@JoRo1986: Don't you think it's a tad ironic coming from a guy who insults others with one word sentences?
Hmm, I think the key word here is "over". I reckon it has potential to sell 6 million. But over 6 million? Nah.
@PristineSneakers: Keep trying, buddy. You'll get that star one day.
If you can't upgrade an existing version via a paid for update, it's absolutely outrageous.
So how much did Sony pay you for this article?
Kojima-san should retire from the video game industry and live out his lifelong dream of being a film director.
If Wii sales explode at this price, they'll probably reverse the price-drop and put it back at $250 to quell demand.
@mister_d: The point of digital distribution is not to lower prices for the consumer, but to increase profit margins for developers so they can continue to make stupid decisions with little consequence.
@Draco_2k: The graph has been scaled to show the Nintendo Wii in a more negative light than it is in reality. If you examine it carefully you can see that Wii users use the machine only half as much as the most used console (the 360).
Not too bad at all for a console that is designed for players who aren't nearly as dedicated players. Very impressive, even.
@Draco_2k: I of course was replying to you with about as much precision as you were. I'd love for you to pull out these amazing statistics about how much people are using their console.
@Draco_2k: Oh really? Maybe it's because they have actual lives and don't just sit around at home all day every day playing games like people on Kotaku.
It's hilarious watching all the commentators going around below saying "I won't buy one", "I think it's still garbage", and other personal anecdotes.
Hey guess what guys. It doesn't matter what you think. The public have spoken. They think the Wii is brilliant.
Video games are not protected by "free speech" laws anywhere because video games are not seen as being able to express anything important. Which is true. It is a shame that there isn't consistency across the board though, I wouldn't think Left 4 Dead 2 would be even close to being as violent as many horror films.
@yomachaser: It's actually many of the companies that have their head in the sand. There's a reason why many of them are having financial difficulties, or profits not meeting expectations. Do you actually think these companies did research on whether consumers liked these sorts of things?
Nope! They just thought that if they introduced things it would introduce a "group mentality" by putting the technology everywhere people would accept it. This may work with the gullible, such as hardcore gamers, but it doesn't work with the average gaming consumer.
Music is the only avenue where it has worked well, and there are many reasons unique to music as to why it has succeeded which is too long to list. Netflix and streams are only a niche, and judging by trends they are looking like they will stay a niche. (I should also add, the app store has done well for the iPhone because it is a mobile communications product, and hence a mobile service such as DD is well suited for it)
Nintendo only have DD as an option on their console because they are a company known for cautiously testing waters. But the primary reason is that they are skeptical because of their long experience in the video game market. Nintendo understand the market far better than anyone else. There's no other reason why the DS and Wii were so successful. They have said time and time again, and continue to say time and time again that digital distribution is not the total future of video games, though it has a place in the market.
Platinum certainly seem to have problems dealing with versions of their game which aren't the typical. MadWorld was 50hz, slower, with extra borders in PAL regions. It was like the Sega Mega Drive early 90s experience all over again.
A lot of people are saying that digital distribution is the inevitable future. But the largest seller of computer games - that is Nintendo - couldn't give a flying shit about it.
If Sony and Microsoft go digital, Nintendo who no longer fights on the same battlefield as its competitors will just stick to retail.
The only reason why people on Kotaku are embracing digital distrubtion is because they are lazy, internet obsessed and dislike going outside. Another common fallacy people on Kotaku fall into is believing all the marketing jargon people have regurgitated over the years, so they think it MUST be true.
What is the advantage of digital distribution, really? Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be price. DD almost never gets discounted, retail games can end up in the bargain bin pretty fast. With DD you do not "own" the product, you are only indefinitely renting the piece of data thanks to DRM. You do not get a printed manual, you do not get packaging. These are essential for the video game experience.
The only niche for digital distribution are for companies with little money to put out games without an expensive publishing process. I would expect that if their games are successful, they should probably later move their game to retail. In essence DD would act as a filter for all the garbage that is known as 99% of 'indie' games.
This is just another case of so called technology overshooting consumers, and not really caring about them, except their own profit margins. The best way to make money in the LONG-TERM is to care about your customers and their needs. It's a little how Sony and Capcom "assumed" everybody used HDTV making many games almost unplayable on SDTV (Dead Rising, Killzone 2). This is all while the reality was that despite all the 'hardcore gamers' owning HDTV, the majority of consumers were still using SDTV. I'm one of them, and I continue to use one, thank you very much.
Good on the retailer! I can't wait to see Sony with egg on their face when they realise that nobody but hardcore gamers use digital distribution.
Video games is NOT iTunes!
Hollywood business models do not work for video games. It's thinking like that which lead to Sony and other developers/publishers rupturing billions of dollars.
The video game industry idolizes Hollywood. That's why you get all these gameplay-devoid interactive movies like Heavy Rain.
It's a bad idea, and it's always been a bad idea to pretend to be something that you are not.
I got the game, and here's my summary of it. An average platformer/puzzler with a technically impressive gimmick. Overall an above average game, but to even suggest that it has been worth all this hype is laughable.
Also those rooster hats make you look like a total moron. It's the new "cake is a lie". "look im so randem wearin my funneh roosta haet XD".
@Ur-Lord-Crypy: The average consumers put value on products. To the average joe, a Wii may be more 'valuable' than let's say a Playstation 3 (even though the PS3 has all these extra features) because the Wii delivers specifically to the average joe's gaming needs. Nintendo understand this, and they keep the price at where people will pay for it.
