually interact with your friends and enemies and enjoy the best graphics to be seen since... ever and put it all in a package that's 50 bucks more than a Wii. Who are you going to develop for?
Sony said two years ago "oops" in regards to its PS3 and vowed to make it right and push the system back on track (read: not suck). After releasing the PSPGo and intelligently removing the ridiculously useless UMD feature and lining up software for it instead of just hoping that people want a second ipod, Sony unveiled the PS3Slim which amazingly enough is still the size of 4 Dreamcasts yet actually looks like a console now instead of a sunroof from a 89' Toyota.
50 bucks more than a Wii gets you in (80gig hdd), just like 360 and the kick in the pants for PS3 is that their constantly evolving Home network is finally getting off on both its legs, even though it still needs the wheelchair for long trips it's getting better and by this time next year will be a fully fledged contender for XBox's network. Laugh at it's inability to play PS2 games which doesn't matter since you already own a PS2 and raise an eyebrow to its Bluray instead and believe me once people get a look at what a Bluray movie looks like in comparison to old DVD a Bluray player with a built in videogame console will attract even mom and dad. Throw in a handful of exclusives, the same ports from 360 and all the set top box fun of an all-in-one entertainment hub and where do you want to spend your money?
The last fat nail in the coffin is motion control. All 3 contenders have it now. The coming '362', built in Bluray and "Natal" included in box and a PS3Slim with Eye2 and Bluray. Both asking you to spend a monthly bill for its services and both poised to rid your boredom. Mind you, either of those systems with their motion upgrades are going to be more expensive than Wii by at least $100 and probably more for launch supporters, but in a year from launch that wont be the case.
Wii is winning by a good margin and the world proved that it would rather spend 10 minutes playing Mario Kart (ignoring the superior Excitebots) or a quick game of Resort than play anything the PS3 or 360 can muster on its best day. Nintendo proved without a doubt that players want to expand and the market has grown but dont look at demographics or percentages here, there's Wii's in hospitals and not for the cancer patients, its for physical therapy and it works. It's daycares for children and the elderly a like and people that would have never picked up a controller bought Wii Fit in numbers to rival any Zelda release. How many consoles did you see on talk shows, news discussions, etc in a positive light in the last 4 years? Wii. And recently the 360 made its rounds with its motion controller and the PS3 is only mentioned in passing among people who buy gold tooth caps but is finally making some right decisions.
So that's great, Nintendo's 'Fitness machine' has grabbed the heart of millions at the cost of alienating everyone else in gaming. There's only one plausible outcome: The people who purchased Wii will want to expand and if Nintendo doesn't deliver on an expansion beyond that little cube at the end of the Wiimote they're going to upgrade to a 360 or PS3 and play some high def, 7.1 photo realistic archery and tennis while talking to their out of state girlfriend live on cam who's downloading the original Pacman that they'll play online together after the Blueray Watchmen live discussion all on the same damn machine that's only slightly more expensive than the Wii.
Nintendo is about to get their ass handed to them, or so it seems. But there's something to keep in mind: Nintendo knew all of his was coming and they're the reason we even throw around terms like in-game avatars, motion control and (dare i say it), market expansion. When they cleaned up their mess from Gamecube and unleashed shiny white hell on the masses they said upfront "We're going to reinvent the industry." and they did, there's no doubt and that's not with sarcasm. They're killing Ms and Sony with both hands tied behind their back and forcing both companies to blatantly admit defeat and formulate their own brand of Wii for their infinitely more powerful consoles and not only that, but a better version of what's capable on Wii that promises even more interactivity and you dont even need to hold a fucking controller.
This is beyond the typical Nintendo fix; Release a flagship IP. Nintendo can throw down new Zelda and Metroid in the face of 360's and PS3's motion controller, they can drop to $150, cut the Wii mote down to $30 with MotionPlus built in and beyond a few months of salvation and kicking NPD numbers, it will fall in comparison eventually because the absolute best the Wii can do is only a 10th of what either PS3 or 360 can do with its new toys (and its other features). Nintendo can unleash a new Balanceboard game that captures our hearts/wallets and grab those same people who pick up on weight loss fads but again, give it a year and it loses steam. Let's face it: Microsoft and Sony are about to give us everything and more the Wii can do and do so without cutting back on what Nintendo calls 'core' titles which roughly translates to 'actual video games'.
The only thing that makes sense is that Nintendo has stored its nuts these past years as it collects money off DS and Wii and now waits to attack when the others show off their improvements. Unless Nntendo has some forehead slapping genius of something we never expected my prediction is that Nintendo is about to make two playing fields. Further the Wii and then offer the option of WiiPlus. Slowly fading out the Wii as WiiPlus gains momentum.
WiiPlus would have the statement of 'I'm the next step' at a higher price than Wii, but would it be a set top box? Streaming movies, playing DVD's and music? I dont know. Those things are just icing on the cake, a much more powerful HD cake. A cake that is probably poised to be the necessary home accessory to the Facebook and ipod crowd and something that can handle a multi-console release of Resident Evil 6. I think it's going to be an attachment to the Wii at first, I think this attachment will either have a hard drive or a 50gig (or more) flash drive to steady itself for the coming onslaught of digital distro. And I think 2 years down the road, we'll be trading in our upgraded modulated Wii's with its modular upgrades with WiiPlus for the WiiPlusLite.
But all of this culminates in to one ominous question. What will Nintendo have to separate itself from Ms and Sony and warrant a purchase over the two, when each system is going to be available at similar price points and offer the same brand of motion focused gaming?
Right this moment, if this were a horse race, the bets are being taken now for the event that starts in about 6 months to a year from today and the Wii, who's won every event for 3 years, has a broken leg. Neither consumer nor developer is going to bet on it and unless there's a miracle, it's going to be dog food.
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Fanboys a side, the Wii is in trouble. And more so than it already was.
Right now, the 250 dollar Myfirstconsole that is the Wii has hit its ceiling and not in terms of graphics or gameplay. We've yet to see what the system that is "2.5" a Gamecube can do when the Gamecube can still impress with TP, RE4 and etc and I suspect by this time next year Zelda will give us that insight but I can tell you who wont be bringing it.
Any third party.
Why is that you may ask, with all the install base and the ability to cash in on something that brought two ii's in to our collective language.
Rip music, store and stream movies and download full games to its 60gig hard drive off a huge exclusive network, play proscan DVDs, jump in to the world's largest online gameplaying community with the option to actually interact with your friends and enemies and enjoy the best graphics to be seen since... ever and put it all in a package that's 50 bucks more than a Wii. Who are you going to develop for?
Sony said two years ago "oops" in regards to its PS3 and vowed to make it right and push the system back on track (read: not suck). After releasing the PSPGo and intelligently removing the ridiculously useless UMD feature and lining up software for it instead of just hoping that people want a second ipod, Sony unveiled the PS3Slim which amazingly enough is still the size of 4 Dreamcasts yet actually looks like a console now instead of a sunroof from a 89' Toyota.
50 bucks more than a Wii gets you in (80gig hdd), just like 360 and the kick in the pants for PS3 is that their constantly evolving Home network is finally getting off on both its legs, even though it still needs the wheelchair for long trips it's getting better and by this time next year will be a fully fledged contender for XBox's network. Laugh at it's inability to play PS2 games which doesn't matter since you already own a PS2 and raise an eyebrow to its Bluray instead and believe me once people get a look at what a Bluray movie looks like in comparison to old DVD a Bluray player with a built in videogame console will attract even mom and dad. Throw in a handful of exclusives, the same ports from 360 and all the set top box fun of an all-in-one entertainment hub and where do you want to spend your money?
The last fat nail in the coffin is motion control. All 3 contenders have it now. The coming '362', built in Bluray and "Natal" included in box and a PS3Slim with Eye2 and Bluray. Both asking you to spend a monthly bill for its services and both poised to rid your boredom. Mind you, either of those systems with their motion upgrades are going to be more expensive than Wii by at least $100 and probably more for launch supporters, but in a year from launch that wont be the case.
Wii is winning by a good margin and the world proved that it would rather spend 10 minutes playing Mario Kart (ignoring the superior Excitebots) or a quick game of Resort than play anything the PS3 or 360 can muster on its best day. Nintendo proved without a doubt that players want to expand and the market has grown but dont look at demographics or percentages here, there's Wii's in hospitals and not for the cancer patients, its for physical therapy and it works. It's daycares for children and the elderly a like and people that would have never picked up a controller bought Wii Fit in numbers to rival any Zelda release. How many consoles did you see on talk shows, news discussions, etc in a positive light in the last 4 years? Wii. And recently the 360 made its rounds with its motion controller and the PS3 is only mentioned in passing among people who buy gold tooth caps but is finally making some right decisions.
So that's great, Nintendo's 'Fitness machine' has grabbed the heart of millions at the cost of alienating everyone else in gaming. There's only one plausible outcome: The people who purchased Wii will want to expand and if Nintendo doesn't deliver on an expansion beyond that little cube at the end of the Wiimote they're going to upgrade to a 360 or PS3 and play some high def, 7.1 photo realistic archery and tennis while talking to their out of state girlfriend live on cam who's downloading the original Pacman that they'll play online together after the Blueray Watchmen live discussion all on the same damn machine that's only slightly more expensive than the Wii.
Nintendo is about to get their ass handed to them, or so it seems. But there's something to keep in mind: Nintendo knew all of his was coming and they're the reason we even throw around terms like in-game avatars, motion control and (dare i say it), market expansion. When they cleaned up their mess from Gamecube and unleashed shiny white hell on the masses they said upfront "We're going to reinvent the industry." and they did, there's no doubt and that's not with sarcasm. They're killing Ms and Sony with both hands tied behind their back and forcing both companies to blatantly admit defeat and formulate their own brand of Wii for their infinitely more powerful consoles and not only that, but a better version of what's capable on Wii that promises even more interactivity and you dont even need to hold a fucking controller.
This is beyond the typical Nintendo fix; Release a flagship IP. Nintendo can throw down new Zelda and Metroid in the face of 360's and PS3's motion controller, they can drop to $150, cut the Wii mote down to $30 with MotionPlus built in and beyond a few months of salvation and kicking NPD numbers, it will fall in comparison eventually because the absolute best the Wii can do is only a 10th of what either PS3 or 360 can do with its new toys (and its other features). Nintendo can unleash a new Balanceboard game that captures our hearts/wallets and grab those same people who pick up on weight loss fads but again, give it a year and it loses steam. Let's face it: Microsoft and Sony are about to give us everything and more the Wii can do and do so without cutting back on what Nintendo calls 'core' titles which roughly translates to 'actual video games'.
The only thing that makes sense is that Nintendo has stored its nuts these past years as it collects money off DS and Wii and now waits to attack when the others show off their improvements. Unless Nntendo has some forehead slapping genius of something we never expected my prediction is that Nintendo is about to make two playing fields. Further the Wii and then offer the option of WiiPlus. Slowly fading out the Wii as WiiPlus gains momentum.
WiiPlus would have the statement of 'I'm the next step' at a higher price than Wii, but would it be a set top box? Streaming movies, playing DVD's and music? I dont know. Those things are just icing on the cake, a much more powerful HD cake. A cake that is probably poised to be the necessary home accessory to the Facebook and ipod crowd and something that can handle a multi-console release of Resident Evil 6. I think it's going to be an attachment to the Wii at first, I think this attachment will either have a hard drive or a 50gig (or more) flash drive to steady itself for the coming onslaught of digital distro. And I think 2 years down the road, we'll be trading in our upgraded modulated Wii's with its modular upgrades with WiiPlus for the WiiPlusLite.
But all of this culminates in to one ominous question. What will Nintendo have to separate itself from Ms and Sony and warrant a purchase over the two, when each system is going to be available at similar price points and offer the same brand of motion focused gaming?
Right this moment, if this were a horse race, the bets are being taken now for the event that starts in about 6 months to a year from today and the Wii, who's won every event for 3 years, has a broken leg. Neither consumer nor developer is going to bet on it and unless there's a miracle, it's going to be dog food.