Here is an example of how clever Microsoft was this year and I tried prevent a console purchasing mistake.
My nephew, now ten years old, for Christmas wanted a few things. Here was his wishlist.
- DVD player
- New NDS to replace the one he broke somehow.
- Some sneakers, Air Force 1
- Some DVDs, (alot of Tyler Perry movies, he is a bit odd child) and of course
- a Wii or a PS3
So my single parent sister who has struggled for the last few years due to taking care a child on her own was able to get a decent job last year to really support herself and her son. Since this being a really good job she could afford to actually buy real gifts for the boy this year, she decided she going get what he wanted....
An Xbox 360 arcade.
Yea, if you rechecked the list I gave you, he didn't ask for that. The boy has been going on about wanting a Wii (a PS3 was only because he saw mine and thought it was cool) for the last year. His friends and cousins have Wiis. He has a Gamecube and loved the games on it so much. He even learned that you could use his Gamecube games and controllers on the Wii. He really had his heart set on the Wii.
And as typical parents do sometimes, she completely ignored that and got him a 360. She said the reason she bought it was because:
- she couldn't afford the PS3 (thanks Kutragi),
- she couldn't find a Wii where she was,
- the 360 was a game system,
- it played DVDs (killing two birds with one stone) and
- it had kid games on the system that he will play, especially since it came packed with Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda.
I shook my head. I called her up after hearing about this and told her that I know where she could get a Wii and tried to explain to her the benefits of getting the Wii (more games that he would like and game that would be allowed to play, current game and controllers that would work with the Wii, WHAT HE ACTUALLY ASKED FOR ON THE LIST) vs keeping the 360 (a fewer selection of games he can play or want, no internet service so no Xbox Live, no HD tv to take advantage of the graphic for the games, serious problems with the console that a ten year old could run into).
But to know avail, she decided to keep the 360 and not get him the Wii, citing that it was because she finally can get her son a present she could afford and he would not know the difference. It was just a video game system
So when Microsoft lowered the price and packed in kid games into thier Christmas bundle, they made the right moves to steal away some of the sales from Nintendo this year. Good job Microsoft.
And the reason I said the snot made out like a bandit? Because his birthday is four days after Christmas and his stupid uncle who wanted to see him get what he wanted and hoped his mother listened to his pleas of getting the boy the Wii instead, so much so he bought the Wii as a last minute insurance that she could buy it off him, gave it to him for his birthday anyway. So the boy has an 360 and Wii.
Before anybody ask, no I don't have any use for a Wii at this time. I only game for myself and I don't have kids (yet, coming in July 2009). Yea the Wii is nice but no its personally not the right console for me. Maybe it will be in a few years from now when the console is dirt cheap and there are more than 5 games I really want to play on it, and have kids to play it with.
I'm just saying...
