Nintendo Wii, revisited
Since I made the prior posts about Nintendo's upcoming success, I had no idea how successful Nintendo's Wii would become. I do pride myself a bit in believing that it would be successful, when the industry seemed ready to write it off, but it has since exceeded most people's expectations.
This writer has put together a good set of article explaining some of the business strategies that are behind the design of the Wii, and helping to explain its success:
Disruption Chronicles.
I found these articles interesting from both the commentary about the current console generation, as well as the larger theory of business strategy. I think most people are familiar with how different technology can change the playing field, like the transistor. But it's not just that the technology was new, it was inferior, and yet so much cheaper. It only has to be Good Enough. I think Good Enough is something people constantly lose sight of. We think we need the fastest cars, or the biggest cars, not just one that is Good Enough.
It is interesting to read complaints from people on the Internet that the Wii is not "hardcore", when, in some ways, it is the most hardcore of all of the current gaming systems. It is not distracted by the ability to play movies, its ability to get on the 'net is second rate, it can play some media files, but it has its limitations... Playing games appears to be its primary focus... and at a lower price-point. It's main problem with many gamers is that it doesn't have the types of games that they are interested in.
Mind you, I like the extra features of the other consoles -- higher res displays, playing movies, etc., but it does cost extra for these features to be included. Nintendo was able to bring the game-playing experience home for less. And then there was that cool controller. The result is a system that is more accessible to more people. If you take one of the other systems and add a $150 driving wheel, that is the niche market (or at least should be). A market that I may be part of as well, but that does not lessen the fact that Wii is able to bring gameplay that is Good Enough to more people.
The main negative I have with the Wii is that so many games seem to make inadequate use of the motion controls, and some of the games seem too substandard, perhaps in an attempt to gain a quick sale. You can get crummy games on any system, but the Wii seems to be attracting quite a few. Keep in mind, though, that some games that are being called poor are actually good, at least considering the target audience. How many of us liked Tetris, and yet simple games like that are being called inferior "casual" games by the "hardcore" gamers. It's a different type of game, but whether or not you like it is personal preference. The Wii is short on really good driving simulations or First Person Shooter (FPS) games, for example, so I don't think it's unreasonable to say that the Wii is heavy towards "casual" games and light in other categories.
I think if you're truly a hardcore gamer, you'll need both the Wii and at least one of the other systems.
This writer has put together a good set of article explaining some of the business strategies that are behind the design of the Wii, and helping to explain its success:
Disruption Chronicles.
I found these articles interesting from both the commentary about the current console generation, as well as the larger theory of business strategy. I think most people are familiar with how different technology can change the playing field, like the transistor. But it's not just that the technology was new, it was inferior, and yet so much cheaper. It only has to be Good Enough. I think Good Enough is something people constantly lose sight of. We think we need the fastest cars, or the biggest cars, not just one that is Good Enough.
It is interesting to read complaints from people on the Internet that the Wii is not "hardcore", when, in some ways, it is the most hardcore of all of the current gaming systems. It is not distracted by the ability to play movies, its ability to get on the 'net is second rate, it can play some media files, but it has its limitations... Playing games appears to be its primary focus... and at a lower price-point. It's main problem with many gamers is that it doesn't have the types of games that they are interested in.
Mind you, I like the extra features of the other consoles -- higher res displays, playing movies, etc., but it does cost extra for these features to be included. Nintendo was able to bring the game-playing experience home for less. And then there was that cool controller. The result is a system that is more accessible to more people. If you take one of the other systems and add a $150 driving wheel, that is the niche market (or at least should be). A market that I may be part of as well, but that does not lessen the fact that Wii is able to bring gameplay that is Good Enough to more people.
The main negative I have with the Wii is that so many games seem to make inadequate use of the motion controls, and some of the games seem too substandard, perhaps in an attempt to gain a quick sale. You can get crummy games on any system, but the Wii seems to be attracting quite a few. Keep in mind, though, that some games that are being called poor are actually good, at least considering the target audience. How many of us liked Tetris, and yet simple games like that are being called inferior "casual" games by the "hardcore" gamers. It's a different type of game, but whether or not you like it is personal preference. The Wii is short on really good driving simulations or First Person Shooter (FPS) games, for example, so I don't think it's unreasonable to say that the Wii is heavy towards "casual" games and light in other categories.
I think if you're truly a hardcore gamer, you'll need both the Wii and at least one of the other systems.
