Let me get this straight--- a lead designer in a multi-million dollar race team has the smarts to DESIGN an F1 car, has the forethought to tell his wife to burn the papers and buy them.. but allows her to go do a god damn 'Kinko's to have them copied?! WTF.
If you are going to do something like this, why wouldn't you spend a $100 on a home scanner and do it yourself. Jesus christ that has to be the most idiotic thing ever.
This is simple and a bunch of people have said this in different ways:
A lot of people buying the Wii are doing so because it is a novelty item. Something that is taken out like a board game when people have parties or during family get-togethers. This consumer isn't one that is going to buy more games because what they have is a novelty item that is good for 1-2 things.
The 'gamers' that buy the Wii want Nintendo games and are happy with Mario-anything. Not to mention, lets be honest here... how many Wii games are actually good?
I'd also go on a limb and say that 'gamers' that have the Wii also have a PS3 or Xbox360 and probably buy cross-platform games on those systems instead of the Wii.
I've said this in other places: I thin it is funny that people latch onto Hardware sales figures as the defacto statistic as to who is winning the Console War. To me it is which console is getting their users to interact and buy more games. The more games that are bought, the more the developers want to make games for that system. The more games for the system, the better it is for the consumer and the better it is for the console.
The Wii is a toy, accept that. Maybe 5-6 years from now, when casual gaming really has a foothold in the normal American psyche, will something like the Wii sell a ton of games.
I love all you fanboys that think Xbox owners are now in a world of hurt because of this.
I don't know about you.. but I bought my Xbox360 because of something called GAMES.
I want to play GAMES. I can care less if the PS3 is now a cheap Blu-ray player and BR is the new format.. it still has crap GAMES.
and for those of us that bought an HD player.. cool because now the movies will be dirt cheap. Pick them up cheap and you won't have to buy them again on Blu-ray.
I'd like to know what the breakdown is of the Wii consumers ... who is buying/bought the Wii?
I bet we have on one side a heavy focus on very very casual gamers and older folk that purchased the system out of novelty. I know for a fact my uncle (55+) purchased one just because of the Wii Sports bowling, he will never get another game. I know a few others in my office that have done the same. I don't see any of that demographic buying games for the Wii (low attach rate).
On the flip-side of that spectrum you have parents that have purchased the Wii for their kids (10 and below). These consumers will buy a few games, but doesn't it make sense that the games they purchase are going to be First party Nintendo titles? Why? Because it is a safe bet. Oh Little Johnny wants a new game... lets go with Mario/Zelda etc. because we are familiar with it.
That leaves the middle -- the consumers that consider themselves hardcore gamers and Nintendo fans. Sure they will buy games other than Nintendo first party games, but they really demand a high-quality product.
Well then, will you get a high-quality product for the middle consumer if the far left and far right consumers are who they are (i.e. are 3rd party devs going to put effort into it).
My feeling ... hell no. I'm on the bandwagon that the Wii is a novelty... albeit one that is still going strong, but a novelty none-the-less.
^^jorojoserojas : Good point, BUT what if the majority of people buying the Wii are not the type of people that will buy a AAA title? It is a poor assumption on your part or mine, to think that either A: video game enthusiasts are buying the Wii, along with Xbox360 and want the Wii for AAA titles or B: the general populace is buying the Wii for a social party gig and will play it once in a while or for their young kids who can care less about AAA titles.
This is slightly off-topic, but it ties in with the console wars theme.
I don't understand why people continue to compare the Wii console sales to that of PS3 and Xbox360. Beyond the fact that they all play video games, the Wii is too different to really be considered in a 'race' with the Xbox or PS3... at least the way I see it.
I see the Wii as the 'Honda Civic' of the video game consoles. It is a mass market, general appeal product. People of all ages and demographics like it because it gets the basics done. The Xbox360/PS3 are like the 'BMW M3' of the console market. They appeal to a specific enthusiast market, have great performance, wow people with looks/style/speed and are more expensive.
With this in mind, I would hope that the Wii (i.e. the Civic) would sell more. Because it appeals to everyone, thats what it does. Why would we expect grandparents, uncles, aunts and non-gamers to be buying the Xbox360? I wouldn't expect a person needing a commuter car to buy an M3, nor would BMW want them to. The same logic can be applied to the Xbox/PS3/Wii.
Sure, MS and Sony want to sell as many consoles as possible, but I think this generation has shown, more than any other, that there are two distinct markets in the video game world now. The casual gamer and the hardcore gamer. If Nintendo wants to cater to the casual gamer and sell more units with less attach rate, good for them. If Xbox and PS3 want to go after the enthusiast, selling less units, but with a higher attach rate, good for them.
I just don't see a connection in comparing unit sales for consoles that are so different (again, besides the fact that they play video games.) and declaring a 'winner'.
I loved Etnernal Darkness on the GC, so I'm confident SK can put together a cool story and great atmosphere. Their art direction should be spot on too.
HOWEVER, is it just me or does the entire scale of that game look off? I mean, your character looks like a miniature in the environment. Everything around you is SO big its laughable. Unless you are constantly in places where 50 foot giants live. Take another look at the trailer and you'll see what I mean.
I avoided the same Wal-Mart fiasco... but only because I spent 2h 20m on the damn phone with them on Saturday!
I too saw the Midnight release information on Wal-Mart.com and thought 'oh great, I can get a copy Monday night to play while my LE version comes from BestBuy.com shipped". But something inside of me on Saturday said 'call the store to double check".
So I called 3 stores near me. Not only was it painful to even find a person that understood my question or had the ability to answer me in English, none of the employees had any real clue as to the Midnight launch and none would let me talk to a Manager to get the 411.
So I decided to call customer care. 30 minutes on the phone with Wal-Mart customer care returned nothing more than a CS rep just as frustrated as I was because she couldn't even get an employee that had a clue at the same stores. One of them even told her 'Halo comes out in October.'
So then I'm sent to Wal-Mart.com Customer Care... another 30 minutes and that side of the house aknowledges the Midnight launch, but has no idea which stores, since that is a seperate side of the business.
I'm then sent BACK over to normal Customer Care and I go through the entire story again. Someone finally has the intelligence to look up the memo about the event and states 'this is a national event and all stores will be open'. For some reason I don't believe her.
So I call the local store one more time. I wait 15 minutes for a manager and once he gets on the phone he says 'yeah we aren't going to be open. Corporate sent a letter saying only stores that are already 24hours need to open'.
So Im like .. ok those are 3 hours away (mind you, there are 4 WM's within 10 miles of me, just none 24hours)
Wal-Mart did a piss-poor job setting this up and explaining on thier site the limitations. Heck, I was even able to 'setup' my crew via their site and invite people to meet me at a store that wasn't even going to be open 24 hours!
Horrible experience, Im glad I did not show up in person.
Those of you saying that the first comment is unfair or Audi shouldn't sell to 'this type of buyer'.. you all need to just step back a moment.
I've owned 3 VWAG products (99 A4, '01 VW GTI and now '04 A4). I was highly involved in the local chapter of the Audi Quattro club and have been an enthusiast with the VW crowd for a long time as well.
Almost all loyal owners have something bad to say about Audi and VW customer service and dealer experiences. It has been a problem since at least 1999 (that I know of).
People arent just making this stuff up because they are bitter. I sold my VW specifically because I was sick and tired of dealing with their dealer network or VW Corp. (and I went through BBB Arbitration with them too)
The company as a whole has great products but they have a lot to learn in regards to creating a really great customer experience.
Maybe James (the blogger posting this) should have included ALL of Frankie's quote, it may have cleared up some of the questions around here in regards to 'why can't they'.
The full quote says:(I've added ** near the parts left out from the blog pst)
""We're not dumb," says Bungie's Frank O'Conner. "We know that people want it and we're trying to make it happen. I think the biggest problem for us for online co-op is that we have a situation where you can be in a Warthog with five troops, almost a mile away from the other player. That's a significant challenge. **And there's lots of design things you could do to prevent that from happening, but they would make it not feel like Halo anymore. If we can make it happen in a way that works well, we will - and if it works badly, we won't."
I don't think GOW is a good co-op comparison example. In that game you and your partner are in a pretty linear playing field. As you get to mini-check points you can't really go back to where you came from or move forward without teamwork. It works wonderfully, don't get me wrong, but if you really look at it, it is pretty limiting.
A lot of you are making assumptions as to what 'Challenges' really means. Frankie didn't specify if these were coding/system resource challenges, gameplay/balancing challenges or a combination of the two or something totally different.
The Stepneygate postmortem -- what really happened in the F1 espionage scandal
May 23rd 2008 10:04AM (Autoblog)If you are going to do something like this, why wouldn't you spend a $100 on a home scanner and do it yourself. Jesus christ that has to be the most idiotic thing ever.
NYTimes looks at Wii's software sales problem
Apr 21st 2008 12:34PM (Joystiq)A lot of people buying the Wii are doing so because it is a novelty item. Something that is taken out like a board game when people have parties or during family get-togethers. This consumer isn't one that is going to buy more games because what they have is a novelty item that is good for 1-2 things.
The 'gamers' that buy the Wii want Nintendo games and are happy with Mario-anything. Not to mention, lets be honest here... how many Wii games are actually good?
I'd also go on a limb and say that 'gamers' that have the Wii also have a PS3 or Xbox360 and probably buy cross-platform games on those systems instead of the Wii.
I've said this in other places: I thin it is funny that people latch onto Hardware sales figures as the defacto statistic as to who is winning the Console War. To me it is which console is getting their users to interact and buy more games. The more games that are bought, the more the developers want to make games for that system. The more games for the system, the better it is for the consumer and the better it is for the console.
The Wii is a toy, accept that. Maybe 5-6 years from now, when casual gaming really has a foothold in the normal American psyche, will something like the Wii sell a ton of games.
Rumor: Toshiba set to kill off HD DVD format
Feb 15th 2008 1:14PM (Joystiq)I don't know about you.. but I bought my Xbox360 because of something called GAMES.
I want to play GAMES. I can care less if the PS3 is now a cheap Blu-ray player and BR is the new format.. it still has crap GAMES.
and for those of us that bought an HD player.. cool because now the movies will be dirt cheap. Pick them up cheap and you won't have to buy them again on Blu-ray.
Nintendo hopeful third-party Wii games will sell
Jan 29th 2008 1:03PM (Joystiq)I bet we have on one side a heavy focus on very very casual gamers and older folk that purchased the system out of novelty. I know for a fact my uncle (55+) purchased one just because of the Wii Sports bowling, he will never get another game. I know a few others in my office that have done the same. I don't see any of that demographic buying games for the Wii (low attach rate).
On the flip-side of that spectrum you have parents that have purchased the Wii for their kids (10 and below). These consumers will buy a few games, but doesn't it make sense that the games they purchase are going to be First party Nintendo titles? Why? Because it is a safe bet. Oh Little Johnny wants a new game... lets go with Mario/Zelda etc. because we are familiar with it.
That leaves the middle -- the consumers that consider themselves hardcore gamers and Nintendo fans. Sure they will buy games other than Nintendo first party games, but they really demand a high-quality product.
Well then, will you get a high-quality product for the middle consumer if the far left and far right consumers are who they are (i.e. are 3rd party devs going to put effort into it).
My feeling ... hell no. I'm on the bandwagon that the Wii is a novelty... albeit one that is still going strong, but a novelty none-the-less.
Nintendo enjoys its biggest sales week ever in U.S., breaks record
Nov 28th 2007 10:40AM (Joystiq)Nintendo enjoys its biggest sales week ever in U.S., breaks record
Nov 28th 2007 10:12AM (Joystiq)I don't understand why people continue to compare the Wii console sales to that of PS3 and Xbox360. Beyond the fact that they all play video games, the Wii is too different to really be considered in a 'race' with the Xbox or PS3... at least the way I see it.
I see the Wii as the 'Honda Civic' of the video game consoles. It is a mass market, general appeal product. People of all ages and demographics like it because it gets the basics done. The Xbox360/PS3 are like the 'BMW M3' of the console market. They appeal to a specific enthusiast market, have great performance, wow people with looks/style/speed and are more expensive.
With this in mind, I would hope that the Wii (i.e. the Civic) would sell more. Because it appeals to everyone, thats what it does. Why would we expect grandparents, uncles, aunts and non-gamers to be buying the Xbox360? I wouldn't expect a person needing a commuter car to buy an M3, nor would BMW want them to. The same logic can be applied to the Xbox/PS3/Wii.
Sure, MS and Sony want to sell as many consoles as possible, but I think this generation has shown, more than any other, that there are two distinct markets in the video game world now. The casual gamer and the hardcore gamer. If Nintendo wants to cater to the casual gamer and sell more units with less attach rate, good for them. If Xbox and PS3 want to go after the enthusiast, selling less units, but with a higher attach rate, good for them.
I just don't see a connection in comparing unit sales for consoles that are so different (again, besides the fact that they play video games.) and declaring a 'winner'.
-C
Too Human clip gives us best idea of game in years
Oct 8th 2007 2:57PM (Joystiq)HOWEVER, is it just me or does the entire scale of that game look off? I mean, your character looks like a miniature in the environment. Everything around you is SO big its laughable. Unless you are constantly in places where 50 foot giants live. Take another look at the trailer and you'll see what I mean.
-Chris
We wait for the Halo 3 (Boston edition): aka failure to launch
Sep 25th 2007 1:32PM (Joystiq)I too saw the Midnight release information on Wal-Mart.com and thought 'oh great, I can get a copy Monday night to play while my LE version comes from BestBuy.com shipped". But something inside of me on Saturday said 'call the store to double check".
So I called 3 stores near me. Not only was it painful to even find a person that understood my question or had the ability to answer me in English, none of the employees had any real clue as to the Midnight launch and none would let me talk to a Manager to get the 411.
So I decided to call customer care. 30 minutes on the phone with Wal-Mart customer care returned nothing more than a CS rep just as frustrated as I was because she couldn't even get an employee that had a clue at the same stores. One of them even told her 'Halo comes out in October.'
So then I'm sent to Wal-Mart.com Customer Care... another 30 minutes and that side of the house aknowledges the Midnight launch, but has no idea which stores, since that is a seperate side of the business.
I'm then sent BACK over to normal Customer Care and I go through the entire story again. Someone finally has the intelligence to look up the memo about the event and states 'this is a national event and all stores will be open'. For some reason I don't believe her.
So I call the local store one more time. I wait 15 minutes for a manager and once he gets on the phone he says 'yeah we aren't going to be open. Corporate sent a letter saying only stores that are already 24hours need to open'.
So Im like .. ok those are 3 hours away (mind you, there are 4 WM's within 10 miles of me, just none 24hours)
Wal-Mart did a piss-poor job setting this up and explaining on thier site the limitations. Heck, I was even able to 'setup' my crew via their site and invite people to meet me at a store that wasn't even going to be open 24 hours!
Horrible experience, Im glad I did not show up in person.
All about Audi: Every 2008 US model and alteration
Jul 19th 2007 12:27PM (Autoblog)I've owned 3 VWAG products (99 A4, '01 VW GTI and now '04 A4). I was highly involved in the local chapter of the Audi Quattro club and have been an enthusiast with the VW crowd for a long time as well.
Almost all loyal owners have something bad to say about Audi and VW customer service and dealer experiences. It has been a problem since at least 1999 (that I know of).
People arent just making this stuff up because they are bitter. I sold my VW specifically because I was sick and tired of dealing with their dealer network or VW Corp. (and I went through BBB Arbitration with them too)
The company as a whole has great products but they have a lot to learn in regards to creating a really great customer experience.
Halo 3 co-op is offline, for now
Jul 18th 2007 1:41PM (Joystiq)The full quote says:(I've added ** near the parts left out from the blog pst)
""We're not dumb," says Bungie's Frank O'Conner. "We know that people want it and we're trying to make it happen. I think the biggest problem for us for online co-op is that we have a situation where you can be in a Warthog with five troops, almost a mile away from the other player. That's a significant challenge. **And there's lots of design things you could do to prevent that from happening, but they would make it not feel like Halo anymore. If we can make it happen in a way that works well, we will - and if it works badly, we won't."
I don't think GOW is a good co-op comparison example. In that game you and your partner are in a pretty linear playing field. As you get to mini-check points you can't really go back to where you came from or move forward without teamwork. It works wonderfully, don't get me wrong, but if you really look at it, it is pretty limiting.
A lot of you are making assumptions as to what 'Challenges' really means. Frankie didn't specify if these were coding/system resource challenges, gameplay/balancing challenges or a combination of the two or something totally different.
Lets wait until we hear the whole story.