The State of The Wii Address

No matter what happens, Nintendo wins.

It gets in my crawl like no other that Nintendo decided to skimp on technology for the sake of profitability, but that is exactly what it has done.  And, honestly, what sane-minded person can fault a company for wanting to profit?

I hate almost everything about the Wii.  Rather than take a step forward in its graphics, sound, and AI capabilities, the Wii settles for the status quo.  Instead of going nose-to-nose with its bullies, it decides to duck down the alley and outwit, rather than out-muscle, its opponents.  I firmly believe that Nintendo could have accomplished everything it wanted by adding just a pinch more pixie dust into the Wii hardware--in such a case, the ever-so-innovative Wii remote would not be the defining characteristic of the system so much as it would be just another way that it is superior to its competing platforms.

The good news for Nintendo is:  CubeJL is not Mr. Target Audience.  High profile "salary men" in Japan, my grandpa, your Aunt Sally who spends most of her time as a homemaker, teenage girls, and the like are Nintendo's target market.  These are people whose demand for graphics is pretty elastic--they don't care if the Wii looks exactly like the Gamecube because they have probably never played a Gamecube.

But if you want to know the real kicker:  Nintendo wins this generation, no matter how the units-sold figure ends up; it doesn't matter if they finish dead last when the smoke clears--Wii is profitable right out-of-the-box.  So from a raw profitability standpoint, it is still likely to be number one where it matters most.

This race will be so much fun to watch.  We'll see the market from so many different angles this time around.  What will the next-next-gen systems look like once this new-world video game market comes into existance--the one that doesn't care so much about graphics and the one which wants to see innovation over regurgitation.

Like the Wii, love the Wii, hate the Wii, it looks like Nintendo's little white box that could, can.

Did Nintendo pay you to make this?poopinloop32

No, but if you'd like to petition them on my behalf, I'd certainly be appreciative.

Did Nintendo pay you to make this?poopinloop32

thread of the day. (and it's only 1 AM, lol)

[QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?TrueReligion_

Did Nintendo pay you to make this?poopinloop32

[QUOTE="TrueReligion_"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?poopinloop32

[QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?harry2k5

[QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?harry2k5

Thank you, sir.

No matter what happens, Nintendo wins.

It gets in my crawl like no other that Nintendo decided to skimp on technology for the sake of profitability, but that is exactly what it has done.  And, honestly, what sane-minded person can fault a company for wanting to profit?

I hate almost everything about the Wii.  Rather than take a step forward in its graphics, sound, and AI capabilities, the Wii settles for the status quo.  Instead of going nose-to-nose with its bullies, it decides to duck down the alley and outwit, rather than out-muscle, its opponents.  I firmly believe that Nintendo could have accomplished everything it wanted by adding just a pinch more pixie dust into the Wii hardware--in such a case, the ever-so-innovative Wii remote would not be the defining characteristic of the system so much as it would be just another way that it is superior to its competing platforms.

The good news for Nintendo is:  CubeJL is not Mr. Target Audience.  High profile "salary men" in Japan, my grandpa, your Aunt Sally who spends most of her time as a homemaker, teenage girls, and the like are Nintendo's target market.  These are people whose demand for graphics is pretty elastic--they don't care if the Wii looks exactly like the Gamecube because they have probably never played a Gamecube.

But if you want to know the real kicker:  Nintendo wins this generation, no matter how the units-sold figure ends up; it doesn't matter if they finish dead last when the smoke clears--Wii is profitable right out-of-the-box.  So from a raw profitability standpoint, it is still likely to be number one where it matters most.

This race will be so much fun to watch.  We'll see the market from so many different angles this time around.  What will the next-next-gen systems look like once this new-world video game market comes into existance--the one that doesn't care so much about graphics and the one which wants to see innovation over regurgitation.

Like the Wii, love the Wii, hate the Wii, it looks like Nintendo's little white box that could, can.

CubeJL

i won't argue that the Wiis graphics don't suck, coz that never gets anywhere good in SW.

But i really don't think Nintendo would've stood a chance if they'd tried to compete with MS and Sony directly. If they'd upped the AI and Specs they'd be charging people for alot and lets face it, the GC owners wouldn't buy a souped up $400 HD GC with normal controls.

but making it cheaper, and profiting from it is smart as you say.

fact is, no matter how much people like or hate it nintendo will always be around coz they always sell their systems at a profit so they'll always make money even if they sell the least. Sony or MS will be the ones to crumble.

[QUOTE="poopinloop32"][QUOTE="TrueReligion_"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?TrueReligion_

thread of the day. (and it's only 1 AM, lol)

Dr_Evil_PhD

Yeah, I'm kind of a late-nighter...call me crazy, but I like the crowd better at this time of the day.

If the Wii does lose (which I doubt) it will be just like last gen, with Nintendo making the least sales, yet managing to get the largest profit.Tylendal

[QUOTE="harry2k5"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?poopinloop32

[QUOTE="TrueReligion_"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"][QUOTE="TrueReligion_"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?ArisShadows

Well, I appreciate it.

[QUOTE="Tylendal"]If the Wii does lose (which I doubt) it will be just like last gen, with Nintendo making the least sales, yet managing to get the largest profit.Unforgiven2870

[QUOTE="Tylendal"]If the Wii does lose (which I doubt) it will be just like last gen, with Nintendo making the least sales, yet managing to get the largest profit.Unforgiven2870

:?

.....lol?

[QUOTE="Tylendal"]If the Wii does lose (which I doubt) it will be just like last gen, with Nintendo making the least sales, yet managing to get the largest profit.Unforgiven2870

Without a doubt the PS2 was the most profitable.  Which is what makes this gen so interesting...it's Sony's "brute force" method versus Nintendo's minimalist approach. 

[QUOTE="Unforgiven2870"][QUOTE="Tylendal"]If the Wii does lose (which I doubt) it will be just like last gen, with Nintendo making the least sales, yet managing to get the largest profit.Dr_Evil_PhD

:?

.....lol?

[QUOTE="poopinloop32"][QUOTE="harry2k5"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?harry2k5

Did Nintendo pay you to make this?poopinloop32

Sorry for double-post, but Nintendo was the only company that made money off of the last gen (Xbox, PS2, GC). Microsoft and Sony went in the hole.maclotr

[QUOTE="Dr_Evil_PhD"]

[QUOTE="Unforgiven2870"][QUOTE="Tylendal"]If the Wii does lose (which I doubt) it will be just like last gen, with Nintendo making the least sales, yet managing to get the largest profit.Tylendal

:?

.....lol?

Sorry for double-post, but Nintendo was the only company that made money off of the last gen (Xbox, PS2, GC). Microsoft and Sony went in the hole.maclotr

I hate to be disagreeable...but I really find it hard to believe that Sony took a nose-dive.  Especially considering their economies of scale towards the end of the PS2 lifecycle.  When you consider that the PS2 sold through tens of millions more units than either of its competitors, the Gamecube would have to have one HECK of a profit margin to make up the difference.

[QUOTE="maclotr"]Sorry for double-post, but Nintendo was the only company that made money off of the last gen (Xbox, PS2, GC). Microsoft and Sony went in the hole.CubeJL

I hate to be disagreeable...but I really find it hard to believe that Sony took a nose-dive.  Especially considering their economies of scale towards the end of the PS2 lifecycle.  When you consider that the PS2 sold through tens of millions more units than either of its competitors, the Gamecube would have to have one HECK of a profit margin to make up the difference.

[QUOTE="harry2k5"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"][QUOTE="harry2k5"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?poopinloop32

Wow..tough crowd 'round here. 

[QUOTE="CubeJL"]

[QUOTE="maclotr"]Sorry for double-post, but Nintendo was the only company that made money off of the last gen (Xbox, PS2, GC). Microsoft and Sony went in the hole.laughingman42

I hate to be disagreeable...but I really find it hard to believe that Sony took a nose-dive. Especially considering their economies of scale towards the end of the PS2 lifecycle. When you consider that the PS2 sold through tens of millions more units than either of its competitors, the Gamecube would have to have one HECK of a profit margin to make up the difference.

[QUOTE="CubeJL"]

[QUOTE="maclotr"]Sorry for double-post, but Nintendo was the only company that made money off of the last gen (Xbox, PS2, GC). Microsoft and Sony went in the hole.laughingman42

I hate to be disagreeable...but I really find it hard to believe that Sony took a nose-dive. Especially considering their economies of scale towards the end of the PS2 lifecycle. When you consider that the PS2 sold through tens of millions more units than either of its competitors, the Gamecube would have to have one HECK of a profit margin to make up the difference.

[QUOTE="CubeJL"]

[QUOTE="maclotr"]Sorry for double-post, but Nintendo was the only company that made money off of the last gen (Xbox, PS2, GC). Microsoft and Sony went in the hole.laughingman42

I hate to be disagreeable...but I really find it hard to believe that Sony took a nose-dive.  Especially considering their economies of scale towards the end of the PS2 lifecycle.  When you consider that the PS2 sold through tens of millions more units than either of its competitors, the Gamecube would have to have one HECK of a profit margin to make up the difference.

Hmm.  I'd be interested to see some papers on that.  Software, of course, puts Sony well above Nintendo in terms of console profitability.  Yet, Nintendo, due to its handheld market success, has never had a problem being profitable. 

[QUOTE="harry2k5"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"][QUOTE="harry2k5"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?poopinloop32

[QUOTE="poopinloop32"][QUOTE="harry2k5"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"][QUOTE="harry2k5"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?harry2k5

Unless it's a console war, in which case, I'm a blood lusting killer who lives for the fight.

In terms of profit last gen, Nintendo did make the most, but Sony's games division did make a substantial profit as well. It's also worth noting that Nintendo's profit included the wildly successful Game Boy Advance, so there's no way of knowing exactly how much was from the GCN and how much from the GBA. Also, TC, I think Nintendo definately would've been capable of matching Microsoft and Sony in terms of power, but why would they do that? First off, they tried it last gen with the GameCube, a system even more powerful than the PS2, and they got clobbered. Plus, the Wii Remote wasn't always the hot ticket item it is today. When it was unveiled at TGS 2005 the general concensus was "WTF is that?!" It was a risk, and from a business standpoint, it's much less risky to go that route with a $200 system than a $400-500 system. That way, if all goes to hell and the system doesn't sell, they don't take as large a hit. Nintendo took a huge risk with the Wii, but they were smart about how they did it. There are consequences for this, but in the end, it all balances out, depending on who you ask.Hoffgod

I actually see a lot of merit in what you're saying.

Yes, the Wii was/is a tremendous risk.  I think for the reasons you stated, and many others, the Wii is a test-market of sorts from which Nintendo will obviously base many of its future decisions.

[QUOTE="harry2k5"][QUOTE="poopinloop32"]Did Nintendo pay you to make this?poopinloop32

The basic contention i got from this thread was "I hate Nintendo because they are smarter than Sony and Microsoft". This was almost a pro Nintendo post.Lasden

You might very well say that this post is VERY Nintendo-positive.  Which it is.

I actually enjoyed reading that. While you did let out your fanboy side, you didn't substitute it for stupidity.elektrixxx

Well, I'm glad I could accommodate.

By the way, I am not, and never will be, a fanboy.  You can always count on me to be fair and equitable, no matter what systems I personally own.

[QUOTE="elektrixxx"]I actually enjoyed reading that. While you did let out your fanboy side, you didn't substitute it for stupidity.CubeJL

Well, I'm glad I could accommodate.

By the way, I am not, and never will be, a fanboy. You can always count on me to be fair and equitable, no matter what systems I personally own.

[QUOTE="CubeJL"]

[QUOTE="elektrixxx"]I actually enjoyed reading that. While you did let out your fanboy side, you didn't substitute it for stupidity.Cesar_Barba

Well, I'm glad I could accommodate.

By the way, I am not, and never will be, a fanboy. You can always count on me to be fair and equitable, no matter what systems I personally own.

Glad to hear it.  Now if we can just rally the other folks here on systemwars to heed the call, we'd be one step closer to elevating the discourse around here. 

But, sometimes it's quite funny to see the nonsense flying back and forth...meh, let 'em be kids.

Glad to hear it. Now if we can just rally the other folks here on systemwars to heed the call, we'd be one step closer to elevating the discourse around here.

But, sometimes it's quite funny to see the nonsense flying back and forth...meh, let 'em be kids.

CubeJL

[QUOTE="CubeJL"]Glad to hear it. Now if we can just rally the other folks here on systemwars to heed the call, we'd be one step closer to elevating the discourse around here.

But, sometimes it's quite funny to see the nonsense flying back and forth...meh, let 'em be kids.

Cesar_Barba

[QUOTE="Cesar_Barba"][QUOTE="CubeJL"]Glad to hear it. Now if we can just rally the other folks here on systemwars to heed the call, we'd be one step closer to elevating the discourse around here.

But, sometimes it's quite funny to see the nonsense flying back and forth...meh, let 'em be kids.

Hoffgod

Well I appreciate the fact that you enjoyed the thread.  Proof positive that we can, peacefully, agree to disagree in places without being gangsta' to each other.

Did Nintendo pay you to make this?poopinloop32