Post E3 Rant
Disclaimer: This is entirely my own opinion and in no way reflects the views of my employer or anyone else who gives me money.
Now both Sony and Microsoft agree with me - the Nintedo Wii is the most exciting next-generation console.
High farce indeed.
I predict tough times for the Playstation 3 if this marketing confusion and arrogance continue. Really, their “big thing” is to rip off Microsoft XBox Live service, cobble together a lame imitation of the sublime Wii controller, mash in yet another underwhelming Sony format - and then have the arrogance to say “we’re not charging enough”.
Beta. Mini-Disc. Now Blu-ray. When will they learn?
The weird thing is I love the PS3 hardware, but I’m an engineer who loves giga-watsits and mega-polygons per second.
However, I don’t think charging US $600 for a slightly better DVD player isn’t going to work. Note they did charge the same amount the PS2 at launch (and I paid it!) - but that was when no one had a DVD player. Blu-ray simply isn’t compelling enough to get people to fork out that much cash.
Nintendo have got it exactly right. If all three consoles where available today, they’d have my money. Then I would invite my Mum around for Wii Tennis and have hilarious afternoon.
Microsoft, using their old strategy of just keeping their heads down and letting other people screw up, will be a close second to Nintendo.
May 16th, 2006 at 11:33 pm
Yeah, i agree with all that wholeheartedly…. but i still want a ps3, and i think sony knows it, they’ve overcharged at launch before and know that they still not going to have trouble peddling the units, though as you say the scenario has changed, and we will see if it blows up in their face.
and as much as i loved nintendo, i grew up with it, i think why there are so many controllers in the hands of so many adults today as opposed to young children as it was so long ago is the realism that the giga-watsits and mega polygons a second brings. I think the majority of punters will not be able to appreciate what the Wii has to offer, take one look at the style and think its too cartoony.
Wii tennis did look fun though, so its all very confusing, i really can’t tell how its going to sway
May 16th, 2006 at 11:37 pm
(of course the style is a property of the software written for it and not some limitation of the hardware, but still, it does seem to be their philosophy to do stuff cartoony)