Analogies help us make sense of life. They can take a complex, confusing set of variables and couch them in familiar terms. So for instance, when a major publisher compares the Wii to "two Gamecubes duct taped together," the listener gets a clear picture of the unfamiliar system vis a vis the familiar purple box. Complexity simplified!
Nintendo's George Harrison has a different analogy in mind to describe his system, though. In an interview with eclectic financial site The Motley Fool, Harrison compared the Wii to a hybrid competing against two SUVs with "big new chrome rims." While all three are technically cars, Harrison argues, the markets for each aren't likely to overlap much. "Two companies are going in one direction, and we're headed in another," Harrison summed up.
While he's definitely right on that last point, we're not sure the hybrid/SUV comparison is the most apt analogy to describe the current console wars. Here's a few other contenders we've managed to come up with:
A nutritious Apple (the Wii) vs. two heart-clogging double bacon cheeseburgers.
A pea-shooter vs. two rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
A $99 suit vs. two custom-tailored Giorgio Armanis
A Casio digital watch vs. two diamond-encrusted Rolexes.
These are just off the top of our heads. We're sure you can do better. Leave us your favorite Wii vs. the world analogies in the comments.
We're always amazed by the endless optimism of public relations departments. No matter what kind of story the sales numbers tell, they can always spin it around into a much sunnier story.
Nintendo was first in console sales last month and first out of the gate with their spin. In a press release they trumpeted the Wii's ability to stay on top despite "industry pricing shifts" (or, more accurately, shift -- the effect of Microsoft's price drop won't show up until the August numbers). July gave the Wii its highest weekly sales rate since December and its sixth consecutive month of topping the hardware sales charts, Nintendo was quick to point out. Nintendo also trumpeted its library of an estimated 800 Wii and DS games by the end of the year. Of course, that will include about 150 Virtual Console rehashes, but hey, who's counting? Besides Nintendo. And us.
Microsoft was next, playing up the fact that the Xbox 360 has now outsold the PS3 for nine straight months despite analyst predictions to the contrary (Wii? Wii who?). Despite being second in home console sales for a while now, Microsoft stressed that the Xbox 360 still leads by a good margin in lifetime consumer spending on software, hardware and accessories. Speaking of software sales, Microsoft is mighty proud of their software attach rate of 6.2 and their habit of placing plenty of third party games in the top ten for monthly sales (20 titles so far this year, compared to one each for the Wii and PS3).
Sony's reaction was posted directly to the company's official blog and talked primarily about the overall sales growth in the industry. When it comes to Sony systems, Analyst Relations Manager Mariam Sughayer says she's happy to see a 61 percent increase in PS3 sales over June, even if that still places the system in third place. It's not just the price drop, either ... Sughayer thinks consumers are buying hardware in anticipation of upcoming software like Warhawk, Heavenly Sword and Lair. Hopefully those buyers won't be put off by some of the middling early reviews for those games.
Sure, we've covered the Wii60 meme before, but this is too good to pass up; our video pick shows a quirky Wii60 commercial where the consoles -- and their games -- are acted out in a musical montage. Anthony Barrera, Brian Camacho, and Rudolph Rosado, we salute your YouTube prowess.
While analyst predictions for the current round of the system wars vary greatly, most analysts agree that Sony will no longer enjoy the same level of market dominance it had in previous generations. If you'll grant that premise, what third party developers are in the best position to benefit from this shift in console fortunes?
A pair of analysts at 2K Advisors (no relation to the developer) decided to try and figure out the answer to that question with a new metric called the Revenue Attach Rate (RAR). Basically, the RAR measures how much money a publisher makes on system software for each unit of that system currently in the marketplace. All other things being equal, publishers benefit most when systems that give them a high RAR do well, because those system sales translate to more revenue than other system sales.
Based on previous generation RARs for the major publishers, the 2K analysts determined that EA and Take Two have the most to lose from increased market share for Nintendo in this generation. Both companies showed relatively weak RARs for the GameCube, which might explain why they have each been falling allover themselves to play nice with the big N in light of strong Wii sales. Activision would benefit most from a strong Microsoft performance, given their high Xbox RAR, while THQ's relatively balanced console portfolio makes them well suited to succeed no matter who wins the battle.
The full report is a little technical, but it's full of lots of good data and analysis for anyone following the business side of the game industry.
It's an old-fashioned PS3 versus 360 graphics showdown in today's video pick, with GameTrailers running a side-by-side comparison of Armored Core 4. Which version of this mech title looks best? Judge for yourself after the break, or visit the HD version -- it doesn't embed like the SD file -- on the GameTrailers site. Let the scrutiny begin!
The Nintendo Wii's tremendous commercial success all around the world is having an impact on competing manufacturers who previously viewed the system as an outlying oddity aimed at a seperate market. In the past, both Sony and Microsoft have dismissed head-to-head competition with Nintendo, even going so far as to endorse the Wii as an incidental ally in their graphically superior grudge match.
In a brief clip on a Japanese news station (embedded after the break), Bill Gates notes surprise at the Wii's success and labels Nintendo as Microsoft's "toughest competition" in the gaming arena. Of course, the statement doubles as a jab at Sony, now relegated to third place on the the Xbox 360 threat scale.
According to Japanese sales charts, the coveted second place is still securely held by a largely shrugging Japanese populace.
Another day, another analyst throwing out their predictions for the console wars. This time it's a Datamonitor report predicting Sony will "win the console war in the long term with an install base of around 75 million globally by 2010." That may sound impressive, but considering the PS2 has already sold in excess of 111 million systems worldwide, this would still represent a sizable hit for Sony. Indeed, Datamonitor predicts that the PS3 won't "dominate as much as its predecessor" because of delays in Europe and early inroads by the Xbox 360.
In his Designer's Notebook column, Ernest Adams compares the ways developers approach game design between the Wii and PS3. While well-argued, his analysis breaks down to input innovation (read: Wii) versus output innovation (read: PS3) that many writers have already considered. But in addition to that background, Adams tackles the question about how many -- and which -- consoles can succeed simultaneously. His tentative prediction: Wii and PS3 over the Xbox 360.
Adams thinks that the videogame market can support two consoles fighting for first place in addition to a distant third-place console. Nintendo has filled the third-place role since the N64, but because of the buzz and potential of the Nintendo's latest, Adams thinks that the Wii and the PS3 will lead the market. Why the snub for the Xbox 360? Its early launch may have hurt it more than anything, as techies will see the PS3 as the latest hardware, and casual gamers will like the variety and price-point of the Wii.
What about the games? The Microsoft lead has given its developers more time to take advantage of its hardware; the upcoming crop of Xbox 360 titles includes several standouts. Is that development time an important piece in selling hardware?
Visitors to the eBay home page today were greeted with a bevy of quick links to auctions for next generation video game systems. EBay's list of the ten most popular items lists the Sony Playstation 3 at No. 1 with nearly 15,000 active auctions and the Xbox 360 at No. 5 with 1250 auctions. The PS3 also tops eBay's list of Top Tech Toys and ranks No. 2 on the gifts for kids list. The Wii doesn't make any of the lists, but is featured as eBay's promotional "it of the day," a position that had featured the PS3 as recently as last week.
Interestingly, Atari systems rank No. 2 on the classic eBay list, proving that not everyone needs the latest and greatest this holiday season.
By now you've pored over the spec sheets and feature lists, you've read the breathless previews and early reviews and you've drooled over the screenshots and box opening photos. Now, with less than a week to go before the latest generation of the console wars starts in earnest, it's time to make some decisions. Purchase now, purchase later, or pass entirely -- these are the choices that will help determine which console maker will reign supreme as the king of the market and which will languish in relative obscurity.
While the polls below are self-selected and unscientific, we hope they'll help you get an idea of where your buying decisions lie in relation to the Joystiq readership.
[Note: All three polls are distinct and must be submitted separately to register the votes]
Console makers and movie studios both have a lot riding on the success of the competing DVD formats, but a new patent recently filed by Warner Bros. engineers may help calm the battle. The patent details the creation of a disc that holds HD-DVD, Blu-ray and standard DVD data on the same disc by using three different layers of information. The discs would cost more to produce, but the cost might be worth it if movie consumers could be sure that the disc will work on whatever HD player they may end up with.
Could the technology lead to layered game discs that work in all three next-gen systems? Unlikely, since getting all the various publishers and console makers to agree on packaging and technical details would likely be impossible. Also, The Wii and Xbox 360 versions of a game would have to share room on the standard DVD layer, which might be a tight squeeze for some larger games. Still, it's nice to dream...
Analogies help us make sense of life. They can take a complex, confusing set of variables and couch them in familiar terms. So for instance, when a major publisher compares the Wii to "two Gamecubes duct taped together," the listener gets a clear picture of the unfamiliar system vis a vis the familiar purple box. Complexity simplified!
We're always amazed by the endless optimism of public relations departments. No matter what kind of story the 
Sure, we've covered the 
While analyst predictions for the current round of the system wars vary greatly, most analysts agree that Sony will no longer enjoy the same level of market dominance it had in previous generations. If you'll grant that premise, what third party developers are in the best position to benefit from this shift in console fortunes?
It's an old-fashioned PS3 versus 360 graphics showdown in today's video pick, with GameTrailers running a side-by-side comparison of Armored Core 4. Which version of this mech title looks best? Judge for yourself after the break, or visit the 
Another day, another analyst throwing out their predictions for the console wars. This time it's a 
By now you've pored over the spec sheets and feature lists, you've read the breathless previews and early reviews and you've drooled over the screenshots and box opening photos. Now, with less than a week to go before the latest generation of the console wars starts in earnest, it's time to make some decisions. Purchase now, purchase later, or pass entirely -- these are the choices that will help determine which console maker will reign supreme as the king of the market and which will languish in relative obscurity.
Console makers and movie studios both have a lot riding on the success of the competing DVD formats, but a new patent recently filed by Warner Bros. engineers may help calm the battle. The patent details the creation of a disc that holds HD-DVD, Blu-ray and standard DVD data on the same disc by using three different layers of information. The discs would cost more to produce, but the cost might be worth it if movie consumers could be sure that the disc will work on whatever HD player they may end up with.
