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Wii
Wii Battle Report
It's the little console that could and it indeed has been a smash hit for Nintendo. The Wii's price point, the motion sensing Wiimote controller and games like the included Wii Sports and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess have turned the Wii into a must have for not just gamers but people who have never picked up a video game. It's not the most powerful console; it's just fun to play. Oh, and good luck trying to find one in stores. Unlike the PS3 or the Xbox 360, Nintendo can't keep up with the demand for the Wii.
Sooner or later there will be enough Wii consoles to go around for everyone. That's when the final battle will truly begin. Nintendo is without a doubt the most secretive of the three console makers when it comes to the future plans for its machine so there is nothing but speculation about when upcoming games and services will be offered. They also have a tendency to miss projected release dates for games (Metroid Prime 3 was supposed to be a launch title for the Wii). While the Wii has had a great start, will it have a great finish? We offer these humble suggestions for Nintendo to keep up its current pace.
Offer Online Multiplayer Support ASAP
Nintendo clearly is still intimidated in entering the online space for its consoles. Sure, the Wii offers things like downloadable classic games and friends codes to link to other person's Wii. But let's face it; it's 2007 and people want to play online games against others and that's something that the Wii (at least in the US) just doesn't have. Nintendo needs to at least announce a timeline for getting the Wii online multiplayer network up and running along with a list of compatible games (Metorid Prime 3, anyone)? If they wait too long (say by fall 2007) it will be way too late to compete with games like the Xbox 360's Halo 3.
Don't Wait For Fall To Release New Wii Games
Nintendo has promised there will not be a drought of games for the Wii between now and this Fall, but at the moment it looks like a rather barren release schedule until the holiday season. This is certainly not the case with the Xbox 360 which looks like it will have a very aggressive schedule of games coming out. If there are enough titles for the Wii between now and this Fall it could get flattened in the face of major PS3 and Xbox 360 releases.
Offer Original Virtual Console Games
It's fantastic that the Wii allows you to download great and even not-so-great classic games from Nintendo's library of titles (along with Sega and Hudson games) but these are very simple ports; no added content or features like Microsoft offers for ports of classic games for the Xbox 360. Most importantly there are no original titles currently available for download.We know that there are some in development (indeed, IGN's Wii editors have admitted they are helping to develop an original Wii Virtual Console game) and we think that will go a long way in turning the Wii console from a retro machine into a real rival for the Xbox Live Arcade.
Get More Community Involvement
Like Sony, Nintendo tends to shy away from involving its fans in its business, preferring to release press notes to members of the media. We think Nintendo should embrace blogs, podcasts and more outreach programs to inform its Wii owners on upcoming news and releases for the console. Nintendo had some odd ways to promote its products (the Wii launch was preceded by an series of small invite only parties) and has relied on its long time fans to spread the word. But using the resources of the Internet could be an even better way to keep the Wii's buzz growing.
Conclusion
Again, its still too early to declare a winner in the console wars. We will take a look at how the battlelines and war fronts on all three sides will shape up in the months ahead and offer an update this summer on the war and its skirmishes before the final fall 2007 battles begin. We think that will be the time when the true winner will be declared. In the meantime, don't forget your helmet and your first aid kit; this next-gen console conflict could get bloody really fast.
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