by Playfuls Staff |
2nd November 2006
Although it is not making so much noise about it, Nintendo keeps on working hard at improving manufacturing process and meeting its goal of delivering 4 million Wii gaming consoles by the end of 2006.[more]
Unlike Sony, who invested a lot of money in a PR campaign that has eventually proven disastrous, Nintendo preferred to invest more in the production circuit, in order not to repeat Sony’s failure. In case you have forgotten (I seriously doubt it though…) Sony announced major shortages for its flagship PlayStation 3 console, due to Blu Ray integration issues. Moreover, recent rumors hinted at more possible shortages in Japan (from September’s 100,000 pieces for the Asian territory to this October’s only 80,000 pieces).
Nintendo’s confidence is driven by the positive pre-launch reviews and the customers’ interest in the cheapest next-gen gaming console (by the way, did you know that Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, declared after this year’s E3 that Wii is not a next-gen console and that it does not compete with the Xbox 360 and the PS3? weird…). Pre-orders have been stellar, despite the relatively small publicity Wii got (compared to its rivals) before the important Christmas shopping season. Because of that Nintendo officials are actually planning to dominate the market and kill Wii’s concurrence.
"Wii is for both experienced and uninitiated gamers, and it will be available for the masses," said Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.
"Because of demand, we're urging shoppers not to get complacent. The level of demand we're seeing goes beyond the ordinary."
"Retailers are telling us a significant fraction of customers pre-ordering Wii are non-traditional gamers - people looking for a better way to play. And that's exactly what Wii is designed to provide," he added.
Nintendo has not yet dealt with the troubles that caused Sony to repeatedly delay PS3 until now. Being the cheapest next-gen gaming console (despite Iwata’s opinion, I still consider it a “next-gen console” simply because it’s…new and brings a lot of revolutionary improvements) allowed Wii to cut costs, but not quality, as proven by the interest showed by visitors at this year’s E3 (it even surpassed PS3…).
Nintendo said on Thursday that it chose GameStop and Toys "R" Us as the U.S. retailers that will host the launch of its new Wii video game console.
"Wii is for both experienced and uninitiated gamers, and it will be available for the masses," says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "Because of demand, we're urging shoppers not to get complacent. The level of demand we're seeing goes beyond the ordinary. Retailers are telling us a significant fraction of customers pre-ordering Wii are nontraditional gamers - people looking for a better way to play. And that's exactly what Wii is designed to provide."
A new study by the Consumer Electronics Association estimates a 27 per cent spending increase this holiday season on electronic goods. For the first time in history, a video game system is on the Toys 'R' Us "Fabulous 15," the crème de la crème of the retailer's hot toy list.
A press release from the company reads: "Nintendo is maximizing all its resources for a rapid replenishment program designed to consistently pump Wii consoles into the supply pipeline and keep retailers' shelves as filled as possible."
But on Thursday, the Japanese manufacturer added an impressive number of 65 new titles to the list, all built exclusively for Wii by world’s best known gaming studios. Moreover, other 30 “oldies, but goodies” will soon be included in the software pack that will accompany Wii at its launch.
"What do I see? I think our two competitors will trade share between them, while we go off and grab share in a completely different way."
"It's going to be massive amounts of hands-on activity, as well as showcasing exactly how Wii games are different," said Fils-Aime. "We're going to create advocacy. We're going to make it so that everyone who tries the Wii experience talks to their friends and neighbors. It's going to be a really provocative sight to be seeing teens and 20-year-olds and 40-year-olds and 50-year-olds talking about how different this experience is."
Among the new titles will be "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess," "Madden NFL '07," "Need for Speed: Carbon," "Call of Duty 3," "Marvel Ultimate Alliance," "Rampage: Total Destruction," "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Creature from Krusty Krab," "Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam," "Red Steel" and many others.
Wii is due to launch on November 19th in the US, December 2nd in Japan and across Europe on December 8th.
