The $250 price for a Wii sold me. I was debating if I should get a PS3 or a Wii for about a month now.

I bought my X-box 360 about 2 months ago and I am happy with it so far, No complaints... short of spending a good $50 on rechargeable batteries for my controllers.

I see a mass of consumers asking themselves "Do I want to spend 250, or 500 dollars on a game system?" I think most will go for the 250 dollar price mark. I'm not saying this is just PS3 here, I am thinking of X-box 360 as well. Lucky for Mircosoft they have released their console, and lucky for Sony that they have millions of dedicated fans that will buy PS3 no matter what the price, or time is takes to get one.

I like Nintendo products and many of their "Nitch" games, like Mario, Zelda, Super Smash Bros, and tens (maybe hunderds?) more. I never had a Game cube, or a N64 because I went straight for PC games for a long time. But this left me with little choice of games.

Now it really isn't PC Vs. Consoles, but more of Sony Vs. Microsoft Vs. Nintendo Vs. PCs. just consider the prices, 500 for the 360, 500 for PS3, and new PC will run you about 600-800, and Wii for just 250.

The price does make a difference.

and if you don't think Wii will win over PS3 I understand, I never thought X-box would make it but here they are. But take a look here:
http://www.next-gen.biz/...mp;id=3103&Itemid=2

Meh, thats it, just a small rant because I'm sleep deprived and outta pepsi.

~Marticus

Correct, most consumers do not care about all the fancy names of the components. They only care that it will work with their current TV set. A family of 4 might have to buy 2 PS3s or Xboxes. I could not afford that, let alone all the games. Price has the biggest influence. I have two children under 10 both have Gameboy SPs and tons of games. The new portables 1 PSP and 1 DS + a few games for each. I'm not rich, and that is not then end. Gamecube and lots of games PS2 and lots of games. I cannot afford to buy the latest and greatest a few years apart. Renting is not the best option either as if a game is loved, it has to be bought. See, where I'm going. I have to keep a part time just to keep my childrens gaming addiction. As for me, I'm a PC junky and you know how expensive that is. Games, software and constant hardware updates to keep up with technology. My modo is I love games, therefore I'm. Help me the Matrix has me locked!

Since I've never played DnD in my life, I'd better try and convert the console wars into it.

XBox360 (Hitrate+1, Graphics+1, Price+1) w00t!
PS3 (Hitrate+2, Graphics+2, Price+2) w00t!
Computer (Hitrate+3, Graphics +3, Price+4, Usefulness+3) w00t!

Wii (Cold Damage+1, Enjoyment+1) w00t!

How did I do? Did I summarize the differences pretty well? :P Cold Damage slows enemies, but is totally different from hitrate; they're not even on the same scale.

This will be the worst video game release ever by Nintendo. The name is really stupid. I don't know what kind of drugs they were taking when they decided to change it from "Revolution" to "Wii".

"Wii" means "we" if you haven't seen the E3 2006 press conference video.

"Nintendos: Wii Will Sell for Under $250"

Hmm, Nintendo is entering a new market. The male prostitutes of the world will be at arms over this for sure.

heh

I personally wanna see innovation in the next generation consoles, not more fancy graphics, that is why i'll definitely be getting myself a Nintendo Wii.

If (and it's a big if, Gamecubes selection was awful) Nintendo can create and sustain a good games selection for Wii and the controller works out as beautifully as they say it does, then Wii will be the one for me.

I am personally very disappointed with the current line up for next generation consoles as I was expecting something amazing to wow me and bring life back into gaming.

I believe even with the best graphics, PS3 will not do this for me.

If Sony can pull out of their hats an amazing array of games for the PS3, then I believe the console will be a success regardless of the price but not necessary be the number one console.

I've been looking forward to the PS3 for a long long time now, but unfortunately I won't be able to buy one for a few years thanks for the expensive price tag, power isn't everything.

I look forward to buying a the PS3 in a couple of years time.

Only time will tell to see who will be the top dog of the next generation consoles, one thing I think is certain, gaming as a form of entertainment is now bigger then ever.

"I've been looking forward to the PS3 for a long long time now, but unfortunately I won't be able to buy one for a few years thanks for the expensive price tag, power isn't everything.

I look forward to buying a the PS3 in a couple of years time."

Your making the assumption the PS3 price will not drop, as production increases. You can pretty much bet that PS3 price will drop Summer 2007...

I think Summer 07 is too early (only 6 months after the launch). Christmas 07 is more likely however I could see them just including a game with it for the same price rather than drop the price as it basically costs them nothing yet it is a sweeter deal to the consumer. It wouldn't surprise me if Sony didn't drop the price before 2008 though as they will most likely still be loosing a fair amount per unit and I don't think that the price of the components will drop by a huge amount in the 12 months post launch.

Ahh the cost of a wii these days, in my days it didn't cost a thing... But now they bottle everything an sell it, just look you can even buy bottled water! :P

Go Nintendo. $250 is more feastible than $700 for a PS3. I mean it's a damn console. $700 can get you a top notice PC that's much more useful than a console system. What exactly is Sony thinking to put a price tag of $700 for their console. Didn't PS2 didn't sell until it hit the 200 range?

You seem to have added over $200 onto the price of the PS3 somewhere..

It's $499 and $599, not $700....

And you decided to make his mistake bigger, by comparing his quoted price of $700 to the $499 price. He was $100 too high.

Either way, it's still pricey for what it is. And Wii certainly will appeal to those with tight budgets for gaming.

When comparing to the Wii, which this article is about, the lower spec PS3 is more relevent, hence me quoting the $200 difference.

It is to my curiousity. The Blue-ray player prices up to $1,800. As PS3 going to include Blue-ray, I wonder how cheap and competitive PS3 can be.

In another way, I am definitly going to buy a Wii. This is one of the truely interactive game console. It is truely a "revolution" than the previous Nintendo crap.

It should deff be $199, like all their other consoles!

Quick look back of Nintendo History here:
http://ibloggedthis.com/...tendo-wii-should-be-199/

I would love to see it sell for $199 (£125-150) as well. Infact if it did I would buy one the day it was released. Anything about £150 though and I will have to think about it as that is my limit on pulse purchases :)

I was skeptical of how Nintendo would compete, but since I've been hearing how well the new controller works, this price is arguably icing on the cake.

This is such a different experience from traditional game consoles and PC gaming that I'm drawn to it like a magnet.

Alot better than $600 to $700 bucks you are going to pay for PS3

Yeah, I can buy 3 Wiis for the price of 1 PS3!

The PS3 will be so much more advanced it will totally pawn all other gaming--assuming no errors/glitches...but Sony has had plenty of those before.
Competitors are wise to compete on price for now--they should go as low as feasably possible & hope for more PS3 delays.
But once PS3's out, don't know what they'll be able to resort to(to compete at the same innovative & demographics levels)-- maybe follow suit: completely revamp & make a deal for Niagara processor....

While technically it's true that the PS3 will be the top dog tech-wise, history has shown over and over that that is no guarantee of success. especially in Sony's case. (Anyone remember mini-disk? el-cassette? betamax? even blue-ray is looking to be in trouble.)

I have owned a PS1 and a PS2 and I hope they do well because I like them. But the PS3 is definitely out of my price range, and likely will be for a good while. Like it or not, the majority of console buyers don't read the specs like the 10% or so that hang out in boards like these. Most people just buy what everyone else seems to be buying, and I would bet money that PS3 sales will be SLOW until the price comes down a LOT. But by then it may be too late.

Once another console pulls ahead, the damage is done. Sony proved that themselves when they introduced the PS1. (At $299btw, and that was in the economy of the 90s!)

I really agree that the PS3 is going to be AWESOME to see, but I also really think Sony may have shot themselves in the foot. Only time will tell I suppose.

It's MiniDisc. It did very well for many years, certainly in Europe. Betamax, was very sucessfully for many years by by it's more common name, Video8 and Hi8.

Blu-Ray is far from dead. The Betamax thing is brought up by every XBox owner, as they seem to think it has some relevance to the Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD format "war", reality is however, it is irevelent..

Anyway, back to the Wii. Nice idea, shame you have to play with the last generation graphics, and use the controller with the lights switched off...

If anyone thinks this console is going to have any power to compete with XBox360 or PS3, then they will be sorely disappointed, it is marginally more powerfull than a Xbox. The pricepoint reflects this. Nintendo are hoping to attract a different customer than MS and Sony, hence the price.

I agree w/ everything you say, except you kinda contradict or misjudge the expected public fervor : specs won't matter as much as awesomeness to see(& perform..such as scenes that render instantaneously at 32fps while an Intel counterpart takes as long as 2½ minutes to render each)-- if demos already out hold generally & practically true, it's already a slam dunk unless if Sony misses the rim, but even then it can still have the chance to catch its own rebound and slam it thru anyhow.

My futher hope is that these processors being so advanced, will lead to folks hacking & using their PS3's as regular pc's even if windows is not ported to it: the 8/16 simultaneous cores + 8/16 simultaneous threads hopefully being able to emu-run windows w/ no perceptible difference.
Yes they will be expensive(but i bet most will fork over the price--it'll be a must-have, just like sports shoes, leather coats & jeans that cost 3 figures...your average dweeb consumer not being a cost-conscious geek anyway, but more concernced about keeping up w/ his peers), leaving room for some competitor to deal w/ Sun & its Niagara processor...this may be what ultimately saves Sun AND brings Linux to the masses..as well as a lot of other great innovations Sun has collecting cowwebs re memory & system bus/pipeline.

Because, compared to what's available/possible technology-wise, current desktops(& ergo OS & software) compare as an old Amiga/Commodore would to current Amd/Intel offerings.

We may just be on the cusp of a home pc revolution.

MG:
I agree w/ your demographics point-- however, i think that processor is so superior it will create a frenzy such that everyone will do whatever it takes to get it...nobody will want the inferior competing products, forcing those companies to revamp & mimic PS3...if Sun is smart.......
I mean, go to any poor neighborhood & watch how many schoolkids have individual 3/4 figure fashion statement accoutrements: from portable / wireless peripherals to jewelry & designer glasses/jeans/outfits, sports shoes, leather coats...

Power isn't everything. If it has innovative games and of course fun games, then it could do very well. Considering what it has to offer and it's price point, I'll certainly pay attention to the games and might have to pick one up.

It will be Power on a grand scale-- and just as important: life-likedness...it will suck to not have one like having a b&w tv instead of color.

So please explain how Nintendo can make such a powerfull console for little more than the cost of a PS2? I like the idea of the Wii controller for SOME games, but not for everything, and at the end of the day, it's just a controller...

I can see there being a market for Wii, but it's a different market to the XBox360/PS3 market. So comments like "$599 for a PS3, i'm gonna buy a Wii" are simply crazy, they are world apart..

Sure the graphics may not be as super good as with Ps3 or xbox 360, but there is more to games than good graphics that not everyone can afford to see anyway.

Plus the Wii controller does not require the lights to be off, I don't know where you got that idea. If you've seen the videos, most of them have the lights on. If the lights are off, its only for dramatic effect.

Problem is, technological superiority does not equate to a better gaming experience. Consider many sequels to games, which used uprated graphics as a way to sell them - in the end, they weren't as good as the original game as they lacked playability. Battlefield => Vietnam => Battlefield 2; Tomb Raider series, even AVP => AVP2 (remember that old one?); and some would argue Half-Life => Half Life 2 (CS => CS:S).

Nintendo didn't have the most advanced console in the last round of releases - but the GameCube still saw plenty of play time because it's games are just fun.

It's a very strange reality you live in.

Well quite simply, you're wrong. Your average consumer as no idea what spec the processor is in their own PC, let alone a damn console. You're lucky if they can look past price.

Your fantasy about the PS3 being a huge leap in processor evolution is just that: fantasy. It's a powerful processor, for sure - but for a particular purpose. GPUs have massive processing capabilities also - but they're not going to be the next CPU running Windows. They're built for a purpose, and outside that purpose they're far less useful.

Correct, most consumers do not care about all the fancy names of the components. They only care that it will work with their current TV set. A family of 4 might have to buy 2 PS3s or Xboxes. I could not afford that, let alone all the games. Price has the biggest influence. I have two children under 10 both have Gameboy SPs and tons of games. The new portables 1 PSP and 1 DS + a few games for each. I'm not rich, and that is not then end. Gamecube and lots of games PS2 and lots of games. I cannot afford to buy the latest and greatest a few years apart. Renting is not the best option either as if a game is loved, it has to be bought. See, where I'm going. I have to keep a part time just to keep my childrens gaming addiction. As for me, I'm a PC junky and you know how expensive that is. Games, software and constant hardware updates to keep up with technology. My modo is I love games, therefore I'm. Help me the Matrix has me locked!