Topic: The smartest person on the Internet

[Deguello]

It may be a little too much kool-aid to drink at once, but what they're doing with the Wii really reminds me of what they did with the NES... only now they got to the market before it crashed, not after.

Bingo.

[BeautifulShy]

Malstrom has a new blog entry here
It is about the iphone.

[Mashiro]

"Second, the Wii is still sold out in the United States. The i-Phone is still quite available. "

I lol'ed

[Nick DiMola]

Really, the iPhone isn't going to compete with the DS? Thank you captain obvious. I wonder if he put up any thoughts on the n-Gage when that came out.

[KDR_11k]

Well, if it was so obvious it doesn't why did some people keep repeating it?

[Nick DiMola]

Well, if it was so obvious it doesn't why did some people keep repeating it?

Because Apple fanboys are insane.

[Mashiro]

Actually lets be fair, some people don't even know how many DS's have been sold worldwide.

In fact, my friend and I had a similar "techie" discussion about the iPhone vs the DS. It ended once I wiki'ed the sales numbers of the DS.

Outside of the nintendo fan camp those numbers aren't that well know.

But yeah saying the iPhone is competition to the DS is like saying PS3 is competition to the *insert console name here*.

[KDR_11k]

It's like saying the PC is competition to the Wii. The iPhone was designed for a completely different market.

[Ceric]

Actually lets be fair, some people don't even know how many DS's have been sold worldwide.

In fact, my friend and I had a similar "techie" discussion about the iPhone vs the DS. It ended once I wiki'ed the sales numbers of the DS.

Outside of the nintendo fan camp those numbers aren't that well know.

But yeah saying the iPhone is competition to the DS is like saying PS3 is competition to the *insert console name here*.

Actually by my understanding the PS3 is doing better everywhere but the US.  I say the iPhone is a bigger competitor to the PSP.

[Flames_of_chaos]

Actually lets be fair, some people don't even know how many DS's have been sold worldwide.

In fact, my friend and I had a similar "techie" discussion about the iPhone vs the DS. It ended once I wiki'ed the sales numbers of the DS.

Outside of the nintendo fan camp those numbers aren't that well know.

But yeah saying the iPhone is competition to the DS is like saying PS3 is competition to the *insert console name here*.

Actually by my understanding the PS3 is doing better everywhere but the US.  I say the iPhone is a bigger competitor to the PSP.

PS3 is actually doing fine in every region Ceric it kept beating the 360 in NA and in some parts of Europe on a month to month basis. PS3 sales are slow in Japan, it's barely outselling the PS2.

[KDR_11k]

I'm not sure I'd call that fine though.

[Flames_of_chaos]

Well KDR it's selling at a steady pace and I'm sure Sony is happy with that especially how they fumbled badly at launch and the first half of 2007.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Yeah they're happy to sell at all.

[DAaaMan64]

It's like saying the PC is competition to the Wii. The iPhone was designed for a completely different market.

Nice, I agree.

[Mashiro]

I'm behind with the times, PS3 jokes are outdated haha.

[KnowsNothing]

I don't feel like reading the articles or this thread, because they are both way too long.  Does this make me a casual gamer?

[Nick DiMola]

Nope it makes you someone who knows better than getting into this disaster of a debate.

[Flames_of_chaos]

I don't feel like reading the articles or this thread, because they are both way too long.  Does this make me a casual gamer?

It makes you know that malstrom's posts are full of convoluted crap that runs around in circles instead of making his point in a simple fashion.

[Djunknown]

Because all fanboys are insane.

Fixed. 

Latest blog talks about VC releases.

Destructioid provides a rebuttal.

[SixthAngel]

Latest blog talks about VC releases.

Destructioid provides a rebuttal.

Not really a rebuttal, it is more like a fanboy reaction to the games not releasing.  He didn't even mention the malstrom post.

Malstrom actually talks about the reasons behind each scenario.  He also doesn't totally discount either one but just shows the evidence for both.  Destructoid just says one explanation is "stupid" then whines about Nintendo as was their desire.

His comment about not gaining freedom but instead having the console become the store is a good one.  Third-parties might be wary to jump on the digital distribution bandwagon in the future because it gives the console maker complete power over them.

New colors are inevitable for the Wii so that wouldn't really be a big surprise or much of a prediction.  It has been the length of time that it usually takes to make colored consoles and they always get released in Japan first.  When Nintendo wants to give their systems a boost releasing a new color has always been the answer for them.

[KDR_11k]

He's just saying it's time for a boost now.

[KDR_11k]

The "PC gaming is dying" article is kinda weak, he presents two pieces of evidence (shelf space shrinking, small number of big name companies making exclusives) and then goes off on yet another strawman hardcore talk about "undisruptable markets". Yes, yes we know markets can be disrupted. The problem is with the evidence. The shelf space for PC games isn't shrinking. Only few big-name companies making exclusives applies to the Wii too (Nintendo being the only one and no big exclusives upcoming, especially for the "new market") and that market is perfectly healthy. Sure, the Wii has many smaller exclusives but the PC has tons of those too, noone cares about them.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

It wasn't his usual hate-inducing performance, but it was blog post, not an article, afterall.

He specifies the "retail box" PC game market is shrinking.  The days of boxed PC games commanding retail space and walk-in-customer attention have been rolling downhill here.  Shelf space for PC games IS shrinking here (consider what country is shaping his perspective, and not counting online retail).

The major outlets here for buying PC games would be small specialty stores like GameStop, big electronics/media dealers like Best Buy, and the more localized everywhere-casual-markets like Target and Wal-Mart.  In my town, Target/Wal-Mart PC game selection rivals their PSP selection.  Best Buy isn't a great indicator since they carry lots of 'everything' no matter what.  But the hardcorest niche that is GameStop is really interesting since PC games don't even have space *on the wall* anymore.  A sign of decline?  At a glance, 50% of wall space used for new games, and the other 50% is used for pre-owned games, including last-generation systems (which apparently bring in more business than contemporary PC offerings).

[KDR_11k]

Well, yeah, in America it's shrinking. In America you alledgedly can't even rent PC games.

Sure, Gamestop has small PC sections here too but I think that's more because of their motives: They want to deal mostly in used games and PC games don't make for good used games with their CD keys. Obviously slapping a large used games section on every console's space will make it larger than the PC's space.

[UltimatePartyBear]

I don't know how you could rent PC games anymore than you could deal in used ones thanks to the advent of CD keys, but I don't remember ever seeing PC games for rent even before then.

Gamestop shelf space isn't a useful metric for anything.  The place to check the health of PC gaming is Wal-Mart, where they have as much shelf space dedicated to PC games as they do any other current platform.  It's just not behind the glass.  My local Target actually dedicates more space to PC games than any console, but they're on the other side of the DVD section from the console games.  It is clearly worth it to these stores to use this shelf space for PC games.  It's just the dedicated game stores that don't find it worthwhile, but I think that's demonstrative of a problem with dedicated game stores instead.