Posted on 12/18/2006 12:26:42 PM PST by BulletBobCo
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- We all know the new Nintendo Wii is the number one present to give this holiday season. You've heard the stories of those who camp out in front of stores the night before shipments come in, or those who pay double the cost on eBay. It's obvious that people will do almost anything to get their hands on this hot new item.
I found myself waiting for a Nintendo Wii one late afternoon. A massive shipment had just come in that morning and the line didn't look too unbearable, so I decided to wait and try my chances at getting one for my boyfriend. Since it was a little late in the day, I knew the odds were against me, but for some strange reason, I was feeling optimistic. (Snip) Closer and closer until finally, I was handed a white box. (Snip) I was shaking with excitement and felt like this was one great day.
While paying at the register, the man handling the Wii's said very loudly to the line full of people still waiting, "Sorry folks, that's it. There's no more for today." Instantly I started hearing groans and seeing other disappointing gestures. (Snip) All at once, I felt their angry, jealous eyes shift focus to me. To them, I was an easy target. But I felt confident that I could deal with angry Christmas shoppers. (Snip) I was caught off guard in a game of tug-a-war when a security guard intervened and rescued me from the chaos.
He took me outside. And the crowd followed.
The security guard flagged a police car. I thankfully jumped in. And it was a police escort for me and my Wii back to work.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
And some of my friends said I was crazy for standing in line for 3 hours to pre-order one...(and then, of course, I ended up getting a second at Nintendo, thus nullifying my wait--but at least I wasn't almost mugged!)
PS3 was the game to get.
Cartman buried himself in the snow and went into suspended animation to the year 2757 and then back in time to two months ago all because he couldnt' stand to wait for the Nintendo Wii.
I don't believe the author is telling the whole truth. It is very hard to believe the NYPD chauffered her back to her place of employment simply because she had opted to purchase a child's game in a private transaction.
~ Blue Jays ~
It's nice having my birthday in January...it simplifies this artificial hype nonsense.
You are assuming that:
Nope, PS3 wasn't the game to get...
Wii's launch has blown PS3 away... Look at anything remotely connected to video gaming.. the buzz and talk is all WII... PS3 priced itself out of the market.. Nintendos got a home run on its hands and knows it... and not only that, they actually are making money on every Wii they sell... while Sony is losing hundreds of bucks per system.
PS3 got a lot of hype, but once the actual release happened, Wii has stolen Sony's thunder big time. With only 1 launch game even worth a damn.. (resistance fall of man) and a late to the game attempt to kludge in motion sensing.. and a price tag way way way to high and number of units shipped way way way to low.. Sony blew it.
Sony's already had to adjust its sales expectations DOWNWARD, while Nintendos has had to adjust upward.... Sony also announced firmware update to make its motion controller more like the Wiis... an announcement only a few weeks after launch....
Sony knows its in trouble... Sony may very well have lost the crown of #1 console in terms of installed base this time.
Now yes, a launch does not a system make, but Sony definately has misstepped... Nintendo mistepped huge with Gamecube alienating many 3rd parties from the system.... They've learned their lesson, and launched with a huge number of new games, plus the virtual console, and of course the Franchise to end all franchise's ZELDA with launch.. its a convergence never before seen on a console.
New way to interact, large number of new titles, countless old titles by virtual console and an absolute must have killer game at launch.... and at less than 1/2 the cost of the PS3 and 60% of the cost of a low end 360.. Nintendo has hit the trifecta plus one.
The PS3 is a lovely piece of machinery, but the Wii is going to reclaim the console crown for Nintendo... I can't tell you how many folks I know who had been saving up for a 360 or PS3, who have changed their minds to a Wii after actually playing one....
I for one look forward to seeing what the DS/Wii bluetooth is going to unleash over time... Gamecube/Gameboy cable interaction had some promise that was never fully realized...now without cables, and a truly net ready system... its going to see where this all leads.
What a bunch of Wiieners.
My we've come a long way since my favorite Christmas as a kid.
http://bmxmuseum.com/bikes/se_racing/164
This is from CNN. It's fiction.
This "holiday" season has really been an exhibition of very ugly behavior. I know it happens every year, but one of the local outlet malls opened it's doors at 3 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, and the traffic was literally backed up for MILES getting into the parking lot - and this was for "B" stock crap that couldn't sell at the anchor stores.
I know there are people who are not well off who would like to get their children a computer or a toy that in no other way they would be able to afford. I understand and I sympathize. But from what I understand, the blatant line-cutting and cheating was pretty shameful this year. One of these situations is going to get ugly, and that's going to be the last "doorbuster" sale we hear about. It's as if people having nothing left to live for but possessions.
It's virtual people. Get a LIFE!
I thot liberals wanted to share with the world. Oh, never mind, they want everyone ELSE to share with the world.
Oddly, my son is considering an refurbed Xbox which he can get for $100. He can buy $150 worth of games to play on it for the price of a Wii. And the graphics seem to be just as good.
Is that the one where you hold the controllers in your hands and punch at the T.V. screen like a total dork? And then they fly out of your hands and break your T.V. screen making you look like even a bigger dork?
Wait until after Christmas. There will be big sales to get their pissed off customers back.
I know many 360 and even PS3 owners who will make the Wii there secod console. I went down to the mall yesterday, Gamespot was out of ps3's and Wii's however Wal-mart had 3 PS3's, the small version, and out of Wii's,. I wont buy me a PS3 until the 60GB version is below 400, and thats the only version I want. Until then I will get a Wii when I can get my grubby little hands on it.
Sweet bike.
My son went to Toys R Us in the middle of the night and stood on line - they had 35 sets and he was number 35.
So I am surprised this store didn't do a count just to prevent people from getting really ticked off from standing in line and getting nothing.
My son says someone in the line sold his set for $500, right there.
mrs VS
What are you saying? There is no stock right now, and they are filling orders as fast as possible. Besides why would it backfire on Ninatendoi and not Sony, or XBox even they both were in the same situation at launch.
Nintendo BTW expects to finally exceed demand somewhere in March and will probably remove Wii Sports and drop the price on the consoles by 50 dollars, and offer the consoles in different colors, as there MO. If demand remains high and that happens, buh-bye Sony you were a leader in the industry for a respectable time period.
A neighbor kid had this bike when I was a kid. It had that cool double shifter and I just had to have that bike! I never got it. It's a wonder I didn't grow up to be a liberal!! ;)
Separate of the two hot consoles, I've been looking at the X-Box 360.....my son currently has a regular X-Box....
Is this really a trade up or am I wasting my money?
Good gamer advice is needed...
The modern day "Christmas spirit" in America seems to be perfectly summed up in the movie "Jingle all the Way", except without the happy ending.
Yeah, mine, too:
I am very happy with my Xbox 360. Having a Hi-Def TV is essential to getting the most out of it though. Otherwise go with the wii or just your regular xbox.
The last game I owned was PONG, so I dunno...
From an XBox yeah, 360 no. But then again Nintendo's view isnt that its meant for gamers, its meant for the casual audience that wants a different experience. Such as actually swinging the controller for golf, or operating on someone and it satisfies the regualar gamer who just wants to kill things and beat a game.
I hate to break it to all of you, but Microsoft already has a huge advantage in terms of sales, game library, and logically the established user base.
Right now, Nintendo is chasing Microsoft - who, according to http://www.nexgenwars.com, has sold an almost identical number of Xbox 360 consoles as the Wii has sold since the Wii was launched. That is, Nintendo has sold 1.8 million Wiis since it was launched while Microsoft has sold 1.7 million 360s since the Wii was launched.
The Wii has a number of problems. Its graphics are already dated and much of its appeal is based on a unique controller with unknown stamina - the "gimmick" might wear off quickly and it might not. Interestingly enough, the technology is not particularly revolutionary, and both other consoles (PS3 and Xbox 360) could theoretically add similar functionality to their consoles.
Also, you would be crazy to count out Sony.
I don't understand adult fascination with a child's game, either. I personally know a 43-year-old man who called in sick to work and arranged for his wife to deliver food while he remained in line for a Playstation3 console. He got the device, but it still seems peculiar to me for an otherwise well-adjusted person.
~ Blue Jays ~
What *is* that bike, anyway? I had a Schwinn Stingray when I was a kid (I wanted the way-cool "Krate" with the "springer fork", but Santa didn't like the look of that tiny front wheel...). That looks like a pretty close knock-off of the Stingray, but the fenders and shifter appear different (the Schwinn was only a 5-speed, so had only a single, taller shifter. Fully-chromed fenders, too - no paint).
"fiction."
Now there's a polite way to say "pack of lies."
You are completely wrong. PS3's are selling every single unit they can pump out.
Sony really needs to rethink its strategy. For example, consider their mp3 players. They have a proprietary file format, so they don't actually play mp3's. Apparently, they haven't learned their lesson from Betamax.
Are you sure it's a she???
There's a great spoof of the Budweiser "Real Men of Genius" ads running on the local morning radio here. It effectively skewers "Mister Nintendo Wii Player" for essentially the reasons you cite. Check it out at "www.deliciousaudio.com" (IIRC). Funny stuff.
Nice misdirection.
It wasn't that she bought a toy.
It's that an angry mob seemed ready to perpetrate violence upon her (that it was over a toy is irrelevant) and the cops, reasonably performing their job, got her out of there.
I don't know. I've hit every store in a 50-mile radius looking for a Wii. They've been flying off the shelves the moment they come in. My last stop was a Wal-Mart. They got 10 Wii's this morning - all gone by noon. There were still two PS3's sitting there, however.
My opinion, Go Wii
$250 you are next gen.. yes, the Wii doesn't have the graphics of the 360 or the PS3... but it has gameplay.. Nintendo has as a company refocussed on GAMEPLAY.. so while MS and Sony are busy trying to kill each other on graphics, Nintendos been laughing all teh way to the bank... DS a certified smash, (the first hardware released by Nintendo after changing focus on the game experience, not purely hardware) PSP a doorstop.
Wii is backwardly compatible with the GameCube catalogue, so you can pick up titles for a few bucks at the resale store... which is what nearly all of my titles have been bought from, which yes is not as deep as Sony, but still there are some great games on it... Metroid is a great series, Zelda, and you can't touch Resident Evil 4 (for all the talk of graphics... I'll put Resident Evil 4 on the Gamecube up against ANYTHING on 360 or PS2, and you tell me the Cube can't do graphics) if first person shooters are your thing. Lots of good platformers, and younger kid stuff, and Nintendo is far more conscious than Sony or MS when it comes to licensing adult themes on their consoles.. IE, no Rock Star Games pushing out AO titles with some of content "locked" just to get a lower rating so Wal mart will carry it... Nintendo would have pulled the Rock Star licensing agreement in a heartbeat had they pulled that on their system... If you have younger kids.
Wireless compatibility with the DS... The best selling portable system....
And lets not forget us old fogies too... with the virtual console allowing games all the way back to the orignal nintendo entertainment system, and the Sega Genesis etc... the old schoolers can have just as much fun as well.
I have a buddy who has 3 kids, and an XBOX with a pretty large selection of games... he was dreaming of the 360... I suggested he should check out the Wii... for the reasons mentioned above etc.. (his oldest is same age as mine, 10).... he kept thinking 360, until he actually got to play a Wii after launch... now he's gung ho Wii all the way.
Personally I cannot remotely justify 400-700 for a game console, that to me is rediculous. For $2000 I can go buy a brand new pinball machine!... or a fully licensed and legal full sized MAME cabinet for that price range. The full size original Galaga I have in my gameroom as a collectors item sells for $600-$1000... I just can't justify a game system for that.
To put it in perspective, in 1977 the Atari 2600 launched for $199 (in 1977 dollars).. the Wii at full retail is going to set you back $249 in 2006 dollars...
Also the Wii has launched with a very large number of launch titles.... I believe something like 18 or 20 games for the Wii are on the market today.. with scores more coming.. and every major developer has pretty much signed on to the Wii system... mostly because they realize that the new controller is offering them a way to completely change the game experience. Nintendo messed up with the Cube (as much as you can call 25 Million systems, and every one of their sales made the company money, a mess up) and learned its lesson on 3rd party content and the importance of getting developers onboard.
Sony and MS are losing money per unit sold in hopes of market share... Nintendo is making money with every unit sold, they don't have to make it up with market share and game licensing. Combine that with some of the greatest and longest franchises in gaming owned by nintendo or already agreeing to support the new system and you aren't going to go wrong.
Some analysts are already predicting the PS3 will be Sony's last console... now I don't know if I agree with that .. .but it is definately up in the air if Sony will be able to stay number 1... I really don't think the PS3 at its price point, and insanely poor launch collection, will remain #1 console... I don't think its because the 360 has been out for a year either.. I think its going to be Nintendo that is going to just outstrip MS and Sony this generation.
The one weak spot for Nintendo is lack of HiDef, but again with focus on the GAME and the GAME EXPERIENCE taking precidence over just trying to make the visuals better, I don't think its a huge disadvantage... some may disagree.. I just don't.
I still will take original 1980s cabinet games over a lot of newer stuff, in fact, I couldn't even get into the PS1 until Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, and Spyro Year of the Dragon came out... just didn't seem to offer anything other than higher price tag for same old same old.. yea graphics were better, but games were pretty much the same old crap.
I know my current gen console will be Wii, no doubt about it. Hell when PS2 gets sub $100 retail, I'll probably pick one of those up too just for the hell of it, and finally retire the old PS1.. but I won't be PS3 at its current price point, nor XBOX or X360 either.
MS still has some larger issues, while accepted in US, its flopped in many other areas of the globe, including Japan where Video Gaming is a national sport.... etc etc etc.
Yes, and they have only pumped out how many?????
They have revised their deliveries DOWNWARD....
Their launch collection is mediocre at best... with the only standout being Resistence Fall of Man
Nintendos owning this season, PS3 was the buzz, until the actual launch.. once they launched and the patheticness of the launch catalogue was obvious, Wii has gotten every ounce of press since... and has revised UPWARD its sales figures and shipping numbers and also isn't losing a few benjamins per sale, but actually making money on every system... a Huge launch catalogue, and an true KILLER GAME with launch as well.. which is ZELDA... Wii's owning this Christmas in terms of sales and buzz.
Which is still used in almost every television station in America. Every electronics manufacturer in the world makes a VHS player. So far as I know, only Sony makes a Beta, and that means there is a Sony player in every television station in the United States, Sony cameras pointed at TV anchors, and Sony tapes loaded into every Sony camera.
Sony didn't come out as badly in that deal as everyone thinks. There's something to be said for making a plainly superior product.
With the miniscule number of units shipped of PS3s the fact you could find one of them on the shelves of a retailer, let alone 3, even if they were the "small" version, tells you how weak this launch has been for Sony...
Wii was the sleeper up and through the PS3 launch... PS3 was everywhere... then the launch happened... and frankly it fizzled. Mediocre and small number of games, and a huge price tag... and only 1 launch game rating consitently beyond average... Sony doesn't have the punch the Wii had... Cheap, Changed the gaming experience completely, insane catalogue of existing games from multiple vendors and franchises through and a huge number of games at launch, and of course ZELDA.
I am not arguing that there are people who will own both systems, or even all 3 systems... but when it comes to most households... they are going to commit to 1 system,a nd Wii will be it... combine that with the fact Nintendo is intentionally going after the non hard corp gamers, and trying to bring the casual game players into the fold, they are appealing defacto to a larger base.... They don't have to get insane game boy Sony fan to buy a Wii.. when they can get 3 or 4 families who are casual gamers to pick up the Wii instead.
With its plan of action pretty sound, its console solid, and its price right, I think you will be seeing Nintendo take this generations crown in terms of installed base at the end of the day.
Computer games: a complete waste of money and time, but maybe all of you who like them are satisfied by playing them and need some strange sense of achievement.
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