Nintendo is kicking everyone's ass!

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

The Wii is a popular system.

The Wii is a money-making system for Nintendo.

The Wii is the least expensive (in a full-featured model) of the current gen consoles.

As an owner of all three current-gen systems and a self proclaimed "favorite-agnostic" console enthusiast, do I consider it to be the overall "best" current-gen system?

No.

Between it's online model, DLC, price point, and software library, I think that the 360 is currently on the top of heap as the "best" buy for somebody looking for a gaming console.

Would I recommend the Wii to a consumer who had yet to buy any of the 3 current-gen systems as their first and/or primary system for this generation?

No.

If the household only consists of youngsters (under 10) and adults who haven't maintained a gaming "hobby" for the past 10+ years, Wii could fit the bill. BUT I'd really have to wrestle with the concept of recommendation beyond that, as once you step outside the realm of Nintendo's 1st party titles and the AAA DLC offerings, you're awash in a sea of shovelware garbage.

I do think that the Wii is Nintendo's best system since the original NES, BUT, IMO it's runaway popularity and success has more to do with things that don't directly correlate to a quality GAMING EXPERIENCE (and that should be the most important thing right?)

Wii is good, Wii is great, but its success in the market is not all that it appears to be and does not project a positive future for big-budget, deep, intellectual games in the mainstream marketplace.

[dendawg]

2008 is a year Sony would like to forget.

...and 2007, and 4Q 2006....

Let's face it, unless Nintendo or Microsoft suddenly go bankrupt, Sony's staying right where it is.

[Bojay1997]

The Wii is a popular system.

The Wii is a money-making system for Nintendo.

The Wii is the least expensive (in a full-featured model) of the current gen consoles.

As an owner of all three current-gen systems and a self proclaimed "favorite-agnostic" console enthusiast, do I consider it to be the overall "best" current-gen system?

No.

Between it's online model, DLC, price point, and software library, I think that the 360 is currently on the top of heap as the "best" buy for somebody looking for a gaming console.

Would I recommend the Wii to a consumer who had yet to buy any of the 3 current-gen systems as their first and/or primary system for this generation?

No.

If the household only consists of youngsters (under 10) and adults who haven't maintained a gaming "hobby" for the past 10+ years, Wii could fit the bill. BUT I'd really have to wrestle with the concept of recommendation beyond that, as once you step outside the realm of Nintendo's 1st party titles and the AAA DLC offerings, you're awash in a sea of shovelware garbage.

I do think that the Wii is Nintendo's best system since the original NES, BUT, IMO it's runaway popularity and success has more to do with things that don't directly correlate to a quality GAMING EXPERIENCE (and that should be the most important thing right?)

Wii is good, Wii is great, but its success in the market is not all that it appears to be and does not project a positive future for big-budget, deep, intellectual games in the mainstream marketplace.

Strongly agree with this and I am in the same position as a console agnostic, multi-platform gamer who owns all three (well, five if you count the DS and PSP) current-gen systems and buys games for all of them regularly.

[TheRealist50]

...and 2007, and 4Q 2006....

Let's face it, unless Nintendo or Microsoft suddenly go bankrupt, Sony's staying right where it is.

True those were some bad times. But they got some good things going for them, the Ratchet and Clank series, Jax and Daxter, MGS 4, KZ2, Resistance, Twisted Metal, God of War, Final Fantasy (even though its on both PS3 and 360, I believe It would still do better on PS3) Siren (great game on the PS3, Nobody ever talks about it when mentioning PS3 but not a console savor like MGS4)

also with games like Uncharted 2 inFamous coming up on 2009...I'm positive sony will have a much better 2009 then any other year up till this point.

[megasdkirby]

To be honest I bought a Wii (my girlfriend really wanted one) played it a lot for the first week and it hasn't been used since.

Me too. I rarely use the Wii, and when I do, it's usually to go online via the Opera browser (usually to read stories or see YouTube vids). I havent' upgraded my firmware because of the Freeloader disc I have, so I am kinda stuck on the old Opera for now.

I just haven't found any games interesting enough to purchase. Not even Smash Brothers brought any interest. Nor Animal Crossing. And I LOVE both game series...

I honestly believe that if the PS3 was lower in price, around $300 instead of $600, that would have made a world of a difference. It's a great console, but the price was very prohibited at first. Not everyone could afford it, and even now, I know of customers that refuse to purchase one until it reaches a "decent" price (usually around $200 or so, maybe $300 flat).

also with games like Uncharted 2 inFamous coming up on 2009...I'm positive sony will have a much better 2009 then any other year up till this point.

True, but I don't think it will be possible to escape from third place. I hope I am wrong, though.

[geneshifter]

I think that the main thing Sony has going for it right now is the BluRay player inside. Most people I know have one for watching movies and that's it. Kinda like how people are buying the Wii for the Wii Sports and that's it. So sad really. They all use the 360 or PC for gaming except for a few titles like Mario Galaxy and Uncharted.

There are new technologies (by Toshiba, I think) that will allow for up to 500GB of storage on a bluray disc with storage capacities of 1TB coming in the next 5 years. That would be great and may really help Sony take marketshare.

However, by then we'll be looking at the next Xbox and the next Wii which do not adhere to an absurd 10 year cycle in a fast changing technological world. I would bet cash that the next Xbox will have the bluray player, if not the next format after that, leap-frogging the PS3 and forcing Sony to change some things.

As for the future of Nintendo, who knows. They are definitely the wild card of the three. If they don't join the HD world by then, they won't do very well next time IMO.

[TheRealist50]

True, but I don't think it will be possible to escape from third place. I hope I am wrong, though.

Sony will have a better 2009 then Microsoft. I don't mean Sony will blow them out of the water but they will be just a tad better then Microsoft. But in the overall picture Microsoft will always be ahead of Sony thanks to the strong start they had.

[Leo_A]

While I don't see why it happened since I think the 360 has many advantages over it, the PS3 is hardly solidly in third place. Until the last couple of months with Xbox 360 price drops and a few games spurring on sales, they were closing the gap all year.

I believe the PS3 overtook the 360 in Europe earlier in the year, and are only 5 million behind or so now in worldwide sales. And that gap was even less a few months back. They still have at least a outside chance of ending up in 2nd place this generation, especially if Sony keeps it around longer than the 360 like they've done with their last two consoles.

I think the 360 is securely in 2nd place for the US, but they could still possibly lose that position in worldwide sales.

[j_factor]

While I don't see why it happened since I think the 360 has many advantages over it, the PS3 is hardly solidly in third place. Until the last couple of months with Xbox 360 price drops and a few games spurring on sales, they were closing the gap all year.

I'm pretty sure PS3 only outsold 360 in the US in January, February, and June. However much that closed the gap was easily reversed by the last two months alone, I'm sure.

I believe the PS3 overtook the 360 in Europe earlier in the year, and are only 5 million behind or so now in worldwide sales. And that gap was even less a few months back. They still have at least a outside chance of ending up in 2nd place this generation, especially if Sony keeps it around longer than the 360 like they've done with their last two consoles.

The only reason Playstation and PS2 were around so long was because they were the most successful consoles of their time. Same reason we had NES games until 1994. You're not going to see any console stick around for a significant period of time past the introduction of its successor, unless it's doing well to begin with.

I don't know how accurate they are, but according to VGchartz.com, the two are just under 8 million units apart in worldwide sales. PS3 is beating the 360 in Japan, but that's to be expected, and the Wii is outselling it almost 3 to 1. You are correct about the PS3 surpassing 360 in Europe, but the difference in the US is so wide it puts its worldwide totals firmly in third. I think the PS3 could very well remain second in both Europe in Japan, and still remain significantly behind worldwide due to US sales.

[XYXZYZ]

I love how Nintendo is on top again, being nostalgic for the good old days before Sony and Microsoft dominated everything. I sure wish the Wii had something I wanted to play on it.

[The 1 2 P]

I think the 360 is securely in 2nd place for the US, but they could still possibly lose that position in worldwide sales.

Very true, but only because the Japanese very stubornly refuse to support the 360. And for what? Last generation they supposedly didn't support the Xbox because it was "too big for small Japanese apartments" and it had "very few games (rpg's) that appealed to the Japanese market". Ok, so whats their excuse this generation? The 360 has more rpg's(and better ones) than both the PS3 and Wii combined. And the 360 is not only smaller than the original Xbox but it's also no bigger than the PS3. And that right there is why the world wide gap has gotten smaller(100,000+ PS3 sales a month to 7,000--if that--360 sales a month in Japan sort of has that effect).

But the US picture is much different because we(as a whole) don't make up any imaginary excuses as to why we will blatantly not support a foreign-made(non-US)game console. Sony can't cetch the 360 in the US because they were outsold ALL of 2006, 2007, and most of 2008. For the PS3 to cetch up they would not only have to outsell the 360 every month for atleast a year straight, they'd also have to do it by 2-1 or 3-1. So Sony's saving grace is in Japan, but that won't help them in this country.....atleast not this generation.

[heybtbm]

Another one of these "Wii RULZ...fap fap fap" threads?

What I'm really interested in (and I don't remember being discussed) is how many people at DP actually prefer the Wii over the PS3 or 360? I refuse to believe it's above 25%.

[gepeto]

nevermind

[Cryomancer]

the work out Wii sold quite well in Germany, but seen here at Saturn (one of the leading console sellers), lots on the shelf (but so was everyone elses (PS3, 360):



Top selling console in Germany? PS2 still top after all these years

Wait, the samba wii bundles DO exist? Any chance you have more info on that?

[dao2]

The Wii is successful? No way! This is breaking news!

The next thing you're going to tell me is that the Sun is big, we live on Earth, and wild grizzly bears can rip your face off if you aren't careful!

that is a complete lie

wild grizzly bears will rip of ur face even if ur careful :P

[Aussie2B]

Terms like "hardcore" have been completely re-defined just to make Xbox 360 look good and the Wii look bad.

I think that's probably the most insightful comment made in this topic.

Maybe it's just me, but in the many years I've heard the terms "casual" and "hardcore", I've always viewed casual gamers as the teenage male crowd that just plays Madden and a little bit of Halo or some other FPS now and then. I've actually consider the "cutesy" games more "hardcore" because a gamer that plays them is not being superficial and considering their image when they play a game, so they'll give any game a chance, regardless of how obscure or strange, as long as it offers quality gameplay. Hardcore gamers are the early adopters of Katamari Damacy, not the 360 owner that snubs the Wii because he doesn't play that "gay shit".

I don't think any system can be defined as being "casual" or "hardcore". This is defined by the player him or herself. I mean, what if someone gets a Wii to play Fire Emblem and No More Heroes? Is that a "casual" player? I wouldn't think so.

[alxbly]

PS3 overtook the 360 in sales here in Europe a few months ago but since then the 360 has had another significant price drop (you get get a 360 arcade for less than half the price of a PS3 here in the UK) and has been really aggressively marketed this xmas. I think the balance will have shifted back in the 360's favour when more recent unit numbers become available.

What I'm really interested in (and I don't remember being discussed) is how many people at DP actually prefer the Wii over the PS3 or 360? I refuse to believe it's above 25%.

Despite being the first of the current gen consoles that I bought, it's also the once I rate the least. This is the first xmas in over ten years that there's not been any Nintendo games under my tree and that makes me kinda sad. Luckily, the games I got for the 360 and PS3 have cheered me up again...

[Famidrive-16]

I remember when Cooking Mama came out for DS, nobody called it shovelware. But now that it's on Wii, it's shovelware. I'm not saying the Wii doesn't have more than its share of bad games, but it's becoming more clear to me that 90% people who bash the system already have their mind made up against it and are going out of their way to justify their pre-conceived opinions, rather than honestly considering what the system has to offer. People either talk crap about games they haven't played, or completely ignore worthwhile games as if they didn't exist while focusing exclusively on the crap. Or both. And I hate how the lexicon has changed. Terms like "hardcore" have been completely re-defined just to make Xbox 360 look good and the Wii look bad.

Every system (unless we're talking about Gizmondo or something) has its share of worthwhile games. Often when systems are still new, they are lacking, but every current system has been around for a while now, and has a decent-sized, well-established library. Not every system is to every person's taste, but none of them suck.

etcetcetc I pretty much agree with this post etc.

That being said 2008 was pretty lousy for the Wii. I think people underestimate the system, but Nintendo needs to think up a Plan B, and quick.

edit: thank you, jfactor and aussie2b, for not making me feel alone in noticing the 'hardcore shift'

[Kid Ice]

Sony will have a better 2009 then Microsoft. I don't mean Sony will blow them out of the water but they will be just a tad better then Microsoft.

I can't think of any logical reason to believe this will happen. If you were to force me to argue this point I wouldn't know where to begin. I can't even think of a reason the PS3 would have a better year than 2008. Weren't Home, MGS4, and Little Big Planet supposed to move systems? Unless the general public suddenly becomes as enamored of Wipeout HD as I am, the system is in trouble.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Wait, the samba wii bundles DO exist? Any chance you have more info on that?

Info = on Wii the game is so broken on a gameplay level that the only thing that they could bundle with it to make it worth buying would be:

A Dreamcast, a copy of Samba for Dreamcast, and the Dreamcast Maracas controllers.