Scott Steinberg, Sega's US vice president of marketing, reckons the popularity of Wii could wear off by 2008, and believes PS3 will emerge victorious in the current console war.
Although latest sales data figures from NPD Group put Nintendo's console significantly out front over in the US, focussing on raw hardware grunt Steinberg told Retuers that the console "will start to look really dated in a couple years when developers get more value from the 360 and learn more and more about the PlayStation 3".
He also questioned the long-term appeal of Wii's motion control. Sega may be developing the likes of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and Ghost Squad for Nintendo's machine, but Steinberg explained he's "a little concerned about the creative depth of the Wii pool".
"I'm not sure if they will top out in 2008 or 2007...How much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now?... How can they design products that aren't too derivative of what's already out there?"
It's a different case with PS3 however, Steinberg confident about the machine's future-proofing.
"We know the PS3 pool is pretty deep. There's a lot to exploit there," he said. Sega, Reuteurs says, expects PlayStation 3 to be the winner in the current console war. Have your say in the comments section below.
"How much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now?... How can they design products that aren't too derivative of what's already out there?"
Because pressing a few buttons got old quick didn't it?!?
I can't understand how somebody from a top class developer (within reason) can believe the Wii can be comparable between the 360 and the PS3. They must know that the Wii is a completely different machine and the 'depth in the pool' will come from how developers choose to use the unique capabilities the Wii offers. The 360 and PS3 also have unique capabilities too (although the PS3 is less unique seeing though it uses a majority of the unique features from other consoles lol). That was a very shallow comment IMO.
It's like trying to compare the DS Lite and the PSP. Nintendo and Sony are trying to achieve different things with their consoles. Nintendo can give much more diverse and 'new' types of games - whereas Sony (more-so Microsoft) is giving us more of the same, but on a grander scale. For a developer, there are pros and cons to boths machines. It depends what Sega are wanting to achieve...
It's been seen a number of times that a developer's negative comments about the Wii have been rubbished by its success - it's not a clever thing to say really. Sega aren't making much effort to use the remote themselves are they?
"will start to look really dated in a couple years when developers get more value from the 360 and learn more and more about the PlayStation 3".
All about the graphics again then
All about keeping up with the times really. Standard definition wavey-wand minigames versus big-budget, epic, high definition games in an era where HDTV is becoming more widely adopted...
I hope he's right. As many of you probably know, I loathe the Wii. There is not a single genre, bar minigames, that can't be better executed with a control pad instead of Nintendo's fiddly new stick. They'll look better, they'll play better... they'll be better on 360 or PS3. I think people forget that the Wii is the Gamecube all over again. It is a squashed last-gen console with a waving stick that originally started life as a peripheral for said last-gen console. It is behind the times as it is, and over the next few years it will fall even farther behind, prompting developers to move to hardware that they can actually create meaningful experiences on. That's what I hope to see happen anyway, otherwise we, meaning gamers as a whole, could be in trouble. If Nintendo continues to demonstrate that shoddy obsolete hardware and shallow software are the way to make money, it could destroy the very industry that they themselves helped build.
I completely agree with Scott Steinberg and have been saying as much for months now. Before anyone accuses me of being biased, I'm not as I own all three current gen machines, but I've always suspected that the Wii would be nothing more than a fad, a fun one but a fad nonetheless. Still I bought it to play Nintendo's own games on, you know those games that are a rarity on the platform at the moment here in Europe, not naff ports of old GC and PS2 games with half-baked Wiimote controls. My Wii is a compliment to the other two machines, not a replacement, and I'd be bitterly disappointed if it was the only system I owned as it's simply not a strong enough system to compete games-wise.
It's hard to imagine the Wii keeping up the momentum past another year tops, especially when the PS2 - it's real competitor - is dead and the PS3 and Xbox 360 are well-established. It's possible that Nintendo could continue to be successful if they sell the hardware for under Ł100 and the games at Ł20 a pop I suppose but it's hard to shake off the feeling that the other two consoles offer more for your money and promise bigger and better games than what the Wii can ever muster...
For me, the Wii is a tasty takeaway, nice every now and then but you wouldn't want it all the time, compared with the home-cooked meals of the PS3 and 360.
For me, the Wii is a tasty takeaway, nice every now and then but you wouldn't want it all the time, compared with the home-cooked meals of the PS3 and 360.
Dinner/console analogies? ...Kutaragi? Ken Kutaragi, is that you?
I'll stand by the Wii for now, although there is a lack of games, some have shown real promise. If the DS is anything to go by then the Wii will continue to be successful for a long time, and will get lots of different games in the next year or so.
I've had a Wii since launch and do really enjoy it. It may not be a major revolution in gaming, but it's fun. Playing FPS is much better than playing on a standar joypad, even if the WIi doesn't really have any quality FPS's as yet.
The great thing about the Wii is that it is cheaper to develop for, therefore developers will be more likely to take risks on it with new franchises. This takes time though, and now the Wii has proven to be a success they shoudl start to roll out.
A lot of things do need improved, the online service and developers using it as a lazy port whore. I'm more excited about Metroid 3 than any other game on any console, it looks amazing, and if it plays anything as well as the other 2 it will be one of the best games of all time in my opinion.
the thing is, the wii doesn't ACTUALLY offer anything new. in terms of gameplay it doesn't offer anything that you couldn't get from other places. for example, the tilt of teh table in monkey ball, can be easily mimicked by the tilt of a joystick. the aiming of the cursor has been easily done by light guns. and so on. all the wii offers is a different way of activating the same controls. instead of pressing a button to activate the sword swipe, you have to move teh controller in a certain way... which certainly isn't as reliable as pressing a button. with a button you know exactly where your boundaries are. the wii doesn't offer the revolution it promised. just look at how the bat behaves in wii sports baseball. in fact while i mentioned that baseball thing.. you can't really mix 3d space controls with a 2d screen. you can't judge distance so it's actually kinda pointless having a 3d space controller.
thats just one more person to realise that wii is just a gimmick. more and more people realise all the time. it won't be long.
wii is that thing parents get their children as a surprise gift. then the kids say "aww but i wanted GTA4" kids always want GTA4. (except for when they wanted GTA3 or Vice city.. you get the idea)
And I can count the good PS3 games on my wonka bar!
And if the Xbox360 is not established by now, 18 months after launch, then when... And, Sony can not shift PS3's for love nor money. I have no allegiance hardware wise (despite my user name) but the wii has a lot of untapped potential.. just wait and see.
The great thing about the Wii is that it is cheaper to develop for, therefore developers will be more likely to take risks on it with new franchises. This takes time though, and now the Wii has proven to be a success they shoudl start to roll out.
actually cost is directly tied to time and time is directly tied to ease of development. ease of development is most certainly an issue when it comes to effectively using teh motion controls. therefore it is more risky to develop a game that uses these new controls effectively. so you are more likely to get games with 'tacked on' motion controls.
The great thing about the Wii is that it is cheaper to develop for, therefore developers will be more likely to take risks on it with new franchises. This takes time though, and now the Wii has proven to be a success they shoudl start to roll out.
actually cost is directly tied to time and time is directly tied to ease of development. ease of development is most certainly an issue when it comes to effectively using teh motion controls. therefore it is more risky to develop a game that uses these new controls effectively. so you are more likely to get games with 'tacked on' motion controls.
For a game to get much attention on 360 or PS3 it really has to have stand out graphics, physics and sound which cost a LOT of money due to the huge amounts of extra time it needs in development.
If developers are building games from scratch then the motion controls can become apart of the actual design of the game, and i doubt come anywhere near close to the multi millions of pounds HD graphics cost to make.
The Wii isn't designed to compete on any level with PS3 and 360, it is there for a totally new market of gamer..i.e. not us!!!Mini games are just what that market is looking for, it's casual, its sociable, its quick and it's fun. It's the kind of gaming older people, and younger people can have a laff together and do, since no great amount of time is required to learn the controls or "complete" the game. The hardcore male gamers should probably stick with their 360 or PS3, but the Wii is filling a gap in the market only previously the PS2s Eye toy and Singstar touched on.
And I can count the good PS3 games on my wonka bar!
And if the Xbox360 is not established by now, 18 months after launch, then when... And, Sony can not shift PS3's for love nor money. I have no allegiance hardware wise (despite my user name) but the wii has a lot of untapped potential.. just wait and see.
I've had a lot more play out of my PS3 than my Wii... and I got the Wii 4 months before the PS3.
The Wii isn't designed to compete on any level with PS3 and 360, it is there for a totally new market of gamer..i.e. not us!!!Mini games are just what that market is looking for, it's casual, its sociable, its quick and it's fun. It's the kind of gaming older people, and younger people can have a laff together and do, since no great amount of time is required to learn the controls or "complete" the game. The hardcore male gamers should probably stick with their 360 or PS3, but the Wii is filling a gap in the market only previously the PS2s Eye toy and Singstar touched on.
But will this new market go out and actively look for games to buy a few months after their impulse buy, after the novelty has worn off? I doubt it. It might be a lot of very casual gamers buying the systems at the minute but it'll be the 'hardcore' and old-type of gamers that (Nintendo need to) buy the games and keep it afloat in the end.
I, like many other people, don't class the Wii as direct competition to the 360 or PS3. Its busy doing its own thing in the background. As for their comments on 360 and PS3, i think its sour grapes on Sega's part. They showed all the support they could for 360 in its early days but sales have been poor with all their games. Take for example Condemded, Full Auto, Sonic etc. All sold poorly and thats down to a simple fact. Those games are either average or poor and on a console like 360 which has a large selection of games to choose from, poor games don't sell well. So basically, Sega are now trying their luck on PS3 and have most likley had decent sales as PS3 owners dont have alot of games to choose from. They can't rely on that for long though, so i guess what im saying is Sega need to make some quality games if they expect to sell well.
"How much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now?... How can they design products that aren't too derivative of what's already out there?"
Because pressing a few buttons got old quick didn't it?!?
I find it a shame that so many begrudge the success that Nintendo are having - the industry would be in a pretty dull and dour state without them, it's like people are scared of change around here...
Regardless of what your personal feelings are about the Wii, if you are representing a company that develops/publishes games you DO NOT speak out negatively about any console. It makes no business sense. The Wii is currently outselling the PS3 in Japan 4:1. Why do these people keep biting the hand that feeds them? When Nintendo read this are they going to say: "Oh look someone else who is putting us down" and just carry on. Or are they going to remember this and when they have a choice to work with Sega or someone else will they choose the people that are championing the Wii or at least keeping their opinions to themselves?
"How much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now?... How can they design products that aren't too derivative of what's already out there?"
Because pressing a few buttons got old quick didn't it?!?
Well held.
because buttons are everywhere. humans have become accustomed to buttons. I'm even using buttons right now to type this. you can't compare some funky moevements to hte power of the mighty button.
point of fact, hand eye coordination relies on the ability of teh brain to correlate teh complex 3 dimensional data of the eyes with hte percieved position of the hands. if you can't get 3dimensional data from your eyes you can't coordinate properly. try playing tennis with one eye closed. it doesn't work. this is not much different from the maraccas of samba di amigo, teh nintendo power glove...
I find it a shame that so many begrudge the success that Nintendo are having - the industry would be in a pretty dull and dour state without them, it's like people are scared of change around here...
I sold my Wii last week and not because i was scared of change but because i was sick and bored to death with it!!! When i first got the wii I had loads of fun with it playing my girlfriend and friends on Wii sports and getting into Zelda but then the fun stoped! The games are s**te on the wii simple as that and when you take a look at the games line up of the PS3 and 360 then take a look at the games on the way for the wii you can see the quality gap! I agree with Sega and as a person who has had a wii I can say i am now glad i got rid of it!
The Wii isn't designed to compete on any level with PS3 and 360, it is there for a totally new market of gamer..i.e. not us!!!Mini games are just what that market is looking for, it's casual, its sociable, its quick and it's fun. It's the kind of gaming older people, and younger people can have a laff together and do, since no great amount of time is required to learn the controls or "complete" the game. The hardcore male gamers should probably stick with their 360 or PS3, but the Wii is filling a gap in the market only previously the PS2s Eye toy and Singstar touched on.
But will this new market go out and actively look for games to buy a few months after their impulse buy, after the novelty has worn off? I doubt it. It might be a lot of very casual gamers buying the systems at the minute but it'll be the 'hardcore' and old-type of gamers that (Nintendo need to) buy the games and keep it afloat in the end.
I don't know about that mate, if you look at the DS it's doing very well out of the casual market...the Wii just needs some more games (like Brain Training) to grab peoples attention.
I will nto be buying a Wii, but I do think Nintendo have got a good strategy going, just look at the success of the DS.
But will this new market go out and actively look for games to buy a few months after their impulse buy, after the novelty has worn off? I doubt it. It might be a lot of very casual gamers buying the systems at the minute but it'll be the 'hardcore' and old-type of gamers that (Nintendo need to) buy the games and keep it afloat in the end.
Why do you doubt casual gamers will buy more games for it? you just have to look at the success of the Sims and other non-hardcore games to see there is a big market for this type of game. Lots of people play "Flash" games on their pc too, these people enjoy games just like the hardcore and the Wii and Ds cater for them. Brain Training, 42 in one classics, Nintendogs etc, if these/variations of are translated to the Wii then they will sell no doubt.
"How much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now?... How can they design products that aren't too derivative of what's already out there?"
Because pressing a few buttons got old quick didn't it?!?
Well other than the fact that the control pad has evolved with each generation - the control pad is a hell of a lot more sensitive and accurate - something that the wii most certainly is not.
The Wii isn't designed to compete on any level with PS3 and 360, it is there for a totally new market of gamer..i.e. not us!!!Mini games are just what that market is looking for, it's casual, its sociable, its quick and it's fun. It's the kind of gaming older people, and younger people can have a laff together and do, since no great amount of time is required to learn the controls or "complete" the game. The hardcore male gamers should probably stick with their 360 or PS3, but the Wii is filling a gap in the market only previously the PS2s Eye toy and Singstar touched on.
But will this new market go out and actively look for games to buy a few months after their impulse buy, after the novelty has worn off? I doubt it. It might be a lot of very casual gamers buying the systems at the minute but it'll be the 'hardcore' and old-type of gamers that (Nintendo need to) buy the games and keep it afloat in the end.
I don't know about that mate, if you look at the DS it's doing very well out of the casual market...the Wii just needs some more games (like Brain Training) to grab peoples attention.
I will nto be buying a Wii, but I do think Nintendo have got a good strategy going, just look at the success of the DS.
Yeah but the DS is a portable, it's a totally different animal. The original Gameboy did amazingly well too without Brain Training and all that stuff.
I just don't think it will last and it will all be decided by games bought by the usual suspects. Maybe I'm wrong.
But will this new market go out and actively look for games to buy a few months after their impulse buy, after the novelty has worn off? I doubt it. It might be a lot of very casual gamers buying the systems at the minute but it'll be the 'hardcore' and old-type of gamers that (Nintendo need to) buy the games and keep it afloat in the end.
Why do you doubt casual gamers will buy more games for it? you just have to look at the success of the Sims and other non-hardcore games to see there is a big market for this type of game. Lots of people play "Flash" games on their pc too, these people enjoy games just like the hardcore and the Wii and Ds cater for them. Brain Training, 42 in one classics, Nintendogs etc, if these/variations of are translated to the Wii then they will sell no doubt.
But The Sims is one game. And the reason 'non-gamers' play Flash games is because they're free. You ask 'em to drop 30 quid on one and see how fast they run. People will buy the most useless crap just for the novelty value. Once novelty wears off (which it does rather quickly with the Wii, or at least in my house) and something else is the new, cool dinner party 'thing', people are going to stop buying all these s**tty minigame collections that are doing so well at the minute and it'll be down to the regular gamer to keep it afloat. Which will only happen if there's something worth playing.
Well other than the fact that the control pad has evolved with each generation - the control pad is a hell of a lot more sensitive and accurate - something that the wii most certainly is not.
I'm sorry, but my Wii remote is very accurate. I just altered the settings.
So Sega now believe graphics are more important than gameplay. Oh dear...
No, Sega have simply remembered progression is necessary in this industry, and don't see the longevity in a last gen system with a broken input device. Have you been reading any comments?
So Sega now believe graphics are more important than gameplay. Oh dear...
Since when was there a big name game with good graphics that didn't have good gameplay? Name a current Wii game that actually has any good gameplay (and I'm not talking about GC ports either).
So Sega now believe graphics are more important than gameplay. Oh dear...
No, Sega have simply remembered progression is necessary in this industry, and don't see the longevity in a last gen system with a broken input device. Have you been reading any comments?
Yep, I'm sure Nintendo are learning lessons from Sega left, right and centre.
Well, apart from anything to do with consoles or games that is.
what most of you dont realise is that the Wii appeals to a whole new demographic, as well as the tried and tested gamers that own a play station or xbox.
most of the people driving sale are new gamers that may have never own a console, this market alone dwarfs the gamer market.
the playstation and the xbox are just too scary if you have never owned a console and are not a 11 - 30 year old male.
virgin gamers arent swayed by graphics, they are swayed by gameplay something that Nintendo are masters at.
ive owned every console since the snes, but my girlfriend hasn't.
guess who bought the Wii............. (lets just say not me....).
fight the power
keep the peace
citypunk......
No, Sega have simply remembered progression is necessary in this industry, and don't see the longevity in a last gen system with a broken input device. Have you been reading any comments?
It's broken is it? Are you sure it's not just you (and a select few) who's just incapable of anything but sitting on your bottom and not moving to play games?
virgin gamers arent swayed by graphics, they are swayed by gameplay something that Nintendo are masters at.
No they're not... they're swayed by the media and what their mate's tell them. There is nothing on Wii, other than Zelda, with anything above average gameplay. I get sick of people using the old "it's not about the graphics it's about the gameplay"... that's all well and good but where is the gameplay everybody keeps going on about? There is none yet. People have very short attention spans when it comes to entertainment. Minigame compilations are all well and good until people realise they're all exactly the same, get bored and move on. The DS does so well because it's portable and your entertainment options are a lot more limited sat on a train... you can't take your Wii on the train.
The problem with the remote is that it isn't intelligent so you may swipe in a way that you think represents hitting a golf ball really hard but the wii only understands the raw data of what you did. Heck it may decide you were scratching your bottom theres no way of knowing. With a pad on the otherhand all the possible inputs are predetermined by the ergonomics of the pad. There is a limted range of actions, you cant mistakenly press the scratching your bottom button instead of the hitting the ball button unless you aren't paying attention.
I sold my Wii last week and not because i was scared of change but because i was sick and bored to death with it!!! When i first got the wii I had loads of fun with it playing my girlfriend and friends on Wii sports and getting into Zelda but then the fun stoped! The games are s**te on the wii simple as that and when you take a look at the games line up of the PS3 and 360 then take a look at the games on the way for the wii you can see the quality gap! I agree with Sega and as a person who has had a wii I can say i am now glad i got rid of it!
Firstly, its quite clear there's been a lull of games since its launch - that's normal. However, that shall soon be rectified. I'd like to know what all these 'quality' games coming to the PS3 this year because I can't see anything touching the trio of Metroid, Mario and Galaxy and Smash Bros in terms of quality...this is of course personal opinion but you're a mug to dimiss them so easily.
And Falloutchief, WE ALL GET THE POINT YOU DON'T LIKE THE WII, now will you please change the record. And your mention of 'progression' is a joke, right? If your definition of progression is just beefing up the specs over the last the generation, then god help this industry. I've seen no software on the 360/PS3 really push the boat out yet and try something new, as good as some of the games out there may be.
And once again we slip into the great Wii argument. The bottom line is this: if it's so bad as some people are suggesting then why is it still selling so well? You can dismiss that for a few weeks, maybe even a month but we are talking over 6 months. It only takes people a week to see a movie and say it's rubbish and then tell all their friends.
I am not dismissing people's opinion - of course some people will not like it and they will have perfectly valid reasons for themselves. However, my point is this: it makes no sense for a person who works for a company that is actively supporting a particular platform to speak negatively about it. He might as well be saying: "Yes we are releasing games for the Wii, but I don't think the Wii will be around in a year or so, so I wouldn't bother buying any of our Wii games."
2008 will be the make or break year for wii i think.
By that time the other consoles will probably be cheaper, and will have more quality titles eg halo, gta4, mgs4, mass effect, the new ff that people buy consoles for.
to be honest I think it will be a make or break year for all the consoles - both for the wii and more so the PS3 in terms of getting a catalogue of high quality games out, to determine whether the Wii has the staying power despite its supposed 'gimmicky' appeal and whether the PS3 can actually start selling to get the developers on board and producing exclusives for them. And therefore the success of them both will have a bearing on the 360's fortunes. Though considering current sales, 2008 will still probably be more important to Sony than the other two in determining its future.
ah well, told you so, better luck next time nintendo.
Better luck with what? DS outsells everything and so does the wii admittedly theres not many decent games but they are on their way (MP3, Mario Galaxy, Res Evil Umberella Chronicles etc) so the wii will only become tiresome is if the games dry up. There isn't exactly an iinflux of great ps3 games at the moment and theres only MGS 4 that makes me think about buying one
The Wii isn't designed to compete on any level with PS3 and 360, it is there for a totally new market of gamer..i.e. not us!!!Mini games are just what that market is looking for, it's casual, its sociable, its quick and it's fun. It's the kind of gaming older people, and younger people can have a laff together and do, since no great amount of time is required to learn the controls or "complete" the game. The hardcore male gamers should probably stick with their 360 or PS3, but the Wii is filling a gap in the market only previously the PS2s Eye toy and Singstar touched on.
But will this new market go out and actively look for games to buy a few months after their impulse buy, after the novelty has worn off? I doubt it. It might be a lot of very casual gamers buying the systems at the minute but it'll be the 'hardcore' and old-type of gamers that (Nintendo need to) buy the games and keep it afloat in the end.
Of course the casual gamers will go out and buy more games for it, who do you think buys singstar and Buzz? and the yearly Fifa updates because I'd guess its not the more dedicated gamers out there who do.
The casual market, that a lot of people on these boards dismiss without a thought and go on to claim the 'hardcore gamers' will be the deciding factor, are where Sony got most of their sucess with the PS1 and PS2 from, the hardcore gamers segment of the market is comparatively tiny, why do you think Okami sold so badly?
More on the point, its a bit daft for someone from a publisher to come out and dismiss what could well be the markets dominant console by this time next year, I doubt that the execs at Nintendo will lose any sleep over that though, if they feel bad they can always go for a swim in their moeny pit...
Bitter Sega exec aside, I'm fed up with Microsoft and Sony fanboys assuming that all true hardcore gamers have gone the way of their machines. I'm 33 and have been into gaming for 20+ years and have owned many different consoles. I for one couldn't be happier with the Wii's capabilites and potential. Nintendo are to be applauded for injecting real fun back into the industry and shouldn't be begrudged their moment of glory again after years being third choice. If anything, the generic 'Bald, swearing- space marine 3' sim waffle that clogs up the 360 should be regarded as the mainstream, and thank god for a company breaking that trend. Also, regarding graphical capabilities, I can say without a shadow of doubt that two of the very best looking games released this year will be Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime Corruption. Art direction, system know-how and imagination count for so much more than brute-horsepower.
i think one reason why people are going on about the wii getting tiresome etc, is that its meant to be a pure out and out games console. wherea's with the ps3 your getting various other things to mess with, blu ray player, decent online play, the odd bit of downloadable content etc.
But anyway, its way to early to tell all this Every console has mostly rubbish games in the first year!
Very smart, just because the Wii is selling well now doesn't mean it will stay the number one console for long. What happens if all the developers flood the market with crappy games to cash in on it's success? And as for competing with 360 and PS3 on the graphics side? Nintendo could release a new more powerfull Wii in a couple of years, maybe.
How can they design products that aren't too derivative of what's already out there?"
i love this comment as does he look at the gaming industry today 90% of games out there are derivatives of whats already out there in some shape or another geez lol
What is this exec talking about, the single best sonic game since the original is exclusively on the Wii, secret rings is ONLY suitable for nintendo's console, this person should be fired for even considering badmouthing the Wii.
If sega stopped messing around with the crappy sonic franchise and focused on phantasy star and skies of arcadia instead, they might just get somewhere.
Perhaps nintendo could just take over sega, that's possible right?
There is nothing on Wii, other than Zelda, with anything above average gameplay.
I agree. As a Wii owner myself, after going through several current releases for the Wii, there really isnt anything above average gameplay thats currently out. I didn't even think Zelda TP was all that great...however it did offer long lasting gameplay. Godfather Blackhand was also decent, but the graphic isn't nothing to be excited for. Fact of the matter is, while gameplay is most important, graphics do matter...a lot.
But the Wii is capable of a lot more power than what its currently being seen now. Hopefully the big releases later this year would actually prove that (ahem...Metroid Prime 3...).
I own a 360 and have to say that I have had more fun playing it than any other console I have owned (2 many to think about), but the Wii is something completely different and while I don't play it as often as the 360 it is almost as much fun. What other games console will my 70 year old mum play (and beat me at).
And then you have got the big 3 future releases on the Wii. (good knows how my bank account is going to cope once Halo 3 & GTA4 come out as well)
Bitter Sega exec aside, I'm fed up with Microsoft and Sony fanboys assuming that all true hardcore gamers have gone the way of their machines. I'm 33 and have been into gaming for 20+ years and have owned many different consoles. I for one couldn't be happier with the Wii's capabilites and potential. Nintendo are to be applauded for injecting real fun back into the industry and shouldn't be begrudged their moment of glory again after years being third choice. If anything, the generic 'Bald, swearing- space marine 3' sim waffle that clogs up the 360 should be regarded as the mainstream, and thank god for a company breaking that trend. Also, regarding graphical capabilities, I can say without a shadow of doubt that two of the very best looking games released this year will be Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime Corruption. Art direction, system know-how and imagination count for so much more than brute-horsepower.
So you have been playing games for 20+ years! Thats great i'm really happy for you! I agree that the 360 is full of FPS games but id rather play GTA4,Halo 3 and Mass Effect than Cooking Mama or Wario Ware! Mario Galaxy and Metroid do look very good but the two best looking games of the year? Now lets not get crazy! what about Mass Effect or Little Big Planet? You talk about imagination but I'm Sorry I just don't see that on the wii! All I see is a Gamecube with a wand and a load of mini games! IMO the real imagination is on the PS3 with the like of Home and Little Big Planet and the new eye toy! Now this is imagination http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/theeyeofjudgment/story.html?sid=6169918&om_act=convert&om_clk=exclusives&tag=exclusives;title;1
Sega may have a point with the graphical capabilities of Wii but with a load of AAA games coming out for the Wii by the end of the year and E3 just around the corner lets just wait and see what Nintendo's going to do next I have a feeling they are not finished with their fanfare yet!
After reading some of the comments about this article I find people like falloutwarcheif to be ignorant fools! yes you hate wii and yes you love graphics over gameplay so why don't you watch a Pixar Film or somthing and leave us all alone!
Sorry for the rambling message (1st time replying)but pls read..
I think it is v.irresponsible for senior exec to bad mouth a platform they are developing 4. Releasing RE4 with new controls...kettle and pan
Have loved gaming since the 2600 (now 2 i was starting to get a bit bored with games. Then i started playing wii sports. now it has its faults but a perfect game to play with your mates when you come in from the pub. last crimbo i had everyone from my 4yr old nephew to my mum playing the wii. You have to take you hat off to nintendo to bring such a wide audience to play games. Look at the the success of the DS. It took a while to take off but because of the new features it introduced it now outsells the PSP 6:1. Even with the PSP having better graphics. Taking remote in hand and to be able to hit a ball with precision was an amazing experience and people should applaud what risky approach that ninty have taken. Playing a year old port of Godfather and using your hands to ruff up a hoodlem was sublime something that Ps3/360 can not CURRENTLY offer (sorry PS3 has the six???). if you wait the games will come..and th see... who says that nin wil not release an graphical power update..they can.. sorry for boring you...
Sorry for the rambling message (1st time replying)but pls read..
I read it, but seeing as you didn't bother to type with proper grammar, I couldn't understand most of it.
the bit i did understand ... and other people have mentioned as well... it's obvious that the DS will outsell the psp because it uses GBA games which are already widely available. Also, it had market saturation before the psp arrived and so will obviously get more games developed for it. also people should bear in mind that a portable console is a totally different ball game to a home console. you play a portable for ... maybe 10/20 minutes on the train? a home console is supposed to keep you busy for hours at a time.
it's obvious that the DS will outsell the psp because it uses GBA games which are already widely available.
What? out of all the people I know hardly anybody uses their ds for game boy games. I had a psp and I sold it cos the games are s**t, u talk about being on a train for 10/20 minutes? I wouldn't be able start a psp game in that time cos it wouldn't have loaded. The wii is just building on from what the ps1 did ie gaming for the masses
got xbox360.fantastic but a solo or live affair. not interested in ps3. expensive dud unless you want to buy blueray films at Ł20 to Ł30 a pop. just bought wii. fan bloody tasic. whole family can play, wife loves it. graphics crap!!! who the hell cares. fun factor 10/10
got xbox360.fantastic but a solo or live affair. not interested in ps3. expensive dud unless you want to buy blueray films at ?0 to ?0 a pop. just bought wii. fan bloody tasic. whole family can play, wife loves it. graphics crap!!! who the hell cares. fun factor 10/10
Dear English_Crusader, I wasn't looking for kudos or congratulations because I have been into gaming for 20+ years. I was merely laying down the fact that despite what 360/PS3 owners think, there is more to the Wii user-base than impulse buyers and video-game virgins. Also, like other 360 owners I know, you very conveniently compare your systems best games with the insubstantial Cooking Mama and Warioware, disregarding the Wii's upcoming AAA titles and the already released Twilight Princess (arguably the finest game of 2006). Admittedly though, this is all down to preference. To then state Home and Little Big Planet as the ultimate in imagination is just laughable, Home being a rip-off of The Sims/Animal Crossing with ultra bland graphics and Little Big Planet the sort of thing that Sega and Nintendo were doing years ago. Speaking of visuals look at the sewn fabric world of Yoshi's Story(199. How, also, can you be so dead against mini/party games, yet full of praise for eye toy?
"will start to look really dated in a couple years when developers get more value from the 360 and learn more and more about the PlayStation 3".
All about the graphics again then
All about keeping up with the times really. Standard definition wavey-wand minigames versus big-budget, epic, high definition games in an era where HDTV is becoming more widely adopted...
I hope he's right. As many of you probably know, I loathe the Wii. There is not a single genre, bar minigames, that can't be better executed with a control pad instead of Nintendo's fiddly new stick. They'll look better, they'll play better... they'll be better on 360 or PS3. I think people forget that the Wii is the Gamecube all over again. It is a squashed last-gen console with a waving stick that originally started life as a peripheral for said last-gen console. It is behind the times as it is, and over the next few years it will fall even farther behind, prompting developers to move to hardware that they can actually create meaningful experiences on. That's what I hope to see happen anyway, otherwise we, meaning gamers as a whole, could be in trouble. If Nintendo continues to demonstrate that shoddy obsolete hardware and shallow software are the way to make money, it could destroy the very industry that they themselves helped build.
i've played an import version of resi 4 on the wii, and the controls for that game are utterly sublime.
Sorry for the rambling message (1st time replying)but pls read..
I read it, but seeing as you didn't bother to type with proper grammar, I couldn't understand most of it.
the bit i did understand ... and other people have mentioned as well... it's obvious that the DS will outsell the psp because it uses GBA games which are already widely available. Also, it had market saturation before the psp arrived and so will obviously get more games developed for it. also people should bear in mind that a portable console is a totally different ball game to a home console. you play a portable for ... maybe 10/20 minutes on the train? a home console is supposed to keep you busy for hours at a time.
Moron. How many GBA titles do you see in the charts?
I don't own a Wii but I can't deny the facts. The ONLY way a console can be successful is if they sell lots of units. Nintendo did that.
In fact, Nintendo sold each unit at a profit. At no point did they lose money. When you put those two fact together, you have a market that has lots of potential customers and a company that will have no trouble supporting the platform. That's just good business.
With that said, I'll go back to playing Gears of War.
Personally I am bored with all the arguments about which console is better. It's entirely personal opinion. But thankfully, business is usually a lot more black and white. And you nailed it!
console war, what is it good for! well nothing really, it's just fan-boys going o' my machine's better than yours, blah blah blah. i'm not choosing any sides here. but i think sony could have f-up with the ps3, if blue-ray doesn't catch on. ok it's graphically impresses, but it makes the r.p. very high. for two hundred pounds less you could buy a 360, which does HD graphics well and good. it also already has loads of good titles, which the ps3 doesn't yet. as for the little wii, yes it might be a vamped up old gamecube with bells on, but it's well cheap and adds a bit fun to video games. nintendo also make quality in-house titles, mario galaxy and metroid 3 will show just what the wii can do graphically when pushed to its full. the wii could expand if it risks its kiddie image, by allowing more mature games by 3rd parties. manhunt 2 on the wii is already causing a stir, because of the way the controls are used, its become called a murder simulator. 2 resident evil titles will hit the wii, although one's a wiimake. also there'll be gta4 vice city stories made for the ps2 and wii. it would seem nintendo is taking some risk and breaking away from mini party games, but i'm sure there'll be more!
Moron. How many GBA titles do you see in the charts?
they don't have game charts for second hand games. and sorry, but when I bought my DS, I bought it because i could trade in my GBA and still play all the games i had collected. which is, incidentally, what a LOT of other people also did.
so wheres the need for the insult? does it prove how clever you are? no. stating facts does. so right now, I win 2-0
So you have been playing games for 20+ years! Thats great i'm really happy for you! I agree that the 360 is full of FPS games but id rather play GTA4,Halo 3 and Mass Effect than Cooking Mama or Wario Ware! Mario Galaxy and Metroid do look very good but the two best looking games of the year? Now lets not get crazy! what about Mass Effect or Little Big Planet? You talk about imagination but I'm Sorry I just don't see that on the wii! All I see is a Gamecube with a wand and a load of mini games! IMO the real imagination is on the PS3 with the like of Home and Little Big Planet and the new eye toy! Now this is imagination http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/theeyeofjudgment/story.html?sid=6169918&om_act=convert&om_clk=exclusives&tag=exclusives;title;1
What are you talking about imagination??? Home was taken from Second Life basically and LBP is based off of a side indy game made by A Big Blue House Dev while they worked on Fable. And what do you think Sony will do with the Eye Toy???? I'd be willing to bet there will be some form of motion sensing... horrible, terrible, inaccurate 3 dimensional motion sensing. How awful.
Also, a few people here seem to be making a big fuss about graphics. If I were to recommend you a classic game to play.... would you dislike it because the graphics aren't up to par? If so that is ridiculous. It's like saying that classics such as Deus Ex, Fallout, PS: Torment, and many other classics that many veteran gamers and magazines hold in such high esteem.... are total and utter crap now because teh grafix suck. Gameplay always trumps graphics by far. And if last gen graphics were obviously good enough for you people.... then what is so wrong with a system that is marginally more powerful than the last gen systems and introduces some innovation on how games are played?
I remember reading somewhere (I forget where) that it was suggested that the DS was a deliberate precursor to the Wii. A relatively cheap experiment to see how people would take to a new way to interact with their console and games. I suspect if the DS had gone belly up there'd have been no Wii, but it didn't. In fact it's pretty much outselling everything.
Can we draw any conclusions from this? Who know's. If the precursors doing so well what's the 'parent' going to do? No-one can predict what's going to happen.
What I would say is it's a foolish businessman that ignores market forces, and Nintendo appear to be making a play for the mass-market. Consoles have traditionally only appealed to the Videogaming fraternity of early teens to late thirties and thus a niche market. If Nintendo achieve's their goal then consoles could perhaps go mass market, and that would benefit everyone.
To be honest I'm getting a little tired of playing Generic FPS 57, where the latest gimmick is that if I run too fast on uneven surfaces then I might fall over and graze my knee (thereby increasing the realism). Or Generic driving simulator (night time edition) 2412 where I get to re-enact scene's from The Italian Job with the new BMW flying Mini. Both games of course with photo-realistic graphics that are indistinguishable from reality and when I have a particularly bad car smash my brain becomes confused, assumes I must have sustained fatal injuries and kills me...
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i was starting to get a bit bored with games. Then i started playing wii sports. now it has its faults but a perfect game to play with your mates when you come in from the pub. last crimbo i had everyone from my 4yr old nephew to my mum playing the wii. You have to take you hat off to nintendo to bring such a wide audience to play games. Look at the the success of the DS. It took a while to take off but because of the new features it introduced it now outsells the PSP 6:1. Even with the PSP having better graphics. Taking remote in hand and to be able to hit a ball with precision was an amazing experience and people should applaud what risky approach that ninty have taken. Playing a year old port of Godfather and using your hands to ruff up a hoodlem was sublime something that Ps3/360 can not CURRENTLY offer (sorry PS3 has the six???). if you wait the games will come..and th see... who says that nin wil not release an graphical power update..they can.. sorry for boring you...
