Slashdot Mirror
Wii Is the New US Console Leader
stoolpigeon writes with this snippet from an AFP story carried by Google: "Nintendo said Thursday that its globally popular Wii has become the top-selling video game console in the United States, a crown coveted by rivals Microsoft and Sony. Market-tracking firm NPD Group reports that 666,000 Wii consoles were sold in the United States in June, raising the total sales count in the country to nearly 10.9 million units." I'd rather play board games than video games, but the Wii Fit makes one of these tempting anyhow.
Dam all you bastards buying them out every time I try to get one!
This, combined with the popularity of the Nintendo DS, should be proof enough that normal people want to play games, not brag about their system's capabilities.
I'm not trying to troll, not at all--I own a Wii and no other current-generation consoles.
But where's the games! The Wii has so much potential, with its unique controller, and yet, I find so few games interested in playing.
I don't care about top-notch graphics. If I want that, I'll play my PC. What I do want are actual quality games instead of more shovelware. Where are they?
I wonder how many of these sales are due to people playing Wii Sports alone? I'm rather underwhelmed at the Wii's selection...
Oh, andoOnline gaming especially is important to me, and they really dropped the ball on Super Smash Bros. Brawl--the online is terrible, something reminiscent of 56k gaming, almost, just with better graphics. I haven't played the Wii's iteration of Mario Kart, which I probably should rent, but I have a feeling it's not much better (although, feel free to enlighten me on this).
This Bloomberg article also gives the numbers for PS3 and 360s in June. 405,500 and 219,800, respectively. Which is more interesting to me. The way people talk about the hard times the PS3 is having, I was surprised that it is outselling the Xbox.
Free the Quark 3 from asymptotic confinement! Bring your charm! Don't get down! All colours and flavours welcome!
Hi, Grandpa! What are you doing on Slashdot?
Shouldn't the title be "Wii Are the New US Console Leaders"?
Thanks, I'll be here all week.
Personally I've always thought of the Wii as more of a gimmick and that this was all a fad, but after 10 million units sold it's still going strong. So that shows what I know.
Still, I wonder if the Wii's lifecycle will be as long as the N64 and SNES. My personal experience is that my family and I really enjoyed the wii for the first few months, but now we find that we rarely play it. I tend to prefer my 360, and my daughter has gravitated to PC-based games like Webkinz and Nick Arcade. Also, while I think that Nintendo's first party titles are always pretty good, the 3rd party signal-to-noise ratio is getting worse and worse. Nintendo's E3 performance was roundly considered to be the worst of the big three -- even if you come at it from a non-hardcore perspective, they didn't outline as many exciting titles as in previous years.
So what do you guys think? Is the Wii popularity going to stay strong over the next three years, or is there going to be a drop off?
I'd rather play board games than video games, but the Wii Fit makes one of these tempting anyhow.
Since when are these things mutually exclusive? You can have both, play both, and enjoy both. There are even video games based on board games and board games based on video games. Computer solitaire is popular because there are many options and rulesets that expand the games for veteran players; and for casual players, you don't have to find your deck of cards or shuffle them or pick them up, it's pretty much all automatic. You can even minimize the window and walk away a lot more easily and effectively than asking everyone to mind those cards on the table. Online board games let you find a partner right away, which allows you more opportunities to enjoy your favorite games. When board games start coming out on paper that uses electronic ink, the distinction between video games and board games will pretty much disappear.
Twinstiq, game news
Actually I read somewhere that they are sending most of the Wii consoles to Europe due to the falling dollar. Which makes sense,as they can get more money for the same unit by shipping there instead of the USA. Maybe when the recession is over and the dollar picks back up(if we don't end up sliding into another great depression) then we will see plenty of Wii consoles here. Until then it only makes sense to go where the money is. But that's my 02c based on what I read,YMMV
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Nintendo is brilliant for turning their backs on the gamers that supported them for decades and designing games for grandma.
They owe no loyalty to anyone. They're a company and they exist to make money. As it stands, they're doing that. Also, I'd say it's not really that they've turned their backs -- the games aren't much different from the goofy stuff from the N64 or GC days. They just lost a lot of third party support after the GC took such a beating by the PS2, and haven't regained that. Their inhouse games -- Mario, Zelda, Metroid -- are still good. (Actually, I liked this generation Zelda *more* than I liked any since the SNES.)
They're also brilliant for releasing a "next gen" console with last gen hardware specs for 250.
Yeah, how *dare* they not be just like their competitors and offer something different and affordable.
And it works great because grandma and grandpa have no clue about how graphics or processing power can improve their gaming experience.
Yeah because games *sucked* until this generation. Just out of curiosity -- how old are you? Anyone who has been a Nintendo fan "for decades" remembers 8-bit shit graphics.
Means they make raw profit on every machine sold
They don't have a choice. They're not part of a massive conglomerate that can subsidize their gaming unit until it comes out of the red -- they have to make money on hardware sales.
Hell, even of the more regular gamers I know, they have wii's for two games only. Mario and Smash.
Metroid, Zelda, Mario Kart? Basically the other three in the five series' that have been Nintendo staples (and some of the only games worth playing that were exclusive to Nintendo) since the N64 days? (Okay, so no Metroid then... but the other four, yes.)
So, for third party developers, it's still better to make titles for a PS3 or 360.
Yeah, ignoring the leader by miles -- great strategy. They should make PSP games, too, and not DS games -- right? So what if it wins?
The reason the Wii isn't doing well with third party? They lost a lot of support over the previous two generations -- their fault, given the way they behaved toward developers in the past -- and nobody had anything big planned for the Wii. Then it took off and developers are either pushing out crap or working on something decent, or quietly praying the other two catch up.
free market
I am so sick and tired of hearing that as if it was supposed to be the solution to all problems. first Nintendo has "ramped up" production more than you could demand of them, getting the whole supply chain to "ramp up" production is not easy. Second the free market is handling the demand, becuse of free market you can find them on ebay for twice as much. And in america there may be a shortage becuse of the dollar's low value but nothing is stopping you from importing from EU.
preview button, my computer does't have any preview button
One of the underlieing assumptions of the Invisible Hand is that a rise in price will immediately bring production up to a new equilibrium. Of course, this is really an abstraction that makes the thought experiment work; in the real world, Nintendo can't immediately increase production to meet increased demand, because it takes time to build new manufacturing facilities. It's also not worthwhile to invest in new facilities to serve a short-term spike. Big investments like that have to pay off for the long haul. Since it was expected that the Wii would start making demand last spring, it wasn't worth too much effort to increase manufacturing rates. (I suspect WiiFit created a new demand spike which threw off that prediction.)
So if they can't meet demand, the Invisible Hand says they should increase the cost. This pads their profit margin, allowing them to reinvest into building facilities to build more Wiis, and then sell later at a cheaper price when manufacturing ramps up. This is also the best strategy for retailers (even if they were a monopoly), since it pads their margins just as much. So why hasn't this happened?
Nintendo has a long term need to maintain its brand image. If it sold the Wii at $300 or more (which is where the eBay price suggests the equilibrium price is at), it would be competing around the same price point as the XBox 360. Since the Wii is (let's face it) less powerful than the 360, many would perceive this as evil price gouging. At launch, the 360 was already considered too expensive (though many considered it cheep when the PS3's price was announced). Brand perception may be more important than a short term profit increase.
Not a typewriter
After the poor show at E3, I'm starting to doubt whether Nintendo can hold on to its lead for much longer. They like to think that it's the casual games selling Wiis, but the AAA titles are what the hardcore gamers want - and it's the hardcore gamers who'll decide the outcome of the console wars.
That's the traditional mentality, and it's precisely why Playstation and Xbox are losing the sales competition this round. Hardcore gamers only determine the outcome of a war between "hardcore" consoles. Nintendo opted to tap into a whole new market, and did a very good job of it. Nintendo didn't have to put up a great show at E3 because a huge part of their target audience for the Wii are not people who would ever visit E3, or be interested in much of anything there.
Wii is the inexpensive system with the fun controller that people buy and play 15 minutes or an hour or two at a stretch when they have a little spare time. It's the system you buy in addition to your other entertainment equipment, including your other video game systems. Whether that's a PS3, 360, or a PC is almost irrelevant. They're doing the Zelda, Mario, and Metroid games just to satisfy the fans of those franchises and keep them coming back for more. As for the rest of the "hardcore" gaming crowd, Nintendo really doesn't need them or care about them.
In summary, the Wii is winning because it's really not in competition with the other consoles. It made a market of its own, where it really has no direct competition. In fact, I daresay the DS is more direct competition for the Wii than any other video game system.
There is no -1 Disagree mod. Slashdot.org/faq defines mod options. USE IT.
I can't tell if you are joking or are serious, but since there are people who actually think the way you do, I will respond to your points for their sake and hope you aren't too offended if this was just sarcasm.
What I wonder is why the free market isn't able to meet Wii console demand. Under the normal conditions the price would rise to reduce the demand until there are some units sitting on the shelves because they are too expensive, after which the manufacturer would increase the supply and lower the prices while still keeping supply-demand in equillibrium.
There are numerous examples of products throughout the years that were both cheap and sold out. The reason the companys making them didn't raise the prices as you descibe is because this would create ill will with their customer base and likely cost them in the long run. This isn't to say however that the free market doesn't respond as you describe its just not Nintendo or the retailers who have binding agreements with Nintendo that are letting the market find the price - its places like ebay; anyone who wants a wii could have one immediately if they are willing to pay the current going rate on auction sites.
Since none of this is happening, I suspect the monopolist manufacturer manipulates the prices and supply such that there is an artificial shortage
While Nintendo has a "monopoly" on manufacturing wii's, its makes as much sense to call it a monopoly as it would to call Apple a monopoly for being the only one making Macs; they both are products in a larger marketplace, and customers have plenty of other choices.
either to 1) undercut the competitors by keeping the prices too low,
All evidence is that Nintendo is the only game manufacturer unwilling to sell hardware at a loss. This is completely contradictory to your statement. Further it is not illegal or unethical to sell a product that everyone knows has cheaper components (than its competitors) for a cheaper price.
2) to generate hype by the perceived scarcity of the resource: "hey, if these consoles are so popular I gotta get me some" (which counts as false advertizing)
While its not impossible that Nintendo has done this, don't you think its a bit idiotic to accuse Nintendo of purposefully creating shortages in a discussion that began with the title "Wii is the New US Console Leader". (doubly so when that now make the wii the leader in every region)
Monopolists need to be fined or broken up!
Sure, but what does that have to do with Nintendo?
I'm sorry, but your $.02 is now worth only $.015
...and yet, third party developers insist that all Wii owners are 4 year old girls, so they shove games like "Party Chef" down our throats and then complain when no one buys that garbage. Just look at what Electronic Arts has done with their "All Play" series. NCAA football 09 is an absolute abomination with no online play, phony stadiums, and graphics so bad, they make the PS2 version look like the 360! Tecmo Bowl has more advanced gameplay!
Software developers just don't get it... they don't get what casual gaming is about... it's not about kiddie games... it's about games that you don't need to spend weeks of your life playing to get anywhere... that doesn't mean that the games should be lame... quite the opposite, since we play less often, we want our games to be more meaningful and rewarding.
Nintendo gets it... that's why their games sell... everyone else? Not so much!
Yes, I am sure they do have people doing capacity planning. I am sure that time to market became a consideration so they did not want sit a stack a warchest of them in their warehouse, not to mention the risk had they not been big sellars, they know like all products in the electronics market demand will taper off no matter what they do in the end. Which would mean that not building out a lot more manufacturing facility might be wise, even if it means you can't sell as many units, because what will you do with it after the popularity fades?
Nintendo started off stockpiling a warehouse full of Wiis; they had a ridiculously successful launch in terms of consoles available on day 1. When even that wasn't enough to fill the demand, they increased their manufacturing capacity by 50%. This is not a simple thing to do, either, and constitutes risk like you say. Even still, wiis are hard to find.
It's time for people like the OP to wake up. Nintendo is not creating an artificial shortage. Nintendo is making and selling wiis as fast as it can; they have no reason not to unless you imagine Big N has a magical machine that can turn hype into money without having anything to sell. Whether you want to admit it or not, the answer is simple: The reason wiis are hard to find is because they really are selling that well. With numbers like the ones in the article, any other explanation sounds really, really stupid.
They are selling the units they can produce where the currency offers them the best excahnge rate so they take the most profit. Why they don't raise prices since the market will obviously bare it, I don't know, Good Will?
Well half the value proposition for the Wii is that it's cheap. Nintendo has always wanted their systems to be affordable, and isn't going to throw away that strategy/reputation any time soon. Especially in this generation -- half the strategy of getting the "casual gamer" aka the non-gamer to buy the Wii is the price, to make it seem worth taking a chance on. Far fewer people would want one if it cost more, so keeping the price low is their way of keeping demand high. That's my take anyway.
Note that this also shows how stupid the 'artificial shortage' theory is. Why would they create an artificial shortage, and then not charge more, resulting in them making less money over time?
The enemies of Democracy are
Nintendo is brilliant for turning their backs on the gamers that supported them for decades and designing games for grandma
I'm one of the gamers that supported Nintendo for decades. Guess what? I don't have time to play hardcore games. I don't have an XBox or a 360, don't have a PS3 or a PS2. But I love an hour or two of Mario Kart or Wii Play or Boom Blox with my kids.
And in fact, the game that's had most play in my house this weekend has been Goldeneye, on our N64.
So have Nintendo turned their backs on me? Um, no. They've worked out a way to create and sell new games to me. Have they stolen back from a losing position in the last console generation, to eat Sony's and Microsoft's lunches, by redefining console gaming and finding a new and much larger group of gamers? Yes, in fact. Are you a sad loser who can't deal with the fact that Nintendo have revolutionized gaming by opening it up to this new group, people who would never have bought a console before the Wii? Well, it kind of looks that way.
After the poor show at E3, I'm starting to doubt whether Nintendo can hold on to its lead for much longer.
Nintendo's E3 was pretty poor, but Sony and Microsoft's weren't phenomenal either.
They like to think that it's the casual games selling Wiis, but the AAA titles are what the hardcore gamers want - and it's the hardcore gamers who'll decide the outcome of the console wars.
You can keep telling yourself that. Microsoft know better. How many new casual games did they announce at E3? Singstar, Buzz AND Eyetoy clones I believe they were. They still need to reduce the price before there is any significant casual adoption however.