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SHIFT: Why Wii will win
Each week Adam Frucci takes a closer look at the latest gadget buzz in his column, Shift.
The Nintendo Wii has surprised a lot of people, generating loads of buzz from its strange name, unique controller, and low price point. But are those things enough to topple the monster consoles from Microsoft and Sony? An admittedly underpowered machine, Nintendo has taken a very risky path, ignoring gamers' cries for cranked specs and flashy graphics, instead going after casual gamers and focusing on what made people gamers in the first place: fun. Will this risky strategy pay off, and will the Wii succeed in the face of super-charged, high-priced competition? For a number of reasons I think the answer is a definite yes.
Every generation of consoles has given gamers a vast improvement in graphical power, justifying a new investment in hardware and games. The jump in graphics from the NES to the Super Nintendo to the Nintendo 64 was drastic, making the older systems obsolete immediately. However, systems have reached a point where the graphics can't look much better on a standard-definition TV. That's the reason for the jump to high-definition for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which gives HDTV owners a lot more to play with, but for a huge jump in price. The fully-loaded PS3 will run gamers a gasp-inducing $600 ($500 for a lesser version), a price that cost Sony a boatload of gamer goodwill when announced. After all, the PS2 cost $300 when it was first released — people aren't used to spending that much on a game console. The Wii, on the other hand, is not HD-capable and barely upgraded the graphics from the GameCube, the previous console to come from Nintendo. Instead, the revolutionary changes come in the form of the Wii's controller, which looks more like a remote control than a video game controller and is motion-sensing. The cost, while not yet announced, is expected to be either $200 or $250, less than half that of the PS3.
Will casual gamers balk at lesser graphics, instead choosing to continue the pattern of upgrading the consoles purely for graphical enhancements? I don't think so. If a hardcore gamer really wants the hottest graphics and latest technology, they have a choice. They could invest $2,000 in a new HDTV, $600 in a PS3, and another $300 in a few games, or they could buy a high-end gaming PC for the same price. A gaming PC has the benefit of being upgradeable and never becoming obsolete, unlike the PS3, which will only become more outdated every day it sits hooked up to that flat-panel TV. While high-end gaming PCs have always been a niche market for gamers with a lot of cash to throw around, the Xbox 360 and PS3 demand a similar investment of money in order to get their full potential. They've thrown themselves into a much higher-end market, pitting themselves against products they just can't compete with. It's entirely possible that the relative success of the Xbox 360 so far (it was released last November) can be attributed to hardcore gamers who buy every console regardless of the price. Once they have all picked theirs up, the market for high-end consoles may shrink much faster than Microsoft and Sony expect.
The Wii, meanwhile, remains affordable and is meant to work on a regular old TV. It remains at the same price level people are used to paying for consoles, and a price that casual gamers will be willing to spend on something they use for fun on the weekends. After all, it's a video game console, not something you should be forced to consider as a serious investment. And that's the main reason I'm certain the Wii will do so well: it's aimed at casual gamers, a large group of people that Microsoft and Sony have pretty much ignored, instead greedily going after the smaller, more moneyed, hardcore-gamer market.
Combine these things with the unique, you-just-gotta-try-it controller and the new Virtual Console, which will allow people to play older games from the NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, and TurboGraphix 16, and you've got a console people will be dying to get their hands on. Nintendo read the market, saw how the big guys were shunning a huge number of people, and created a product designed to give them everything they wanted and more. Mix that with a product unveiling by Sony so badly blundered Nintendo couldn't have written it better themselves and you have a recipe for underdog success. Mark my words: the Wii's gonna win.
By GameGod31 at 12:49 AM ON 07/14/06
Fine peace of article, just want to add that the Wii won't be much less powerfull than the XBox360 or PS3, it's a pretty optimized device, small, quiet, energy friendly, with quasi non-existing loading times, plays DVD, GameCube mini-DVD, has Wi-fi, has ports for GameCube controllers & memory cards, is undestructible Nintendo quality made (unlike the other two...) & displays almost as good graphics as the other two on a regular TV... with the price tag & the best video games in the world by Nintendo themselves, I guess the Wii is a must-have!!!
By CecilHarvey at 9:35 AM ON 07/14/06
Good read, keep up the fine work.
A previous statement by Satoru Iwata indicated Nintendo's intentions to launch before Thanksgiving. At a June 2006 briefing in Japan, Iwata stated that a precise release date and price would be announced by September(I'm guessing the Tokyo Game Show for this news). Also in the USA the Wii should be less than 250 dollars. Not only that all nintendo consoles have debuted at $199 dollars in the USA, so the price for the wii is probably $199.
By Arkelias at 2:10 PM ON 07/14/06
Good article, but I wanted to point something out that you seem to be ignoring. The Wii is going to cost $200-250, and is certainly cheaper than either the Xbox 360 or the PS3.
However, you neglected to mention that the Xbox 360 is only $300 for the basic system. That's only a difference of $50-100 depending on how much the Wii debuts at. The PS3, on the other hand, is WAY more expensive and I agree that it will likely crash and burn just due to cost.
The Xbox 360 doesn't require an HDTV and I am quiet happy using mine without one. It plays DVDs, connects to my network to play music and movies and of course has the Xbox Live arcade.
In short, the Xbox 360 does a lot that the Wii will not and is not that much more expensive. It's not prohibitively expensive by any means, but at the same time has many accesories for a hardcore gamer like myself.
The Gamecube was also supposed to be fun and was aimed at the casual gamer. It was the 3rd place console vs. the Xbox and the PS3, and I guess I'm just not seeing what will be different against the Xbox 360.
Sony has made mistakes this time around. But, Microsoft has released an amazing product and I have yet to talk to anyone who has picked up an Xbox 360 and not been very pleased.
By kitykity at 5:16 PM ON 07/14/06
The reason the Wii will win for me is not only the price, but the fact that our two kids have Nintendo DSs, and though I don't know the exact details, you are supposed to be able to do "DS download play" type of things between the Nintendo Wii and the DSs. That is, I could be sitting on the couch at the Wii, and my kids could be in their rooms on their DS, and we could all be playing the same game wirelessly.
By Arkelias at 6:26 PM ON 07/14/06
Oh, don't get me wrong I'll most likely pick up a Wii just because it plays all those old Genesis games! If it also plays with the Nintendo DS even better.
I was only pointing out that there isn't much of a price difference between the Wii and the Xbox 360, and his article implies otherwise.
By Robotmessiah at 8:26 PM ON 07/18/06
The Fact is that at this point you could buy both the XBox 360 and the Wii and $100 worth of games/accessories for what it costs for one PS3. But with what's been happening in the world today, we all could be playing with rocks and stones again.
Buy The Wii, just for the novelty of it, but if you're in it just for the Throw back games buy one of those handheld Emulators (@$200), and download ROMS (sometimes free) off the net. And if they are releasing the Wii around Thanksgiving, be prepared for some kind of Christmas promotion. Will the Wii cost as much as a used PS 2? Who'll really know.....
By mutilator20 at 10:17 PM ON 07/23/06
robotmessiah, you state one can buy an emulator and download ROMS to play classic games. That is illegal. Follow this URL, it explains everything. http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-duration.html#duration
By tidalwarrior at 2:48 AM ON 08/25/06
To run to latest games at frame-rates comparable to what you would get on a console you would have to spend $200 to $400 on a graphics card. Then even upgrading after that won't help because the processor would just hold you back and in most computers upgrading that is impractical. So with a gaming pc the initial cost would be around $1400 and then after 1 to 2 years there would be another $200 to upgrade the video card. Xbox 360 has 1080 support. And with a console each year the developers discover new optimization and compression methods to make the games look better. So you're taking about $500 versus $1600 for main costs. And that doesn't even factor in memory and hard drive upgrading over time if needed. The Xbox 360 is currently so far ahead of computers. The graphics technology is equivalent to what you would get in Direct-X 10 which isn't available for computers yet. Xbox 360 also has physics support built in, to get this with a computer you have to spend another $200 on a physics card. And very little games support that on the computer. You also have to remember that the triple core processor in the 360 is geared just towards gaming and this is not the case with computers. A good example is when Halo came out for the computer it ran into frame rate problems even with the best graphics cards and still didn't look as good as the Xbox game that came out years ago! Call of Duty 2 runs at a constant 60 fps and has better graphics, unlike the pc counterpart. Only the 360 can handle running Call of Duty 2 in 1080 on a huge plasma, the pc can't. The 360 will also release and development kit this year, called XNA, that will allow people who have a low budget and programming knowledge to make games. This is the first time this has ever been done in gaming. So those are just a couple reasons why I think the 360 will come out ahead.
By u2jedi at 7:04 AM ON 09/24/06
Here's the price of a very powerful PC. It will cost $1529.45. Info from zipzoomfly.com
9-23-2006
Note all parts are high end, no generics. You can build one for way less with generics but then you'll end up paying more later on.
AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+ CPU Socket 939 $236.00
XFX geForce 7900GT Video Card 256MB DDR3 $288.99
Gigabyte GA-K8N PRO SLI Motherboard $103.99
Corsair TwinX PC3200 2GB Dual Chann Memory $232.00
Antec SLK3700 Mid-Tower Computer Case $94.50
Logitech LX 300 Wireless Mouse/Keyboard $47.99
Ultra ULT31851 X2 X-Connect PSU 550W $89.99
Samsung 940Be Black SyncMaster 19" LCD $249.00
Seagate Barracuda 320GB SATA2 Drive OEM $102.00
Plextor PX750A SW-BL 16x DVD Burner $84.99
You could replace the Case/MOBO/videocard/CPU/power supply/monitor/memory with slower parts and get it under a grand. ie Seagate Barracuda 160GB SATA/Liteon SHM-165H6S 16x DL Lightscribe Drive/ Aerocool AeroEngine II/Gigabyte GA-K8N51GMF-9/ Athlon64 3800+ CPU, geforce 7600GT instead w/a 17" LCD ACER DVI monitor, 1 GB Corsair Dual Chan Memory, Coolmax CX-500B 500W PSU.
Then it would be 47.99/69.10/41.99/75.00/71.99/98.50/148.99/174.99/132.00/49.99
A Total of: $910.54
Above still using high quality parts:
To get the equivalent of an XBOX 360 you'd need the following
Gigabyte geForce 6600GT AGP 128MB Video $134.99
Intel P4 Socket Prescott 478 2.8Ghz CPU $148.10
Corsair CMX 512MB DIMM Memory $58.00
ASUS P48SX-MX SiS Motherboard $54.99
Liteon SHD-16P1S 16x DVD Drive $24.99
Antec SLK1650 Mini Tower w/350W PSU $69.99
Seagate ST38021 80GB EIDE Drive $51.75
Logitech Keyborad/Mouse Combo $12.99
Price: $558.80
Note Monitor was left off because the XBOX 360 doesn't include a monitor.
Nice thing about computer parts. They keep dropping in price.
Incidentally a 6600GT AGP 8x can run COD 2 @ 1280x1024 w/ 4X Anti-Aliasing and 4X Anisotropic Filtering on a performance deficient SOYO P4VTP 800mhz FSB Mobo w/512 MB Generic DDR400 RAM and a 3.2ghz Northwood P4 CPU of RAM and. It looks way better than the 360. Isn't the video in the 360 based off of the FX5700 anyway? That's not even DX9c quality.
u2jedi
By Farfarello at 5:37 PM ON 10/24/06
"I was only pointing out that there isn't much of a price difference between the Wii and the Xbox 360, and his article implies otherwise."
Posted by: Arkelias at July 14, 2006 06:26 PM
Sorry if I am incorrect, but the Wii will be $249.99, the 360 is 300$ for a "Core" version, yes thats right the one that melted games and had major heating problems and Broke within 1-3 months of use... now the premium 360's im preatty sure are about $400?? and plus an extra 40-50$ for the warranty if you want it... im only 16 so i guess that a $150+ price diff seems like a bit more to me than some. But hey im not trying to bash the 360, I have a friend with the premium edition and its preaty nice, the graphics arn't as great as people rave it to be, and the games arn't all that great either and its been almost a year since its release. all im saying is that for the Wii being over $150 cheaper than the 360 and better/and more games at launch, Im sold like Red headed step child on this one guys.
By jrosen at 9:35 AM ON 11/27/06
To be completely honest, I just don't see the Wii being the 'winner' in this case. The only nintendo system I've purchased outside of the original, was the DS, and that was initially for the more intellectual/builder games such as brain age. Given, I've expanded from there, but that's another matter. I actually went with sega initially, then sony, holding off on xbox for a while. The 360 is the only gaming system I purchased off the start. Yes, I think the prices for the 360 and ps3 are rather high, and I was a tad disappointed in the main titles for the 360, but the arcade options they had to start with nicely filled the time. I could never stand the Gamecube controller, and the Wii one I forsee being just as annoying, especially that I hear that at the moment that you pretty much HAVE to be standing in front of the tv, with the motion-sensitive part of it at tv-screen height.
Also, I've just VASTLY preferred the games that have come out for PS-series and the xbox-series over just about everything that gamecube has had. I somewhat miss zelda, but I wasn't that impressed with the one gamecube release for it, and the original metroid was fun, but I was hardly aching for Prime. Both the PS and Xbox series have had consistently better racing, rpg, tactical/shooter titles across the board, usually even better than what can be out for PC's at times (and on that note, with the consoles, there's never the problem with drivers, software incompatabilities, etc).
By BulletInUrHead at 2:22 AM ON 12/27/06
I'd just like to start, by saying i loved the classic nintendo games, and though ive always been a die hard xbox fan, the game cube with their classic games and the consoles continued drop in price made it irresistabke to buy, i quicly bought multiple controlers, memory cards, zelda, starfox and mario party games ect. and before i knew it, i had spent 400 dollars on this system. And in a few months, i was back to halo 2. mind you this is before the xbox 360.
I think that the wii will get etremely boring, dated, and filled with memories of broken controllers from swinging the controler to hard and throwing it, mixed with muscle cramps from doing the actual motion. the concept to me just isn't that fun. how can swinging a sword multiple times, beat the epic amazement of halo 3 of gears of war, and how exactly will sports games work?
Casual gamers was a key word you used, but casual gamers, are not a reliable market to be advertising your product to. you want someone who will see a decent trailer for a game and they buy it istinctively (unfortunately is what happened when i got carried away with the gamecube). I beleive that once you have played 1 nintendo wii game you've played them all. obviously the technology will not be advanced enough to actually get virtually involved with the game like they would like you to beleive, making the motions repetetive and boring. The "casual gamer" stretch they are going for will be completeley out lasted by on going epic and dream fufilling market of games that the x-box will produce while casual gamers might buy one or two games, feeling no real commitment to the system do to the money they spent and never look at the the system again.
Which brings me to the end of my comment where i have pondered, for 250$ how good could it be?
By xGh0stx at 11:16 PM ON 02/18/07
BulletInUrHead, where should I start? Hmm. You can just go ahead and "think" the Wii will get boring. As for me, I actually have faith in Nintendo. Why? Because they tried something new...
Keep in mind I hated Nintendo for a while because they released a crappy console(AKA Gamecube). I have always been rooting for Playstation and Xbox. This new generation of gaming has surprised me though. There are two consoles with killer graphics and maybe a few fun games released here and there, and one console that actually brings fun to most of the games.
I like how you thrashed Zelda. "Swinging a sword multiple times". Nice. But do tell me, are you that dang lazy? All you have to do is a little flick of the Wii Remote in different ways for different sword moves. I can LAY DOWN in bed and do it. Wow, tiring and so boring. Its an adventure game that proved that the Wii Remote can work into those type of games flawlessly. It is actually innovative and it works well with the game.
Why don't you think sports games will work? If I remember correctly, and I'm pretty sure I do, Madden 07 scored a heck of a lot better than for the other two consoles. Why? Because of the controllers. What are games? They are meant to entertain and imitate the real-world in some way or another. What is wrong with swinging a controller like an actual bat, when playing baseball? If that isn't imitation at its best, I don't know what is. Whats fun about hammering a bunch of buttons anymore? We're used to it and its getting old. I really didn't like this either. "I beleive that once you have played 1 nintendo wii game you've played them all." How so? Just because the controllers are different? I'm pretty sure we've been using the same basic controller layout for years. Button mashing. Does that mean that once you've played a button game, you've played them all? Hmm.
Video games are not dependant on graphics. Look at Pong or Tetris. Do they need outstanding graphics to be fun? No, because they were original. Sure, sweet graphics make the game seem better, but do they make it fun? I know for a fact most of the next-gen graphic games aren't very good gameplay wise. Exceptions would be Gears of War and probably Halo 3. Sony and Microsoft need to look at gameplay more though.
I don't mean to nag on Sony and Microsoft, but they focused on power, which ultimately makes the prices pretty huge. Don't give me the 360 is only 50 dollars more bullcrap. The way Microsoft works, is sneaky. How much do you have to invest in that console to get it 100% ready to go? Hmm, I'm pretty sure Microsoft charges for Xbox Live. Also, does the core deliver backwards compatibility? Nope! Gotta buy a hard drive. So lets just focus on premium. $150 difference. HDTV ready. Does everyone have an HDTV? Probably not. If you don't have one where are the next-gen graphics? There are barely any. The Wii is nearly graphical compariable to the 360 on a regular TV set. So if you want a graphical serving paradise, you need HD. The prices of the games are also a factor. $10 more for the games may not seem much, but it does add up compared to the Wii's $50 games. So no, do NOT tell me the 360's price is close to the Wii's.
Lets talk about the good things Microsoft has done, because I don't want to seem like a Nintendo Fanboy, because I'm not. Microsoft is snatching up exclusives from Sony. This is a good move on their part because they are listening to what customers actually want. The games Sony has always did well on. Another high point for the 360 is the 1-year advantage. Sure, most games seemed last gen at launch, but the 360 is coming around and is now reaching its potential. PS3 and Wii have to wait a year most likely, to reach their spot on the market.
In a nutshell, the Wii WILL win in my opinion. There are countless possibilities with it, and people are picking it up more and more. Just because the PS3 and 360 offer graphics, does not mean in any way that they have an advantage. BulletInUrHead, don't think I am ganging up on you, I just didn't like the thrashing and figured the Wii could use some defending with facts. Sorry this was long, but when something I have huge faith in, gets unfairly downgraded, I feel I should respond.
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BulletInUrHead, where should I start? Hmm. You can just go ahead and "think" the Wii will get boring. As for me, I ...More »