Wii: Sports ´might be the greatest videogame ever,´ says TIME

The Wii pack-in title ´Wii: Sports´ has earned massive praise from TIME magazine, its editor Wilson Rothman noting ´that it might be the greatest videogame ever made.´ His article goes on:

Early clumsiness fast became aggressive, aerobic, precise gesticulation. You develop a forehand, a backhand, even an overhead smash, just like on the real courts, and you work up a sweat doing it. Each time the virtual racquet hits the ball, it delivers an unbelievably satisfying "thok."

Looking on, my wife couldn't remember the last time she saw something as silly as two dudes jumping around, waving their arms and strutting like Agassi at a Grand Slam. But since the controls were so simple, she wasn't allowed to refuse when we told her it was her turn. (...)

By the end of the weekend, the little machine had hooked ten people of very different temperaments and interests. Only one among us, Chris, was a bonafide gaming guy, and his years of button mashing didn't give him an unnatural advantage over anyone else. Excited as I was about my own attraction to the Wii, I was stunned by its universal appeal.

Us gamers might be tempted to discount this statement. After all, ´Wii: Sports´ really is just a series of tech demos with some simple, yet effective packaging. But casual or non-gamers do find titles like ´Zelda: Twilight Princess´ simply too complicated. In fact, the author remarks about that game that it "looked okay but didn't hook me."

I believe we should note this comment as showing the console´s impact on casual and non-gamers. Nintendo´s strategy seems to be working.

Source: TIME magazine
Thanks to: Joystiq

CNN on Japanese PS3 launch and console war

CNN ran the following item on the Japanese PlayStation3 launch.

Please note: This is a clean-feed version (i.e. without supers). Interviewees are Paul Constantine (the customer) and Hirokazu Hamamura from Famitsu publisher Enterbrain. Atika Shubert reports.





Here are some interesting quotes from the above package:

IT'S COLD, RAINY AND VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING. BUT THAT HASN'T STOPPED MORE THAN A THOUSAND GAMERS FROM COMING OUT TO BUY THIS: THE PLAYSTATION 3. THIS SCENE IS BEING REPEATED AT ELECTRONIC STORES THROUGHOUT THE CITY. BUT WILL THIS BE ENOUGH TO PICK SONY OUT OF ITS SLUMP?

AN EDGY AD CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN DRUMMING UP EXCITEMENT FOR WEEKS ... AFTER MONTHS OF DELAYS FOR THE PS 3 DUE TO TECHNICAL PROBLEMS AND PRICING CONCERNS. IT'S NOT CHEAP. SIX-HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR THE 60 GIGABYTE GAME CONSOLE. AROUND 90 BUCKS FOR EACH GAME. BUYERS CAN EASILY SPEND MORE THAN 1000 DOLLARS. SONY SAYS IT'S MORE THAN A GAME CONSOLE: IT'S AN ENTERTAINMENT CENTER. (...)

THE COMPETITION HAS A HEADSTART. MICROSOFT'S XBOX 360 HAS BEEN ON THE SHELVES FOR MORE THAN A YEAR AND COSTS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS. YET, IT STILL GETS REGULARLY OUTSOLD BY PLAYSTATION.

THE SURPRISE WINNER MAY BE NINTENDO'S WII - A REVOLUTIONARY GAME CONTROLLER THAT ALLOWS PLAYERS TO PHYSICALLY ACT OUT THEIR FANTASIES - WHETHER ITS TENNIS AT WIMBLEDON OR SWASHBUCKLING ACROSS AN IMAGINARY KINGDOM. AT LITTLE MORE THAN 200 DOLLARS IT'S A MUCH CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE - DUE FOR RELEASE IN JUST A FEW WEEKS.

CNN´s online coverage has also been outspokenly critical of the PS3:

Tatsuya Mizuno, analyst for Fitch Ratings in Tokyo, believes it will be hard for Sony to maintain the 70 percent market share domination it has built with previous PlayStation consoles, and Sony will likely lose some of that market to rivals, especially Nintendo. Sony has sold more than 200 million PlayStation series machines over the years.

Source: CNN

Wii marketing budget twice as high as Xbox360´s

Nintendo will back up the Wii with a marketing budget that exceeds 200 million US Dollars, Bloomberg has learned.

The advertising campaign is the biggest ever for Kyoto-based Nintendo, which begins selling Wii in the U.S. on Nov. 19., two days after Sony releases the PlayStation. Television ads beginning tomorrow will focus on Wii's ease of use and library of family- friendly games.

This is twice as much as Microsoft spent on the Xbox360, according to Next-Gen. It should be noted, however, that it is unclear whether either figure encompasses all territories and whether it is limited to the launch window (though that is when companies spend the lion share of their marketing budget, obviously).

EDIT Nintendo have outlined their marketing campaign in detail. Here is the info from their press server (registration required):

A different kind of video game system demands a different kind of marketing effort. That's why Nintendo is moving to unprecedented lengths to let people see, feel and experience the unparalleled new Wii™ system, created to be easily used by anyone. Nintendo's multimillion-dollar marketing campaign spotlights that Wii is the only new video game system every member of a household can enjoy.

Gaming for the masses is seen in every element of the marketing campaign, from an online social-networking community and sampling events in average people's homes to urban "gaming" hours, retail midnight madness events, a multi-city music tour and extended hands-on opportunities in malls nationwide. Across the country, men and women, young and old, experienced and not, are getting their hands on Wii and helping usher in a new generation of video gamers.

Already Nintendo's viral efforts have paid off. In a 24-hour period in early November, Wii served as the centerpiece of a multipart South Park episode, appeared on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, made People magazine's Style Watch gift guide issue, was featured in an NPR report about hot holiday gifts and had a BusinessWeek feature note: "industry execs and analysts are already calling a winner: Nintendo's Wii." And all of this before the system has even launched.

"Our plan to market Wii broadly with hands-on experiences continues to pay off," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Wii introduces new ways to play to expand both the appeal of games and the audience of gamers, and our marketing campaign is central to that."

Hands-on Sampling

* Wii Ambassador Program: The yearlong initiative identified ambassadors in markets throughout the country. These ambassadors are of three categories: multigenerational families, hard-core gamers and modern moms. During the initial phase, Nintendo hosted events for each ambassador and 30 of his or her closest friends and relatives. The events offered an opportunity for everyday people from all walks of life to play Wii for the first time and share their experiences with others.

* Wii Mall Experience: Starting Nov. 15, Nintendo will set up six interactive Wii kiosks for a two-month period in 25 Westfield shopping centers across the country. Trained representatives will show visitors new ways to play. For a complete list of the participating malls, visit wii.nintendo.com.

* Nintendo Fusion Tour: The annual showcase for music and video games visits cities across the country through Nov. 11. In addition to live music from headliner Hawthorne Heights and four other up-and-coming bands, concert attendees get to enjoy some hands-on time with Wii.

* Blender: Nintendo Fusion Tour headliner Hawthorne Heights shows off their slick Wii moves and talk about some of the upcoming games for Wii in the December issue.

* Urban Gaming Hours: Through Nov. 17, Nintendo is hosting a gaming take on "happy hour" at gatherings for urban influencers in fashion, music and media, such as Vice magazine and Def Jam Records. The on-site events let participants experience Wii with their colleagues.

* RISE: The December issue of this sports and lifestyle magazine for teens will feature thoughts from top teen athletes about their experiences sampling the Wii console.

Feeding the Buzz

* How Wii Play: Wii's MySpace page at www.MySpace.com/howwiiplay has attracted nearly 1 million page views from more than 200,000 unique visitors, largely by word-of-mouth. Members have created their own Wii videos and posted thousands of messages in the robust forums.

* Midnight Madness: Countdown events at Toys "R" Us in New York's Times Square and at GameStop at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles will turn the last few hours before the launch of Wii into an entertainment frenzy. Nintendo fans of all stripes will line up to be the first to purchase the console at the stroke of midnight as they are entertained by acrobats, music, pyrotechnics, Wii interactives on Segway scooters and a general party atmosphere.

Brand Partnerships

* 7-Eleven: 7-Eleven is giving away 711 Wii consoles. Codes are printed on the sides of special Nintendo-branded Slurpee cups. Through Jan. 31, people go online to enter their codes to see if they have won. 7-Eleven also will introduce a new limited-time-only Nintendo-themed Slurpee flavor: StrawberrWii Banana. Print ads will run in Blender, Electronic Gaming Monthly and DC Comics. Print ads will also run in USA Today and The Onion. In addition, online banner ads will appear on Google, GameZone, IGN, Rotten Tomatoes and GameSpot.

* Pringles Snack Stacks: Pringles.com is giving away 100 Wii consoles. The program is supported by 7 million Wii-themed Pringles Snack Stacks packages and an additional 2 million Wii-themed Pringles canisters on display at Wal-Mart stores for the first three weeks of December. The sweepstakes runs now through April 16.

* Comedy Central: The comedy cable network will give away a Wii every hour Thursday through Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. Wii will be featured in a series of vignettes spoofing reality TV shows. At the end of the weekend, the grand prize will be a Wii console and a Scion tricked out to look like a Wii.

As Seen on TV

* Wii Would Like to Play: Wii's central ad campaign follows two friendly Japanese men who bring Wii to people's homes to demonstrate how easy and fun it is for everyone to play. Stephen Gaghan, who wrote the screenplay for and directed Syriana and won a best screenplay Oscar for writing Traffic, directed the four spots. The director of photography is John Seale, who won an Oscar for best cinematography on The English Patient and was nominated for Oscars for Rain Man, Cold Mountain and Witness. The spots begin airing the week of Nov. 13.

* Nick @ Nite: Wii will be featured on the Nov. 24 Nick@Nite episode of Road Crew. The spots feature a family from Long Island that finally finds something they can all enjoy together - playing Wii.

* Nickelodeon: A Wii ad begins Nov. 20. The 60-second spot shows a dad mistaking the Wii Remote for his television remote control. Dad becomes immersed in the fun, and soon the whole family joins in.

* TeleFutura: Nintendo will be at November auditions in New York for the highly successful international singing competition show Objetivo Fama (Objective: Fame) to allow contestants to sample the Wii console and calm their pre-audition jitters.

* Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Kids Network: A feature scheduled to air in December showcases kids, parents and teachers sampling Wii at a school event and sharing their experiences.

Sources: Bloomberg, Next-Gen, Nintendo press server (registration required)
Thanks to: Joystiq, Joystiq