Mr. Chuck E. Cheese likes Wii and 360, but disses PS3

Regardless of whether you’re a gamer or not, as long as you’re American and weren’t deprived of a happy childhood (hahaha), we’re guessing you’ve probably heard of Mr. Nolan Bushnell.

No? Oh c’mon! Mr. Chuck E. Cheese? Still doesn’t ring a bell? Oh alright then, Nolan Bushnell is not only the founder of gaming icon Atari, he’s also responsible for the wonder that is Chuck E. Cheese, the restaurant chain that first brought together kids, food, pizza, and video games.

Red Herring was able to score an interview with this video game and consumer electronics association hall of famer (he’s a founder of more than twenty companies), where Bushnell talks about his new business venture that once again brings food and gaming together, the uWink.

In that particular interview, Bushnell was asked about his thoughts on current gaming systems, he IS (or WAS) a major player in the gaming industry after all.

Red Herring asked Bushnell which areas of the game industry he’s following now, and we quote:“IÂ’m very curious and interested in the Nintendo Wii. I think it may expand the market beyond the hardcore [18- to 24-year old]. Xbox Live is interesting because it potentially becomes the platform for the living room.”

Safe answer right? But wait, it gets better. When asked what he thought of Sony‘s PS3 strategy, Bushnell says:

I think Sony shot themselves in the footÂ… there is a high probability [they] will fail. The price point is probably unsustainable. For years and years Sony has been a very difficult company to deal with from a developer standpoint. They could get away with their arrogance and capriciousness because they had an installed base. They have also historically had horrible software tools. You compare that to the Xbox360 with really great authoring tools and additional revenue streams from Xbox Live… a first party developer would be an idiot to develop for Sony first and not the 360. People donÂ’t buy hardware, they buy software.

So, Red Herring then tried to rebutt his argument by saying, “But what about SonyÂ’s success with the PlayStation and PS2? They sold more than 100 million of each system.” And Bushnell’s answer? Sony’s success with PS and PS2 was nothing brilliant and that they were merely able to hit the market right on spot because of perfect timing. Bushnell even calls Sony as “almost the accidental winner.” Ouch very much for Sony!

As for his predictions about Sony’s next-gen console? “It would not surprise me if a year from now theyÂ’ll be struggling to sell 1 million units. [Factoring in the PS3Â’s price], I think in the U.S. the number of early adopters you have is actually around 300,000.”

Just another rich man who can afford an opinion? You decide. But it wouldn’t be a surprise though if Sony luvvvers all over suddenly decide to boycott Chuck E.Cheese (and be deprived of a happy cheesy childhood. Awww…).

Regardless of whether you’re a gamer or not, as long as you’re American and weren’t deprived of a happy childhood (hahaha), we’re guessing you’ve probably heard of Mr. Nolan Bushnell.

No? Oh c’mon! Mr. Chuck E. Cheese? Still doesn’t ring a bell? Oh alright then, Nolan Bushnell is not only the founder of gaming icon Atari, he’s also responsible for the wonder that is Chuck E. Cheese, the restaurant chain that first brought together kids, food, pizza, and video games.

Red Herring was able to score an interview with this video game and consumer electronics association hall of famer (he’s a founder of more than twenty companies), where Bushnell talks about his new business venture that once again brings food and gaming together, the uWink.

In that particular interview, Bushnell was asked about his thoughts on current gaming systems, he IS (or WAS) a major player in the gaming industry after all.

Red Herring asked Bushnell which areas of the game industry he’s following now, and we quote:“IÂ’m very curious and interested in the Nintendo Wii. I think it may expand the market beyond the hardcore [18- to 24-year old]. Xbox Live is interesting because it potentially becomes the platform for the living room.”

Safe answer right? But wait, it gets better. When asked what he thought of Sony‘s PS3 strategy, Bushnell says:

I think Sony shot themselves in the footÂ… there is a high probability [they] will fail. The price point is probably unsustainable. For years and years Sony has been a very difficult company to deal with from a developer standpoint. They could get away with their arrogance and capriciousness because they had an installed base. They have also historically had horrible software tools. You compare that to the Xbox360 with really great authoring tools and additional revenue streams from Xbox Live… a first party developer would be an idiot to develop for Sony first and not the 360. People donÂ’t buy hardware, they buy software.

So, Red Herring then tried to rebutt his argument by saying, “But what about SonyÂ’s success with the PlayStation and PS2? They sold more than 100 million of each system.” And Bushnell’s answer? Sony’s success with PS and PS2 was nothing brilliant and that they were merely able to hit the market right on spot because of perfect timing. Bushnell even calls Sony as “almost the accidental winner.” Ouch very much for Sony!

As for his predictions about Sony’s next-gen console? “It would not surprise me if a year from now theyÂ’ll be struggling to sell 1 million units. [Factoring in the PS3Â’s price], I think in the U.S. the number of early adopters you have is actually around 300,000.”

Just another rich man who can afford an opinion? You decide. But it wouldn’t be a surprise though if Sony luvvvers all over suddenly decide to boycott Chuck E.Cheese (and be deprived of a happy cheesy childhood. Awww…).