Sony CEO says Wii is "more of an expensive niche game device"

[Jamba]

Taken from gamesindustry.biz:

 

Speaking at the Allen & Co Media Conference last week, Stringer said the Wii doesn't compete with the PlayStation 3 because it doesn't have the ability to play Blu-ray movies or have full access to the internet.

 

"I've played a Nintendo Wii. I don't see it as a competitor," said Stringer, reports Bloomberg.

 

"It's more of an expensive niche game device. We're selling a lot of PlayStation 3s now and it's still the best way to buy a Blu-ray player," he added.

 

In North America, the PlayStation 3 retails for USD 399, while Nintendo's Wii is priced at USD 249.

 

The PS3 sold 1.2 million units in the US in the first five months of the year, compared to the Wii's 2.8 million, according to data from NPD.

 

 

He is totally right about the fact that PS3 and the Wii are not in direct competition.

 

But to say that the Wii is a niche product? Seriously? Does the 360/PS3 side of the industry really see things this way still? No wonder that there market is so narrow cos to me it's the other way around. Wii is the least market niche games device that there has ever been (alond with the DS).

 

What do you guys recon? Insightful words or are Sony stuck in the dark ages?

[Cube]

Last time I checked, for something to be niche it needs to be aimed at people who already have a vast interest in the product, not a new audience.

[Pit-Jr]

Expensive? Yes

Niche? No, theyve created a mainstream monster (for better or for worse is up for debate)

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

See, the problems is that he thinks a gaming device needs to have all that fancy stuff he talks about, ultimately making it a multimedia platform in the same class as a computer.

 

Wii and DS are the only "pure" gaming consoles left, and even they have a few multimedia functions. The difference lies within the focus. Nintendo focus almost 100 percent on their games, whereas Sony and MS are beginning to focus more on other features of their consoles. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but those comments from Sony are simply ridiculous. But hey, they have to shoot down their competitors, don't they?

[Tyson]

Haven't they said this before? If they don't see the Wii as competition then they shouldn't be so worried about getting this point across. Leave it back in 2006 when people cared.

[Tellyn]

Nintendo said they're not in competition with Sony or Microsoft, yet both companies insist on making stupid comments like this, and the Wii continues to outsell both.

[S.C.G]

I lol'd... the PS3 is more "niche" than the Wii, neither are truely though, but if one out of the three was, it'd be the PS3 when you compare it to the 360 / Wii.

[Emasher]

He's got that mixed up. This backs up my point that Sony doesn't care about the PS3 as a gaming device. Just a way of getting blu-ray out there.

 

I've always thought that The Wii and 360 are in competition and the 360 and PS3 are in competition but that the PS3 just isn't really competing that much with the Wii.

[Olympic Gamer]

He's got that mixed up. This backs up my point that Sony doesn't care about the PS3 as a gaming device. Just a way of getting blu-ray out there.

 

I've always thought that The Wii and 360 are in competition and the 360 and PS3 are in competition but that the PS3 just isn't really competing that much with the Wii.

 

To be fair to sony, they always slammed it when PS3 was called a gaming device. They always said it was a multimedia platform, and that is exactly what it is, it does bluray, it can do music, it has internet, you can view photo's, games etc.

 

Though surely they should realise that bantering between the main three companies is just nothing more than fanboy porn, no one in the real world gives a shit outside of forums like these.

[Patch]

He's clearly misused the word 'niche', but that's all. For all its bells and whistles, I'd bet the Playstation's demographic is narrower than the Wii's.

 

Comparing the PS3 and Wii, I would choose to say the PS3 is ridiculously cheap as opposed to the Wii being expensive.

 

I'm sure Nintendo did their fair share of sniping in the Gamecube days. It's fun to see Sony do the same.

[Aimless]

A company CEO trying to belittle a more successful competitor? Well now I've seen everything.

[darkjak]

Nintendo said that they don't see the other consoles as competitors, so what's the big deal?

[Emasher]

I think Nintendo needs at least one competitor though. This generation its more MS though.

[Zechs Merquise]

Just a total dick head with his head in the sand. Yeah mate PS3 owns all... except you're in third place and the Wii is outselling you over 2:1. Niche: no. Expensive: no. Try £600 for a games console, now that's expensive.

[Pete]

Yeah he is just trying to belittle a conpetitors product doing far better than his own. Quite pathetic.

[Guest Maase]

Just a total dick head with his head in the sand. Yeah mate PS3 owns all... except you're in third place and the Wii is outselling you over 2:1. Niche: no. Expensive: no. Try £600 for a games console, now that's expensive.

 

Amen, take that, BITCHES!!!

[McPhee]

Just a total dick head with his head in the sand. Yeah mate PS3 owns all... except you're in third place and the Wii is outselling you over 2:1. Niche: no. Expensive: no. Try £600 for a games console, now that's expensive.

 

The Wii is expensive. Sure, it only retails for £180 compared to the £300 for the PS3, but the Wii is a very expensive console to own. It has an increasing focus on peripherals; Wiimotes cost £30, Nunchucks cost £15, Classic controllers cost £15, the Balance Board costs somewhere in the region of £50, MotionPlus will retail for around £20 and the Web Browser costs a fiver (IIRC). If you want a basic Wii experience, single player with only the Wiimote and the Nunchuck then it's cheap, but the £120 difference between the Wii and PS3 soon disappears when you start adding more players and peripherals. The same can't really be said for the PS3, it costs £300 and you can buy 2 Sixaxis controllers for £30. It's fully kitted out for under £350.

 

And the Wii is a niche console within the market that Sony are going for. I assume thats what he was trying to say. Nobody would be mad enough to try and insist it's niche within the market as a whole.

 

This backs up my point that Sony doesn't care about the PS3 as a gaming device. Just a way of getting blu-ray out there.

 

That is most likely true, they stand to make a hell of a lot more money out of Blu-Ray than they ever could from the PS3. Once Blu-Ray starts to gain momentum they'll likely use that to shift more PS3s (though i'm thinking a price drop to £200 is needed first, then PS3s will start flying off the shelves).

[Jamba]

He's got that mixed up. This backs up my point that Sony doesn't care about the PS3 as a gaming device. Just a way of getting blu-ray out there.

 

Yes that is true but their 3rd parties do make really good games for the system and there is some very interesting design headed that consoles way. Even the little PSN based games are pretty damn good.

 

After seeing that Nintendo has nothing that interests me in the slightest coming for the Wii in the next 12 months then I'm very tempted to get a PS3. It has a growing catalogue of games and a free online service and some very nice features on the way.

 

I don't want to have to pay (for wireless or for the XBL charge) to take advantage of what the 360 has to offer. PS3 will let me do that.

 

Still doesn't stop this guy sounding like a penis though.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Yes that is true but their 3rd parties do make really good games for the system and there is some very interesting design headed that consoles way. Even the little PSN based games are pretty damn good.

 

After seeing that Nintendo has nothing that interests me in the slightest coming for the Wii in the next 12 months then I'm very tempted to get a PS3. It has a growing catalogue of games and a free online service and some very nice features on the way.

 

I don't want to have to pay (for wireless or for the XBL charge) to take advantage of what the 360 has to offer. PS3 will let me do that.

 

Still doesn't stop this guy sounding like a penis though.

 

Both PS3 and 360 are good consoles. It's the guys at Sony and MS and their attitude I don't like.