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[MrNyarlathotep]

There is a article floating around that the majority of DLC AS A WHOLE (not RB2/GH related) is bought on the PS3/360.

Maybe you should write down a list of what games on Wii have DLC and for how long it has been available.

Then counterpoint that with a list of what games for the PS3 and X360 have dlc, and for how long those DLC have been available.

That statistic is pretty much the same as saying the majority of fable 2 sales are on X360, therefore it wouldn't sell anywhere else.

 

[farnham]

1. How many songs are up in the RB2 Wii store? My point is there is so much RB DLC that maybe putting it all up would have been a problem. HMX line of thinking was probably "well they won't be able to download a big chunk of the songs anyway". Also its 75-100 songs if you have a clear SD card. Of course you can just go out and buy another card but how many people have stuff on there SD cards already? alot.

No matter what it's a constant struggle of managing "the fridge".


2. There is a article floating around that the majority of DLC AS A WHOLE (not RB2/GH related) is bought on the PS3/360. HMX even further has stated that 80% of all there DLC is bought on 360. I'm willing to bet that the Wii DLC for GH or RB won't equal even the PS3. There is no hard numbers for such a claim so I will concede this argument.

1. people also can buy a 2gb sd card for under 10 dollars.. ridiculous argument

2. the DLC sales are not transparent.. we simply dont know how much sold.. but we can be sure that the virtual console did very well on the wii (with a relative niche game called gunstar hero selling over 100k right after launch or the success of sin and punishment leading to s and p 2)..

plus games like FFCC My Life as a King, Space Invaders Get Even, Samba de Amigo already have DLC options.. we dont know the sales yet but they wouldnt be out if they were doomed to fail in the first place

 

[donny2112]

Wii Play is NOT worth $10. It appears to be, at first, because it's fun. Then you realize that nobody is ever going to make a full version of the tank game, with online multiplayer, and it ruins your life.

Or something.

Spoiler

I like Wii Play

:lol Well played.

 

[farnham]

The whole RB on Wii vs the DLC on the PS360 is a silly argument to begin with, those Wii RB sales arent going to stop this month... It will have legs the same way GH did and keep on trucking, by the time it stops it will be so far and away the highest selling SKU that it will be absolutely impossible to argue that not having DLC on the Wii version fridge or not was a stupid misstep.

Arguing the numbers NOW just because they are somewhat close is a waste of time, the divide between the units sold is only going to keep on increasing, and the Wii will remain the most sold at retail SKU by a huge margin. Not making the DLC even if only some of it available on the most sold SKU by a landslide when its completely possible is just idiotic. I don't see how its possible to see it any other way, its a complete missed opportunity period. Not to mention the games successors will also likely be more popular on Wii than anywhere. It would be just bad business to not expand there with DLC when there is an infrastructure already in place. But HMX has been dropping the ball here consistently anyway so I really wouldn't be surprised.

one possible way would be arguing with the rockband track pack sku.. we dont have numbers for that sku though.. if the wii trackpacks sold well that would mean that people shifted to buy a bunch of songs instead of hand picking one or two..

Wii Play is NOT worth $10. It appears to be, at first, because it's fun. Then you realize that nobody is ever going to make a full version of the tank game, with online multiplayer, and it ruins your life.

Or something.

Spoiler

I like Wii Play

isnt there a mode in advance wars dual strike that is quite similar to the tank game

 

[BigBlackGamer]

1. people also can buy a 2gb sd card for under 10 dollars.. ridiculous argument

2. the DLC sales are not transparent.. we simply dont know how much sold.. but we can be sure that the virtual console did very well on the wii (with a relative niche game called gunstar hero selling over 100k right after launch or the success of sin and punishment leading to s and p 2)..

plus games like FFCC My Life as a King, Space Invaders Get Even, Samba de Amigo already have DLC options.. we dont know the sales yet but they wouldnt be out if they were doomed to fail in the first place

1. I don't think the argument is ridiculous at all. eventually having to switch SD cards to play songs and constantly trying to figure out what you have to delete to make room is a problem. when I play RB on my 360 or PS3 I have access to all my content.

2. you have no sales data to back up your claim just like I don't. hence why I will concede this argument.

 

[CosmicGroinPull]

Wow, GTA4 sold almost twice as much on 360 vs PS3..

 

[farnham]

1. I don't think the argument is ridiculous at all. eventually having to switch SD cards to play songs and constantly trying to figure out what you have to delete to make room is a problem. when I play RB on my 360 or PS3 I have access to all my content.

2. you have no sales data to back up your claim just like I don't. hence why I will concede this argument.

is that a sale argument or a i like it better because i have access all the time kinda argument..

because its the former i doubt that many people will have your problem of having to manage over 100 downloadable songs on rockband on the wii .

if its the latter then good for you but such arguments dont belong in a NPD thread

 

[Chumly]

1. alright

2. Even if HMX put all 300+ songs in the Wii store it would still be limiting.....by the Wii itself. GH3 and GHWT don't have 300+ songs to download even if you combine both games. (How many songs do you think fit on a SD card? it won't be alot)

3. What does 360's being connected to the internet have to do with anything. The bottom line is that when it comes to DLC the majority is bought on PS3/360. DLC is a HUGE deal for RB. YOU may not think it is but it is.

Harmonix could have done alot of things but they seem dedicated to the 360/PS3 platforms for some reason. Who honestly knows how much they made over the past year on DLC but it was enough to not make them care about 2 platforms (Wii/PS2) that people don't buy any DLC on.

Rock Band Track Pack Vol 1.
Rock Band Track Pack Vol 2.
AC/DC Track Pack

All sold MUCH better on Wii for obvious reasons. Everyone else was getting DLC but Wii owners were buying expansion packs.

 

[markatisu]

1. I don't think the argument is ridiculous at all. eventually having to switch SD cards to play songs and constantly trying to figure out what you have to delete to make room is a problem. when I play RB on my 360 or PS3 I have access to all my content.

Harmonix obviously cares enough about DLC on the Wii to be releasing this

 

[BigBlackGamer]

is that a sale argument or a i like it better because i have access all the time kinda argument..

because its the former i doubt that many people will have your problem of having to manage over 100 downloadable songs on rockband on the wii .

if its the latter then good for you but such arguments dont belong in a NPD thread

thats fine and all but I already stated my argument was closed before your post. You chose to comment after the fact in which I responded.

now my comments don't belong in the NPD thread. alright cool. I'll just go back to the RB thread were things make sense.

 

[BigBlackGamer]

Rock Band Track Pack Vol 1.
Rock Band Track Pack Vol 2.
AC/DC Track Pack

All sold MUCH better on Wii for obvious reasons. Everyone else was getting DLC but Wii owners were buying expansion packs.

What your saying is that RB Wii owners are use to buying disc based packs? makes sense. Although what numbers do you have to support the AC/DC thing? EVERYONE had to buy the AC/DC track pack on disc. it was not available as DLC on PS3 or 360.

Harmonix obviously cares enough about DLC on the Wii to be releasing this

I never said they didn't care about the DLC on Wii. I think they care more about the dlc on ps3 and 360 though. solely because of the data they have. Only time will tell how well RB DLC does on Wii. (as someone said DLC on Wii has only been up for 72 hours)

 

[Chumly]

What your saying is that RB Wii owners are use to buying disc based packs? makes sense. Although what numbers do you have to support the AC/DC thing? EVERYONE had to buy the AC/DC track pack on disc. it was not available as DLC on PS3 or 360.



I never said they didn't care about the DLC on Wii. I think they care more about the dlc on ps3 and 360 though. solely because of the data they have. Only time will tell how well RB DLC does on Wii. (as someone said DLC on Wii has only been up for 72 hours)

Track Pack 1 was only released on Wii and PS2 to make up for not having DLC
Track Pack 2 was released on 360/PS3 also but obviously the Wii is gonna have more sales since it didnt have the DLC option.
Im assuming that the AC/DC sales are gonna fall in line with everything else.
Guitar Hero 3 is best selling on Wii
GHWT is best selling on Wii
GH: Aerosmith best selling on Wii
Rockband sold best on Wii this year.
Rockband 2 and Rockband 1 are likely to surpass 360's totals eventually

 

[Joe211]

PSP numbers are really good

 

[markatisu]

What your saying is that RB Wii owners are use to buying disc based packs? makes sense. Although what numbers do you have to support the AC/DC thing? EVERYONE had to buy the AC/DC track pack on disc. it was not available as DLC on PS3 or 360.

There is only anecdotal evidence right now, but we do know that everything from RB1 to GH:Aerosmith has sold better on the Wii. AC/DC selling worse on Wii would be a huge exception to the proven rule (going by GH3/GHWT/RB1, obviously not RB2 since it has only been out for under 1month but already has 1/3rd the 360's total sales)

I never said they didn't care about the DLC on Wii. I think they care more about the dlc on ps3 and 360 though. solely because of the data they have. Only time will tell how well RB DLC does on Wii. (as someone said DLC on Wii has only been up for 72 hours)

You implied that, you said that Harmonix did not care about DLC on PS2/Wii because nobody buys it and the bulk of purchases was on the 360/PS3 (which you are dead wrong about PS3, the bulk is almost exclusive to 360 given their last press release)

Most people are arguing the fact that you claim nobody buys DLC content on Wii

I think we can reach a middle ground because it is quite obvious they cared more about the 360, but what I think needs to be admitted is that Harmonix is just plain stupid for not giving Wii owners the chance to participate.

It looks quite retarded when a gimped version of the Rock Band game outsells the one with all the bells and whistles

Like I said a few posts back, the Wii Music store has been open for about 72hrs and it was taken down the 1st two hours because people were hammering it. I know myself I have spent over 2000 points on RB2 DLC since then.

 

[Arde5643]

I know myself I have spent over 2000 points on RB2 DLC since then.

Consumer whore.

 

[BigBlackGamer]

Track Pack 1 was only released on Wii and PS2 to make up for not having DLC
Track Pack 2 was released on 360/PS3 also but obviously the Wii is gonna have more sales since it didnt have the DLC option.
Im assuming that the AC/DC sales are gonna fall in line with everything else.
Guitar Hero 3 is best selling on Wii
GHWT is best selling on Wii
GH: Aerosmith best selling on Wii
Rockband sold best on Wii this year.
Rockband 2 and Rockband 1 are likely to surpass 360's totals eventually

I think the AC/DC track pack is different. this is content that 360/ps3 users don't have available online. curious to see if HMX shows some data on that. The track pack stuff would naturally sell like shit on PS3/360 because all of that content is available online.

There is only anecdotal evidence right now, but we do know that everything from RB1 to GH:Aerosmith has sold better on the Wii. AC/DC selling worse on Wii would be a huge exception to the proven rule (going by GH3/GHWT/RB1, obviously not RB2 since it has only been out for under 1month but already has 1/3rd the 360's total sales)



You implied that, you said that Harmonix did not care about DLC on PS2/Wii because nobody buys it and the bulk of purchases was on the 360/PS3 (which you are dead wrong about PS3, the bulk is almost exclusive to 360 given their last press release)

Most people are arguing the fact that you claim nobody buys DLC content on Wii

I think we can reach a middle ground because it is quite obvious they cared more about the 360, but what I think needs to be admitted is that Harmonix is just plain stupid for not giving Wii owners the chance to participate.

It looks quite retarded when a gimped version of the Rock Band game outsells the one with all the bells and whistles

Like I said a few posts back, the Wii Music store has been open for about 72hrs and it was taken down the 1st two hours because people were hammering it. I know myself I have spent over 2000 points on RB2 DLC since then.

oh I agree. this time next year it will be interesting to see how the DLC does on Wii.

 

[markatisu]

I think the AC/DC track pack is different. this is content that 360/ps3 users don't have available online. curious to see if HMX shows some data on that. The track pack stuff would naturally sell like shit on PS3/360 because all of that content is available online.

If Black Friday was any indication the Wii version was outselling the PS3 and 360, still today I can walk in a walmart and find both the HD versions. And once again the Wii one was released late on that one as well, it came out almost a full month and a half behind the PS3/360/PS2 versions (I guess to coincide with Black Friday)

And unless Harmonix gives a press release we do not have much to go on since its sold only at Walmart and pretty much exempt from tracked sales numbers

But I see it as no different than GH:Aerosmith which is essentially a GH Track Pack for all the systems, AC/DC is just a RB Track Pack for all the systems

 

[BigBlackGamer]

It does make sense that the AC/DC track pack sold better on the Wii. I mean Wii/Walmart/ACDC seem like a perfect match. Although it would be nice if we got some data on it.

 

[Chumly]

I think the AC/DC track pack is different. this is content that 360/ps3 users don't have available online. curious to see if HMX shows some data on that. The track pack stuff would naturally sell like shit on PS3/360 because all of that content is available online.


oh I agree. this time next year it will be interesting to see how the DLC does on Wii.

My point is that then the Track Packs on the Wii make up for the lost DLC sales that the 360/PS3 recieved.

 

[Chumly]

It does make sense that the AC/DC track pack sold better on the Wii. I mean Wii/Walmart/ACDC seem like a perfect match. Although it would be nice if we got some data on it.

Unfortunately well never get NPD data since it was only sold at Walmart which happens to be the only place NPD doesnt track:lol

 

[farnham]

If Black Friday was any indication the Wii version was outselling the PS3 and 360, still today I can walk in a walmart and find both the HD versions. And once again the Wii one was released late on that one as well, it came out almost a full month and a half behind the PS3/360/PS2 versions (I guess to coincide with Black Friday)

And unless Harmonix gives a press release we do not have much to go on since its sold only at Walmart and pretty much exempt from tracked sales numbers

But I see it as no different than GH:Aerosmith which is essentially a GH Track Pack for all the systems, AC/DC is just a RB Track Pack for all the systems

yeah GH Aerosmith Rockband AC/DC and GH Metallica.. wheres the difference really :lol :lol

 

[DDayton]

1up John was right...MK will end up selling more than both GTA 4s combined :O:O:O

Bother.

I was so tempted to make that prediction back in April, but thought better of it as it seemed like there was a decent chance GTA would outsell Mario Kart.

Oh well. My post hinting about the matter just seems so tame now.

 

[BigBlackGamer]

GH:A and GH:M are full retail products and are full price. AC/DC is a track pack with no real substantial game to it.

I get what he is saying though. All 3 seem like the same thing.

 

[Yes Boss!]

Bother.

I was so tempted to make that prediction back in April, but thought better of it as it seemed like there was a decent chance GTA would outsell Mario Kart.

Oh well. My post hinting about the matter just seems so tame now.

I called it far before that in my march prediction.

I also called in late 2006 WiiFit a bonafide billion-dollar franchise and it is going do far better than that.

 

[Stink]

Nintendo sales are ridiculous.

I hope they turn some of the creative magic towards something that I can enjoy as well this year.

 

[El-Suave]

I know Sony is developing EyePet, and while it's kind of cool....from what I've seen so far I don't think it's going to tap into that market at all.

They'd need some sort of 'party game' and package it inside a controller ala Wii Play.

They have Buzz and SingStar, both peripheral based games that are big in Europe - but they're doing nothing in the US. In Europe they're hurt by the fact that it makes almost no difference at all to most consumers whether you play SingStar or Buzz on PS2 instead of PS3. In the US they're paying for their sins of the past, delaying those games forever and apparently not really promoting or even knowing how to sell them in the first place.

Personally I have hopes for EyePet, at least for Europe. If they're smart enough to add dogs and cats in addition to the default "monkey" and the camera setup isn't too complicated, it has some "Nintendogs" potential. Not in those gigantic sales, but as a game that's really desirable.

 

[NemesisPrime]

I am very happy with the awesome numbers of L4D. What a game. More of this please.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

1) RB2 on Wii supports DLC, as does GHWT. Unlike Activision, Harmonix launched 3 days before Christmas.
2) Even with downloadable content.....Harmonix has dropped the ball. Only a small portion of the songs can be downloaded onto the wii. It doesnt make sense
3) Only 50% of Xbox360 users are connected to the internet, and the 360 is supposed to be the most online integrated platform. Most gamers cannoy or do not want to purchase DLC.

Harmonix is ignoring a massive user base (two actually) and only they know why. Activision proved that you could provide the full band experience, with DLC, with creatable characters, with multiple stages on Wii (and PS2). Obviously, technical limitations is not an excuse.

This industry is still based on retail software, and the enormous Wii numbers show how much theyre missing. A few pages ago, it was posted that RB1 for Wii outsold every single other version of RB1 and 2 in 2008. Harmonix COULD have had DLC available, they chose not to.

Harmonix COULD have sold 800k+ copies on the Wii, and another 400k+ on the PS2 in December, like Activision did. Instead, they barely managed 150k.

Thats 35 million missed out on, not including a single instrument.

How much money does DLC make again?

Those missing songs are being added onto the Wii store over the next month or so, meaning that the PS3/360 versions and the Wii version will be on parity.

RB2 Wii will probably be the best selling version of the game in the end by a long shot.

RB2 and GHWT should be interesting to see, they are the first major retail Wii games to support paid DLC (The only other retail Wii game that supports paid DLC is Samba de Amigo and that's more of a niche title)

 

[titiklabingapat]

2. There is a article floating around that the majority of DLC AS A WHOLE (not RB2/GH related) is bought on the PS3/360. HMX even further has stated that 80% of all there DLC is bought on 360. I'm willing to bet that the Wii DLC for GH or RB won't equal even the PS3. There is no hard numbers for such a claim so I will concede this argument.

That merely shows that DLC is niche.

Most Wii owners never even heard of it. And you know what? That's fine. EA can release song packs.

 

[BigBlackGamer]

That merely shows that DLC is niche.

If DLC was niche there would be no Who, Metallica or any other mega band as DLC. Your opening up a whole different can of worms.

 

[titiklabingapat]

If DLC was niche there would be no Who, Metallica or any other mega band as DLC. Your opening up a whole different can of worms.

If DLC isn;t selling/not found on the mainstream console, it's not mainstream. Perhaps "niche" was the wrong word to use, you're right. But it's not as mainstream as you think it is.

 

[kinggroin]

I don't think it'd be too late.

360 and PS3 are primed for hardware revisions (slimmer parts).

Plus, Wii is nothing more than a repackaged GameCube with a different name and controller. So, there's nothing holding MS or Sony back from a hardware power standpoint.

I'm not suggesting they copy the Wii in every single way; perhaps try and make it even better, actually. Competition is a good thing afterall, and if either of these companies manage to make an even more engaging and interactive controller, then I see no reason why they wouldn't be rewarded for that provided that the software is compelling and mainstream.

I wonder, just how many "hardcore" gamers are willing to forego their own personal tast in games, for the chance to have MS and/or Sony become successfull in the same way Nintendo is.

What IF the motion controls take? Do we we now applaud Nintendo for a smashing idea to begin with? Or just pretend that we liked the idea all along?

Would be especially funny if the 360 and PS3 become overrun with party games.


The fanboys will definitely make the scenario much more interesting.



edit: Best scenario for me personally, is that a wiimote type solution is damn near ripped off (ala analog stick(s) back with the PSone) and improved. I personally believe the control input to be far superior to the current dual analog setup (especially considering just how many shooters, 1st and 3rd person, are popular on the HD consoles).

While folks may tear Private Hoffman a new asshole (and probably deservingly so), it shouldn't be because of his "Wiimote HD" idea. I personally can't wait to see it come to fruition.

Besides, when (if?) sales start slipping away from Nintendo, it'll only force their hand. I like that.

 

[Private Hoffman]

I wonder, just how many "hardcore" gamers are willing to forego their own personal tast in games, for the chance to have MS and/or Sony become successfull in the same way Nintendo is.

What IF the motion controls take? Do we we now applaud Nintendo for a smashing idea to begin with? Or just pretend that we liked the idea all along?

Would be especially funny if the 360 and PS3 become overrun with party games.


The fanboys will definitely make the scenario much more interesting.



edit: Best scenario for me personally, is that a wiimote type solution is damn near ripped off (ala analog stick(s) back with the PSone) and improved. I personally believe the control input to be far superior to the current dual analog setup (especially considering just how many shooters, 1st and 3rd person, are popular on the HD consoles).

While folks may tear Private Hoffman a new asshole (and probably deservingly so), it shouldn't be because of his "Wiimote HD" idea. I personally can't wait to see it come to fruition.

Besides, when (if?) sales start slipping away from Nintendo, it'll only force their hand. I like that.

I've said all along that motion controls have an audience with hardcore gamers; Wii just isn't the platform to deliver it on though.

I have nothing against motion controls, and I've actually been a long proponent of seeing Microsoft/Sony try and innovate in this space and make games that have both casual and hardcore appeal. There's tremendous untapped potential here. It'd be a shame if by the end of this seemingly long generation, Nintendo is the only console manufacturer that is delivering that experience.

So long as they don't abandon their main audience in favor of another, I have no problem with it.

 

[manueldelalas]

edit: Best scenario for me personally, is that a wiimote type solution is damn near ripped off (ala analog stick(s) back with the PSone) and improved. I personally believe the control input to be far superior to the current dual analog setup (especially considering just how many shooters, 1st and 3rd person, are popular on the HD consoles).

While folks may tear Private Hoffman a new asshole (and probably deservingly so), it shouldn't be because of his "Wiimote HD" idea. I personally can't wait to see it come to fruition.

Besides, when (if?) sales start slipping away from Nintendo, it'll only force their hand. I like that.

I wonder how many patents are involved, because as it is, SONY and Microsoft (especially Microsoft) can't even do a proper D-Pad for their controllers.

 

[BigBlackGamer]

If DLC isn;t selling/not found on the mainstream console, it's not mainstream. Perhaps "niche" was the wrong word to use, you're right. But it's not as mainstream as you think it is.

You might wanna check and see what artists have been released as DLC on both the GH/RB platform. It's mainstream. arguing what level of mainstream is semantics.

I consider the PS3/360 to be mainstream as well. Depends on what your definition of mainstream is. It's not like the PS3/360 are the n-gage.

 

[titiklabingapat]

I wonder, just how many "hardcore" gamers are willing to forego their own personal tast in games, for the chance to have MS and/or Sony become successfull in the same way Nintendo is.

What IF the motion controls take? Do we we now applaud Nintendo for a smashing idea to begin with? Or just pretend that we liked the idea all along?

Would be especially funny if the 360 and PS3 become overrun with party games.


The fanboys will definitely make the scenario much more interesting.



edit: Best scenario for me personally, is that a wiimote type solution is damn near ripped off (ala analog stick(s) back with the PSone) and improved. I personally believe the control input to be far superior to the current dual analog setup (especially considering just how many shooters, 1st and 3rd person, are popular on the HD consoles).

While folks may tear Private Hoffman a new asshole (and probably deservingly so), it shouldn't be because of his "Wiimote HD" idea. I personally can't wait to see it come to fruition.

Besides, when (if?) sales start slipping away from Nintendo, it'll only force their hand. I like that.

I think IR is far superior for shooters compared to whatever the joypad offers *high fives*

 

[MikeE21286]

Anyone else surprised that Mario Kart DS made it in the top 10?

holy shit. just noticed that. lol, didn't that game come out before last year?

 

[TheOddOne]

Sony, again with the percentages?

 

[Hammer24]

HARDWARE:
DS - Amazing. There is no need to introduce the DSi into the american market anytime soon.
Wii - A bit less than I expected. IMO looks like Nintendo didn´t really tried to ramp up production/shipping, due to the current Yen-Dollar-conversion rate.
PSP - Out of left field. Not bad for a "dead system" :lol !
360 - Looks like the pricecut came at the right time. Nice numbers, setting a high goal to repeat this in 2009.
PS3 - YOY decrease as expected. I´m a bit surprised it even did 700k+. Let´s wait for Jan. 29th to see whats in store. I´m not too optimistic if it can break out of the YOY slide shortterm.
PS2 - *salutes* While its sad to see the old warhorse slowly die, its still an accomplishment to sell as many of them in the point of the lifetime cycle its in.

SOFTWARE:
Nintendo is a beast. Of course, the bestselling platforms sell the most software. After this numbers saying "3rd party doesn´t sell on Wii" should be bannable trolling.
Seeing no MGS4 in the 2008 top10, and seeing Gears2 outselling GTA4 on PS3, R2 and LBP MIA, Sony should be happy the 360 exists - otherwise 3rd party support would dry up like morning mist in the desert, as everyone and their mother would switch to the Wii.

 

[Randy Lanzarote]

holy shit. just noticed that. lol, didn't that game come out before last year?

November 2005. 3 year old zombie!!

 

[Rolf NB]

I'm not violently opposed to motion controls per se, I just think the Wii remote is a poor implementation with a too boxy shape, too much weight and too few and too uncomfortably placed buttons to make traditional genres work well. Separating the inputs for both hands is fundamentally very comfortable, the IR pointing is awesome for shooters, but the motion control just make me angry. I don't expect much out of attempts to just copy that idea (more accurately).

Ideally I'd want a thinner, lighter, more banana-shaped controller so it can be held in a fully relaxed hand position while still pointing directly at the screen. And I want at least three buttons (Gamecube A+B+one "kidney" angled off to the top right) in place of the A. And I want the IR camera face to be higher and wider (rounded and bent around the front) so that it can keep track the sensor bar through a wider range of motions. And I want Nintendo to stop pretending that the industry standard for remote controls (which is the familiarity it tries so hard to evoke) is rectangular hunks of plastic. Ergonomics advances have happened to A/V remote controls too. The Wii remote looks like a relic from the fifties in comparison to any other random remote I have flying around here.

Where other companies cut checkbox items to control their costs (Xbox 360 wifi, PS3 backwards-compatibility), Nintendo hardware now is all about ambitious kitchen-sink feature sets (speaker in the controller what?) coupled with the cheapest possible implementation of each of those features. It's so weird and so not what I want. It's so disappointing coming off the Gamecube with its great detail engineering (just take a look at that controller again).

Chasing Nintendo's success would boil down to copying the Wii Sports experience and the Big Brain Academy experience and the Wii Fit experience. Just making the control setup more similar won't achieve a thing, and forcing it as a new default would in fact be quite likely to weigh down on the things that currently play well on the HD twins.

 

[Taurus]

My point is that it's "bombing" is clearly not affecting development. Like, at all. The releases are not drying up and neither are the exclusives, and isn't that what's really important?

Well if you have 1 big exclusive last year (MGS4), and then another one coming next year (?), I suppose you can say that "the exclusives are not drying up". Or are you talking about Insomniac, Guerilla etc instead of 3rd parties? I don't think they even have the option to do other than "exclusives".

 

[PSGames]

HARDWARE:
DS - Amazing. There is no need to introduce the DSi into the american market anytime soon.

I recon they'll be making more profit per unit on DSi sales.

 

[gofreak]

I wonder, just how many "hardcore" gamers are willing to forego their own personal tast in games, for the chance to have MS and/or Sony become successfull in the same way Nintendo is.

That's kind of silly..an embarassment of sales-age-ing if anyone actually thought like that. Beyond sales-age, most people couldn't - or at least, shouldn't - give a fig how games they like do on the market as long as they do well enough to encourage more games that will be to their taste.

It's easy to forget this, but the 'hardcore' market is large..if we mean the 'HD' market, close to 50m HD systems have been sold in the last 3 years, despite the pricing barriers et al. I don't think Sony or MS is suddenly going to abandon that, particularly if they can come in at a lower price next time around and potentially shift many more systems faster.

I think they will try to appeal to more audiences too, because obviously splitting that market is less profitable for them than having some audience to themselves (as Nintendo seems to). But I don't think it's an either/or thing for them.

Re. motion controls...more broadly gestural interfaces..that's a no brainer. Nintendo took it as far as they could with Wii, and they've enjoyed huge success with it, but motion tracking didn't start with Wii, nor will it end with Wii. Evolving interfaces that incorporate motion tracking..MS and Sony going this route doesn't mean they're going to flood their system with party games and the 'hardcore' will lap it up in the hopes of better market success! The 'hardcore's' lack of affection for Wii - or at least mine currently - goes well beyond 'waggle' or Nintendo's implementation of motion control. In my case it's nothing to do with that.

 

[cedric69]

Ok, I can't restrain myself. But at this point, who's eating massive amount of crow? "Year of PS3"? :lol :lol :lol

Indeed...

I really think WiiPlay shouldn't be allowed on the software charts, anyway.

So happy to see DS results, a platform I dearly love. And Mario Kart DS, too... how many years ago did it come out? Still in the top 10? Great!

 

[bjaelke]

Those are some massive numbers. I'm glad I jumped in.

 

[Private Hoffman]

Ok, I can't restrain myself. But at this point, who's eating massive amount of crow? "Year of PS3"? :lol :lol :lol

#1 and #2 games this year on GAF were PS3 exclusive titles, and PS3 had a great year for software.

When people say "Year of the PS3", many are referring to the software lineup.

 

[PSGames]

#1 and #2 games this year on GAF were PS3 exclusive titles, and PS3 had a great year for software.

When people say "Year of the PS3", many are referring to the software lineup.

A shame those games didn't register as well with the public.

 

[Nocebo]

Ok, I can't restrain myself. But at this point, who's eating massive amount of crow? "Year of PS3"? :lol :lol :lol

Tabris should be eating massive amounts of crow by now.

I really think WiiPlay shouldn't be allowed on the software charts, anyway.

Should WiiFit be taken off as well?

#1 and #2 games this year on GAF were PS3 exclusive titles, and PS3 had a great year for software.

When people say "Year of the PS3", many are referring to the software lineup.

That doesn't make sense since that is subjective. Did the PS3 really have such a bad lineup the year before it?

Also does that imply that the Wii and Xbox360'a lineups were much worse than PS3s in 2008?

 

[Private Hoffman]

A shame those games didn't register as well with the public.

Didn't register as well as other titles, sure.

But they did register pretty well overall.