Nintendo’s Wii Video Gaming Console Stole the Show… And Then Some

And in the race to usher into first position in the next generation of video game consoles, started half a year ago with the release of Microsoft’s XBox 360, looks like it’s shaping up for just such a situation, if the buzz surrounding the press, cyberspace – and even this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3 for short) which just recently concluded over in Los Angeles – is any indication of it. And it’s all riding on a small, motion-sensing video game set-up created by Nintendo Co., a company already famous for reinvigorating the video game industry when it looked about to topple onto itself way back in the 1980’s. The same Nintendo Co. known for such colorful game characters as Link, Kirby, Mario… well, OK, you get the picture.

And why is this? Because like it or not, the world is knee-deep in Wii – Nintendo’s next-gen console, that is. Japanese magazine readers prefer it over Sony’s apparently-overpriced Play Station 3, whilst the Wii will be very affordable. And then there’s Nintendo’s strong showing at E3 this year. So what the hell’s going on?

Here’s how it happened: In an age where Sony beat Nintendo twice over in two generations of the console wars, the last thing anyone expected was for Nintendo to change the game – again – just as it did with the original NES way back when, just after the video game industry famously had the proverbial rug almost completely pulled out from underneath itself back in the 1980’s. Realizing that push-button control and improvements in visuals combined weren’t goring to win former and non-gamers over to video games alone – or even non-traditional gamers, for that matter – Nintendo has come up with what could be the ultimate video game control mechanism: an easily-approachable, motion-sensitive wireless controller that looks like nothing more than a television remote control. And if that’s not clever enough, get this: it’s even expandable by way of a classic game pad plug-in for traditional game control, a wired joystick attachment known as the “nun-chuck” that allows for a hybrid of motion-sensing and classic game play, and even a gun-stock-like add-on shell inspired by the original NES Zapper light gun that would fit in with first-person shooters on the Wii (e.g. as the already-announced Metroid Prime Corruption or Red Steel games, for instance). In other words, something for everybody – which is exactly what Nintendo is aiming for here, after doing so on an ever-successful basis with its Nintendo DS… but that’s a whole other post to discuss, though I will say the DS is running circles around Sony’s Play Station Portable for just that reason. (For the record, the PSP’s media format isn’t doing too well as it is, anyway.)

And that’s surprising, since soon after E3, we find Nintendo reminding us that the Wii is not directly comparable – or positionable – against the PS3 or XBox 360. In fact, Nintendo dosen’t even look at the Wii as merely another next-gen console. Even Sarturo Iwata, (who happens to be the guy in charge of Nintendo’s worldwide operations) admits this, explaining that “‘Next-generation’ implies that the console is an extension of previous installments.” He even says that Nintendo believes “that extending our current line will not lead to larger markets, and could possibly even lead to smaller markets.”

Meanwhile, Sony’s marketing department may have shot it’s operational head in the foot when it comes to price – the official price for the PS3 starts at $500 for a non-upgradeable machine, much unlike the $400 bare-bones XBox 360 – and the next-expensive full models run $600 and $500, respectively. And while the Wii does not do HDTV the way its competitors do, nor does it have quite as much horsepower in the graphics department, the Wii won’t top $250 USD (or 25,000 yen in Japan) and will be similarly priced in Europe. And the unique control mechanism has a lot of support from video game publishers, as well as the most game play sessions at its debut. In fact, at E3 this year, Nintendo’s booth apparently got swamped by mobs of people who wanted nothing more than to see just how the Wii held up to the competition – and the consensus there is that so many people enjoyed playing the Wii so much that Nintendo practically stole the show! And the positive reaction does not seem to be slowing just yet – Joystiq.com visitors are voting the Wii the #1 choice single-console (interestingly, the PS3 was beat by the XBox 360 on that website by fans voting the combined-console setup of the Vole’s offering – plus a Wii – as tops in that department. And over in Japan, meanwhile, the Wii is tops among readers of Famitsu Magazine – with an overwhelming majority declaring the PS3 way overpriced.

As for the Wii’s graphics horsepower, it’s still standard definition (not everyone has an HDTV setup, after all) – however, it has come to pass that the Nintendo may well pull out with the next best thing in that department – representatives have acknowledged, from both Nintendo and ATI (of which the latter is developing the Wii’s GPU) that what was seen in game visuals on the Wii at E3 is, to use the ATI representative’s own words, nothing more than the proverbial “tip of the iceberg” as far as graphics capabilities are concerned.

So my take on all of this, therefore, is the day of the underdog is nigh in this new generation of the console wars. In other words, if the release cycle this generation concludes as the current buzz predicts, Nintendo could actually run away with the competition once more, and reclaim its place at the top. Hey, it happened to Sony last time, what’s not to say it’s Mario’s turn to take center stage? Stranger things have happened, after all, and that could be trouble for the competition. And while we wait for that to happen – or not – let me point out that Nintendo has yet to actually drop the ball on the exact release date, the latest rumors – courtesy of video game retailer GameStop – hint at an October 2nd launch date in the U.S., with other countries still undetermined. But please keep in mind, however, that this rumor – as well as anything that is not already known for certain (and trust me, I believe I’ve covered all that is current to this point in time) – should be taken with that proverbial grain of salt as not everything has yet been said and anything that purports as such is purely speculative at this point in the game.

And in the meantime, let’s keep our eyes focused on this one.