Will Wii make waves?
Nintendo was in a similar position as Sony in the lead up to this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), with both companies having question marks hovering over their next generation console strategy. But while the questions about Sony were all related to the final cost and availability of the PS3, the questions about Nintendo were about a much more core issue -- would the Wii actually be any good?
Most of the doubts sprung up because of the Wii's unusual controllers. First unveiled last year, the Wii controllers looked more like television remote controls than traditional game ones, and had many perplexed as to how they would work when controlling a game. Nintendo touted that its new wireless, motion sensitive controllers would make complicated gaming a thing of the past, as the new controllers would allow for intuitive control of videogames. The Wii would bring in plenty of new gamers thanks to its easy to use controllers, Nintendo claimed. Many were sceptical.
Plus there was THAT name -- Wii. Game geeks around the world scratched their heads when the new name (taking over from codename of Revolution) was unveiled just a few weeks before E3. Many made jokes. Most weren't complimentary.
Fast forward to the end of E3 in 2006, and conference goers were unanimous in their appraisal -- Nintendo was the darling of the show, with Wii taking centre stage over its more fancied console rivals. Show attendees literally lined up for up to six hours at E3 to grab a short hands-on demo of the Wii in action. And while not everyone walked away a convert, many left feeling just that little bit more bullish about the Wii's chances for success.
Nintendo did several things right at E3. Firstly, they focused on the playability of the Wii, working hard to take away some of the mystery behind the console and its innovative controller by showing plenty of actual game demonstrations. In fact, "playing=believing" was Nintendo's mantra for E3, and the company stuck to it admirably. From its energetic pre-E3 press conference right down to the show floor, Nintendo made sure everyone knew exactly what was in store with the Wii thanks to varied and numerous demos of the Wii in action. Twenty-seven Wii games were on show at E3 -- far more than most game industry watchers expected. Nintendo showed the Wii in action with sports games, action games, platformers, racers and more. Nintendo also made sure to highlight that when it came to games, the Wii wasn't going to be short changed. As well as the usual strong first-party line up from Nintendo, the Wii has games lined up from third-party publishers like Ubisoft, Sega, Activision, Square Enix, THQ and Electronic Arts.
What surprised and pleased many was that as well as video demonstrations, Nintendo had plenty of playable games for people to try. Each one showcased the Wii controllers in a different way -- from the simple mini-game style of a title like Wii Sports, to more complex games like Red Steel. And Nintendo also pleased its loyal fan base by having playable demos of two of its most famous franchises -- Super Mario Galaxy and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Controlling the Wii is fun, but not as intuitive for some games as Nintendo would like you to believe.
So does the Wii live up to Nintendo's hype? Do its unique controllers make gaming easy for everyone? CNET.com.au spent a fair amount of time playing Wii demos at E3, and our initial impressions lean towards the negative. Yes, controlling games on the Wii is fun and exciting, but it's hardly pick up and play material. Some games, like the aforementioned Wii Sports, do offer quite simple control mechanics that are extremely intuitive. Tennis, for example, is performed just as you would in a real tennis game, with the remote-control-shaped controller acting as a virtual racket. But most of the games we played still required some finesse to master, and is at least on par with traditional controllers in terms of ease of use. Super Mario Galaxy, for example, required players to navigate Mario with their left hand using the Wii's "nunchuck" attachment, while using their right hand to perform attacks and collect stars by using the controller as a screen pointer. That's hardly what we'd call intuitive. It is, however, undeniably cool to be using a whole new control system to navigate game genres we've all grown accustomed to. Playing an action game like Zelda or a racing game like Excite Truck using the Wii controllers made the games feel fresh and exciting.
Nintendo's strong focus on demystifying the Wii and surprising everyone with plenty of playable demos made them the darlings of E3, but it wasn't a faultless performance by any means. The lack of a firm release date and pricing hampered Nintendo's overall message. With the 360 already out and Sony causing consternation with the high price of the PS3, Nintendo missed an opportunity to completely steal the limelight from its competitors by unveiling a (much expected) lower price point for the Wii.
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Brigadier
25/05/2006 11:18 PM
Nice articles on each of the consoles. I think the Revolution (yes, still stubbornly refusing to call it 'Wii' :P) is in a very good position already. If we consider that it might have mass-appeal (especially in Japan) like the DS has had, it's safe to say it will be a massive success. A lot of people who plan on buying an Xbox 360 or a PS3 also plan on buying the Revolution as a 'secondary' type of console, which spells more sales for Nintendo, as well. Microsoft is currently in the best position with their Xbox 360 of course, seeing as it's the only next-gen console available right now. As was mentioned in the article, Bill Gates hopes for ten million 360s sold, and while we can't say that for sure, what we can say is that Microsoft will be taking full advantage of the free months they're getting before the other two consoles launch. Definitely a good position to be in, and I think the Xbox 360's mid-range price will appeal to a lot of people. I saw Sony's press conference live (through an online video feed) and it really failed to impress me...well, besides the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer. Ignoring trailer after trailer of games we won't be able to play for a good year or two, we arrive at the announcement of the motion-sensitive controller. Wow, slightly surprising in a humourous way, and very unimpressive in an embarrassing way. Not much else to say really, besides the fact that the motion-sensitivity seems terribly rushed, and likely was. Oh, and they've had to give up rumble in the process, which really isn't a good thing. At launch I'm sure Sony will do just fine, despite the outrageous price - the brand name will ensure that. Long-term, though - who knows?
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Fireacer
03/09/2006 11:26 PM
i have to agree with alot of what this article presents. the only issue that i have is that nintendo would of suffered if they had mentioned pricing at E3. though the pricing is amazingly good ( at about $350Au) it would detract from their gaming emphasis. I would also tend to disagree with the reviewers perspective on the wii controller and its functionality. i dont think that nintendo would be re-callobrating the controller evertime someone used it at E3, i suspect the default was used....which means things like responsitivity or actually playability will rely mainly on people playing it at home.
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Wii and Xbox 360
27/01/2008 08:58 PM
Yes we Know that the Playstation 3 has tall the good things such as Blu ray disc drives and more but Sony are just copying off the Xbox 360 and nintendo Wii. Because did you notice that the Playstation 3 was released after the other two. The Playstation 3 has motion sensitive controllers just like the Wii does and Has really good graphics just like the Xbox 360 does.
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Techy
26/12/2008 12:24 AM
PS3 is by far the best console around - everything from blu ray disc drive to full HD gaming, The PS3 is a gaming powerhouse. Many in the gaming industry believe that the Wii will bring the death of high quality hardcore gaming, and bring more poor quality games for the rising market of "casual gamers". This is why several real gamers who know what they are talking about, love the PS3, and despise the Wii.
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