Wii is a revolutionary “weapon of mass destruction”

Remember when the Wii was called the Revolution? But what’s in a name? A rose by any other rose still smells as sweet, and a revolution, even if it sounds like wee, is still a revolution. Why?

Well, let’s start with the debate: gameplay or graphics? Oh, the Wii fanboys get mad at analysts whenever they say that the Wii’s graphics are not in general as spectacular as those of Xbox 360 games or the PS3 vids we’ve seen so far. But, let’s be fair, isn’t there a bit of truth to this? As Keith Stuart of the “Guardian” says, “Screenshots of launch games like Call of Duty 3 and Excite Truck reveal jagged polygons and mediocre distance drawing.”

But Nintendo isn’t banking on just graphics! Do you hear that, all you analysts and marketing people and advertising people and whatever? The Nintendo Wii’s strongest selling point is not graphics!

It was never about having far better graphics than the competition (decent graphics, maybe, but not “the bestest ever”). It was never about having billions of polygons or megatons of power. Instead, it has always been about being smaller and using less power and being sleeker than the competition. And that, people, is why some people are afraid that the Wii is a real revolution.

Why are they afraid? Keith Stuart reminds us of when the Roman Empire was sacked by the barbarians. And for him, the barbarians are already at the gates: women and older people (yes, Nintendo wants the middle-aged market to buy games and platforms). It’s a bit melodramatic, but gaming empires may be at risk. Like the empire of young men: “My wife will figure out how to use this device as quickly as I do,” joked Stuart, “For many men this is a terrifying prospect.”

In the end, it’s always been about that little Wii remote, the Wiimote.

A Japanese gaming company is putting all its hopes and dreams into one little controller. Not graphics but gameplay. That’s a revolution in marketing. And there may be consequences.

According to Laurent Detoc of Ubisoft, he believes the Wii can help Ubisoft beat EA. The barbarians are at the gates. As Stuart said, the Wii is a weapon of mass destruction: “An immense power vacuum is looming. Terror, catastrophe and motion-sensing gaming await.”

Remember when the Wii was called the Revolution? But what’s in a name? A rose by any other rose still smells as sweet, and a revolution, even if it sounds like wee, is still a revolution. Why?

Well, let’s start with the debate: gameplay or graphics? Oh, the Wii fanboys get mad at analysts whenever they say that the Wii’s graphics are not in general as spectacular as those of Xbox 360 games or the PS3 vids we’ve seen so far. But, let’s be fair, isn’t there a bit of truth to this? As Keith Stuart of the “Guardian” says, “Screenshots of launch games like Call of Duty 3 and Excite Truck reveal jagged polygons and mediocre distance drawing.”

But Nintendo isn’t banking on just graphics! Do you hear that, all you analysts and marketing people and advertising people and whatever? The Nintendo Wii’s strongest selling point is not graphics!

It was never about having far better graphics than the competition (decent graphics, maybe, but not “the bestest ever”). It was never about having billions of polygons or megatons of power. Instead, it has always been about being smaller and using less power and being sleeker than the competition. And that, people, is why some people are afraid that the Wii is a real revolution.

Why are they afraid? Keith Stuart reminds us of when the Roman Empire was sacked by the barbarians. And for him, the barbarians are already at the gates: women and older people (yes, Nintendo wants the middle-aged market to buy games and platforms). It’s a bit melodramatic, but gaming empires may be at risk. Like the empire of young men: “My wife will figure out how to use this device as quickly as I do,” joked Stuart, “For many men this is a terrifying prospect.”

In the end, it’s always been about that little Wii remote, the Wiimote.

A Japanese gaming company is putting all its hopes and dreams into one little controller. Not graphics but gameplay. That’s a revolution in marketing. And there may be consequences.

According to Laurent Detoc of Ubisoft, he believes the Wii can help Ubisoft beat EA. The barbarians are at the gates. As Stuart said, the Wii is a weapon of mass destruction: “An immense power vacuum is looming. Terror, catastrophe and motion-sensing gaming await.”