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.

Comments

Re:But is it creaming were it counts?

[eboot]

Guys don't bother with this troll, he clearly doesn't realize that a long awaited game on a console with a truly massive attachment rate is going to sell better than games on system that hasn't even sold 10 million consoles yet. In fact I'd go as far as to say he is a retarded Wii hater who is feels deservedly insecure about buying his PS3.

Re:Customer First, it's that simple

[oGMo]

Once Granddad has been sold on Tennis and Baseball, he will buy other games. Nintendo has opened up a whole new market segment.

This is the fallacy, or at least the unproven assumption. Whether they can or will do this remains to be seen. Get some non-gamers to try it out because it's a crazy fad? Sure. Make a sustainable market by converting non-gamers to gamers? Indeterminate.

Nobody really knows how they will act and buy

Precisely.

but marketing studies realized 20 years ago just how much crap you can sell to older people, for example, if you just know how to do it.

So you're saying the Wii is crap and Nintendo is selling snake oil to elderly folk?