Nintendo steals the show from Microsoft and Sony

Stan Beer
Thursday, 11 May 2006 06:02

Your IT - Home IT

Before the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) opened in Los Angeles this week, all the gaming pundits could talk about was the impending war between the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360. And of course, they all had a good laugh over the name Nintendo came up with for its console, Wii. However, Nintendo has had the last laugh.

The E3 show opened to great fanfare, with Bill Gates expounding on his great vision for Microsoft, Windows Vista, Windows Live Games, Xbox 360 and its future support for the high definition standard HD DVD. Meanwhile, at a theatre a few miles from the E3 show, Sony unveiled a pre-release glimpse of the dazzling PS3, with its superior graphics and built in Blu-ray high definition player.

While Microsoft issues a flurry of releases, supported by Bill Gates surprise appearance at E3, outlining its grand vision for the Xbox 360 and Windows amalgamation, with 10 million consoles sold before Sony and Nintendo even gear up, experts confused by the tangled web of Microsoft messages, continue to grumble over the price of PS3 and ask why they need to pay $100 to $200 more for the console.

However, when it comes to Nintendo, nothing is confused. The name Wii is no longer a laughing stock. The message it conveys is pure and simple - the name is meant to sound like "we", meaning it's a games console for everyone. Unlike Xbox 360 and PS3, Wii is a gamers' console.
 
Wii not a universal home entertainment unit. It's not a video recorder or music player or networking hub. It does have some networking capabilities and enables gamers to surf the internet. However, what the rapt audiences have been interested is the unique motion sensitive compact remote control unit that resembles a plain old TV remote but allows gamers to do things they can't with the clumsy thumb and finger driven joysticks and buttons on the PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers. For instance, it allows gamers to wirelessly conduct sword fights or point and shoot or steer their vehicle and interact with the game and each other in a way that PS3 and Xbox 360 can't emulate.

Testimony to the success of its Wii campaign, Nintendo haven't even been required to announce the price or release date - although the company hints that the price will be cheaper than its rivals and availability will be before the end of 2006. However, unlike with Sony, the new flock of Nintendo fans at E3 are prepared to forgive Nintendo for its tardiness after being treated to a glimpse of a machine that addresses first and foremost what they want to do - play games.