I just might have to try out a Wii
I read a Time Magazine story on the Wii and its new controller. I can't speak as to what incentives, if any, Nintendo might have given the author to write such a glowing article, but in it, he does bring up a few interesting points:
1. Nintendo does from time to time "bet its franchise" on something new.
2. In giving the consumers what they want, Microsoft and Sony keep them happy without ever suprising them. (Not necessarily a good thing).
3. What the Wii controller has the potential to do is change the way in which users interface with their game machines and their games. I especially enjoyed the EA developer who is working on a version of Madden football for the Wii. He is talking about making the controller the football itself and allowing the player to throw and hike the ball just by moving the controller.
4. The new interface automatically turns gaming from a zombie experience of the eyes and thumbs into a party atmosphere of Karaoke-like-gaming where others in the rooms can take much enjoyment from watching the game being played.
5. Gaming is hard for non-gamers. Imagine someone who has never held a PS or Xbox controller. Imgaine them trying to simultaneously manipulate 2 joysticks and several buttons with multiple other fingers. The learning curve is so steep that many would give up before they started to enjoy themselves. If the interface were more natural, non-gamers might give it more of a chance.
I really don't know what I will do for my next console. I find myself playing my PS2 less and less in favor of more strategy oriented games on my Mac. The Wii might make it fun to play a console again. If the price point is as low as some blogs and sites are suggesting, I might just have to try it out.
Edit: Also saw a CNET article that reports on Opera coming on Wii. You will be able to browse using the Wii controller. How they intend to make it work should be interesting to see. Point and click at links? Move the controller to move a cursor on the screen? The possibilities are intriguing.
1. Nintendo does from time to time "bet its franchise" on something new.
2. In giving the consumers what they want, Microsoft and Sony keep them happy without ever suprising them. (Not necessarily a good thing).
3. What the Wii controller has the potential to do is change the way in which users interface with their game machines and their games. I especially enjoyed the EA developer who is working on a version of Madden football for the Wii. He is talking about making the controller the football itself and allowing the player to throw and hike the ball just by moving the controller.
4. The new interface automatically turns gaming from a zombie experience of the eyes and thumbs into a party atmosphere of Karaoke-like-gaming where others in the rooms can take much enjoyment from watching the game being played.
5. Gaming is hard for non-gamers. Imagine someone who has never held a PS or Xbox controller. Imgaine them trying to simultaneously manipulate 2 joysticks and several buttons with multiple other fingers. The learning curve is so steep that many would give up before they started to enjoy themselves. If the interface were more natural, non-gamers might give it more of a chance.
I really don't know what I will do for my next console. I find myself playing my PS2 less and less in favor of more strategy oriented games on my Mac. The Wii might make it fun to play a console again. If the price point is as low as some blogs and sites are suggesting, I might just have to try it out.
Edit: Also saw a CNET article that reports on Opera coming on Wii. You will be able to browse using the Wii controller. How they intend to make it work should be interesting to see. Point and click at links? Move the controller to move a cursor on the screen? The possibilities are intriguing.
Comments
Speaking of fanbase: is there anybody here in love with Super Smash Bros? Nintendo just released a trailer of the next installment - Super Smash Bros: Brawl, and it looks incredibly cool.
And you can play as Solid Snake!!!
love.
flick.
I'll have to wait and see how the Wiimote plays with Zelda before judging that. It's kind of cool to aim like that as I HATE aiming with controllers (again, no FPS on consoles).
I'm not worried about Nintendo overdoing the Wiimote.
The new version of Super Smash Brothers won't be making much use (if any) of it, the producer (Nintendo) saying the new control methods "got in the way".
What does worry me is crappy 3rd-party use of the Wiimote. For the first round of games I'm betting that 3rd-party developers will have subpar games since they won't have had the exposure to this new and (dare I say it?) revolutionary hardware system.
This happened with the DS to some extent, but now that platform is amazingly strong and pumping out great new games all the time.
I'm still skeptical that this whole thing will work out. I am really happy that Nintendo is trying new things, though, and also happy that it is being so well received this early in the game.
I'm about 60% certain I'll buy a Wii on launch. (90% within a year of launch)
I'm about 30% certain I'll buy a PS3 on launch. (50% within a year of launch)
I'm about 80% certain I'll never buy a 360.
Originally posted by groverat
I'm about 80% certain I'll never buy a 360.
You are missing out - Elder scrolls is worth the price of the 360, and you can get it now.
I am buying all 3, maybe two of each if they are good enough.
Originally posted by e1618978
You are missing out - Elder scrolls is worth the price of the 360, and you can get it now.
I am buying all 3, maybe two of each if they are good enough.
what would you do with two of each? Seems like an awful lot of money to spend.
what would you do with two of each? Seems like an awful lot of money to spend.
I have multiple Xboxes just for Halo LAN parties. I didn't buy them both at launch but when it became cheap enough, I bought a second one.
I have two Game Cubes as well, but that's because my launch Cube was leant out and left on for a few days straight. Now it won't read the majority of my games. At $99 (including Metroid Prime), picking up a second one wasn't a big deal.
I've got 2 PSPs as well. One for homebrew, one for games that need the most up to date OS. Plus, multiplayer Ridge Racer and other early games is a good bonus.
I doubt I'll be picking up two of any of the consoles coming around this time, though, it's just too much money.
Originally posted by Flounder
what would you do with two of each? Seems like an awful lot of money to spend.
One for my bedroom, one for my home theater downstairs. I would only get two of the "insanely great" ones - I only bought a single gamecube and single xbox last gen, but I ended up with 4 playstations (two big ones, later traded for two slimline ones - because of the built in remote receiver).
Originally posted by Placebo
The Wii will be $199 - this is genius. Even if a gamer already has their heart set on an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 for their gaming mainstay, they can pick up a Wii for a beautifully inexpensive price for less serious games. Perfect impulse-buy.
That isn't confirmed yet, is it though? I do hope that is the price. I'll certainly pick one up next spring once the second wave of games are out and the price has dropped on the first wave. I guess from my comments in this thread I've revealed I'm not a huge gamer.
Nintendo's Wii steals show at expo
By Kemp Powers Thu May 11, 7:39 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s (7974.OS) new Wii video game console, considered the underdog in the console wars because it lacks the high-definition graphics and multimedia features of its rivals, is stealing the show at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show.
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The wait to try out the Wii at E3 pushed past four hours on Thursday afternoon, while the wait for hands-on time with Sony Corp.'s (6758.T) PlayStation 3 was barely 30 minutes. Both consoles will hit the market later this year, though the Wii is expected to cost much less than rival consoles.
The Wii (pronounced "we") uses a motion-sensor enabled controller that looks like a TV remote and allows users to direct action on the screen by wielding it like a sword or swinging it like a baseball bat, tennis racket or golf club.
"It's basically a whole different thing from anything I've seen before," said Josef Faulkner, who had been waiting in line for three hours to get his hands on Wii. He still had an hour to go. "This is definitely the biggest thing here."
Faulkner and other attendees agreed that the unique controller is what is drawing people to the Wii.
Unlike other next-generation consoles, Wii doesn't sport high-definition graphics or make any promises of being a multimedia entertainment hub, but it promises a unique, fun experience new to video games.
And while the company insists that Wii is not a direct competitor to powerful new game consoles like the upcoming Playstation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s (Nasdaq:MSFT - news)
Xbox 360, there is no doubt that it has stolen much of other consoles' thunder.
"You have to play (Wii) in order to understand what it is," said Don James, Nintendo's executive vice president of operations. James said the company knew that lots of people would be drawn to Wii, but he was surprised by the sheer numbers. He said that after 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time (22:00 GMT) they had to stop allowing people into the line because there was no way they would be able to see the console before the convention center closed three hours later.
"I didn't think the line was going to go around the whole convention center," said James.
The enduring image of the show might end up being the enormous line, which snakes completely around Nintendo's floor space. A security guard estimated that 1,500 to 2,000 people have been in the line at any given time.
Matt Rogers and Steve Bollinger said they waited almost three hours to get their hands on Wii, even though they lined up as soon as the convention center doors opened. After exiting the booth, they said the wait was definitely worth it.
"Nintendo really nailed it," said Rogers.
"They really worked hard to put fun games in this booth," said Bollinger. "Now I know the next thing I'm getting."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060511/...N5bnN1YmNhdA--
{sarcasm}Wow those lines for the PS3 are sooooooooooo long. Nobody likes the Wii{sarcasm}
Microsoft Recommends Wii
"Tell me why you would buy a $600 PS3?" Peter Moore, a Microsoft vice president, said in an interview. "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."
Microsoft predicted on Tuesday it will have 10 million Xbox 360 consoles in the market before Sony launches the PS3. The high-end Xbox 360 sells for $399, but it does not include a built-in high-definition DVD video player that comes with Sony's PS3.
Sony plans to sell a premium PS3 model for $599 when it debuts in North America on November 17, and Nintendo has not yet disclosed pricing for Wii.
Wii comes equipped with motion sensitive controllers to allow users to mimic the motion of wielding a sword or swinging a tennis racket.
Moore then turned pitchman for Nintendo's Wii, the latest offering from the Japanese company that once dominated the video game industry.
"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," Moore told Reuters.
http://revolution.ign.com/articles/707/707831p1.html
Even Microsoft is suporting the Wii, could things get any better for a Nintendo fan (not fan boy)
The Wii is probably going to have even more launch titles the n the PS3 and last but not least...
The light gun is BACK!!
http://revolution.ign.com/articles/707/707077p1.html
I love football games but I hate Madden (R.I.P. ESPN 2k Series
The Xbox360 and PS3 are both going to have to grab me with 3 or 4 solid titles, I'll probably get the Wii on faith.
Originally posted by groverat
I'm not really interested in games like Elder Scrolls. The whole ancient knights of yore with ye olde axes and ye olde armoury really don't do anything for me.
I love football games but I hate Madden (R.I.P. ESPN 2k Series
The Xbox360 and PS3 are both going to have to grab me with 3 or 4 solid titles, I'll probably get the Wii on faith.
For most people it only takes one title for impulse to kick in. For the original XBox it was Halo. It's really unfortunate the Gamecube didn't have blockbuster game of any kind at launch. I didn't buy an XBox 360 at launch...there were zero good games out for it, buy once GRAW came out I had to get one. Note the PC version is vastly inferior...it's not even the same game.
The Wii needs a blockbuster before I'm fully ready to buy into it.
http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/profile...dnNgxTCo5bMJuQ
http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/profile...ICA7nmer5bMNsg
PS3 is good but expensive
Wii is cheap but rubbish.
Originally posted by Marvin
Great another Nintendo fanboy thread. Well y'know, it's not the length of the lines - that only shows the hype between the controller and the stupid name. Once you hear the reaction after the show, that's when you make the decision:
http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/profile...dnNgxTCo5bMJuQ
http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/profile...ICA7nmer5bMNsg
PS3 is good but expensive
Wii is cheap but rubbish.
Wow so I guess all the reviews from IGN, G4, Macworld, etc. that said that the Wii was the most exciting product in E3 is crap I guess...
How about this
1- Halo 3 XBox 360\t \t
2- God of War II PS2\t\t\t\t\t\t3- Red Steel Wii
4- WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 PS3\t\t\t\t
5- Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wii\t\t\t\t\t
6- Gears of War\tXBox 360
7- Super Mario Galaxy Wii\t\t\t\t\t
8- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass DS\t\t
9- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess GC
10- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii version)
funny 6 of the top 10 hottest games of E3 are Nintendo games,... I'm shocked Nintendo only makes rubish!!{sarcasm}
(Ok one is repeated/the same but still)
edit: In case you don't believe me about Nintendo stealing the show at E3 here's some proof...
E3 2006: It's a Wrap
Matt sums up the show, links to the biggest stories and gives you his picks for Best of E3. Is Nintendo the big winner?
by Matt Casamassina
May 12, 2006 - The bell sounded throughout the Los Angeles Convention Center at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, signaling the end of the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2006. Perhaps we imagined it, but it almost seemed that we could hear the simultaneous relief sighs of videogame journalists and pained sobs of fanboys still waiting in line for the chance to go hands-on with Super Mario Galaxy for Nintendo Wii.
This year's show was one of the best. Not only did we witness the unveilings of two new systems in Wii and Sony PlayStation 3, but also Microsoft stepped up with second-generation software for its Xbox 360 console. As a result, there were some great new pieces of hardware and yet nearly all of it took a backseat to the innovative games on the floor, which were in bulk regardless of whose booth you visited.
We went into E3 2006 unconvinced of the Wii name or the machine's potential and walked away from the Convention Center knowing for certain that Nintendo has another hit on its hands. Wii is everything we were hoping it might be, as evidenced by spectacular games such as Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3 and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The Big N's new platform may lack the graphic horsepower of competitor PlayStation 3, but its innovative controller stole the show right out from underneath Sony's collective feet.
Warhawk looked fabulous. Heavenly Sword superb. But neither game packed Sony's booth. On the other hand, Nintendo's space was filled to the spilling point from the very moment the E3 doors opened until they closed again. On the second day of the exhibition, representatives for the Convention Center announced that the line to see Nintendo's Wii console, which zigzagged around corners and promised a wait time of more than four hours, had broken every E3 record.
The Big N seemed to have come to E3 2006 with a few goals in mind. First, to show why Wii was different from its competitors and yet still accomplished. Second, to educate gamers on the controller and a new way to play. And third, to have fun. This last point was something that could almost be felt from the moment the Big N kicked off its media briefing event, in which Shigeru Miyamoto took the stage and conducted a virtual symphony using the Wii-mote, and Iwata and Reggie casually squared off in a couple games of Wii Sports Tennis. Click here to see it all in action.
Even our interviews with the company's top executives seemed to move at a slower, carefree pace. Nintendo seemed for once legitimately unconcerned with what its competitors were doing and unflinchingly convinced of its own pursuits. This attitude is perhaps best illustrated by the nonchalant chat we had NOA's VP of corporate affairs, Perrin Kaplan, which took place (literally) on the E3 show floor. That's right, click this link to see it..
Nintendo hasn't always blown us away at E3. There have been some years we'd like to forget and we'd be willing to bet that folks from the Big N itself would agree with our sentiments. But as far as success stories go, E3 2006 belonged to the company. It had the hardware, the games, and the attitude, and we aren't merely stating so because we're the Nintendo editors. Just click on our Day 3 show wrap and you'll see that nearly every IGN editor queried is in agreement that the Big N took this year's event.
Really, how could it not? The Wii-mote performed exactly as Nintendo promised, opening up a new avenue for simpler, more intuitive games. Wii Sports Baseball was both graphically primitive and mechanically basic. And yet, the process of swinging a virtual bat with the Wii-mote was undeniably fun and entertaining in a manner completely impossible with a traditional controller. In a matter of minutes, using Nintendo's new pointer seemed almost second nature, as a round or two with its astonishing new platformer, Super Mario Galaxy, easily demonstrated. The company's revolutionary remote and by association the Wii console earned my pick for hardware of the show, besting Sony's far more powerful, but relatively uneventful PlayStation 3.
Meanwhile, despite heavy competition from such Xbox 360 games as Bioshock, Mass Effect, Gears of War and Assassin's Creed, Super Mario Galaxy's spot-on control and superb level designs earned it my pick for Game of the Show. By the way, it looks pretty damned good, too. If I had to pick a runner-up, it'd go to Bioshock, whose unbelievable concept and oozing atmosphere set it a notch above most everything else.
Other honorable mentions include Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The Wii-mote control definitely improved the franchise's experience and even the short demo featured some satisfying surprises, like a sweet fight with Ridley as Aran plummeted down an abyss, but the lack of a quick 180-turn solution proved a bit problematic. I've got my fingers crossed that developer Retro Studios will work this out. If not, Corruption will still be amazing. But if the 180-turn makes it in, too, then the game could really set a new first-person control bar for home consoles.
Wii Sports Tennis isn't exactly a graphical showcase, but it is a gameplay one; the title's simplified controls just worked and proved to be a lot of fun. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess may end up being the best game of the year. However, E3 is not a good venue for the title as it is an adventure than runs much deeper than the time permits on the show floor. Excite Truck captured the hearts of several IGN editors, many of whom initially thought it was going to be clumsy or stupid. And finally, games like WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Elebits, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Sonic Wild Fire and more were a lot of fun. Guess what, haters? I happened to like Madden's controls, too - EA really put some time into this new game of football and it shows.
E3 2006 officially kicked off on Wednesday and ended on Friday, which seems from the outside looking in to be fairly short. However, for the Nintendo team at IGN, which included Dan Iverson, JKR, Mark Bozon and I, preparing for the event actually began much earlier. For instance, I played five or six Wii games including Metroid and Zelda on the Sunday prior to E3 and had to prep write-ups for the event. I haven't bothered to check over how many stories hit our Wii channel during the three-day show, but I can tell you that it's well into the hundreds. So while I'm thrilled with Wii and its games, I'm also overjoyed that the show is over.
Wii was not only the hit of E3 - it was the big hit with IGN's readership, too. IGN Wii consistently had the biggest traffic during the event, undoubtedly thanks to whopping revelations like the Super Smash Bros. Brawl trailer, which shouldn't be missed! It was and is amazing. A couple million - yes, million - unique readers tuned into IGN Wii in as many days to check out our updates and download media.
It's normally during our E3 wrap-ups that I take the time to link our biggest stories - and I have in fact included a couple links in my write-up - but this year, I'm going to instead send viewers to our official E3 page. You'll be able to find every story and every piece of media we posted on a single page, which makes the process incredibly convenient. Simply follow the link below and you'll be set.
IGN Wii's Game Coverage Index
Nintendo fans, 2006 is going to be a huge year. I've played Wii and it is as good as the Big N promises. The IGN Nintendo team thanks you for tuning into E3 2006 and we hope you enjoyed our coverage. It is just the beginning. We've got a legitimate console now, some huge games are on the way, and we're going to do our best to make sure you're on the cutting-edge of Wii developments. Tune in next week for more videos and after-show impressions. Until then, go out and celebrate. If E3 2006 proved anything, it's that Nintendo fans have a lot to be happy about.
Matt Casamassina
Editor-in-chief, IGN Wi
http://revolution.ign.com/articles/708/708558p1.html
Originally posted by Marvin
Great another Nintendo fanboy thread. Well y'know, it's not the length of the lines - that only shows the hype between the controller and the stupid name. Once you hear the reaction after the show, that's when you make the decision:
http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/profile...dnNgxTCo5bMJuQ
http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/profile...ICA7nmer5bMNsg
PS3 is good but expensive
Wii is cheap but rubbish.
Why do I hate that chick's face so much?