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When a big name video game console launches, heads turn. Last fall, a heavy-weight titan launched a week before the little white console that could. Three months after these launches, it is much easier to compare the pros and cons of each launch. As a Nintendo fanboy, I am quite content with the fact that Nintendo has out sold the PS3 thus far at nearly a 4:1 margin. However, it has not been a complete cake walk. Today, I want to take a look at how Nintendo could succeed so well while making many mistakes with their North American launch.

Five reasons why Nintendo has a better launch then the PS3.

1. Launch games - Some people have stated that the Wii is currently in a software drought. I would highly argue this. Hands down, the Wii had a stronger line-up of software then the PS3. Many Wii titles might have been last-gen ports, however those titles still produced relatively great games. The Wii also has a great amount of GameCube games which are much more relevant to gamers because NO ONE owned a GameCube. These games are brand new to many of the 4.5 million Wii owners. Nintendo has also dished out some great games through the Virtual Console. Many great hits are now available for cheap downloads.

2. The system is fun - I arrived home at about 1:00 AM on November 20th, 2006 after waiting at Wal-Mart over 12 hours for a launch system. Upon entering the house, my mother was waiting up in order to play "that tennis game I saw them talking about on CNN and NBC." People like my mom don't understand Blue-Ray and what it does for gaming. They do realize that swinging a remote control like a tennis racket can be fun.

3. The Wii is a social hit - The "Wii would like to play" commercials were a hit. Playing was believing. Upon returning back to college with my Wii, I found my room full of people nearly twenty-four hours a day playing Wii Sports. WarioWare and ExciteTruck have kept our interest lately. The system is a social phenomenon.

4. The price is right - $250 was about $50 more than I had originally hoped the Wii would be. However, nearly everyone I have met finds this price to be more than satisfactory. The system is the cheapest of the next generation consoles and it arguably offers the most fun. What a bargain.

5. Modesty - I have not seen the Regginator offer $1200 for any Wii found lying on a store shelf. Miyamoto did not state that the Wii would sell 5 million units even if it didn't have any games. Nintendo has been much more modest then their competitors thus far. Consumers seem to be loving this corporate attitude.

Five reasons why Nintendo had a worse launch then the PS3.

1. Nintendo failed to build up enough hype - People waited in line for over 48 hours in order to buy a PS3. This pre-launch hype might not benefit Sony right now. It will benefit Sony in the future when the price of the system drops and parents see "that thing that people waited 3 days for" at an affordable price.

2. Lack of an on-line vision - Sony seems to have a decent plan ahead of them with their online network. Nintendo has been a mixed bag. The Virtual Console has been a success, but what about the other online components? We know very little about Nintendo's future online plans which has scared away many potential buyers.

3. Availability - While the PS3 hasn't sold as many units as the Wii, Sony has been outgoing with the fact that they have ramped up unit production. I have seen PS3s in store and have had the opportunity to purchase about 20 of the units if I wanted to. I have not seen a Wii in store since launch night. Nintendo needs to ramp up production in order to meet demand. This also applies to the DS Lite. The portable brother of the Wii has been almost as hard to find in the same period. People can't buy units if they aren't available.

4. Wiinjuries - Injuries caused by playing the Wii have been the only cause of bad press for the system so far. Web sites have been formed in order to showcase horrific bodily injuries. Wiimotes flying through televisions have also been the focus of many fansites. Nintendo did take quick action by changing the Wiimote strap design. However, that doesn't help the guy who tore his ACL or the family with a hole in their new 42' plasma.

5. Nintendo still has the kiddy image - Games like Sadness and Manhunt 2 look to fix this problem. Nevertheless, Nintendo still has a "kiddy" reputation in the gaming world. Nintendo needs to fix this problem by luring in several big name third-party developers in order to ditch the long standing image and win over the hard-core gaming audience.


These are 10 small things that I saw present throughout the Wii launch. Like the list or not, Nintendo still had a very successful launch. Still, 3 months do not determine a console race. It will be interesting to see how Nintendo's system preforms in 2007.