Selling Wii is "like trying to sell cosmetics to men" says Nintendo's Iwata

There's not a soul alive who could have put it better. Hats off to Iwata!

@ Adam Johnson

well maybe people think the wii is overpriced
because it is. like so many people have said before $250 is not an impulse buy, add that controllers are $60 and you have an xbox1 in disguise.

and besides what makes you think the wii is 'more' fun
than a ps3 and 360? is it the flailing of the arms? is it the zelda fishing demo? is it the virtual bowling? is it the pretty people in the videos showing us how much fun they are having?

yeah right............

@Shad Genki
you are right moms and dads will buy the wii for their kids, just like all nintendo products before them. parents will buy it cuz its the system with mario, the wii will not expand beyond its kiddie and hardcore market. and for people that do know, the wii is not a perfectly acceptable next gen system. its new gen remember?
moms and girlfriends playing the wii? yeah keep dreaming

@ Socrates

I LOVE Guitar Hero, don't get me wrong, but there were games before and after it that once or will demand audience spectatorship. Besides DDR, I remember Street Fighter did as well. And SF wasn't even that far off of what might be considered a "standard game" in contrast to what might be a more elaborate setup such as DDR or GH. So anything can happen.

Even though $60 is a lot for a controller set, some say the Wii's overpriced because all the hype that made people think it was going to be lower. Honestly, if $250 is overpriced....don't get any consoles. The Wii is the cheapest one coming out.


And reguy....that is one of the most close-minded things I've ever heard. Are you scared to try something new?

"Sitting on the couch like a lump with a controller in the lap is a thing of the past, or should be."

Well, at least since you're in the minority you can take comfort in the fact that, should you ever mess up big time and need a hotshot lawyer, you can count on Johnny Cochran. Er...nevermind. I hear the irrational fanboy theme song starting to play!

I don't think selling the actual concept is the problem. Trying it and being informed of all its possibilities is enough to sell just about anyone on the system, just like it was for those who saw the DS. But if you read through the presentation at Nintendo's Japanese site (just use the Google translator), one of the big points he makes near the beginning about marketing the Wii versus the DS is not that it has a less acceptable feature set, but that it is harder to market.
The DS, Iwata explains, gained faster growth because people took it with them, exposing it to everyone else. Walking down the street, you would see people with their DS Lite, playing it on the train or in a cafe for example. But you won't see someone seated on a park bench playing with their Wii (unless you're in the wrong part of town...). It will be harder to market simply because people aren't lugging it around with them and advertising it wherever they go, giving off that "it's everywhere, it's universal" stigma. So it will be harder for people not in the original target market to accept at first.
But I don't think it will be a problem. *fangirl bias line*

Sure, reguy. Lots of people might have agreed with you until they saw their girlfriends spend a weekend playing World of Warcraft (yes, that is a widespread phenomenon - girl to girl, too). Get over the no-games-for-girls thing. My mom is interested in the Wii AND the DS, and she barely understands her laptop.

"As for the comments about how you don't want to see your parents play a video game... what, is it going to shatter your worldview if your parents are caught playing video games? Should I really shock you and reveal that your parents and grandparents aren't virgins? Saying you don't want a group of people to share your hobby is downright petulant, and more than a little snobby."

Um no This is just like when comic book were a niche market I wouldnt want to come to find my parents reading justice league....its just the principle. There is alway an ass out there to take something to the extreme..and guess what this time your it!

and Im actually annoyed that my girlfriend hogs my 360 for pac man and online spades

You want video games to stay a niche market? On principle? What sort of twisted principle is this?

I want the video game industry to do well for several reasons. One of them is that the better the video game industry is doing, the more games come out. The more games come out, the better chance there will be a good one coming out.

And of course, one way for the industry to do well is to expand its customer base. In other words, stop being niche and instead become something for everyone. That might incense some that feel it'd stop being cool, but how can you really enjoy something if you're too concerned about being cool?

Looks like the "OMG JOYSTIQ IS ANTI-SONY" period is over, doesn't it?

@ John

Nope, just wait until TGS is over.

If this is the case, then Nintendo should hire Eddie Izzard for their UK marketing campaign. Here you have a popular male (straight, even!) celebrity who spends a fair amount on cosmetics.

Might be too obscure for the NA market but it could be his breakthrough role after his thug in 'The Avengers' was overlooked at Oscar time.

WTF, this is the first generation for nintendo to deliver something that actually doesn't look like cheap toys at a toy store. Maybe most of the games can reflect that too. They lost a lot of potential customers from catering to the 3-12 yr olds the past 10 yrs.