RSSViolence Not Necessary for Wii Launch
By Ed Oswald | Published November 20, 2006, 1:55 PM
Compared with last week's launch of the PlayStation 3, Sunday's launch of the Nintendo Wii went off much smoother. Long lines again greeted consumers eager to get their hands on the venerable game players new system, however much broader availability ensured most didn't go away empty handed.
Although Nintendo would never confirm the number of consoles available at launch, it was said to be close to a million. Checks at retailers indicate that nearly all had sold out of the $250 console, indicating that the launch was likely one of Nintendo's most successful in years.
There were no reports of violence at Wii launches across the country, a sharp contrast to the PS3 debut. On Friday, several reports were received of robberies in the parking lots of electronics retailers, and in several cases police were called to bring crowds under control.
The violence even included a shooting in Connecticut, involving a patron who stood in line at a local Wal-Mart.
Some who talked to the press called the events of two days previous "ridiculous." Virginia resident Rick Baghdassarian told USA Today, "The PS3 was like a business thing, and the Wii is more for gamers."
It is no doubt that the capabilities and power of the Wii are eclipsed by its rival consoles. However, repeatedly those waiting for the console pointed to its price, innovative features, and better availability as reasons for giving Nintendo's entrant a shot.
Many analysts are viewing the Wii as the unlikely winner, pointing to the quickly falling prices on eBay of the PS3 as a sign that Sony's console may have trouble selling at its high price point. Some pundits say that the buzz surrounding the Wii is crucial, especially this close to the holiday season.
But like Xbox 360, Nintendo is also having to deal with its own launch issues. A few console owners have reported encountering fatal errors when attempting to download a service update for the console's online service, locking them out.
Nintendo said it would replace any consoles affected by the bug free of charge, and would pay for shipping.
This console is so PRIMITIVE.
That controlling system is as innovative as innefective (unless for some very BASIC games), it's not HD, graphics are LAME (like 4 years DATED) because games look very POLYGONED, TEXTURES are BLURRY, ENVIRONMENTS are POOR, so i wonder: what else is left for the Wii to add to immersion? sound? not enough at all when all the rest is so weak.
And GAMES themselves, except for Zelda, all the rest were reviewed as barely MEDIOCRE,a nd the controlls were unresponsive!!...
i don't get the point of it... Maybe it's the perfect gift for 7 year old kids this Christmas... but for the price...
T h A r t i s t
Score: 0
|Its not for everyone. It is different from the other 2 consoles though in that it offers a unique form of gameplay.
If I was a parent, I'd probably be more likely to get them a Wii than anything eles - not just for price, but for the fact that it gets them up of their asses and they actually have to move a bit.
Seeing the examples of it in the store and videos on how it works, it seems pretty neat - I'd certainly like to try one someday.
Score: 0
|This console is so PRIMITIVE.
Sure, just keep believing your own lies. This unit does not have the bells and whistles of the M$ or $ony but its innovative. I own the 360 (a present) not my choice and have a 3 games. One which I have no even open yet. I have played the unit maybe 10 hour total since the launch. Yet I keep playing my DS and PSP a lot longer as well and the GameCube. I just think the 360 and P$3 are over rated.
Score: 0
|well 90% of the wii's planned games are childish, just like 99% of the gamecube's games, which the wii is like an updated clone of.
Score: 0
|And you are clearly either a 360 or play turd 3 fanboy.
Score: 0
|...
Score: 0
|Yeah of course, i fit the profile, uh?
Noticed that i mentioned (maybe not clearly enough) that GAMES are MEDIOCRE??? That means that the console is worthless.
PLUS...
YOU DON'T NEED TO TELL ME THAT THE WII IS CLEARLY AIMED AT CHILDREN (and the whole happy family), CAUSE IF YOU DON'T THINK SO, YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE POSTED HERE.
Score: 0
|When I first saw the controller for the Wii, and the name, I just thought "What the hell!?". But I have to say, compared with what MS and Sony are doing, I think it's nice to actually see a company trying to come up with a new idea. All we've had for years is the same tried and tested techniques, just with more power every time. Nice job Nintendo :)
Score: 0
|Got a Wii, waited in line 20 hours. I have played Wii Sports, Zelda TP and Red Steel... all fantastic launch titles. The current OS is a little dull until they update it and add new features this Christmas.
Score: 0
|Hey, I have a question for the Wii owners, can it do widescreen? I know its not HD, but I was wondering if the games were available at 16:9? I might be willing to get one for my smaller TV if it is.
I'm glad Wii did good, I own a 360 and plan to get an HD DVD for it soon. Probably no PS3 for a while, if ever, since I have lots of fun games right now :) Did anyone notice how many games came out at launch for the PS3? Were people really that crazy? Even though I predicted not many would be available, I was shocked at how few their was. That, in itself, shows loathing for gamers. At least the Wii had a good number of launch titles. Anyone with a PS3 right now, I look down upon as just plain silly or extreme fanboys.
Score: 0
|It would seem that Wii will be able to do widescreen, once the component cables are released in December. I can't find anyway to do it with the included composite cable (and I don't think WS is possible with composite).
The option for widescreen is in the settings, but 480p is greyed-out. Have seen plenty of demo videos showing the system operating in WS.
Score: 0
|I do wish that Wii would support 720p, just so they could advertise "high def" and thereby give the moms and dads another reason to buy their son/daughter a Wii instead of a PS3 for Christmas...
...nah, it's no big deal :D
Score: 0
|480p wide screen is really all I care about, since the TV is smaller and DVDs look fine on it. My big screen TV, though, definitely needs an HD signal to look great. I'll look for the component cables, thanks for the info.
BTW - I just saw the 1080p option on the 360. Not that I need it, but there's one more check box :)
Score: 0
|next to all that the Nintendo consoles always had better gameplay.
Score: 0
|Well, I have my Wii and am very happy with it..while the graphics aren't anything to write home about the console is just plain fun and thankfully it updated without a hitch.
Score: 0
|With MS ans Sony you feel like you're inviting a vampire into your house. Both are fighting for control of your living room. Nintendo's game system seems much more made for innocent fun. I hope it's surprisingly successful compared to the other two.
Score: 0
|I hope the Wii does well--that way game developers will see it as a needed market area and quit with their exclusivity contracts with Sony and Microsoft. Reasoning: I don't NEED super-cali-sexy 1080p, I'd prefer to pay less for a console that actually focuses on the three most important aspects, like games, games, games.
Wii is cheaper so I hope it gets all the good games, although Halo 3 is just so frikin hard to resist...
Score: 0
|then again, the stakes are less, there were more available and they cost less than half.
Score: 0
|You can do a simple ebay.com search for ps3 and see the business side of it. I'm surprised though as the article states and is noticeable on ebay.com that the bids are going down. Instead of going for over $3000 there going for under $1200 etc.
But then I do think you have to be pretty dumb to pay $3000 for a ps3 when you can just wait 6 months and buy one for way cheaper.
But then that's just me :)
Score: 0
|Violence Not Necessary for Wii Launch --
The headline implies that it WAS necessary for PS3. That seems irresponsible to me.
Score: 0
|obviously some saw violence as necessary, or there wouldn't have been any.
anyway, it's a news headline, it's supposed to be dramatic.
Score: 0
|Seems to me that a bunch of shmucks getting into fights over a console is more irresponsible and just plain ignorant. Oh and lets not forget the guy that took two bullets for a PS3.
Score: 0
|By dramatic you really mean misleading, right? (heh)
Score: 0
|not necessarily implying that, drumcat.
Score: 0
|i thought the def of news was "misleading current events"
Score: 0
|huh?
Score: 0
|"The PS3 was like a business thing, and the Wii is more for gamers."
So true.
Score: 0
|Agreed.
Score: 0
|damn true!
Score: 0
|Amen.
Score: 0
|Halleluiah.
Score: 0
|