Screw the Wii

[JHendrix]

Just out of curiousity, did Hendrix pay $700+ for a PS3?

Hell no.

FFXIII is the only reason I believe I'll own a PS3 at some point. Probably won't own one till that or Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out.

 

[genjiglove]

My vagina hurts.

 

[360heelflip]

At least you guys got the WII B4 Japan did, that's a first (Other than XBOX of course)! Plus this is the first time us (australia) NZ and Europe didn't get a release almost 6 months later, but only 5 and 6 Days after the Japanese launch. That would be a big factor why supply is so short, and it's the same here... (we're supposed to get 9 in at work today) but people here don't campout in front of stores for new console releases, most are even too damn lazy to pre-order and then crack the shits when they can't get one and can't understand why.

IMO - Price point is one majour reason why it's selling so well here (because australian's can be the biggest tight arses, haha!) DS lite's have also been selling extremly well here, as well as the PSP and 360 (this being 360's first xmas here in Australia) We've also had VERY few Zelda's come in for the GC and we're the only retailer selling it here in Australia!

I'm very, very happy I got a Wii on launch... but only enjoy Zelda, Wii sports and Wii Play bundle at the moment... the rest of the games have been piss poor... but in saying that, I only ever buy a nintendo console for the first party titles anyway I won't be getting any new Wii games until Mario, SSBM, Metroid and Wario Ware come out sometime next year. In the meantime, I'll just continue to import PS3 and 360 games

 

[jethrek]

"Graphics drive the industry."

Have you ever thought that maybe it shouldn't be that way?

But then, The NES beat the SMS, the Genesis beat the SNES (barely), the PSX beat the N64, and the PS2 beat the GC/XBox.

Have you ever thought that maybe it never was that way?

 

[Ajax]

First of all, I want to say that I think Wii is awesome.

But I've kinda been thinking lately... I agree with whoever said they wonder about longevity. Really the only advantage to Zelda on Wii is that you can aim your bow/slingshot/hookshot (I know, I know...) using the remote. To be honest, I kind of dislike having to swing your arm to strike with your sword. The controller is not buggy, contrary to what people might think or say, but sometimes, you just don't give it enough umph to get it to fire... And it's annoying. For peeps who play video games as a way to relax, this kinda defeats the purpose.

I guess what really got me thinking this way was being let down by Metal Slug Anthology and Super Swing Golf last week. I was really looking forward to both of those titles and they totally let me down. Motion sensitive control does not belong in Metal Slug, and the game suffers badly as a result. Somehow, they managed to ruin SSG by making it so you have to press every damn button on the controller so you can hit the ball.

Guess I'm just being cynical right now. I love Wii, really. Like, really, really. I don't remember the last console that I've been this excited about. Just frustrated, I guess.

It will be interesting to see what this thing has in 6 months/a year/ 2 years.

 

[360heelflip]

Guess I'm just being cynical right now. I love Wii, really. Like, really, really. I don't remember the last console that I've been this excited about. Just frustrated, I guess.

It will be interesting to see what this thing has in 6 months/a year/ 2 years.

Feel the same...

 

[Jedah Doma]

Yep, the controls for the Gamecube worked much better for me. Aiming with the Wii is neat, but not $250 neat.

 

[ResO]

Dude, seriously, this is 100% your fault for looking for a Wii this close to Christmas.

Tickle me Elmos are easy to manufacture too, but you probably couldn't find one today.



Everyone knows that Zelda was originally developed for Gamecube, so if that hurts your feelings don't complain.

 

[norton9478]

Yeah I hear you Jhendrix...

But you know that you will be forced to get one when either your Cube Dies or A bunch of Party Games come out.

Personally,
I don't think the wii is worth $250 and I think that most of the VC games are woefully overpriced.

Then again, I'm a cheap bastard.

 

[BIG]

Yeah,I don't think the Wii is really worth buying at the moment.

Maybe further down the road,but not at this point in time.

Hell,I just gave my NIB Wii to my sis,since I never had the urge to open it up and play it.

B-

 

[DevilRedeemed]

could JHendrix be more wrong or more of a square (no offence)? nope.

the Wii is selling hard and fast in all regions. that's a fact and it's spurred on by the DS mania.

graphics drive the industry? nope. why did PS2 outdo it's rivals or the DS the PSP (which you thought would be the other way around I seem to recall). I know you love pretty graphics above all else, and to be honest I'm not far behind you there, but come on, this thread is thinly veiled bias.

but that's my perception of things, nothing more. the Wii is here to stay and it's cutting new inroads. I don't know when I'll get one or if I even like it - but I can't deny that this is very fucking good for gaming.

 

[JHendrix]

"Graphics drive the industry."

Have you ever thought that maybe it shouldn't be that way?

But then, The NES beat the SMS, the Genesis beat the SNES (barely), the PSX beat the N64, and the PS2 beat the GC/XBox.

Have you ever thought that maybe it never was that way?

You're telling me that people don't buy games based on graphics at all? Or that a woefully inferior system coming out at the inception of a similar one with similarly good backing is going to win out?

1.) I thought the NES was more powerful?
2.) Genesis beating SNES in the long run...OK. At the end in the long run. Doesn't change the fact that people went ga-ga over graphically intensive games back in the day (Can you say Donkey Kong Country?).
3.) PSX beat the Saturn. N64 came late and had numerous other problems (Carts, Price).
4.) PS2 beat the DC, and had over a year on it's competition from MS & Nintendo. That "war" was over before it started.

Oh and the XBox beat the GC.

Graphics are part of the industry, they are a driving force. There are other factors to success, but most developers will strive to get incredible graphics because it can move games (more so when combined with good gameplay).

We'll see where things are in about 6 months, if the Wii is outselling the PS3 I'll be impressed. If the Wii is outselling the 360, I'd be shocked beyond belief.

 

[jethrek]

First of all, I want to say that I think Wii is awesome.

But I've kinda been thinking lately... I agree with whoever said they wonder about longevity. Really the only advantage to Zelda on Wii is that you can aim your bow/slingshot/hookshot (I know, I know...) using the remote. To be honest, I kind of dislike having to swing your arm to strike with your sword. The controller is not buggy, contrary to what people might think or say, but sometimes, you just don't give it enough umph to get it to fire... And it's annoying. For peeps who play video games as a way to relax, this kinda defeats the purpose.

I guess what really got me thinking this way was being let down by Metal Slug Anthology and Super Swing Golf last week. I was really looking forward to both of those titles and they totally let me down. Motion sensitive control does not belong in Metal Slug, and the game suffers badly as a result. Somehow, they managed to ruin SSG by making it so you have to press every damn button on the controller so you can hit the ball.

Guess I'm just being cynical right now. I love Wii, really. Like, really, really. I don't remember the last console that I've been this excited about. Just frustrated, I guess.

It will be interesting to see what this thing has in 6 months/a year/ 2 years.

Firstly, I want to note that Metal Slug Anthology alllows for multiple control schemes, many of which not needing motion sensing. But you are correct, int hat game it works horribly.

But on to longetivity, I think that is Nintendo's achilles heel. Nintendo's had two consoles that slowed down after launch. Could they strike out again?

However, Microsoft's XBox sales are far and wide being called "disappointing" as they're not going to hit the ten million mark, an important goal of theirs. And Sony's is practically a beached whale with the PS3. I really think we're going to see an odd, and very unpredictable playout in the year to come, with Microsoft and Nintendo duking it out with an underdog Sony in recovery mode.

But, I will say this. Motion sensing won't get old. It might get old to hardcore gamerrs who are set in their ways, but the motion sensing works. I've gotten a lot of people to play the Wii who won't touch games normally. Nintendo's strategy, as evidenced by the Wii selling out so well, is working. You can take a Wii into any group, including older non-gamer types, and they can figure it out , and have fun in about 5 minutes. That's a crucial 5 minutes, in which someone falls in love with a console's experience, or fails to. I remember those 5 minutes with the NES, SNES, Genesis, and Saturn at friend's houses. Perhaps if I'd had those 5 minutes with the PSX I'd have better memories of it, but my street was pretty pro-SEGA as a teen. If the Wii can win people over that way, not through bickering in online forums or squabbling in gaming magazines, that's where it'll win. The same way the XBox won most of its fans coming over to friends houses playing Halo, from one person to another.

 

[jethrek]

You're telling me that people don't buy games based on graphics at all? Or that a woefully inferior system coming out at the inception of a similar one with similarly good backing is going to win out?

1.) I thought the NES was more powerful?
2.) Genesis beating SNES in the long run...OK. At the end in the long run. Doesn't change the fact that people went ga-ga over graphically intensive games back in the day (Can you say Donkey Kong Country?).
3.) PSX beat the Saturn. N64 came late and had numerous other problems (Carts, Price).
4.) PS2 beat the DC, and had over a year on it's competition from MS & Nintendo. That "war" was over before it started.

Oh and the XBox beat the GC.

Graphics are part of the industry, they are a driving force. There are other factors to success, but most developers will strive to get incredible graphics because it can move games (more so when combined with good gameplay).

We'll see where things are in about 6 months, if the Wii is outselling the PS3 I'll be impressed. If the Wii is outselling the 360, I'd be shocked beyond belief.

1.) The specs never gave me that impression, not that I ever saw any clearly graphically superior SMS games...not like I eer saw an SMS played on anything but a Game Gear screen.

2.) But again, doesn't that rank it far from driving the industry? After all, with graphics, Squareenix, and DKC, SNES seemingly had every advantage.

3.) True, certainly being weakest is not inherently advantageous either. But doesn't the PS3 have numerous other problems? Doesn't the 360 have higher prices to hold it back? 360 sales are beneath both analysts and Microsoft's expectations. Could be a blip on the radar...

4.) DC had a year on the PS2 also though. The key here is that there is NOT a direct correlation between graphics and winning. I do not need to correlate weaker graphics to neccessarily winning to make my point. I'm demonstrating a simple lack of correlation.

 

[hermegildo]

lol @ graphics drive the industry

 

[Average Joe]

I can see the Wii beating out the PS3 in terms of sales a year or two down the road.

 

[hermegildo]

I can see the Wii beating out the PS3 in terms of sales a year or two down the road.

I thought it was already doing that.

 

[not sonic]

the sms is quite a bit more powerful than the nes.

doesnt help the fact that nintendo made devs sign illegal contracts so they wouldnt make sms games.

 

[BC_Gambit]

I predict a tapering off of the Wii euphoria after the initial buzz wears off.

At $250, the Wii is like an Ipod in terms of price. The extra's sure jack the price up, but that's another issue. To play wii bowling and impress your non gaming friends, you just have to drop $250.

What esle does this ipod-esque price point bring? Disposability.

Normal people (by normal I mean non video obsesse peeps - opposite of the kind of people like us ) might buy the Wii as a toy, and just like any other toy the novelty will wear off.

I can't see the young people (ages say 8+) of today being happy with a Wii long term. Again, it looks and plays like a toy. Unless you get to have both a Wii and another next gen system, what would you feel like wandering into EB/Bestbuy etc and playing the demo kiosks 2 years from now?

Wii might have some fun games, but they will look like shit designed for babies 2 years from now. How could a kid be happy playing something that looks that poor when his friends are playing GoW2 etc..

My prediction: Wii games will be on a comparable graphics level of the Jakks Pacific "plug joystick/motion sensor etc" games when this generation wraps up say 5 years from now (by this I mean the Jakks Pacific games coming out 5 years from now will probably be comperable to the Wii games coming out 5 years from now).

Does this bode well for the Wii? I certainly don't think so.

 

[JHendrix]

1.) The specs never gave me that impression, not that I ever saw any clearly graphically superior SMS games...not like I eer saw an SMS played on anything but a Game Gear screen.

2.) But again, doesn't that rank it far from driving the industry? After all, with graphics, Squareenix, and DKC, SNES seemingly had every advantage.

3.) True, certainly being weakest is not inherently advantageous either. But doesn't the PS3 have numerous other problems? Doesn't the 360 have higher prices to hold it back? 360 sales are beneath both analysts and Microsoft's expectations. Could be a blip on the radar...

4.) DC had a year on the PS2 also though. The key here is that there is NOT a direct correlation between graphics and winning. I do not need to correlate weaker graphics to neccessarily winning to make my point. I'm demonstrating a simple lack of correlation.

My point is that a lot in this industry is driven graphics, at least in the home console market and especially in the PC market.

The budget for making games has gone up exponentially with each generation. Are you telling me that the reason primarily for that isn't increased costs due to having to develop more graphical game resources?

Why do people go out and buy a new Madden or Fight Night game when it comes out on a new platform? Graphics, primarily.

The Wii is selling out sure, but so is the PS3. Are you going to tell me that just because a console is selling out initially that it's going to be a huge long lasting success?

Unless Nintendo can get out a good Mario, Smashbros, or Mario Kart game for the Wii that's amazing in the next year I don't see sales staying so high.

This holiday season and the coming year will probably set the tone for the entire next-gen console war. I'm looking forward to see where it goes.

 

[Average Joe]

I thought it was already doing that.

Right now, yes.

But all these Wii sales are based on Christmas Cheer-induced hype.

And as we all know, the only time graphics don't drive the industry is when a new console launches during the Christmas season when everybody has their inhibitions lowered thanks to daily snortings of Christmas Cheer and spiked eggnog.

[*The eggnog was spiked with extra Christmas Cheer for those who don't give in so easily to peer pressure.]

Don't worry though, once the spines of the collective lower-class masses (they produce the most Christmas Cheer by spinal volume) have been tapped out come the first of January, you'll see a dramatic increase of pre-owned Wii's at Gamestop/EB and a respective increase of Covenant Blu-Ray disc sales to correspond with all the PS3 systems that are being sold.

 

[OrochiEddie]

"Graphics drive the industry."

Have you ever thought that maybe it shouldn't be that way?

But then, The NES beat the SMS, the Genesis beat the SNES (barely), the PSX beat the N64, and the PS2 beat the GC/XBox.

Have you ever thought that maybe it never was that way?

NES came out first
Genesis came out first
PSX came out first
PS2 Came out first.

I'd say whoever gets out there first wins.

 

[TonK]

NES came out first
Genesis came out first
PSX came out first
PS2 Came out first.

I'd say whoever gets out there first wins.

Actually

TG-16 came out first

Saturn came out first

Dreamcast came out first

 

[OrochiEddie]

Actually

TG-16 came out first

Saturn came out first

Dreamcast came out first

True true, but TG-16 IIRC was the weakest of the 3, and DC was weaker than ps2, xbox, and cube, Saturn was just plauged with a terribly launch plan, and other issues, but again IIRC it had some better specs compared to PS-X.

I personally believe graphics play a role in console roles, but not a huge one. For these days I think it's which system will have the next GTA first, and the better Maddens. Especially when it comes to the american makret.

 

[Loopz]

NES came out first
Genesis came out first
PSX came out first
PS2 Came out first.

I'd say whoever gets out there first wins.

Thanks for saving me some typing TonK. I'd also like to add that on a global scale, the SNES/Super Fami cleaned the MD/Genny's clock. It was a horse-race in the US, but not even remotely any sort of contest in Japan. Europe...who cares.

Clearly, two overall trends work against PS3.

Number one, the most powerful hardware never wins.
Number two, no manufacturer has ever won three successive hardware wars.
Nintendo's reign ended with the N64, Sony's will probably end with PS3.
People want something different, and the most expensive system also never wins.