Gates Pegs Nintendo, Not Sony, as Toughest Competition 178
njkid1 writes "Microsoft's Bill Gates thinks that because of the 'impressive strength' of the company and its new Wii console Nintendo is now Microsoft's biggest competition when it comes to videogames. This is somewhat understandable, given Nintendo's new projections for this year. The Japanese game maker plans to sell an impressive 100 Million DS games this year, along with 21 Million Wii games and some six million consoles. This may seem to be just more flack, to go along with Peter Moore's dismissive comments towards Sony at CES this week, but news of the Halo DS game that almost was puts credence to Microsoft's new priorities."
This changes everything (Score:2, Insightful)
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Though you are probably right in relation to world wide sales. Nintendo is already the Market leader in Japan (over the 360, and PS3) which I feel will continue on an overall basis for the life of the systems (unless Nintendo has MASSIVE manufacturing issues).
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Re: 360 not relevant... in Japan. (Score:5, Insightful)
or D) Refering to the Japanese market.
Ok, just for the record I'm a Wii60 owner and currently on Gears of War - Act 2, on Insane. I love the 360 and LIVE in particular.
However the 360 has done shit for business in Japan. Nintendo sold more Wii's on Launch day than the 360 sold (in Japan) to date. (400,000 units vs 280,000). I honestly don't know the problem and why Microsoft can't sell to the Japanese, but 2 X-boxes later they still don't understand the market.
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It's a valid point, of course. But then I doubt anyone would buy a PS3 on the strength of its current showing alone. It's a question of the entire life cycle of the machine and which titles are expected to end up where. Expectations are set relative to the PS2 and XBox lineups, so those expectations may prove wrong.
Let's put it this way - if most of the important games turn out to be cross platform across this generation then that's terrible for Sony and they effectively cede the top spot to Micros
"This year"? (Score:2)
If it does, then that would be saying they think they can sell about another two million consoles in the next two months or so.
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Actually that's almost 3 months, and those are 'worldwide' figures. Considering they sold about 4 million units (worldwide) in under 2 months I find 'another 2 million in 3 months' a pretty conservative estimate.
Re:"This year"? (Score:5, Insightful)
As far as the Wii is concerned, I think Bill has less to worry about than he's letting on. The two are practically in a different market. The big draws of the 360 are visually impressive games, High Definition and media center functionality, none of which are big selling points of the Wii. On the other hand, people interested only in the unique controller and game lineup on the Wii wouldn't give the 360 any serious thought.
Nintendo's spent quite a bit of energy trying to distance itself from direct competition with Microsoft and Sony. In my opinion, they've succeeded. The only competition that's really there is whether you like the Sony/Microsoft style of gaming or the Wii's.
SUVs don't compete with sports cars. People just chose which they'd rather have and then go choose from the available SUVs or the available sports cars. Nintendo is in the enviable position of having lots and lots of people chose their style, but as it turns out, they're the only company offering it.
TW
Re:"This year"? (Score:4, Insightful)
1) Developers - Game studios only have so many resources to devote to game developement. Any that are spent on the Wii are not spent on the PS3 and Xbox 360, even if it is just a port. The cumulative effect of this is less developement for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
2) Follow the Leader - If the Wii gains a significant lead on the other consoles in market share, this will further compound #1 due to the "Follow the Leader" syndrome for game developement. While a lot of games for the PS1 and PS2 were very crappy, having that kind of third party support is any console manufacturer's dream. Stealing that dream hurts the PS3 and Xbox 360.
3) Hardcore - Even though the Wii and DS have been designed to be friendlier systems, there is definately a strong appeal for many hardcore gamers. While hardcore gamers often spend much more money on video games and are thus very likely to own multiple systems, having any portion of said funds diverted to the Wii places it in competition.
4) Casual Understanding - The nerdy, informed, and hardcore may know all about Nintendo's "Blue Ocean" strategy, but more people only know it's a game system, and so are the PS3 and Xbox 360. They aren't aware Nintendo is in a different market, because for them there is only one market.
5) Next Time Gadget - There will be another console generation, and it's pretty clear that barring unthinkable and unpredictable disasters Nintendo will be there. As much as they are competing for a place in this console generation, all of the big three are competing for pole position in the next generation. While not determinate, being the incumbent from the last generation is a significant advantage.
This is not to say that they are truly in direct competition. A better analogy is to say that Nintendo is targeting an entire pie, while Sony and Microsoft are aimed at a smaller piece. To an extent there is conflict, but Nintendo will be just as happy to have the 50-60% of the pie that Microsoft and Sony are only barely interested in.
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It's Far Cry that sucks, not the Wii. (Score:2)
Far Cry is one of the worst Wii titles available. You can't pick the crappies title and then extrapolate from that. I mean, most Gamecube games looked a lot b
*shrug* (Score:5, Insightful)
The plain and simple fact is that the Wii is doing spectacularly well for itself while the PS3 is receiving a slightly less enthusiastic reception. Only an idiot would turn around and say, "Yeah, we think Sony is going to turn things around and kick our asses."
Instead, they're going to fuel the flames by pointing to their indirect competitor over there. Hopefully at the expense of their biggest competition. Then Microsoft will ride the coattails of the Wii's success by repeating the "Wii60 For the Win!" jingle. A large portion of gamers already think they need both consoles, so why not go with it?
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I actually was going to post near exactly what you wrote, but instead, I'll just reaffirm your statement.
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Re:*shrug* (Score:5, Insightful)
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link [mercurynews.com]
Census Info [census.gov]
The facts are that there are approximately 100 Million households in the us, of which 40% own a working console
Now the PS2 has sold about 42 Million systems, the Gamecube has sold about 12 Million systems and the XBox sold about 16 Million systems in North America of which the bulk was in the United states. As a rough guestimate,
Intriguing. (Score:5, Interesting)
Of course, this could just be a bluff to drive Sony insane with the idea that they aren't even relevant to us anymore.
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Just because they're not trying to outmuscle PS3 and 360 in terms of graphics, don't mistake
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Remember the "Cola Wars" back in the 80's? OK, maybe you're not old enough, but there was a vicious campaign -- starting with The Pepsi Challenge -- between Coke and Pepsi. In the end, sales of both shot sky-high, and competing products -- Dr. Pepper, Shasta, Tab, RC, etc -- got drowned out in all the noise. Both compan
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Pfft, I miss Crystal Pepsi *and* preferred new Coke to classic. The market failed me.
I think the PS3 faces a few problems. First, they have this bundled Blu-Ray thing which is by no means a must-buy for everyone, but which every PS3 owner... well, must buy. Second, largely because of the first factor, their price point is much higher. Third, the architecture is simply less convenient for developers; it's not similar enough to the PS2 that you get a leg-up from history, an
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It seems to me that this stems from the fact that they are the only game console maker that has been in the business so long. They've seen competition change, come and go. Sega used to be a major competitor for Nintendo dollar, and now their games peacefully co-exist on the same se
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> marketshare is to be innovative and look at the
> market's unfulfilled potential.
Absolutely. But this is just so backwards of Sony and Microsoft; if you have other business for fallback, you have room to take much bigger and bolder risks. But they don't! They just incrementally improve to get a little more here and a little more there, while Nintendo is left to make the big leaps that change the way we think about games.
There are basically two ways
Same vs. Different (Score:4, Insightful)
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However, the features that it is missing are pretty key. Next generation DVDs, media readers, and something that people are too quick to overlook - a much better form factor.
It just plain looks better, there's no DVD tray, and there's no power brick. It's also a lot quieter. These are some things people look when buying brand A over brand B. Many people pay for quality, and the PS3 exudes more quality than the XBox 360.
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Are you kidding me? At first, yes, I thought the PS3 looked cool, but Nintendo and Microsoft have come up with some very ELEGENT looking consoles. The PS3 doesn't scream quality, it simply screams for attention. Compared to the 360 and Wii, the PS3 looks clunky and frivilous. The curved surfaces are nice enough, but then there's the edges, which are blocky and off-putting. We are entering a renniassance of the "form follows function" mentality. The iPod, DS, Wii, and 360 all have taken similar design trends
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Re:Same vs. Different (Score:5, Insightful)
1) "Will have" does not help now. Now, there is no compelling reason to have a PS3 over an Xbox 360.
2) We heard a lot of "will have" promises from Sony over the years leading up to the PS3 launch, many of which were broken. However unlikely strong Japanese support will be for the Xbox 360, there is always the market leader Wii (in Japan anyway) availible. We've already seen developers push back titles on the PS3, it's not impossible that some (even big names) might leave altogether if the PS3 doesn't gain momentum.
That was rather nitpicky of me, but I thought necessary.
Bad assumptions on sony's part (Score:5, Informative)
You don't need netcraft to tell you the PS3 is essentially stillborn. Their sales are 50% lower than expected [punchjump.com]. Right now Microsoft is beating Sony at it's own game (high end console for hardcore gamers) and Nintendo is running unopposed in it's niche (middle-end console for casual gamers).
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Re:Bad assumptions on sony's part (Score:5, Insightful)
Am I saying this means Sony is going to win? No. But it is way too early to call this. What I will say though, is that if Microsoft writes off Sony at this point, Sony is going to eat their lunch and Microsoft will end up in third place again. Sony has far too much in terms of resources to be written off this early in the game. Microsoft isn't used to playing with people its own size.
Wait a year, then we'll have a reasonable idea of who might win.
Also, I think your point #1 is wrong. The PS3 is supposed to be what plows HD-DVD into the ground. They're not counting on Blu-Ray to make the PS3 successful. It's the other way around. Blu-Ray can fail without the PS3 failing.
Re:Bad assumptions on sony's part (Score:5, Insightful)
Sort of, but it would be a huge blow to the PS3. Sony was counting on the PS3 to drive Blu-Ray into homes. Incorporating Blu-Ray into the PS3 was the primary reason Sony was having in getting their product to market. Blu-Ray is one of the primary reasons the PS3 costs $600 instead of something more competitive, or, it is the primary reason Sony is losing money on every PS3.
If Blu-Ray fails, it will be because of a lack of market penetration. And if Blu-Ray doesn't have a large user base, then that directly correlates to the PS3 not having a large user base.
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Yes, but driving Blu-Ray into homes won't guarantee it's success. Look at how many people had DiVX capable DVD players, and that still failed horribly.
If Blu-Ray fails, it will be because of a lack of market penetration.
Here I think you are wrong. I think that Blu-Ray could fail for plenty of other reasons, and I think that the most likely rea
Re:Bad assumptions on sony's part (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh how quickly people forget. Remember the 360 launch? It sucked. Hard. The sales pace made the PS3 look like a champ.
I don't know anything about the 360 launch, but there's a big difference between now and a year ago. A year ago the 360 was the only next-gen console on the market. Not having a great launch didn't matter as much since what are the people hungering for a new console going to do? They either already own the PS2, or have a XBox. In short, Microsoft doesn't lose much from a poor launch.
A year later and a PS3 launch failure hurts Sony a LOT more. Why? Because all three consoles next-gen consoles are now out, so Sony has more competition to worry about. Can't get/afford a PS3? Well the XBOX 360 is available, a good replacement for the PS3 (with the promise of a second generation of games coming out for it too). Or maybe you have the XBox and are looking for something new.. well, the Wii is real cheap, and it's fun and different than the XBox.
But it is way too early to call this. What I will say though, is that if Microsoft writes off Sony at this point, Sony is going to eat their lunch and Microsoft will end up in third place again.
Sure, maybe Sony will perform some miracle comeback and sweep the competition. But if this were a baseball game, the score would be 5-0 in the bottom of the second inning. Unless Microsoft really screws up, it's looking like Sony is going to lose this game.
I also wouldn't take what Bill Gates says to the press as a reflection of what he believes. If you were him, wouldn't you try to say Sony has already lost (and hopefully discourage people from buying PS3s)?
Re:Bad assumptions on sony's part (Score:4, Insightful)
However, the Xbox360 launch had several characteristics I think are important to note.
1) Preorders were not filled out until Spring. It was completely impossible to get an Xbox360 from an actual store even into March.
2) There were many PS3/Revolution hold outs at the time, who put off buying a 360 assuming that the PS3 would be significantly and undeniably better in every way, or that the Revolution would simply be amazing. There was a spike in 360 sales during the summer following E3.
Regardless, the Xbox 360 launch was bumpy, but it had the grace that there was no competition to capitalize on the blunders. This is not true now, and will make the ordeal harder (but not impossible) for Sony.
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By sucking hard, you mean it was sold out and not on stores shelves till early summer/late spring 06. I can go down to the bestbuy and buy a ps3 right now. I tried to buy wii, and they told me good luck even though they get a shipment in every week. Scalpers camp the retailers and ebay the wiis for double the price. You can get a ps3 at cost on ebay.
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Except that it didn't.
According to NPD's US numbers: Sony shipped 197,000 PS3s at launch. In contrast, Microsoft shipped 326,000 xboxes at launch.
The 360's sales pace has far outperformed the PS3.
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Microsoft didn't hit 1,000,000 in sales until the end of February. Sony hit 1,000,000 at the end of December. The 360 launched earlier in the year than the PS3 did.
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No. I was comparing November numbers, not day 1. Microsoft hit 1 million well before february. In fact, MS sold 2.5 million by the end of february according to NPD.
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PS3 doesn't have any killer apps right now. Of the games out, the only one I hear about is Resistance, and even then its not a must have title. We'll have to wait and see what kind of exclusives Sony can pull out. MGS4 and FFXIII will move units, I'm sure.
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Neither Square nor Kojami have proven to be especially loyal to any one company (Square, especially, which already seems to be jumping ship). I'm just waiting for the day, 6 months down the line, when Square announces that they've been working on a 360 version of FF13. It would simply be Final Fantasy 7 all over again, with previews and press releases about it's exclusivity on the N64, only to freak out when Nintendo chose the wrong media format (sound familiar?) and switch providers.
Think about it, it wo
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Given the nature of Final Fantasy (lots of cutscenes, beautiful graphics, needs more space), I'd imagine that PS3 is the more natural platform. At least that would follow the N64->Playstation pattern, since they left the N64 platform due to a lack of space.
DQ is bigger in Japan, though, and thats going to the DS. It'll be interesting to see if rpg developers jump ship o
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Well, FF12 was still only one disc (surprisingly), and we went up to four discs (FF8 & FF9), and noone really had any complaints at all about that (actually, I sorta miss the multi-disc days). FF13, even being HD, I can't imagine being more than 2 or 3 times the size of FF12. We've already started seeing 2DVD RPGs... even though I believe most of them to be due to incredibly bad organization on the part of the developer. Why the hell is Grandia III on 2 DVDs, when it has practically NO FMVs, while FF12
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Also, I think your point #1 is wrong. The PS3 is supposed to be what plows HD-DVD into the ground. They're not counting on Blu-Ray to make the PS3 successful. It's the other way around. Blu-Ray can fail without the PS3 failing.
You are forgetting something here. If the PS3 succeeds and Blu-ray fails, Sony is in trouble, because the huge subsidies for each PS3 sale were not made for the sake of game sales alone. If they were, the PS3 would be bet
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I don't buy this. BluRay drives won't be expensive to produce for very long. Within a 18 months, BluRay readers will be in the $40-$50 range just like DVD drives were 18 months after they were released at $500 (Yes, BluRay drives only cost $500... That's for a burner). Sony would hav
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1)Microsoft gives you the option of adding on HD-DVD for more money. Most people are probably fine paying less and not getting HD. Soney doesn't give you that option. You want a PS3? You get a BR player.
2)Since they have one anyway (wanted or not) PS3 owners buy BR disks rather than conventional DVDs (after all, they paid for it, why not use it).
3)Forced early adoption of BR by gamers r
Logic Flaw (Score:2)
To 90%+ of consumers, a Bluray disc and DVD disc are pretty much the same thing. Why would they spend 50% more money for the Bluray disc when a DVD can be had for less money? Sony is yelling "HD! 1080p!" at the top of their lungs, but it's mostly falling on deaf ears.
I remember when DVDs came out. The early adopters and videophiles g
Re: Why is a PSWii better than a Wii60 ? (Score:2)
As a Wii60 owner I disagree, but I'm curious as to why you feel the PSWii is better. The Wii is bar none the best for Local multiplayer fun, and the fact that my retired parents want one is unprecidented.
The 360's biggest selling point for me is X-Box Live. It is a great system and worlds beyond what Sony (or Nintendo) are offering for Free. I also have some Hi-Def content to go with my HDT
Ah PWii , not PSWii ... over a Wii60.... (Score:2)
I hear ya. Especially with the simple graphics of WiiSports, I get totally immersed in Boxing, or Tennis. Personally I hope there are some good RTS's for the Wii to replace my PC gaming simply because my couch beats my computer chair every time. I'm not asking for the world either; StarCraft on the PC was 48
Good one Bill (Score:5, Funny)
Great news... (Score:2)
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Perhaps the current high end 360 will become the "core" though? Include a game like Nintendo does? Who knows. However you slice it, don't expect the price to change, only what comes in the box.
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Implementation of such a hardware change would have started many months ago. Back when Nintendo still didn't register on Microsoft's radar.
The incentives to add HDMI (which costs a pretty penny, mind you)
It's only expensive because of the DRM, and I believe HDCP is already implemented inside the graphics chip for the 360 anyway... This means that the sign
What's the context? (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm inclined to agree (Score:3, Interesting)
Japan.
Microsoft has been making substantial attempts to push it's X-box 360 in Japan, which it is sevearly deficient in. Latest word indicates Nintendo is the force to contend with in Japan, with the Wii beating out Sony's machine. Microsoft is in a position to ride the wave of the Wii's big splash down in Japan by touting itself as the true 'middle of the road' best deal console. Microsoft realises if it wants to succeed in Japan, it's not the hardware, it's the games; specifically Japanese games. They'll face major competition as they try to sweep up Japanese developers with Nintendo looking for the same.
Like others have already said (Score:5, Insightful)
1. Nintendo has (for the most part) enjoyed good success in japan
2. The DS and DS lite are a legal drug in japan
3. The original Xbox did bad in japan, and one couldn't reasonably expect the 360 to do differently there
4. The 360 definately has an american "feel" to it, if you know what I mean. I don't mean it's cheap or anything, what I mean is by the way the console itself looks and controls, and by the way the interface looks and controls, and by the FEELING of the games...I dunno, it just seems more like a console that is aimed at american gamers moreso than anyone else.
5. Microsoft is an american company, and it's no secret that american culture is both loved and hated in japan.
6. Nintendo is japanese in it's origins...kinda like buying a book from a local mom-and-pop rather than amazon.
various other reasons as well...keep in mind these are only my opinions and from what I have seen...I've been gaming since the commodore 64 days, so I figure my opinion has to have at least SOME kind of value, right? Or not...whatever. Suffice it to say, these are my opinions and nothing more. Dissect them to your heart's content.
Japan loves RPGs (Score:3, Insightful)
However, Blue Dragon may seems to be having an impact. According to this article [risingsunofnihon.com], it sold 80K copies in its first week and increased XBox360 sales over 500% that week vs the previous week. It's not that the XBox is American, it's that the XBox has Halo and the PS2 had Final Fantasy.
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Square produced for the NES and helped solidify Nintendo's winning lead with the SNES, giving Nintendo 2 generations of dominance. Square was poised to release FFVII on the N64. After promising this, even after the release of the N64, Square pulled away and put it out on the Playstation. In Japan, Sony was really struggling to hold market share against Sega. Sony was the underdog of this generation and this decision pretty much gave Sony the edge they needed to win the generation. Th
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Oh, I wouldn't doubt it in the least... in fact, I'm just sitting around waiting for a 360 announcement of FF13. The way I see it, it's pretty much inevitable.
Basically, where Square goes, Japan will follow, including the rest of the RPG-centered developers. They know that. The 360 is cheaper, which means that if it is successful, Square stand to sell a lot more units of their games. Final Fantasy is absolutely huge in the US, as well, which looks to be going totally 360. They don't have a lot to lose by
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If FFXII doesn't switch, they can't/won't switch FFXIII...simply because they'd be splitting a series across multiple systems in the same generation. That would cause more of a backlash than just switching consoles, imo.
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5. Microsoft is an american company, and it's no secret that american culture is both loved and hated in japan.
6. Nintendo is japanese in it's origins...kinda like buying a book from a local mom-and-pop rather than amazon.
This feels so odd to me actually thinking about that. I don't even think of Nintendo or Sony as "foreign" companies. They are as part of my US culture as McDonalds, Dr. Pepper, Walmart and made in China. I just don't even thi
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I grew up with video games and would have been classed as a hard core gamer growing up though I considered myself and my family more as causal gamers more than anything. We only rented one game every other weekend. We only bought 2-3 games on Christmas and maybe 1
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Do your kids eat, or are they LiIon models that plug into the wall overnight?
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Do your kids eat, or are they LiIon models that plug into the wall overnight?
LiIon would only slow my kids down. My kid off something stronger than fusion: pasta, hamburger helper, or corndogs. DDR is also dinner time entertainment and keeping the kids out of mom's hair while food is being fixed. We only have one pad so only one person isn't eating at any given time. I grew up
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Re: Bah, who needs to be "informed"... (Score:2)
Welcome to Slashdot! You'll fit right in.
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Right. Japanese always favor Japanese companies, either out of national pride or economic reasons (given mostly equal products). Americans do not favor American companies in the same way, unfortunately. Now I'm not advocating jingoism, but I've always been under the impression that like voting, the most impact you make with the dollars you spend are those spent close to home.
Also, American cars are
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Re:Like others have already said (Score:4, Interesting)
A case that is always trotted out is American cars; why don't the Japanese buy them? It's pretty simple, really: they are not feasible in Japan. Have you ever been on a street in a major area of Tokyo? Except for major thoroughfares, most roads are a single lane, with a small green strip marked for pedestrians; these single lanes are only a bit bigger than half a lane on a standard American side street. It doesn't matter if America is making the best cars in the world; if it doesn't fit on the road, it's worthless. Something people usually ignore is the sales of other foreign auto manufacturers in Japan; you won't have any trouble at all finding a Mercedes Benz, a Volkswagen, a Volvo, a BWM, or a Mini in Japan. It's a hard pill to swallow, but it's true: our product is inferior; it ignores the conditions of the market.
Another case is the XBox; it had a fundamental design flaw in that there was no battery to maintain clock time, so if there was a power outtage or it was unplugged, it lost it's date/time settings. Not a big deal, right? Who unplugs their consoles when they're not in use? The Japanese do: they do this with most appliances to save electricity, and usually store video game consoles away when they're not being played. What seems to be a small issue suddenly becomes incredibly frustrating; how would you like it if everytime you want to play a game, an "Enter the date and time" screen pops up?
If American companies are going to become internationally viable, they have to get over this idea that we're the only ones in the world. We need to continue to innovate, even if we are already the leader in a field. We need to be more culturally understanding of other nations, and not try to force our mindset on them just because it works for us. Actually, maybe our overall foreign policy should incroporate these ideas too. ^_^
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Maybe I'm too much of a gearhead and I focus on cars too much. Still, our massive trade deficit is depressing.
I do disagree on the Japanese car versus road size issue. Europe has the same problem but American cars do okay there (not great, but okay).
Regarding jobs (other comment)... well, I for one welcome our Japanese overlords. :) That's just how it seems to me when people say "Joe Assembly Line w
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GM? Vauxhall / Opel and 'Chevrolet' (Daewoo), completely different model range.
Ford? Still Ford, but the only shared lines is the Ranger.
Chrysler? Tiny player over here. Jeeps sell but that's about it.
US cars emphatically do _not_ sell well in Europe. Few particularly bother even trying.
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Maybe 20 years ago, but nowadays Japan is really just another Europe. The market you want to score nowadays is the huge North American one. This is why we see things like the Nintendo DS being released on this side of the Pacific first (bundled with a Metroid demo... Metroid:North America::Dragon Quest:Japan).
Nintendo has kept their focus on North America since Donkey Kong (written to increase cabinet sales in North America), it w
360 and Wii don't compete (Score:4, Insightful)
The Xbox 360 and the Wii have completely different paradigms. The Xbox 360 is about ultra realistic graphics, fast paced driving and brutal violence in which strangers are humiliated through Xbox Live. The Wii is about fun games that often can involve friends and family. One is not better than the other, they are simply very different. Which is better: a car or a sheep? On the other hand, the PS3 and Xbox 360 are trying to fill the same purpose. Unless you feel the SIXAXIS feature of the PS3 is equivalent to the Wiimote's functionality.
Sony thought the console market was theirs. They believed they owned it. They felt that they could abuse the loyalty of the gamer market by winning the high definition video disc market on the backs of their customers. They think that the average Sony customer will work their fingers to the bone to buy their console at its outrageous price. Remember, the PS2 started at a price of $300. Since the PS3 is $600, will the PS4 be $900 or $1200? Oddly enough, in the upper middle class area in which I live, the PS3s are not flying off the shelves.
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You mean, like Rockstar's Table Tennis, Viva Pinata, Marble Blast, Uno, ... ?
While the "family friendly" Wii has (a rather brutal) RayMan, Red Steel, Call Of Duty... ?
The Wii is about accessibility first, not about being family friendly. (It's just that the people who demand accessibility don't play too many of the gore-y titles)
You're half-right (Score:2)
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From that context I guess the car is for "fast paces driving and brutal violence", and the sheep is for "fun games that often can involve friends and family".
You sick bastard.
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Gates is good at marketing and sales (Score:3, Interesting)
That plus the Nintendo Wii is selling way more consoles and games in Japan, according to an article I just read in the New York Times [nytimes.com] in the tech section.
Ahem. (Score:2)
Halo DS was a hoax (Score:2)
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As always, it's the games (Score:2)
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The hype behind the Wii is a combination of Microsoft being unremarkable (note to the reader: this is not synonym to "
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The REAL question..... (Score:2)
The truth is, I can name about 20 great Nintendo games, and fewer than 2 great Microsoft ones.
It's not really about the console wars. It's about who has the funnest games.
I'm amused that any arm chair pundits would even consider Microsoft OR Sony as competition to Miyamoto. They simply aren't.
rhY
Stratigicly, very interesting... (Score:2, Flamebait)
Who knows what Gates is trying to accomplish by admitting this, but obviously, the statement wouldn't have been made if it didn't help microsoft. This statement only helps to legitimize the Wii as a successful console, which, at first glance, doesn't seem like something a "competitor" would want to have happen. The bottom line is, Nintendo is not Microsoft's main competition, simply because no competitor would help to legitimize his competitions accomplishments. Obviously, they don't view the Wii as much of
It's always prettier with pictures.... (Score:2)
Those seem to mirror what I read on other sites. Wii coming up on 3 to 1 over PS3 in units sold.
Maybe MS is also thinking "Gee, those guys who put the fun in the box are doing pretty good.. aren't these supposed to be fun?!?"
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Meh. The biggest boom in PSP popularity lately is DarkAlex's firmwares. That's not exactly a sign of success.
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because the original GBA sucked, so I didn't get it. They HAD to come out with a new one that was visible on a subway, or airplane (I baught an SP right after it came out because I had a 14 hour plane ride the next day).
The DS was to big to fit in my pocket, so I never got one. The DS lite is much better so I have it (though I still use the SP if I am not wearing a coat).
The people who had their needs bet by the GBA or the DS lost nothing by the new version coming out,