Well, E3 2006 was pretty interesting wasn’t it?

We got more info, saw lots of game footage, and are one step closer to being fully in the ‘Next Generation of gaming”

So, was E3 all it was cracked up to be? Perhaps not. But there were certainly allot of exciting things to be seen.

I have a variety of impressions about the show.

First off, I was contemplating being “sick” on the day Nintendo had their press conference, but then I really did get sick. Which was quite humorous in a way. Perhaps its some sort of karma voodoo or something. Whatever it was, it meant that I was able to watch the show live over the internet from my house.

Did the show blow me out of the water? No.
Did it get me really excited about Nintendos new console? You bet!

*What did I learn?
Well, Nintendos controller has a speaker in it. Which is a brilliant idea that will really add allot of interesting interactivity to games.
I envision tapping on a wall with your controller and listening to the thud to determine where a weak point is, the wild sounds of a lightsaber swinging in real time with my own movements, hearing gun shots and empty bullet shells cling as they hit the ground. It adds a depth to my already present surround sound system that would not be possible otherwise.

*The system will be online 24/7 and it never really turns off.
Its called “Connect 24” and it could be something big. First of all, the system NEVER really turns off. (It goes into a power save mode) Because of this, it will have an almost instant start up time when you want to play a game. Nintendo has always been against loading times and the Wii is going to be quite quick at loading its software. The Connect 24 service will be interesting because it allows you to have more interaction with your friends online and for the system to update itself automatically. It would be possible to have your system update and change itself automatically with new skins or the latest news and previews. Even receive gifts from Nintendo. There is allot of interesting possibilities and it will be fun to see what they end up doing with it.

*The system will have a web browser powered by Opera.
This really isn’t a surprise. But the wiimote pointer really makes sense here doesn’t it.

*The system can fully communicate with the DS in powerful ways.
Lots and lots of possibilities here folks. I don’t even know what to say about it.

*Each Wiimote actually has a bit of storage and can remember data.
It was mentioned that each member of a family could have their own Wiimote and that when they use their controller to power on the system, it would identify who it was and automatically load the system with all of their preferred skins and settings. If you don’t want it to do that you can probably turn it off, but it’s a neat feature.

*The Zapper returns!
Its an interesting attachment and I think it could end up being used in allot of games.

*Zelda, Red Steel, Metroid Prime: Corruption are all launch titles.
Quite the powerful trio don’t you think? Wii will have a strong launch with unique software and game experiences unlike anything you can get anywhere else. Warioware is likely to be a launch title as well. (There is supposedly around 20 titles for launch). Then you have TONS of virtual console games and several other great games being released just months after launch (Mario, Smash bros, Sonic) Between new releases and virtual console / online play there is going to be TONS of stuff to keep you busy. You should never have a game drought again.

*Peter Moore of Microsoft compliments Wii
He said that people would be buying the Wii AND Xbox 360 together. And that people will gravitate to the Wii as a competitively priced console.


It seems the most common complaint of people demoing the Wii was that it was so sensitive due to its very very accurate input method. Almost all the accounts I have read mentioned that they quickly and intuitively learned the controls and that they felt very natural after just a few short minutes.

My “lapsed gamer” friend is even getting interested in the system. He was saying for the value (assuming a $200 price tag) you cant beat it. Getting such a powerful and unique system with so many cool things. (online, motion detection, a free gamecube, virtual console, etc) he said he might buy it and just download a bunch of games for cheap and then pick up all the great gamecube games he missed out on from a used game store.

This is a new Nintendo and they are doing just what they said they would: Disrupting the industry. Gamespots #1 video trailer from E3 is smash bros. (Even beating Halo 3) and their online poll also shows Nintendos show being the most interesting.

I know someone that attended the show and they said that Nintendos booth was by far the most crowded and that it was consistently crowded the whole time.

It’s an exciting time to be a gamer. Three great systems pushing competition to make things interesting for us all.

I was thinking about the statements from Sony and Microsoft both saying that people would buy their console AND the Wii. If that ends up being true, Nintendo would end up being the MOST PURCHASED SYSTEM. How does that work you say?

Lets look at it mathematically.

We will just use simple numbers to keep it easy.

Lets just say PS3 ends up being more popular that 360. (It doesnt really matter which one has more in this example)

Lets say PS3 sells 60 million units and the 360 sells 45 Million units.
Now lets just say that only 60% of the people buy the Wii in addition to the PS3/360... We will ignore people that buy all three systems because they just cancel each other out in this example.

PS3= 60,000,000 *60% = 36,000,000
360= 45,000,000 *60% = 27,000,000

36,000,000 + 27,000,000 = 63,000,000 = More than the other systems.

THATS NOT EVEN INCLUDING PEOPLE THAT WILL END UP ONLY BUYING THE Wii. But the above example does account for 40% of people only buying a 360 or PS3.

The thing is, with how expensive the 360 and PS3 are, if people are going to buy two systems, it will likely include the Wii because of its low price and unique software. It seems less likely that people will buy the two pricey 360 and PS3 systems when they have similar capabilities and such a high price tag.

Nintendo could be on the verge of a very HUGE disruption to the industry... ESPECIALLY if they pull in the casual/non gamer croud who would certainly ONLY BUY THE Wii and no other console... If the DS is any indication of where this thing is heading you better hold on tight, cuz its about to get pretty crazy in the world of gaming!