Comments on: Why does the Wii even exist?

By: Datura

Datura — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:36:53 +0000

andwings2go: “have any of you ever actually really purchased a PC game?” YES. MANY OF THEM. I can even afford them without trade-ins — IMAGINE THAT.

Get Awesome: “What do you think makes more money for the console manufacturers?” Well, for starters, they could stop this puerile My Console’s Dick Is Bigger contest. You *are* aware that the 360 and PS3 were sold to consumers at a massive loss, aren’t you? The PS3 took a $500 hit PER UNIT just for Sony to win bragging rights of having the best hardware at a “competitive price”. This shellgame is digging the consoles’ own grave — they’re burning away their profit margin to inflate sales figures. Does that sound like a healthy industry to you?

By: eddards

eddards — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:59:36 +0000

I have worked in video game retail for five years. during these years I have watched to pc market dwindle down to almost nothing. people were getting sick of having to upgrade their pc’s every time a new game came out,even the die hard pc junkies started buying consoles. not all of them were happy about the prospect, but it was cheaper to get a console than to constantly keep upgrading their old hardware. Plus once you bought a pc game it was yours, for better or worse. No trading in to recoup some expenses plays a role now too.

By: Distortionfile

Distortionfile — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:47:34 +0000

This thing you speak of already exists. I’m using one to say this right now. Many different companies build them, they can be upgraded regularly, and play video games very very well.
The question is, why did consoles ever survive the PC age?
Computers even offer emulations of every controller and game you’ve ever loved.

By: Luke

Luke — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:06:38 +0000

with advances in hardware at the moment, why dont they just release what is essentially a big ole block of memory, maybe about a trillabite, and allow gamers to choose from a few, much cheaper software upgrades and maybe small hardware plugins, where neccicary. that way theres only one main item of expensive hardware needed, but developers have plenty of possible upgrades to play with
this would also give each indavidual the choice of which company, such as microsoft or sony, they wanted to invest in, and the companys got a estemate of the popularity of there games, depending on how many hardware or software downloads there console plugins have recived. there probably a cubic buttload of reasons this wouldent work, but fuck it, it sounds like it might.

By: Brad

Brad — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:57:57 +0000

@GetAwesome: “If they could strip all of the other stuff out of a gaming computer that gamers don’t need, make it plug and play (rather than having to navigate to your game through windows, and make a universal controller that doesn’t suck, then manage to get the cost down, then they would have it.”
“It” being a console. Consoles have upgrades too. WiiMotion Plus, Project Natal, Eyetoy, racing wheels.

By: Get Awesome

Get Awesome — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:53:21 +0000

@CS - Exactly right. What is the difference between a universal gaming console and a gaming PC? One is a machine that plays games, and the other does everything else a computer does AND plays games. The only problem is the price. If they could strip all of the other stuff out of a gaming computer that gamers don’t need, make it plug and play (rather than having to navigate to your game through windows, and make a universal controller that doesn’t suck, then manage to get the cost down, then they would have it. Only problem is, when the games start getting to big for the system, the new systems wouldn’t be brand-new shiny things that everyone wants, they would be a-little-at-a-time upgrades like PCs. Which do you think makes more money for the console manufacturers?

By: andwings2go

andwings2go — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:04:08 +0000

The console will be gone soon. There will certainly be one more offering from Nintendo, possibly one more Xbox, and never another Playstation.

After-wards, they will have to rely on publishing the game franchises contracted to them, gimmicky wireless controllers, and copyright security (have any of you ever actually really purchased a PC game?).

That being said, Nintendo FTW.

By: CS

CS — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:49:00 +0000

I don’t get why people keep suggesting this…

You’d basically be turning the console market into a less flexible variation of the PC market.

PC’s are generic, and have interchangeable parts.
The downside is anyone making high-performance software (eg. games), has to be able to account for the thousands of variations in hardware and operating software.

A standardised console is a much bigger project than a data storage medium. (notice that both the Wii and 360 use DVD’s? - different formatting, sure. But the drive technology is the same, the data capacity is the same too…)

look at mobile phones… Getting any two phones that even work the same way practically doesn’t happen.

You want standardised consoles?
Make cheap gaming PC’s.

By: Mytre

Mytre — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:12:10 +0000

Well, i would say why does the ps3 (aka the motherfucker console of pimos) exists?, Wii can be played by hardcore gamers if they focus on games like no more heroes 2, or super smash brawl (seriosuly, play the story mode on ssb, bet you cant make it on easy without doing a continue on easy) , xbox 360 has halo, and other games like dead rising that calls attentions and are hell good, ps3 has a bonus over all the consoles that its the free internet online gaming yet the wii also has this and it costs less. but well uniting all consoles on one may had pros but may not.

By: Pickle

Pickle — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:30:32 +0000

Hell, I want a Wii solely because they’re releasing all the old NES games on it. And I don’t care what anyone says, Ocarina of Time was weak stuff compared to the awesome difficulty of The Adventures of Link.