The Wii comes with Wii Sports, which tallies up weekly in software numbers for Wii, but adds no intrinsic $$$ to the bottom-line for the console. Of course, Nintendo developed the Wii Sports package specifically as a basic part of the Wii experience out of the box. I look at this as no different as adding up each controller or A/V cord. The Wii Sports is an accessory to the Wii, and it’s a brilliant one at that, which is paying major dividends for Nintendo.
The 360 and ps3 didn’t have basic launch title with EACH and EVERY console, and while I’m not going to pass judgment on the wisdom or flaw of not doing so, it does put the current strategy of bundling games to console in a new perspective. While Wii Sports is an accessory, the methodology of bundling games by M$ and sony is not as efficient. I think M$ realized this with Halo 3, and they didn’t launch a Halo 3 console bundle, and instead “ripped” consumers off with the Halo edition 360 that sold for more. I really can’t understand the financial machinery behind sony’s love of the bundle package, since sure..you sell a few more consoles and games, but it’s at a loss, so I’m not sure what’s the benefit?
So, in general, the whole concept of bundling games has been implemented and executed far superior by Nintendo on the Wii, and it’s just one of the MANY MANY reasons why that console is tops!
"...You can't kill ideas with a sword, and you can't sink belief structures with a broadside. You defeat them by making them change..."
- From By Schism Rent Asunder
