Nintendo Wii Could Trump PS3, Says Business Week

For Business Week, it’s the Wii that triumphs over the PS3, at least according to the online edition of the paper. The report states that while the Playstation 2 is still holding the current-gen crown, the “disruptive approach” Nintendo has taken with the Wii may prove highly successful, similar to the DS. But the report also noted that the handheld and console markets are different, and the problem that was the GameCube – now seeing sales as low as 10,000 in one quarter – could duplicate once again.

Another selling point for Business Week was the “games aimed at a wider audience,” similar to the Touch! Generations titles on the DS, which have essentially changed the meaning of “mainstream” with regard to videogames. An analyst at KBC commented on the audience Nintendo is trying to gain: “Non-gamers are coming back because there are interesting games people want to play. The PSP is a beautiful piece of kit but the games are just rehashes of what you would play on the console.”

The report also stated that the raw power of the Playstation 3 will attract the hardcore gaming audience, but in comparison to the potential Nintendo sees in “average families” with no video game experience, that is, if you think about it, an almost forgettable small audience.

It looks like all the “different audiences” talk by Nintendo really amounts to nothing, because in the end, it’s all about the money, and sharing the same market means competition, no matter how different the approaches.

For Business Week, it’s the Wii that triumphs over the PS3, at least according to the online edition of the paper. The report states that while the Playstation 2 is still holding the current-gen crown, the “disruptive approach” Nintendo has taken with the Wii may prove highly successful, similar to the DS. But the report also noted that the handheld and console markets are different, and the problem that was the GameCube – now seeing sales as low as 10,000 in one quarter – could duplicate once again.

Another selling point for Business Week was the “games aimed at a wider audience,” similar to the Touch! Generations titles on the DS, which have essentially changed the meaning of “mainstream” with regard to videogames. An analyst at KBC commented on the audience Nintendo is trying to gain: “Non-gamers are coming back because there are interesting games people want to play. The PSP is a beautiful piece of kit but the games are just rehashes of what you would play on the console.”

The report also stated that the raw power of the Playstation 3 will attract the hardcore gaming audience, but in comparison to the potential Nintendo sees in “average families” with no video game experience, that is, if you think about it, an almost forgettable small audience.

It looks like all the “different audiences” talk by Nintendo really amounts to nothing, because in the end, it’s all about the money, and sharing the same market means competition, no matter how different the approaches.