Wii still ahead

[Ball Lightning]

More people are buying the wii despite large shortages. It seems the Wii is the next big thing, i had a go on my friends one and it was actually fun and didn't get boring.


Link

Video game sales figures for January show Nintendo's Wii still winning the month, despite increased competition and supply shortages.

New video game sales figures from NPD covering January 2008 show the Nintendo Wii continued to beat out rivals, despite ongoing supply shortages and aggressive marketing by the competition.

During January, NPD says Nintendo managed to sell 274,000 Wii consoles in the United States, with Sony selling 269,000 PlayStation 3 systems and Microsoft moving 230,000 Xbox 360s. Overall sales figures dropped 6 percent compared to January of last year, in part because this year's period covers four weeks of sales instead of five. On a weekly basis, sales were up 18 percent compared to a year ago.

Microsoft has already said it could have sold more consoles if it had been able to get them into stores, and Nintendo is well into its second year of supply constraints limiting sales of its still hard-to-find Wii console. The notion of shortages after strong December sales was also echoed by NPD's Anita Frazier in the report: "Given the huge number of hardware systems sold in December, inventory shortages could be the biggest contributor to the softer-than-expected sales."

Nintendo also sold 251,000 Nintendo DS handheld gaming systems during the month, while Sony sold 230,000 PSPs.

The top-selling console game for the month was Call of Duty 4 for the Xbox 360, moving almost 331,000 copies. Other top sellers for the month includes Wii Play, and the Wii version of Guitar Hero III, which sold 298,000 copies and 240,000 copies, respectively.

 

[Abaddon]

Go Wii!


Hope its popularity means more independant developers get onboard. It seriously needs to beef up its games library.

 

[Mise]

The problem with the Wii is that sometimes I just want to play a regular game with a regular controller...

In other words, if I bought a Wii, I'd probably buy a 360 or a PS3 as well. If other people do the same, and treat Wii's as separate from normal games consoles, then I guess that would explain why they're beating 360s and PS3s...

 

[warpus]

The problem with the Wii is that sometimes I just want to play a regular game with a regular controller...

In other words, if I bought a Wii, I'd probably buy a 360 or a PS3 as well. If other people do the same, and treat Wii's as separate from normal games consoles, then I guess that would explain why they're beating 360s and PS3s...

If I want to play a "traditional" game, I fire up my gaming PC.

Could never play FPS with a controller.

 

[Mise]

If I want to play a "traditional" game, I fire up my gaming PC.

Could never play FPS with a controller.

Well, FPSs I agree with, but there's racing games and football games that I still prefer to play on consoles, especially with friends over. And sometimes, I just want to relax, and not have to move!

 

[Chukchi Husky]

TIn other words, if I bought a Wii, I'd probably buy a 360 or a PS3 as well. If other people do the same, and treat Wii's as separate from normal games consoles, then I guess that would explain why they're beating 360s and PS3s...

Someone told me that will happen. I have a Wii and a 360., but I try to get most of my games for the Wii unless it's a 360 exclusive or suits the 360 more.

Some games I play use the controls the same way as a regular controller without needing the motion sensing controls.

I read that many game developers (except LucasArts) are making point and click adventures for the Wii.

 

[Strider]

Hope its popularity means more independant developers get onboard. It seriously needs to beef up its games library.

It's more profitable to just make games for the 360 or PS3 even though their are fewer of those consoles. Nintendo is infamous among developers for their draconian rules directed at 3rd party developers. They have shown little initiative to change those rules (and it's fan base seems content to see a million Mario remakes).

It is the primary reason why the original Playstation smashed the N64.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

I thought Nintendo got in trouble for those laws and got rid of them back in the eighties?

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Moderator Action: Moved to Other Games.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

Brawl is a system moving game, but the next couple months will let us know if Sony is back on top or not. Microsoft is screwed, after all they've done they're still on the bottom.

 

[Chris85]

Here's my opinion on the current console war.

My guess is the Wii will continue to dominate in 2008. The system is still a hot item and 3rd party developers are starting to catch on. However, the Wii will begin to slide in the years following as the limitations in hardware performance become more evident.

The PS3 is starting to turn the corner and will continue gain momentum with a strong lineup of games in the next year, Blu-ray winning the format war, and a probable price drop later in the year. I think the PS3 will come into its time and start outselling the Wii in 2009 and 2010.

As for the XBox 360, the system has already seen the best of its days. The best string of exclusive titles this system will produce was last fall and ongoing hardware issues don't help either. The best thing the 360 has going for it is XBox Live. Sales have been pretty flat over the last year and will eventually decline as the PS3 builds momentum.

My guess is in the end of this console war the Wii and PS3 will be neck and neck for the lead and the Xbox 360 will be trailing behind in 3rd.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

Chris, I think you're pretty much spot on except I don't think the Wii will dominate, I think the first half of the year it will have, but as Blu-ray catches on and the PS3 sees that next likely price drop, it will perhaps take the second half of the year. I think the differenece may be Christmas sales when the cheaper Wii is still grabbed by parents looking to save a buck. Another wild card is Nintendo's ability to meet demand of the Wii and end the shortage. I would say last year was domination, this year will be closer. Then again, Brawl smashed records in Japan and is essentially Nintendo's Halo.

I would be surprised when all is said and done however if Sony doesn't have a lead in console sales when this generation ends. Even the PSP is making huge strides against the DS, but I think Nintendo has still a very tight grip on the handheld market.

 

[Maniacal]

I read that many game developers (except LucasArts) are making point and click adventures for the Wii.

UGH. Point and click adventures have been outdated for YEARS.

 

[Swein Forkbeard]

Let's talk about some Wii games.

First of all, I hope that a Shadow of the Colossus-like game (meaning that the only enemies are bosses and the only puzzles lie in the boss battles) comes to the Wii. I'm also looking at the Wii port of the PS2 latest legendary action adventure, Okami.

And Solid Snake should make his debut on the Wii sometime (in a Metal Gear Solid game). And hopefully Sonic's appearance in brawl means that he will star in great games from now on. The developers of Baldur's Gate II, Knights of the Old Republic, and Mass Effect are currently working on an RPG for the DS with Sonic as the main character.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

It's more profitable to just make games for the 360 or PS3 even though their are fewer of those consoles. Nintendo is infamous among developers for their draconian rules directed at 3rd party developers. They have shown little initiative to change those rules (and it's fan base seems content to see a million Mario remakes).

It is the primary reason why the original Playstation smashed the N64.

I'm not sure that that's true now. The major reason Capcom moved Monster Hunter to the Wii from the PS3 was high production costs.

Let's talk about some Wii games.

The Wii has games?

Only good Wii exclusives this year for sure:

Brawl
Mario Kart

Possibly Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (if it comes out this year). Tales of Symphonia will probably be good. Animal Crossing perhaps, although I find it doubtful that it would make it out this year. The Wii is the only 7th gen system that gets Okami. Fatal Frame and Monster Hunter (not that the former is particularly great) will never make it this year.

 

[Maniacal]

I can't wait for Brawl! It's going to be awesome

 

[Kozmos]

And Solid Snake should make his debut on the Wii sometime (in a Metal Gear Solid game).

No. If Kojima said it aint coming for the 360 it most definitively will never come for the Wii.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

UGH. Point and click adventures have been outdated for YEARS.

One I got for the Wii tries to introduce new concepts. Instead of clicking on an object, you have to interact with it. If it's something like a key instead of just clicking on the door to open it you have to turn the Wii remote like a key to open the door.

 

[Maniacal]

One I got for the Wii tries to introduce new concepts. Instead of clicking on an object, you have to interact with it. If it's something like a key instead of just clicking on the door to open it you have to turn the Wii remote like a key to open the door.

Awesome.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

I can't wait for Brawl! It's going to be awesome

Ditto yo. We'll have to get some kind of little forum tourny or something together.