Dear Nintendo,
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You left us in the dark for so long, but in the end, that only made the light so much sweeter. Yesterday’s announcements proved once and for all that you own my soul. I’m sure many gamers feel the same way. Even though you probably won’t read this, and even if you did it would affect you about as much as the looming PS3 affects me (it doesn’t), I thought I’d respond to yesterday’s plethora of Wii news.
First off, let’s start with the price. You know, I’m not going to lie. A $199 price would have been a lot more appealing. And not just to me, mind you. Seeing as you want to go after casual gamers and non-gamers, hearing 200-anything suddenly sounds a lot less like a casual splurge for a fun-looking new console and much more like a solemn vow to become a true gamer. But that’s okay because the bottom line is Wii is still $150 cheaper than the $400 Xbox 360 (the $300 one sans hard drive doesn’t exist in my mind), and you’re actually including a game. And then there’s the PS3. You’re launching Wii for a whopping $350 cheaper. If anything, these potential gamers you’re seeking are going to compare the price between your console and your competitors’ consoles and realize that Wii is the way to go. And did I mention that I could buy two Wiis and still come in around $100 cheaper than if I bought a PS3? Heck, I could buy a Wii and an Xbox 360 almost for the price of a PS3 and a game. Oh wait, that’s assuming Sony and its third party developers won’t sell PS3 games for more than $50. Face it – if Sony ever buys stock in Burger King, expect the fast food chain’s slogan to become “Have it our way.”
Then there’s the questionable launch date. A lot of fans are disappointed after the rumors of an October launch. Many are questioning your strategy of releasing Wii a couple of days after PS3. Don’t listen to these folks. We already know there’s going to be a massive PS3 shortage that’ll make the PS2 launch drought seem like a flood in comparison. After the few hardcore fans snatch up their $600 console on launch day, many gamers who can’t get one will wonder what to do next. “Hey, look! Another console launch! It’s cheaper and far more available! I’ll take it!” And”¦end scene.
That’s not to say I don’t have any complaints. Charging $40 for extra Wiimotes and $20 for extra nunchucks? That’s $180 I have to spend to get the three extra controllers you know I’ll buy since this is a system with multiplayer that’s destined to become legendary. And I know I’ve been harping on this and that it’s been expected the whole time, but no Mario at launch? Didn’t you learn your lesson from how the GameCube launch just felt lacking without an appearance from our pudgy plumber pal? But hey, I can’t stay mad at you! I forgive you for the steep controller price because you’re actually taking us back to the glory days ”“ the simpler times when a new console actually came with a game. And the whole no Mario thing? You just take your time with Galaxy, as it’s looking to be sweeter than the candy Sony steals from babies. Not to mention you’re giving me what might be the greatest Zelda game ever at launch.
Look, I’ve taken up enough of your time. After all, you have a successful console launch to work on. So, I’ll end this with one final request. When Sony officials hand over the crown at the changing of the throne, make sure they remember to collect all their Blu-ray discs scattered throughout the castle. Maybe they can use the pricey paperweights to pay rent at their new one bedroom apartment over in the slums.
Love,
Matthew
w00t- i
Nicely written.–If I read "Blue-ray" one more time, my head is starting to hurt.It's BLU-RAY!
You've got to be frickin' kidding me.
you are right! There's really nothing to complain about for Americans…it looks different when u r an European. Release on 12.8.2006 and it'll cost around 300$..less launch titles for Virtual Console and Wii, even more expensive controllers and so on..I can understand the higher prize but I cannot really understand why it has to be released so much later than in the US :(And although I'm always defending Nintendo I must admit that this is disapointing for an European like me :(So I don't want to hear any American complaining anymore…grrrr
Tee hee… that was fun to read.Hooray for Wii!
That was the biggest pile of cack I've ever read.They are well overpricing the Wii, remember it is just a GCN with a new case. Im sure you feel like they are making glory days of gaming, they arent.$330 for a UK wii, £43 for the whole controller – thats over $80 x 3 to play 4 player anything.At least the games are only supposed to be £30, we'll see about that eh.No decent games at launch, no black, no DVD, no second controller instead a pack in game of Wii sports (a load of minigames really) – not exactly worth £20 less than a 360.PS3 will be the talked about console while Xbox will clean up. I cant see them selling too many UK Wii's at this price point – its well off. GCN launched at only £130 I cant see why they cant match that 5 years later with similar technology – To me they are laughing all the way to the bank.
duckhuntdude – Thanks, and you're right about "Blu-ray." It's been fixed in the post. I think it should be "Blue-ray." I hate it when companies do the alternate spelling thing. Of course, I am excited about a product called "Wii", so what do I know?
Good call, taking a third party's bundle and calling out Nintendo on it. You don't think third party companies are going to make bundles of the Wii? Throw TP in a bundle and include a second controller, and you'd probably get pretty close to that 300 mark at LAUNCH.
lol@rowan, saying Wii is GCN in a new case…Just like the PS3 is a PS2 with a bluray drive and a personality complex. $600 is bullshit and Sony knows it. The Wii is graphically superior to the Xbox(1), which lately has amazed me. Did you play Black? I sure did. I played it until my DVD drive caught on fire. Not really, but it broke itself. It's a shame that it's the second drive I've had in that Xbox. I called Xbox tech support, and the guy told me to reformat my hard drive and I've never laughed that hard in my life. The Wii is not a GCN in a new case. The Wii is a revolution in video gaming, and you PS fanbitches can thank Nintendo when 50% of the Earth is [back?] into video games. And soon the public will bask in the glory of Wii.
I for one welcome Rowan, if that is his real name. We haven't had a troll on Infendo since I started. Oh, and everyone watch out for the flamebait!
Nice letter, thumps up! 😀
Boy… SOMEONES a sony fanboy! (I guess there is nothing wrong with that…)Saying the Wii is just NGC in a new case is like saying my digital camera is just my old film camera but smaller. You can't possibly believe that.No one is going to force you to buy a Wii, Rowan. Not even we Ninty Fanboys. (and girls!) You need to chill out.Go buy your overpriced PS3 and let the rest of us have our fun!
lol… -jack… yea… rowan has some points.. .but they're all about the UK… who cares… doesn't effect me any… he can just get one from the states if its such a shitty deal in his home land… he should already know that the UK is not the top priority for Nintendo… once the Wii has expanded the US market they'll have every developer in existance creating games for them like the PS2 did… and by then people will buy it no matter what it costs and no matter where they're from… but the UK doesn't represent enough people to matter in the short run… so skip em for now… sorry… wait until price drop or import if you feel so bent over…
haha… nevermind… i just read that Wii's will be region restricted in the UK… same thing wasn't said about systems in the US and Japan… if that's true… Nintendo hates you and you've right to complain… lol
I've been pouring over posts on various sites in the last 36 hours and have rarely heard anyone else give voice to my complaint. Thanks. My biggest problem isn't the price, I wished for $199, but expected $249. My problem is the lack of two controllers. I believe the last system launch that came with 2 controllers was the SNES (also last pack in game). With a system designed for community play, causal gaming, and with Wii Sports as a pack in – 2 controllers would make a lot more sense to me. Wii Sports is not meant to be an isolated experience, remember the E3 press conference. So why give us a fun multi-player game with only 1 controller to play it with.I love the Wii, and love the paradigm shift in gaming that it reflects. But w/o the 2nd controller it feels incomplete.
I see this as Nintendo's strategy against their competitors. Regis said "he rather see consumers getting Nintendo accesories than getting a second console. This is what he meant. no Mario game at launch? I'm sure this will come in March, and why? they can spread out their games to have a rock-solid whole year rather than games stepping in each other toes. Look at the DS strategy for an idea.
Ok. I'd just like to say that whoever said the ps3 is little more than a ps2 is a total asshole. I love nintendo, but I'm a gamer only slightly biased towards nintendo. The wii isn't superior to the ps3 for going for the controller change, just different. Consoles should have better graphics, there's nothing wrong with that.
made me lawl
Im definitely not a troll guys, im just a really pissed off Brit. Im not a Sony fanboy, or an MS one, I just want to be treated fairly by a company I have supported for the last 18years (since I was 7).I own a PSone and have owned every nintendo minus the VB – Id hardly call that non fanboy ish. I have also been spending my spare time making the new version of Infendo, currently im making it white and green and very ugly – like my new favourite console.I just think their marketing in the UK and pricing is obscene, they should get grief from people like me because if they dont we will always be treted like sh*t.The whole blue ocean strategy will be right out of the window with this, no kid is going to want to get their parents to pay £250 for a Wii with an exttra game and one more pad – its just tooo expensive for what it is when MS have Xbox and PS3 is coming.To those who say it isnt just a GCN in a new case – it is. Plain and simply its an overclocked cube with a bit more RAM, some wiifi and some photo software on it.At £99 ($200) every gamer I know would have bought one, at £129 ($260) they probably would have too, but why on earth do they think that we should pay 40% more than our US counterparts for a region locked version of the same console – I can understand the gaming prices beingg higher through them having to spell things in correctly in real English and other european languages but why the hike on the hardware – I thought they wanted old ladies to buy them and stuff?The average pension in the UK is £74 a week – at just over £100 they could probably hit that market – but £180 and £43 a pad… its just too much money.You can get a core Xbox with Fifa and a memory card for £200 – or you can get a Wii and have £20 for some chips on your way home.I will just fly to the US and buy one when im there – $250 is about £115 and with the money i save i can probably have a week or two out there.I bet this thing will boomb at xmas and the price drop will come within 8 weeks like it did with the N64 – everyone who complained got a refund on the diifference.Nintendo – you are a bunch of c*nts, but I love you and will probably end up with a Wii anyway.
That letter did not really say anything.Every time he would make a point, he would back step as if you saw a face getting mad at him as he said it.So I can see that Nintendo has upset you…but you are cool with it for one reason or another and so then you make a Sony joke, killing all unbias credibility.I would like to read a letter from Rowan to Nintendo.Friz
Rowan.Wouldn't you need a PAL not a NTSC compatble Wii.Would this explain the Europ delay?Friz
Frisby – Yeah, they made me upset with a few of their annoucements. The thing that ticks me off the most is the insane price for extra remotes. But they made far more announcements that made me pleased than angry, so I can forgive them for a few bad choices. They could have screwed up some major decisions that I feel they nailed…like price, packing in a game, etc.And of course I'm biased. I'm a Nintendo fan writing for a Nintendo blog who isn't a big fan of Sony for a variety of reasons. Having said that, I've owned a PS1 and PS2 and can enjoy their systems for the great software they've provided. But that doesn't mean I don't think Sony needs to get its head out of its own behind.
Hi…in regards to NTSC and PAL… Basically PAL uses a connection that goes in your ariel socket (like your TV ariel) and shoves sound and picture through a dodgy coaxial cable, most people use coomposite or component – cube came with composite connectors – the PAL connector was seperate, so other than the power difference (we use 230v you guys have 110v) there is no reason for us to have the 40% increase – our VAT is 17.5% I know but why the hell that makes it ok to charge $330 for a $250 pproduct I have no idea. All they need to do is swap the PSU.Dont know if you have ever seen a PAL 64 in action, the games are about 30% slower in frame rate and controls, zelda is horrid, mario kart the same,,, Cubes are alright but we had to wait 6 months longer to get them and as ever, you could add that switch to make them jap/us compatible but not with the PAL ones. Now we get told we are waiting 3 weeks, having to pay 40% over the odds and will be region locked.Gotta love being a brit eh…My letter to Nintendo would say…Can I have a refund on the 40 or so games I have, 5 systems and my black DS lite is covered in scratches and fingerprints because it seems to be made from some well dodgy plastic.Thing is, its overpried for what it is, pprofitable out of the box – no shit reggie? Really? Its because its 5 year old hardware in a new case and costs $100 more than it should.The UK sales charts will reflect this at xmas – you watch the 360 fly off of shelves and come january when big N are shitting their pants, out will come the price drop.Still im getting on with Fzero GX and going to buy Beyond good and evil this week. Should keep me going for a bit.And for those who think im a troll still, have a big wet kiss from me MWA xx
Unbelievable! Maybe Nintendo just shouldn't released this thing in the Occidental world… Let the japanese have fun… you know you can go get an Xbox360 or a Playstation 3 for yourself if this isn't any good for your needs?? That's why the Arcade business died. People expected the best of the best technology in games, but 2 quaters??? com'on what a ripoff!!!
Exactly.
Hey, Mathew, wouldn't a $50.00 price be more appealing?? C'mon, be more realistic!I never buy 3 extra controllers for a new console on launch day, anyway. I usually get ONE extra controller and buy two more through the next four months or so…
I agree with Iman. 2 Controllers would have been better. after watching the inrto Wii video, it lead me to believe it was ALLL about multiplayer. 2 would be great for a pak-in. 4 would be overkill.
Actually, what I was saying is that one controller only for that price seems reasonable to me, even though I will most likely buy an extra controller the same day!After all, when was the last time a console came packed with TWO controllers? Did that ever happen since the Nintendo 64?