Wii Sales Concerns

[molotovwars]

Well, if it makes a difference, I am just now getting ready to buy a Wii. So far none of the systems have had a system seller for me, no Wii Zelda yet, no Shenmue 3 on Xbox 360, and the PS3 has been one big disappointment (even though everyone says its improving). I want a 360 and I like a lot of Microsoft Live stuff for playing against friends and downloading arcade games, but I'm not really sure what games I would want for it. When I got to thinking about the Wii, it has the type of games I'd want to play, platformers. I'd be picking up Super Mario Galaxy and the Klonoa port, but also Zack & Wiki, Boom Blox, probably Mario Kart and maybe Mario Party. I've heard good things about Madworld, another game called de Blob and something about Goo. FPS are fun, but I wouldn't buy a system to play them.

[Ziggy]

The only reason I bought a Wii is for Mario Galaxy and Kart. As far as I'm concerned, if the system only played those two games, I'd be fine with that. And as far as the crap-ware goes, I wouldn't really say that's Nintendo's fault, it's not like they're making all the games for the system. Sure, they use to have more control over that type of thing then they do now. But you gotta realize, if the Wii is the most sold system, it's gonna be the system with the most crap-ware. Every one wants to get their shitty game behind the glass in Wal Mart so mothers can point at the pretty cover and say, "Look, little Jimmy, this game looks like fun." Also, don't forget, the Wii has a much broader market, which makes for all these silly games that are out for it. "Family fun" games, games that 5-year-olds and grandmothers like to play.

[elvis]

The Wii saw heaps of sales to mums and dads buying consoles for their kids. Considering the basic Xbox 360 unit is now cheaper than the Wii, and that there's buckets of kids games appearing on 360 (physical and download), Nintendo are going to lose the "cheapest console gets my dollars" market.

The whole point to the Wii when it was released was that Nintendo weren't going to fight Sony and Microsoft in a next-gen war, and were determined to release a reasonably priced console for people who couldn't afford (or didn't see the value in) a $600+ console. Well, they got that market day one. Fast forward a couple of years, and the Wii has barely dropped in price from release, compared to the 360 which has more than halved.

Yet everyone is surprised at how many people are buying today's cheaper console. Speaking as a guy with three kids and a mortgage, my spending habits are also based on "bang for buck", and if I were to buy a console today it'd be a 360 without question.

[otaku]

YEah my bestbuy had a mountain of wiis (almost as many PS3s and 360s though to) some of it is the economy and some of it is alot of people already have them. Now they need to work on getting lots of good games on the system and getting people to buy them (way too many people don't own games for wii)

[the7k]

Wii motion plus is an add on, and if it's anything that history has taught me it's that addons never do well regardless of how functional/good they really are. So this is one of those wait and see situations for me personally.

Yeah, pretty much this. This, in fact, was the whole reason they made the Wii a stand-alone console; originally the motion-cap controls were just going to be an add-on to the Gamecube, but Nintendo figured it wouldn't take off.

Any developer that would develop a game to use Motion Plus would have to realize that, at best, they're cutting their consumer targets in half. It's just not a good bet if you are looking to maximize profit.

[RCBH928]

Crap ware does not bother me on the Wii, what bothers me is lack of good games. Just compare the ratio of good:bad games on the wii with other consoles you will know what I mean. You can count the good games on the Wii and compare it to ps3/360 you will get the idea too. I think there were several attempts to make the Wii (and boy does it have an advantage with motion control) to have "hardcore" games but they almost all failed except for Nintendo's.

My explaination is this, all those who want to play serious games already chose a 360 or a ps3. The Wii guys are not the gamers we know, they are a new crowd that want to play interactive games.
THE REASON: This is the only explanation I can have for games like High School Musical and Hannah Montana beating games like Z&W, NMH, and MadWorld. On the other side of the fence, top games are always better VIDEO-GAMES. Gears, COD, GTA, and more.

btw: I went to VG chartz and I just found out that NMH and Z&W sold 0.4 million units. Is that enough to see sequels and games of the same caliber?

[brickiemart]

Wii-rage has been brutal this week, unusually so. I really turns me off to gaming. A few things I don't understand about the Wii's shovelware is why Wii-ragers don't blame the companies that produce it. I get shaking your head at Nintendo for filling game stores with a console that has the Imaginz series, but why does no one call out Ubisoft, Conspiracy Entertainment, or Destineer? But I agree the major problem with the Wii right now is the lack of killer titles. The Wii hasn't had an "It" game for a while. A game that all gamers can anticipate, (Punch Out may be one).

I’m waiting until E3 to see how Nintendo presents themselves before I draw any strong conclusions about the company. My predictions though are that the shovelware will decrease some and general quality of Wii titles will rise. Their sales may slow, but I don’t think they are going to go under. Slow Wii sales may just mean average compared to the other consoles. A lot of the doomsayers for the Wii I have read are people who just hate their new image and want to jump on anything they can which predicts their decline.

Personally, with Muramasa, Punch Out, and Sin and Punishment 2 coming out I’m glad I still have mine.

[Ack]

A lot of the doomsayers for the Wii I have read are people who just hate their new image and want to jump on anything they can which predicts their decline.

I think part of it is a general dislike that more people are playing games, because now when we mention our hobby, people with considerably less knowledge and less..."refined" tastes, for lack of a better word, are trying to talk to us about it.

[schi0249]

The last killer title I loved was Mario Kart. There have been a few great Wii Ware titles though. I enjoy the Wii. I like its originality. I just wish there were more A+ titles. I don't see doom and gloom. That's why I said Nintendo isn't going anywhere. However, at some point, the Wii fad will end. All fads end eventually. And when it does, Nintendo had better have something big up their sleeves.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

NES: The Wii of the 80's.
Snes: Solidified the commitment to quality software and hardware.
N64: Started getting cocky.
Gamecube: The shit hit the fan.

It's all just a cycle it's happened before, and it'll happen again just give it time.