Scruff7 said: [cut] Your analogy of the Wii and iPod is very good i feel. yes, they are both likely to dominate the market, and make their companies mountains of money. but, they are both partly built on hype. people wanted an iPod because it was cool, funky, looked good, did cools things, but it was not the best gadget on the market, there were many MP3 players that did far better jobs than the iPod did, but they were never going to hijack the iPod bus due to the demand that had been created for it in the mass market. [cut] |
ALL of the consoles are built on hype. All commercial products are built on hype.
XBox 360's name itself is a product of hype. What does the 360 stand for? 360 degrees is a revolution. Full circle, right? The X's in the XBox name were designed to make it memeable so people would want to buy the system upon hearing the name. And it worked to a good extent. Microsoft was an outsider in 2001 but by 2005 they had people who would normally be in line for Playstation products saying the XBox name & wanting an XBox.
Some people generically use the word "XBox" for videogame systems & that is no coincidence. With the power of the name XBox then adding the symbology of 360 with it, they were getting buyers ready for high-end powerhouse blow you away type of gaming. A whole new XBox that you have NEVER seen before! That was the message. Halo 3 was hype & Bill Gates (and the XBox team) used that game lure people into buying the system. Mountain Dew even made a whole new flavor of drink for these guys!
Why do you think they used that tint of color green for the identity of the console. Wrestling's D-Generation X may come to mind with their Green & Black color schemes. DX ~ XBox? It also looks like the colors you see when you go to the club. Futuristic neon & all that jazz. The hip with it console that has power and XBox Live. And for the Americans it worked wonders which is why they have such a strength in the USA/North America compared to the other regions.
A not-publically espoused underlying message was that this was the first viable American console in decades. An industry began in America now has a system from that very land. The library on the console is strongly put together with Americans in mind.
PlayStation 3 on the other hand used E3 CGI videos for hype. Used its 12 year reputation & history for hype. Spoke of its special processor for hype. Hyped its price. Hyped its design. Hyped its media multifunctionality. Hyped its controls. This was the system that was gonna knock people on their ass due to its immense power. From that Sony clip at E3 2006 "I heard that the graphics on it was CRAZY" People were looking for this system to be the Death Star of videogaming sure to blow away all the competition. And I suggest that some people still hold on to this belief as we speak. Hype once again.
Does the Wii have hype? Damn right it does. And it better made sure it had because you have to sell the product. Nintendo hyped family interaction. Nintendo hyped new audiences. Nintendo hyped breaking barriers. Nintendo hyped true revolutionary control. Nintendo hyped lower pricing. Nintendo hyped changing the way games were made and approached for design.
That's what a business is SUPPOSED to do. Hype its products. If it doesn't, then who will? But hype without substance will fail eventually. There has to be something real under the hype or you'll just be skating by on luck if people buy into the hype. They may one day break out of the spell. With substance the hype is realized and new hype is made by the people who use it themselves. This is what the Wii & DS have experienced since being launched onto the market.
Nintendo's hype was successful & their product had substance. Now it will feed unto itself. They were successful. Sony hyped Emotion Engine, Toy Story graphics & built-in DVD players & it worked. People bought into it and they found some substance behind the message. For them the product lived up to the hype. You can't player hate. They succeeded and the fact that PS2 is still selling this strongly this far into the 7th gen says something. I personally didn't like the manufacturing errors of the PS2 but that didn't bother most people obviously so I can't player hate that their hype succeeded.
Right now Nintendo's hype is succeeding and people are just going to have to get used to it. The old ways are fading and a new path is emerging. What worked in the past 10 years is not working now. I would personally argue that Nintendo's claims are truer to the hype than others which is why the success is the way it is. People ARE losing weight playing videogames this way & people ARE using the Wii as a tool for family togetherness just like they advertised. Playing IS Believing just like they said.
The messages are coming true so I say the protests to these turns of events will only cause grief. Enjoy what you enjoy and buy that. Everyone with cash has a vote. If you don't like what Nintendo's offering then buy Sony's proposal or Microsoft's proposal or even the PC's proposal. There are proposals from mobile phones and other portable devices as well. Or simply opt out altogether. But the change ArtofAngels witnessed in this thread is real.
Nintendo will better try to reach demand and 60 million will be a reality as a result. 60 million at end of 2008 is STILL not near the top of the demand but it will be the number Nintendo reaches as they finally get these production kinks worked out. Too much opportunity to miss out on. 2007 is both a blessing and a harsh lesson for them. They realize just what they have on their hands now and will not repeat the mistakes of 2007 in 2008.
If you thought it was bad before, then you may want to avert your eyes in 2008. In the aftermath, this board will be seeing some serious bannings (temp & permanent) because people take these turns of events too seriously and to heart getting all overemotional in argument. Moderators be ready 'cause it's about to get bad next year with the new influx of members coming to brag & boast about Nintendo's success and coming to vehemently oppose it. I just hope the generally civil atmosphere we see here can be maintained for next year.
Nintendo in 2008 will really get people riled up one way or another.
John Lucas
