Console wars, What did the numbers go?

[RCBH928]

The argument that ps2 owners switched to Wii is flawed(doesn't mean no 1 ever switched) but when the Wii was getting crazy sales numbers everyone and their mothers analyzed it as Nintendo instead of trying to get a larger piece of the cake, they increased the size of the cake.
That means the Wii was sold as a "toy" to people who NEVER or used don't play console games. People like parents, elderly, younger kids, and even people looking to lose weight(wiifit) .

Now people are arguing that casual gamers existed all along except they were buying ps2(why? Gamecube was much more casual if you ask me and family friendly) and now they switched to Wii? That doesn't make sense at all.

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Any one can confirm if GC was sold for $100 by 2003?
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@J T
You might have switched to PC, but I doubt those numbers are affected by people moving on to the PC. I think more people are buying a console than ever.
PC needs its own setup, a console you plug it INTO your already owned setup(tv). Technically buying anew console is cheaper, and it will live to play games for at least 6 years into the future, each and every game will run. PC needs constant upgrades either hardware or software which gets complicated even for a person who is tech savvy like me.

Console is easy plug and play. PC might fit you, but i don't think it fits most people out there. I am thinking of moving back to PC though.

[AppleQueso]

Has anyone actually mentioned that VGChartz is kinda known for having skewed/inaccurate numbers?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

The argument that ps2 owners switched to Wii is flawed(doesn't mean no 1 ever switched) but when the Wii was getting crazy sales numbers everyone and their mothers analyzed it as Nintendo instead of trying to get a larger piece of the cake, they increased the size of the cake.
That means the Wii was sold as a "toy" to people who NEVER or used don't play console games. People like parents, elderly, younger kids, and even people looking to lose weight(wiifit) .

Now people are arguing that casual gamers existed all along except they were buying ps2(why? Gamecube was much more casual if you ask me and family friendly) and now they switched to Wii? That doesn't make sense at all.

Except it does, because the PS2 was loaded with the casual shovel ware. Just because you feel the GameCube is more family friendly and casual doesn't mean it actually was. The Wii was marketed as a games system for the casuals and everybody else. There's no argument about that, and I have no doubt that there are plenty of new comers playing the Wii. The PS2 was similarly sold into many homes, but in a different fashion. When it was released, it was the cheapest and most fully functional DVD player on the market, which certainly expanded it's usefulness and desirability in other homes. I know that's the main reason my dad bought it for me (aside from being an awesome b-day present). The PS2 sold 140 million. I can guarantee you that at least some of those people ended up buying a Wii. Since from almost any standpoint but game selection, the Wii is the PS2 of this generation.

While the few doesn't represent the many, FWIW I know 3 families that went from PS2 to Wii.

@J T
You might have switched to PC, but I doubt those numbers are affected by people moving on to the PC. I think more people are buying a console than ever.
PC needs its own setup, a console you plug it INTO your already owned setup(tv). Technically buying anew console is cheaper, and it will live to play games for at least 6 years into the future, each and every game will run. PC needs constant upgrades either hardware or software which gets complicated even for a person who is tech savvy like me.

Console is easy plug and play. PC might fit you, but i don't think it fits most people out there. I am thinking of moving back to PC though.

Ok. First off, if you're tech savvy you'd know that nothing about owning a gaming PC is all that complicated. Every few years swap in a new graphics card and maybe every 4 swap in a new PSU and CPU and you're good. Software wise, OS's don't come around very often. A mid-high end PC built today will still run plenty of games just fine at similar details and specs as a console would over time. The GeForce 8800 came out years ago (5 or 6 at this point) and it's still supported by nearly every game that comes out.

While more people may be arguably playing consoles than ever before at this point, PC gaming has been growing a ton over the last few years in no small part to things like Steam which remove some of the "complicated" things related to PC gaming (patching and servers etc.). I think Steam has around 5 million users at this point, which is pretty crazy since there's certainly plenty of people who don't actually use Steam still and use things like GamersGate and Amazon.

[Erik_Twice]

Now people are arguing that casual gamers existed all along except they were buying ps2(why? Gamecube was much more casual if you ask me and family friendly) and now they switched to Wii? That doesn't make sense at all.

The PS2 had more appeal for all markets that the Gamecube. Your average Joe didn't even know Nintendo had another console and couldn't care less. How many people do you know that owned a gamecube back in the day? I bet you can count them with one hand. If people had a console during the last decade it was a PS2, hands down.

Not only it was the sequel to the most popular console of the previous gen, it had such a marketing force that it asfixiated the console with the most succesful launch ever. It was a DVD player, it was easily pirated and the main console developers were working on. In Spain, gaming became synonimous with the Playstation. All my three cousins had one, all my friends had one, everyone I knew that had a console had a PS2 with the exception of a couple Nintendo fanboys that don't even show in the radar.

The PS2 had the driving games. The PS2 had Guitar Hero, the Sport titles. It had GTA III and the Final Fantasies. The Gamecube didn't even compete in the same league, it received the scraps and the ugly ports. Nobody bought the Gamecube to play Super Mario Sunshine.

PC needs constant upgrades either hardware or software which gets complicated even for a person who is tech savvy like me.

Thinks PC needs constant upgrades

Calls himself tech savvy.

[ZenErik]

I upgrade my laptop every year, but it's certainly not necessary. Especially if you're making a mid-range gaming desktop.

[isiolia]

I upgrade my laptop every year, but it's certainly not necessary. Especially if you're making a mid-range gaming desktop.

Yeah, I'd say you can usually stretch a solid build for 4-5 years. Possibly more if you hold things to the same standards as consoles. Most hardware sites don't even benchmark at as low resolution as most natively run (usually 720p).

It's also dirt simple to integrate a PC into an "existing setup" these days. Some of us have had PCs in their living room for 10+ years...but most PCs have HDMI now (or can easily be adapted to it).

[Flake]

The Gamecube didn't even compete in the same league, it received the scraps and the ugly ports. Nobody bought the Gamecube to play Super Mario Sunshine.

It is fair to say the 'Cube got neglected relative to the Xbox and the PS2, but it hardly got "scraps". There is a pretty awesome collection of games for that little box of awesome.

The Cube met its fate through no fault of its own. Nintendo's alienation of third parties in the N64 era combined with Sony's mind-boggling success with the PS2 did the little purple guy in.

[Erik_Twice]

It is fair to say the 'Cube got neglected relative to the Xbox and the PS2, but it hardly got "scraps". There is a pretty awesome collection of games for that little box of awesome.

Well yes, but they are mostly Nintendo titles. As you say, Nintendo fucked the relation they had with third parties.

[Flake]

It is fair to say the 'Cube got neglected relative to the Xbox and the PS2, but it hardly got "scraps". There is a pretty awesome collection of games for that little box of awesome.

Well yes, but they are mostly Nintendo titles. As you say, Nintendo fucked the relation they had with third parties.

Not all Nintendo. The handful that they got from Capcom, Konami, Square, and a few others are pretty amazing. Nintendo also published a lot of games under their name that were developed by companies that were only barely associated with Nintendo.

In a sense, the 'Cube was the end of the days where Nintendo handled most of their development in-house.

The story of how Nintendo messed up so badly is really interesting. Broken promises, a rogue executive, and fighting between the American and Japanese sides of the company. Actually, it's oddly similar to Sega's demise.

[BoringSupreez]

Has anyone actually mentioned that VGChartz is kinda known for having skewed/inaccurate numbers?

True. I never quote their numbers.

One thing to consider about the sales numbers for this gen is that we have at least one more year in addition to the rest of this year before it's totally over. And even then, PS3 will sell a few million more after the PS4 is out.