TimC Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Console Wars: Who Won '08? Nintendo sails, Microsoft trails, Sony ails. By Ben Silverman No software? No problem. Despite early predictions that 2008 would be the year Sony regained momentum in the bitter video game console wars, it turned out to be false hope. Industry leader Nintendo stayed ahead of the pack all year, thoroughly dominating both the home console and handheld hardware markets with their Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS systems, respectively. According to NPD Group, Nintendo flat-out owned the all-important month of November by selling over 2 million Wiis, better than twice as much as the next closest competitor, Microsoft's Xbox 360 (836,000). And at over 1.5 million DS systems sold, Nintendo tripled the output of Sony's PSP (421,000). While those numbers weren't nearly that high through most of 2008, the general order -- Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony -- held strong throughout. But this was hardly a banner year for Nintendo in terms of software. The biggest games -- Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii and of course Wii Fit -- came relatively early in the year, and their biggest holiday release, Wii Music, has been labeled something of a dud. Miffed that the company was focusing too heavily on catering to its relatively new mass-market audience, the usually loyal Nintendo fans complained about a lack of core games. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Sony enjoyed a wealth of blockbuster games all year long, including top-sellers Grand Theft Auto IV and Fallout 3. So how did Nintendo compete, much less lead the way? By finding a new niche, of course. While gamers lament the deluge of cheaply made games (dubbed "shovelware") aimed at capitalizing on the Wii's mainstream popularity, many of those titles speak to their broad audience and support the company's new directive. Nintendo knows on which side its bread is currently being buttered, and while Microsoft and Sony battle for the hearts and minds of the core gamers, Nintendo is content getting their moms to play, too. And their moms often have a lot more money. Microsoft, on the other hand, found itself in second place by keeping its eyes on the prize: core gamers willing to shell out for great downloadable content. The recently released "New Xbox Experience" system update has nearly tripled sales over Xbox Live Arcade, while huge releases like Gears of War 2 and Fable II cemented their status as the go-to console for most gamers. As the newest kid on the block, Microsoft is less concerned with catching Nintendo than they are with kicking Sony's butt, which is pretty much exactly what they're doing. Take, for instance, the November NPD numbers for Activision's best-selling first-person shooter, Call of Duty: World at War. The 360 version of the game sold an impressive 1.4 million copies -- over twice that of the PS3 version (597,000). It's hard to play catch up when you're getting beaten that badly. As for Sony, well, they just can't catch a break. The company scored a major coup when Blu-ray officially trounced HD-DVD in the hi-def format war, but few believe the technology will catch on with consumers. Strong sales of big-time exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4 were promising, but the troubled launch of their 'Home' network coupled with relatively weak holiday sales (only Resistance 2 cracked the Top 10 list in November, all the way back at number 9) cramped their style. The once-promising PSP is getting whomped by both the DS and Apple's surging iPhone. Did a witch cast a spell on these guys or what? Hopefully next year will bode better for the one-time king of the consoles, but for now, they'll have to get used to the view from the back of the pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazinib1 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Interesting. I'm a big PS3 supporter and I can't stand the Wii system at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpholmes Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Interesting. I'm a big PS3 supporter and I can't stand the Wii system at all. +1 from an Xbox fan. "Fun" gameplay doesn't make up for N64 graphics in my opinion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 "Fun" gameplay doesn't make up for N64 graphics in my opinion... But it does get the Mom's with the money to spend to play, and buy more games, a point that is noted in the article. Nintendo appeals to the masses. XBOX and PS3 are more for gamers that are into better graphics, detailed gameplay, etc., a much smaller audience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 (edited) Big fan of my Wii. I do miss GTA and Ratchet & Clank but I heard they are releasing a DS title next year. That should be cool. Right now I've been playing DS non-stop since Christmas. Edited December 30, 2008 by AtomicCEO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcat2334 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Interesting. I'm a big PS3 supporter and I can't stand the Wii system at all. werd - much like most things.....let the masses have their Wii and I will galdly take my PS3 all day long. I was over the Wii after about 10 minutes - only reason to own one is if you have kids or a wife who runs the show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 werd - much like most things.....let the masses have their Wii and I will galdly take my PS3 all day long. I was over the Wii after about 10 minutes - only reason to own one is if you have kids or a wife who runs the show I have both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 biggest factors here are... pro's of the 360: the 360 offers HD gaming for $199 and the failure rate of the consoles have dropped significantly...this is leading to them selling more consoles... con's of the 360: few exclusive titles that are "must have's". pro's of the Wii: anyone can pick it up and play... the technology is innovative, yet only $249.. con's of the Wii: few quality games.. pro's of the PS3: selling faster than the 360 since inception...quality exclusives for 2009 along with HD movies/gaming con's of the PS3: price tag is $399 at a minimum after 2 years which is unacceptable with today's economy....even with all the capabilities of the PS3 including the new sixsense motion gadget they have coming out....the pricetag needs to drop at least $100 in March when they are slated to drop the price.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazinib1 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 (edited) biggest factors here are... pro's of the 360: the 360 offers HD gaming for $199 and the failure rate of the consoles have dropped significantly...this is leading to them selling more consoles... con's of the 360: few exclusive titles that are "must have's". pro's of the Wii: anyone can pick it up and play... the technology is innovative, yet only $249.. con's of the Wii: few quality games.. pro's of the PS3: selling faster than the 360 since inception...quality exclusives for 2009 along with HD movies/gaming con's of the PS3: price tag is $399 at a minimum after 2 years which is unacceptable with today's economy....even with all the capabilities of the PS3 including the new sixsense motion gadget they have coming out....the pricetag needs to drop at least $100 in March when they are slated to drop the price.. That comes standard with every PS3 now. Edited December 30, 2008 by tazinib1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 My kids love the Wii - I don't understand why. It looks lame as hell. The more active design is a great idea, but the graphics are 20 years behind the times. My son likes his 360 better and plays it more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 That comes standard with every PS3 now. no...that's the sixaxis...this new thing is like the Wii-mote, but apparently Sony bought the rights to this idea before-hand... from the video I watched, it's more precise and fluent than the Wii-mote... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithkt Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I think one Pro you left off the 360 list is Live. Definitely the best online environment of the three, for now at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I think one Pro you left off the 360 list is Live. Definitely the best online environment of the three, for now at least. PS3 has Home and it's free....Live costs money....and is still a bit better, but the free part can go a long ways.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Soup Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I think XBox won 2008. They signed a major deal with Netflix so their entire library is open to XBox folks. That has longevity far based a game console, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithkt Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 PS3 has Home and it's free....Live costs money....and is still a bit better, but the free part can go a long ways.. Home is still in beta and lacking many of the promised features. Live is head and shoulders a better product. Yes it costs money. $50-55/year. Not much in the grand scheme and well worth every penny. I'm not going to say Home will never be better, but at this point in time, it's not close. One thing I think Sony did better and a point you should add to their Pro list: third party hardware support. I think it's a serious injustice that Microsoft forces you to over pay for storage capacity. Whereas Sony allows you to use any USB hard drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 biggest factors here are... pro's of the 360: the 360 offers HD gaming for $199 and the failure rate of the consoles have dropped significantly...this is leading to them selling more consoles... con's of the 360: few exclusive titles that are "must have's". pro's of the Wii: anyone can pick it up and play... the technology is innovative, yet only $249.. con's of the Wii: few quality games.. pro's of the PS3: selling faster than the 360 since inception...quality exclusives for 2009 along with HD movies/gaming con's of the PS3: price tag is $399 at a minimum after 2 years which is unacceptable with today's economy....even with all the capabilities of the PS3 including the new sixsense motion gadget they have coming out....the pricetag needs to drop at least $100 in March when they are slated to drop the price.. PS3 has Home and it's free....Live costs money....and is still a bit better, but the free part can go a long ways.. Still trying? Sales for PS3 are down from last year. Four of the top five games sold in the US are exclusive to the XBOX or Wii. Sony is unable to drop the price of the PS3. This article gives a bundle of more reasons. I don't want to get into another fan-boy pissing match with you, but at least use accurate information. Sony has been full of empty promises with the PS3. It's a very powerful machine, but it still seems thrown together. Home hardly seems comparable to Live... unless you're into Second Life stuff. The more gaming systems the better as far as I'm concerned, but Sony seems to keep shooting themselves in the foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithkt Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Before this devolves into a total fan-boy flame war, I'd like to ask two questions of Avernus. One of the comments you made in the pros/cons post was regarding "must have" exclusive titles for each. I went looking around the net and tried to find a comprehensive list of exclusives for each platform so I could make a reasoned case one way or the other. I couldn't find anything solid. Mostly short lists of favorites or lists specific to "coming soon". Do you know where I could find such a list? Secondly, how do you define exclusive? Are we strictly speaking of consoles here or does the PC come into play. For example, Mass Effect on the 360 is a very good game and was exclusive to the 360 before it was ported to the PC. Would this still be a 360 exclusive in your definition since it is not available on other consoles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I'm a Nintendo guy because I think they make the most innovative fun systems and games... But if I had to choose between the PS3 and the 360, it'd be tough. The XBox is a better value, and it has Rare and Rockstar games on it... but you do have to support the evil empire to get it. Polk, is anyone making an open-source gaming console yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westvirginia Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 I'm a Nintendo guy because I think they make the most innovative fun systems and games... But if I had to choose between the PS3 and the 360, it'd be tough. The XBox is a better value, and it has Rare and Rockstar games on it... but you do have to support the evil empire to get it. Polk, is anyone making an open-source gaming console yet? This is kinda my thoughts. The graphics aren't great, but the Wii is just FUN. My oldest daughter and I are big gamers, but the wife and other daughter, not so much. The Wii is fun for everyone pretty much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 We love the Wii in my house. We have been a video game family forever as my boy who is about to turn 21 has always had a new system all his life. He now owns the PS3 that I bought for the family and his own purchase of an Xbox. In his honest opinion the 360 is better but does not have the games that he and his friends love to play. The 360 is down in the living room and does not get a lot of use. The PS3 is up in his room and when he is home he is always on it. When he is not home then someone else from my wife down to my 12 year old is often up there playing it. I almost never play it but if it was down in my living room I probably would. The PS2 is in my little girl’s room but she doesn't play it very often as she would rather play the Wii and for sure wants to play the Wii if one of us will play with her. I have friends that come over now and then to play tennis and bowling "drinking" matches. I play Guitar Hero a lot and I even play it when no one is home so I know it is something I want to do. Tiger Woods is a game that my boy comes home and challenges me, so he and I often play 18 on the Wii. Wii fit is a something that has all three of the girls playing with all the time so far and they love it. Mario Cart is a challenge that I will step up and play with my 12 year old pretty often. I think that my point is that in the right circumstances, there is a place for each system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Soup Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Home is still in beta and lacking many of the promised features. Live is head and shoulders a better product. Yes it costs money. $50-55/year. Not much in the grand scheme and well worth every penny. I'm not going to say Home will never be better, but at this point in time, it's not close. One thing I think Sony did better and a point you should add to their Pro list: third party hardware support. I think it's a serious injustice that Microsoft forces you to over pay for storage capacity. Whereas Sony allows you to use any USB hard drive. Just FYI...there is a fairly recent article on PC World about an easy hack to put your own hard drive in to the XBox to get more storage instead of paying a bunch of money the XBox route. Still trying? Sales for PS3 are down from last year. Four of the top five games sold in the US are exclusive to the XBOX or Wii. Sony is unable to drop the price of the PS3. This article gives a bundle of more reasons. I don't want to get into another fan-boy pissing match with you, but at least use accurate information. Sony has been full of empty promises with the PS3. It's a very powerful machine, but it still seems thrown together. Home hardly seems comparable to Live... unless you're into Second Life stuff. The more gaming systems the better as far as I'm concerned, but Sony seems to keep shooting themselves in the foot. Sony just came out with some hugh reductions in manufacturing so I would expect to see that hit the marketplace soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Still trying? Sales for PS3 are down from last year. Four of the top five games sold in the US are exclusive to the XBOX or Wii. Sony is unable to drop the price of the PS3. This article gives a bundle of more reasons. I don't want to get into another fan-boy pissing match with you, but at least use accurate information. Sony has been full of empty promises with the PS3. It's a very powerful machine, but it still seems thrown together. Home hardly seems comparable to Live... unless you're into Second Life stuff. The more gaming systems the better as far as I'm concerned, but Sony seems to keep shooting themselves in the foot. still trying what?... I'm not a fan of the Home itself....but it has features I can check out once in awhile....and they plan on making online gaming free by just showing advertisements.... the 360 is losing considerable money on each system sold because they just want the numbers to look good... and the PS3 IS selling at a faster rate than the 360 did.....even though the 360 has had 2 surges recently by making the arcade system 199 and then when they made the 20 GB system 199 I think... we'll learn a lot about the PS3 when the upcoming price drop hits......it's just simply too expensive to purchase casually since it still lacks enough quality games when the Wii is "fun" and half the price....and the 360 has way more games, even if they only have a few quality ones...they still have a few more than Sony at this point... Ninja Gaiden 2 Gears 1 and 2 Fable 2 Mass Effect and I guess Halo 3... the PS3 has.. Metal gear Solid 4 Resistance 1 and 2 Little Big Planet Ratchet and Clank Valkyria Chronicles I don't know any of the other "top games".... and why do you throw crappy internet terms like "fanboy"?....lets keep the retard free mkay?... I don't even hate the 360....you're the one who trashes the PS3 and accuses me of trashing another system like I give a funk?...I'm just adding my opinion....try not to choke on your dinner over this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Before this devolves into a total fan-boy flame war, I'd like to ask two questions of Avernus. One of the comments you made in the pros/cons post was regarding "must have" exclusive titles for each. I went looking around the net and tried to find a comprehensive list of exclusives for each platform so I could make a reasoned case one way or the other. I couldn't find anything solid. Mostly short lists of favorites or lists specific to "coming soon". Do you know where I could find such a list? Secondly, how do you define exclusive? Are we strictly speaking of consoles here or does the PC come into play. For example, Mass Effect on the 360 is a very good game and was exclusive to the 360 before it was ported to the PC. Would this still be a 360 exclusive in your definition since it is not available on other consoles? IGN.com will show you.... and when I consider exclusive....I wasn't going to add Mass Effect, because it's apparently going to be released on the PS3 sometime in 2009 anyways, but I wanted to list another title that I liked without being called a "fanboy"...I failed .. but I consider an exclusive between the consoles excluding the PC....and to bring up Mass Effect again...it is currently an exclusive title between the 3 major consoles, so I pretty much just added it because it's a really good game.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 We got a Wii for Xmas and the wife and I have been bowling alot. It's fun. I connected my Wii to the internet, but aside from downloading old nintendo games, what else can you do with connectivity? Anybody else connected their wii to the net? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wirehairman Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Polk, is anyone making an open-source gaming console yet? From what I've read, any OS can be installed on the PS3 with the right knowledge and skills (which I don't possess). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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