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Posts with tag microsoft

Wii closing in on the 360's U.S. lead

Posted May 16th 2008 7:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News

After Microsoft's brag-fest on Wednesday, during which Don Mattrick essentially declared the Xbox 360 as this generation's console winner, Nintendo made sure to strike back with a press release of their own.

Mattrick's exact words were, "History has shown us that the first company to reach ten million in console sales wins the generation battle. We are uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark for the industry."

Nintendo's response: "Oh no he didn't," followed by some snapping and a "talk to the hand" gesture.

In all seriousness, Nintendo replied to the comment in a more subtle manner. The company just released a press release to gloat over its success in April's NPD, casually stating in the process that over 9.5 million Wiis have sold in the U.S. In case you haven't noticed, 9.5 and 10 million aren't all that far apart, so Nintendo is trying to stop Microsoft from marking its proverbial territory just yet. Since the Wii outsold Microsoft's system 4:1 last month, many analysts are even predicting that the little white console will overtake the 360 some time soon.

So, which PR tactic do you enjoy more? The in-your-face, Mattrick approach, or the sublte "by the way, we're right behind you" statement from Nintendo?

[Via press release]

Report: Wii games aren't good

Posted May 2nd 2008 4:00PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: News, Reviews


Based on data pulled from GameRankings, folks over at GameFunk have prepared the nice little chart above. Apparently, Wii games don't get that great of marks from reviewers. Compared to the marks of games on other consoles, it makes the Wii's library look even worse!

Here's the numbers:
  • Xbox 360: 374 games: 26% good, 24% bad
  • PS3: 122 games: 33% good, 17% bad
  • Wii: 189 games: 11% good, 37% bad
But, before you punch your computer monitor in a fit of rage, know this: the Wii does have a lot of shovelware. It's just the price of success, as publishers and developers see the console as a means to make money. And that's what they're in it for.

Also, keep in mind that the PS3 and Xbox 360 don't have Metroid Prime 3: Corruption or No More Heroes. So they pretty much lose.

[Via Joystiq]

Iwata on Microsoft's rumored Wiimote rival: 'Pft.'

Posted May 2nd 2008 2:15PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: News

Speculation that Microsoft may be about to launch a rival to the Wii Remote started early last month, yet Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's thoughts on the matter have only publicly emerged now. His verdict? A resounding, distinctly unimpressed "Meh."

Well, we're paraphrasing a bit there, but it's more or less what he meant. "We are not concerned about what other companies may do," Iwata told an audience of investors. "[We're] rather more concerned with presenting [...] new ideas to our customers based on the prospect that our existing customers will surely get tired of [gameplay] enabled by the Wii Remote if we do not try to improve the experience."

Rather than fret over what Microsoft and Sony get up to, Iwata says he'd prefer that Nintendo concentrated on producing more "new surprises" for consumers. Or, to put it another way, keep one step ahead of the competition, and they'll never catch you.

[Via Develop]

Rumor: Microsoft working on Wiimote-style device

Posted Apr 8th 2008 12:00PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: Rumors, Peripherals, Controller

On the face of it, the latest rumor that Microsoft is planning a Wiimote-esque peripheral (purportedly developed by Rare) for the Xbox 360 carries all the hallmarks of a wind-up. There's the obligatory "anonymous source," the hastily drawn MS Paint sketch you see to the right, and plenty of disclaimers -- "if it is indeed released," "if the project comes to fruition" -- in the MTV Multiplayer blog post that broke the rumor.

Look closer, however, and the speculation seems to gain credibility. As our sister site Xbox 360 Fanboy notes, Rare also happens to be developing The Fast and the Furriest for Xbox Live Arcade, which features "a wand type input device for gesture recognition." And it's no secret that Microsoft has spent the last few months jealously eyeing Nintendo's hold over the "casual" crowd -- but would the company be quite so brazen in ripping off Nintendo's gaming wand?

[Via Joystiq]

Wii success may lead to cheaper next-gen?

Posted Mar 26th 2008 7:00PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: Interviews

Looks like the popularity of the Wii might not be beneficial to just Nintendo, as industry insiders are beginning to think that it would be the one to pave the way for console manufacturers to adopt a similar strategy in the future. With the big fancy features of the PS3 and Xbox 360, Sony and Microsoft have been losing out on dough from sales since day one. But, the same cannot be said for Nintendo. They've been making profit since they sold their first Wii.

And others may follow suit in the next generation of gaming. At least, analyst Billy Pidgeon with IDC thinks so, as he commented to Next-Gen that "the results of this cycle will have a strong influence on the next cycle, in that cheaper consoles will be expected." He goes on further to say "Microsoft and Sony will attain successful business on this generation, but catering to the early adopter hardcore gamers with a technology leader strategy will be difficult in 2011."

Any way you look at it, Nintendo proved playing is believing and showed that graphics aren't all there is to a successful game. No matter what we see come the next generation of gaming, we think Nintendo's success here, and now, is going to have a big impact on it. Until then, we'll just get back to playing No More Heroes.

[Via CVG]

Microsoft Europe's Chris Lewis sees Wii as the once-in-a-while console

Posted Mar 20th 2008 6:00PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: News

Head honcho of Microsoft Europe was quick to put down the Wii in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz recently. He is of the mind that success in the mass market is determined less by gameplay and more by other factors. The way we've always seen it, games define the system.

Now that the Xbox 360 apparently got a price cut over there, it's being offered to consumers for less money than the Wii. Lewis thinks that the price of the 360, along with its games and digital entertainment distribution capabilities will ultimately help it win the console war. He thinks these factors will lead the 360 being seen as a console with more rich content, whereas the Wii is kind of like the 'party appeal' system.

"I think you've got to be prepared to be appealing in lots of different areas and make sure you don't become something that only gets yanked out of a cupboard at Christmas and particularly holiday peaks and doesn't really get used the rest of the time," Lewis comments. "I think you've got to be careful with that. I think our depth and breadth of experience will ensure that we never get in any way put into the cupboard in that way."

Either way you slice it, playing has been believing and we're not sure Lewis' approach is going to help the 360 dethrone Wii in the territory.

Analyze this: Nintendo's next console by 2010?

Posted Feb 14th 2008 4:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News

Even though the Wii is barely past its infancy stages, many can't help but wonder when the system's successor is coming out. As of now, those of us at Nintendo Wii Fanboy are content to put that question on the backburner and simply enjoy what we have in the present. Analysts are always hungry for this type of speculation, though, and Pacific Crest Securities has decided to throw their opinion into the ring.

So, what's their guess? According to PCS, Nintendo's next platform will be out by 2010. Evan Wilson of the firm stated, "We believe that peak industry sales will occur in 2010, given that Microsoft will likely introduce its next console that year and Nintendo will likely launch before then."

Now, we're not pretending to be analysts (okay, maybe a little bit), but we couldn't disagree more. We think the Wii will have a longer lifespan than three-and-a-half years, based on its current popularity and past systems' life cycles. Considering also that much of the Wii's success can be credited to the casual market, releasing a new console so soon wouldn't be a smart business decision. While core gamers and Nintendoholics would gobble it up, casuals would probably be more wary about dropping another few hundred dollars on a video game console in such a short amount of time.

The firm's analysis brings up another interesting question -- will Nintendo release its next console before Microsoft? While we agree that Sony will be the last to upgrade its hardware, it shouldn't be taken for granted that Nintendo will be first, especially since the company seems to be in no rush.

[Via Games Industry]

Cartoonish caricature of the console wars warms our cockles [update]

Posted Feb 4th 2008 12:45PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: Fan stuff, Video


Update: The embeddable player gave us some difficulty, so we cut it from the post. Hit up the "read" link below to check out the video.

What better for a Monday than a cartoon talking about the console wars, wouldn't you say? Wait, do you smell that? It's fanboy debate, simmering at a nice temperature and waiting to be turned into a full-on boil. We know you're ready to break the doors of our post down and leave your two cents. So, have at it!

Oh, and watch if only for the PS3's role as an ottoman for the Wii. It's pretty funny.

Pachter: Take out Wii Sports, sell Wii for $199

Posted Jan 30th 2008 6:00PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: News

Michael Pachter, the man who makes a living predicting sales trends and corporate decisions in the gaming industry, is saying that Nintendo should cut Wii Sports out of the package and sell the Wii for a cool $199. "I think that if Nintendo were to do so and cut the price to $199, it would still sell a piece of Nintendo software to 80% of new Wii purchasers, and would end up effectively lowering revenues per console by only around $10," he explained in an interview with Gamasutra. You see, Pachter thinks this is not going to be that great of a year for the Wii.

Pachter further explains that the high-definition features of the other consoles make them "more likely to end up in the living room, which could relegate the Wii to the playroom." He says this could be bad for the Wii, as if it "is not at the center of the home entertainment system, software sales could suffer as a result."

We can't say we particularly agree with Pachter. We're not sure we'd see Nintendo cut the price on the Wii anytime soon, and if they did, we would hope it didn't involve losing one of the best experiences one can have on the console, let alone the best Wiimote trainer we've ever had time with. What do you folks think?

Rumor: Microsoft testing the motion-sensing waters

Posted Dec 27th 2007 3:00PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: Rumors, Peripherals

Why does this news pertain to you, intelligent and drop-dead gorgeous reader? Well, for one we suspect you have a deep and dark hatred for Bill Gates and his company. Also, this rumor states that Microsoft is working with one of Nintendo's partners to establish this motion-sensing controller.

Gyration, a company that Nintendo had worked with in the past to establish what has become the Wiimote, has now begun work with the Redmond-based giant to develop a unique controller for the Xbox 360. And, with the Xbox 360 being the only current-gen console missing motion-based controls, it's likely that Microsoft could be planning to correct this soon.

[Via Gaming Bits]

Microsoft: Wii's success can't last

Posted Dec 21st 2007 1:30PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: News

Microsoft is obviously upset. Before Sony emerged on the scene with their ridiculously-priced units and varied SKUs, Microsoft looked like it was going to be the leader this generation. They were pumped about their middle-ground price and the features of their console. Best of both worlds, we're sure they thought.

But then the Wii changed everything. Now, Nintendo is back on top and arguably enjoying more success than they've ever enjoyed in the past. And Microsoft's head of marketing, Jeff Bell, thinks the honeymoon will be over soon and Nintendo's success is "unsustainable." To elaborate, Bell said "Clearly, we have a competitor where they win and no one else wins." He further commented "That is not sustainable, it's never been sustainable."

Can't say we agree with him, as the console's first year has been nothing but amazing for the system and we fail to see how Nintendo's success means everyone loses. For one, Nintendo won't lose, because they'll be winning. As for Nintendo remaining successful with the Wii, sure, they're going to need to keep bringing desirable software to the platform in order to stay viable, but with Wii Fit on the horizon, as well as other things Nintendo undoubtedly has up their sleeve, we're sure this popularity will continue, if not grow.

[Via GamePro]

Greenpeace is out of their mind

Posted Dec 12th 2007 6:00PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: News, Video


Following the initial report from Greenpeace regarding Nintendo's apparent lack of care toward the environment in their business practices, some took the time to actually comb through the report, citing that a lot of the negative marks were due to Greenpeace just handing them out at their discretion. Now, after a few weeks of silence, Greenpeace has come up with some compelling evidence regarding Nintendo's affect on the environment: a parody cartoon.

Greenpeace must have some great writers at the company, because the comedy in this cartoon is the kind of stuff that should be extracted and worn as jewelry. It's pure gold, we tell you! But, as hilarious as it is (for all of the wrong reasons, mind you), it's completely ridiculous. From Mario farting out a small brown mushroom (for serious, he does) to the Kratos saying he's the "friggin' God of War," this whole thing will make you cringe.

Odd how they only focus on consoles and not handhelds, however. We guess the PSP and DS don't cause any kind of pollution or whatever else they claim is bad to the environment when they're being manufactured.

See also: Nintendo (finally) responds to initial report

[Thanks to Shaun for the GT link; via Joystiq]

Activision CEO says $199 price point is 'critical'

Posted Nov 27th 2007 10:38PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: Interviews

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has some ideas on how things get done in the industry. To him, price is critical to the success of a console, he explained to Reuters. And, while we agree that a lower cost is going to help a console on the shelf, ultimately we believe the console's games and features are what help it stand out the most.

Bobby K (as he's lovingly known here around the offices) said "The Wii at its price point is now setting a standard and an expectation, and people say, well, the Wii is less complex technically. I don't think that really matters as much to the consumer." He went on further to discuss Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 systems, stating "In the next 24 months they all will need to be at that $199 price point, and you can imagine Nintendo will be down to the $129 price point over the next few years."

Now, obviously Nintendo has no reason to cut the price on their system since, well, not even the folks working the assembly lines can seem to find one (we imagine they disappear in a cloud of smoke upon completion at the factory). But, that doesn't mean that we won't entertain opinions on when you think the console will lower itself in price.

So, what do you think?

[Via NeoGAF]

October NPD sees Wii back on top

Posted Nov 16th 2007 1:30PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: News


Rejoice!

The Wii has managed to skedaddle back on top, enjoying the comfortable cushion of the NPD throne. In resting its behind in the big chair, you can see the Wii made sure that the Xbox 360's time at the top was short-lived. Welcome back, Nintendo. We've missed you.

The hardware sales:
  • Nintendo Wii: 519K (5 million total)
  • Nintendo DS: 458K (13.6 million total)
  • Microsoft Xbox 360: 366K (7.1 million total)
  • Sony PSP: 286K (8.8 million total)
  • Sony PlayStation 2: 184K (39.4 million total)
  • Sony PlayStation 3: 121K (1.9 million total)
The top 10 software sales:
  1. Halo 3 (all three SKUs - Xbox 360) -- 433.8K
  2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (Xbox 360) -- 383.2K
  3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (Wii) -- 286.3K
  4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (PS2) -- 271.1K
  5. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) -- 262.8K
  6. Wii Play (Wii) -- 239.7K
  7. The Orange Box (Xbox 360) -- 238.4K
  8. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock standalone (PS2) -- 231.7K
  9. FIFA Soccer '08 (PS2) -- 129.7K
  10. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day (DS) -- 116.9K
[Via Joystiq]

That fence comfy, Konami?

Posted Nov 13th 2007 8:30PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: News

We only ask because the company has revealed its thoughts on the current hardware cycle, and come to the overly diplomatic conclusion that ... they're all winners! Every one of them! Hurray!

"Previously, a single home gaming platform [PS2] was the market leader worldwide, but that pattern has changed," the company said in a statement. "Whichever platform best caters to users' preferences in a particular country or region, in terms of the games available to be played on it, is now the one that will dominate the local market."

Being the well-informed readers that you are, you'll be well aware that the Wii snagged first place from the Xbox 360 back in September, and apparently continues to be hugely desirable to consumers. And although Konami is correct to point out that the race is more finely balanced than in the last generation, there's still a distance to go yet. If anything, we'd bank on Nintendo to stretch its lead.

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