Amidst the cacophonous din of E3, accolade for the Nintendo Wii was hardly just relegated to eager attendees and gaming press. However, some of the most unexpected acclaim for the Wii came from the mouths of two of gaming’s biggest rivals ’ namely, Microsoft’s Peter Moore and Sony’s Phil Harrison. Whilst verbally lambasting each other, both managed to heap praise upon Nintendo’s diminutive console and its revolutionary control scheme. Moore’s initial statement regarding the PS3’s pricing reads thusly: “Tell me why you would buy a $600 PS3? … People are going to buy two [machines.] They’re going to buy an Xbox and they’re going to buy a Wii … for the price of one PS3.” Moore further elaborated: “People will always gravitate toward a competitively priced product ’ like what I believe Wii will be ’ with innovative new designs and great intellectual property like Mario, Zelda and Metroid.” Upon hearing this, Phil Harrison had a few points of his own to add. “I think Peter Moore is exactly right. I think Nintendo will be the second system consumers purchase after PlayStation 3.” In a statement reminiscent of the PSP vs. DS debate, Harrison went on to add that, “I haven’t had a chance to check out the Wii myself, but Nintendo has a great history of innovation and has always done great things for gaming and long may they do so. But as it relates to our strategy they are very much in a different market.”
Just what does this mean for the Wii? Judging by the above statements, neither Harrison nor Moore seem to be all that perturbed by the Wii, and perhaps they’re right in feeling so. In theory, it doesn’t seem likely that a gamer with their heart set on a next-gen powerhouse is going to forgo the object of their desire for such a vastly different product. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s target demographic, nongamers and former gamers, weren’t likely to shell out for either Microsoft’s or Sony’s offerings in the first place. But just how much does Nintendo stand to benefit? Theoretically, quite a bit. Given the console’s rumored low price, it’s not hard to imagine those who already own a PS3 or 360 burning some excess cash and picking up a Wii on a whim. Furthermore, for those gamers who can’t afford to keep up with the HD era, a cheap and accessible Wii could be just the remedy for their next-generation, that is to say, their new-generation longings. Parents may pick one up just to show their kids what games were like when dinosaurs roamed the earth (say, back in 1991). We know Nintendo expects the Wii to compete on an entirely different level than the 360 and PS3, but are Microsoft and Sony underestimating the impact that the Wii will have on the foundations of gaming?
Hold on boys, theres enough for all of you.They say the sincerest form of flatery is…… copying or something like that. I actually think that people will buy a 360 and a wii because PS3 is just too expensive.
+1 for the Super Mario World reference. Very subtle 😉
Haha, how I love it when sony and microsoft come with such old news, cause Nintendo said a while back that they expected to become the second console in peoples houses. That aside, Phil Harrison is so full of shit, really.-Fank
LOLIf the next generation of gaming means: $3000 television, $499 theatre sound, $600 game-box… I'm gonna need to rob a bank.
HexWell im getting the wii,and ps3 but thats just me.Over and over i have posted that im a( nintendo fan boy)and getting the ps3 for diffrent reasons, 1) i have a hd tv2)i want my dvd in high def im not much of collecting dvd only anime,starwars,spiderman not much to own but just rent on netflix.yeh why not some ps3 cant just own one.cant get a 360 because i bought one for my friend already.but my baby is the nintendo wii HANDS DOWN.
… You have to wonder how much is MS and Sony going to lose selling their consoles…I think MS will not be lowering the price of their console any time soon… they would not be making any money on the console if they do… And Sony… well… I think they, both, will lose lots of money on each console… I bet both companies will lose more than a $100 on them consoles…So it will be fitting for them to discorage their fans on getting rival consoles and instead to get a Wii since they don't see it as a rival…Eider way… developers will opt for the lowest common denominator, the Wii… maybe not from the start, but soon after they start to see the potential and realize that it is well woth the efort to develop for it since it will be less costly than the other two… And seen that even MS and Sony are promoting the Wii among their users it will make the Wii the most known console…Odd ain't it?Wii win!
So, if every gamer who buys a 360 also buys a Wii… and every game who buys a PS3 ALSO buys a Wii… and then we add in the gamers who just buy a Wii… doesn't that make Nintendo number one in this silly little console war?Did Nintendo manage to pull off the largest marketing coup of the past 25 years?
That picture of the Wii eclipsing the sun is just wonderful. In all actuality though, the 360 power brick might be better suited for the job.
I'm sure they both know what kind of games third party developers are creating for the Wii, so by Telling everyone to get their console and then get a Wii it makes them sound as if they really cared for the gamers and the evolution of the industry.Whatever happens I'm getting a Wii. And another DS. I will choose my second console in the coming years after getting a standard HDTV and a winner of the HD media is decided. Not even buying an HDcamcorder is worth it right now with all those different resolutions and codecs around.
I haven't decided on whether I want a second console. The Wii will be my first, and so far, Sony and Microsoft haven't shown me anything to appetizing… Awaiting a revolution…Thanks Big N…
I had made up my mind about which two consoles I was going to get long before Sony announced the PS3 pricing: I'm getting the Xbox 360, because and when Halo 3 comes out, and the Wii for everything else.Cool entry, Striegs, but I do have one question: Who are you?? I think an intro would be appropriate…
I am hoping to get them all. But, I'm sure that my parents wouldn't approve since we're middle class. So I can only get one console. I chose to get a Wii, but I would take a 360 too.