OK - Here "Wii" Go - Part One

So early Sunday morning, I got into my little car and drove about 20 minutes north of where I live.  I live out in the country, and my 20 minute trek brought me to the small town of Orangeville, Ontario.  Destination?  Walmart.  Reason.  Nintendo Wii.

As I chatted about before both in my blog and podcast, my strategy was to go to a smaller town that had a Walmart and try and get a Wii.  I arrived at 6:30 in the morning.  There were about 20 people milling about it seemed. As I approached I heard people saying "You have to get a ticket, if there are any left."  I asked "How many units?"  The response was "Thirty."  So I lined up behind 3 other people waiting to get tickets.  The fellow wearing the Walmart blue smock came out and started handing out tickets. 

Would I get one or not?

He ripped a piece of paper from his pad and said to the person in front, "25.
Then he moved along, "26, 27..."

Then to me - 28.

I was number 28 on the list to purchase the Wii once the store opened at 8am.  I'm going to tell you about it, the Wii that is, but more importantly, I want to tell you about the conversations that went on in that group of people waiting that morning.  It was insightful.  If I was a product developer at Sony, I would have had people standing in lines all over North America just to hear the grassroots comments and chatter going on amongst people who showed up to buy the Nintendo Wii.  Let me breakdown the collection of comments and conversations in to a few categories.

The Fun Factor

I asked everyone I could (like the good blogger/podcaster that I am) why they wanted the Wii over the PS3 that just recently launched.  Here are the top reasons with the number of people who gave me that answer (or one similar to it).

• it is just a lot more fun than the PS3 (12 people)
• the controllers bring something really new to gaming (10 people)
• Sony PS3 not available (9 people)
• it costs a lot less (9 people)
• the games are less about making blood look realer and more kid-friendly (4 people)
• the games for the PS3 are just the same as the ones on the PS2 currently (1 person)

Clearly, Nintendo is reaching out to a broader audience and they are doing that by innovating the games.  People see the games a "more fun" and in the end isn't that what video gaming is suppose to be about?  It was interest because this is what happened at just before 8am.  All of us lucky enough to get a ticket were brought inside.  The store manager (great job Rod) wanted to distribute the consoles in an orderly fashion.  This is what he said to start:
"I have some good news.  I also have this morning, in addition to the 30 Wii from Nintendo, 10 PS3's from Sony.  If you are holding a Wii ticket you can change your mind and get a PS3 if you like."
There were a few kids right away who said "me me me!" and 5 PS3's got snapped up.  A few parents quickly called home on the cellphones and then traded their Wii ticket for a PS3 ticket.  4 more got snapped up. Then for about 5 minutes, nobody was claiming the final PS3 until finally one young kid says "ok I'll do it" then he turned and said "I'll see what I can sell it for on eBay." 

Most of the people there that morning really weren't interested in the PS3, even when it was made available to them.  Once the 10 PS3's were handed out, the store manager went back outside and ten more lucky people got Wii tickets.  There was a lot of cheering. 

Product Shortages

It always puzzles me how a hot new product can launch and a company not have enough supply to fill the demand.  Many people, myself included, know that a certain amount of manipulation is occurring to fuel the hype.  If the product is hard to get, people will want it more.  This is true, to a degree.  That day in the Walmart though I saw some very telling things.  A man in his early to mid-twenties was waiting to get a Wii.  He arrived too late and wasn't a ticket holder.  He milled about for a few moments and then picked up an Xbox 360 console from the shelf, "Well, I've waited but I'm not waiting any more," he said.  He took his Xbox to the checkout and a woman standing there said "Is this like the Wii?"  He replied, "Not exactly.  The graphics are waaaaay better but you don't get the motion controller.  Still, it is really good."  The woman, who also hadn't managed to grab a Wii bought an Xbox 360.  The point of the story?  Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and whatever other company plans on launching a hot product and then provide a short supply....you may be fueling hype and demand, but you are also alienating potential customers and losing sales.  I could see this strategy having worked for Microsoft because it was a year ago and no other next-gen console was in sight, but for Sony to do this now is a big mistake; Nintendo to a lesser extent since they are moving quickly to make sure product is available.

Price Does Make A Difference in Gaming

I've always held the theory that people have only so much they can or are willing to spend on entertainment.  When new entertainment becomes available, they don't spend more dollars...they just shift dollars around.  The PS3 is very expensive and people feel that it is too expensive for something that is "entertainment".  One parent said "It does a lot more but I don't want to pay for all that extra stuff."  Both Nintendo and Microsoft left items out of the product to keep the price down.  The Xbox360 for example does not have a High Definition drive in it - that is just coming out now as an add-on accessory.  The Wii does not play movies at all.  These keep the costs down and make the units more easily attainable.  One kid in the scrum there at the Walmart said "PS3...nah...by the time I'd buy the console, two controllers and a game or two I'd be out a thousand bucks!" 

Ok - so there's the tidbits of perspective I got that morning.  I walked out of the Walmart at 8:20am that morning with my Wii in hand.  So how is it?  Well...you'll need to read tomorrow's post to see what the experience has been like since I brought it home.  As a teaser...let me leave you with one word.

Radical.

Comments

[crackers-up]

You had a chance to grab a PS3 and you didn't!!!? Are you f#%#ing stupid? They cost more because you are getting a far more advanced machine. You could have bought it and sold it at double or triple the cost and then gone and gotten a Wii. The Wii is for kids and old folks. The PS3 is for hardcore gamers. The Xbox 360 is for everyone else in between.

[HenryM]

How are the graphics on the Wii? I agree with crackers - you pay more for a PS3 because you are getting the most advanced technology on the market. The Wii is the GameCube all over again. Look how the PS2 kicked both Nintendo and Microsoft's butt the last time. You had people standing for days in line for a PS3 and you passed up the chance to get one when it was handed to you? Sad, really sad.

[topwreck]

You guys are lame. Look how the Nintendo DS is mopping up the floor with the Sony PSP. Better hardware doesn't always mean better games. The DS has proven that games that are fresh attract more people than just flashy graphics. The PS3 won't hold a candle to the Xbox 360 in the area of high end games. And neither the Xbox or the PS3 will do what Nintendo does in terms of making cool, fun games. Sony will try and steal the ideas but it'll be a half-ass execution of the ideas.

[mr. pringles]

I would have bought the PS3 from you for $2000!

[vester]

I think Nintendo and Sony will slug it out....for second place. Microsoft has unseated Sony from the video game throne and will reign supreme FOREVER!! Have you seen Gears of War? I mean c'mon - it is the most beautifully crafted game ever created. The Wii just can't deliver that kind of experience. Sony could but it'll be ages before some developer does and why would you pay more for the same experience?
Microsoft locked this market up a year ago. No contest.

[kristoph]

Sony fangirls always make me laugh. Have fun playing with the one game you could afford after you blew all your money on the PS3.

[williamT]

Hey crackers. The PS3 is for hardcore gamers? The only system for hardcore gamers is a high end PC. Consoles are always BEHIND what you can get in a PC. My Area-51 from Alienware smokes all the platforms combined. Here is the future of gaming.
http://www.alienware.com/product_detail_Pages/area-51_alx/area-51_overview.aspx?SysCode=PC-AREA51-ALX-R6&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT

[crackers-up]

williamT you spent 6 grand on a gaming device? Now that is f'd up. Who wants to play games on a computer? I want to play the games on my plasma tv not sitting at some desk. The PS3's high def look awesome on my TV. What kind of monitor are you playing on? How about sound? Are you going to get that surrond sound effect like I do in my living room? 6000 bucks on a gaming system - now that is crazy!

[master chief]

Halo 3 will kick anything Sony or Nintendo come out with. I played Red Steel yesterday and it was fun but not great. My arm got tired of holding up the Wii remote control.

[HenryM]

Resistance Fall of Man is better than Gears of War or Halo. It is stunning how good this game looks.

[petestreet]

If the Wii is so great why is your whole review focused on the standing in line waiting to get one? Is that what was the best part of the Wii? How about some details on the games?

[kristoph]

You didn't really spend $6000 did you williamT? Wow! Have any cash you can loan me? Ha. Still, I'd take my Xbox360 over a $6000 PC. The total experience is awesome. I don't want to fuss with video drivers and stuff like that.

[john doran]

this review is part 1 of the whole experience of acquiring and enjoying the Wii - the details on the games are coming later. That's why the review of the games isn't included here...or was that a rhetorical question?

crackers: your original post claims that the PS3 costs more than the Wii because it's a far more advanced machine. Well, the same is true of a high-end gaming PC. So why is $660 a reasonable price to pay, but not $6000, given the technological distance between the Alienware rig and the PS3?

And Resistance: Fall of Man is simply and straightforwardly NOT better looking than Gears of War. C'mon - be reasonable.

But in the end, you should buy the console or device that allows you to enjoy the GAMES you want to play; it's the height of absurdity to buy some product because you feel some kind of loytalty to the company that manufactures it. I have a 360 because i wanted to play the games that have been released for it at the time (i.e. last year), and I'll buy a PS3 when there are enough exclusive titles out for it that interest me.

Anything else is and ought to be secondary by about fifteen orders of magnitude.

[HenrryM]

Hey John. Have you even played Resistance? I've played them both and yes Gears is awesome, but just not as good in my opinion. Even the gameplay of Resistance is better. The AI in Resistance is also much better that Gears.

[phfitz]

I have both an Xbox360 and a PS3. Here's my take on GoW and Resistance. I think both have their strengths... they are similar visually but the gameplay is completely different. resistance plays more like half life 2 (except more diffucult) and GoW plays more like RE4 (except more combat focused). I give them about a tie because they are very different games with about the only similaritys being the art styles and that they are currently the killer app's for their respective consoles. The thing to note is this: both the Xbox and the PS3 are totally going to outclass the Wii. It'll be a neck-and-neck battle between Sony and Microsoft. Resistance is awesome...and it is only the beginning...imagine how awesome the games will be a year from now. Just as Xbox has gotten better in a years time so will Sony. It will be Nintendo that is the ultimate casualty between these two powerhouses.

[crackers-up]

John, one word dude: BluRay. Ever heard of it?
It comes in the PS3. That smokes the Xbox. You go on enjoying your DVDs on your Xbox360 and your 20 inch TV from 1990. I want high def content. The Xbox doesn't have the high end video player, doesn't have the rocking user interface for things like photo viewing, doesn't have the sheer computational strength like the PS3 and its custom made Cell chip. The Xbox is a collection of last years stuff. The Wii is a collection of stuff from 2000! The PS3 is the ONLY console (ONLY CONSOLE!!!!!) that has the next generation hardware for the next generation games. Yeah it is about playing stuff you like....and I like playing stuff that isn't crap.

[psalli]

good 1 crackers. I am curious - how many Xbox exclusives have got more than 9 on IGN or gamespot within the first year of launch before GoW? and besides u musnt forget - RFOM has great multiplayer whereas GoW has none (of course u could pay 50USD per year for it - which means in 4Y u your stupid USD 299 fatbox would cost as much as a USD 499 PS3 - minus the Bluray and hard disc HA HA HA)

[underhill]

I really don't understand why people put so much effort into praising one system or trashing another. The whole "console war" mentality really needs to go. Here's an idea, instead of trashing everyone who supports a different system than you do, try the opposite. If you and a few friends are going to buy the new consoles, instead of arguing on who's Micro$oft's whore, a PS3 Fanboy, or a wiidiot. just have buy different systems and enjoy playing the best games for each system with your buds.
I remember taking flak from my friends way back in the day when I was the only one with a PlayStation and they all had N64s. It was all as juvenile as hell. No when I play games with my friends, it usually involves us playing some 4-player NHL game on the XBox, some Mario Cart on the Gamecube and then getting high and laughing our asses off playing Katamari. And THAT is where the real fun is.

[mr. pringles]

When underhill writes:
"I really don't understand why people put so much effort into praising one system or trashing another."

The answer is quite simple. It is all those suckers who bought an Xbox a year ago, now wising they could be a PS3 but can't afford it. So what do they do? They trash to PS3.

And John, you bought an Xbox 360 because that is all there was available. I bet your decision would have been very different if the PS3 was out a year ago.

[john doran]

Henry: no, i haven't played Resistance, but I wasn't commenting on the gameplay - only the look of the game: I've seen it being played, and it just does not look anywhere nearly as good as Gears. Some people may like Resistance more (Resident Evil 4 for the Gamecube is still my favorite game of all time, for what it's worth), and that's great, but it just doesn't make any sense to say that it's a better-looking game...

crackers: 1) blu-ray has got nothing to do with the quality of games; 2) as of now, the HD-DVD movies on the market look way better than 90% of the blu-ray movies; 3) the 360's user interface is also excellent (and neither interface has anything to do with the quality of games for each console, anyway); 4) computational strength has got nothing to do with the quality of games; 5) you fail to note that the GPU in the PS3 is last year's GPU; 6) i don't like playing crap, either. which is why i have a 360, and will have a PS3 down the road.

pringles: my decision to buy a 360 would have been no different had i been making that choice right now: there are simply more games that i like currently on the 360 than on the PS3, which is a normal distribution as between a launch console and one that's been out for a year.

but whatever. like i said, i will pick up a PS3 the moment there's a couple of exclusive titles that i like that are released for it. i can afford both consoles, but if i picked one up now, it'd just sit in my AV rack collecting dust while i played Gears of War and Rainbow 6: Vegas. and what would be the point of that?

underhill: exactly.

[Stephen]

Some great dialogue and passion. The biggest praise any product can get is F**in Great and you guys are all Raving Fans and that is great.

It will be interesting to see how things evolve from now at the 6, 12, 18 and 24 month timeframe.

I still think this is Beta vs VHS and better may not win whatever your religion.

[crackers-up]

John: BlueRay has nothing to do with the games? That is true today - but in the months to come when BluRay games are released, then what? Also, these units are just about the games. The PS3 is a complete entertainment unit. If you want something that is just for gaming, then stick with the Xbox or the Wii. I wanted a complete entertainment unit: games, movies, music, photos. It is about enjoying the total experience and that includes the extras like BluRay or the awesome user interface. You wrote that you are going to get a PS3 a well in the future and that means that your 360 won't really satisfy all your gaming needs so you'll then get a PS3. Bet you'll never play your 360 once you get the PS3. I on the other hand will NEVER get an Xbox because my PS3 gives me everything I want in a gaming system. The only way I'll buy something to replace my PS3 and when the PS4 comes out.