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The Wii Takes NYC
The news came in late from Japan, with details on the North American launch. This morning, Nintendo's New York press conference expanded our understanding of what's going to be happening on November 19th. 1up has coverage of the event, as well as Japan's virtual console pricing, the opening lineup details for Japan, and news that the ex-FFXII director is excited about the Wii. Hopefully this will mean innovative support of the platform by Square/Enix. Over at Gamespot, they have their own conference coverage, as well as a rundown on the system's media functionality and first-hand comments from the engineers that built it. Finally, for a bit of analysis, Next Generation explores what the return of the pack-in (the inclusion of Wii Sports with the console) means for the industry at large.
So with the weather channel, news channel, internet browser and picture viewer/editor, Nintendo's goal is to rope totally-non-geeky people to buy something that does what a PC does better, but that's easy to use and affordable. Then, if mom of grampa wants to try out a game, it's just a click away.
Can't say how it will turn out as my crystal ball is at the dry cleaner's, but I think this could work. I mean, I don't live in a very tech-literate country (france), but I know more than a few people who'd want to give the "digital lifestyle" a try. And yeah, I know peter moore coined that term first.
As a casual gamer, I can't say I care about those addons. Hey, it's free, and it could be good, but it also means some people were out coding this instead of a mario game. But it's an interesting strategy nonetheless.
Another way to look at the $250 price. The extra 50 dollars is a lifetime of free "Live" service for the Wii, instead of just a year. Oh, and the North America part of www.wii.com is up now.
Is it just me, or do you hate it when people say "Is it just me..."?
Capitalizing on just how hip irony is, they create a virtual version of Samuel L. Jackson. After character creation, you can transfer your "Mii" to your Wii-remote, so that you can take them with you wherever you go.
Can Snakes on a Wii be one step closer to a reality?
The pack-in analysis is kinda interesting.
... and once you're in a buying pattern...
If they enjoy Wii and Wii Sports for a few weeks, and then allow it to gather dust, like so many other toys, the company's gambit will have failed, and it will need to fight it out as an also-ran third place player.
Well, it's a risk I guess. But I imagine that anyone vaguely social who bought the basic Wii package on its own, would be out buying one or more extra controllers very shortly thereafter. It looks like a game that cries out to be played multiplayer.
This stuff is great. Seriously. I like that they are doing this.
However. I never, EVER want to hear from the Nintendo fanboys about how their favourite console eschews all the 'useless bells and whistles' to focus with laserlike intensity on pure gameplay.
Obviously not. They are as eager to pack on the feature-creep as Sony and MS.
(and to reiterate - i like these features, and I have defended Sony and MS for them. Just stating the common N-fan counterargument is that it was all extra fluff that distracted from the point of the thing.)
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
What backlash? Could you give us some examples of this backlash you are talking about. As far as I, and a lot of other people are concerned, this is a good price. You get the Wii onec controller and a game for half the price of the base PS3. Ad on another controller+numchuck and 4 more games and you're still only equalling the price of the base PS3. The only way I could see this backfiring is if Micrsoft announces a 360 price drop, but I son't see that happen. They may put out a holiday bundle but I don't see a price drop coming any time soon.
Just to make sure everyone noticed, wii.com just updated to English too.
How to use coral cache: http://slashdot.org.nyud.net:8090/~oscartheduck
I honestly think that if Nintendo had released at a $200 price tag they would have simply covered every gamer out there, as well as the broader audience that they are shooting for. At $250 its so easy to say "well... I could drop an extra $50 and buy a xbox 360 core system" (even though its a striped down hunk of junk compared to its real older brother)
So the thing I'm curious about is if they are trying to do this in order to make bank on the release. (Nintendo always tries to turn a profit on the console as well as the games. What an insane business model) and then once the period where they sell out instantly every time a shipment comes in is over they will drop the price, hopefully causing another huge wave of adoption.
Wii (w/game and controller) - $250
3 Extra Wiimotes - $120
1 Extra Nunchuk - $20
2 Retro Controllers - $40
Rayman - $50
Excite Truck - $50
Zelda - $50
2000 points for the VC - $20
Total $600, the same price as the PS3 with nothing extra.
I think the $250 is the right price. If it was priced under $200 it wouldn't seem next-gen at all, but looking at the specs they couldn't charge much more than $200 with a straight face. Bundling a game makes the Wii seem like a good value when it's sitting next to the still more expensive yet stupidly stripped down 360 core and $500 PS3. If your kid decides he wants a 360 you have a minimum of $450(premium + game) and I doubt many parents will even have the option to pick up a PS3.
Personally I don't see what the big fuss about a $100 difference between the 360 and PS3 is all about, and I don't think the buying public will think it's a big deal either. The 360 and PS3 are both in the "damn pricey for a toy" category, while the Wii falls into the "pricey for a toy" category. If you already have a HD TV I think the $600 PS3 looks like a deal since you can use it to watch HD movies.
I forsee myself as being the exact demographic that Nintendo wants. People that don't have the time to play lots and lots of games, but still need something to distract them every now and then. People like me (Or at least me, I can't speak for others) don't necessarly want to spend a load of money on something that HAS to be cutting edge to find a nice distraction from studying, work, etc. But rather something that provides a nice distraction, is fun to play and isn't overly complex (Unless I want it to be, like an RPG or something). I bought a DS and I love it. Yesterday during a study break I played Electroplankton (More or less a musical toy than a game), and for about 15 minutes I put on my headphones and I was in a nice fun little zone of happy. It was fun, and after the 15 minutes were up I went back to studying. I could have played it longer if I wanted, but I chose not to, and in a little dose like that I was perfectly happy. Will the Wii take a similar approach? I realize that the success of the DS doesn't mean the Wii will be successful, but if Nintendo can provide people like me with a nice little distraction that refreshes me, then I think I know where I'll be spending my money. (And if I don't buy a Wii, there are lots of old PS2 games I never played, and they are going into the bargin bin once the new consoles roll around). Either way, I will find myself a distraction. If Nintendo does things right (And I test a Wii), they'll have me too.
A little bummebed though that MP3 is not a launch title :(
Yeah...but it'll be nothing compared to the wait for OGG...
(ducks)
US will get the Wii November 19th.
Japan will get it December 2nd.
Now figure that one out.
I notice that a lot of people seem to compare the Wii's price to that of the PS3... Yes the PS3 is *very* expensive, but the x-box 360 core isn't much more than the Wii..
...
The core you say? But thats crap, it's missing so much! It depends, if you compare it to the Wii (games aside), the controller is (more or less) all that the 360 doesn't have (this is of course a big lacking), on the other hand the 360 has pretty impressive horse power (games like dead rising show how horse power when properly applied can be more than just nice graphics, getting all of those zombies on one screen requires some oomph).
So is the price really that amazing? The Wii is nothing special hardware wise, sure Nintendo is taking a profit, good for them, and MS makes a loss on the 360, but what does the consumer care? All they see is $250 vs $300...
Now what about the controllers? You have to buy the parts *seperate?*... Being in australia that $20 and $40 will probably be a sales price of $95 AUD total... That is almost twice what we were paying for game cube controllers.. How can you justify that? Sure the controllers are innovative, but then again as mentioned the 360 is powerful, loss or profit aside, the public sees the price. Really tho, just how much can it cost to make a controller?..
As a small credentials check, I have owned just about every nintendo platform there is (virtual boy aside...), so I definately don't want to bash them, but really, as someone who is approaching the Wii from a gamers perspective, I have to wonder if it is all it is really cracked up to be. $250 is cheap for this generation, but it is still a lot of money, the game cube launched for $200, 5 years ago (to yesterday), and the Wii's hardware isnt *that* far ahead of it, I would have thought that it could all be manufactured for much less.. Well, I am sure it is, but Nintendo really is being a little greedy here
As a final note, maybe its worth it, as in one of their major markets (japan), and hell, in europe, they really are only competing against the PS3 unless some major things change with the 360. Being in a country with US like tastes (finding game cube games here in australia is hard, EB is about all that stock them these days), it is frustrating...
Q: How many games will support Widescreen aspect ratio and how would you compare the visuals to other next-gen systems?
A: Most titles will support widescreen. Nintendo has a different paradigm for what turns on the consumer. "If you want power, you're going to go somewhere else."
How many other companies would be as forthright as this? Nintendo friggin rocks. As I was playing Monkey Island 2 with SCUMMVM last night I realized how little cutting-edge graphics matter in the construction of an outstanding game. I haven't been this excited about a console since the SNES. I'm getting in on the ground floor with an extra wiimote and Warioware.
Cuz the kotaku thread got out of hand. Too many clueless people. Here's my take on the launch:
:\ ) What they also do is avoid being over-shadowed by the PS3 launch (say if they were to launch a few days before the PS3).
:) I'm sure they contemplated $199, $229, but decided for launch, they could probably get people to pay $249, but they'll also include a game. That's a business decision, which for the most part makes sense. It'll probably sell out at launch anyhow.
.. wifi. Take a look at the cost of the wifi adapter for the 360. Now let's do some stupid math (as people generally like to do when comparing apples to oranges) and deduct the cost of a 360 wifi adapter ($100+!) from the Wii. That makes the Wii console $150. Wait, it still comes with a game. The game won't be full priced (as confirmed by the Japanese press conference last night). So say $25 for the game. That brings the console down to $125. Less than half the price of the 360?! See, I can do stupid math too! :) My point is, $250 pricing should have been expected, and I myself was predicting $249 with 2 controllers and Wii Sports. I Was close. The price is fine. It's still $50 cheaper and comes with a game. THAT'S what non-gamers will see. ("Wow, this system is newer AND it's cheaper AND it comes with a game!")
1) The date. Everyone was hoping for an early release (me included!) but I'm assuming the business strategy is to go after the poor schmucks that won't be able to get a PS3. The PS3 launches only 2 days before it, and there will be VERY few of them. (Half of which will be bought up by people only to be put up on ebay
2) a) Pricing. They said it would be under $250. When companies say that, it'll probably be $249.99. Which it basically is
2) b) For those of you saying "$250? Pshaw, XBOX 360 Core is only $300. People will think it's only $50 more and buy a 360". Right, let's compare a 360 Core system that comes with nothing. To a system that comes with a game, and ahem
AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
Of the multitude of links, there wasn't one to Next Gen's summary. Here's a further condensed report:
...
$250 : main system, 1 Wii-mote, 1 nunchucks, Wii Sports
$40 : extra Wii-motes
$20 : extra nunchucks
$50 or less : new Nintendo made games (no cap on third-party games)
$5 : downloadable NES games
$8 : downloadable SNES games
$10 : downloadable N64 games
$?? : Opera browser
and the gamecube version of Zelda:TS will come out ~3 weeks after the Wii version; Metroid Prime 3, not 'till 2007.
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
For anyone that hasn't yet done it, check out the Nintendo Wii page and watch the demo videos of the system interface. Amazing stuff and surprisingly intuitive. Combined with a decent web browser, this could not only be a killer game console, but could well be that perfect balance between entertainment center and household information hub.
8==8 Bones 8==8
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
There is no "Wired" version of the Wiimote. The Wiimote always has the OPTION of being wired incase of signal problems or there being a lot of wiimotes in the same room (as was the case at the game conferences).
Hopefully I'm not bashing anyone because obviously its just how i feel. But the Wii is the console I really really want my friends to buy. I want to go over there and I want to sword fight for an hour and then I want to come home and settle into some Dead Rising on my 360... and heres why.
I think the wii-mote is a really cool idea. Similar to ideas in the past, the power-glove, the fishing-rod, the gun. But so much more so and can definitely be used in interesting ways. My apparent (i haven't touched anything yet) problem with it is that when i want to play video games I want to sit down on my couch, put my feet up and unwind. I fear that with the wii-mote you'll be forced to move around! Oh no. What if i just want to sit there but the sword game I'm playing requires me to be all active and crap.
Eh maybe it won't be a problem, but as i said, I really want my friends to get one.
Do people realize that you WILL be able to use a NORMAL controller for the games too? So even if the wiimote stinks, the system will still be a good buy. If the wiimote gets old, or tiring, or even if it doesn't work right... it's not going to be the only control option!
so... I know this is really jumping the gun... BUT how possible do you think using the Wii as a music/video player would be? Couldn't you just stream it through opera from a local apache server or something... and hell they've already said opera will support ajax, maybe you could look pretty doin' it. Just a thought.
Well, the noises they've made is that it'll be out at about the same time as Japan and the US (I think it was something like they wanted a release worldwide within about 14 weeks, which gives Febuary as about the latest date). But I won't believe it until they're actually on sale at my local Woolworth's. The fact Nintendo are holding a press event tomorrow is a good sign I'd guess, unless it's just to laugh at us.
As for price, a $1:£1 conversion would make the Wii (at £250) more expensive than the Xbox 360 Crap Pack (£200), and only £30 cheaper than the proper Xbox 360 (£280). I think the range goes from about £150 (a rough $-£ conversion with added VAT) to £200 (I doubt they want it more expensive than the 360), I'd be inclined to go around £170ish.
10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
20 GOTO 10
Wii to be region-free
This thing is starting to look like it has all the ingredients to be a big success.
The 360 Core is the closest competition to the Wii in terms of price. The 360 has more power going for it (and can play DVD movies), but let's compare what you don't get with the core, and you DO get with the Wii.
The Unique controler you touched on.
Wi-fi built in. No adapter needed.
Free online multiplayer.
Save games (the Wii has internal flash memory for the Saves, with the core you need to buy an additional memory card or HDD)
SD-Slot for slideshows/ video.
A game included (with 5 casual games in the package)
Hardware Based Backwords compatibility (100% BC with GC games, controllers and Memory cards)
The Wii has everything you need 'out of the box' to start playing (for $250). The 360 Core, does not. It may look cheaper on the shelf, but once you add it together you're over $400 to play a game anyway.
Ok, I'll bite...
To use your comparison
Wii (w/game, controller, built in WiFi, and memory card access) - $250
3 Extra Wiimotes - $120
1 Extra Nunchuk - $20
2 Retro Controllers - $40
Zelda - $50
2000 points for the VC - $20
Or...a $500 PS3 and controller with no games, no WiFi, no memory card access, and no HDMI port(which defeats the point of having BluRay on there in the first place)
-Shawn "If the Name Don't Rhyme It Ain't Mine" Conn