Nintendo Wii Takes Lead in Console Wars

Nintendo Wii Takes Lead in Console Wars

Nintendo's Wii game console outsold its competitors in January, keeping its lead against rivals Sony and Microsoft, according to new sales figures from analyst firm NPD.

Nintendo sold 436,000 units during the month, with Sony's previous iteration of its console, the
PlayStation 2, coming in second place. Microsoft's
Xbox 360 was third, followed by the PlayStation 3.

Nintendo has maintained its lead primarily through ease-of-use, a lower price, and strong game titles at launch time, analysts have said. Sony and Microsoft, in contrast, have tried to develop consoles that are cutting edge, which has increased the price of the units.

Down Not Out

But just because Nintendo is ahead does not mean that its rivals have thrown in the towel. Sony has announced that it is giving away freebies in an attempt to win users to the PlayStation 3 platform. In March, the company will give a Blu-ray Disc version of the movie "Casino Royale" to the first 30,000 Australian PS3 buyers.

It is likely that Sony is attempting to demonstrate why the PlayStation 3 is worth the higher price by showcasing the quality of Blu-ray movies on the console. It remains to be seen, though, whether Australians will agree. Although the device is $600 in the United States, gamers down under will end up paying closer to $750.

In a recent report, TheStreet.com analyst Michael Comeau predicted that Nintendo's momentum should have Microsoft thinking about a price cut for the Xbox 360. But he expects that move could be delayed until 2008, when "surefire hardware mover" Halo 3 is released.

Console Wars

As the console wars rage, it is likely that over the next year, the major manufacturers will keep stressing their benefits over the competition and adding more services and functions. Nintendo, for example, could take advantage of the amusing and anecdotal stories of weight loss as a result of using its Wii controller, noted Forrester Research analyst Paul Jackson.

"Instead of going to the gym, you can just play a game, like boxing or tennis," he said. "There are people who have blogs about losing weight with these games and are proud of how they break a sweat and get their heart rates up."

Could the Wii replace Jared and the Subway sandwich phenomenon as an easy-to-follow, non-gym weight loss plan? Time will tell, but Jackson added that if there is a perceived benefit, Nintendo will likely tout it before long.

"Nintendo already has an excellent start in the marketplace, and has sold a great deal of hardware," he noted. "But to maintain a lead in this industry, you can't rest on your success."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20070223/tc_nf/50280;_ylt=Aj655objlf6fAVdTtCFgIpAjtBAF

Oh, and another way Sony is hoping to sell more PS3s is by removing their ability to play PS2 games in Europe.

Ahh, excellent.

I predict this will be the last we ever hear of console wars.

*Hands behind head, feet up on desk*

Got a xbox 360, don't like sony stuff breaks down too easy.
Halo 3 is out in nov. not 2008 like they said.

I think I'll be holding on to my old school Xbox for awhile. I only play the thing once or twice a month with a couple of friends on Xbox live.

Nintendo may be selling more units month to month but Microsoft got their console out a year early.

So they are still in the lead and the others have their work cut out for them if they want to catch up.

Most analysts predict that Sony will eventually win the console war but it will take a couple years to pick up steam. And they won't have nearly the market share that they had in the previous console generation.

Oh, and Blu Ray seems to be outselling HD-DVD now. So at least Sony is winning on one front.

I'm still waiting until Wii becomes HD and offers HD games until I commit to buying one.

My mom recently expressed interest in it though, so I might not have to spend my own money on it.

I will be buying a Wii in April.

-J.

As will I. HD output and DVD playback? If they keep it at the same price point, I'm sold.

Ah, who am I fooling, I was sold with the Super Smash Brothers Brawl announcement.

Also, the Wii is still selling out, while the PS3 is not. I've yet to come across a store with it in stock. Best Buy has a stack (one stack) of PS3's, and many stacks of XBox 360's. Even gaming stores have a couple PS3s in stock now, but no Wiis or Wiimotes. Plenty of accessories and games in stock though.

Even if they raise it by $20-$50 I'm fine with it.

But don't tell them that!

Meh, still getting a 360. Nothing Nintendo's got on the menu for their console looks as tasty to me as Gears Of War.

I found two Wiimotes at Target today. I bet they wouldn't be there if I went back tomorrow. I checked every retail outlet around here, and all of them are projecting at least 3 weeks, and only several consoles at a time. I have decided that I will wait (on the advice of a good friend at work) until April, since there will be an influx of second gen consoles.

As long as I get Wii Sports I'm fine. My mom will exercise to that. She's diabetic and obese, and I think if I can get her to play the Wii every day for an hour a day, she'll build her stamina. It's also very difficult for her to walk, so conventional exercise is out. I think the Wii is the answer. So I'm buying it for her.

And then I'll buy the fishing game for my dad.

-J.

O-o;

I refuse to buy the Wii for some reason.

At the very least, until the craptastic release games die down.

Before you defend them, think of this. There was a GIANT leap in gameplay after six month-a year of the Gameboy Advance making games. Imagine what the Wii will be like in a year.

Just because the Wii will get better games as time goes on doesn't mean they are craptastic now. There are some disapointing games like Red Steel and Far Cry, but the first party games are generally tons of fun.

From what I've read of these Wiimotes in the news, you can buy one at Target -- and then find the same one at a target again, in the event you paint a bullseye in whatever the thing ends up embedded in.

^ They've fixed the strap issue, plus it's not good to swing wildly. The Wiimotes are meant for active fun, but some people go nuts.

-J.

Well, you can't beat the wild, zany madcap fun of the Wiimissile.

The simple way to avoid it is to not be a smacktard and throw the remote around the place.

The strap is there as an extra safety measure, not a guarantee.

Yeah, but I love the Wiimissile! DON'T DESTROY MY DREAM OF OUR UNGUIDED AIRBORNE PLASTIC OVERLORDS!!!

Gears of War, like most console games, is pretty fun for a few days. Then you don't play it anymore. Because of roommates, I've got a PS3, 2 Xbox 360s, and 2 Wii's at my apartment. Can't say I'm overly impressed by any of them in terms of stuff that will hold your attention.

Crackdown is currently holding my attention very well. It's like GTA on steroids. Fun as hell. My character can now leap 25ft in the air, lift semis and buses... he just can't drive very well yet.

However, there is still nothing out there which holds my attention like World of Warcraft.

I can't wait for Mass Effect and Too Human, though!!!

^What platform is Crackdown for?

Speaking of GTA, the 4th series of GTA games is coming out this October for PS3 and 360.

Crackdown is a 360 game..think GTA but with super powers, my fella can pick up 20 tons and throw it 200+ feet so far and jump about 20+ feet.


http://crackdownoncrime.com/

Aaah, San Andreas with the cheats turned on.

I will probably get a Wii eventually. When I have more disposable money, when the price goes down, and when more cool games are out. For now I am happy with my Gamecube... I have been building a decent collection of classic titles for cheap. Seriously, the only game I paid more than 20 bucks for was the new Zelda game. And I can play them all on the Wii anyway.

Gamecube Collection:

The Legend Of Zelda: Collector's Edition
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Super Mario Sunshine
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Tales Of Symphonia
F-Zero GX
SSX 3
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Star Fox Adventures
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time
Resident Evil 4
Soul Calibur II
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Robotech: Battlecry
Mario Kart: Double Dash!
Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance
Mortal Kombat: Deception

So people want to play games on game consoles? Not spend all day wooing the graphics but rather a quick, fun game in between? Whoa there, never thought of that in Sony's marketing department.

I have a Wii, it is large and impressive.

Not even close. Tell me when in GTA, you can scale skyscrapers (in more ways than one), jump from rooftop to rooftop, pile cars up in the air, so you can jump even higher and/or raid a gang bosses hide-out. Go online and team up with a friend, so you can toss each other around and/or clean up different parts of the city. Lift semis and other huge vehicles over your head, to use as a weapon. Pick up weapons of different tech, from each gang and store them in your supply points. Use precision aiming to shoot guns out of enemies hands, or shoot their kneecaps so they fall down.. or go for a headshot from hundreds of yards away as your firearms skills improve. Pick up bodies to use as meat shields. And many other actions and places I haven't discovered yet.

Its only like GTA because you can gank cars and it's an open-ended world. Other than that, it's nothing like it.

Why would anyone want a wee Wii?

You can do all that if you turn cheats on. Super-punch, super-jump, jet-pack, flying cars. You can even go online if you have the right mod installed.

The difference being that this game has all of that standard, and thus seems a lot more fun.