Topic: Matt is Back

[Ceric]

Over at IGN Matt has and Editorial

It's about the non-obvious things that Nintendo has done wrong and right.  It also shows his frustration.  It's a good read.  I do wholesale disagree on his take on the price.

[Spak-Spang]

I read most of those complaints and successes.  And some of them are completely valid, and a few are just really pointless.

But, it is an interesting read dispite that.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Quote
Originally posted by: Spak-Spang
I read most of those complaints and successes.  And some of them are completely valid, and a few are just really pointless.

But, it is an interesting read dispite that.

I disagree with the control price since he seems to ignore that Xbox 360's isn't much less than nunchuck/wiimote combo. In addition to that I feel the lack media advertisements is minor and my guess it will start kicking in full bore soon. Nintendo doesn't have the financial resources to stretch out advertising like Sony so I think it is best they wait until the last minute, besides you don't need that much advertising until the system is about to come out.

[Spak-Spang]

Exactly.  

Its like politics and elections.

You can spend money advertising who you are months before an election, but people do not pay attention until a month before the election.

You can spend tons of money hyping a system before it is out...but the longer people wait the more disinterested they become.  Nintendo would do very well doing a media blitz in November appearing everywhere for 2 weeks before launch than to waste time and money now.  

The controllers are some of the most advanced controllers on the market for electronic games.  Sure some of the PC flight controllers are more advanced, but these controllers are sweet.  And that comes with a price.  $40.00 is less than an Xbox 360 controller...and for many games that will be enough for a time.  True you do have to buy each additional attachment, but $60.00 is not that bad.  

Matt also complained about price of the system.  I would argue that $250.00 is very general market in today's society and economy.  Look at what people are spending for MP3 players (Ipods), televisions, and electronics in general.  The sticker prices for anything are in the hundreds of dollars and people are buying them.  And $250.00 is a great priced compared to the other systems.  Microsoft is $400.00 (The core model is not a 360)...and the PS3 is $600.00 (ditto, the "core" system is not a PS3).  

The complaint about media not getting games to review before deadlines is a fair complaint.  But has Sony provided that for the media?  NO.  Did Microsoft provide that for the media when it launched?  I don't think so.  The fact is launch games are being prepped until the very last minute...its what makes launch games so difficult to pull off, and Matt is complaining about something that is not an irregularity but a regularity.

Finally, Matt AGAIN!!!!  complains about HD graphics and such.  I am sorry.  Get over it.  Drop it.  It isn't happening...it was never going to happen.  And it isn't a big deal to drop DVD support either.  Geez, its just a stupid losing complaint from somebody that should have more to do with his time.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Spak you have a good point in regards to the media not getting games, I think this is because there is alot of polishing still left to do and they want to focus on that.

[King of Twitch]

Am I crazy or was the last paragraph edited. I agree with the secret Zelda/adverts complaint. One, they've been sitting on Zelda for a year, and as to the political comparison, even politicians campaign/give more than 2 speeches throughout the entire year. It sounds too much like the Gamecube 2001 strategy, for example the first print ads weren't spotted until 10/10/2001.  

[couchmonkey]

Yeah, I would like to see more exposure for Zelda.  Wii Sports may have more impact on Wii in the long run...but Zelda is what us early adopters want.

The system price - I'm not crazy about it but I've gotten over it and I totally disagree with the claim that it's not a "mainstream" price.  It's $50 less than cheapo 360, PS2, and Xbox were in their time periods.  It's not a cheap price, but it's very much mainstream.  The controller prices are still awfully high, but seeing as I plan to buy three anyway, I can't say they're too high with any conviction.  They're just high enough for me to regret buying three, but not high enough to actually stop me.

Nintendo getting review games and systems to the media...this seems more like a personal complaint than anything else.  (I want my Wii NOW!)  From Nintendo's point of view, as long as a few key games are reviewed before launch day it doesn't matter if the others fall by the wayside.  Maybe that'll anger some third parties, but the system and the games are still going to sell.

Advertising...it's about time for Nintendo to get started, but I don't think comparisons to GameCube are totally fair. The difference is, Nintendo (A) has tons of free media publicity already - Matt even says so, and (B) Nintendo isn't competing against similar systems this time, so there's less need to "fight" via marketing.  

[SixthAngel]

He brings up some good points but it is mostly opinion.

I don't like how he complains how HE hasn't been able to play any more of Zelda.  How would allowing people like him a few more levels help the game at all?  It certainly doesn't need the hype and the levels and demos released have given an impression of the game like they are supposed to.  Full reviews of games should come out when the full games come out.

[Artimus]

Decent read, fair overall. But nothing that controversial.

He was, however, the only channel-specific IGN editor to make GamingBiz's list of the best journalists in gaming. Not that it's necessarily true, but it does show that he gives a high profile to Nintendo which is good.

[Pittbboi]

Interesting read, I agree for the most part.

Nintendo should have started the advertising a while ago. It's not a big deal to us, but we're not exactly the "mainstream." The very fact that we're on this website proves that we know too much to be considered "mainstream." Most of my friends aren't into video games, and they know little next to nothing about the Wii. Heck, even after the Fusion Tour came to my college they still don't know much about it. Like it or not, that affects sales....especially impulse sales.

And I couldn't agree more with the price. I mean, Wii is the cheapest console this gen, and while it's definitely more expensive than even Nintendo fans thought it would be, it's still widely considered to still be in the "fair" range. However, it is NOT in the "impulse buy" range, which is what Nintendo wanted. Especially considering all you have to buy for it to make use of it's multiplayer games. That, combined with the lack of advertising , pretty much means that it's not going to break into the non-gamer market for a minute.

[wandering]

The article is surprisingly non-ridiculous, though I don't agree that Nintendo keeping Zelda under-wraps is a bad thing.

Quote
Like it or not, that affects sales....especially impulse sales.

Making plans to buy something a month in advance isn't exactly what I'd call impulse buying...  

[Pittbboi]

it's not about making plans. It's about having it in your mind.  A lot of people who don't have much interest in games are going to have PS3 stuck on the brain because it's everywhere.

Don't get me wrong, I think Nintendo has done more good than bad with the Wii. But there are still too many people who don't know about it.

[Ceric]

If people can buy an iPod on a whim they can buy a Wii on a whim just as well.

[Pittbboi]

Well, I honestly don't know too many people buying iPods on a whim, and I know a lot of people who have/want iPods.

But even then...iPods are for music. Just about everyone listens to music.

Not everyone plays video games, and those are the people Nintendo wants to reach out to.

I mean, by that logic everyone could just buy an Xbox 360 on a whim, it doesn't cost much more.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Quote
Originally posted by: Pittbboi
Well, I honestly don't know too many people buying iPods on a whim, and I know a lot of people who have/want iPods.

But even then...iPods are for music. Just about everyone listens to music.

Not everyone plays video games, and those are the people Nintendo wants to reach out to.

I mean, by that logic everyone could just buy an Xbox 360 on a whim, it doesn't cost much more.

I still think you don't need to a mass marketing blitz until a couple weeks out when you will most likely sell out of your first shipment on launch day. The most important time to market is if and when you have systems available in the store.

[Nick DiMola]

I agree wholeheartedly with VG. All of the launch units are already spoken for. Us hardcore fans will snatch all of them up and it is up to the new gamers Nintendo wants to attract to keep the ball rolling. If there is one thing Nintendo has done masterfully with the Wii, is kept a strict schedule of when they wanted people to know things by to create enormous hype over the product. Every gamer in this world, at this point, sees potential in Nintendo. That alone is worth more than you think. On top of having all the gamers out there all revved up, like Matt said, the media is buzzing for the Wii. It's on must have lists at many different stores and has caught the eye of probably every major magazine/newspaper publication in America. Believe it or not people know about the Wii.

I would bet my right arm that Nintendo starts blasting advertisements 1 week or 2 weeks before launch. This brings us in a time frame where people will keep the system in mind until the release date. At release alot of people won't get one which will create frenzy. The frenzy will be perpetuated through Christmas at which point Nintendo will have sold every unit shipped or close to it.

PS - I'm tired of the price argument. $250 with everything needed in the box is an OUTSTANDING value. Don't believe me, ask your average American mom what they think of that price as a gift for their kids.

[couchmonkey]

Again on the price: PSX and PS2, two of the most mainstream system ever, came out at $299.99.  Wii's price is totally mainstream and the only reason gamers argue that it isn't is because we don't think the technical components are worth that much.  But Wii isn't a tech machine, it's an entertainment machine.

I do have to say I worry that the price should have been more aggressive.  That said, it seems clear that a more aggressive price would do nothing this Christmas, Wii will sell out either way.  Nintendo could do a price drop first thing in the new year if it really had to, but I doubt it will.

I think the positive reaction from the media and gamers overshadows most of the other points in this article.  People like it - a lot.  Not much else matters.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

If Wii is successful, don't count on a price drop.

[JonLeung]

I can understand people's complaints that they think the Wii is $50 too high from an impulse-purchase-for-the-masses perspective.  But from any individual who wants one, you're most likely going to get it ANYWAY and it's a one-time thing.  It's not like the Wii is likely to break every year and you feel like you're going to be continuously charged $50 more than you think you should each time.

No one at Nintendo said it would be under $200 in the first place, it's still a deal compared to the other next-gen consoles, it'll still sell out at launch, it makes sense that Nintendo would want to profit as well as give stores a decent mark-up, it allows for the possibility (however slim or not) of price drops in the future, and quite frankly, you don't have a choice.  Still gonna whine that it's too much?  Then don't buy it.  Someone else will.

If you only have a minimum wage job, boo-hoo, take one extra shift.  That should cover the difference.

[Spak-Spang]

You know, I find it amazing people are still complaining about the price and the lack of HD.  

People that arguement is over with, and really quite pointless.  The simple fact is, that the price IS what it is.  And if Nintendo is able to supply the stated units for this year, AND it sells out.  (which is should) Nintendo will have one of the fastest selling consoles in history...and that will be amazing.  From a developers point of view Nintendo could very well have a market of 9 million units sold by March.  That is a huge number...and I would suspect that it will AT LEAST double by Christmas 2007.  18 Million in 1 year would be a great success.

I am positive we will eventually get a price cut.  It will happen to compete against Microsoft's eventual price cut.  When the Premium edition of Xbox 360 is $299.99 and the Core system doesn't exist on the market anymore...we will see the Wii sell for $199.99 and that is still a great bargain.  The $250.00 price is a great price already.  You are getting the console, a free game, and a free web browser...and people complain.

Oh well.  Such is life.

[Ceric]

Quote
Originally posted by: Pittbboi
Well, I honestly don't know too many people buying iPods on a whim, and I know a lot of people who have/want iPods.

But even then...iPods are for music. Just about everyone listens to music.

Not everyone plays video games, and those are the people Nintendo wants to reach out to.

I mean, by that logic everyone could just buy an Xbox 360 on a whim, it doesn't cost much more.

I do now people and they live in Tennessee where we make no money.  I also now people who will buy a 360 on a whim.  Though it's more likely with an iPod.
Yeah I always preface there different markets but if you look at them with only price, which you have to if you base your decision and argument only on price, they are the same.

Thanks for the support on the price thing being tired everyone.

Now there was something else I wanted to say. I remember now.  On the price drop.  It will happen when hardware unit sales start to slip, and they eventually will with saturation.  Nintendo could be selling software like nobodies business at the time it happens too.