November 19th is the day Nintendo fans, and others just curious about the Wii will be waiting for. Soon, the Nintendo marketing machine will go into over-drive, and they’ll be showing their Wii off anywhere they can. The video gaming landscape is a very interesting place to watch right now. From the surface, it looks like Xbox 360 is a solid winner, in spite of early system problems, the PS3 is over-priced and - in the eyes of some - a flop waiting to happen. The Wii, on the other hand, has been thought of as a toss up until recently. Since people have had a chance to play the “revolutionary” machine, opinions on the system seem to be very positive. Nintendo is trying something very different with the Wii…in fact, they’re putting everything on the line with this system. If it fails…so will Nintendo. I am of the opinion that the Wii will be a resounding success, however.
Here are 10 reasons why the Wii, can and WILL come out of this generation’s console wars on top.
Price - Wii is priced at $250. For your $250 you get the system, a Wiimote, a nunchuk attachment, the senor bar, and Wii Sports. The price is great for the system, especially considering that it comes with a pack-in game featuring 5 different sports. When mainstream consumers look at gaming machines, Wii seems extremely inexpensive, and a more hardcore gamer takes a look at pricing and decide, “hmmm…do I want to get a PS3…OR…do I want to get an Xbox 360 AND a Wii - for less money than the PS3….” I think, especially when you consider the PS3 shortages that are inevitable, both Microsoft and Nintendo are going to have a very merry Christmahanquanzika this year.
Control - One of the most obvious reasons for domination is the Wiimote. This simplified and innovative controller is going to make the system appealing to markets that have never consider video games before. The “revolutionary” new way to play is going to get the system a good deal of mainstream media coverage, showing non-gamers how simple it is to use, and how much fun it can be.
Availability - You know, when your product launches…it’s good to have systems that people can actually get their hands on. Thankfully, Nintendo realizes this and you should actually be able to BUY a Wii this year. When gamers go to their local retail outlet of choice and can’t get a PS3…both Microsoft and Nintendo are going to have excellent selling opportunities.
Third Party Support - Third Party developers including EA, Midway, Majesco, Capcom, and dozens more are all squarely behind the Wii. The support of Third Parties was really a make or break issue for the code named “Revolution”, and with 27 launch titles coming for the Wii, it’s obvious the much needed support is there…and from reading developers love for the system at various sites on the web…it’s here to stay.
Retro Gaming - The Virtual Console is one of the most appealing aspects of the Wii to any ex-gamer who might be wooed back into the fold with this new system. With an amazing aray of support for systems from the NES to the Genesis and even the Turbo Graphix 16, the Virtual Console is a very appealing addition to players who left gaming when the games got “too complicated”. Plus, the possibility of getting more “casual games” like the popular Pop Cap games on the system in the future, will only increase the appeal to casual gamers that populate sites like Pogo.com.
Mainstream Appeal - Everything about the system (even the stupid name) are designed to appeal to the mass market audience that video games have been neglecting for generations. The style of the system, the ease of use, and even the price, are all geared to get non-gamers, older people, and ex-gamers to pick up the Wiimote and have a good time. The system isn’t as “threatening” (and I use that term loosely) as the Xbox 360 (which looks like a computer, and sounds like codename for a government weapon), and the PS3 is just plain priced out of mainstream appeal - leaving the Wii relatively solo in the mainstream market.
Icons - Mario. Link. Donkey Kong. Metroid. Pokemon. Nintendo has Iconic franchises that you can’t get ANYWHERE else, and with the third party addition of characters like Sonic, the Wii has a large catalog of Iconic characters that both mainstream consumers and hardcore gamers recognize. Both the Xbox 360 and PS3 rely on less Iconic figures for their major franchises…for example, Grand Theft Auto - there is no denying the success of the franchise, or it’s “iconic status” in gaming, but it lacks the Iconic characters, like Mario, that people remember and identify.
Fanboys - Love ‘em or hate ‘em…fanboys will sell this system to their friends and family like it’s crack. Word of mouth is one of the things Nintendo is relying on to sell this system to the masses, and Nintendo fanboys are going to be unleashed in droves to spread the gospel.
Channels - The Channels feature of the Wii that was shown this week allow for more versitle use of the system, and features that will appeal more to non-gamers than the hardcore set. These channels will help make the Wii part of the consumers daily life, and they all seem to include an eliment of “play” in them (even the weather channel), that keep with the “gaming console” focus Nintendo has promised.
Web Browsing - Web Browsing is not new. Everyone one of you reading this is already doing it…but the novelty of surfing the web from your couch has never been implemented in a set top device like this before. The Opera browser that comes as a free download for the Wii (until June 2007…so get it while it’s free) has an innovate interface that appears to make navigating on your television both practical and fun. Plus, the system has flash support, which is a great addition that most other WebTV products just don’t have.
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Nintendo has very smartly placed the Wii as a secondary console to the hardcore gaming crowd. When you combine the hardcore gamer’s secondary system, with the mainstream consumer making the Wii it’s ONLY video game system, Nintendo has a strategy here that seems primed to make the Wii the #1 selling video game console of this generation…maybe ANY generation…we’ll just have to wait and sii.
image originall from Engadget.
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