In the aftermath of Nintendo Wii’s astounding commercial success, industry analysts are debating its staying power and longevity, with one confidently predicting the release of a Wii 2.
The vice president of marketing at Sega US told gamesindustry.biz that he had his doubts about the Wii’s “creative depth.”
“The Wii will start to look really dated in a couple years when developers get more value from the 360 and learn more and more about the PlayStation 3. … How much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now?” Steinberg said.
The marketing official was considerably more upbeat about prospects for the PlayStation 3, saying, “We know the PS3 pool is pretty deep. There’s a lot to exploit there.”
That assessment dovetails with the latest comments offered by Sony’s corporate communications director on the recently-updated PlayStation blog, where an official states, “”It’s not that PS3 is harder to write for, it’s just that you can do more with it.”
Steinberg’s analysis may come as a surprise to some, as a number of classic Sega titles are being sold through the Nintendo Wii’s online store.
Disagreeing with Steinberg,Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said to Gamesindustry.biz said the Wii’s staying power could easily be enhanced with a revised second iteration.
“It’s easy to envision a Wii 2 in a couple of years that runs at full HD, and has both a Wii-mote and an analog controller, so that all games can be ported to it,” he said.
Pachter added that in his estimation the creative boundaries of the console had barely been tested. “I can’t begin to imagine what is on the drawing board for the Wii, but I can say that most developers I’ve spoken with are extemely excited about the potential for the console. … I believe that we’ve only just scratched the surface,” he said.
Notably, he did agree with Steinberg that Sony’s offering will ultimately prevail – in 2009, after an assumed price drop to $200.
