Is Nintendo Wii Winning The Gaming Consoles War?

The first time I ever heard about Nintendo which, in those days, was still known by its code name, Revolution, I admit I thought it wouldn’t go anywhere and even felt sorry for Nintendo, which looked like a ready victim for Sony and Microsoft.

At the time, during the 2005 E3 Expo to be more specific, Microsoft was busy inciting MTV in order to announce its magnificent Xbox 360, while Sony was revealing the first details about PlayStation 3. In those days, Nintendo Wii appeared to be more of a concept, and by comparison to the processing power, graphic solutions and features promised by Sony’s PlayStation 3 or by Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii seemed the poor relative. The war of the consoles was business strictly between Microsoft and Sony at the time.

Nintendo Wii (yet to be christened at the time) revealed just a bit what its true potential would be during the Tokyo Game Show in September 2005. Satoru Iwata made the very first demonstration of the controller the next console would be equipped with.

I honestly admit I never gave the future Nintendo Wii a chance. Even if aided by a controller that redefined the way in which a gamer interacts with the virtual universe, how could Nintendo dare to compare itself to the horse-graphic-power brought by Xbox 360 or with the BluRay unit PlayStation 3 would offer?

What did attract my attention though was Satoru Iwata’s appeal to game makers for innovation. It was only then that I began to understand what Nintendo Wii wanted from gamers and that, in the end, Nintendo didn’t ignore the fact that It’s All About The Gaming Fast forward to E3 Expo 2006, when Nintendo was officially named Nintendo Wii. After all the bad jokes ended (which were inevitable considering the name), it became increasingly obvious that Nintendo Wii could no longer be regarded as the poor relative and that it already had the potential to override Sony and Microsoft’s plans.

While Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were competing in categories such as “who can stuff more memory and processors per square centimeter”, Nintendo bet on the human factor and instead of concentrating on graphics and processor power, it reinvented the magic wand, creating a wireless controller which allows gamers to make any kind of movements they desire while playing.

Another fast forward this time to November 2006. During this month Sony and Nintendo launched their gaming consoles in United States. And that was the first success for Nintendo Wii. According to NPD, Nintendo sold in November 2006, 476,000 units, which was more than double compared to PlayStation 3 units. (Sony sold only 197.000 units in November). During November 2006, Microsoft sold 511,000 units of its Xbox 360, according to NPD.

Today NPD has crowned again Nintendo Wii as the best selling console in the U.S. in February, with consumers snapping up virtually every system available in America totaling more than 335,000 units.

Still the gaming consoles battle it had to be decided. Until now Microsoft has sold 5.1 million of its consoles, while both Nintendo and Sony have yet to reach the 2-million mark for either of their gaming machines. Let’s not forget that Microsoft's console hit the market more than a year ahead of those of Nintendo and Sony.

In a recent study IDC has predicted of March that Nintendo's Wii will outship and outsell the 360 and PS3 in 2007 and 2008.

Still, there are other analysts who are ready to bet that PS3 will win in the end. According to a research called "The Transforming Global Video Games Market: The Emergence of Next Generation Gaming”, published in January by the research company Research and Markets, Sony PS3 “is expected to win the console war in the long term with an install base of around 75 million globally by 2010.” Still, as Research and Markets observes “the console is not expected to dominate as much as its predecessor, the PS2, due to late launch issues in the PAL region and the early lead of Microsofts Xbox 360.”

Research And Markets isn’t the first company which sees PS3 as a winner, despite Blu-Ray problems and delays. In October 2006, Enterbrain President Hirokazu Hamamura said also that PS3 will be the winner. "The PS3 will have a tough time globally at the initial stage. Its launch titles in Japan and exclusive software titles overseas are quite limited. "But its overwhelmingly realistic graphics will give it a long life span. It will stay competitive even when a game console battle breaks out among a newer generation of machines in 2010. Sales should grow every time Sony cuts prices," Hamamura said.

There's no doubt about the PS3's technical chops - it's actually a mini supercomputer with a new multicore cell chip that is 40 times more powerful than the ultra-successful PS2 that it supersedes. With its internet access, built-in wi-fi and ability to play movies, music and other digital formats, Sony is hoping the PS3 will be the household media centre of the not-too distant future and at the heart of our entertainment world.

I agree that is still to early estimate what Nintendo Wii’s fate will be in the war of the consoles, but I can’t tell you one thing: Nintedo Wii deserves a round of applause for the way it has fought its fight.