August Console Sales Numbers

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

The Wii has shown how important online play is.

So, to be clear, the system is selling without much online support, hence online play isn't important?

FWIW.....I'm mostly a single-player gamer, so I wouldn't mind if that were the case. Unfortunately, that's likely not the situation.

[MJ4H]

Rockstar Table Tennis got awful initial impressions, so no big loss.

Remember that online isn't really the focus of the Wii. One of the central concepts Nintendo was going for is to bring people together in one place. Online works against that to a degree. It isn't much of a surprise that EVERY game isn't online. The important ones are/will be online, though (Strikers, Brawl, Madden, FIFA, etc.)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

Remember that online isn't really the focus of the Wii. One of the central concepts Nintendo was going for is to bring people together in one place.

That was the company line, but that was just an excuse for the fact that they didn't get online development tools out there nearly quick enough. It's worked out for them so far, but they had no intentions of having the online component lacking to this degree nearly a year into the console's life.

[MJ4H]

Nonsense, it is more than the company line. Read interviews with the designers and creators of the system.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

Nonsense, it is more than the company line. Read interviews with the designers and creators of the system.

I'd love to see some article pre-release articles where they stated that online play is not a focus of the console.

In related news, Jack Trenton suggested in a recent article that Sony execs knew before the PS3 release date that the PS3 might lag in sales over the first year.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

Nonsense, it is more than the company line. Read interviews with the designers and creators of the system.

Remember, he's used to reading interviews from Sony folks, so he just ignores everything said in those interviews as useless

[MJ4H]

I did not say they stated online play is not a focus. It shouldn't be too hard to find articles and interviews about what the focus is. This is not exactly news. This was not a company line.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Remember, he's used to reading interviews from Sony folks, so he just ignores everything said in those interviews as useless

I'm actually surprised someone is disputing this. I thought everyone knew that was the whole plan for the Wii. Anyway, just a few minutes of reading should clear that right up.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

I'm actually surprised someone is disputing this. I thought everyone knew that was the whole plan for the Wii. Anyway, just a few minutes of reading should clear that right up.

Great. Where is that reading? I remember multiple articles where developers complained that Nintendo hadn't released their online development tools even after the Wii release. I don't remember any Nintendo execs coming out to say 'Well, that's because we're focusing on play in the home'.

Listen, there's a lot to like about the Wii and that's understandable, but the online piece of the system has been deplorable thus far.

[MJ4H]

Sigh.

I did not say that the reason online was delayed was because they are focussing on play in the home. I said that is what their focus is, so it should not be surprising when most games are not focussing online. This really isn't hard.

And you can't be serious about where is the reading. Seriously, this is NOT hard stuff to find. Any interview with the designers will do. How can you not know what the focus for the Wii was? Seriously, how?

Nevertheless, if I happen across something and I think about you, I'll throw you a bone. There really isn't any excuse for being that ignorant about the Wii, though.

[SackAttack]

Seriously, they were saying that crap when they first unveiled the Wii controller and new name. They took crap for it even then.

They've been taking more crap for it since we've seen the abortion known as 'friend codes,' but yeah, this is hardly 'news'.

[MJ4H]

I guess it was silly of me to not point out that the NAME of the system, Wii, was partly based on its appearance, two game controllers, the ii, also signifying two people. Live multiplayer. The whole system was named after this concept.

[MJ4H]

For your reading pleasure, as well:

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbi...dos_wii_w.html

Originally Posted by the article from April 2006

Pronounced we, the name "emphasizes this console is for everyone" and conjures the "image of people gathering to play," according to the company's Web site. Indeed, the i's resemble two people standing together.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Atocep

The first 2 games that were on the NES were definitely arcade and what people remember the most, however, when it ported over to the SNES the game was becoming more and more of a sim that included a fairly impressive franchise mode for the time.

Well, I guess I just figured that they meant the way Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl were was "simulation" not "arcade".

SI

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

Rockstar Table Tennis got awful initial impressions, so no big loss.

Yeah I've read there is some terrible lag involved in the swing, doesn't sound good at all.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Yeah I've read there is some terrible lag involved in the swing, doesn't sound good at all.

How do you make a table tennis game and get the swing wrong? Who decides to send the game out the door in that shape?

That's like making a chess game and getting the chess wrong.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

How do you make a table tennis game and get the swing wrong? Who decides to send the game out the door in that shape?

That's like making a chess game and getting the chess wrong.

Here's the one I read:

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/i...fm?artid=14403

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

For your reading pleasure, as well:

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbi...dos_wii_w.html

Exactly. That's called a company line. Some execs sat in a room for days thinking that up.

Listen, the online portion of the Wii is an absolute abortion with the 'friend codes' and lack of developer support. It makes the PS3's online look good in comparison. There's a lot of Wii gamers who would love to play against human opponents when they aren't available in your home. Currently, they have no way to do that and Nintendo can't explain that away by saying.....

"Well, it was called the Wii because it looks like and 'image of people gathering to play', so it was intended to be played in the home. Online, despite the inclusion of a fully functioning ethernet connection, friend codes, and an online store, was never intended to be used at any major level. We encourage people to bring over their friends so we don't have to bother making online the fully functional component it was meant to be in the first place."

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

FCC report released detailing the specs of the new PS3 for the technically inclined. More importantly, systems generally come out 2 months after the FCC report is issued, so expect the rumored 40 GB PS3 to come out in mid to late November.

The FCC filing says that the new SKU has at least:

1 x HDMI Port
1 x AV Port
1 x LAN Port
2 x USB Ports
SIXAXIS controller
Bluetooth Ver. 2.0+EDR
WLAN 802.11b/g

Differences compared to previous SKUs:

It draws less current; Now only rated 3A down from the previous 3.2A

Bluetooth is the same version as before, however the Antenna gain is increased on Antenna1 from 0.21dBi (max) in the original 60Gb, up to 3.83dBi (max) in the new SKU. Antenna2 also sees an increase, from 4.13dBi (max) up to 4,92 dBi (max).

WLAN is still 802.11b/g, however there is a difference in Antenna gain too. ANT0 is now 0.69dBi from 0.10dBi previously, and ANT1 is now -0.26dBi from 0.91dBi.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Really good CAGcast available this morning. Has a full summary of events/games at the Tokyo Game Show. Also, one of the guys got a copy of Halo 3 before the release date and has some early impressions. He's already finished with 6 out of the 9 chapters in the single player campaign.

Right click on the link and select 'Save Target as' to save it to your HDD.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cagca.../cagcast91.mp3

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

August NPD numbers are out.

Wii: 403,600
Nintendo DS: 383,300
Xbox 360: 276,700
PlayStation 2: 202,000
PlayStation Portable: 151,200
Playstation 3: 130,600
GBA 69,500

Interesting Armchair article this month.

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/level...gust-2007.aspx

Some summary points.......

-360 had same percentage sales boost as the PS3 when prices dropped.
-Halo 3 needs to boost console sales in September. Anything less than 400K for the month would be a disappointment.
-PS3 sales drop lower. Expect the $399 PS3 by November.
-SCEI has relinquished pricing decisions to the regional arms of the corporation. So price drops in Asia, Europe and NA will all be separate and unrelated.
-Continued frustration over lack of Wii games and online support. Madden was only third-party game in the top 20.
-Unsure whether PS3 games this fall will drum up much buzz.
-Sony is targeting 2008 for their move. Both analysts expect a big 2008 for the PS3. Revamped marketing campaign in 2008 expected.
-Both think that Call of Duty 4 will do very well.
-Both say 360 must really do well this holiday season to avoid disappointment.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Both analysts expect a big 2008 for the PS3.

PS3 looking good in preseason.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Exactly. That's called a company line. Some execs sat in a room for days thinking that up.

Genius, this was back in APRIL. Well before the release of the console. This was not something made up when they realized that they weren't going to be able to get online ready in time. That's all I'm saying. Sheesh. Of course it's a company line when it is the company saying it.

Just wow.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

Genius. Just wow.

Fixed.

The Armchair QB article stated exactly what I said earlier. I don't think the lack of games and online support are an industry secret.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Bee

PS3 looking good in preseason.

In the context of the article, that would likely make this fall the regular season for the Xbox 360. They need to win now.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

In the context of the article, that would likely make this fall the regular season for the Xbox 360. They need to win now.

They already have.

[TroyF]

Wii: 403,600
Nintendo DS: 383,300
Xbox 360: 276,700
PlayStation 2: 202,000
PlayStation Portable: 151,200
Playstation 3: 130,600
GBA 69,500

Wii continues to dominate. PS3 continues to suck. No new news here.



-360 had same percentage sales boost as the PS3 when prices dropped.

But is far more likely to have sustained success because of Halo 3 and other big titles coming out this holiday season, combined with the complete lack of competition from the PS3.

-Halo 3 needs to boost console sales in September. Anything less than 400K for the month would be a disappointment.

So anything less than what the Wii is doing would be a disspointment? Sorry, I don't buy it. Halo will have an impact in sales, but I don't think it's armegeddon if the 360 sells 300k units next month.

-PS3 sales drop lower. Expect the $399 PS3 by November.

If Sony has a brain. Which as of now, they've shown they have none.

-Continued frustration over lack of Wii games and online support. Madden was only third-party game in the top 20.

Yeah, I can see by the sales that people are getting very frustrated with the Wii. It's obvious.

-Unsure whether PS3 games this fall will drum up much buzz.

I'm pretty sure about it. the answer is NO, they won't. Unless there is some monster sleeper hit nobody is talking about.

-Sony is targeting 2008 for their move. Both analysts expect a big 2008 for the PS3. Revamped marketing campaign in 2008 expected.

Duh. There is no doubt they are gearing up for 2008 at this point. It's not like they have a choice in the matter. With no A+ titles due out, all they can do now is to try to wait out the storm.

-Both think that Call of Duty 4 will do very well.

Hey, I think Halo will do well too. Not making fun of you here, it's just obvious. COD4 would sell well if it was total crap. All indications are that it will be pretty damned good. There is no question it'll sell well. (and probably be lights out on the PS3 because of the lack of other options.

-Both say 360 must really do well this holiday season to avoid disappointment.

They are already clipping the PS3 at a 2.1-1 ratio. That's likely going to jump near 3-1 and maybe even 3.5-1 in the next few months. I don't think the 360 has a lot of dissapointment it needs to worry about.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

August NPD numbers are out.

Wii: 403,600
Nintendo DS: 383,300
Xbox 360: 276,700
PlayStation 2: 202,000
PlayStation Portable: 151,200
Playstation 3: 130,600
GBA 69,500

Interesting Armchair article this month. Some summary points.......

-360 had same percentage sales boost as the PS3 when prices dropped.
-Halo 3 needs to boost console sales in September. Anything less than 400K for the month would be a disappointment.
-PS3 sales drop lower. Expect the $399 PS3 by November.
-SCEI has relinquished pricing decisions to the regional arms of the corporation. So price drops in Asia, Europe and NA will all be separate and unrelated.
-Continued frustration over lack of Wii games and online support. Madden was only third-party game in the top 20.
-Unsure whether PS3 games this fall will drum up much buzz.
-Sony is targeting 2008 for their move. Both analysts expect a big 2008 for the PS3. Revamped marketing campaign in 2008 expected.
-Both think that Call of Duty 4 will do very well.
-Both say 360 must really do well this holiday season to avoid disappointment.

No offense to you since you're quoting this stuff from an article, but this is clearly more Sony bias stuff.

They knock the Wii and a comment about some apparent frustrations, yet it dominates sales and has more great 1st party games coming out soon. Its like the anti-wii people are just waiting for sales to take a massive drop. One year later.....

The 360 doesn't have to do anything. They've already surpassed expecations and then some. They probably will dominate the holiday sales, but to be honest if you told Microsoft 2 years ago that they'd be in the position they're in now Bill Gates would do cartwheels outside Microsoft offices.

Sony has to target '08 for their move. They have no choice. However, that doesn't mean its going to happen. They still have to put out games and actually not look like mouth-breathing idiots before that happens.

I know Troy said a lot of this stuff before me, but I'm just reiterating. This is painfully obvious stuff with a pro-sony spin on it.

[Galaxy]

I'm trying to decide on if I want to splash out $350 for the 360 Premium edition. The problem with the 360 and PS3 is they are trying to create entertainments systems, which is fine, but does it matter? People buy these systems for gaming. Just not cut out the extras, while maintaining the specs that create great gaming potential? Pass the savings on to a new market of customers that are staying away from the system.

Another problem is the era of licenses. EA Sports owns the NFL License (which is a premier "platform" for any US gaming system to have good success) and NCAA (I always though the use of public universities (most of Division 1 couldn't be licensed)? I know the bowls, BCS, ect. could be licensed. I mean, Sega is making the EA Sports hockey, hoops franchises better by giving them competition.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

But is far more likely to have sustained success because of Halo 3 and other big titles coming out this holiday season, combined with the complete lack of competition from the PS3.

There are still 8 exclusive titles to be released on the PS3. A price cut is rumored in November. If the price cut doesn't happen, I agree. Regardless, there's a lot that is still to come. I don't expect the PS3 to beat the 360 by any means, but I do expect it to stay much closer than you expect, which is what they need to do.

So anything less than what the Wii is doing would be a disspointment? Sorry, I don't buy it. Halo will have an impact in sales, but I don't think it's armegeddon if the 360 sells 300k units next month.

I don't think it would be 'armegeddon' either, but it would definitely be a disappointment if a cheaper 360 + Halo 3 only netted them an additional 30K units over August.

Yeah, I can see by the sales that people are getting very frustrated with the Wii. It's obvious.

I've listened to 4 gaming podcasts this week with TGS wrap-ups in addition to reading the Armchair QB. Every one of them either noted the lack of games or made a wisecrack about the online features of Nintendo. Third-party developers are having significant second thoughts after the disappointing sales figures of Boogie and Metroid. Certainly, Boogie was not that good of a game, but there's no reason that Metroid should only sell 200K units.

I'm pretty sure about it. the answer is NO, they won't. Unless there is some monster sleeper hit nobody is talking about.

Sony's got to put out a good game before people even bother. I did see that Ratchet & Clank has two reviews coming out later this week and they're expected to be 90+, so that's a start.

Duh. There is no doubt they are gearing up for 2008 at this point. It's not like they have a choice in the matter. With no A+ titles due out, all they can do now is to try to wait out the storm.

Agreed. Best they can hope for is to stay even during the holidays with a price drop. They'd count their blessings if they could do that.

Hey, I think Halo will do well too. Not making fun of you here, it's just obvious. COD4 would sell well if it was total crap. All indications are that it will be pretty damned good. There is no question it'll sell well. (and probably be lights out on the PS3 because of the lack of other options.

My feelings weren't hurt, as they weren't my comments. COD has been a mixed bag in the past, so it's never a guarantee. I do like the switch to a more modern environment.

They are already clipping the PS3 at a 2.1-1 ratio. That's likely going to jump near 3-1 and maybe even 3.5-1 in the next few months. I don't think the 360 has a lot of dissapointment it needs to worry about.

This year, you're likely right.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Atocep

The 360 doesn't have to do anything. They've already surpassed expecations and then some. They probably will dominate the holiday sales, but to be honest if you told Microsoft 2 years ago that they'd be in the position they're in now Bill Gates would do cartwheels outside Microsoft offices.

I'll buy that. If the PS3 came in at the right price, there'd be no way that they shouldn't be even with or leading the 360 at this point. I'd take some issue with your credit to MS. I think the lead that the 360 has over the PS3 has more to do with Sony's buffoonery than anything Microsoft did. All MS has done was avoid stepping on the bag of flaming poo, which may end up being enough for them to win this generation.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Fixed.

The Armchair QB article stated exactly what I said earlier. I don't think the lack of games and online support are an industry secret.

No. What you said earlier was that was just a company line made up to cover for the fact that they didn't get online out on time.

This clearly shows that this company line was the line from the outset as I said (well before they didn't get online out on time).

Notice I'm not arguing that the online isn't disappointing. It is. I'm pointing out the reason that it isn't is because the FOCUS of the Wii is live multiplayer which online sort of works against. You asked me to show an article that says they wouldn't focus on online before the release and I explained that what I'm saying isn't that they weren't going to focus on online, but that they ARE going to focus on live in-person multi-player, which I then showed you.

That's it. The end. Yes online is disappointing, yes, Nintendo has had a strategy other than focusing online the whole time, yes I've shown proof of that.


Honestly, this isn't hard.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

I'm trying to decide on if I want to splash out $350 for the 360 Premium edition. The problem with the 360 and PS3 is they are trying to create entertainments systems, which is fine, but does it matter? People buy these systems for gaming. Just not cut out the extras, while maintaining the specs that create great gaming potential? Pass the savings on to a new market of customers that are staying away from the system.

I doubt you'd find anyone to disagree with you. There's a lot of extras in the consoles that most gamers don't want or need. That's just the way it is for this generation at least. I'm not sure it will ever change back to just a gaming console again. They have to find multiple income sources to increase their profits on these things. Downloadable movies, add-ons, etc. are all part of the deal now.

[MJ4H]

Oh and online Mario Strikers Charged works beautifully.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I doubt you'd find anyone to disagree with you. There's a lot of extras in the consoles that most gamers don't want or need. That's just the way it is for this generation at least. I'm not sure it will ever change back to just a gaming console again. They have to find multiple income sources to increase their profits on these things. Downloadable movies, add-ons, etc. are all part of the deal now.

I'm trying to figure out if the $350 is worth it. My Xbox went. I would love to pick up NCAA Football (I've played it (regular games) against my friend). Love the toughness, but the INT worries me. Other than that, seems like a great game with an amazing dynasty mode.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

I'm trying to decide on if I want to splash out $350 for the 360 Premium edition. The problem with the 360 and PS3 is they are trying to create entertainments systems, which is fine, but does it matter? People buy these systems for gaming. Just not cut out the extras, while maintaining the specs that create great gaming potential? Pass the savings on to a new market of customers that are staying away from the system.

Exactly what extras in the 360 are you concerned about? The Elite adds the 120 GB HD for downloading media, but the Premium is pretty much all gaming console. Most of the entertainment bits are just useful side effects of having some power; for example, the ability to stream music from your PC isn't eating much resources. You can even create custom playlists to use while playing a game instead of the game's music (which was very handy for me on PGR3...) The ability to download and play HD videos is cool, but again an extra add-on from the Live bits that the console just happens to have plenty of power to do.

But it's the games that take primary advantage of the CPU / graphics / memory / sound hardware in there. It's not like they mandated a high-definition DVD player be in the box or something.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

Oh and online Mario Strikers Charged works beautifully.

I still have to get that MJ4H. Been busy finishing up an unexpected review of NBA 08 on the PS3. (note, that's one of the exclusives coming out for the PS3 and well, ummmm, ok, mom always told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all. I'll follow that advice here)

Mizzou B-Ball, honestly, I don't care how many podcasts you heard complaining about the lack of online play wtih the Wii. Or third party sales. The install base is now the largest of the three systems and it continues to beat the hell out of the other two. The "fad" is still a "fad" and we're nearing a year after release. The sales figures are pretty conclusive at this point: The public is still buying it even with the lack of online play. That speaks volumes more than a pod cast.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by TroyF

The public is still buying it even with the lack of online play. That speaks volumes more than a pod cast.

Especially when those pod casts come from gaming geeks that clearly are not the target audience of the console...

[Daimyo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I'll buy that. If the PS3 came in at the right price, there'd be no way that they shouldn't be even with or leading the 360 at this point.

Except maybe for the lack of games...

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I'll buy that. If the PS3 came in at the right price, there'd be no way that they shouldn't be even with or leading the 360 at this point. I'd take some issue with your credit to MS. I think the lead that the 360 has over the PS3 has more to do with Sony's buffoonery than anything Microsoft did. All MS has done was avoid stepping on the bag of flaming poo, which may end up being enough for them to win this generation.

No, all MS has done is:

1) Come out with the first next gen console which allowed them to build up a decent sized user base while getting top quality software.

2) Bought up exclusives and bought out Sony exclusives (like making sure GTA is released at the same time as the PS3 version) This has allowed them to get games like Gears of War, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Dead Rising (I understand Dead Rising 2 may be out for both), and others out for the 360 and not anyone else.

3) Worked to put out the best online experience of any of the consoles. Yes, you pay $50 a year for it, but it's far better than any other console currently on the market.

Now, all three of those things were business decisions. MS did botch a few things. And MS certainly had some great advantages in watching Sony crap all over themselves. Still, they put themselves in great position for Sony's errors.

And yes, MS is doing cartwheels right now. The repair issue has taken away some of their spirits, but it looks like they'll surely gain a foothold in the industry and eat up some of Sony's market share this generation. That's about the best they could have ever hoped for.

[Neon_Chaos]

I think the concensus from the mainstream consumer is that the Wii is cheap, the XBOX 360 is a tad bit expensive, and the PS3 is just off-base with its price, hence the above sales numbers.

I wonder how many of those new PS2 owners would've bought PS3's if Sony lowered the price, though?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

I wonder how many of those new PS2 owners would've bought PS3's if Sony lowered the price, though?

I would guess a very small percentage. The people buying PS2s now are doing so they can have access to the massive library of games and a cheap price, not really the hardware itself.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

I think the concensus from the mainstream consumer is that the Wii is cheap, the XBOX 360 is a tad bit expensive, and the PS3 is just off-base with its price, hence the above sales numbers.

I wonder how many of those new PS2 owners would've bought PS3's if Sony lowered the price, though?

The price drop would be a good thing, but isn't really the main point of discussion. The point from earlier is that the PS3 should have been introduced at $399 in the first place. The market dictated that price point from the start. Certainly, the move to BR forced the price decision, which might/might not help them in the end when we look back at this generation. The $599 price point took away any chance the PS3 had and they lost exclusives and some multiplatform games as a result. There would be games there right now if the installed base was there. Instead, developers are delaying PS3 projects to work on others. The PS3 has to make up from that mistake at this point.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Daimyo

Except maybe for the lack of games...

There wouldn't be a lack of games right now if they would have put the price point lower at launch to begin with. They lost several games and had more delayed as a result of the low installed base. We'd have a much different situation if Sony would have pulled its head out of its backside when making the pricing decision at the start.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Especially when those pod casts come from gaming geeks that clearly are not the target audience of the console...

Ah, so now the Wii isn't targeting gaming geeks? There's not a more loyal bunch of 'gaming geeks' than the Nintendo fan base. The Wii wouldn't be anything if it shunned its fan base. It can grow its base with other groups of gamers/non-gamers, but half that installed base is loyal Nintendo fans who were craving a good Nintendo console after the Gamecube debacle.

[MJ4H]

unbelieveable.

eta:


(the entire reason the Wii is so successful is it is targeting the casual gamer)

[MJ4H]

I think it is time I stop entering this thread. It is flooded by someone that doesn't even know the most basic things about the dominant console of this generation. It's just incredibly frustrating to watch.

Count me out. Should've done it a long time ago.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Exactly what extras in the 360 are you concerned about? The Elite adds the 120 GB HD for downloading media, but the Premium is pretty much all gaming console. Most of the entertainment bits are just useful side effects of having some power; for example, the ability to stream music from your PC isn't eating much resources. You can even create custom playlists to use while playing a game instead of the game's music (which was very handy for me on PGR3...) The ability to download and play HD videos is cool, but again an extra add-on from the Live bits that the console just happens to have plenty of power to do.

But it's the games that take primary advantage of the CPU / graphics / memory / sound hardware in there. It's not like they mandated a high-definition DVD player be in the box or something.

True. It just seems that the pricing is out of whack.

But what makes the $599 system of the PS3 better than the 360 when it comes to pure gaming? In three to four years, will the games be better than the 360? I know that the PS3 has blu-ray? What exactly does it do when it comes to gaming?

[Neon_Chaos]

The Wii is popular because it has found itself an audience that does not cater to either the PS2 or the XBOX360. And it just so happens that it's affordable, and has a fun, family-friendly library of games.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

The Wii is popular because it has found itself an audience that does not cater to either the PS2 or the XBOX360. And it just so happens that it's affordable, and has a fun, family-friendly library of games.

Not to mention the Wii has brought Nintendo a profit on each system from the start. The other systems lost hundreds of dollars when they launch, and aren't budget to start making money for another year or so.