How Nintendo Could Win It All

ElFozzie writes "In a huge piece on mobile gaming, Pocket Gamer reports on the latest battles in the handheld console market and reveals why Nintendo might just have the right strategy to win this war. From the article: 'Let's go back the beginning, the games. It's all about the games, Nintendo's faithful fans will argue, and the DS has great, mad and unique games where the PSP so far has, at best, competent-to-very-good PS2-lite fare. Yes, but it's not that simple. See, I was there in the mid '90s playing the genre-defining Mario 64 and the breathtaking Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, perhaps the two greatest games of their generation, on the Nintendo 64. And I remember Sony going on to win that war, and PlayStation becoming the de facto shorthand for 'video games'."

Comments

Heck....

[caffeinatedOnline]

With the way the Nintendo is marketing the Wii, they just might win the console war as well. Now mind you, I am not a Nintendo fan, haven't owned a system by them since the N64. I was one of those people standing out in line in the bitter cold when the 360 launched so I could have a chance to buy one. Now it sits in my entertainment system to occasionally be turned on to watch a DVD or smack down my wife/friends in a friendly game of DOA. It is all speculation on my part, but I will be buying a Wii as soon as I can, and can see it being used often, definitely more often then the 360. It is something that my 2 year old can play, my wife can play, my friends can play, and something that I would want to play. Throw in all the back catalog titles, and it might be used more then the cable box.

Re:Heck....

[apoc06]

I feel like I'm the only nay-sayer here, but I love and hate the hype behind the wii's virtual console.

It's great to be able to have instant access to nintendo's full first party backcatalog, a few third party games, and the sega and TG-16 stuff, but then what? Personally, I've had access to those for years now. They are great for a few hours, but not worth spending money buying. Worse yet, most of us have grown up buying nintendo games. Ultimately, some titles will have to be bought all over again. They are using the iTunes example for video games, however iTunes always had the ability to import your current CD collection. If I have a cartridge copy of Super Mario 64 and I want to play it on my wii, I dont want to have to pay $10-20 to buy it again.

Until nintendo comes up with some way to allow games already bought by a user to be provided free, or imported onto the wii, I feel like it's a black mark on an otherwise wonderful idea.

Re:Heck....

[AugstWest]

Well, I've got the whole media center thing, and I've got all of the NES/SNES content playable, as well as MAME and Intellivision and ColecoVision and just about any other console you can imagine. It's all on my old XBox, and it works flawlessly. DVD player? Yup. Media Center? Yup. DivX/XVid/AVI/MPG/MP4/RM content? Yup.

It's the single greatest device I've ever bought, and Microsoft had nothing to do with its greatness. Hell, they try to prevent it.

Re:Heck....

[Chris Burke]

They are using the iTunes example for video games, however iTunes always had the ability to import your current CD collection.

And your tape collection? And your vinyl and eight-track collection? Okay, if you had a tape/record/8-track player you could record onto your computer, encode, and then add it, but that requires compatible players and inputs, analgous to owning an older game console which you could just use instead, which brings me to the Wii virtual console:

How would this work? Without providing a way to insert a NES/SNES/N64 cartridges, the Wii itself won't be able to use your old games. So how would Nintendo know that you owned the old game? You probably don't have receipts or UPC symbols for the games... are you going to ship your old cartridges to Nintendo HQ? The shipping would cost almost as much as Nintendo has been quoting for their VC games.

It's a fine idea you have, but not really practical. Repurchasing content is fairly normal when moving to a new format especially when it drastically changes physical form factors. Compatability among multiple forms of cartridges isn't something that any console does; it only makes sense in the generations that have started to use optical disks. Nintendo seems to be offering very reasonable prices for old games -- I'd say $10 is a good price for anything N64 generation, and hopefully NES era games will be very cheap or come in bundles. I think it's unfair to call it a "black mark" that the Wii won't read your Mario64 cartridge. If that's really what you want, you should have kept your N64.

Re:Heck....

[nevergleam]

That price range was for games newly developed for the virtual console, not classic titles.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/711/711629p1.html

There's no confirmation yet as to prices of classic titles.

Some things that will help

[Dark Paladin]

I've been talking about this with my wife, who is actually interested in seeing the Wii in action (she's hooked on the Brain Games).

Some things that I think would help cement Nintendo:

1. DVD player - I believe word is that the DVD player aspects are a "plug in" - I'm assuming something like the original Xbox codec plug in device to enable DVD playback. Personally, I'd just as soon see it just built in - bite the bullet on the cost, Nintendo, and people will go "Hm - $200, and it plays games *and* my DVD movies", instead of "Hm - $200, but I have to spend another $30 to play movies? Eh."

2. Push the online gaming. While I'm a single player gaming whore, I still think that online is the way to go. I'm very disappointed that Tecmo is bringing Pangya Golf to the Wii, but not the online play! Maybe they feel it won't matter much, but I think the difference can be crucial. Nintendo should make it clear in cases like these that online play is to be built in - or the game doesn't get ported. I'm not saying they should make online play when it doesn't exist - but in clear cases like this, but the sucker in.

3. Advertise, advertise, advertise. Advertise the sports games during Oprah for exercise. Advertise "Red Steel" during "24" and such. Get the word out, and don't just show the game - show how people play it. Let people see that controller until there isn't a person in the world who doesn't go "Oh - that's that Wii thing - looks interesting."

We'll have to see what happens, but Nintendo could take back a lot of market. So far, I'd say their making a lot of the right moves.

Re:Some things that will help

[sirwired]

I'm not sure the ability to play DVD's makes any difference at all anymore. When you can buy an entire player from your local drugstore for $20 (on sale), I really don't think folks are going to avoid the Wii because it doesn't play DVD's right out of the box.

If 99.9% of the homes that will buy a Wii already have a DVD player, isn't it to everybody's advantage to not have to pay the licensing fees for yet another player?

SirWired

Re:Some things that will help

[Yahweh Doesn't Exist]

DVD player!? are you fucking kidding!?

why tax EVERYONE for such a non-feature?

who has a DVD collection but not a DVD player? who likes the idea of buying DVDs but hasn't bothered to get one yet? who can't buy a DVD player for about 10 big macs anyway? who thinks DVD playback is actually worth writing on the box, let alone comprimising an entire "it's all about fun games" business strategy and marketing campaign over?

omg. you're so wrong.

Re:Some things that will help

[Dark Paladin]

How many people want both a DVD player and a Wii on their entertainment unit?

Sure - I could go buy a $30 DVD player, but now I've got two pieces of electronics cluttering my home. Nintendo could offer to clear some of that up. Lord knows, most people I know want less electronics, not more.

Re:Some things that will help

[earthbound kid]

Speculation about the DVD player attachment follows:

Nintendo has said before the DVD player will be an attachment, which has made some people think it will be an entire external drive that plugs in. My theory is that there is a reason for this. Gamecube discs spin backwards from DVDs and CDs. This is one reason why almost no one has pirate Gamecube discs. Since the Wii is backwards compatible, it too will probably spin backwards for at least Gamecube discs and possible Wii ones as well. Accordingly, I think that the Wii's main drive will be entirely incapable of spinning in the usual direction as an anti-piracy measure, necessitating the external reader for DVDs.

It's a theory, that's all, but see if it doesn't turn out to be true.

Re:Some things that will help

[ElleyKitten]

1. DVD player - I believe word is that the DVD player aspects are a "plug in" - I'm assuming something like the original Xbox codec plug in device to enable DVD playback. Personally, I'd just as soon see it just built in - bite the bullet on the cost, Nintendo, and people will go "Hm - $200, and it plays games *and* my DVD movies", instead of "Hm - $200, but I have to spend another $30 to play movies? Eh."

Who's waiting for the Wii to come out to get a DVD player? Who is interested in the Wii is going to have a problem sliding their Wii next to their DVD player? If the Wii does have built in DVD player, who's going to throw out their current DVD player? The only people I know who might have problems fitting the Wii in their entertainment center are lacking space because they have ten other game systems shoved into it and will keep buying game systems even if they have to start hanging them from the ceiling.

Seriously, what is the big deal about DVD playback? Sure, it was cool back when the PS2 came out and no one had a DVD player, but now everyone does. Also, the reason the Wii is going to be so much cheaper than the PS3 and Xbox360 is because they're ignoring everything besides what will make fun games. DVD playback isn't nescessary for fun games. Not to mention, the DVD playback liscensing fees go to Sony (amoung others). Why should Nintendo send money to their competitor so that their product has a feature most won't use? I just don't get it.

Re:Some things that will help

[earthbound kid]

Well, I suck.

From the Wikipedia,

The Nintendo GameCube uses a unique storage medium, the GameCube Optical Disc, a proprietary format based on Matsushita's optical-disc technology; the discs are approximately 8 centimeters (3 1/8 inches) in diameter (considerably smaller than the 12 cm CDs or DVDs used in competitors' consoles), and the discs have a capacity of approximately 1.5 gigabytes. Contrary to popular belief, GameCube discs are not physically read any differently from a standard DVD disc, but are encrypted and contain a 'bar code' unreadable by most DVD drives. This move was mainly intended to prevent piracy of GCN titles, but like most anti-piracy technology, it was eventually cracked. By exploiting a flaw in Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II, users were able to connect their GameCubes to their PCs and run homebrew programming on the console.

Damn you, popular belief! *Shakes fist*

Not really...

[Zebai]

Actually I find the large assortment of Nintendo games available to be substandard junk. (Including the N64 and the new DS) there are a few great games for the systems, most of them available from Nintendo themself like Zelda, Mario, Nintendo Dogs, and other Nintendo produced titles. However the bread and butter of any console success is the popularity of 3rd party tittles, as this is what brings most of the money the console makers. Now lets take a look at the "good" titles of this new ds New Super Mario Bros Nintendo Dogs Metroid Hunters Animal Crossing Castlevania Mario & Luigi Partners in Time Mario Kart DS Get the point? most of these hit titles are directly produced by Nintendo itself. Nintendo 64 had the same problem but a much larger selection so just on a larger scale. What nintendo needs to do to win the upcomming console wars is to make 3rd party developing extremely friendly, make it so your console can play revolutionary new immersive games that people WANT to make for the Wii. Now this new console is going to be hard to predict, the new controller style is so new and quite innovative that it might create an entirely new market of games that wasnt previously available. And the most important thing is to DROP CARTRIDGES. They are the least unfriendly thing to 3rd party developing that they ever created, plus they are extremely limited in capacity. Playstation 1 had a great idea on its CD system that allows for multi disk gaming, allowing for the development of titles that had HUGE amount of content like Final Fantasy. I dont know about some of you but I've beat almost every nintendo DS title in less than a week. It took me 2 days to beat the new Super Mario Bros, and i was playing at my spare time at work (spent 3rd day unlocking secret levels).

That's a statistic I'd like to see expounded...

[lpangelrob]

In tie-ratio terms (for 2006 only)... DS owners are buying 3.5 pieces of software for every DS in Japan, while PSP owners are only buying an average of 1.2 each.

How does this work? Assuming a reasonable bell curve, I'm sure there are PSP owners in Japan with 8 games... what do the people that buy 0 or 1 games do with their PSP? Did the UMD format take off in Japan when I wasn't looking? What's going on?

Re:That's a statistic I'd like to see expounded...

[Dark Paladin]

I have 1 PSP game - "DJ Max Portable", and the rest of the time I use the emulation system. There are some games that are all right ("Dragon Fire III", which for some reason hasn't reached the US). But take a game like "Force Commander" - it's "Advance Wars DS" without a plot, and with pixelated muddy graphics. I tried it, decided "Hm, if I wanted to play Advance Wars on a smaller map with dingy graphics, I'd dirty up my DS screen".

I keep having hope for PSP titles, like "Blade Dancer", but I just haven't found one that really grabbed me - or that wasn't (like "Mega Man Hunter X") another remake (though I will buy "Valkyrie Profile", though I hear the PSP port was less than steller compared even to the PSX version).

Re:de facto shorthand for 'video games'.

[xtracto]

Believe it or no, for a lot of people that nintendo is aiming (those in their 40s, 50s or 60s), what you are doing while sitting in front of the TV with that strange controller is "playing Nintendo". My father is one of them, I myself grew up with NES and SNES (although I had a 2600 that my father bought when I was like 5 or 6 Y old, I palyed a bit).

I think Nintendo is still the sinonimous of video game, even between non gamers, and that is because in the NES era, there was nothing else*, just the Nintendo, unlike the Playstation era where you had 3 or 4 different systems making a real competition.

* I know there were the Segas, NECs and even NEO-GEOs, but for your parents, you where always going to "play the Nintendo" to your rich friend house (who happened to have the Neo-Geo)

Thid-party support is getting better

[LKM]

most of them available from Nintendo themself like Zelda, Mario, Nintendo Dogs, and other Nintendo produced titles.

The title is not "Nintendo Dogs". It's Nintendogs. Had you ever actually played it, you'd know this.

Now lets take a look at the "good" titles of this new ds New Super Mario Bros Nintendo Dogs Metroid Hunters Animal Crossing Castlevania Mario & Luigi Partners in Time Mario Kart DS Get the point? most of these hit titles are directly produced by Nintendo itself.

Castlevania isn't a Nintendo game. Why don't we talk about the awesome DS games from third-party developers? You've already mentioned Castlevania, but there's also Meteos, Sonic Rush, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Sk8land (at last a fresh Tony Hawk's game), Viewtiful Joe, Feel the Magic, Pac Pix or Trauma Center. Nintendo had trouble with third-party support on the N64 and on the Cube, but on the DS, it's changing, and they're investing a lot to get third-parties on board with the Wii.

Although I must admit that I do not care too much. It's great having third-party support, but I'd buy a Wii if only Nintendo made games for it: They're always top notch and a lot of fun.

DVD != HD

[norminator]

No DVD player supports HD. The HD support on the PS3 is for Blu-Ray, and Microsoft will have an HD-DVD addon for the XBox 360, but HD-DVD isn't really DVD anyhow. The Wii will support 480p, which is as much as you can say about any DVD player. Whether or not it supports HD has nothing to do with whether or not a DVD player is included.

Some people are saying that unlike when the PlayStation2 came out, everyone has a DVD player now, so noone needs that functionality. Well my DVD player (first one I've owned, besides my DVD-ROM drive) is making all sorts of funny noises, and may be on its way out. So if I can get a sweet game console that includes a DVD player, but is only as big as 3 DVD cases stacked, then that sounds like a great deal. I'd guess I'm not the only one in need of a DVD player replacement.

Nintendo fan after all?

[norminator]

I dont know about some of you but I've beat almost every nintendo DS title in less than a week. It took me 2 days to beat the new Super Mario Bros, and i was playing at my spare time at work (spent 3rd day unlocking secret levels).

For someone who complains about Nintendo a lot, you've sure spent plenty of time playing their games.

Re:It's like comparing apples and idiots

[Chris Burke]

How can you read an article that starts with the question of who will win the handheld console war and COMPLETELY FAIL TO MENTION THAT PSP's PLAY MOVIES!!!

Probably because everyone has completely failed to care that the PSP plays movies.

UMD movies anyway... Playing ripped movies may be a different story, though I'm not sure if that qualifies as something only 'power users' do, like booting Linux on a PS2. UMD though has turned out to have basically zero impact on the handheld wars. You're right it probably should have been mentioned, even if dismissed quickly.

Re:It's like comparing apples and idiots

[Nephroth]

Um... PSPs used to play movies. Sony has announced that the UMD movie format will be retired...

A practical breaking of the mold

[unconfused1]

Nintendo is finally breaking the mold in a practical way. Is the use of gyros in controllers new? Is the use of a remote control new? Is the use of wireless controllers, or networked games new? All of these are clearly "NO" answers. So, what is different?

Nintendo is making a very simple and approachable system, that is still elegant and versatile. Plus the departure from the two-handed, all-in-one controller that perpetuates games that are more about button-mashing then much else is a nice touch. The Wii's Wii-mote (remote) gives the player quite a bit more interactivity with the games, but still is simple enough to pick up with little prior knowledge of how to use it.

Clever and fun games is a big aspect of it too. A lot of PS2 and Xbox/Xbox360 games require a huge time investment, and can't easily be put down whenever the player would like without hurting progress. Obviously I'm speaking in general...and don't wish to get in an argument of which specific games I'm picking on. To be fair, there are a few games on Nintendo's platforms that have poor save-points.

CHEAPER. This is a huge one. Having a nice gaming system that provides fun and distraction, and is simple and elegant, but is also cheaper than everyone else is a big deal to me and most people. The Xbox360 decent system at $500 and the PS3 at $600 is pricey...especially with games for $60-70. At this point I would start to question why I just wouldn't by a Windows computer. So, $200-250 is pretty affordable, especially keeping titles at $50.

I love Nintendo's commitment to simple, elegant, and inexpensive systems...with clever and fun distractions and games. I'm happy they haven't gotten sucked into the contest that Sony and Microsoft are in with their systems.

Far reaching implications

[Dr. Eggman]

A Nintendo victory would have far reaching implications, well beyond just the console video games market imho. As a former SEGA fanboy (that part of me died the sad day SEGA announced they were leaving hardware) I have no love for Sony; nothing would please me more than to see blue ray fall flat on its face. Nintendo's current position in the 7th generation battle warms the cockles of my heart. As I see it, Sony has a lot riding on the success of the PS3. Significatly, they're main reasoning for including blue ray on the PS3 was to beat out HD DVD in the biggest advantage HD DVD had over blue ray, price point. That means a floundering PS3 hurts blue ray's chances against HD DVD, as well as (coupled with sliding UMD sales and a PSP encountering a far harsher market than expected,) forming as sort of trifecta of interrelated market failings. If demand for blue ray is less than expected, that could easliy translate back to less PS3 sales.

What's better is that this has implications for the other side of HD DVD and Microsoft's game console. We know that Microsoft will offer an HD DVD accessory, and while that may not be sufficient reason to buy an XBox 360, it will be advanced leverage for HD DVD in convincing any current XBox 360 owner to buy the HD DVD accessory over an excessivly expensive stand alone blue ray player or the still more expensive PS3 for its blue ray capabilities; at last count ~1.5million or so people world wide.

What does this have to do with Nintendo? Alot. As we know, Microsoft and Nintendo's systems together are still projected to be cheaper than the PS3 alone. This affects those who would buy as second console most of all. Rather than PS3, persons primarily concerned with gaming may choose Xbox 360 as their second console, adding to the number of persons who would find it logical to buy into HD DVD once they have HDTV (I assume that those concerned with games have a lower probability of owning HDTV than other concerned groups.) A resounding victory for Nintendo could bolster Microsoft sales into or tied with PS3 in second, effectivly neutralizing the blue ray PS3 advantage and instead giving an even better advantage to HD DVD. Even a minor victory could create an deadlocked tied between the three, yet still give some advantage to HD DVD.

Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are not only the warriors of the next console wars, but indeed key figures in a greater battle unparalleled in its depth compared to any battle before it, that I would call The Great Home Entertainment War!

Re:Wii're Gonna Fail

[uglysad]

Cut and paste much?

too many metaphors

[kisrael]

Nevertheless, for the first time since 1996, Sony looks to be fire-fighting, and not quite in control of the battleground. Not only is the shoe on Sony's foot, the company is on the back foot. Nintendo has its chance.

Wow. That's too many metaphors.
Fire-fighting
battleground
shoe on foot
competitor on back foot

Re:I don't like...

[aronc]

*pulls up GNC release list*
Lesse..

Metroid Prime 1 & 2
Resident Evil 4
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
(and no, i didn't die. But I did have fun, isn't that the point?)
Viewtiful Joe 1 & 2
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II
F-Zero GX
Super Smash Bros. Melee (series)
Pikmin 1 & 2
Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Animal Crossing
Ikaruga
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
Star Fox Assault
Sega Soccer Slam
Mario Power Tennis
Mario Golf
WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Game$

And that's just the exclusives or games that didn't hit other consoles for months. They got ports of probably 80%+ of the other major releases (EA sports, Prince of Persia, Soul Calibur, Tony Hawk, BG&E, Splinter Cell, X-men Legends, Spider-Man 2, Lego Star Wars, etc etc etc)

Re:I don't like...

[PhoenixFlare]

Yay, time to feed the troll!

Isn't anyone else ticked off at the fact that there are under 10 games worth owning for the Gamecube?

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/

There's at least 10, I could find at least 20 or 30, but you can do your own research. Likewise for the N64.

How about the miserable excuse they called WindWaker (did anyone actually die once playing through it?)

That "miserable excuse" sold millions of copies, and got almost universal acclaim from the majority of people that played it.

How about the crappy controller that makes it impossible to truly master Smash Bros Melee.

To be blunt, some of us actually have some skill. Personally, I can use the controller well enough to massacre the CPU players and people of medium skill, but i've seen other players that are far, far better. Try hunting down videos of tournament matches or Home Run Contest high scores sometime.

They named it the Wii, people. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

You say that like it's a bad thing. I also notice pretty much everyone has stopped the lame jokes about the name, except for whiny trolls like yourself.

For the next generation, I'm going to bet on the system that gave me the innovative and enjoyable games THIS time around, and it wasn't the Gamecube.

So don't buy one. Nintendo won't miss you, I promise.

You know how Nintendo can win the next generation war? GAMES.

He can be taught!

Re:I don't like...

[ArmyOfFun]

Isn't anyone else ticked off at the fact that there are under 10 games worth owning for the Gamecube?

WTF are you talking about? Here's the list of ~24 games I own that are exclusive to GC (all worth owning):
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
F-Zero GX
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Geist
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Luigi's Mansion
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Pikmin
Pikmin 2
Ribbit King
Star Fox Adventures
Star Fox: Assault
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
Super Mario Sunshine
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Tales of Symphonia
WarioWare, Inc.
Wave Race: Blue Storm

Here are GC games I own that are available on at least 1 other platform. Most are worth owning, though there are about 4 exceptions (*cough* "Muppets Party Cruise" *cough*):
Beyond Good & Evil
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Dead to Rights
GUN
The Hobbit
Killer 7
Peter Jackson's King Kong
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
Midway Arcade Treasures 2
Midway Arcade Treasures 3
Monopoly Party
Muppets Party Cruise
Resident Evil 4
Second Sight
The Simpsons Hit & Run
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Spyro: A Hero's Tail
Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly
Starsky & Hutch
Super Monkey Ball
Super Monkey Ball 2
TimeSplitters 2
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
True Crime: New York City
True Crime: Streets of LA
Turok: Evolution
Viewtiful Joe
Viewtiful Joe 2
X-Men Legends
XIII

Re:de facto shorthand for 'video games'.

[TechNin]

Because is it a Nintendo System and there are endless jokes that can be made here I have decided to call Nintendo's new console:

The Wii Nintendo Entertainment System

Or

The WiiNES

Re:Sales != "shipped"

[Rosebud128]

While this is true, people rely on the 'shipped' numbers only because it appears in the financial statements the companies send out to their shareholders. After all, these companies get their money from the retailers of where they shipped.

However, if someone took those financial statements at face value, they don't have a clue how those statements are to sell the company to the investors. In other words, those statements crafted for sales purposes. The bean-counters on GAF cannot tell the difference. One of the reasons why Sega was destroyed financially was because they believed those financial statements of shipped to retailers meaning actual sales. If a company does not find out how many systems are being sold to customers, they will have an accounting mess as occurred with the early days with the Saturn.

Here is the sales performance of the 7th Generation systems so far...

-Europe-

Xbox 360- Better than the original Xbox so far. This is the Xbox 360's true success so far in this region.

DS- Selling better in Europe than America. More popular in non-english speaking countries such as France. (Nintendogs is still in the top ten list there)

PSP- Selling well but behind the DS.

Conclusion- With Animal Crossing and Brain Age beginning to occupy the best seller lists (plus New Super Mario Brothers), and with the DS Lite coming out, the gap between the PSP and DS will only widen.

-America-

Xbox 360- Selling around the same number as the original Xbox so far. With only 1.7 million sold in America so far, Microsoft is wasting their year head start against Sony.

PSP- Sony has been very aggressive with the PSP in America with massive advertising, packaging the PSP with Daxter, and still the PSP sells around the same rate as the DS. The PSP software sold is about on par with most of the DS software.

DS- DS sales will, of course, go up due to the DS Lite. DS sales have been holding steady. The PSP versus DS war is actually very pathetic since both the PSP and DS are routinely outsold by the GBA. And to add insult to injury, both are outsold by the Gamecube. America is not very interested in handheld gaming apparently.

Conclusion: The DS and PSP are tied in America. However, Nintendo's handheld marketshare is around 70% due to the combination of the DS and GBA. If GBA owners upgrade to the DS, the DS will soundly sail past the PSP in this market.

-Japan-

Xbox 360- LOL. The Xbox 360 has flopped harder than the Xbox in Japan. Currently, it is battling it out with the Gamecube in sales there. The floppage of the Xbox 360 insures that Microsoft cannot win the console war.

PSP- Decent sales and beats the PS2. The software, however, has been atrocious. Japanese view the PSP as a media center, not as a games machine. The sales of Animal Crossing WW in Japan has outsold all the PSP software combined there.

DS- On fire. DS software dominates the best seller's list. DS hardware outsells the PSP from 10 to 1 to 5 to 1. Japan is where the handheld war is being won. The DS is the fastest selling system in Japan ever.

Conclusion: DS has reinvigorated the Japanese market. The American market is currently flat and stagnant. To give you an idea, last month, the Xbox 360 sold around 200,000 consoles in America. In Japan, 100,000 DSes were sold last WEEK. In the week before that, it was 300,000.

Obviously, the shipped of PSP and DS don't equal the number of sold. The DS is beating the PSP by miles in Japan. The DS is ahead of the PSP in Europe. In America, it is tied, but the American market right now is flat and the GBA sales are higher than either handheld.

The real power behind the console...

[Rosebud128]

...is in its library. The best selling consoles always have the largest libraries. Take any generation of any console or handheld, and you will find this to be true. Even the Gameboy, with four shades of green, outsold competitors like Atari and Sega with color handhelds. Why? Because the Gameboy had a superior gaming library.

The PS1 and PS2 outsold its competition due to its superior library. No one gives a damn about the hardware. If the PS2 broke down, people would buy another because of their gaming library.

The DS is outselling the PSP because... of its library. The PSP library is not exactly diverse or as interesting. More importantly, the DS's library hits more demographics than the PSP does (thanks to the Brain games, to Nintendogs, and the rest). PSP's software keeps hitting the same demographic. Since handhelds do not follow the console cycles, whoever wins the handheld war will be the victor for probably the next ten years.

The victor of the console war will be the one with the largest library? Which console had the most playable games at E3 this year? Nintendo. Which console will have the most available software upon launch? Most likely, Nintendo.

Nintendo's dirty little secret is that, not only has the company completely restructured in the last few years, Nintendo has been expanding their software development studios like crazy in both Japan and America. Nintendo intends to flood the market with quality content.

Xbox 360 and PS3 have a big strike against them with software creation. By jumping on the HD bandwagon, their games will take more time to be made, are riskier to make, require bigger teams, and are much more expensive. The Wii is extroadinarily cheap to develop for. The Wii's development kit costs around $2000, cheaper than even the PSP's.

The fact is that third parties are interested in making money, not playing fan boy. The Wii is very attractive to publishers as it represents a low cost revenue stream which is desperately needed today. The Wii is very attractive to developers because of the controller and the innovation it allows.

The Wii will end up putting out more software, on a faster basis, than either Sony and Microsoft's machiens. Even worse for them, the Wii attempts to have the largest gaming library ever with the NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, and Turbographix 16 games on the Virtual Console.

No one cares about the console itself. People care about the library. People buy the PS2 today not because they like Sony but because it gives them access to a large game library. Nintendo realizes that with the N64 and Gamecube, they were competing too much on a hardware basis. Now, Nintendo is focusing and investing heavily in the software.

Then, add in the vast price differences of a $600 machine, $400 machine, and a less than $250 machine. Nintendo is definately re-surging. The most comical part is if Nintendo does take the top spot, analysts will have so much egg on their faces. It was only a year or two ago when people were asking if Nintendo would leave the console business...