There is an easy explanation to how attach rates work and why they are higher later in cycle of the system.


Ex:
Month 1:
360 (300k hardware), (1.5 mil software)
Wii (600k hardware), (1.5 mil software)

Month 2:
360 (300k hardware), (1.5 mil software)
Wii (600k hardware), (1.5 mil software)

Now if you look at attach rate what do you see for the 360
600k units and 3 million software, so attach rate of 5:1

and for the Wii you see
1.2 million units and 3 million software, so attach rate of 2.5:1


By selling half the hardware as the Wii yet the same software the attach ration will be double that of the Wii. Its common sense the faster a console is growing the slower its attach rate will grow. They are both selling the same amount of software and thats all the software programmers care about. Who gives a shit is only 1/10 of owners buy my game vs 1/4 if it is the same number.

So if attach rate is so important and devs look at it hugely to see where to put their games. Then a system shoudl just not sell any consoles for a couple of months to raise their attach rate dont' ya think.

Cause I guarantee that the new console buyers are the majority in teh new software purchases.  Even more so in teh Wii's case.

360 you either get a pack in game (full price game) or you have to buy a game to start.  Whle the Wii has Wii Sports in it packed, and most people like to ignore that game and say it ain't a game, and that also people aren't buying any games just wii sports.

I had originally typed out a longer reply, but I deleted it. There are too many flaws with the original argument to merit a thoughtful response.

the point can be wrong, but the opinion, cant be, it can be ignorant, it can be inflammatory. 

You should have included the sentence immediately before the quote you lifted from a campus newspaper.  http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2003/11/opinions_can039t_be_wrong

"My opinion is simply the stance I choose to take on issues after carefully weighing all sides and looking at all the relevant information. Opinion. View. Belief. It is the ultimate irony to make the statement "Your opinion is wrong," because an opinion can't be wrong. It can be disagreed with, but it can't be incorrect because it is simply one's personal view."

Using the sales only from the top 10 of all consoles is grossly incurate unless only 10 games sold software September.  Also using US only data instead of WW data is only valid if a developer decided to only release a game within the US which is highly unlikely.

BTW - Opinions can be wrong if they are based on incorrect facts.  They cannot be wrong if they are based on beliefs.  For example, "In my opinion the world is flat" is factually wrong, but "In my opinion chocolate ice cream tastes better than vanilla ice cream" cannot be proven incorrect.

that right there is a serious flaw in your logic.  all but 7 of my 360 games i have gotten under $20.

I know. I mean, how couldn't you if you've been a day on a forum?

They're using it as a defence, because they know what they're saying is going to get flamed. I have no respect for such people, as they do not stand by what they say. They are hypocriths.

@Oyvoy. Hypocrites. Not criths.

 Ahh, thanks. It did sound kind of weird.

Hypocrites, not criths. Got it.

Quick, someone call the Nintendo fanboy fire dept! All is not perfect in Wii-land! Spin the Wii's low attach rate into something that looks better than the other consoles! =)

Seriously though, the Wii's attach rate being kinda low is not new news.  No one has ever really been able to explain it -- you're certainly not going to get an explanation from the Nintendo fans here... just some spin and a lot of pretending and excuses.

I think the general concensus of the non-blind, non-fanboy is that "Blue Ocean" just doesn't equate with "Gaming addict".. and hence you get a lower attach rate with that strategy.  C'est la vie.  Works good for Nintendo, so they aren't complaining.