Bloomberg: Wii/PS3 gap continues to widen in Japan

Actually Bowl Movement...it was in the fall of 2001 when people really started to buy a PS2. The PS2 was still a graphical powerhouse then also.

Let us imagine for a moment if Sony had released a new console instead of the PS2 that consisted of a PSX in a new case....with a "motion" controller. Would they have dominated for the next 7+ years?

Probably not.

Just like the wee....u r full of crap BM

bowel movement sorry for the SP error

rofl

Hey captain obvious. I've kept this name especially -because- it also means that. You seriously think you're the first to notice? Haha, well, there goes your "insult", doesn't it? ;)

The PS2, a powerhouse? In your mind maybe. Your little mind hyped by phrases such as "emotion engine" LOL. It was outperformed by both its competitors. Even before the GC and Xbox were launched people complained about the PS2's horrible jaggies among other things, let alone after, when they were able to compare.

Not that it mattered, in the end. And it won't matter here, either. Just accept it already, stubborn little boy.

Right...and the 1st time MGS2 was shown at E3 2001 NOONE thought it looked good.

You know what would be funny?

Let us say at E3 Sony announces a "motion" controller attachment for the PStwo. The WeeCube would have instant competition and will be outpriced by over $100. That would put an end to the Wee pretty fast.

It would also remove the Wee from the Now current generation PS3 and 360.

C'mon Sony.....give it to the Plumber....he already has his pants down past his butt....give it to him.

I have a hypothetical question.

If Sony announces at E3 a new motion controller for the PS2 would that make it a next-gen machine?

Would that also make it instantly the best selling next-gen machine with over 120 million systems sold?

Would the instant 120 million install base that the PS2 "motion" has force all of the developers to jump the Wee ship?

I am not trying to 'troll" or start a flame war so please dont call for my banning or burning all of you fanatical closed-minded fear-induced religious nutts, I am genuinely curious as to what other people think about this hypothetical announcement.

@104

There would be an instantaneous backlash from the gaming community as the general consensus being that Sony has copied Nintendo, -again-. The periphrial itself would see poor game support due to it being released so late in the counsel's lifespan. It will fall the way of the EyeToy. Also, Sony could not do such a thing because of market saturation, it would not generate more sales by itself as everyone who wants a PS2 probably already has one (except for a few fence sitters scattered about). In all it would be seen as a wasted venture and that Sony really needs to cut the cord on the PS2 and somehow convince the fanbase to switch and bite the six-hundred dollar bullet.

Your sexual innuendo is not appreciated, GodisaMyth. (And I wondered why people hate atheists...)

Jebus, seriously, how many times can you guys talk/debate about the SAME THING?

Well, onto next weeks Japanese hardware sales for the same exact conversation.

"(And I wondered why people hate atheists...)"

I know, fear induced religion just loves to hate.

I don't hate someone because they are a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew and so on....I let their behavior tell me if they are someone i want as a friend or not.

Maybe religious people hate atheists because they are scared that their fairytale will come crashing down around them with simple logic and reason.

There was no sexual innuendo meant when I use the term Wee.

I am meaning WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE or WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOhooooooooooooooooooooo.

@GodisaMyth

"I am not trying to 'troll" or start a flame war so please dont call for my banning or burning all of you fanatical closed-minded fear-induced religious nutts, I am genuinely curious as to what other people think about this hypothetical announcement."

Ha ha ha! You're not a troll, you say? That's rich!

I will answer your question. No. The reasons are manifold:

1. Nintendo thought of just releasing a motion controller for the GC. Unfortunately, secondary peripherals don't sell. Look at the HD-DVD drive for the 360. Look at the PS3. Blu-Ray is included so everyone gets the player. Well, the remote is included with the Wii, so everyone gets one.

2. As much as you'd like to think otherwise, the Wii IS more powerful than the GC. One look at Super Mario Galaxy is enough proof.

3. Sony would be playing catch-up. Catch-up is extremely difficult in this industry.

4. Nintendo's marketing is massive. Only if Sony could pull off such a humongous marketing plan will they even hope to match the Wii's exposure. It would be quite the battle to convince sponsors that the PStwo+motion is on equal or greater footing.

5. The remote won't work retroactively. Old games won't work with the motion controls, and if they did, they'd probably only map the D-pad to the tilt mechanism.

6. There are some motion controllers for the PS2 already. The SplitFish controller comes to mind. It hasn't started some PS2 renaissance or anything. Again, marketing is key.

7. Etc., etc. etc.

@megastryke

Not bad, not bad.
Let's say that this controller comes free with a WeeSports ripoff and the controller is a wand with a lot of similarities to the Weemote. And please spare me the "Sony copied Nintendo theme" everyone copies everyone sooner or later.

So, Sony could have the "Playwand" in potentially millions of homes if the game was as fun or more fun than the Wee's and once the word starts spreading a lot more people that already have the PS2 will go out and buy it. I wouldn't for myself but I probably would for my kids.

As for the power diff. between the Wee (weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee) not weewee and the PS2, it is negligible so the games would look basically the same.

Nice comment back though, exactly what I was looking for.

While I am worried about the true next generation systems getting a foothold at the moment, I also think it is silly when people belittle Nintendo's success by saying that Sony is shooting for the hard core crowd.

Sony wants to sell to everyone. If they don't start getting some sales soon, tons of developers will bail out on the system, or they will be forced to start taking even bigger losses on their system.

I'll admit that I'm a bit of a Nintendo fan boy.. they have entertained me for years. But I also don't want Nintendo to be the only company making consoles. At the moment Sony is in serious trouble. Not only are they not selling many systems, but Nintendo is actually making a profit off of their systems. Sure, Sony has deep pockets, but profit is the goal of every system manufacturer.

Billy Jack,

Good point there. I also think that if Nintendo runs away with it this generation (I still think in a year it wont be) then true next-gen gaming is at an end unless you have a computer. There will be no incentive for more realism, bigger and more believable game worlds, better physics and so on.

That is the biggest reason why I haven't liked the Plumber since the early 90's. For the curious out there the "Plumber" is what every Sony and to a lesser extent Microsoft rep calls Nintendo. They have for a long time.

@104

There are many things the make the Wii look next-gen in the eyes of the average consumer...
- Motion controls
- Wireless controller
- Internet connectivity
- "Channels" interface
- Apple-style design

The Wii may not have a next-gen CPU, but it still offers a next-gen "experience". If Sony sold a motion controller for the PS2, they'd still have a dated looking box, wired standard controllers hanging out, no unified GUI, and downloadable games. It would still feel last-gen. Maybe if, instead of introducing the slim-line PS2, Sony released a PS2 with internal storage, the media crossbar GUI, and PSN downloadable games available on the PS2, then there'd be more equality between the PS2 and the Wii.

Please everybody stop saying "next-gen," especially in conjunction with the adjective "true," as if there is some sort of "false next-gen." The next gen is the 8th gen, and it won't start for a good couple years. We are now in the 7th generation of gaming, which includes 13 gaming systems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_consoles

@ GodisaMyth

Eh, sorry about the outburst. It's just that I've met my share of jerks who happen to be atheists or just plain jerks today and I'm just tired of it all. (I need to stop going to System Wars, its bad for my health and sanity.)

The sexual innuendo bit was aimed at the "give it to the plumber... he already has pants down" quote rather than the Wee joke; we're all past that one.

Oh and don't disregard the rest of my post cause I flamed you in the last sentence. I'm usually quite reasonable. Srsly.

"Let us say at E3 Sony announces a "motion" controller attachment for the PStwo. The WeeCube would have instant competition and will be outpriced by over $100. That would put an end to the Wee pretty fast."

That's the most unrealistic thing I've ever heard. Yeah, by the same logic Nintendo could release a GameCube with a BluRay player and a Cell processor, price it at $300, and destroy the PS3. Like that makes any sense.

A PStwo with a motion controller? Talk about tacked on. I mean, the PS3 control is already tacked on enough.

And this "As for the power diff. between the Wee and the PS2, it is negligible" is laughable. The Wii is supposed to be more powerful than the XBOX, specwise. So, Wii>XBOX>GC>PS2. How is that negligible? Just because some of the games aren't using the hardware doesn't mean it isn't there.

GodisaMyth's attacks on logic are so painful they make me wish I believed in God. And stop making "Wee" jokes. Those were funny for a day, and that day was months before the Wii came out and started dominating everything.

::prepares my Atheist2Atheist troll missile::

"GodisaMyth's attacks on logic are so painful they make me wish I believed in God."

Attacks on logic? Explain please.

Maybe you should believe in an all powerful all knowing jealous invisible man in the sky, then you can truly join in on the fun

vidGuy

The following is a direct quote from Ron Martino, director of IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions

"When asked to quantify the speed of the Broadway processor, IBM's Martino compared it to the GameCube. "Compared to the Gekko in the GameCube, it's 20 percent more power efficient"

His words, not mine.

I think it's pretty obvious that Nintendo is expanding the market and not replacing it. There will still be incentive for realism. But this is the price we all pay for market expansion. As video games become a culturally acceptable hobby worldwide and across all age groups (and even for yucky girls) instead of just a niche hobby, "hardcore gamers" fade away in the process. This is not a bad thing, so stop whining. Hardcore gamers were never the majority anyway. Madden was the best selling game of 2006. You think hardcore gamers were buying that? Madden is the king of casual games. Halo 2 and GTA3 were also casual games for anybody to play. You just pick up a gun and shoot. It's easy. A baby could play (and if you play on XBox Live you can tell by their voices that many babies actually do.)

Did the rise of independent films kill the summer blockbuster? No. Did graphic novels kill the superhero comic? No. Did indie music kill MTV? No. Casual games are not going to kill off realism in gaming.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/699/699118p1.html

Please, please stop saying that Nintendo's new system is more powerful than the XBOX.

GodisaMyth

"20 percent more power efficient" has nothing to do with output visuals, AI, or anything else that we judge a console's tech specs upon. It's cool that the Wii does more with the same amount of power (or uses 20% less power to do the same), though.

Second, you pull stats from an article which is more than a year-old and was written on the info from anonymous sources... but that's cool because I'm pulling from the same report.

CPU
Wii 729MHz
GC 485MHz
XBOX 733MHz

GPU
Wii 243MHz
GC 162MHz
XBOX 233MHz

First, I contend that 4MHz is negligible enough that on pure numbers we could say the Wii and XBOX are equals in the CPU. Wii has a slight edge in the GPU, based again upon these numbers. Again, Wii RAM > XBOX RAM.

But let's look at that article you provide as evidence:
XBOX is a "different architecture altogether"

"it's important to remember that there is no way to accurately gauge the performance difference between GCN's PowerPC-based architecture and the the Intel-based CPU of Xbox. Further, even if we could, these numbers are only one part of the equation."

So, even if you aren't a hardware guy, I'd hope you can read the article. The XBOX was built with mainly PC parts and wasn't designed for efficient gaming. The GameCube was, and that's why it could do almost as well as the XBOX with about half the tech specs. The Wii is equal or slightly better than the XBOX in stats, but, because of its architecture, could conceivably do around twice-three times what the XBOX did in visuals, AI, and other hardware-dependent categories.

So, yes, if we are to believe this information, the Wii is more powerful from a performance view and equal to or more powerful from a spec-sheet view than the XBOX.

@GodisaMyth and vidGuy and everyone else

Further reading on the Wii specs breakdown:

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2007/05/08/geek-out-xbox-uber-boss-robbie-bach-takes-a-shot-at-nintendo-s-underpowered-wii-does-he-manage-to-score-a-bulls-eye-or-just-shoot-himself-in-the-foot.aspx

"Let us say at E3 Sony announces a "motion" controller attachment for the PStwo. The WeeCube would have instant competition and will be outpriced by over $100. That would put an end to the Wee pretty fast.

not really...

- none of the current ps2 games would work with the motion controls. by the time motion-sensing games are out for the ps2, the wii will have a year lead.
- part of the wii's success is a result of its marketing and image- an easy, enjoyable, family-friendly console. the ps2 doesn't have this image and doesn't appeal to the same market as the wii.
- the motion sensing ps2 wouldn't have an instant install base of 100 million because people need to buy the controller, and the controller isn't going to sell that quick because none of the games ps2 owners have are compatible with motion sensing.
- the wii may be more expensive, but it's more powerful and comes with a 5 in 1 game.

im kinda slow, people have already said the things i've said. =(