Im a nintendo fanboy and even i dont beleive that the Wii has won. It still has a lot of problems and Sony and Microsoft are starting to see gaming from different angles so its anyones game (sadly).

The Wii's doing so good at the moment becuase it appeals to EVERYONE (even us hardcore) and has a great price. Also i think people like things that are futuristic, motion control is very sci-fi and many will beleive that the next step is VR.

The whole debate between the three comes down to people not being able to afford all three.

I currently have all three, but I only have two games for the PS3 (Disgaea 3 and MGS4)

On the other hand, I have roughly 20 games for the wii, and 30 for the 360.

98% of my PS3 time is spent playing older PS2 games.

Kuroma:
The whole debate between the three comes down to people not being able to afford all three.

I currently have all three, but I only have two games for the PS3 (Disgaea 3 and MGS4)

On the other hand, I have roughly 20 games for the wii, and 30 for the 360.

98% of my PS3 time is spent playing older PS2 games.

which is exactly what Sony doesn't want you doing..

that's actually why backwards compatibility is so bad this generation. Gamesales have been crucial to the race this generation, and every single game sold is vital to each parent company. One of the Directors at Sony's US branch has gone so far and even admitted that that's exactly why the Backwards Compatibility on the PS3 was a bit of a joke.

It was cheapest and the games were for kids. People with kids dont trust them with expensive things, likely strapped for cash anyway. Bada-bing bada boom.

I personally think that, if the Wii had the hardware for 360-like graphic and physics, it would have outsold ANY console.
Just imagine playing Fallout 3 on the Wii...
The Wii will loose the console war because of bad game lineups, the wii is currently my only console, but i will buy a 360, because there are really only a few good games for the Wii.
If they keep the motion-sensitive-controller for the next generation and add a better graphics (and therefore also better games) they WILL win the future console war.
I support the Wii for reviving the VR-Technology, ok its not the same but you will get sucked into games more easily if you actually CONTROL your character (twilight players will know what i mean)
I still think the controls are far superior to the of the ps3 and 360, because you have mouse-like precision with the wii-mote, but the online modes for the wii just suck hard (brawl players will know what i mean)...

Well, Nintendo sold (or sold out) to new generations, while Sony and Microsoft were still figuring out their strategies, to put it simply

I've found that there are barely any games on the Wii that make me want to say 'YES!, this is why the Wii rocks, this is why going for such an experimental design was such a good idea.' I'm seeing many games atm which are trying to grasp just what the Wii controls are actually capable of (Dragon Quest: Swords, Zelda Twilight Princess) I choose these two as an example because they both try to emulate an element of combat which, with the power of wireless-wavey-(hey...-what-do-these-things-do?)-wii controls, the average joe who picks up the Wiimotes eagerly hoping that every swipe/slash/hack and chop he does is going to be mimicked identically by his little avatar, is only let down by the fact that of what games there are on the market for the Wii, game a) (DQ:S) lets him see his swipes and epic moves on screen as brightly coloured streaks across the screen, or in game b) as pretty fancy-pants looking swordplay, but the only movement really necessary to make such wonderous swordsmanship occur, is via a little shakey shake.

What I'm getting at is that there's so much potential with the Wii controls for a game to actually closely follow and actually DO what moves its being told to do by the over-excited 8 year old, that any game which could master something like that (whilst still allowing you to perform some still OP killer moves a la Black-belt 4th Dan style) would be far more enjoyable and fun than playing the next wave of highly-polished yet still, its-been-done-before-a-million-times FPS's.

Untill the Wii starts making (in my eyes) games that make the full potential out of the Wii controls, then seeing the same old same old is going to stay pretty old, pretty fast. And I'll just get tempted to forking out muchos moneys into other formats to play games which, whilst not bringing anything really fantastically new to any gaming genre, will still be finished to a high standard, and at least I'm sure I'll be able to get more fun out of games like that, than ones with shoddy/gimmicky controls.

-Good advertising.
-It was very cheap.
-The Wiimote was a new thing.
-Plus it had all the classics with new games like Zelda and Metroid.
-Being able to buy old NES and SNES classics.
-Family friendly.

The Wii has the most shovelware games out of all 3 of this generation consoles, but it does have some gems.

But some beans in the shit doesn't make good coffee so it hasn't won yet ;)

I think that teh Wii will end up becoming like the Gamecube, gameplay wise. But what it does have to ofer is that an internet connection makes it better since you can download games from the past (like the ones that didn't suck so much) if you're into that sort of thing. You can also check up on weather in your area and look at news from around the world, without turning the TV to the news. THAT IS, if you're smart enough to get an internet connection.

Its extremally cheap now and has always been,
also I think its more gimmicky aswell than the others (No offence to any owners)

ps3 will win in the end.. it always does.

This ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFoyp71xw3w&feature=related

51gunner:
This ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFoyp71xw3w&feature=related

Pure.
Gold.

Am I the only one who laughs at people that use the virtual console because they're (presumably) too stupid to use an emulator?

GenHellspawn:
Am I the only one who laughs at people that use the virtual console because they're (presumably) too stupied to use an emulator?

Maybe were not all that "stupied."

Da_Schwartz:
ps3 will win in the end.. it always does.

I think Sony concentrates to much on graphics instead of gameplay. Thats probably why the PS3 did'nt do so well when they first came out. (and $600 did'nt help much either)

Its cheap, kid friendly and idiot proof. Seriously, if you can hand a Wii remote to a 50 year old and they start actually having fun, then you know you've got a winning console on your hands. *shudders at the memory of his dad beating him at wii boxing*

Why does any console have to "win", in the end we gamers win anyway![/cliche]

I think it was because of innovation, and the huge, huge Nintendo fan base.

All the Nintendo fans bought it, and everyone else did as well because it was innovative.

Now, we can dicuss whether is was the money worth or not, cause I hear from a lot of people that their Wii is just collecting dust...

Gedo:
I think it was because of innovation, and the huge, huge Nintendo fan base.

All the Nintendo fans bought it, and everyone else did as well because it was innovative.

Now, we can dicuss whether is was the money worth or not, cause I hear from a lot of people that their Wii is just collecting dust...

The last time I played mine was about 2 months ago for mario galaxy. I completed it in about 3 days (wasn't going to get ever star, I have some dignity) and I havn't touched it since. Sad really.

The console wars?

How tedious.

gremily:

GenHellspawn:
Am I the only one who laughs at people that use the virtual console because they're (presumably) too stupied to use an emulator?

Maybe were not all that "stupied."

I'm at my friend's and he's got no spellchecker. Bite me.

Altorin:
then they both saw who the Wii was selling too and laughed "Old men and housewives? You can have them! LULULUL"

Then the Wii started outselling them and they're like "OH SHIT! MAKE SOME SHITTY GAMES LIKE NINTENDO DID FOR THE WIVES AND OLD MEN TO PLAY! Hey! Nintendo Fans! We have crappy games too! Just like Nintendo!"

but it was too late.

Besides shitty games, I love the puzzle games that the Wii and DS offer as opposd to the 360...

Eggo:

Ultrajoe:
Won is a relative term, and depends on what you call a 'win'.

In sales, certainly, but in sales to actual 'gamers'? Well, i haven't seen the statistics to make a call on that.

Yeah, actual gamers build their PCs and buy and play on Steam.

This.

The Wii only 'won' because they are selling it more as a toy than a game console, if they hadn't put out all this casual bollocks then it would just be another Gamecube with a fancy control system.

Gedo:
I think it was because of innovation, and the huge, huge Nintendo fan base.

You see, I'm reluctant to call anything Innovative/Gimmick. Seriously, we've got one half of the world saying that the Wii is innovating going on about how "The wii is making you go up and do something! How innovative!!!" while the other half of the world is saying "The wii is a gimmick! It's just you flailing your arms around and all the games that use it suck at using it!! And motion control is nothing new!!!"

Can we stop with the "innovation!" and "gimmick!!" crap already? It's as bipolar as a polar bear in the south pole instead of the north (polar bears are in the south pole right? >_>; )

This fourm semms more like a troll.

Cheesebob:
The Wii has the most shovelware games out of all 3 of this generation consoles, but it does have some gems.

But some beans in the shit doesn't make good coffee so it hasn't won yet ;)

Obviously, you have not had any civet coffee yet. By far quoted the best coffee (and most expensive) in the world at the moment.

I still enjoy the Wii. I play it on par with my ps2 (yes, 2) games. By far it's a console in which I've collected the most games for under a certain period of time. Twenty some games in the first year, when it took me a handful of years to mount my 27 for the ps2 and 30+ for the snes.

Personally, I believe the Wii is fine where it is. For those complaining of the lack of games, they have not bought enough games or took enough chances yet. Renting from the local video store down the road does not count. Either that or they are of the Xbox demographic where the best games are all first person shooters.

Not everyone is going to like the Wii. That's understandable. My brother, who is a huge buff in running around and killing things with a gun or chainsaw, chose the Xbox. (though the sad news is that, since he got his second RROD, he's turned towards playing more of said games on the computer). My old man is a computer buff and gets most of his games for it, but he shows interest in the PS3 for the bluray device - however will only buy said device once he can afford a 60 gig one with the backwards compatibility.

Most of my friends and personal acquaintances have a Wii and use it regularly to play with other friends. Only one friend has a ps3 and protects it like the cure to cancer. A few friends also have 360s, but - excluding one who won their 360 at some convention - all have had to go through a few 360s due to breakdowns and problems. I believe that is why the 360 is not ahead in sales at the moment. It isn't marketability, it's getting the damned things to work. Almost everyone I have spoke to, including employees at various stores, have said they are on their n'th 360. Parents or graduates who consider a game console these days really does put that into prospective. What is the break rate of the system? Why would I buy a system if it is known for dieing on people? Currently the Wii has the lowest death rate of all systems released at the moment, and most times when the wii does break, it is owner error and easily fixable. The only thing to break on my Wii was the little flap thing over the GC memory card slots - to which I received a new one for pocket change. Meanwhile I have been through Four Ps2s, and over ten Ps2 controllers. I fear the PS3 having similar issues, since high technology tends to have huge glitches or issues (take computers for example).

Yet another barely stated reason why some people choose the Wii over the other two console has much to do with motion sickness. For one of the oddest reasons known to man, that percentage of people that get violently ill off first person shooters and third person games with a bad camera or constantly moving background on the 360, PS3, PC, or other older generation systems, can play similar games on the Wii with little to no problems. I found, being one of these victims, that it literally has to do with the Wiimote and being forced to sit up and move to make the game work. Even the wrist flicking puts my brain back into reality. The only times I found myself ill at all were parts in Metroid and that undersea temple in Zelda. Yet compared to how ill I got on most games for the PS2, Dreamcast, Xbox, Xbox360, PC, what few I've seen on the PS3, and the Gamecube, it is little to no problem at all on the Wii. Nifty, yes?

Getting people into gaming is great. Getting people into gaming where they soon become a majority and affect the decisions of game companies into making shittier games is not great.

And by your ass-backward logic I suppose Nintendo "sold out" the game industry by making Super Mario Bros.? And, yeah, admittedly mainstream gamers can be expected to have mainstream tastes, but on the whole the game industry has only become more diverse and bountiful since it vaulted to success in the mid-eighties - which has occured concurrently with its commercial growth.

To paraphrase someone else: every Wii owner may be an idiot, but you yourself prove that every idiot is not a Wii owner. Update me on how the other consoles are the last bastions of 'real' gaming when Gears of War 2 goes triple platinum.

Sadly, your views are extremely narrow minded and incorrect. The reason why the Wii appeals to the lowest-common denominator is because that's what appeals to the casual gamer. The casual gamer usually doesn't want meaningful and quality gameplay. They want something that can easily be consumed without regard to it's quality (see McDonalds menu). That's why you see shit like "Pretty Ponies Adventures" and "Super Dupper Boogie Groove" on the Wii and DS section at Best Buy. The problem isn't that this stuff is new, the problem is that 99% of these games are utter shit. Sure you occasionally get a gem like Boom Blox, but they are few and far between.

I dig how you've unilaterally appointed yourself judge, jury, and plaintiff in deciding what kinds of gamers buy the Wii, and the statistical occurence of bad games on the console. Yeah, the Wii has alot of shovelware, but so what? Don't buy it. It also has a handful of the best games on the market, and is pushing the industry in a new direction both technologically and demographically that may prove to be far more influential than the categoric enhancements offered by the Xbox 360 and PS3. The Wii is the only console that's not adjoined in the Xbox 360-PS3-PC trinity wherein they all release the exact same titles. Is that worth remarking?

Additionally, games with titles like "Pretty Ponies Adventures" and "Super Dupper Boogie Groove" don't necessarily exist as a result of the "mainstream" demographic, but as a result of kids owning consoles. Unless you hate kids.

Also, consoles aren't just used "to bring people together". They are used to play a video game. Extremely narrow minded view of gaming you have there.

Games are a continually evolving medium, and are apt to take on different incarnations (many of them social) beyond merely clutching a controller and glaring lone and uninterrupted for hours on end at the screen. So who's really being narrow-minded?

Sewblon:
I have heard a lot of complaints about the Wii And I don't get as much use out of mine as I would like to but it outsold the Xbox 360 and the Playstiation 3 combined. How did nintendo do it? I think it was the marketing and the expectation of gameplay innovation instead of just glistening graphics and Havoc physics.

Microsoft Achilles' heel is the immense dislike amongst the Japanese demographic. I honestly question the taste of gamers across the ocean when a game like Dynasty Warriors [insert number, expansion title] can amass grand reviews and fantastic sales despite a tired and redundant system rehashed game after game, yet they care cite North America releases too many World War II games - which admittedly they do.

Nevertheless Microsoft cannot win until they are able to breach the Asian market, so it is perhaps an unfair battle in their stand. As for the Playstation 3, that was entirely Sony's arrogance in expecting the phenomenal success of the Playstation 2 to carry them to the throne. Game delays, expense and loss of exclusive titles have shattered their sales by comparison.

Nintendo, Nintendo took advantage of a gimmick, gambling with whether or not it would be successful. Despite the novelty of it their marketing approach was absolutely brilliant, in targeting families instead of hardcore gamers. This allowed "family time" so many parents insist on spending with their children to do so without the hassle. The cost was also a large factor in their sales as until recently the 360 and PS3 reached a price few could afford on a single week's salary, whereas the Wii could be purchased along with a game.

Personally I must admit beyond hockey, I have spent the most time on my PS2 playing retro roleplaying games.

Two very simple reasons.

1) Family friendly
2) £179.99

Quaidis:

Cheesebob:
The Wii has the most shovelware games out of all 3 of this generation consoles, but it does have some gems.

But some beans in the shit doesn't make good coffee so it hasn't won yet ;)

Obviously, you have not had any civet coffee yet. By far quoted the best coffee (and most expensive) in the world at the moment.

On the contrary, I have but disliked it but I had that in mind when I typed that :D

TsunamiWombat:
Apparently i've gotten fat sitting inside and playing videogames for well over a decade for nothing, i'm not an actual gamer! Fie and fiddlesticks, I shall now go and play this shooty hoops game everyone seems so witherdither about.

Did somebody mention shootyhoops? I LOVE SHOOTYHOOPS!

Anyway, I don't see what the big deal is with the "non-gamer" crowd that Nintendo is catering to. I'm a PC gamer first, and console gamer second. Always will be until all console games offer full mouse and keyboard support (read: never).

I also really like what Nintendo is doing. They offer core games that I grew up with (Mario, Zelda, Metroid) while offering some of my more recent joys (SSB, Mario Kart) while also, somehow, managing to captivate those that never gamed before. I don't really see the big problem here.

The Wii-mote is a really great piece of tech. I use it to play AOE3 with and I'm slowly adapting to RA3 with it as well.

I just think Nintendo got it right this gen instead of doing it completely wrong like they did last gen. I do know, though, that last gen was a stepping stone for this gen. They knew what they were doing but they just didn't execute it properly. In the Wii, they did.

Next gen, I imagine Nintendo will be putting some more budunkadunk under the trunk while retaining full support for the Wiimote as well as all of the accessories. I'm fairly sure the next gen will be for core gamers as they now have a console for the non-core audience, have gained a good number of core users from this, and will start making more core games again.

Of course, they'll be making Wii games for a long, long, long, time.

I seriously considered getting a Wii, because it looked fun. However I held off because I just don't see a lot of titles I want to play, so I'd just end up back on my elderly PC or my 360 most of the time and it wasn't worth the money to me.

The Wii is winning the hardware sales race because it appeals to families and is inexpensive enough to make it an easy choice for parents... and it's straightforward enough to use that you do get senior citizens playing them now in recreation rooms, so it's drawing in an entirely new demographic into games. It appeals (as pointed out by others in this thread) to audiences MS and Sony have ignored in their race to put a supercomputer into everyone's living room.

Anybody running down the Wii hardware for its lack of horsepower is missing the point of the Wii, and probably wasn't Ninty's target audience for the console anyway. And anybody with knickers in twists over this certainly wasn't and should probably seek counselling.

-- Steve