Gamers say Wii has PS3 beaten

Reuters ^ | 11/29/06 | Reuters

[freedom44]

Since their debuts more than a week ago, two new game systems earn good grades from consumers - but the underdog Nintendo Wii is the early favorite over the pricier, sexier Sony PlayStation3.

Both sold out on Day 1: Nov. 19 for the $500-$600 PS3 and Nov. 21 for the $250 Wii. But Nintendo seems to be reaping the benefits of a better supply

Overall, Sony is estimated to have shipped between 125,000 and 175,000 PS3s to stores, says American Technology Research analyst P.J. McNealy; the target had been about 400,000. Nintendo shipped between 425,000 and 475,000, he says.

Nintendo's launch "has been probably a little better than expected and Sony's has been a little bit more disappointing," McNealy says. "If you have to rank on who won this holiday so far, Microsoft is first, Nintendo a close second and Sony a distant third, which is a rare statement."

Many gave up on getting a PS3 and opted for the Wii, according to New Media Strategies, a research firm that monitored Web activity related to the systems. And 38% who sought a PS3 and were subjected "to sleep deprivation, lost wages, missed classes, the elements and even muggings came away from the experience with a bitter taste in their mouths," the report says.

About 49% of online discussions were favorable to Wii, compared with 27% for PS3. Says the firm's Sam Huxley: "The hype machine went too far."

The Wii, says Bryan Clute, 26, of Silverdale, Wash., rates an A because the new remote-shaped wireless controller is "something I haven't been able to experience before. It really adds to gameplay" in the bowling game that is included with the system. Clute, who waited in line at a GameStop store to reserve a system, says, "It was well worth it."

David Nieves, 26, of Philadelphia gives the Wii an A-. "Nintendo has definitely gotten it right." He and friends spent most of the first day golfing, boxing, bowling and playing baseball. The games "were a blast."

Assessments were harsher for the PS3. Ray McLean, 34, of Brooklyn, N.Y., rates the PS3 an A but gives the games a B "because many of the launch titles were pushed back to later dates." He wanted to see aerial combat game Warhawk, for one, because it would take full advantage of the motion-sensitive controller. But connected to his 42-inch HDTV, "I'm surprised at how good (the games) look, given that they are first-generation games."

Brett Conlon, 26, of Fairfax, Va., gives the PS3 a B- because of the system updates needed before playing games, going online and playing multiplayer games. "I will say, however, that Resistance: Fall of Man shows a lot of potential. The Blu-ray player has amazing clarity (compared with) a regular DVD."

On its website, Entertainment Weekly gave the Wii a B+ and PS3 a B. "The Wii slightly edges out the PS3 in our head-to-head because it has a blockbuster Zelda game at launch and a very attractive price point," Geoff Keighley says. But in the long run, "the race will get even tighter."

[mowowie]

Please, A year from now all owners of the Wii will be wishing they had a PS3.
Might be a good system for young kids but a gimmicky controller and an inferior processor and GPU can only go so far. I also think alot people are enamored by the catchy, Trendy IPOD type name.
Playing Mario this and Mario that gets pretty lame also.

[af_vet_rr]

Please, A year from now all owners of the Wii will be wishing they had a PS3. Might be a good system for young kids but a gimmicky controller and an inferior processor and GPU can only go so far.

I have a very current computer with a high-end graphics card if I want fancy-schmancy graphics. I enjoyed myself playing the Wii more than any game on a computer in years. It's hard to describe to somebody who hasn't played a Wii, but let's just say I'm a bit older than the typical console gamer, and my father (a WWII vet) had a blast playing it as well. I had more fun watching other people play than playing, and that says a lot.

I also think alot people are enamored by the catchy, Trendy IPOD type name.

Names have nothing to do with gameplay - I had paid very little attention to consoles before this Thanksgiving, and when somebody brought it up and started talking about it, my niece brought it out, and the rest is history. Before Thanksgiving, wee/wii (not knowing the spelling until I saw the box) meant something small.

Playing Mario this and Mario that gets pretty lame also.

I don't recall any Donkey Kong games (assuming that you are talking about Mario from Donkey Kong - Donkey Kong is a game I remember). I played Madden, the sports stuff, a WWII shoot-em-up, and this weird-ass rabbit game that turned out to be a lot of fun.

[4mycountry]

Someone's a Sony fanboy. LOL :)

[mowowie]

"Someone's a Sony fanboy. LOL :)"

Not really, I haven't used my PS2 in over a year. Now I spend most of my free time getting my butt shot of on the two recent Battlefield games on my computer.
I did just buy a Sony TV though :)