 | FEATURE, OPINION, SONY, PS3, MICROSOFT, XBOX 360, WII Sony and Microsoft can ignore Nintendo... but they aren’t |
While browsing GoNintendo this morning, I ran across an opinion piece entitled, “Sony And MS Can Ignore Nintendo.” Upon reading it, it was easy to come to the conclusion that Ben Dutka (the author) is objectively wrong in most of his opinions. However, he’s right about one thing: Nintendo’s Wii is not (yet) a direct competitor to the PS3 or the Xbox 360. The gaming industry has expanded in a way that hasn’t happened since the original NES, and while Nintendo is pursuing that new, blue ocean market, Sony and Microsoft are chilling comfortably in their niche, mostly ignoring the gaming revolution that has taken place under their noses.
Or are they?
While we can’t really tell what Sony and Microsoft are planning, we can tell that after nearly two years of apathy, they are finally sitting up and paying attention to the Wii’s success. Not only that, but they’re also dipping their toes in to get a feel for the water. They want to tap into the Wii’s new market – and who wouldn’t? The money is too good to pass up; it’s just sensible business.
So we now have, on Microsoft’s side, NXE and its Mii-toos, a handful of creepy attempts at attracting more casual/social audiences, and a few lackluster casual games. Sony’s going in much the same direction, but taking it a step further by hedging its bets with a new patent for a motion controller. The champions of hardcore gamers everywhere can ignore Nintendo. So why aren’t they?
Perhaps they suspect that Nintendo isn’t going to stay in its blue ocean sandbox forever. Truth is, they’d probably be right to think so. The NES disrupted the gaming industry in the 80s and, for all intents and purposes, primed the industry that now keeps the PS3 and Xbox 360 in business. For a long time, “playing Nintendo” was synonymous with playing video games in the public mind. Now, playing Wii is building up the same sort of association. In the same way that Internet news is slowly but surely killing print news media, the gaming industry is in the process of massive change. It happened before, and it’s happening again. A product can only undergo so many maintenance cycles before something completely new and different takes its place.
Dutka ignores these recent moves by Sony and Microsoft, even though it’s handwriting on the wall. He points to hardcore titles such as Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, Dead Space, and LittleBigPlanet as if they’re the only examples of true gamerhood worth mentioning. In reality, he has a very narrow focus as to what constitutes a “game.” He illustrates this focus by making an odd (and inaccurate) statement: “The titles that push the envelope and make this generation what it is aren't possible on the Wii.”
So, what exactly does it take to define “this generation” of games? Apparently, Dutka believes it’s nothing more than the addition of polygons and some higher-resolution textures, packaged with games designed for the same old audience. Motion, pointing, and balance-based controls are just a gimmick, and gimmicks don’t push any envelopes. Of course, it would be foolish to say that Fallout 3 and the other aforementioned titles aren’t amazing accomplishments. Do they push the envelope? From a graphical perspective, certainly. In terms of gameplay mechanics or drawing new people into the gaming fold, however, they don’t break a whole lot of new ground. They’re improvements to a structure that has been in place for many years.
Video games are no longer the realm of an elite few, and it tends to burn up many self-proclaimed hardcore gamers. Not content to simply play the games they enjoy, they must also jab periodic, mocking barbs in the direction of these new gamers. A number of game developers, as well as Sony and Microsoft executives, did the same thing for a while. Their tune is rapidly changing.
Sony and Microsoft are beginning to realize that the latest and greatest graphics aren’t the only things that constitute quality (especially when quality is defined by the consumer, not by the gaming industry). They are also learning that more people will become gamers if you build games outside the traditional niche. These revelations are resulting in a strategic shift, away from a strategic astigmatism, for this generation’s second- and third-place consoles – a shift of which we’re only seeing the beginning.
Is the Wii a direct competitor to the PS3 and Xbox 360? It didn’t start out that way – and even now, it would be laughable to say the Wii has any true competitors. But Nintendo has awakened two sleeping giants, and now, all three console makers want to make room for everyone on their consoles. That is the simple truth, and those who today persist in their strategic astigmatism will ultimately have it forcibly extricated for them.
| Comments (1) |
| lems16 wrote at 9:31 pm on Monday, July 13, 2009 | |
 Posts: 1 Registered: July 2009 | |
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I totally agree, personally I think that in the long run Nintendo will sky rocket past the other two companies. I own systems from all three companies and I like them all, they all have pros and they all have cons, but I strongly believe that Nintendo has the most potential.