Herman Allen

I think one of the earier posters had it right. Nintendo is a business, and they are in this to make money. We al know that an ethernet port should have been standard, but Nintendo omitted it to make money. Yes, wireless is very popular, but most people would still hook it up via cable if they had their router near their game system. My only issue with this is the blindness to the business tactics that Nintendo uses. if either MS or Sony had done this, they would have been hanged. Hell, Nintendo's main man comes out and says the Wii is a pumped up Gamecube (brought up to Xbox spec) with a new controller, cost twice as much as a Gamecube, its main launch title is really a Gamecube game, and Nintendo fans don't blink an eye. Why should they care that Nintendo is charging for a ethernet port then? Nintendo can do no wrong in some eyes I guess.

NOEEM @146:
I feel what you are saying. But it is all about the expectation the company lays for you. 250 is not bad, but most people, going by all the things Nintendo was saying, were thinking about a 200 price point. But those that want a Wii will buy one. But everyone needs to stop comparing 400,000 units for Sony to 6 mil Wii units because that 400k is the number on launch day, and more will be shipped in. That 6 mil number is by March 31st, not 43 days. I like the Mii channel concept, it just might work, but that is like dessert after a meal, it doesn't make me want to go out and buy a Wii. Just like Blu-ray is an extra bonus for me when I get a PS3, not the sole reason for buying it. Us old heads tend to see beyond the marketing hype, but these young impassionate gamers are easily excited. I was too when the SNES and Genesis was the thing, just that we did not have blogs and instant access to info like they do now. Besides, if I want straight info boring tech info, then I blog at avsforum.com. To my old and young gamers, see you online.

To #53:
They said 6 mil by March 31st, the end of their fiscal year. We have no idea how many at launch, and with that price they will all sell out.15 games at launch, with the other 15 soon after.As for the color, the color black is not simple enough for you?
#57, you are absolutely right. It is an upfront investment, and it always costs. Leverage this by trading in your old stuff. Its a good time to be a gamer with the 360, PS3, and Wii all looking very promising. Now, when does Europe get it, or will they pull a Sony and say March as well? Maybe Sony wasn't as crazy as we thought?

That $60 controller really bites. I like the channel thing though. My nephew will love this, but is wi-fi included, did not hear anything about it. Maybe someone here knows. How many units at launch? I know they are saying 6 mil by end of fiscal 2006, but that ends in march for them.

Iguess it all depends on your point of view. I wish MS had put the HD drive in at launch and sold the system at 499.99. Why anybody would want to buy something a t a sligtly lower price then be nicked and dimed to deth to bring it up to spec is beyond me. People who bought the core pack then upgraded it were labeled as dumb cause it cost them more money in the end. Isn't this the same thing? Just my opinion, but after adding the 200 for the drive, no HDMI, the 360 I bought ends up being 599.99. And I still need a wi-fi adapter. Of course, these things are optional, but if MS had released a premium unit at 499 with HD-DVD drive and a 399.99 unit without HD-DVD drive but with hard drive, which one would have sold more? Point is, bundle it all at launch, and get the pain of paying for it over as qiuckly as possible.

I was waiting to see what Nintendo was going to sell this for, and what the fanboys would say. I usually try to be objective about these things, but I admit that I was thinking more around 200.00 for it. It's amazing to me how MS has been able to change our perception of value and affordability. The last generation launched at 299.99 and 199.99, and the 360 shattered that with a price of 400.00. Sony went higher at 500 and 600 hundred and all of a sudden everyone thought that 400 is affordable and Sony is WAY too high! Nintendo's mantra has been bringing non gamer in, and to be launched at a great and affordable price. Yet it seems they are coming in for more than they charged for their last system. They talked about the price of games being higher, yet they are pricing their 1st party games at 50 bucks. 3rd party games typically cost more, so what will they be? and I thought they were not trying to be the center of the living room with all this unnecessary stuff, but the Wii will have a web browser and photo option? No hard drive, so how much are SD cards? 40-50 bucks? I personally think these options are pretty cool, but I just point this stuff out because all these Nintendo fanboys have bashed the 360 and PS3 for trying to be more than game machines. You see, its easy to bash once a company lays out its plans to you, and you can nitpik it to death. When Sony laid out its plans @ E3, I knew they were going to get smashed for it. Some of it was justified, and the price was for some sticker shock. They have since scaled back their launch, but due to expectations they set, it has left many dissapointed. Will Nintendo go thru the same thing? 250 is not that much, and it seems like you get a lot. But the expectation they set was that it would be cheaper, and that it was really just all about games. And I was thinking the VC games would be a little less. 5 is not high, but don't these compilation discs come out with about 15-20 games on it for 20-30 bucks? And didn't MS catch heat over the price of some of its downloadable games?
Once again, I ain't hatin, and will probably get a Wii for the Zelda game. Just remember tha tNintendo is a business just like Sony and MS are, and they do this to make money. Hope the Wii does well, competition is good for everybody. No about that HD-DVD add on MS.....

I read the article, and I do agree with most of the posters here in that there were no counterpoints at all. To many people the system is too expensive. These should also be the same people that 400 is too expensive for as well. 400/500, they are both high. But to those that do have the means, get the system that has games you want. as for the online thing, MS has done a great job with live, and the bar has been raised. Sony has work to do there, but it can be done. and I am not totally against letting companies run their own servers. Its not like all the 3rd party games on live run that great. Try playing 16 people on GRAW and you can hardly play it. But play HALo and there are no problems. Crimson Skies was like that too. Don't think for a minute that MS doesn't favor their own games above a 3rd parties game.
As for the PR, Sony sucks, simple as that. They are better off not saying anything until launch, and even then do not let Kutaragi speak.
The HDMI cable thing is totally blown out of proportion. Yes, the system comes with what is needed to play it, but that cable is optional. This is nothing new, so stop acting shocked. Ask MS how many recharger packs they sold for all these wireless controller while you moan and groan. And AV snobs always upgrade from pack-in cables anyway. Ask Monster and Madcats about that.
As for launch, there are good games to be had, but many of them are on the 360. COD2 was the 360 heavy hitter, the rest ran from good to blah(yes EA, I'm talking about you). Sony has Resistance and some good titles, and some blah as well. But 6 months from now, how many launch titles will we be playing anyway?
The development tools thing, I really don't know much about it. Personally, as long as the games are good, I don't care. I like Outkast, but I care less about how or what they used to make their beats. Has nothing to do with me. The final product is all that matters.
Having 400,000 units at launch. I think the article got this one right. Has a console every had enough units at launch? The main question is whether or not Sony can keep the weekly shipments coming. Not sure they can, as Japan's demand will have to be met a well. Pessimistic about this one, but time will tell.
Not sure if the article mentioned backwards compatability, but it means a lot to me. With good games still being released for the PS2, I plan to buy a few and play them on my PS3. God of War 2 and Guitar Hero 2 are on my list. If MS had not dropped the Xbox like a rock and kept good games coming for it that are compatible, I'd buy those too. I gave my PS2 to my bro 2 years ago, so its a nice feature.
As for the innovation factor, big deal. How innovative is GRAW, one of 360's best games? It's not, it just looks and plays really nice. I loved Batman Begins, but it was not innovative. It just did what it set out to do really well. That is more important than innovation. How many innovative games are out there that still don't get bought? Innovation alone is not enough; its execution that counts. The tilt controller is innovative(even the though to include it was probably lifted from Nintendo), but if not executed the right way then its a gimmick. Same goes for the rumble feature. In some games it really adds to the game, and in others your controller just vibrates really hard at inappropriate times.
Not telling anyone what to buy, just trying to be neutral and objective. I am amazed at how polarizing the PS3 is turning out to be, even before it is launched. Why do many of you want to talk people out of spending their own money, and why do some of you want people to spend their money on it anyway? No matter the outcome, it will not justify YOUR purchase decision. The Dreamcast died quickly, but that did not change the fact that I enjoyed it. Peace, and see you all on Xbox live and Sony's online platform, whatever they decide to call it.

There is no way tro compare consoles and PC's fairly. Let Sonyt build me a 1500.00 PS3 and then compare it to a 1500 computer. The PS# or Xbox would crush it. Yes, PC's always pass by consoles, but at what cost? PC games are the most inefficiently coded things I have ever seen. The 360 can get by with only 512 of ram, but a pc needs 2 gigs? Oblivion is nice on the PC, but with the requirements it has, you would think it would be even better. That is the problem with PC gaming. It takes serious cash to play the best games the platform has to offer. With a console, once you buy it, you know you can play every game made for it, no matter how good or bad it is. Buy an average PC today, and a game like Crysis that everybody want s to play requires you to buy Vista for DX10, a DX10 compatible card, and possibly more ram. I am testing Vista here at my job, and it is a resource hog. I respect PC gamers, but the constantly escalating cost is a main barrier to most people. Maybe this is why Mark from Epic was mad. Most PC owners with their current machines cannot play the new hot game. No wonder thaey all make console games now.

This is typical Nintendo. Remember that 3rd parties have always said that Nintendo is their biggest competition on the Nintendo platforms. This uneven approach is why their home consoles usually do not do well. Nintendo's own games can go online, but you 3rd paties, you'll have to wait a while, and when you do get online you will be so far behind us it won't be funny. And as for the waiting approach that #6 mentioned, that was when online play was still being worked out. The 360 has done it great, and Sony will be there on day one. Not that online play is everything, but it is a nice feature that many of us are starting to think of as a standard feature. Now, how much will Nintendo's downloads cost?

@135:
Watch what words you use young man. That "N" word is not for this forum. I am a 31 year old brotha, and that word is offensive. As for the PSP, it hasn't done as well as the Gameboy, but at least it is still here and doing fairly well. Do you guys only want a monopoly in handheld gaming? With the stranglehold Nintendo has had on the market of handhelds, I would say the PSP has been a success. more games are coming for it ( see the Genesis article on this blog, Tekken, Lumines2, Extend Every Extra), so I am happy to own one. If you are a DS owner, I hope you are enjoying it. Play what you like, and let others do the same