Despite "Wii Elbow" Nintendo Wins Media

It was only a couple days ago, on that glorious Saturday (how I hate these manic Mondays) that we reported on Wii's outselling of the Playstation 3 via eBay.  Considering the number of units available for both, that isn't particularly surprising.  Frankly, more shocking may be the mainstream media's take on each console's launch, with most major dailies praising the Nintendo Wii and shaking a stern finger at Sony's highly-hyped machine.  Very bad PS3, very, very bad.

USA Today bluntly states that, according to gamers, "Wii has PS3 beat".  That publication comes to such findings because of the refreshing qualities introduced by Nintendo's motion sensitive controller, and a general lack of super duper fun titles for Sony's Playstation 3.

Entertainment Weekly, which generally ignores the gaming market in order to cover the latest movie and television news, has added its two cents as well.  EW covered the console launch using its popular grading scheme, giving the Wii a B+ and PS3 a B.  Interestingly enough, EW heaps praises on the Xbox 360, giving Microsoft's year-old console an impressive A-.

A more accurate (and informed) appraisal may come from Wired News, who proclaim that the "PS3 packs promise, but lacks punch".  That may be the best way of putting Sony's launch, for although there's no "killer app" at the moment, you can bet the PS3 will grow in the next six to eight months.

That's the key.  Where will these consoles stand in a few months (or years)?  It's really quite possible that developers will, by that point, have learned the nuances of working with the powerful PS3, and will be churning out visually stunning titles.  The Wii, on the other hand, may be subject to only a few games that can truly get the most out of its motion sensor controller.  It may also begin to look dated with its backwards technology.

Only time will tell.

6 comments
Posted by Brando on December 9,2006 at 8:44 PM
Hey, some good points.  But, some pretty questionable comments made in the heat of battle, too.  For one, we're not looking to make this a debate on automobile or gas prices.  

Second, it's tough to imagine what Sony and Microsoft would have done with a $250 console.  Who cares.  That's not what happened, and so we'll deal with what's in front of us.  

Third, it's hard to classify the gameplay that can be found on the 360 or PS3 as "button mashing".  Unless you're referring to Dead or Alive 4, that's an inaccurate statement.  We've been very impressed with the tricks Microsoft has been doing with its right thumbstick, in titles like Madden 07 and NHL 07.  Both games prove that innovations with the technology at hand - in addition to phenomenal graphics - are arguably far more immersive than motion sensitivity.

But, that's playing devil's advocate.  There are great reasons to own any of the consoles available, and each in their own way are contributing to the growth of the industry.

For more on the Wii, keep checking back as our in-depth look at the system nears.

Oh, and I'll take that hundred.
Posted by intrigid on December 9,2006 at 8:06 PM
If a "weak motor under the hood" were truly a grave disadvantage, then we would all be driving SUVs, Half-Tons, and BMWs. While the graphics discrepancy is significant, the price discrepancy is even more significant. If Microsoft and Sony had both produced $250 game consoles (which is a price often referred to as the "sweet spot" in terms of marketability), then what would the discrepancy look like? Beyond that, if they all had produced $250 consoles, would Sony and Microsoft have any hope at all of competing with slightly better graphics and vastly inferior game control technology? And how many people really wish to pay double what they paid 5 years ago for a top-of-the-line game console? By shifting from a mainstream game console to a luxury game console, Sony is eliminating a large portion of its potential market.

And even a couple of years from now, when the Wii's lower-priced technology does start to become more obvious, which people, exactly, will really bring themselves to abandon it? Other than the Nintendo, who exactly will be providing the near virtual-reality style of play that the Wii Remote can provide? The gamers who are addicted to the three-dimensional free-space ultra-precise controls of the Wii -- will they really be satisfied going back to the archaic two-dimensional thumb-joysticks and button mashing that belong to the 360 and PS3? If I were a betting man, I would put a hundred-spot on the table and say no.
Posted by Brando on December 9,2006 at 5:34 PM
If you'd take a closer look, it'd become clear that we're referring to the Wii's graphics as evidence of "backwards technology".  For anyone who's played both Microsoft Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 AND the Wii, you're well aware that the graphical differences are immense.  It's now popular to say "that's not what matters", but the disparity is massive enough that it could very well mean gameplay is affected as the more powerful systems grow.  The Wii will too - but can the weak motor under its hood allow Nintendo's console to stay in the race?
Posted by intrigid on December 9,2006 at 5:13 PM
The comment referring to the Wii as "backwards technology" is just about the most ridiculous comment I've heard through the entire next-gen-console craze. The controller literally adds another dimension to play control, making it arguably the most high-tech device to hit toy stores. The PS3 is evolutionary technology. The Wii is disruptive technology.
Posted by wii-tard on December 4,2006 at 1:12 PM
You seem quite optimistic about the future PS3, and at the same time you seem utterly pessimistic about the future of the Wii. The PS3 is spoken of with nothing but positive speculation, the Wii with nothing but negative speculation. Are you sure you aren't just as guilty of media bias as the news sources you admonish? While the Wii is no powerhouse like the 360 or the PS3, the Wii is generally more powerful than all previous generation consoles. How is this backwards technology? I find it hard to believe that an honest (and informed) person couldn't see that the Wii is the most radical system out there and the system with the greatest untapped potential. The 360 and PS3 are simply business as usual. The real reason the Wii is a media darling is because it has mass market appeal. In the next-gen console war people are going to be picking between the 360 or the PS3. A small percentage will buy both ... but everybody is going to wish they had a Wii.
Posted by Daniel Griswold on December 4,2006 at 10:33 AM
I agree that only time will tell who will win, but we can also look to history and see what an innovative control scheme and the same committed company can do.  If we look at the success of the Nintendo DS vs. the Sony PSP we see a parallel.  30 million units of DS have been sold to 16 million PSP's.  The DS got the same line, "could be gimmicky, but only time will tell" and the great games flowed.  The PSP went on to receive the stigma of just being a PS2 port machine, and no one wants to buy the same game twice.  So Nintendo created new gaming brands and rejuvinated old ones (Brain Age and Nintendogs, New Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart, Metroid, and Star Fox), while the numbers of units sold convinced third parties to take to the system (Final Fantasy III, Secret of Mana).  
The Wii will most likely be the same.  We see that it has sold almost 1,200,000 consoles already, and Nintendo claims to have 4 million ready to be sold for the end of the year.  Sony only has 350,000 units sold so far of the PS3 and it is 250 dollars more than the Wii.   The contingent notion that Nintendo must continue to release great games for the Wii is already confirmed, as Super Smash Bros, Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Animal Crossing, and Harvest Moon will be coming out in the next year.  Nintendo probably has a few surprises as well, and Project H.A.M.M.E.R. and Day of Disaster look to make new franchises to bring in hardcore gamers.  The picture is bright, and I don't think that Sony can turn that around even with bright and innovative games.  The PSP looks great now, but the DS has the momentum.  Sometimes, smaller and lighter means marketability.  I don't think that Sony gets this.