Nintendo: Wii Has A "Very Long Life" Ahead Of It

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime insists the Wii is far from dead, downplaying industry speculation that a Wii successor is soon to be announced.

[indiemike]

You know, it never seems to matter what the story is about, I think Reggie just likes downplaying everything.

[IanCube]

Unless its his own software...

Remember these?

1. Reggie Aims for 1.5 Million on Metroid: Other M ( http://bit.ly/8CWzwh)

2. Reggie saying New Super Mario Bros Wii will outsell Modern Warfare 2

[UnwanteDreamz]

He must be talking about hardware reliability and not relevance in the market. I must say I believe him because my NES is still kickin.

jk

[Evocation]

I get the feeing if nothing more N won't release a new console till the wii isn't selling as well, and they've come up with something new... they will never beat sony/microsoft in the power department because that's just not their way...

[AKNAA]

It does make sense for the wii to last longer than expected if you think about it(even if its last gen graphics). With such a high user base, it would actually be dumb if nintendo suddenly announces a new system and leaves every wii owner out to dry...
The casuals don't care for HD and gaming on a new technical level, they care for wii fit/ wii sports' 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and so on!

[Aquarius]

I'm still expecting a Super Wii announcement.

[rambi80]

For obvious reasons - no company ever admits to introducing on a new console until pre-launch months- it makes all articles like these kinda pointless

[Bodyboarder_VGamer]

I just want a Wii that doesn't look so blurry on my 1080p set. =(

[badz149]

eventhough sales have declined from the previous year, the Wii is still selling more than either the PS3 and 360 or maybe both combined! it was selling at a profit since launch and even at 200 bucks, 3 years down this gen, I think they are still profiting as much from each console sold just like before! plus with all the sales garnered from 1st party titles like many if not all of their games still selling like crazy over time (NSMB just exceeded 10 mil), I don't think they'll ditch the Wii just to cater to a minor group's demand! the Wii is a fvcking money printer and as much as I hate it, I can't blame them for riding that cash cow for a little bit longer!

[jjohan35]

With the Wii console still selling like hotcakes and Nintendo barely spending anything to support its non-existent online/network, there is no reason for Nintendo to kill off its cash cow.

[IanCube]

Who saw this coming? *grin*

Honestly, as long as the system is making money, who believes Nintendo will actually change up the Wii's hardware or announce a new console?

[aepex]

A "very long time" in this industry is - what - two years at best?

I still expect a new console announcement before the end of 2011.

[IanCube]

Depends, for Sony that's like 10 years?

Honestly, looking at their lineup, I think Nintendo can get through 2010 easily now, but 2011 is hard to see clearly at this point, I think most of it hinges on Natal.

[indiemike]

Even if the console isn't released until 2011/2012, I bet we'll hear some news about it this year.

[rambi80]

I think a lot depends on when the PS3 hits $200 and the consumer response to it

[EvilTwin]

A "very long life" could also mean a life like the PS2 -- where the console still sells well, even after a new one is put on the market.

[RememberThe357]

And besides to we expect him to come out and say, "yes we're launching a new console soon, so hold off on buying a Wii now and get the one that comes out later."

[IanCube]

Good point. I think most folks forget he used to be a PR guy for Pizza Hut, then Nintendo, before he became President...so he knows how to work a story. He wouldn't ever say anything negative, and wouldn't announce anything when it could jeopardize sales.

[indiemike]

What I meant is that they'll announce a console this year, when the timing is right, not just Reggie jumping out right away.

I think the Wii is unique in that it may not be hurt that bad by a new console announcement, if it's WELL known that the new system isn't coming for some time. I could see the Wii being more like the PS2 and sticking around into the next console generation as a cheap alternative.

[IanCube]

That's true, I forgot how the PS2 did that.

The Wii does have extremely good branding, if they were to announce a Wii 2 to launch a year from now, I could see people still wanting it now and buying the original Wii...I've even had people tell me that first hand when I told them there could be a new one on the way.

People hate waiting.

[asdr3wsfas]

"I could see the Wii being more like the PS2 and sticking around into the next console generation as a cheap alternative."

An alternative that absolutely crushes the other consoles in sales. It's only an alternative if you hate it. Any actual analysis of sales figures shows total dominance. Look up nov and dec NPD sometime. I'd post it but you guys are getting sloppy with your facts and it helps you remember if you research it yourself.

[Agent Smith]

Apparently...

[mfwahwah]

Meanwhile....

[TheTeam06]

If motion becomes the way to play video games in the future, I'm throwing in the towel. There is no way in hell I'll be part of that joke. I'm happy for Nintendo, but despise them for diluting the industry so much.

I was OK when games went 3D (not today's 3D, the CD-based 3D)
I was OK when games went online
I was OK when music games became popular

But I can't take such a big change. They already pushed it by re-releasing the same character I've been playing since 1985. They're really pushing it for me.

Please go back to your roots next time, Nintendo! You made your money, now go back to basics!

[iforgotmylogin]

better pray to god sony wand and natal fail lol

on topic stfu Reggie lol even though ur cool we know you are hiding allot of stuff and you cant wait to tell us about it at e3

the wii and 360s life is fading away. can anyone give me a list of upcoming 2011 games? everything seems to be coming out now.

[Nihilism]

I don't know how you came up with that claim, but nintendo have been on the top of the sales charts in software and hardware since release, and the amount of consoles selling isn't slowing down, they are selling 500,000 Wii's a month in NA alone... which is consistently higher than any of the other console's so the Wii lead is actually increasing, in terms of software quality, well that is subjective, but considering that the wii has sold more and has also made more profit per console right from the start....then I would say the other consoles are failures in that regard

[mfwahwah]

GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE!

THE NOSTALGIA GOGGLES! THEY DO NOTHING!

[NateCole]

He is right. The bulk of the wii crowd don't care about tech advamcement as in HD. The wii could survive for another 10 years on the same franchise it has.

[indiemike]

I'm not sure everyone quite "gets" the Wii crowd.

That very same Wii crowd actually DOES have a tendency to have HD TVs in their houses. I think those two things are completely separate from one another.

In fact, every person/family I know that has a Wii (all families included brings that number close to 20) all have HD TVs, and most do not have a 360/PS3.

I don't think that install base makes the connection between the Wii's limited graphics capability and the pure gaming/enjoyment of it. That is clearly a "core gamer" mentality that we all too often displace onto them.

Instead, they focus on things like family gaming and ease of use, which the Wii has boatloads of. That's not to say that the PS3 and 360 don't, in fact they too have lots of that and then some, but that's what Nintendo emphasizes.

This is a case of Nintendo understanding what most people want and look for more than other companies do. Their competition focuses on a niche market and their needs. And it has worked well for them.

[EvilTwin]

indiemike -- I agree with you for the most part. The only caveat I'd add in there is that when the Wii launched, HDTV sets weren't as affordable as they are now. You could go to Wal-Mart and buy an old bulky SDTV for cheap.

Now the prices have fallen drastically, more and more people are buying them, and you can't even find SDTVs.

The Wii's specs and price made perfect sense considering when it was launched. Now the market will decide how much longer those specs hold up in an era of HDTV saturation. I'm betting Nintendo could still go on until 2012 with the Wii as-is, but I wouldn't rule out a new console in 2011.

[HurstDarkStar]

that picture just says "well...what did i say?HMMMMMMMMMM?

[dkgshiz]

The wii is lame. I mean the wii itself is fine. The game selection is awful however.

[Highatus]

I think most of you guys nailed it.

If people keep buying it then Ninty will keep selling it.

But like any announcement of a new console, they will be quiet on the issue of a new console, untill its ready for release.

[tiamat5]

Please spare me the ego trip. With Sony and Microsoft creating motion devices, both of them having a stellar 2010 line up with Nintendo having the same line up as usual (Mario, Metroid, Pokemon,Zelda), not to metion the waning confidence in the Wii's abilities by third party developers (Capcom is only the first of many) the Wii will be lucky to survive 2010 with its butt intact. But beyond that, Reggie must have suffered serious head injuries momments before he said that.

[indiemike]

Don't worry, you're not alone in that thought.

I see no point in hating any game company or system AT ALL. They are video games, they're fun, they're exciting, they're artistic, there's a reason I spend day in and day out thinking about them and loving them.

And the Wii is no exception. If we keep throwing away the potentially great things about motion control and keep sticking to what we know, it will not advance any further.

In the same respect, if we keep getting elitist and try keeping the expanding audience out of it, we're doing more harm than good to the industry as well.

To take this back on topic, that's why I don't mind the Wii sticking around and Nintendo sticking to being the gateway company. Games that I'm more keen on like Metroid, Mario, and Zelda will not stop coming. More of a good thing is still a good thing, and maybe it can bring new gamers to appreciate some of the unsung gems that makes me love the medium entirely.

[squirrelly89]

Nintendo has never followed Television technology, in reference to most Wii owners havng HD/LCD type TV's and it will not be publicly relevant to Nintendo. I can appreciate the concept of the Wii but I tried & did not like it. Mario Bros./Zelda is the Nintendo image-this has to change soon. I migrated toward PC games over last 5 years. I will always love Nintendo but they do not have a stable, self sustaining business model if they will not make a MAJOR move toward genuine innovation. Bravo to them for appealing to a gimmick loving, all incompassing genre but I bowed out gracefully right after the Wii came out.

[HotCheeseBandit]

I'm not sure Nintendo will be facing financial trouble any time soon. They have a pretty darn good business model going if you ask me.

[asdr3wsfas]

"I will always love Nintendo but they do not have a stable, self sustaining business model if they will not make a MAJOR move toward genuine innovation."

rofl

Innovation would be continually increasing the graphics at the expense of everything else. The DS and wii were predictable gambles. Change the input and sell millions - it works every generation!

Xbox and sony sell loss leaders. Nintendo makes profit with each system sold. Which is more sustainable? Nintendo came in this gen with 8 billion in reserves. Now they have profit from the wii and further DS sales.

[EvilTwin]

Not digging the system is cool be me, but the business model obviously is working (and since you migrated over to PC...I would say the once-vibrant era of PC gaming has narrowed considerably and become much more insular and shooter-oriented...unless you wanna include flash games).

Nintendo didn't make much of a gamble, either. As bob says, they've been turning a profit just fine, not taking losses. Even if Wii wasn't a huge seller (and pulled in GC numbers), Nintendo wouldn't be in bad shape.

The logic of their decision makes sense, too, IMO. Graphics have reached a level where a few more polygons and better textures alone don't make the games better. I haven't played a NFS that I truly enjoyed since Underground. What was that, 2003?

Just my $0.02.

[Anorexorcist]

Reggie has that funny look. That "Hey what can I say? She looked like she was 18" look.

[indiemike]

Dude... I meant as a cheap alternative to the NEXT generation of consoles.

You'd have to be an imbecile to think that the Wii isn't crushing everything else right now. Of course it is!

I love the accusation that I "hate" the Wii, considering my picture is of a Mii. REALLY, NOW?

Back on topic, I think the Wii will operate like the PS2 did this generation. It will still continue to sell moderately well in the NEXT CONSOLE GENERATION as an alternative to a next-gen system.

To me, this enables Nintendo to move into the next gen EARLIER, because they can situate the their home consoles to overlap well. Just like the PS2 and PS3.

[asdr3wsfas]

"I meant as a cheap alternative to the NEXT generation of consoles."

Then you entirely miss nintendo's strategy. They will not release the wii hd until the market demands it. They said this about the DS 2 - the DS is selling so well that there is no need to replace it.

Iwata has specifically commented when sony said they had a 10 year life cycle. He said you don't decide the lifecycle of a product, the market does. When the wiihd is released the wii is done minus perhaps a transitional game.

I jumped on you because you're thinking of nintendo in terms ps2/ps3. The ps2 and ps3 comparison is flawed. Iwata would not have released the ps3 when the ps2 was doing so well. When the market is ready for the next generation he would have released it. He would not have released the ps3 during a period when the ps2 managed to outsell it. Last I heard a large or majority percentage of ps2 owners haven't even upgraded yet. Then why the new console? There's a reason they still make ps2 games.

If the wii was a viable, cheap alternative, they would not release the next wii. Every nintendo comment mentions this.

Your comment at the top shows this lack of understanding when you mention nintendo downplays everything. There is no wiihd until the wii stops selling. This is why there is no DS 2 until the DS stops selling. Look at actual quotes from the execs.

“But, even more importantly than that, the consumer has voted. Over 26 million consumers have bought a Wii. The consumer is saying, for them, the quality of the visual is not nearly as important as the overall entertainment, the overall value of that experience and that is really what has propelled us. In terms of what the future holds, we’ve gone on record to say the next step for Nintendo in terms of home consoles will not be simply to make it HD, but to add more and more capability and we’ll do that when we totally tapped out all of the experiences for the existing Wii and we are nowhere near doing that yet.”

-Reggie

There is no rational justification to remove a product currently crushing the competition for an unproven successor. Particularly when there are 3 top quality titles coming out for the existing product this year (SMG2, metroid other m, zelda). It will take years to complete release titles on the new system and obviously these wii games are their priorities.

Listen to him. I don't care what your avatar is. If you don't understand what nintendo is doing I will respond. I was somewhat wrong about your perspective but not entirely. You are thinking in an old mindset nintendo has no desire to revisit. Listen to them for their new ideas. They have said this about the market deciding when the new console is to be released for the DS and wii now for years.

[AWBrawler]

If Nintendo would've made the PS2, there is no way in Japanese Hell they would've released the next console while it was still selling like that. Remember the GBA? Nintendo had that ready for a while, but they didn't release it until demand for the GBC started to die down, and the DS wasn't released until GBA SP started to lose demand. when they have a winning model, they ride the wave until it reaches the sand. So they won't dare do what Sony did and have the Wii take away potenetial sales from the Revolution, the Y'all, the {insert Ferrero Rocher commercial highpitch ladyvoice sound here}, or whatever they call it, by leaving it out on the market.

[Gr81]

Don'y ya just love Mr.Malstrom? But the funny thing is people turning the PS2's longevity into a positive thing when in fact its actually quite the opposite and shows how bad a business Sony's been running the past 3-4yrs. That's like if the SNES outsold the N64 after launch how embarrasing would that be for Nintendo? PS2 is still on the market because PS2 owners did not upgrade to PS3, simple as that.

Wii HD is a pipe dream. Even Square Enix said Wii with HD as the only addition would be boring. Nintendo hasn't even bought the pain yet with M+, there's a load of fresh content to explore, Wii has broken records for console sales in Dec. Why would they even CONSIDER doing a Wii HD now? Since when did a marketleader whose company is raking in the billions do an about face and copy competitors losing billions? Does that make ANY logical sense?

People are seriously overstating the importance of HD visuals. If there is any gimmick this gen it is HD graphics. First, those who game on PC have had that for what? over a decade now? HD gloss doesn't save a mediocre game from being mediocre. And what's worst is these big budget titles are 6hrs long! AND at 60$ a pop? GTFOH. And I've just been laid off? GTFOH lol.

The most important thing to remember is that no company dictates the life cycle of a console 10 year plans, turn into 4 year plans real quick if thats what the market decides. If Wii HD came out tomorrow I know I wouldn't buy it.

[asdr3wsfas]

I do love Malstrom ;) I just finished reading 15 pages of his articles instead of my constitutional law. Mayberry v. Madison or hardcore gamers are morons? Easy choice.

Prime 2 is awesome man. When I finish 3 let's trade some friend vouchers. I just got through punchout...I hope to god nintendo keeps these old school remakes coming. I just got super metroid though so there's plenty I gotta catch up on.

[rohail88]

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