I don´t want to get into a discussion about which console/company/games is/are better because it´s clearly a subjective matter (which was kinda my point in the first place), so I´ll just reply to some things you mentioned without going into personal preferences.

First of all… no, consoles are not like cars (or food), so those analogies don´t make any sense. There´s just 3 home consoles out there to choose from, compared to thousands of car models, from different brands and for different uses. Also, cars don´t rely on software like consoles do, or anything remotely similar to compare, the differences in price range are much more, etc…

You´re assuming that just because a console is more advanced in terms of processing capabilities, memory, etc that means that it´s the best console for everyone (price aside), which is obviously not true. While those hardware specs obviously matter (and controls are also relevant in that area), the software is even more important, and again, which console offers the best software is a subjective matter. There´s other relevant things for some such as multimedia features, but games are still the most decisive element.

And this is nothing new… The SNES outsold several consoles with higher specs before, just like the PS1 outsold the N64, PS2 outsold GC/Xbox, etc.

As for the price, there´s several elements that affect it, not just the manufacture cost. Nintendo, unlike Microsoft or Sony, is just a gaming company, so they can´t afford to lose millions by selling their hardware at a loss. On the other hand, Microsoft has just recently began to make profit from their console business after loosing millions since the original Xbox and Sony has lost (and is still loosing) a lot on PS3, I´m not even sure if more than what they made with PS2.

They can afford to do that because for them, the console market is just a small part of their business. They even use their consoles to push other things, such as Blu-ray and multimedia downloads.

Demand also affects the price, and that´s why Microsoft and Sony have been forced to reduce the price of their consoles to increase demand, specially when that price was well above the “mainstream” range. The Wii is more popular, so Nintendo doesn´t need to do that yet. Their innovation has proved to be more important in the market than the “natural” upgrades that we´re used to see every generation.

And yes, higher specs and innovation are obviously not mutually exclusive. But, which one is more important ? And how much capacity do you need ? The Wii is more capable than anything from last gen, just like the DS was at their time, while also having new innovative features. It´s also a subjective matter of course.

If Nintendo had tried to compete with Sony and Microsoft in hardware specs they would have released a more expensive platform (at least, more than 360 for sure), which would have had maybe even lower specs, and they wouldn´t have the advantage of being the less expensive platform to develop for like they do now. Furthermore, since their controller was unproven and many of those who called themselves “hardcore” gamers wouldn´t have cared for the console anyway because of Nintendo´s image, the console would have probably failed.

But it´s even more complex than that according to some. There´s people that attribute Wii´s success on the ideas of the “Blue Ocean Strategy” (it´s on Wikipedia if you´re interested), although I´m not sure how much of that was a part of Nintendo´s original strategy.

But well, if you don´t like the console, you´ll obviously think of it as overpriced… but that´s your personal opinion. As far as the market goes, the price is fair, as proven by their demand. Even more when you see that the Wii is the least expensive console aside the “Arcade” 360 and DS is cheaper than PSP, its direct competitor.

By the way, I´m guessing that you meant to say “won´t come out” when talking about the announced Wii games, right ? If that´s the case, how do you know that ? Sin and Punishment 2 is already announced for the US, Punch Out! will get released as well and I don´t have much doubt about Cosmic Walker, Endless Ocean 2 and the new Another Code getting released in the West either. We can only speculate right now anyway, but there´s no reason to be pessimist yet.

@tealovertoma

Ha, ha, ha…. That made me laugh, even though I shouldn´t because I also write a lot…

I don´t want to get into a discussion about which console/company/games is/are better because it´s clearly a subjective matter (which was kinda my point in the first place), so I´ll just reply to some things you mentioned without going into personal preferences.

First of all… no, consoles are not like cars (or food), so those analogies don´t make any sense. There´s just 3 home consoles out there to choose from, compared to thousands of car models, from different brands and for different uses. Also, cars don´t rely on software like consoles do, or anything remotely similar to compare, the differences in price range are much more, etc…

You´re assuming that just because a console is more advanced in terms of processing capabilities, memory, etc that means that it´s the best console for everyone (price aside), which is obviously not true. While those hardware specs obviously matter (and controls are also relevant in that area), the software is even more important, and again, which console offers the best software is a subjective matter. There´s other relevant things for some such as multimedia features, but games are still the most decisive element.

And this is nothing new… The SNES outsold several consoles with higher specs before, just like the PS1 outsold the N64, PS2 outsold GC/Xbox, etc.

As for the price, there´s several elements that affect it, not just the manufacture cost. Nintendo, unlike Microsoft or Sony, is just a gaming company, so they can´t afford to lose millions by selling their hardware at a loss. On the other hand, Microsoft has just recently began to make profit from their console business after loosing millions since the original Xbox and Sony has lost (and is still loosing) a lot on PS3, I´m not even sure if more than what they made with PS2.

They can afford to do that because for them, the console market is just a small part of their business. They even use their consoles to push other things, such as Blu-ray and multimedia downloads.

Demand also affects the price, and that´s why Microsoft and Sony have been forced to reduce the price of their consoles to increase demand, specially when that price was well above the “mainstream” range. The Wii is more popular, so Nintendo doesn´t need to do that yet. Their innovation has proved to be more important in the market than the “natural” upgrades that we´re used to see every generation.

And yes, higher specs and innovation are obviously not mutually exclusive. But, which one is more important ? And how much capacity do you need ? The Wii is more capable than anything from last gen, just like the DS was at their time, while also having new innovative features. It´s also a subjective matter of course.

If Nintendo had tried to compete with Sony and Microsoft in hardware specs they would have released a more expensive platform (at least, more than 360 for sure), which would have had maybe even lower specs, and they wouldn´t have the advantage of being the less expensive platform to develop for like they do now. Furthermore, since their controller was unproven and many of those who called themselves “hardcore” gamers wouldn´t have cared for the console anyway because of Nintendo´s image, the console would have probably failed.

But it´s even more complex than that according to some. There´s people that attribute Wii´s success on the ideas of the “Blue Ocean Strategy” (it´s on Wikipedia if you´re interested), although I´m not sure how much of that was a part of Nintendo´s original strategy.

But well, if you don´t like the console, you´ll obviously think of it as overpriced… but that´s your personal opinion. As far as the market goes, the price is fair, as proven by their demand. Even more when you see that the Wii is the least expensive console aside the “Arcade” 360 and DS is cheaper than PSP, its direct competitor.

By the way, I´m guessing that you meant to say “won´t come out” when talking about the announced Wii games, right ? If that´s the case, how do you know that ? Sin and Punishment 2 is already announced for the US, Punch Out! will get released as well and I don´t have much doubt about Cosmic Walker, Endless Ocean 2 and the new Another Code getting released in the West either. We can only speculate right now anyway, but there´s no reason to be pessimist yet.

@tealovertoma

Ha, ha, ha…. That made me laugh, even though I shouldn´t because I also write a lot…

But well, I agree with Ark and jarrod in that these reissues are not really meant for those who have already played the games, but for the huge amount of people that didn´t. The few new features are just meant to make the games more appealing than just looking for “old” GC games, like an enhanced “Player´s Choice”. Although depending on the game, some people would be willing to “upgrade” their games if it´s cheap enough…

I think that Capcom should release their RE ports as well in the US, specially now that Nintendo is doing it.

@Daizyujin

Not everyone likes what you like, get over yourself. I don´t know how can you call others stupid and talk about common sense when you can´t understand this simple notion.

Hardware specs aren´t everything… the actual games are obviously more important, in case you haven´t noticed yet. And at the risk of pointing out more obvious things, the Wii and DS allow other forms of gameplay through the Wii-mote and touch screen that can´t be done on PS3/360 or PSP (besides the traditional ones), so those things also matter, not just the graphics capabilities or multimedia features. It´s all a matter of personal preference, so just choose what you like and respect other people´s opinions.

By the way, the DSi will still be cheaper than the PSP-3000 in Japan (18,900 yen vs 19,800 yen, we don´t know about the US/Europe yet) and you can still get a DSLite if you don´t care about the new features, so I don´t know how you can actually say that the PSP is cheaper.

But well, I agree with Ark and jarrod in that these reissues are not really meant for those who have already played the games, but for the huge amount of people that didn´t. The few new features are just meant to make the games more appealing than just looking for “old” GC games, like an enhanced “Player´s Choice”. Although depending on the game, some people would be willing to “upgrade” their games if it´s cheap enough…

I think that Capcom should release their RE ports as well in the US, specially now that Nintendo is doing it.

@Daizyujin

Not everyone likes what you like, get over yourself. I don´t know how can you call others stupid and talk about common sense when you can´t understand this simple notion.

Hardware specs aren´t everything… the actual games are obviously more important, in case you haven´t noticed yet. And at the risk of pointing out more obvious things, the Wii and DS allow other forms of gameplay through the Wii-mote and touch screen that can´t be done on PS3/360 or PSP (besides the traditional ones), so those things also matter, not just the graphics capabilities or multimedia features. It´s all a matter of personal preference, so just choose what you like and respect other people´s opinions.

By the way, the DSi will still be cheaper than the PSP-3000 in Japan (18,900 yen vs 19,800 yen, we don´t know about the US/Europe yet) and you can still get a DSLite if you don´t care about the new features, so I don´t know how you can actually say that the PSP is cheaper.

It was also confirmed at NOA’s conference today that the Metroid reissues would use converted Prime 3 controls btw.

It was also confirmed at NOA’s conference today that the Metroid reissues would use converted Prime 3 controls btw.

I wouldn’t expect anyone who still has working copies of these games to shell out the cash for the Wii versions, regardless of the tiny enhancements. But there certainly is a market out there for these games, and it’s a smart move by Nintendo to re-release them like this especially considering future sequels like Pikmin 3 are on the horizon.

I wouldn’t expect anyone who still has working copies of these games to shell out the cash for the Wii versions, regardless of the tiny enhancements. But there certainly is a market out there for these games, and it’s a smart move by Nintendo to re-release them like this especially considering future sequels like Pikmin 3 are on the horizon.

And Retro already programmed pointer controls into Prime 2 as a test… I’d be shocked if we don’t get it in those reissues. Ditto for Wii-Sports style waggle in Mario Tennis.