Nintendo's Harrison: Microsoft rushed Xbox 360 and Sony had to price drop PS3

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 23rd 2007 at 6:20PM }

GameDaily finished transcribing their interview with Nintendo's VP of marketing and corporate communications George Harrison. A quick tidbit from the interview released last week gave us the info that the Game Boy name is probably dead. The full interview sheds little new light on stuff like Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan saying Wii revisions aren't out of the question and whether or not Harrison, Kaplan and other executives are staying with the company following the move -- the answer to that is a big ol' no comment. Harrison did talk Sony and Microsoft though.

Harrison says in terms of the Sony price drop, "I don't think they had any choice." He then makes the error of saying that "it's pretty soon after launch to be dropping your price." That was a nice try by Harrison to pull a fast one and make us forget that Nintendo knows quite well how to drop console prices to save themselves. Case in point, the Gamecube dropped its price almost 60 days earlier into its life cycle than the PS3 did. Although he gets back on point saying Sony is continuing to confuse consumers with two versions of the PS3. We wonder why Sony can't just learn from their PSP Lite and simply replace the old with the new.

As for Microsoft, Harrison says they were so busy trying to rush the Xbox 360 to market and beat PlayStation, while "discounting" Nintendo, that it "set them up for the hardware problems that they're having now." He says Microsoft confessed because they couldn't hide the issue any longer, "It's a stunning admission; it's more than a billion dollars." Harrison says Microsoft didn't have a choice on their admission, it just became too much. So, Sony admitted they needed to drop the price, Microsoft admitted their RROD problems ... now, what does Nintendo have to confess?

Tags: gamedaily, microsoft, nintendo, price drop, ps3, shell game, sony, wii, xbox

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Knoxximus @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:27PM

They need to confess that yes, the DS actually does print money.

Anonim @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:34PM

No no no!

"Wii is 2 Gamecubes ducktaped together."

That's what!

hvnlysoldr @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:34PM

^You've won half an internet.

hvnlysoldr @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:35PM

Cross you. Besides you misspelled duct.

Kevlar @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:39PM

I HATE when people call duct tape "duck tape". This is perpetrated by a particular brand name that manufactures duct tape under the name "duck tape", including a big picture of a bright yellow cartoon duck.

Call it the right thing! You think the tape was invented for taping DUCKS together? It's DUCTS! AARRGH! *head explodes*

</end rant-spasm>

BPM @ Jul 23rd 2007 8:03PM

@Kevlar:
"You think the tape was invented for taping DUCKS together?"

Then, I've been doing a very wrong thing for several years...

konajinx @ Jul 23rd 2007 11:46PM

"Duck tape" is actually correct, and was the original name. Scroll down to see my schooling of y'all on this matter ("duct tape" is correct as well, though not what it was first called).

Roland @ Jul 24th 2007 12:01AM

None of the sales numbers changes the fact that the Wii is for kids, old people, nerds, dweebs, and geeks. I'm cool with Mario and Mario Kart, but Pokemon is for pre-pubescents as are the Wii mini games. It was neat for about 10 minutes that I could swing a bat, but as soon as I realized how little depth there was too it the magic was gone. I guess I view modern gaming as a form of interactive movies and the Wii cannot provide that. Halo can, MGS4 can, Gears of War can. Nintendo has already perfected simple gaming on the NES and SNES. If im in the mood for those types of games that is where I will look. I wouldnt pay 250.00 to pretend bowl. Most of the stuff on the Wii should be shareware on PC.

Jouten @ Jul 24th 2007 3:10AM

They should be confessing that there are heat issues with the video card. Artifacting issues show up on screen when the card over heats. Maybe this is not enough of a problem with the vast majority, but it is enough that people have had discussions about it.

Check the comments:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRmpjxFiiY4

I will have to send mine in too. Which is a bummer cause I was really wanting to finish up RE4 and Mario =(

Burnt Meatloaf @ Jul 24th 2007 7:36AM

Nintendo knows very well that keeping their mouths shut works just fine. Just about every Nintendo fan I've come across insists the overheating problem and disc read errors don't actually exist.

I almost wish I had Nintendo fanboys for customers. They're easy to please.

ssuk @ Jul 24th 2007 11:16AM

Roland: And? Nintendo's laughing their way to the bank while you try to discredit the Wii as a gaming machine.

Tony @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:28PM

I've been hearing some stuff from friends about issues with the Wii too, so I don't know. It'll be interesting to see if the PS3 winds up being the only system without major defects lol.

BPM @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:37PM

My Wii seems to show slowdown when selecting one of the Channels. And it takes a REALLY long time for Super Swing Golf to boot up. It didn't use to be like that.

Hope my system isn't defective...

PS3 may be really expensive for a game console, but it looks like Sony finally built a reliable system (so far, at least). I haven't heard much about PS3s dying or anything. Only problem I can remember was one or two people having the disc drive refuse to take in discs (but, I've seen this with some Wiis, too, so it may just be a manufacturing issue with slot-loading drives).

M & L @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:28PM

^Bingo

Grindstone @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:31PM

Hmm, well, soon they will be able to admit their arrogance, thus toppling Sony from that precipice.

Too earlier to tell about the Wii, but something is bound to come up --whether it be online capabilities or 3rd party sales. Something will come up...

Brent @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:32PM

Nintendo needs to confess that the Wii is in fact two Gamecubes duct taped together, and the Wiimote is a glorified power glove. That's right, I went there.

hvnlysoldr @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:43PM

Pfft. That's totally untrue. Nintendo doesn't need duct tape or even better gaffe tape. They have created the ultimate military/industrial tape that can combine two lunchboxes (GCN) into DVD cases (Wii). Imagine the possibilities for weight loss between couples... UGgh that's sick.

Twinkie @ Jul 24th 2007 12:33AM

I think they said something like that when they first announced the "Revolution"..... just not exactly in those words.

Ian Von Porter @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:34PM

Ive given up on Wii.. i dont care if it sells 100 million units (which it wont). Nintendo Wii offers me nothing that i want...

I want hardcore games, HD graphics, online multiplayer, blood, sex, t&a, etc.. Wii offers none of that. So, go ahead and enjoy your WiiSports, WiiFit, mini-game compilations, brain training, and Nintendo franchises.

I want to play games.

BPM @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:38PM

If you've given up on Wii, then do us all a favor: stop talking about your hatred for it. :)

Fatass of Kickassness @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:39PM

K then. You aren't the target audience anyway, and Nintendo is doing plenty fine without your purchase.

pukeruaB @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:29PM

The Wii has the most violent games at the moment. Go play Godfather and Scarface, yes there're ports but the Wii versions are the best and most immersive versions. Nothing on any other console beats strangling some poor sod in GF where you bring the wiimote and chuck together and then shake them just like you would strangling someone in real life. And then there's the punching and other beat downs you do with the wiimote (baseball bats anyone). Beat that pushing buttons!

Rubang B @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:33PM

Hahaha this nerd's whining about blood, sex, and T&A? Go watch Skinemax and get off Joystiq.

kinshadow @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:35PM

That the Wii and DS were random experiments that they got lucky on? That noone in the company had faith in their own products and now they just run around the office like lottery winners? That they planning on sqeezing the casual market until they kill the everyone over 60 and solve the U.S. Social Securty problems?

Fatass of Kickassness @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:41PM

They've already admitted to your first two claims, and it's not hard to see that Nintendo is well well on their way with the third.

sheppy @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:38PM

"We wonder why Sony can't just learn from their PSP Lite and simply replace the old with the new."

The 60GBs are more expensive to buy than the 80GBs at last financial release from Sony. I expect them to do just that, as soon as the fire sale is over with.

farside @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:48PM

I'm betting this is all leading up to Nintendo's terrible confession that Mario Galaxy has been delayed as a result of Mario getting bigger headed over the success of the Wii and DS. This bigger head has lead to Mario ditching Peach and running off with some space bimbo extra from the Galaxy set. The delay is so they can rewrite the script, kill off Peach and give the skill-less bimbo a larger role... and of course to re tailor the bee suit to fit Mario's larger head.

Kevlar @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:52PM

Now that I watch the video, Mario does have a HUGE-ASS head! It's really quite funny!

ill trooper @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:47PM

"...now, what does Nintendo have to confess?"

They need to confess that they simply don't know how to handle online multiplayer.

They need to announce the next-gen Wii with HD resolution and storage. And DVD playback.

Other than that, the Wii is doing fine.

Alex K @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:22PM

Not having a DVD player is the lamest excuse to not buy a Wii. Who the hell doesn't have one already? They're $30 at Wal Mart.

As far as HD graphics, Sony can't do them without charging $600, and Microsoft can't do them without making terrible hardware.

To me, it seems like consoles just aren't ready to be HD yet. The competition is so stiff between MS and Sony that they are both eating billions of dollars just to stay a few months ahead of the game.

Nintendo's got the sound strategy here. By not competing in a price war, or a graphics war, they are winning over the largest chunk of marketshare and the most profits.

Rubang B @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:34PM

Mine was $27 at Wal-Mart, and that was over a year ago.

Kevlar @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:50PM

Mine was $19.99 with a $20 mail-in rebate, which was returned with a cheque for $30 as a rebate on the wrong DVD player, so I got mine at Bestbuy for -$10!

Here's the thing about HD resolutions. They cost more to develop for, plain and simple. If people are going to be playing at 1080i, then your game will have to look decent at 1080i, and this means more money for developing the better models and textures for the game. The Wii has a strong developer backing, partly due to the fact that they can produce games on the cheap, with great return potential, even when sold for $39.99. Sure, this will mean a LOT of rehashes and quick n' dirty ports, but in that pile of steaming crap, there will be a lot more GOOD games too.

Add to this the fact that less than 30% of households in North America have HD-capable TVs, and the incentive for HD games becomes less appealing.

xavier @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:47PM

i dont know what people see in the wii anymore.....

GodisaMyth @ Jul 23rd 2007 8:00PM

It's the law of the Lemming. The average person is easily amused. How else do you explain a gapers delay? Or as I like to call it...The Lemming Limit (go 45mph no matter what rd. they are on or what the ACTUAL speed limit is) or "Reality" TV shows.

The simple minded can be entertained by simple things. They also have a hard time thinking for themselves so they just copy what the majority does...hence we have Lemmings.

Majortom1981 @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:51PM

What does nintendo have to admit too? The wii doesnt have any major glaring problems (graphic capabilities are not a problem).

Also its true, if microsoft planned out the 360 better they would have less hardware errors. Both the ps3 and the wii dont have the nasty hardware errors that the 360 has.

Also to all the people stating they hate the wii ,then we dont want to see you playing Super Smash Brothers brawl :P

Striderhayasa @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:50PM

@BPM

Agreed. PS3 is the most reliable Sony console I've ever owned. I've had nearly no problems since I've hooked it up for the first time in February and that includes marathon sessions of VF5, Resistance, AC4, Oblivion and Folding@Home.

Wii on the other hand...that thing gets hot as hell with WiiConnect24 left on. I know some people have had bricked or damaged Wii consoles as a result. I leave WiiConnect24 off now. What's the point anyway? Nintendo's online strategy so far is so ridiculous it's insulting. I understand Nintendo is riding the gravy train now, but it wasn't that long ago Nintendo was (and in many circles still is) the joke of the industry. Maybe someone at Nintendo corporate should tell the execs to learn how to be humble since failure could be one bad decision away for any of these companies...as nintendo knows all too well.

xavier @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:56PM

dont forget about all the wiimote injuries.

Rubang B @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:37PM

In what dimension is the most profitable hardware manufacturer ever considered the joke of the industry? That's not this dimension sir.

waves @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:42PM

I've been having heat problems with the WIi, too. Recently it started shutting off completely (no light) when it's in standby mode (orange light) and it won't turn back on unless I unplug the power and plug it back in. The thing is, it started doing this when I got a 360. I'm thinking that the heat that the 360 gives off is overheating the Wii on the shelf above (the shelf itself gets quite hot). Nintendo probably didn't plan for a that scenario (it's not within it's operating temp). Combine this with the stories of the PS3 pumping out enough hot air to Red Ring a 360 (See John Davidson's article "My PS3 killed my 360), and I think we're going to see a lot more overheating stories as more people own multiple next-gen consoles.

konajinx @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:50PM

Anonim did not misspell "duct tape." The actual product was first called "duck tape," then morphed into "duct tape" some time later. You're both right!

http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/duckvsduct.html

lawlersauce @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:20PM

lol...it was first called 'duct tape' because it was used to repair ducts in a hospital that had it's air conditioning ducts bust open. the duct tape was in the hospital in the first place as a possible new bandage (thats why there is gauze in the tape). It is called 'duck tape' because there is a brand with a duck on the logo...and people cannot pronounce words.

konajinx @ Jul 23rd 2007 8:38PM

Uh. Wrong. Did you not read the site I linked to? Here, since you were completely blind:

"The first name for Duct Tape was DUCK. During World War II the U.S. Military needed a waterproof tape to keep the moisture out of ammunition cases. So, they enlisted the Johnson and Johnson Permacel Division to manufacture the tape. Because it was waterproof, everyone referred to it as “duck” tape (like water off a duck’s back). Military personnel discovered that the tape was good for lots more than keeping out water. They used it for Jeep repair, fixing stuff on their guns, strapping equipment to their clothing... the list is endless.

After the War, the housing industry was booming and someone discovered that the tape was great for joining the heating and air conditioning duct work. So, the color was changed from army green to the silvery color we are familiar with today and people started to refer to it as “duct tape*.” Therefore, either name is appropriate."

zwarrior @ Jul 23rd 2007 10:56PM

Trivial and off topic, but thanks, I learned something new today!

Follisimo @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:53PM

I wish many of you kids would learn that gaming is turning into a casual thing. That is why there are a wide variety of games for all types. If gaming was meant for the gamers then why bother adding movie players to them?

Matt B @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:28PM

Standardized storage medium

Value, one less component near your TV.

Curmeo @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:55PM

"now, what does Nintendo have to confess?"

that Wii's online service is so far inferior to last-gen online services(PS2, Dreamcast) and the reason being Nintendo is milking its customers out by not providing them proper services.

that Nintendo is further milking out its customers by selling last-gen hardware at a healthy profit since launch, as opposed to Sony and MS who are giving its customers great value by absorbing next-gen hardware losses.

that Nintendo has given the casual market top priority over the hardcore market, effectively semi-abandoning the very same gamers who supported Nintendo and made them the successful company they are today.

as far as im concerned, N64 was Nintendo's last great home system. after that, Iwata fucked Nintendo up.

Mr.Blonde @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:13PM

People don't realise that the gamecube could actually outperform any of the last generation consoles if the game designers so wished, and the wii is 3 times more powerful than the GC (as reported in the gaming press), so how does it get labelled as a console with poor graphics? again it's what the game designers do with the hardware to actually make a decent looking game (much like RE4 on the gc).

Bluebreaker @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:13PM

Yes, but didn't gamers abandon them when N64 and Gamecube both arrived on the scene? The way I see it they have no reason to give anything to a hardcore audience anymore.

Alex K @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:31PM

why should nintendo cater to the hardcore crowd?

the hardcore crowd left the N64 even though it had better graphics, instant loading, and high hardware quality. And then the PS1 copied Nintendo's idea of the analog stick. and the rumble pak. they left gamecube because it was purple, no other reason than that. even though it was powerful, less expensive, and the most reliable.

I applaud Nintendo for ignoring the hardcore market. The hardcore market is too picky, demanding, and they expect console makers to lose hundreds of dollars on each console just so they can get good graphics without shelling out money for a PC like they should.