The One Million Dollar Wii

[FoolKiller]

The PS3 owners that are popping up in this thread will very likely call me a Nintendo fanboy for this, but that isn't quite right.

Yes, it's $40 for a Wiimote and $20 per nunchuck, but considering that adds up to the equivalent of one 360 controller ($60) and just $10 more than the rumbleless SIXAXIS, not to mention the fact that you rarely need two Wiimote-Nunchuck pairs at a time, much less four, the cost is roughly the same for all systems.

I have never seen you do anything to make me label you a fanboy. And I will admit I was being a tad harsh in my description, but I was making my pricing based on what he was looking to buy. With very little online play (is there any yet?) I have found that many of the multiplayer games on the Wii require more financial investment by the owner to play with friends unless they all bring their own controllers. On the PS3 I play Warhawk with 31 other players and do not have to have 31 other controllers to do so. The Wii limits the ability to do multiplayer without having to buy multiple controllers.

Still, implying that you "have" to pay $400+ on a Wii before getting a game is a tad unfair. Although it generally makes a good party machine, as you said, the best games that have been released on it so far have all been single-player or with limited multiplayer (Metroid and UR MR GAY, for example). By comparison, a lot of the "party games" (especially third-party ones) so far are half-assed trash (Mario and Sonic Go to the Olympic Games, for example).

I believe the goodness of the games is fairly subjective, as us hardcore gamers realize the games we really want don't have much multiplayer anyway.

The casual gamer market that Nintendo is shooting for and who seem to be buying these things up like hotcakes are the ones who are looking for party games and will have to pay for all of that just to get what they want out of it. And I also point out the added price of the remote+nunchuck because I have seen people comment on how the Wii has the cheapest controller.

As a gamer and Wii owner my biggest complaint against the Wii is style of games and online play. As a consumer my biggest complaint is that I feel they are taking advantage of the casual consumers who aren't very well informed in the gaming world and are in the end having to buy more than they realized.

It's kinda like saying a 360 "must" be bought with the HDDVD drive to be even slightly comparable to the PS3. I guarantee you that if I were to buy a PS3, its ability to play BluRay movies would go 100% unused.

This is definitely subjective, as are all my comparisons of the 360 and PS3. To me the BD player was a huge plus. Wi-Fi was a definite and after getting a DFP on my PS2 so is a steering wheel. These are all three things another person may never need or want, but my consoles are in a separate room from my router and I love movies.

So, lets make it so you have to buy 3 extra controllers for the PS3. So, $500/$400 + $150. That's $550 and/or $650.
For an XBox, its $350/$450 + $180. Which comes out to be $530/$630. And the games cost more.

As I pointed out above, neither the 360 or the PS3 require everyone in the same room for a multiplayer experience. They both have very well setup online gaming platforms which means that you are not required to get more than one controller unless you are loving the party games. To fully utilize a 360/PS3 you do not need more than one controller. But unless you are a pure hardcore, singleplayer gamer the Wii will require purchasing more controllers.


I'm not trying to be a PS3 fanboy or a Wii hater. I own a Wii, but I think it has very little potential for the mainstream gamers compared to the other systems and party gamers have to pay a lot of money to have a decent sized party. Granted I think the mainstream gamer uissue is a developer, not a Nintendo, issue.

 

[Wolfe]

I have never seen you do anything to make me label you a fanboy.

Thanks. You aren't someone I would expect to call me a fanboy, nor would I call you a fanboy.

With very little online play (is there any yet?)

I believe SSBB will be the first significant release with anything resembling "true" online play.

I have found that many of the multiplayer games on the Wii require more financial investment by the owner to play with friends unless they all bring their own controllers. On the PS3 I play Warhawk with 31 other players and do not have to have 31 other controllers to do so. The Wii limits the ability to do multiplayer without having to buy multiple controllers.

This is true. On the other hand, not everyone has online-multiplayer-friendly broadband, and not everyone likes to play games online.

For one example, my 360-owning friend doesn't bother with Live, because he barely used it when he had it, and his 360 is nowhere near a usable ethernet port. Because of this, the only gaming we ever do with more than 2 players is Rock Band, the set for which cost my friend nearly as much as my 2-nunchuck-4-WiiMote set.

The casual gamer market that Nintendo is shooting for and who seem to be buying these things up like hotcakes are the ones who are looking for party games and will have to pay for all of that just to get what they want out of it. And I also point out the added price of the remote+nunchuck because I have seen people comment on how the Wii has the cheapest controller.

Personally, I doubt that the casual gamer market is going to bother with the nunchuck or classic controller unless they absolutely have to, which changes your original pricing scheme. As I said in my last post, I have yet to find a reason to have more than two nunchucks. I imagine a casual gamer would have no problems sticking to WiiMote-only games -- it's hardcore gamers like us who will jump through hoops to play the games we really want to play.

As a gamer and Wii owner my biggest complaint against the Wii is style of games and online play.

I gotta say, in fall of '06 I thought Nintendo finally had their head on straight in terms of utilizing online play. So far, like you, I've been disappointed in that area.

In fact, there are plenty of potential ideas for the Wii that are obvious to us but completely transparent to Nintendo. Still, the overall end result is far from a let-down. That's typical Nintendo right there.

This is definitely subjective...

All of this is. Neither of us are "right."

To fully utilize a 360/PS3 you do not need more than one controller.

That's not what "fully" means to me.

I think [the Wii] has very little potential for the mainstream gamers compared to the other systems...Granted I think the mainstream gamer uissue is a developer, not a Nintendo, issue.

The way I see it, the only thing needed to fix this is a greater number of traditional games. Take the Soul Calibur franchise for example -- the upcoming adventure game (which I assume uses the Wiimote extensively) is nice, but unless Namco gives us regular old Soul Calibur in addition to the adventure game, they're kinda wasting their time.

Maybe developers will learn their lesson from playing UR MR GAY, which has certainly proven that the special features of the WiiMote and Nunchuck don't have to be fitted into every facet of the gameplay to make for a good Wii game. Personally, I rather enjoy the idea of playing a traditional game with a controller setup that lets my arms rest naturally at my sides.

 

[FoolKiller]

Personally, I doubt that the casual gamer market is going to bother with the nunchuck or classic controller unless they absolutely have to, which changes your original pricing scheme.

Oddly, I have run into a lot of people (all girls now that I think about it) who love the Wii and also like to be able to play the original Mario games. My wife, in particular, refuses to even attempt the hold the remote sideways for an NES controller scheme.

But I do see your point. The people in the retirement home playing bowling tournaments could care less.

As I said in my last post, I have yet to find a reason to have more than two nunchucks. I imagine a casual gamer would have no problems sticking to WiiMote-only games -- it's hardcore gamers like us who will jump through hoops to play the games we really want to play.

I have played a couple of rented games where I wound up needing both for everyone involved. Although, better quality (using that lightly) mini-game collections avoided using both.

And as you said us hardcore gamers are the only ones who are likely to play four player Madden.

I gotta say, in fall of '06 I thought Nintendo finally had their head on straight in terms of utilizing online play. So far, like you, I've been disappointed in that area.

And from what I see so far even when they apply it they are still requiring 16 digit codes, some games not using your Wii code but an all knew 16 digit code. I may get bored out of doing it. To paraphrase Joystiq: If we wanted to do data entry we would go get a job at the local accounting office.

In fact, there are plenty of potential ideas for the Wii that are obvious to us but completely transparent to Nintendo.

Tell me about it.

Still, the overall end result is far from a let-down. That's typical Nintendo right there.

I call this the Wii Zapper. Not what I wanted, but it still looks cool. Although, I think I am going to get the Nyko gun instead.

That's not what "fully" means to me.

You can utilize all the options of it without having more controllers is what I meant. That doesn't mean changing it up from online to split-screen isn't an option, but it isn't a necessity to play multiplayer. For me online is quickly becoming a huge must. I used to hate it but as my friends and I are all now married and some have/are having kids the ability to play together while still at home and able to quickly respond to familial obligations is a huge plus.

Now that I think about it, perhaps that is why I am turning on the Wii after 10 months. That or the fact that I only ever turn it on now when it flashes blue for an update.

The way I see it, the only thing needed to fix this is a greater number of traditional games. Take the Soul Calibur franchise for example -- the upcoming adventure game (which I assume uses the Wiimote extensively) is nice, but unless Namco gives us regular old Soul Calibur in addition to the adventure game, they're kinda wasting their time.

<cough> My Sims<cough> It is sad when even my wife has her favorite franchise ruined.

Maybe developers will learn their lesson from playing UR MR GAY, which has certainly proven that the special features of the WiiMote and Nunchuck don't have to be fitted into every facet of the gameplay to make for a good Wii game.

I'm sure that having the lowest game to console sale rate will do that. Which means that if developers decide taking the time to produce quality isn't worth it then the Wii will lose third-party support and we will once again see Nintendo lagging behind this generation.

I think the winner of this generation will be determined after pricing issues and fads where off. I think the issue with the casual gamer market is that it is casual. Old people already have their bowling game, and party game people have their four or five mini game collections. When they go out they don't make a special side trip through the electronics department or game kiosk store just to see what the used prices are and make an impulse buy. They don't read normal gaming press sites to determine when an incredibly awesome new party game comes out (those exist?). And it isn't like a cell phone, where they get a great deal on a new one ever year or two and then have to re-buy all the games.

Personally, I rather enjoy the idea of playing a traditional game with a controller setup that lets my arms rest naturally at my sides.

Yet, I have yet to find a game that just gives me a Classic Controller option. This may be why my Wii is mostly a golf simulator now. I'm hoping that when I get Metroid and Mario things will look up for my little white box.

 

[EnZo-UK]

I would so buy that lol