So I had a little fun with some people waiting in line this morning at the local Shopko. The store only had 2 units in, and one guy had been camping outside to buy them both. The store opened at 8. Meanwhile, me, sitting at the Starbucks where I work, which is just a stone's throw away from where he was sitting, saw him get up and go to his car at about 6 am. So I coaxed my coworker and I to dash out of the store and stand in line until he came back. The look on his face was priceless when he saw two people had taken his spots.
Of course we gave him his spot back, I haven't the money to buy and sell a PS3.
Btw, I got a good laugh when I went to Walmart today and saw that their new PS3 ddemo kiosk was locked up.
Unfortunately in my town, which I thought there would be few people who actually even knew what a Wii was, well, the hype has been about as equal to the PS3. I know the local Walmart only got 20 in, and I know of at least 5 people who are going to line up. That's people that I know of. So I'm hoping that I will still be able to get one without lining up obscenely early.
Don't buy shit at Walmart man. They're evil. And not in a cool way.
I guess I can understand if it's your only choice though. Sunday is coming up fast. Only thing that'll make it faster is playing lots of WoW. How time flys when you're getting nowhere in WoW. 😉
WoW...? Yup, I'm scanning the auction house while making this post. 😊
On the topic of Wii, it has internal memory (unsure how much, 512?), as well as a slot for SD memory cards on the front. It also has 2 USB ports on the back of the console. I haven't really read much about it, but I assume I could just hook up my flash memory to the back of that sucker and save games on that, correct?
USB memory is much cheaper than SD cards
The Wii has 512MB internal memory. SD cards aren't that much if you wait for instant rebates and such. I'm not sure your USB stick will work for additional storage. Also the SD port is also SD I/O meaning there is potential for add-ons using the SD port. And ofcourse the USB port too.
My friend had the EGM with a similar comparison in it. It get's on my nerves when people like him say that the Wii sucks just because of some biased, opinionated article. Note that not one thing there was an actual fact (other than launch title names) It was 95% opinion.
People also fail to see what kind of company Sony is. Am I the only one that finds a it a little strange that Sony announced motion sensitive controllers only weeks after the Wii-mote's debut?
Sony takes stuff from Nintendo. Back in the day, They actually worked together, but Sony broke the contract, and made the PS1. They stole the Analog idea at this point too. Nintendo later helped with the crappy ass Phillips CD-i.
I also think Sony will not do too well this time. At least not in this first year. When Blu-ray prices comes down, and the systems can be made cheaper, and there are some good games out for it, maybe. There is nothing more aggravating the Sony fan-boy n00bs that bash the Wii only because of it's weaker processor, and lower resolution.
Thank you, that is all :P
Tobias_Daboi wrote:Sony takes stuff from Nintendo. Back in the day, They actually worked together, but Sony broke the contract, and made the PS1. They stole the Analog idea at this point too. Nintendo later helped with the crappy ass Phillips CD-i.
Actually, Nintendo "broke the contract", not Sony. You can check out the story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_PlayStation#Development.
So really, if it weren't for Nintendo, Sony might not be in the console business. Not that I am a huge fan of Sony - I do like their electronics, and the PSone is a slick little machine, but I just had to set the story straight.
Tobias_Daboi wrote:There is nothing more aggravating the Sony fan-boy n00bs that bash the Wii only because of it's weaker processor, and lower resolution.
The only problem is that the processing and gpu are so horribly far behind. Wii's hardware woulshave been impressive last generation. But this new generation... lets just round it to having about 128MB of memory, compared to 4 times that in PS3 and X360. It's a single cpu, no dual core or anything estimated to be running around somewhere less than 800mhz. All the systems are based on PPC designs so clock rate is a semi-fair comparison. The competition had 3.2ghz multi core designs. The Wii has around maybe a 240mhz outdated ATI gpu. The Xbox 360 has around a 500mhz much newer and advanced GPU, PS3 likewise with NVidia's gpu. Now I agree, you don't need high specs for a fun game. Some of my favorite games don't have very high end hardware at all. But the playing field should atleast be close!
The SNES and Genesis weren't that far apart. The Sega Saturn and PSx weren't. But if you compare the market leader at the time the Genesis arrived, the NES... It just wasn't going to survive no matter how great the games were. I'm just far more pessimistic about the Wii being a booming success. It can still keep Nintendo going. But I'm not convinced of much more. I think we will see a long drawn out generation. I doubt there will be any big winner market share wise.
I thought the Wii had around 720Mhz, and the 360 used three core processors totaling about 3.7Ghz.
MottZilla wrote:words
Yes your expert analysis of how horribly underpowered the Wii is compared to the PS3 and XBox 360 is spot-on and accurate. However you seem to be making a mistake similar to the Jews: you expected a console to sweep down from the heavens on a white horse and conquer the Microsoft and Sony oppressors with a might the likes of which had ever been seen. Instead, Nintendo delivered a system that is designed to provide the experience they want to deliver to the widest audience possible.
I'm sorry the Wii won't be able to match the graphical prowess of its competitors. But verily I say unto you, the day you judge a console's merit by the number of polygons per second it can push is the day you are not gaming for fun.
Seriously Mott I like you and all but my sour grapes detector is offscale high when I point it at you today. You have visited every Wii thread with some comment about how you didn't want one anyway or it is underpowered or whatever. We get it, you're better than us in some way because you didn't go get a Wii. Now let us enjoy the system while you go play your games that you enjoy so much better you are devoting lots of time to telling us how much better you enjoy them than our Wii games.
AtmaWeapon wrote:the day you judge a console's merit by the number of polygons per second it can push is the day you are not gaming for fun.
Quoted for truth. Gaming is about the fun you have, not about the graphics.
Um, I'm just stating my disappointment with Nintendo's choice of hardware. It's too underpowered in my opinion. I wanted Nintendo to do extremely well. I never expected them to "sweep down from the heavens on a white horse and conquer the Microsoft and Sony oppressors with a might the likes of which had ever been seen".
I visit Wii threads cause I'm a member here, and a moderator. Not to mention I am interested in the Wii. I just didn't decide to go spend all my gaming money on it because I think waiting awhile is a betetr idea for me.
I don't get why you think I'm devoting a bunch of time to telling you whatever you think I'm telling you. I just don't get whatever it is you're thinking. Just like you I'm interested to hear people's thoughts on Wii and Wii games. So why the hell don't you like me saying why I decided to pass on the Wii? I mean just because you don't like what I'm saying or my opinion doesn't mean it's any less valid.
Tobias, I think both PS3 and Xbox 360 are 3.2ghz clocks, but it's not a big deal. The point is both use multi core designs to crunch out even more processing power.
Aegix wrote:Quoted for truth. Gaming is about the fun you have, not about the graphics.
No one is denying that. But remember that in the past Super Nintendo's strength was in it's very powerful graphics and audio hardware. These qualitys really do matter. But if Wii did infact have a killer library of games (which in my opinion it doesn't) then it wouldn't matter. Wii right now has no games I find to be totally amazing.
I don't think the PS3 or the Wii has any impressive games right now. That's what stopped me from buying one. Maybe when Metroid Prime or the next FF comes out, I'll think about buying one or even both, but for right now... meh. =/
MottZilla wrote:No one is denying that. But remember that in the past Super Nintendo's strength was in it's very powerful graphics and audio hardware.
um sega had a better system then the SNES but was harder to code for and as such not many GOOD games were made for it... where as the SNES had weaker graphics capabilities and... unsure about sound... it had loads more GOOD games then the sega console due to it just being loads simpler to code for.
im talking about the sega console that used 2 cpu's or something....
franpa wrote:um sega had a better system then the SNES but was harder to code for and as such not many GOOD games were made for it... where as the SNES had weaker graphics capabilities and... unsure about sound... it had loads more GOOD games then the sega console due to it just being loads simpler to code for.im talking about the sega console that used 2 cpu's or something....
I really think you are crossing some wires here. The SNES hardware was superior to the Genesis hardware but the Genesis had a very strong library of games which is what kept it competitive for so long.
The dual-cpu system was the Sega Saturn which was a pretty horrific failure in the states. The problem here was not only difficulty of development but the entrance of another competitor: Sony.
In the end the Wii's inferior hardware may leave it incapable of doing certain things but I honestly think Nintendo is not playing the "Who's making the most profit?" game anymore, so judging them by that measure seems a little unfair.
Atma is correct franpa. And I most certainly am because I regularly play my SNES and Genesis. The Sega Genesis had most definitely inferior Graphics and Audio capability. To give you a quick example, the Genesis could display 64 colors on screen at once (excluding special effects) where as the SNES could display 256 colors on screen (excluding special effects). That's 4 times the amount of colors on screen at once, plus the SNES had a much deeper palette to use compared to the Genesis which only had a palette of 512 colors.
Genesis however had a fast 68000 Cpu and despite its graphical and audio weaknesses it was a capable system. Esspecially for games with lots of action requiring a fast cpu to keep up. The SNES on the other hand had a much slower cpu and superb graphics and audio, making it less ideal for action packed games and more for the slower and visually imperssive things like RPGs.
Infact you may not realize this, but the Sega Genesis had a greater Market Share than the SNES at one point, and it lasted awhile.
The Sega Saturn was indeed plagued by the development difficulty and the entrance of Sony who had a system that was much easier to develop for.
I know what you mean Atma. Although actually one thing that is funny to think about is Nintendo isn't losing any money on Wii at all. Unlike M$ and Sony that start out losing lots of money, Nintendo refused to do that. And you're right, it's not like Nintendo will be banking lots and lots of money, but they are going to be making money and keep on going. I just wonder if next time around or when exactly they'll stop making strange design decisions. Like the N64 not being CD-ROM. The entire dumping of the SNES CD-ROM. The GameCube's Mini DVD discs... The GameCube's inability to do dual layer discs. And now, the Wii's inferior specifications to the competition.
I could agree more with their design if they had gone further than they did. They didn't have to go as far as Sony or M$. Sticking with a single core system running atleast 2.5ghz and a decent graphics chipset with 256mb RAM, standard harddisk perhaps... I really wonder if in the long run, and think so that in the long run it would have been smarter to push the Wii specs further. I know they wanted a low power, unintrusive, quiet convient system of sorts. But their prioritys really should have been able making a sizable (to the market at the time, being close to 360 and PS3 specs) console at a more affordable price that's easier to develop for with their new controller.
Wii will start looking better though once it's library of games fills in, assuming it fills in. I haven't heard much about initial sales.
MottZilla wrote:Wii will start looking better though once it's library of games fills in, assuming it fills in. I haven't heard much about initial sales.
http://nexgenwars.com/
Not sure how accurate their info is, but it will be interesting to follow if it's close.
Nah Mott I think you are going to be disappointed waiting on Nintendo to make design decisions more sensible for the business environment. I'm reading a lot of Nintendo's last moves as a kind of "artist" phase. Seriously, every major Nintendo release lately has been something kind of crazy that people were unsure of until they played it.
Making TWW cel-shaded caused huge controversy (and generated free publicity) but Nintendo released it against screaming fans' will. The DS launched with two screens and I remember on this very forum we bickered back and forth about whether it was stupid or genius. Now the Wii launches with inferior hardware but a unique user interface.
Every move has been something Nintendo set their heart on and decided to roll with whether their supporters liked it or not. An artist does the same thing (in fact history usually supports the idea that if an artist's work is not criticized as awful it is a failure). My concern is the extent of the damage that a misstep will cause them. Eventually they are going to fall in love with a true bad idea and this will be the undoing of Nintendo.
Until Miyamoto or someone comes up with an idea that requires fantastic hardware, I think the Wii is very indicative of what Nintendo will offer for years to come: an affordable machine that delivers party games and family games. Affordability is the feature that has defeated each of Game Boy's competitors for 20 years, and I think Nintendo is experimenting with using it as a weapon against Sony and Microsoft. They'll fail at defeating Sony or Microsoft, but will definitely not lose money.
AtmaWeapon wrote:Nah Mott I think you are going to be disappointed waiting on Nintendo to make design decisions more sensible for the business environment. I'm reading a lot of Nintendo's last moves as a kind of "artist" phase. Seriously, every major Nintendo release lately has been something kind of crazy that people were unsure of until they played it.Making TWW cel-shaded caused huge controversy (and generated free publicity) but Nintendo released it against screaming fans' will. The DS launched with two screens and I remember on this very forum we bickered back and forth about whether it was stupid or genius. Now the Wii launches with inferior hardware but a unique user interface.
Every move has been something Nintendo set their heart on and decided to roll with whether their supporters liked it or not. An artist does the same thing (in fact history usually supports the idea that if an artist's work is not criticized as awful it is a failure). My concern is the extent of the damage that a misstep will cause them. Eventually they are going to fall in love with a true bad idea and this will be the undoing of Nintendo.
Until Miyamoto or someone comes up with an idea that requires fantastic hardware, I think the Wii is very indicative of what Nintendo will offer for years to come: an affordable machine that delivers party games and family games. Affordability is the feature that has defeated each of Game Boy's competitors for 20 years, and I think Nintendo is experimenting with using it as a weapon against Sony and Microsoft. They'll fail at defeating Sony or Microsoft, but will definitely not lose money.
I think you raise a lot of good points. I'm interested in seeing how someone from Japan feels about Nintendo's business decisions. It seems to be that Nintendo, unlike Sony primarily tailors their console to the Japanese culture and environment. While some of their decisions may seem illogical to your or I, I bet many people in Japan feel the same way about the Playstation 3.
On another note, I hope 1up fails horribly. For the past few weeks they have been battling me for rankings on google for Xbox360 Cheats. My site, btw, is AZGameCheats (sameless plug :P)
Well, to the average consumer, graphics do matter. The general public is dumb. We all know that people will flock to what they think looks good whether they play it or not. And thats what the PS3 and Xbox 360 have.
Something I don't like about what the PS3 is when when people the point that its actually a good deal because it contains a blu-ray player (which retails about $1000 or more) and it plays games. Thats great. If you look at it that way, it probably is a good deal, but I don't want a blu-ray player. I don't have any need for it. So I get a device that I can't use that is driving the cost of my game machine up $300, or however much it is. Those people should offer to buy me a HDTV if they think its a good deal. At this time, 360 is so much better to get than a PS3.
A bit off-topic,...
Yesterday, when we opened, we had a majority of Wii owners in line ready to pick up their reserved system. We also had people wanting to due trade-ins, because for some reason, Sunday is the unofficial trade-in day for people to bring in backpacks full of games to keep us busy. Anyway, those two put together created a long line nearly out the door of the store. Something I didn't expect considering we opened Friday to an empty store for the first 15 minutes we were open. As we closed though yesterday, I was out front cleaning windows and guy walked up to me and asked what the line was for this morning. I told him it was for Wii pickups. He acted like didn't know what that was, and told me that he thought we might have gotten PS3s in. You think nobody but Sony can generate long lines of people. If that were the case, we'd have PS3s every Sunday. 🙄
While I see the angle of using affordability to dominate, they really need more high quality well polished titles. Even then they actually can't dominate because of what Grasshopper pointed out that is true. Graphics are a factor, esspecially in games that are average or sub-par yet look pretty enough to sell.
Anyway, in a year we will see how it's all shaping up. Or atleast in 6 months we will have a slight idea.
Once Metroid Prime 3 comes out, we will see what the Wii is really capable of 😉
MottZilla wrote:Graphics are a factor, esspecially in games that are average or sub-par yet look pretty enough to sell.
You mean like EA games? 😃
Grasshopper wrote:You mean like EA games? 😃
Well... Ya pretty much. =) Although in EA's defense, BurnOut rocks.