How Wii Is Creaming the Competition
CNN has a report on the Wii's success in the games marketplace right now, referring to their sales dominance as 'creaming the competition'. The article tries to break down exactly why Nintendo's console has sold so successfully, discussing the system's marketing, engineering, and philosophy. "Next, engineers settled on a new approach for the Wii's looks. Just as the DS shunned the Game Boy name to appeal to a broader audience, the Wii would adopt a sleek white exterior instead of the toylike loud colors used on the GameCube. Even CEO Iwata got involved in the design process; at one point he handed engineers a stack of DVD jewel cases and told them the console should not be much bigger. Why so small? To work with the motion-sensitive wireless controller Nintendo planned, Iwata reasoned, the console would have to sit directly beside the TV. Make it any larger and customers would hesitate to leave it there. " Their sales strategy is working in spades. CVG reports that at least one analyst thinks that Wii demand won't be met until 2009. This past weekend Chris Kohler had an interesting comment on the 'ambassador programs' Nintendo ran in advance of the Wii's launch, and how that might tie in to the system's financial success.
No competition? Nah, if nothing else the Wii needs to compete with the DS and the PS2. The DS has continued to outsell the Wii by a dramatic margin, and the PS2 has fluctuated back and forth (driven by what's coming out for the system; Guitar Hero 2 and God of War 2 both caused sales spikes).
At work we have all the major gaming consoles that have been released. So lately we have gotten a Xbox 360, Wii and also a Playstation 3. For some strange reason, people are just always playing the Wii, and they are having a lot of fun.
I guess the differences in their natures are even more apparent when there are a lot of people around, and everyone will only play a short session. Maby the Playstation would be more fun at home alone sitting for hours in front of it?
Anyway, I claim the advertising is correct, and the Wii is just loads more fun then the others. Or from my (non gamer) point of view "far less boring".
This is an example of what creativity and hard work get you:
Money, Power, and Respect.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.