SmokedHostage said:
Really quick, let me say that these are my sloppy, collective thoughts on Natal and the Sony Wand and how well they will be received.
Now you're probably asking yourself, "Why does this Ninty fanboy think that Natal and the Sony Wand will fail?" To simplify my answer, I'd like to say one word. Disruption. The Wii came into a market that was so focused on HD visuals, bigger and better hardware, and the future of the medium through the desires of last generation's gamers that an entire market was left generally ignored. Now it's 3 years later and this market isn't so untapped anymore. They've moved to the console that spoke to their needs; their accessible, more lax game playing needs. It's not longer disruption products that're being pitched at these casual game players but rather, it's a drive towards a "We have that too" race to catch up.
That said, I have to say that I full heartily believe the Natal and the Sony Wand will not meet the expectations of most people who follow this industry. The general mentality is that because the PS3 and 360 are much more powerful platforms than the Wii(graphically) and because their respective motion-based devices will be better than a Wii remote, Natal and the Sony Wand will seem to take over the more casual market over night. Sometimes, I think it's forgotten that software creates momentum. Will software like Ricochet or a Motion ready LittleBigPlanet be what these types of game players want? Small XBLA titles like Ricochet and games with a traditional control scheme with one of these devices tacked on like Resident Evil 5 and LittleBigPlanet seem to be want several publishers are shooting for. I'm sorry to honestly can't say that these games are disruptive.
Will third party developers who develop on Wii flock to HD consoles and come up with a line-up for unproven hardware? I doubt it. The development for HD consoles has proven time and time again to be pricey and those relatively new to the architecture of these machines are definitely going to have a hard time. Another thing that comes to mind, what types of strategies will they use to sell these titles? They can borrow strategies that worked well for the Wii, the commercial style of Carvinal Games, the bundling of Wii Sports, the unique covers of Madden on Wii, but here's the thing. You probably know it by now. GASP! It's not disruptive.
In the end, the market will speak with its millions of dollars. I can't really say that I'm right or I'm wrong but I don't see Natal or the Sony Wand being the megahits they've been conceived to be. I don't know. Maybe I'm just a cynical Ninty fanboy.
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