Nintendo Wii,Why was it so popular?

PerrinV2

Just thought it might be an interesting question to ask 4 years on?
So why did nintendo kick sony and microsoft's ass?
Did they have a particularly great marketing strategy that appealed to everyone?
etc etc

Retr0gamer

Their marketing strategy was excellent and the Wii appealed to a much bigger market while the PS3 and 360 only appealed to gamers. However the negative effect is that the Wii doesn'tappeal to the normal type of gamer and only the really hardcore are interested in huntung down the good games for it that aren't by nintendo.

jaykhunter

Retro's right. To sum up :

• Innovative gameplay (first decent motion controller console)
• Excellent marketing strategy
• "Created" it's own gamer demographic (people who generally don't play games) with simple, intuitive controls
• Bundled with Wii Sports; and Wii Play (which came with another controller)
• Hooked in hardcore fans dedicated games lineup : launch-day fantastic new Zelda Title; with the promise of a new revolutionary Mario (Galaxy) and Metroid, Super Smash Bros etc
• Huge press and positive buzz about the console made sure that the console was generally sold out for the first two years; creating more buzz and demand.

PerrinV2

With regards to their marketing strategy,was it just those family ads on tv that drew people in or was there so much more to it?

dkd

PerrinV2 wrote: »

Just thought it might be an interesting question to ask 4 years on?
So why did nintendo kick sony and microsoft's ass?
Did they have a particularly great marketing strategy that appealed to everyone?
etc etc

Very simple really. It is fun for all, not just for gaming nerds. A total noob can pick up a controller and have fun.

feno13

PerrinV2 wrote: »

Just thought it might be an interesting question to ask 4 years on?
So why did nintendo kick sony and microsoft's ass?
Did they have a particularly great marketing strategy that appealed to everyone?
etc etc

The wii appeals to girls - whole new market in terms of consoles. And yeah, I guess families too. All round they marketed it as being more sociable, trying to get rid of the stereotype of the lone gamer in his room gaming and masturbating profusely. Nintendo should be applauded, the wii truly sucks balls and look how well its sold.

o1s1n

If you think the Wii sucks balls you're just playing the wrong games.

red_fox

I think it just came across (rightly) as an easy to pick up and play toy / gadget, there are plenty of good gamers games although after the initial release they can be hard to find. I'm disappointed that motion plus has been so slow to take off, even now there isn't much on the horizon for it.

Also, I apologise for my following off topic and off colour remark:

feno13 wrote: »

...trying to get rid of the stereotype of the lone gamer in his room gaming and masturbating profusely. Nintendo should be applauded, the wii truly sucks balls...

Yup, it sounds like that would make the problem worse.

feno13

o1s1n wrote: »

If you think the Wii sucks balls you're just playing the wrong games.

Resident Evil 4 was a great adaptation for wii, it worked well. But really, the standard of games doesn't come close to say Xbox 360. I discovered this first hand when I got myself one (while my wii steadily gathers dust). Too many cutesy, gimicky games which lack substance and decent graphics. I always found it hard to find quality games for wii when I'd stop in for a browse and now I've got a list as long as my arm for Xbox.

jaykhunter

Agreed Feno. Well the Wii is a casual gaming console, the 360 and PS3 are "core" gamer consoles. All core gamers had a wii at some point tho :pac::pac:

That said there are a good few really enjoyable Wii titles. Here's an article about their top 28 wii titles (although they're missing a few imo) so unless you're a guy that regularly plays and beats game after game, it's more than enough.

Fysh

I agree with a lot of what's been said already, but there's another factor:

The Wii has a lot more to offer people like myself who've grown up with gaming but no longer have hours every day to spend on games. While we had a Gamecube and PS2 in the house, I barely played any games. Once we got a Wii and I realised how many great games there are which allow me short bursts of fun gameplay (without struggling to remember plot/controls) I started playing a lot more. That's the key for the "folks who don't normally play videogames". Someone who's not already a gamer isn't going to be entralled by the prospect of giving up 100 hours to play their way through Zelda, but fun minigames that can take as little as 5 minutes? Much more appealing.

And of course, there's the whole aspect of the Wii costing ~£200 from when it launched versus the PS3's arrogant £600 launch only to come crawling ever-downwards as the wider audience's comparative lack of interest (at least at that price) slowly dawned on Sony. The 360 had a less pronounced but similar effect as well.