The very steep decline of the Wii

[MrPopo]

lets be honest, Wii's technology is really 2001 technology and you expect that system to stay well and alive all the way into 2012? That is like asking Snes to compete against ps2. The only advantage it has is motion control and I think other manufacturers are catching up.

I personally think the SNES COULD compete with the PS2 if developers were onboard with it. During the transition to the PS1 you had the 3D revolution that meant that many people were seeing 2D as dead, and it wouldn't have survived. But if a bunch of big name devs had started making SNES games around the time of the PS2 I wonder how well it would have done (also assume Nintend started producing the hardware again). That was around the time of the GBA, which showed that 2D titles of SNES quality could do quite well if you gave them a chance. Of course, there is a difference between a handheld and a console; I'm just saying it would have been an interesting competition.

[Niode]

It's all well and good saying that the Wii is underpowered or doesn't play the latest media formats and is not an all singing all dancing media system. The thing is these features that are apparently necessary mean absolutely 0 to the people who the Wii is marketed at. The average consumer. Not gaming enthusiasts and not the tech-savvy. These people have bought the Wii in droves, because it's a simple design, small enough to fit into any current TV set up.

These people don't have a clue what a gigabyte is and they care even less, they don't know about storage limits, they don't understand the difference between SD and HD half the time. Hence the masses of people who upgraded to a HD TV because of the improved quality but steadfastly use SD sources with it, therefore getting a worse experience than they were before. Only 1 person I know with a Wii actually uses the component cable with it, and it was me who told them to get one because it improves the quality.

For a lot of people the Wii is their first console, and their first foray into gaming, they don't see it as a console and they certainly don't know what to expect from gaming in general. Ask anyone who isn't a gamer but own a Wii about the other consoles and they'll tell you three things, they're too complicated, they're too expensive and they don't like those kinds of games. For them, the Wii is just another form of entertainment, like reading a book or watching a film. They don't game, they play Nintendo, and that brand is what they understand as something to have fun with, something they can pick up and put down when they feel like it. It doesn't matter that the only games they have are Carnival Games, Big Beach Sports, Wii Sports and Mario Kart. And that these minigame compilations (aside from MK) would be considered shovel-ware to normal gamers and have primitive control schemes. They don't care, they pop the game in and have fun for an hour or so.

For the mass consumer the Wii is just another piece of equipment that is seen as necessary to have. Another mod-con. As necessary for a 21st Century life as a toaster or a kettle is.

[ZeroAX]

Imo the Wii proved what video games REALLY are.

they are not art, they are like board games. Games, with many different ways to play, each with it's own rules, and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

[MrPopo]

Imo the Wii proved what video games REALLY are.

they are not art, they are like board games. Games, with many different ways to play, each with it's own rules, and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

And they run the gamut from Candyland to Diplomacy.

[tcpballa93]

Imo the Wii proved what video games REALLY are.

they are not art, they are like board games. Games, with many different ways to play, each with it's own rules, and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Games CAN be art, look at shadow of the colossus and such, but they also must be fun. Games are not just meant to be pretty things to look at, they are meant to be played and as such need to be fun.

[ejamer]

A lot of you are talking that future proof is a lie. The way i see it is that when the price of ps3 turns to $200 and it plays blue-ray, will have motion control, huge hard drive, and online I don't see how many people won't jump shift. That is future proof. Unless Nintendo want the whole 50+ million people to rebuy the Wii just for those updates.

But when will the price of the PS3 hit $200? I've been enjoying my Wii for several years now, and will probably enjoy it a couple more before seeing a $200 PS3 on sale. By that time, Nintendo will likely have an updated console on the way that is also sub-$300... but (hopefully) with the improvements and updates required to make it a better choice than the aging PS3. I'll have the latest and greatest system on my shelf, and will have still paid less total cash than a launch PS3 required years ago.

However, if Nintendo tries to up-sell me a HD version of Wii I'm simply not buying. It will take something more than HD output and a hard drive to convince me to shell out more cash. In that case I'm much better off grabbing the PS3!

This is just my opinion, so it doesn't mean much and isn't statistically significant in any way.

Saying PES is better on Wii is a huge statement. I will have to look into it, if it really plays better I do not see them touching ps3 again. I do not think they notice difference in graphics between ps2-3, thats how much it doesn't matter to them.

Not everyone prefers it but I think that PES on Wii was a true revolution for the series. You use the nunchuck to control a player, and use the pointer to move other players around on the screen, telling them where you want to pass and what they should do. This ability to control two people and set up plays takes a little effort to learn, but gives amazing results once you get over the curve.

I'm not trashing PES on PS3/360, but find that those games are more about small gameplay tweaks with graphical updates. PES on Wii is changed at a much more interesting level, and I think represents one of the best uses of the Wii remote so far for sports gaming.

Check the Metacritic ratings for Wi/PS3/360 over the past couple of releases. Rent or borrow the game if you can. Try it out and see what you think!

[eastside]

Inazuma, I appreciate and agree with the sentiment behind your post. Thanks.

Everyone, please, Wii is not declining from market saturation. PS2 has sold 140 Million consoles worldwide (100 Million plus at the end of its generation), so Wii at 50 million has not saturated the market. The fact that PS2 sales grew in its third year where as Wii has sharply declined further supports that.

Wii is suffering from a decline of its fad and its gimmick. Sacrificing quality for short term profits = long term declines in profitability and market share and that is exactly what you are seeing with Wii and Nintendo.

Wii is the worst thing to happen to gaming and thankfully PS3 and 360 will be able to make a corrective turn in the right direction as the market reverts back to core gamers.

[ZeroAX]

Inazuma, I appreciate and agree with the sentiment behind your post. Thanks.

Everyone, please, Wii is not declining from market saturation. PS2 has sold 140 Million consoles worldwide (100 Million plus at the end of its generation), so Wii at 50 million has not saturated the market. The fact that PS2 sales grew in its third year where as Wii has sharply declined further supports that.

Wii is suffering from a decline of its fad and its gimmick. Sacrificing quality for short term profits = long term declines in profitability and market share and that is exactly what you are seeing with Wii and Nintendo.

Wii is the worst thing to happen to gaming and thankfully PS3 and 360 will be able to make a corrective turn in the right direction as the market reverts back to core gamers.

wow. did the wii make the little fanboy cry?

I'm sorry but your arguments are completely unsupported.

The Wii has to battle a freaking world economic crisis, which if I remember right, the ps2 did not.

also if you hate the wii motion "fad" (personally I love it, despite the fact I also love my ps3) I hate to break it to your buddy, but Sony and Microsoft are also joining in (see the ps3 wand and natal)

[RCBH928]

I started to build more respect for the Wii after I found that there is an Overlord version. Not that Overlord is a game that will make or break the Wii but I am starting to find variety hidden in the Wii's library.

The media seems to concentrate on Wii Music and the like

[NeoTechni]

Look at it in terms of console sales:

Wii: roughly 53 million
360: roughly 31 million
PS3: roughly 27 million

Sales are not what makes a system fun. Neither does how much profit a company makes.

I liked gamecube. I liked dreamcast. The fact that they sold poorest last gen had no influence on how much fun they were. I loved the XBOX, the fact that it lost MS money had no influence on... PS3 and PSP are my favorite systems, the fact that they sold poorest of their class means nothing.

If anything, selling poorly makes systems better. Their makers fight that much harder to make it better to get back the sales. Conversely, selling better has made DS/Wii horrible systems.