I'm having issues finding solid data and numbers for the first year of video game console sales. Most of the searches I come across are all along the same ridiculous lines: "Company X is DOOMED!", "Video games are DOOMED!", or "The economy is DOOMED!" I find this hilarious because as far as I can remember (and this is where I wish I had more solid data), very few consoles do well in their first year. I know the 3DS, DS, PS3, and now the Wii U all had pretty miserable first years. In all cases, it was a severe lack of games because developers were trying to figure out how to develop for these systems.
The PS3 had its own super complicated tech to figure out, but if the developers could, it was super powerful. The DS was the first touch based gaming system with a few other bells and whistles that developers seemed to feel needed to all be utilized in every game (I'm so glad I don't have to blow out fires by blowing into the mic or talk at my DS anymore...). The 3DS was mostly the same except for the whole 3D factor. The Wii U has a completely separate screen that game designers need to figure out how to use. Most of those systems were also supposedly overpriced, but I feel like if a game system doesn't have enough games that you like on them, it really doesn't matter what price the system is for. Take for example the OUYA. It's only $100, the price of most collector edition games. All games on the system are "free" as well. However, I have zero interest in the system because not a single game I've heard about on the system sounds appealing to me.
It's especially entertaining to see people say Nintendo as a company is doomed because of lackluster Wii U sales (which is understandable since they only just now started releasing their big slew of games) when there are articles like this that are clearly indicating that the 3DS doing amazing well after a similarly terrible first year. Personally, I'm hoping the Wii U does well enough to get more than the Nintendo loyalists (like myself) to buy it because of all three new systems for the next generation of gaming, I feel like the Wii U has the most potential for new and different gaming experiences. Nintendo just needs to start making more asymmetric multiplayer games like the three minigames in Nintendo Land to show the other developers how it's done.
The original PlayStation was released on Dec 3, 1994. People considered it yet another non-Nintendo trainwreck until Square released Final Fantasy VII for it in January, 1997.
ReplyDeleteWhich is to say I 100% agree with you.
Wow, that makes me laugh even more. I guess I'll just continue to do my part and vote with my dollars for the Wii U. :)
DeleteYeah, I looked up the dates for that comment and was really surprised. Because I distinctly remember nobody caring about the PS and then all of a sudden everybody and their brother had bought it to play FF7.
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