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© Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.Nintendo's profit dives as Wii demand dwindles
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pathat
It's time for Wii to start collecting dust in a corner with AIBO.
If you want a pet, buy one. If you want to exercise, go for a walk in a nearby park or swim at a city swimming pool for 400 yen.
If you want to socialize without the effort, go to an izakaya and eat and drink with your fellow human beings.
This technology is a waste of money and a waste of time.
thepro
There just haven't been any good games for Wii for ages, and probably won't be until a sequel to Mario Galaxy. But that's Nintendo's style - release one good game every year or so, and release lots of brain training exercise crap in the meantime.
kokorocloud
Isn't this just common sense? I mean, if the Wii was driving things but then everyone already bought one, of course the sales would go down. Same for the DS. Everyone I know either has an original or that PLUS the DSi already. Though I feel bad that many of us haven't bought as many DS games either, what with the convenience of roms and R4s. That's probably a thorn in their side as well.
I'm sure they're working on more games. Now I can save my money and buy the (still too darn expensive for me) PS3. Which has, by far, the lousiest game selection, but I keep hoping it will get better.
resetsurvivor
I agree with thepro and kokorocloud. Just make some half-way decent games already. Everyone has the systems.
inakaRob
I quit being a fan of Nintendo ever since the first PlayStation came out. Its not that they are bad, they just sell to a completely different demo-graph than me. I think they are still trying to appeal to the kid and young teenager. sure they have a few really sick games, but without HD graphics. COME ON?!?!? and the 360s and PS3 achievements and trophies are like crack cocaine. I stopped playing PC games because they don't have online achievements I can work on and show off online. only 1 achievement to go on Halo 3!!!! Recon armor here i come.
kokorocloud
inakaRob-- Yeah, graphics are an issue. I find that a lot of Sony games are very well done in that regard. However, Nintendo games tend to have a lot of variation and replayability. There is pretty much something for everyone. And the DS? I think that was their best idea yet. The PSP looks fab, certainly. But I never use mine. They have their share of mediocre games. Really, it all depends on what you're looking for. I can't diss any of the companies, because each one has something to like about it for me (...or at least Sony and Nintendo do. I will probably never own an Xbox/360 just because I can't pay for it, haha).
I think Nintendo does try to appeal to the younger generation, but there are quite a few gems in there too. And I bought my Wii expecting great things. Too bad a lot of the games I want probably won't ever be translated into English!
diggerdog
i usually love nintendo, but i have to say i think the wii is the first crappy console they have made. I have one, but only for mario and zelda, there are just no other games i want on the wii. So i got my self an xbox and there is a load of decent software on that. If i play nintendo i usually plug in my n64 or snes.
diggerdog
DS rules though that is an awsome hand held console, destroys the psp in my opinion.
DarkKnghtZ
Diggerdog, Nintendo's first crappy console was the N64. That had TERRIBLE support, very few good games, and they were still using cartridges when the rest of the world was using Cds.
gogogo
n64 had great games pity it took the wii to come out for people to notice
viking68
I read this morning that Nintendo was coming our with a new WII that will be based on the blu-ray disk, and play movies and games in 1080p. The news got leaked from some French marketing person.
Apparently, the blu-ray was chosen to reduce the piracy going on with the Wii.
I have a Wii and a PS3. Won the Wii in a contest two years ago, otherwise I wouldn't have one. Have maybe 20 hours playing it and haven't turned it on in over a year. Most of that time was playing game cube games that I missed out on.
Can't count the hours I have playing the PS3. May have learned Japanese by now or earned a doctorate with all the time I spent with the PS3....
unrested
the problem with the wii is there are just no games you want to play for a decent amount of time. also the whole movement sensitive controller is unique at first but has no staying power. i bought a wii and a ps3 not too far apart. loved the wii for about 3 months and then never touched it ever again. still playing the ps3 due to the games always being on the cutting edge and the console itself is comparable to a decent computer and can play all regions for movies and games. i already sold the wii. just got so boring so fast.
Sarge
Nintendo needs to come out with an all-new version of Space Invaders & Ms. Pacman, the greatest computer games ever created. Of course I had Pong, the very first computer game, but that wasn't so great.
motytrah
Past Wii sales have been helped a lot by price. Traditionally the Wii was cheaper than the other consoles by at least $100. Even at the cheaper price point the Wii has always been sold at a profit. Whereas the PS3 and 360 needed people to buy 4-5 games before they broke even. (Though Sony could count the Blu-ray discs in that equation.)
At any rate, Nintendo messed up when they left the Wii price point at $199 when the 360 Arcade came down to the $199 price point. They should have dropped to $179 or so.
jaotsu
It's a simple fix to increase sales.
1.) HD 1080p for Wii output. 2.) Bluray / HDDVD support. (fast loading bluray, people who have HDDVD disks) 3.) Wireless keyboard and mouse support. 4.) Online games that require the Wii controllers.