Nintendo Wii Fanboy

This is something I've been wondering. Whether you like the Wii or not, it's a big question. I don't play my Snes anymore, was it a fad? Surely if a game console has been going as long as the Wii it's already not a fad, the life expectancy of any console is a fad compared to some things.

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Fads can last for years, look at pokemon. It was a huge hit for a good 4 years, now it's gay.

I think it's fadish with casuals, they buy it, they play it, they lose interest. Hardcores might stick with it.

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I could argue and write paragraph after paragraph about why the Wii is the best next-gen system out there and why Nintendo is still #1, as well as not trying to define myself as a fanboy, but it'll only be just an opinion.

All I'll say is this: what people don't realize is that the Wii IS in fact Nintendo's next-gen console. Not just some gimmick. All first party titles have been done right so far. Third parties are really starting to kick in.

Nintendo's not done. They still got a lot more years to go. Just wait until everybody's eating their words.

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After more than a year and a half, it's sort of hard to still call it a fad. Maybe in that first year, but not now.

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I've got to be honest: on the home console front this has been the most disappointing generation I've ever experienced. I thought the last generation was bad, but this time around we get more of the same but flashier, louder, and in larger resolutions.

And as for the Wii: the greatest disappointment of them all. I got the Xbox 360 as a gift so the lack of appealing games is of no real concern to me, but I payed for the Wii. I brought into the idea that this would be something amazing, something incredible; something revolutionary.

Remember that name: The Revolution? What happened to that idea? Instead of jaw-dropping concepts utilising the Wiimote in ways we have never seen before, we're getting waggle. Let's cut to the chase: aside from Wii Sports, motion games require indiscriminate amounts of flailing. It's gimmicky and that's where the fad idea comes up, and keeps coming up.

Whether the Wii sells 100million consoles or 1console is irrelevant to me; motion controls, as utilised at the moment, are a fad. There are very few games, Wii Sports being the main star, that have benefited from motion controls. In fact, I would argue that developers have been hampered by the idea of needing to appease the Wii audience, with motion gimmicks, rather than celebrate what is tried and true. I'm not asking for conservatism in controls, I just want something that works.

Add to this Friends Codes, limited storage space, lack of openness in regards to it's OS, and the Wii starts to look not revolutionary, but rather backwards. Which is strange when it has the most amazing controller - potentially.

Now the PSP and DS , those are consoles. It's never been better to be a handheld owner, would't you agree?

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A fad is a trend in gaming that comes, stays for an undefined period of time, but then leaves, and leaves no ultimate impact on gaming when it's gone

I'm thinking like those horrid FMV games from the early CD systems, or perhaps the compulsive trend to re-make cute franchises into edgy ones a few years ago (seriously, Jak X Xtreme Combat racing? Shadow the Hedgehog? wtf?)

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I agree with Lord Bowser, I'm really not liking this generation. It's like all three console companies are trying to differentiate themselves from each other and so going off down their own narrow path, which means their respective games libraries are incredibly one-sided and unvaried (360 is the FPS console, Wii is the party-game console, etc). They all claim to be offering something for everyone, but they're really not. Unless you can afford all three consoles (which is unlikely), then you're missing out on so much and really not getting a balanced gaming diet. It sucks.

As for the Wii being a fad. Well I must say I'm overall disappointed in the Wii and I'm not hugely enamoured with motion controls and part of me would kind of like them to go away. I don't see why game controls all of a sudden have to re-enact mundane real-life activities. To me games should be about getting away from real-life. To me "swinging your arm as if you were swinging a real tennis racket" etc. is not only tiresome, but turns it from a game into just a lame simulator. My friends and I have much more fun playing Mario Tennis with traditional controls than Wii Tennis. If virtual reality is the future, can we just wait until it arrives rather than have to endure these half-baked alternatives.

Don't get me wrong, often I love the Wii, but some days I hate it. Possibly because the quality of the games are so wildly erratic, ie. when they're good, they're great, but when they're bad, they're absolutely atrocious and unplayable. It seems like the promise of the Wii/Revolution was that "the graphics will be crap, but the controls will be amazing" but sadly it's often the case that "the graphics are crap and the controls are even worse".

I think if Nintendo keeps marketing the Wii almost exclusively to casual gamers and as a party game console, then it will be a fad as they will get bored with it quickly and move onto something else. If they get the right balance between casual and hardcore and that for every bland gimmick like Wii Fit there is an amazing game like Mario Galaxy then it should be alright.

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Wii, a fad?
...hmmm... I guess you could call it that for like... a month.
Because everyone hops on the gravy train everytime the Wii becomes "a fun exercise machine". Which lasts about like... one-to-two months at a time.

...I mean, everyone just jumped on the hype, then left their Wii to gather dust. Many decided to even sell their Wiis, having completely given up on the hype. The ultimate buzz-kill when everyone realized that only gimmicky party games would be the only creation for the Wii.


And for once, Lord Bowser actually sounded pretty intelligent. I agree.
But heck, I just think this generation's a stepping stone.
So much potential for every system, barely any of them being fully unlocked. Xbox 360 shouldn't be mainly FPSs (they should also stop trying to be a PC... and try more to be a home console), PS3 should have a larger library that taps into their power, and the Wii? ...well, the Wii is like a prodigy who decided to just stay at home and watch TV. Too much potential, barely touched at all.

This generation is less for the gamers, and more for the creators.
We talk more about them in this generation than any other generation.

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And this comes from a guy who is supporting the worst console of the current gen...

Now, why am I calling it the worst one, well, what can you say of a console with a 30% chance to broke in any minute, which needs to be send to repair almost every 3 or 4 months, and maybe you'll have to buy another one cuz they take another 5 to 6 months to send it back fixed, just to be sended back again in the next 2 or 3 months.

No wonder it has sold over 10 million units on the US, people need to have one and the replacement of it, and sometimes, another 2 or 3 backups

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Wait...hammer-pants aren't cool anymore?

[looks down at hammer-pants]

On a more serious note...the Wii a fad? I really don't see it as such. Everyone I know who owns a Wii still plays it regularly, even daily, and that's after a year of ownership. I can't say the same for my friends whose 360s and PS3s are gathering dust. That's my own personal observation, though...YMMV.

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So many great comments here. This is not one of them...

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I define Wii as a fad cause it relies on a gimmick rather than actual gameplay (like Guitar Hero/Dance Dance Revolution) a large amount of people have already given it up, and it literally has zero games I want for it. Even the worst of systems (Virtual Boy, DS) can scrounge up 1 or 2 games I'd want

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"Whether the Wii sells 100million consoles or 1console is irrelevant to me; motion controls, as utilised at the moment, are a fad."

Quoted for truth

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metayoshi except for the world ends with you, you're really hyped about games that are just beating dead horses @_@. ur argument (though i agree the ds and psp are good and def. the best of the current 5 systems) is contradictory lol. those are old games XP.

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The majority of this "fad" talk comes from overly pro-Sony or overly pro-Microsoft fanboys, developers, and the console companies themselves because they can't bring themselves to believe that something less powerful graphically could outsell their uber-all-in-one entertainment machines. Personally I think it's karma. This is what you get when you count one of the originators of gaming out and forget about them.. they come back with something new, yet simple, that bites you on the ass and puts your profits in the toilet!

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Fad?? I mean, what we're in right now is the lime light time for gaming in general. We've had a hyper exposure to computers recently so ... the natural thing is technological orbit. It's not JUST the Wii (Nintendo manages to appeal the most right now because of innovation -- THAT can be argued, I know, whatever). Video game consoles have controls that attact people to them due to ease and entertainment.

Now that computers/consoles/phones have advanced and been welcomed by the majority of the human race (haha, alien perspective?), it's going to be big.

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Extinction: You totally took that quote out of context. He actually said:

"Whether the Wii sells 100million consoles or 1console is irrelevant to me; motion controls, as UTILIZED at the moment, are a fad. And that is why we feel the need to totally jump on the bandwagon and get in on the fad before it runs out, allegedly."

Quoted for truth

Don't worry PS3 boy, The Wii will get plenty of generic war time FPS's for you to enjoy. But really, relying on a gimmick? The PS3 would NEVER do that (Eyetoy, Blu-ray, SIXAXIS). Do you have a poll of people who own Wiis that show they don't use them anymore? Or are you just digging through your recycling bin of bad arguments with no facts to back them up? Its been two years, and whenever I go to Target or GameStop, I still don't see any consoles on shelves. Also, maybe you should post what kinds of games you enjoy, so that people who don't troll on another consoles site can give you ideas for games. Or you could STFU and stop being a douche. Tough decision: do you make a rational arguement, or do you bang you're head against your keyboard and run away like a pussy?

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To me, one of the defining features of a fad is that it can [and will] go out of style if something better comes along. I think the Wii is safe from this because it's constantly being redefined and rejuvenated through the new games released for it. There are only so many times you can do tricks on your Razor scooter before it gets old, but at least 5 new jaw-dropping games hit the Wii each year.

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the reason the Wii is not a Fad is because people want the best graphics or HD and High quality games... een though the Wii does have good games and i purchased one instead of a ps3 because i wanted to enjoy the games not because it has some fancy laser or the best graphics.People who do buy either want to enjoy their games or want the best technology even though to me the wii is the best its only my opinion...

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you gotta be kidding...take a look when Genesis and SNES were out at the same time. Which had a faster CPU? Genesis/megadrive. Which had better games in general? SNES. In every generation, whenever there was a powerful system against Nintendo's (PSP and DS, Wii vs PS3, etc) Nintendo's would sell better than the competition.

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I never thought I'd say this, but the best system right now is the DS.
I'm very dissapointed with the Wii and even now, if I play with it, its for old VC games from SNES and that's about it. When I have a guest that's never played with the Wii before, then they give it a run and the only thing they have fun with is Wii Sports.
The PS3 is looking to have potential but besides Metal Gear Solid 4, there's not much to brag about.
The 360 is a hardware disaster; I don't know a single person that hasn't had to have their system repaired and most of them multiple times. Even my brother who works at Best Buy bought a new model and ensured it was the newest model, 2 months ago and his is having problems now so don't give me the whole "the newer systems are ok" bs. I'd have to say that the 360 has a better library of games vs the other 2 but its still nothing special esp. when your system is in for repairs so you can't even enjoy the few good games on it.
The PSP is decent but the battery life is frustrating to deal with and some of the load times even with the newer model are insane.
The PC has the same issues it always will have with the exception of Blizzard adding some big must have titles that may force some people to upgrade.
Overall, this is a very dissapointing gen but there is potential. We'll have to see how it goes; if other companies set the bar at MGS4's quality, then we're in for a good time but I seriously doubt that will happen.
As to the main question, is the Wii an fad? I'd say no with the exception that, it seem that people are content with having the Wii as a second system or to replay retro games or to just use it as a sports simulator more than a console. Its like someone who buys a golf simulator and thats all it can do so they're happy with that and buy another system to play their other games.

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It always makes me chuckle when I see threads like this…
It makes me wonder what people are really thinking. Or if they even think.

I remember when they used to say video games were just a fad.
Well look how that turned out.
It’s like owning a Ford and saying Chevy’s are just a fad, or biking to work and saying autos are just a fad. Lol, what nonsense.

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I can see why hardcore gamers might be dissatisfied with the Wii, but as a self-proclaimed casual gamer, I think it's perfect. Nintendo saw an opportunity with the casual demographic, and they pounced on it, and that's why they're doing so well. 360/PS3 is geared for gamers, Wii is geared for everyone. And it's no different from what Nintendo's always done.

I used to be more of a hardcore gamer, but in recent years, I found myself too busy with other things to play video games. Along with that, developers kept pumping out more of the same, and I didn't notice much innovation aside from graphical improvements. I actually swore off video games for a few years, but Nintendo got me back again, and I finally bought a Wii earlier this year.

I think there are a lot of people like me; there obviously has to be for the Wii to be selling so well. I don't think it's a fad at all; it's invited a new wave of gamers to play who wouldn't be interested in Sony/MS's offerings, and there's a good chance that they'll keep those gamers next generation. I know I have no intent of getting a PS3 or 360...I'm fully satisfied with the Wii, and I don't get bored with it because I don't have time to. There's still plenty of games (not just for Wii, but DS as well) that I have yet to touch.

As I said though, I'm a casual gamer, so it's hard for me to understand where all the disappointment is coming from.

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"I define Wii as a fad cause it relies on a gimmick rather than actual gameplay (like Guitar Hero/Dance Dance Revolution) a large amount of people have already given it up, and it literally has zero games I want for it. Even the worst of systems (Virtual Boy, DS) can scrounge up 1 or 2 games I'd want."


Really? It's a bad system because YOU don't like it? Pretentious much?

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Well, you all sure know how to write some depressing comments. :)

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It's not a fad, it's just a regular gaming system that happens to use motion controls. The reason why people call it a fad is because developers don't want to admit it to themselves, so they go "whatever, even though we should have started development for it a long time ago, it doesnt matter. It's just a fad, who cares if our games suck for it."
It seems people this gen are pouncing on the Wii because it's different and has a new control scheme. "OMG, it's different, why do people like it! Change is the devil!". The same thing happened with the DS, everyone was saying it was a gimmick, and that Nintendo had lost even the handheld market, but it's clearly not a gimmick and a viable system.

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Considering the other companies are looking to get in on the action, I don't think it's a fad, it's here to stay. Do I think the Wii is perfect, hell no far from it, but the Wii as a gaming console is surprisingly solid.

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1) STILL selling out on a regular basis over a year later.
2) Microsoft and Sony are ALREADY trying to mimic the controller.

I would say these alone say the imprint has been made and the Wii is not a fad, regardless of what you think of it.

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Did MS make hammer pants? Did Sony? Did anyone BESIDES Hammer? Did anyone bother researching better feeling hammer pants, or self cleaning ones?

Nice try, but Im going to say here is the difference... a fad like that spread because it didnt cost much to mimic. MS AND Sony are sinking serious cash into developing similar controllers. CLEARLY they think this is more then a fad to do that, and I think they know more then iether of us about it.

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Honestly I don't see the Wii over taking the PS2. Now before the fanboys try and take me apart this is why I think that. The PS2 was one of those unexplainable phenomenons; in the fact that last generation there really was only one console, the PS2 (honestly only the truly loyal could have only a Gamecube or Xbox last gen). It got everything and with out question has the biggest and most diverse library of games since the NES. I still don’t even know how it happened, but I just don’t see it happening again anytime soon and certainly not this generation. For one the Wii (right now) is not the go to place for “hardcore” gamers, yes there are some on Wii but 90% of all the standards of gaming, meaning Action, RPG, Adventure, FPS, Platformer, and 3rd person shooters are better represented on the PS3 and 360 (some of those are non existent on Wii). The PS2 was home to both the Hardcore and the casual with enough games to sustain each, the Wii can not fill that need (especially in it’s current form) as Nintendo alone can not provide enough games for gamers. While the PS3 and 360 do not cater to the casual at all, so this generation I really feel that the PS2 owners will split between one of the hardcore gaming systems and the Wii (though the Hardcore will buy both systems to get the great Nintendo titles for Wii, that’s why I have one). The only thing I can’t say is what will happen when the PS3 and 360 hit the 249.99 price range.

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Overtake the PS2? I see that hard, but seeing how it is going, I really think they will.
Don´t like it don´t buy it.

But somehting is for sure, besides Guitar Hero,Brawl and Kart, I had more fun with my DS.

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