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July NPDs Show PS3 Didn't Pull Ahead of 360
Despite last month's price drop, Sony's PlayStation 3 console just couldn't pull ahead of the Microsoft Xbox 360. Both, according to the latest NPD results, are still dwarfed by the continued domination of Nintendo's Wii console. 1up has the numbers for July: 'PlayStation 2 - 222k, PlayStation 3 - 159k, PSP - 214k, Xbox 360 - 170k, Wii - 425k, Nintendo DS - 405k, Game Boy Advance -- 87k.' For further commentary we can turn to Gamasutra, which offers a further breakdown on the numbers and some big picture perspective for this year: "Total industry revenue for 2007 presently stands at $7.0 billion. If there is no year-on-year growth for any month until the end of 2007, then the industry will finish the year with $14.5 billion in revenue, an increase in 16% over 2006. That's a reasonably pessimistic scenario ... If we start with our current $7.0 billion as of the end of July and continue at a rate of 40% growth through the end of the year, then we arrive at a total of $17.5 billion for all of 2007 ... If Wii supply constraints are eased, Halo 3 sells as well as expected, Sony's first-party software attracts more PS3 buyers, and Rock Band and Guitar Hero III are both hits, it seems likely that revenues may go above $18 billion. In this optimistic scenario, industry revenues during the single month of December 2007 would equal or surpass the total annual revenue from all of 1997."
the Wii is genuinely more interesting and has more scope for games development than either
I know this is slashdot and all... but this is PURELY subjective. I hear this ALL the time... the Wii has oh so much potential... but I have yet to really experience it. I bought a Wii because I saw one in a store and picked it up for a friend. He didn't want it and it has sat in its box in my room since June... unopened. Absolutely I see products for the Wii that look fun... Metroid Prime 3, Zelda, SSBB... but there aren't a lot. Moving the wiimote around and setting it on my head is not what I personally call "more scope for game development". I actually enjoyed Twilight princess for Gamecube more because it was easier to use a controller than the wiimote.
I can't understand why the Wii is flying off shelves so fast... there really aren't many good reasons to have one at this time... my only guess is that it has that "Oh so sweet" factor that everyone is buying into. I know many are excited about the wii... but I would LOVE to stop hearing people declare the Wii a revolution and the new breakthrough in gaming that will usher in a new era of interactivity. I just haven't seen it... and the blockbuster titles for the Wii could have easily been done on the other consoles. The Wii certainly has fun titles... but could I please stop hearing how it will revolutionize gaming? At best, it will be a companion to traditional controller gameplay.
My roommate got one last week and thus far I have to say if this is what they have to offer, they are in trouble in the long run. The controller is interesting, but I don't know that I'd call it any better. It has it's pluses and minuses over a normal controller. However the magic next generation of input it is not, at least not in my experience.
Also it seems extremely gimmicky in relation to the controller. Two of the mostly highly rated games, Wii Sports and Wario Ware Smooth Moves just aren't all that IMO. Wii sports is neat, and is fine for a little sports game, but I don't see anything special.
Take the tennis game for example. Yes, you swing the Wiimote rather than pressing a button, but that's all you are doing in effect. It doesn't measure the angle you swing at or anything, it is just timing. You hit at the right time and you get the ball to go where you want. This is the same thing you did with an older, button pressing style game, just using a different action. Interesting, but not something that really changes how games are played.
Likewise Wario Ware seems like nothing but a giant controller gimmick. You do tons of rapid fire mini games (about 3 seconds a piece) that involve just figuring out what kind of motion they want you to make with the controller. You do it right, you win, do it wrong you lose. These are punctuated by extremely strange sound effects and visuals. Regardless, it doesn't seem like any real attempt to use the controller in an innovate way, just various gimmicks.
If that's the kind of thing they have to offer, I don't see it as having a lot of staying power. It's got the "Ooooo nifty," factor combined with a good price that gets people to look at it now, but I don't see that as being what people will keep going for in the long run.
We'll see where it goes from here, but thus far I don't see it really capturing the imagination, more I see it just putting out some silly gimmicks that people find fun. Nothing wrong with that, stupid fun is good fun, but that isn't the kind of thing that is likely to keep it going solid in the long run. After all, there's only so many controller gimmicks you can try before it gets old. What will sell me is when I see a good game that uses the controller to really enhance the experience. Something where I go "Nope, couldn't see this working well on a pad/mouse/keyboard/joystick/whatever." So far, I haven't seen that. Haven't had a change to play a whole lot of games yet but other than the gimmick games, the others seem to be using the controller but only as you'd use any other. Zelda looks like a great game, but the controller adds nothing really. I find myself wishing I could hook up a mouse and keyboard as that would be easier to control in my opinion.