Nintendo boasts NPD success that 'offset' competitors

It's almost like people don't want to plunk down $400+ for a piece of luxury equipment in the middle of a recession. Who'd have guessed it?

This is actually the PS3's third-straight month of year-over-year sales declines in the NPD's. And the PS3 is cheaper, and has better software, than it did a year ago.

Every successful console in history has sales increases at this stage of their lifecycle, not decreases. Sony knows they need a $100 price cut, but there are worrisome signs that they simply may not be able to afford it.

It is a safe bet that the losing streak will be halted this month when Killzone 2 is released. If it doesn't... well, let's just assume that it does.

didn't the 360 sell more its first year than second?

Also interesting to consider is that with the Wii being so popular it's probably a lot of peoples first console purchase this gen. Since we're in such an economic slump its probably safe to assume that more users will try to get by with just 1 system. In effect the hype and momentum of the Wii is simply canabalizing the other consoles in hard economic times.

Everytime I read articles, I remember the EGM magazine cover that said:

PS3 (in very large letters)
XBox 360 (in medium sized letters)
Revolution (in small letters)

All I have to say is "HA HA!"

Wow, Shagi, that was a neutral and insightful comment.

Nice.

Don't worry. Everyone is a winner with the NPD press releases.... its just talking sony a little longer than ususal to work out how they won this time.

If you only have one system god help you if it is the Wii.

Great second, poor only.

Those Wii Fit numbers are astonishing. I had no idea the sales numbers were so supply constrained.

Yes, Nintendo has been brilliant. My kids are the primary users of the Wii and DS in my house, but Nintendo puts out a lot of great software like Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart DS that I can enjoy with them.

Recession or no recession, Nintendo has been masterful.

Besides their bottom line this would be desirable for actual end users. They could make their own joysticks and software for other platforms. I think most people who are avid gamers would like to reduce the number of consoles they have to by each generation, specifically one that is so underpowered.

"specifically one that is so underpowered."

When will people get over this false stigma. It is a NON-ISSUE poeple!

I don't think you can get more childish than the played out "wii is a fad" excuse. People like different games than you, deal with it.

The key here is that you bought one, so they still got you.

Hi, I'm not going to give you any reasons about why the Wii is awesome, because you're mind is set. However, I would like to point out that the 20 out of the top 30 were on Nintendo systems. That statement implies software attributed to the Wii and DS. True, we don't have an accurate breakdown of the proper software distribution. However, it would be a reasonable assumption that DS software would account for a sizable percentage of that breakdown.

It's successful because it has cross-family appeal: kids can play Mario Kart and the mom can get her yoga on w/ Wii Fit. Dad? I dunno, there's not a lot of games for adult guys. Mad World? Still, I'm a parent and I really dig Mario Kart :)

Contrast that with the 360 and PS3 that are viewed as "gamer" machines.

"I haven't bought a game for mine in over a year. I have no reason to turn it on."

These statements might be related.

I think you have something of a point, in that aspects of the Wii controls work better as accent controls rather than main controls, like the use of the mic or stylus on the DS. But some games do use it extensively.

I see four key points about the Wii controls:

1. Motion control - The waggle is used poorly in games, which gives the Wii controls a bad name over all. I just picked up Madden 09 All-Play, and after playing for years with a traditional controller, I love it.

2. IR pointing - This is an important but sometimes overlooked part of the Wii controls. Games like Battalion Wars 2 and FPS use this aspect a lot.

3. Split controllers - This has little to do with the actual control of the game, but it's a usability point, one that I love. Sometimes, I only need to use one hand, allowing me to rest the other. (As a gamer in my 40s, believe me, this is a bigger deal than you might think.)

4. Simplified buttons - Nintendo made a great leap in controller design with the NES controller, and I think they've made a good one here. Besides the split controllers, I like the simplicity of the buttons. And for those new to gaming, it's probably less intimidating. 360: 12 buttons, 1 d-pad, and 2 sticks vs. Wii: 7 buttons, 1 d-pad (with nunchuk: 9 buttons, 1 d-pad, and 1 stick). This button scheme has forced game developers to either simplify their game controls or get creative and incorporate motion controls.

statistics have proven that not only are people buying software, but people are playing it, too. At least according to the Nintendo Channel, which filters off data from pretty much every Wii connected to the internet, which i would lend a bit more credence to than Nielsen with their relatively tiny sample groups

Certainly some people are buying it for the fad, but more than enough Wii owners are actually using it, at least to justify it's current dominion over the console market

Hah. I was thinking about coming in here to post - hey, 20 out of 30 titles, does this mean that finally people are going to stop talking bullshit about Wii owners not buying games?

Apparently not.

I haven't bought a retail game in a while... WiiWare on the other hand... (hm, I need to check metacritic for Deadly Creatures, maybe that's worth getting).

"I haven't bought a game for mine in over a year. I have no reason to turn it on"

Well then you're missing out, aren't you?
At least do yourself a favor and import Tatsunoko vs Capcom. Don't give me no bullshit about being afraid to brick you're Wii with homebrew, either. If you REALLY haven't turned it on in as long as you claim, it should be no big deal if you break it or not (you won't).

I'm starting to think most of the "My Wii collects dust" posts are from people who don't even own the damn thing.

Successful troll is successful.

Ok, so it's you guys who's keeping the Wii momentum moving. Do you guys really want lackluster graphics and a ton of shovelware? Just for a controller that only lets you swing it wildly for use as a controller? Nintendo really got you people. They got me too. Shame on us all.

I hope Sony and Microsoft don't go this route next gen, it will be a nightmare if they do. They are finally getting to the technology that can make great and sophisticated games like Heavy Rain and Fallout 3. I just hope they don't go retro like Nintendo :(

All consoles rely on marketing. And when it comes to quality, you only have to look at the 360 for poor quality. Three years into its life, Microsoft has *finally* released a design that doesn't predictably overheat and fail. How about $90 for a freaking wireless network accessory?

If the bad economy makes your money dry up (somewhat likely, depending on how you are employed), then you can start worrying about what the sales of Wii Play will do to you as a gamer

Obviously if you have no money, no one will cater to you, but so long as you do, someone will. We are in the age where every taste gets accomodated at this point, and people worry about hardcore games going away

Well with 360 and PS3 you get what you pay for. They're high performing, but built for cheaper than they might be. At least for the first few years, MS sold 360s at a loss. If they built them all with the highest quality components, the system would have launched at over $500, I mean they cost MS $600 to build as they were at launch anyways.

If any component in Wii is expensive, it's because it uses components so out of date, that manufacturers only make those parts for Wii, so it wastes efficiency. There isn't many companies purchasing 729MHz Power PC processors anymore.

I think there's a real risk of reduced hardcore games as time goes on. If the casual market becomes truly massive, it becomes much more efficient to target those people than the 'hardcore' market. I don't think we're at that point yet, Wii only manages to sell somewhat more than 360 and PS3 combined worldwide, and PC helps a little to the PS3/360/PC game platform as well. Imagine if Wii (or a future casual system) was outselling 360 by 10 times though? It'd be a completely different matter.

@Nein_Sporg "If any component in Wii is expensive, it's because it uses components so out of date"

The Wii's CPU and GPU were brand new designs, manufactured using the exact same 90nm technology as the 360 and PS3 used at launch, not the old 180nm technology found in the GameCube and original Xbox.

"...that manufacturers only make those parts for Wii, so it wastes efficiency. There isn't many companies purchasing 729MHz Power PC processors anymore."

The 360's CPU and GPU are also manufactured exclusively for that system, so there are no other companies purchasing either systems' CPUs.

Um. Wii Play's not a 'horribly shitty' game. It's a second controller with a not particularly good but cheap-enough-you-might-as-well-get-it minigame collection stuck on. Why wouldn't people get it? That doesn't say anything about the doom times of humanity or whatever. You should worry more when people are buying shitty games for $30+...

If Sony or Microsoft came up with a decent hook for selling a new controller for a few dollars extra with a game, that'd be tearing up the charts too. (And yes, I think it's pretty doubtful that Play should be listed on the charts at all, but on the other hand, it's easy to just ignore it.)

It's only NOA who is catering to casual gamers at this point. If you compare the NCL and NOA October 08 press conferences, there's no WAY you could possibly think that Nintendo as a whole is ignoring a large segment of the market.