Is the future bright for Wii?

[Chone]

I mean seriously, I could not want a Wii more right now, all my interest for PS3 and X360 dropped to zero and now all I want is a Wii, especially because of Twilight Princess, there are other some cool games like Monkey Ball and others and some like Warioware coming in January... but apart from that, will Wii get tons of games? Will it have a software shortage like GameCube? I don't want to get a Wii just to realize 6 months from now there is nothing to play (and find myself waiting for some very specific games here and there like Smash Bros), what I loved about PS2 was that you always had a quality game to play and once in a while came a big wave of super must have AAA titles, will Wii be similar? How is the 3rd party support?

I see myself having more than enough to play the Wii through this year and the first months of the next... but what will happen then?

[Cybix]

looks like this one will be huge, affordability is the key too.

lots of great game developers signed up for Wii...

unlikely Nintendo will sit on the back burner twice in a row!

[SamIchi]

This is how I see it, if you're a fan of Nintendo, buyin' a Nintendo system is always a good buy. There's also the fact that the Wii is easier to develop for compared to the 360 and PS3 whihch mean more games, less development cost and shorter development cycles which means more chances for AAA titles from Ninty and 3rd party. The future for the Wii looks bright indeed.

[sikkinixx]

If Nintendo really pushes their cheap price, and pumps out its star games ,mario, metriod, SSB (for whatever reason) and gets good 3rd party support they should do awesome. They need to establish that the Wii games are different then PS3/360 because Wii can't compare to those two in terms of system power.

and since Macrumors is Nintendo Fan HQ, i bet everyone will say it will be amazing ;)

[zflauaus]

Will it have a software shortage like GameCube? I don't want to get a Wii just to realize 6 months from now there is nothing to play (and find myself waiting for some very specific games here and there like Smash Bros)
I honestly don't believe there will be a shortage like the GameCube because you have the ability to play the GameCube games, plus the N64*, plus the SNES*, plus the NES*, and to top all that, the Sega Genesis*.

I put asterisks by those because of the selection Nintendo is currently ready to release. Nintendo is doing it right for $249. The main thing I can see for kids to choose: an iPod (Nano or Regular) or a Wii. Their parent's probably wouldn't go all the way on the 360 Premium and they wouldn't even think about the PS3. The Wii might actually be what I would ask for for Christmas, just because nothing has attracted my attention so far. Plus, I'm sure the old games are small so I could download them over my WiFi/dial-up connection.:D

[Chone]

I honestly don't believe there will be a shortage like the GameCube because you have the ability to play the GameCube games, plus the N64*, plus the SNES*, plus the NES*, and to top all that, the Sega Genesis*.

I put asterisks by those because of the selection Nintendo is currently ready to release. Nintendo is doing it right for $249. The main thing I can see for kids to choose: an iPod (Nano or Regular) or a Wii. Their parent's probably wouldn't go all the way on the 360 Premium and they wouldn't even think about the PS3. The Wii might actually be what I would ask for for Christmas, just because nothing has attracted my attention so far. Plus, I'm sure the old games are small so I could download them over my WiFi/dial-up connection.:D

I just hope you are right I just want to see tons of games that utilize the Wii's potential and not just Nintendo first party because there is only so much Nintendo can produce.

For 249$ Wii is a bargain, for 300$ you can walk away with Zelda and a Wii which has Wii sports included... for the price of a premium X360 you can either get 2 more games or 2 more Wiimotes for some nice multiplayer fun and for the price of a premium 600$ PS3, you can bring home all the fun you and 3 more friends could want.

Seriously I love Nintendo right now, I thought GameCube sucked (and honestly it did) but Wii seems to get things right on track for the big N.

[viccles]

I'm hoping its worth it. They are having Wii demo tours around here and its near me on Thursday so I will be going to have a play :D I am so tempted to buy an XBOX 360 but its slightly more than I can afford.

[Archmagination]

Hey viccles can you post your impression of the Wii on here after the demo? It would be interesting to hear your opinion.

[Malus]

When its all said and done, Nintendo is really going to have to follow through with the games. Yes, the launch games are good....Zelda, Red Steel, DBZ looks interesting....But they are going to have to come up with a lot of games that will appeal to everyone...I don't think if they redo the same thing (like make another zelda with the same mechanics) will it succeed. But I have no doubt that it will be a good system and be a success, because really, the Wii is just a big DS with one giant screen....and the wiimote is the stylus on the DS....thats how i see it.

[viccles]

Hey viccles can you post your impression of the Wii on here after the demo? It would be interesting to hear your opinion.

Yup I will. I think having a play of the Wii will also help me determine whether to get a 360 or wait for the Wii.

[raggedjimmi]

Whatever the excitement was for the PS2 round here, it's now on the Wii. Sony handed Europe to Nintendo - the blogs, the press, the TV, the people laughed at what happened.

It's also a damn shame that I'm slowly leaving the game playing market at this time too. The Wii is pushing all the right buttons. Nintendo have learnt from their 3rd party mistake (so they came out with the cheapest and easiest to develop for), they didn't learn from their online mistake as there was nothing to learn. Nintendo only go for technology when it's good, available and cheap. You think they could have ran a Wii like online service, or DS service previously? You think it would have been populated with few people on broadband?

Affordability is the key indeed. What were the figures? 15% of US homes with HDTV? Funny thing is I bet them guys are the highest %age of HDTV owners. Adoption rate here is so incredibly low, nobody gives 2 ***** about it. So it's nice to see Nintendo make a machine to cater to the population, instead of needlessly giving a console a trick only 1% (guess, of course) of TV owners worldwide can use.

[Rice Cooka]

It's really too early to tell if the Wii's full potential will be realized. On the one hand, it has INCREDIBLE buzz. I don't remember the Gamecube ever causing as much anticipation as the wii fever I'm seeing a lot of places. On the other hand, anyone remember the N64? That was a great system with an incredible launch that still struggled with mediocre third party output and sporadic Nintendo masterpieces (I say this as a HUGE Nintendo fan). To me, launch means very little, it's what the system does in the long run that matters.

What I DO know is that Nintendo is doing a lot of things right with the wii (price point, controller innovation, industrial design, finally getting some internet play, virtual console and their proverbial middle finger to Sony and Microsoft's direction) and that if Nintendo follows through on their promises then I would be shocked if the Wii is less successfull than it's predecessor.

As has been the case for the past 2 console generations, the big question mark is third parties. Will they ignore Wii? Again, hard to say but, if it gets a large install base, I can't see game companies ignoring this more economical platform. Potential problem? Shovelware with motion controls shoehorned in. But if there's enough games coming out, there ought to be some innovative gems in there.

Myself, I'm DEFINITELY getting a Wii. As the world's biggest Smash Brothers fanboy, SSB:Brawl alone is worth the $250 price. I'm sure that if you're a big fan of Nintendo you'll be happy with the Wii. If you're on the fence, I still suggest you get it and pimp it hard to friends, family and internet message boards. The more people that buy the thing the better the third party support will be.

[Kalns]

Wait, The N64 didn't really have that incredible of a launch did it? I mean it only had two games available. I remeber because I got both of them. Then it was a couple months as I recall until Cruisin' USA came out. Granted it picked up steam along the way with Goldeneye and Ocarina of Time, but it really did stumble out of the gate as I recall.

As for the Wii, I had no intention of buying it but I'll be honest, I'm very seriously looking at it now. I mean I have a 360 and it's great, but it'd be nice to have something different too. Plus Zelda is one of my favorite game series. :D

[bowens]

I think the Wii will be a huge success. Plus, I can guarantee that Sony and Microsoft will use motion sensing remotes, if not in their next gen console, definitely the one after that. Nintendo has always been an innovator and other companies usually follow in their footsteps. N doesn't always have as big a market share as the others but they will definitely be around a while.

[Rice Cooka]

Wait, The N64 didn't really have that incredible of a launch did it? I mean it only had two games available. I remeber because I got both of them. Then it was a couple months as I recall until Cruisin' USA came out. Granted it picked up steam along the way with Goldeneye and Ocarina of Time, but it really did stumble out of the gate as I recall.

As for the Wii, I had no intention of buying it but I'll be honest, I'm very seriously looking at it now. I mean I have a 360 and it's great, but it'd be nice to have something different too. Plus Zelda is one of my favorite game series. :D



Yup, it launched with just Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 (with the sublime Wave Race 64 coming a few months later). But for many Mario 64 was enough and if I remember correctly, getting an N64 during the 1996 holiday season was next to impossible!

[zero2dash]

N64 failed in the end because of the expensive cartridge format, which in turn hogtied the developers who opted to instead publish their games on the much-cheaper CD format that the Playstation and Saturn used.

N64 also didn't have the support of Square anymore, which made the uphill trek even worse. Final Fantasy VII (despite the fact that I hate the game and think it's the worst FF ever) was a system seller and we wouldn't be seeing a Playstation 3 (or have seen a Ps2) without the Ps1 having FFVII.

Third party support on the N64 in the end was slim, yes. But I still say the cartridge is what killed it. The Gamecube has much better 3rd party support (even though it's slim) today than the N64 did at it's end.

****

To answer the original question:
I think the Wii will be huge. Even without true advertising, word of mouth is killer for the system right now. I won't say "I'm afraid the hype will kill it" because Nintendo never fails to impress. (Except for the Virtual Boy, but that was doomed from the get go.) I think Nintendo's got the whole package right this time, and developers are drooling over the cheaper development costs, plus the fact that they're dealing with hardware that they've already worked with the last 5+ years, so launch titles will look great and there's no "development learning curve".

[MacRumorUser]

The wii will be successful, as will the 360 & PS3.

There will NOT be a clear winner this generation, with all 3 system's attracting equal market share.


Whilst I think the wii has enormous potential, unlike many I do not see any of that potential in the initial launch line up AT ALL.

Monkeyball, wow like that hasn't been done to death at this stage...

And the other third party games which are essential Xbox games but with wii remote feature tacked on (cars, cod3, nfs : carbon etc..)

Like the DS and the PSP the Wii will excel at doing things it was tailor made for doing, lazy conversions will be just as unwelcome on wii as they are on the 360 (gun, american wasteland), PSP (smackdown, burnout etc..), DS (fifa ? why bother) and no doubt the same will apply for PS3....

However, do I see the likes of E.A actually bother releasing stuff that was primarily developed for wii, no... I think they will continue to produce multi-format games, with the wii being just thrown a remote add-on and that's it....

Other Developers may indeed do some original things. Wii's Sonic the Hedgehog looks more interesting than the PS3/360 game for example.

There will be shiny beautiful Jewels in the wii's crown, let's just hope they aren't framed by a load of 3rd party lazy turds.



Now for a RANT :mad:

People please stop the PS3 / 360 / Wii is better crap because that is so 1999, get over it already. Gaming is a massive industry, you dont see the same ridiculous tit for tat arguments over the movie industry such as...

paramount are great, Universal suck ass, Warners are the greatest...

or in the music industry...

BMG blow, now Virgin Records are the real suckerz.....


Just because the gaming industry is still fairly 'immature' does not mean consumers have to be so....

[zero2dash]

The wii will be successful, as will the 360 & PS3.

There will NOT be a clear winner this generation, with all 3 system's attracting equal market share.

I agree that all will sell, but I think Wii could end up with 50%, and the Ps3/Xbox 360 splitting the remaining in half. It seems like most gamers will buy 2 consoles...1 of the expensive ones + a Wii (the cheap one).

Whilst I think the wii has enormous potential, unlike many I do not see any of that potential in the initial launch line up AT ALL.

Monkeyball, wow like that hasn't been done to death at this stage...

And the other third party games which are essential Xbox games but with wii remote feature tacked on (cars, cod3, nfs : carbon etc..)

I still have a fondness for Monkey Ball myself.
There's plenty of good launch titles IMO.
Zelda, Excite Truck, Elebits, Trauma Center (if you don't have the DS one), Rayman especially. Sure, there's ports with Wii control (NFS:Carbon, Madden, CoD3, Far Cry) but that doesn't bother me; the more choices, the better. Hell I remember when the Saturn came out and they had 1 game for like 3 weeks and that was it. Dreamcast launched with ports, so did the Ps2, Xbox, Xbox 360...the Wii and Ps3 will also. Again, it doesn't bother me because I think everyone expects ports; it's a cheap and easy way to make lots of money.

However, do I see the likes of E.A actually bother releasing stuff that was primarily developed for wii, no... I think they will continue to produce multi-format games, with the wii being just thrown a remote add-on and that's it....

Agreed...I think EA is the cancer of the game industry. I wish Criterion (Burnout/Black) and Free Radical (Time Splitters) had never sold out to EA, but it's too late now. I just hope EA doesn't kill those franchises with gutter trash rehash sequels like they've done with all their other titles. Step right up! Step right up! Roster updates - $50! Buy now! Buy now!

I agree with you about the fanboyism; it's ridiculous. All three systems will have good games. I wish people realized that just because they like one system doesn't mean the other two are shat and they should post as much untrue BS/misdirected hostility about them as they want because it's ridiculous. :rolleyes:

[MacRumorUser]

There's plenty of good launch titles IMO.
Zelda, Excite Truck, Elebits, Trauma Center (if you don't have the DS one), Rayman especially.

Problem is in Europe

Excite Truck, Elebits & Trauma Center are not launch titles. They are due late Feb/March :(

[raggedjimmi]

Bugger! I couldn't care less about Elebits, but the Excite Truck (Excite Bike... with trucks! <3 ) delay miffs me off. ho hum! All I'm personally after is something to showcase the Wii controller (Wii Sports+Play) and Twilight Princess to tide me over till university finishes for the summer.

[zero2dash]

Oohhhhh...
sorry bro (& everyone over in Europe) :(
That sucks
Well you guys get Wii Play though :)

[Rice Cooka]

Problem is in Europe

Excite Truck, Elebits & Trauma Center are not launch titles. They are due late Feb/March :(

Well in that case, I agree, your launch sucks. In the US though it's a pretty nifty bunch of games.

[jdechko]

And the other third party games which are essential Xbox games but with wii remote feature tacked on (cars, cod3, nfs : carbon etc..)...


However, do I see the likes of E.A actually bother releasing stuff that was primarily developed for wii, no... I think they will continue to produce multi-format games, with the wii being just thrown a remote add-on and that's it...

But at least for now, the third party developers seem excited about the Wii and are willing to support it.

You keep saying that a lot of the games will be ports with Wii remote support added in. Well of course. That's essentially what a console port is... keep graphics the same (as much as possible), write the code to run on the console and change the control scheme. As far as I know, the last one is just as important as the first two. <sarcasm>Obviously, the PS2 controller/control scheme won't work with the 360 version of Madden or whatever your port is.</sarcasm>

Fortunately for the Wii, so far "ports" are actually being built from the ground up. I don't know all of them that "fully" incorporate the controller, or what that even means. I'd assume that every game "fully incorporates" the controller. But Madden '07 seems to have "full" support for the Wii's capabilities. Maybe I'm missing what you're saying, but specifically regarding EA, it doesn't appear that they're exploring the possibility of new IP's. EA seems content to reuse/repackage existing franchises and sell them as new--on ALL SYSTEMS.

Finally, there'll be a lot of these "turds" for every system, not just the Wii. It's inevitable, really.

And MRU, it took me a minute to figure out it was you, with the new 'tar and all.

[MacRumorUser]

Finally, there'll be a lot of these "turds" for every system, not just the Wii. It's inevitable, really.

Oh I agree 100%.


And MRU, it took me a minute to figure out it was you, with the new 'tar and all.

Comrade has been relocated to the Kremlin. Chairman MRU is a busy person you know ;) :D

[takao]

Problem is in Europe

Excite Truck, Elebits & Trauma Center are not launch titles. They are due late Feb/March :(

Advantage is in europe:

*PS3 not coming untill march
*most successful sony titles of the last 2 years: Singstar/Eyetoy.. the same market the wii is hitting as well
*this christmas the Wii will be the only new console out of the gate
*MS didn't use it's headstart enough in europe.. outside of the UK they sold below expectation

[bobber205]

Myself, I'm DEFINITELY getting a Wii. As the world's biggest Smash Brothers fanboy, SSB:Brawl alone is worth the $250 price.


My feelings exactly. :D

[raggedjimmi]

Advantage is in europe:

*PS3 not coming untill march
*most successful sony titles of the last 2 years: Singstar/Eyetoy.. the same market the wii is hitting as well
*this christmas the Wii will be the only new console out of the gate
*MS didn't use it's headstart enough in europe.. outside of the UK they sold below expectation

* Wii play with remote
* Same VC lineup as US but with Donkey Kong Country (Curses Japans perfect VC lineup)
* Planet Earth is back on TV :D

[Sky Blue]

* Same VC lineup as US but with Donkey Kong Country


Donkey Kong Country and no excite truck ? poor Europe :(

[MacRumorUser]

Advantage is in europe:

*MS didn't use it's headstart enough in europe.. outside of the UK they sold below expectation

Someone needs to tell Ireland this then as the 360 has sold very well here, and this is in a country who had the biggest PS2 owenrship per capita outside of Japan.

"not quite as generalised as you put it things are" says yoda. ;)

[takao]

Someone needs to tell Ireland this then as the 360 has sold very well here, and this is in a country who had the biggest PS2 owenrship per capita outside of Japan.

"not quite as generalised as you put it things are" says yoda. ;)

i guess i should have made it "the british isles" ;)


you know somewhere those missing 4 million from those "10 millions by the time ps3 launches" came from... and i doubt they expected to sell them all in japan ;)

[MacRumorUser]

i guess i should have made it "the british isles" ;)

You would have still been wrong. That would be blasphamy here in the Republic. We are not in the British Isles. Northern Ireland doesnt count because no-one wants it ;) :p




you know somewhere those missing 4 million from those "10 millions by the time ps3 launches" came from... and i doubt they expected to sell them all in japan ;)


PS3 hasn't come along to Europe yet, and with Microsoft having the only HD console in Europe this christmas, I'd suspect the 10 million by end of the fiscal year, which is March 07 would actually be acurate..

[Chone]

The wii will be successful, as will the 360 & PS3.

There will NOT be a clear winner this generation, with all 3 system's attracting equal market share.


Whilst I think the wii has enormous potential, unlike many I do not see any of that potential in the initial launch line up AT ALL.

Monkeyball, wow like that hasn't been done to death at this stage...

And the other third party games which are essential Xbox games but with wii remote feature tacked on (cars, cod3, nfs : carbon etc..)

Like the DS and the PSP the Wii will excel at doing things it was tailor made for doing, lazy conversions will be just as unwelcome on wii as they are on the 360 (gun, american wasteland), PSP (smackdown, burnout etc..), DS (fifa ? why bother) and no doubt the same will apply for PS3....

However, do I see the likes of E.A actually bother releasing stuff that was primarily developed for wii, no... I think they will continue to produce multi-format games, with the wii being just thrown a remote add-on and that's it....

Other Developers may indeed do some original things. Wii's Sonic the Hedgehog looks more interesting than the PS3/360 game for example.

There will be shiny beautiful Jewels in the wii's crown, let's just hope they aren't framed by a load of 3rd party lazy turds.



Now for a RANT :mad:

People please stop the PS3 / 360 / Wii is better crap because that is so 1999, get over it already. Gaming is a massive industry, you dont see the same ridiculous tit for tat arguments over the movie industry such as...

paramount are great, Universal suck ass, Warners are the greatest...

or in the music industry...

BMG blow, now Virgin Records are the real suckerz.....


Just because the gaming industry is still fairly 'immature' does not mean consumers have to be so....

I have to disagree about your Wii's launch line up point, Zelda Twilight Princess is looking good enough to be what Ocarina of Time was for the N64, that alone makes an spectacular launch. And it is rounded up by some games for the non zelda buffs (which I think the very little people not interested to Zelda will be reduced to the non gamers who are introducing themselves with the Wii).

I may sound like a Zelda fanboy, but anyone will tell you that Twilight Princess might just be the "Halo" of this launch.

[raggedjimmi]

I may sound like a Zelda fanboy, but anyone will tell you that Twilight Princess might just be the "Halo" of this launch.

Are you kidding?

It's pretty clear that TP is out to beat the heralded best game yet (OoT). It's past Halo. It's past OoT.

Though it feels funny having such a AAAA game on launch. I would have been happy waiting until 2007 for TP.

[Chone]

Are you kidding?

It's pretty clear that TP is out to beat the heralded best game yet (OoT). It's past Halo. It's past OoT.

Though it feels funny having such a AAAA game on launch. I would have been happy waiting until 2007 for TP.

I know its past Halo (a just okay game in my opinion) and past OOT, I was just trying to make a point on how big TP alone is for the Wii, the Wii's launch lineup is anything but weak, in fact, its a LOT better than Xbox360's and PS3's.

Twilight Princess may very well be Game of The Year and it is why I want a Wii so badly, I'm replaying through the Ocarina of Time again and man I'm having a blast replaying this game for the 20th time (the only part I hate is that dreaded water temple) I can't imagine how great Twilight Princess will be, especially with the Wii controller.

The Wii has a holiday winner with Twilight princess, especially at that price, for 300$ you can get a fantastic Zelda experience and another game to play in between for breaks :p with 300$ you barely get a stripped Xbox360.

[MacRumorUser]

IF Twilight Princess was solely a Wii title then YES it's amazing launch title.

BUT it's not, at the end of the day its a gamecube game that bar remote feature and widescreen is pretty much the same game.

I dont consider a Launch title that is nearly identical to its last generation brother to be really impressive enough to warrant buying a wii solely to play it, when I could just spend €40 and buy the cube version.....

I have no doubts about the quality of the game (it's going to be amazing) , BUT the fact that it is availalble on Nintendo last generation hardware negates the need to buy a wii to play it and therefore isnt a great 'launch' game.

[jdechko]

I could just spend €40 and buy the cube version.....

Blasphemy, indeed. </sarcasm> ;)

[kinesin]

Personally I think the Wii will do poorly in the UK market over xmas - the price point it just too close to the xbox, it's the same :(
Xbox 360 Cores are been sold now for £199, and £219 including a game.
The Wii doesn't seem to be listed without a game and is also £219 inc game. (sports inc)

If it had come in at the rumoured £150 inc Wii sports etc then it might have had a chance, but no UK parent is going against their kids on this one. Hell I know guy who's 3 kids are wanting the PS3, 'whether is crap or not', he's committed to buying at least 2, because that's the way it i

I how the Wii does do a DS, but it could be slow burner....

[belovedmonster]

Urm, a Wii including Wii Sports will set you back about £179, I dont know where the prices you are quoting have come from but they aren't accurate. If you order one from PC world you can get a bundle with two games extra games (3 in total including Wii Sports) which is very cheap, and thats not including any money off vouchers you might have.

[MacRumorUser]

I how the Wii does do a DS, but it could be slow burner....

I suspect the same for Ireland, well at least in my county.

Today i was in Smyths having a chat to the guy behind the counter and he has 15 pre-orders for the wii and expect 30+ consoles.

They have SO FAR for christmas orders (special bundles, to be collected prior to christmas)

109 Xbox 360 bundles sold - Xbox Premium + 2 games ( from either PGR3/PD0/Kameo/GRAW) for €399

around 60 PSP bundles sold - Mostly white ceramic version + 1 game

DS lite is looking ok too...



All of them showing more interest than wii at this stage only four weeks from its official launch, that's not great...

Reason.

The wii is €270 here.
€20/30 for an RGB or Component Cable.
€60 each Wii title (so €120 for two)

That ends up costing more than a premium 360 bundle they are selling.


Urm, a Wii including Wii Sports will set you back about £165 if bought online, I dont know where the prices you are quoting have come from but they aren't accurate.

He means Wii RRP. is £179 + £40 for an additional game on top of it = £219

[raggedjimmi]

*bzzt* wrong.
Open up Toys R Us, Argos, go into GAME or GameStation. They're all sold as singles with a few bundle options. Online shops clearly point out what are bundles and offer just the Wii unit alone at the top of the lists (Play.com and friends). You can no longer put pre-orders on the Wii in some of my local game shops as they've sold out of initial preorders.

btw, it's £20 less than the crippled 360 without a game. With HD penetration so low in the UK will the 360 be an enhancement? both systems to be played at 480i/576i, both taking regular DVD's, both offer online (one is free, and has a browser and is massively advertised as such).

You know one guy planning to buy a PS3? that's nice. I know non-gamers buying a Wii. Which is earthbreaking - it's following the DS trend. What does that mean? Look at the DS.

[MacRumorUser]

Jimmi a big screen plasma/lcd HDTV will be the biggest selling 'family' item this christmas. You only have to read the press & magazines to see it's the must have family purchase this year.

HDTV penetration regardless if people are viewing HD content on them or not will continue to grow. And I guarantee more HDTV's will be sold this year in the UK than nintendo wii's.

Look at QVC, a HDTV is the must have item this year, and the amount of SKY HD promo is going to be pushed and pushed. With Terrestial TV siwtching off in 2007, there is going to be a surge of new TV's bought in 2007 with Digital Recivers built in, and most of them will be LCD/Plasma and HD Ready.


And your comment about the wii's browser being massivly advertised as such. 1 question where? other than to gamers WHERE have you seen any mention of Wii browser. I've yet to see 1 TV advert for the wii and the magazine ad's so far have been minimal to say the least.

Just because you arent interested in HD, does not mean the rest of the country are following your suit.

[raggedjimmi]

We'll see I suppose. A friend of mine who used to work in Kendals (House of Frasier now) said that nobody, not even the rich folks where picking up the HDTV's. When they enquired about them and they found the only thing in HD was the 360 most turned away as they likely weren't gamers. Ambilight was a big seller, apparently *urgh*.

Folks do seem to buying massive LCD/Plasma SDTV's as they're very cheap. a HDTV of the same size costing about 3-4 times as much? That's why they're not flying off the shelves here.

eep you edited.

It's advertised in HMV and (was) in the papers. Heck it's that feature that got my mum wanting one, even my GRAN ("can it book flights?").

[takao]

Jimmi a big screen plasma/lcd HDTV will be the biggest selling 'family' item this christmas. You only have to read the press & magazines to see it's the must have family purchase this year.

HDTV penetration regardless if people are viewing HD content on them or not will continue to grow. And I guarantee more HDTV's will be sold this year in the UK than nintendo wii's.

Look at QVC, a HDTV is the must have item this year, and the amount of SKY HD promo is going to be pushed and pushed. With Terrestial TV siwtching off in 2007, there is going to be a surge of new TV's bought in 2007 with Digital Recivers built in, and most of them will be LCD/Plasma and HD Ready.

you know the same has been said in 2005
"At the end of the year HD-TV channels will launch and HDTV will finally kick off"
didn't happen

2006:
"the Football world cup 06 will be broadcasted in HD and thus people will flock to buy new tvs"
didn't happen: since most people thought "i wait till after the world cup perhaps prices drop".. prices dropped but without content people didn't bought it for hdtv

end of 2006: you say "it will take off in 2007 because analog is cut off"
german TV stations already say:"with olympia 2008 being broadcasted in HD, HDTV will get pushed" ... and don't plan to switch untill then ... austrian channels don't switch untill 2013-2015

for digital: it didn't push much in germany the last years ... they sell plenty of those USB sticks ... the picture quality hasn't been too glorious for digital TV either ...

in austria the switch to digital just has begun and guess what the sentiment is: "i'm not going to pay 50-120€ for just receiving the same _3_ channels as before"
(in some cases like in our house it actually is worse with digital.. instead of getting 14 channels from germany,switzerland and austria through analog we will end up with only the 3 austrian )
needless to say that with digital satellite dish i would have to buy a separate additional box for german and austrian TV ... paying more money for the same content with more hassle (remotes)


the thing is: you think most people will upgrade TVs ... the reality is that the majority of people buy new ones when the old one is broken
sure there are people who upgrade, but believe it or not: most people who buy an LCD/plasma buy it because it's thiner, doesn't take up that much space and looks better in their living room


that aside the philips ambilight thing is seriously something i want if i would be in the market for a new TV ... that's what i call a killer feature

[MacRumorUser]

the thing is: you think most people will upgrade TVs ... the reality is that the majority of people buy new ones when the old one is broken sure there are people who upgrade, but believe it or not: most people who buy an LCD/plasma buy it because it's thiner, doesn't take up that much space and looks better in their living room


that aside the philips ambilight thing is seriously something i want if i would be in the market for a new TV ... that's what i call a killer feature


The difference is in the UK all terestrial broadcasting is switched off in 2007. That's not long away is it ;)

So a lot of people will be upgrading next year to either a Freeview Box or a TV with Freeview DVB built into it.

The majority of new TV's sold are flat panels, people like the space saving they offer more than the HD capability. We both know and agree with this.

If a lot of people take the oportunity to purchase a new TV and choose flat screen, there is a sudden expernential increase in people who have HD ready sets whether they intend to watch HD content or not.

Much like buying a 4:3 TV is near impossible in retail stores these days, buying a CRT is getting just as hard.

I was just pointing out that whilst HD sets (not HDTV content - the two dont necesserily go hand in hand with each other) may be small in comparison to CRT ownership, because of the changes the UK broadcasting face, that margin will change in 2007 out of necessity more so than desire.

oh and I have ambilight, but I rarely use it. Its just a novelty IMO.

Jimmi keeps saying people in the UK are not interested in HD when discussing the wii, but the fact remains that more HDTV TV's will be sold this Xmas than Wii's.

And once they are already in peoples homes, it will be easier to sell people the advantages of viewing HD content & consoles on them.

[raggedjimmi]

That's sort of right. The turn off begins in 2007 but doesn't affect the whole UK. What's the last year? 2010? something like that.
Turning off analogue doesn't mean much for HD. They're saying that shutting off the analogue signal will "free up room for HD Freeview" (there is a HD FreeView test channel in my area), but all you need is a reciever. not a whole new TV. Try telling my parents who just bought an SD ambilight (I urghed previously because like MRU said - novely) or my grandparents they need to buy a new TV. They'll laugh when a £20 box (or free if you're old) does the same thing as a new TV with freeview built in.

I've been saying since HD became a topic in the UK - HDTV households will become a majority when the BBC offer a free-to-air service and not a moment sooner. Isn't broadband still the minority here? The UK doesn't care that much it seems :)

edit: what are you talking about? "not HDTV content - the two dont necesserily go hand in hand with each other", of course they do! What is the point in buying a 32" HDTV when you have no HD source, when a 32" SDTV costs a fraction of the HD version? I don't know of any consumer who would do that. Not when HDTV's will be cheaper when there actually is a viable source. Doesn't make any sense.

[kinesin]

The difference is in the UK all terestrial broadcasting is switched off in 2007. That's not long away is it ;)

The government time tables say 2008-2013, tho I know my region has just started to advertise it's getting switched in 2009 - I agree that the there will be a bigger push to HDTV, but maybe in 2008 - tho personally I think the UK debt issue with cut spending on all form of toys by then.

Open up Toys R Us, Argos, go into GAME or GameStation. They're all sold as singles with a few bundle options. Online shops clearly point out what are bundles and offer just the Wii unit alone at the top of the lists (Play.com and friends). You can no longer put pre-orders on the Wii in some of my local game shops as they've sold out of initial preorders.

I was actually using GAME's website (game.net) - The Wii console isn't available without another packaged game (i.e wii sports + A.N other). Just like last year with the 360, on the high street it will be sold a package. Most parents will still buy via the high street.

The PS3 kids comments comes from someone that has teenages and their friends - all they want is a PS3, last year it was Xbox 360. At the younger end I think the Wii will do better, and maybe the non-gamer (non-buyer)? I wouldn't be surprised to see the PS2 be this years best seller :(

[MacRumorUser]

Isn't broadband still the minority here? The UK doesn't care that much it seems :)

No broadband ownership is greater than dialup in the UK so it's actually in the majority and it is also higher per capita than america..

THE proportion of British households with broadband internet access has leapfrogged American levels for the first time, marking a milestone in the take-up of the high-speed service here.
Research from Point Topic, the broadband research firm, revealed yesterday that in the second quarter of this year broadband penetration in Britain overtook that of the US. There were 14 broadband connections per 100 Britons, compared with 13 in the US.

Although the gap is narrow, the fact that Britain has overtaken the US, traditionally the home of internet and technology developments, was welcomed as highly symbolic by industry experts.

A spokesman for Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, said: “Broadband in the UK is proving to be one of the most significant and rapidly growing technologies of recent times.”

Analysts said the increasing uptake of broadband in Britain was down to several factors, including more competition, cheaper prices and greater investment by telecoms and internet companies in the technology. More people were also starting to understand the advantages that broadband offered over dial-up services.

Blair Wadman, of uSwitch, which compares prices of internet and telecoms products, said: “Our perceptions of the US are of it being ahead of us in many technological developments including broadband. But in the UK the availability of broadband has increased substantially so that everyone can have it if they want it and, in recent years, the increased number of suppliers has driven down prices.”

In Britain broadband take-up was initially slow. But, according to Ofcom, about 250,000 households are now signing up for the “always-on” internet access each month — the equivalent of a city the size of Sheffield.

There are now more than 100 suppliers of broadband in Britain including players such as NTL, Telewest and BT. New players are still entering the market and speeds are constantly being upgraded.

Be, a Swedish internet start-up, recently became the first player in Britain to provide 24 megabits per second (Mbps), “next generation” broadband.

Until early last year the average price for a 1 Mbps broadband connection in Britain was £35, now it is less than £20.

Tim Johnson, of Point Topic, said the US broadband market was now less competitive than Britain’s. “Although the US telecoms players face strong competition from cable companies, they do not face the same fierce level of competition from resellers and local loop unbundling that there is in the UK,” he said.

Despite Britain’s success, it is ranked only fourth in broadband density across the group of G7 countries, the research found, behind Canada, Japan and France.

[raggedjimmi]

I was actually using GAME's website (game.net) - The Wii console isn't available without another packaged game (i.e wii sports + A.N other). Just like last year with the 360, on the high street it will be sold a package. Most parents will still buy via the high street.

The PS3 kids comments comes from someone that has teenages and their friends - all they want is a PS3, last year it was Xbox 360. At the younger end I think the Wii will do better, and maybe the non-gamer (non-buyer)? I wouldn't be surprised to see the PS2 be this years best seller :(

GAME online maybe, GAME in the high street is different. GameStation doesn't (or didn't) allow preorders online - only in store. GAME in store allow you to just buy a Wii.
Most parents will still buy via the high street? Most parents do.

You mean how the PS2 was last years best seller? hmm. That was reserved for the 360.

Frankly I see the DS Lite being the best seller. Nothing is stopping it.

[raggedjimmi]

No broadband ownership is greater than dialup in the UK so it's actually in the majority and it is also higher per capita than america..



Oopsy, by broadband I meant 'homes with internet'. Though I had no idea that only 14% of homes had broadband to begin with. That's so far from the majority.

[MacRumorUser]

Oopsy, by broadband I meant 'homes with internet'. Though I had no idea that only 14% of homes had broadband to begin with. That's so far from the majority.

No 14% of UK people, remember there is usally more than 1 person living in a house ;)

There were 14 broadband connections per 100 Britons, compared with 13 in the US.

So the actual figure is around 58% of households, or so I read on a bbc website.



edit: what are you talking about? "not HDTV content - the two dont necesserily go hand in hand with each other", of course they do! What is the point in buying a 32" HDTV when you have no HD source, when a 32" SDTV costs a fraction of the HD version? I don't know of any consumer who would do that. Not when HDTV's will be cheaper when there actually is a viable source. Doesn't make any sense.

Simple. The amount of HDTV capapble TV's sold is vastly higher than the amount of subscribers to HDTV broadcasts. Like myself there are millions of people with HDTV's who view SD content on them now, in hope that the price of HDTV broadcast will fall in the not so distant future.

Buying a HDTV as myself and Takao have said tends to be more about the benefit of space saving and because they look nicer, and the cool factor than for watching HD content on straight away. People are buying for the future, not necessarily for HD content straight away.

[DeSnousa]

I haven't properly read through this thread but here are my thoughts on the topic.

I use to be a 'hardcore' gamer doing between 1-6 hours a day. I absolutely loved it, however as I have grown older I have found time to be on the decrease and with that my lack of interest in gaming has diminished also.

Don't get me wrong I like gaming but with time being important, I prefer to do other things with my timetable. Also as games have got really complex I find my self struggling and not completing a game. Not to mention taking a week just to get through a level.

Now enters the DS which was superb, short burst gaming, while still challenging. I want bother arguing what the DS has done as it has been mentioned on end in MR. I am expecting the same with the Wii. My friends are exactly in the same boat as I am.

[takao]

The difference is in the UK all terestrial broadcasting is switched off in 2007. That's not long away is it ;)

april 07 analog will be shut off in my hometown and here where i'm studying

If a lot of people take the oportunity to purchase a new TV and choose flat screen, there is a sudden expernential increase in people who have HD ready sets whether they intend to watch HD content or not.

if true why does is the only german HD-TV provider (Premiere payTV) actually is losing customers if people want to try out HD ?
and that in the year they were the only provider of the german World cup 06 (in HD) in the own country ...



Jimmi keeps saying people in the UK are not interested in HD when discussing the wii, but the fact remains that more HDTV TV's will be sold this Xmas than Wii's.

so ? there will be also more pal-tvs sold than xbox360 ..

And once they are already in peoples homes, it will be easier to sell people the advantages of viewing HD content & consoles on them.

personally i think more and more about throwing the tv out every year ... i simply can't grasp the enthusiasm about new TVs

edit: and about buying TVs for the future: most people don't or elsewise analog HDTV would have been a success 15 years ago when it launched in europe...same with laserdisc which failed in europe.. and people wouldn't be buying 1370x768 hdtvs without hdmi, dvb-t tuner or any hd-ready logo
that aside i know somebody who just bought a 16:9 crt 2 months ago

[MacRumorUser]

I said :-

If a lot of people take the oportunity to purchase a new TV and choose flat screen, there is a sudden expernential increase in people who have HD ready sets whether they intend to watch HD content or not.

you replied

if true why does is the only german HD-TV provider (Premiere payTV) actually is losing customers if people want to try out HD ?
and that in the year they were the only provider of the german World cup 06 (in HD) in the own country ...

You proved what I just said. people with HDTV's are not necessarily watching HD content, so what are you rebuking ?



edit: and about buying TVs for the future: most people don't or elsewise analog HDTV would have been a success 15 years ago when it launched in europe...same with laserdisc which failed in europe.. and people wouldn't be buying 1370x768 hdtvs without hdmi, dvb-t tuner or any hd-ready logo
that aside i know somebody who just bought a 16:9 crt 2 months ago

Again you miscontrude what i meant. When a person walks into a retailer and ask should they get an Standard Def TV (if the store even sell them - a lot dont) or go for one of these more expensive flat TV's. There is a push from the sales assistant and usually it revolves around the fact that a person could view HD programming on it in the future, that is what I mean by future proofing.

The BBC already broadcast HD content, its just a matter of time before they do so over digital terestrial tv and I imagine a lot of people will go for it then. HDTV content will go massive WHEN it's free to air, which may not be as far away as we imagine.

[raggedjimmi]

HDTV content will go massive WHEN it's free to air, which may not be as far away as we imagine.

Very true. Winter Hill started broadcasting test HD for a few viewers. Though nobody knows of the results it shows it can at least be done to some extent.

Besides! Anything that can kick dust in Sky's eyes is good to me. if the BBC offer only the current main 5 channels (BBC 1, 2, ITV, C4 and Five (less so Five ;) )) in HD, it would be massive. That alone will kick start HD. NOW get a move on BBC.
But we're going in circles now... Future bright for Wii? If it does to consoles what it did to handhelds then yes. yes it is!

[wyatt23]

see, i've had an hdtv for about 3.5 years now. thing is, i'm upgrading to LCD becasue i not only want to be hdtv still, but i really want to have a nice sexy wii next to a sexy lcd. this way my WHOLE setup screams... LOOK HOW BALLER I AM!

[FleurDuMal]

Very true. Winter Hill started broadcasting test HD for a few viewers. Though nobody knows of the results it shows it can at least be done to some extent.

Besides! Anything that can kick dust in Sky's eyes is good to me. if the BBC offer only the current main 5 channels (BBC 1, 2, ITV, C4 and Five (less so Five ;) )) in HD, it would be massive. That alone will kick start HD. NOW get a move on BBC.
But we're going in circles now... Future bright for Wii? If it does to consoles what it did to handhelds then yes. yes it is!

Surely the BBC are only responsible for BBC channels becoming available in HD?! It's up to ITV, C4, etc to make their own channels HD.

Anyway, getting broadcasters to transmit in HD is only half the mission. You also have to get producers/directors to record in HD as there's no point in broadcasting a standard def recording in HD. And to be honest, I really don't care about HDTV as far as actual television goes. I'm one of those dinosaurs that still have a crappy indoor analogue arial attached to my 15" CRT TV from about 8 years ago.

The same goes with with HD-DVD and BluRay. All the films I watch are old or from pretty small film-houses who simply can't afford to film in HD (the costs of filming in HD are apparantly a pretty big step up from standard def). Hence I'm pretty underwhelmed by the whole hi-def DVD business.

Infact, the only thing I want HD for is gaming.

[raggedjimmi]

Infact, the only thing I want HD for is gaming.

Which apparently is what the best use of HD is.
I mean I'm sat here watching Lost in HD and sat back, in a chair, there is no difference at all. Sat up close however and I can needlessly see Lockes stubble, crap effects and shaky camera work.

[mouchoir]

...Besides! Anything that can kick dust in Sky's eyes is good to me. if the BBC offer only the current main 5 channels (BBC 1, 2, ITV, C4 and Five (less so Five ;) )) in HD, it would be massive. That alone will kick start HD. NOW get a move on BBC...

ITV, C4 and Five don't have anything to do with the BBC, they are all privately owned companies.

I do agree with you about the 5 main channels going HD would be a massive kickstart. But the BBC are only responsible for their own channels.

[FleurDuMal]

Which apparently is what the best use of HD is.
I mean I'm sat here watching Lost in HD and sat back, in a chair, there is no difference at all. Sat up close however and I can needlessly see Lockes stubble, crap effects and shaky camera work.

What size is your TV though? I assume the bigger your TV, the more noticable HD probably is.

Anyway, even for gaming, if I didn't have a 24" Dell monitor already, I probably wouldn't go out and get a HDTV anyway (well, not in my current financial position anyway).

[raggedjimmi]

What size is your TV though? I assume the bigger your TV, the more noticable HD probably is.

Anyway, even for gaming, if I didn't have a 24" Dell monitor already, I probably wouldn't go out and get a HDTV anyway (well, not in my current financial position anyway).

Mine is 20", my parents is 32". Even my cousins twin 40" don't really show much over SD resolution wise. Seems to be the colour that's more noticable (to me at least).

[takao]

our PAL tv is around 30 inches and there is not enough space for upgrading it to a much bigger one since there are only a few centimeters left of space left and right of it
and we are sitting around 3,5 perhaps 4 meters away from it

personally i have a smaller TV ... i actually don't even know the size .. but i'm sitting closer: around 3 meters

i haven't had a problem with picture quality yet.. perhaps i'm looking at the hdtvs in the stores somehow wrong

[MacRumorUser]

Mine is 20", my parents is 32". Even my cousins twin 40" don't really show much over SD resolution wise. Seems to be the colour that's more noticable (to me at least).

That's because your viewing SD content ? How can it show much over an SD resolution TV ?

View HDTV content and its a different story. I downloaded V for Vendetta from Xbox Marketplace (just set up an american account ;) ) last night (took all night and day) and I'm amazed by the quality. I have the film on DVD and i use a dvd upscaler to improve the picture, but it's still masses behind true HD when you see the two side by side.

Its convinced me 100% into buying the HD-DVD drive

[raggedjimmi]

That's because your viewing SD content ? How can it show much over an SD resolution TV ?

Nope, Lost and a few other shows from my PowerBook (VGA, full resolution and that). I can see the resolution increase clearly with games, sharper edges perhaps? Just stands out more than film and TV in HD. I'm thinking about forgetting about HD altogether till 1080p is the standard, or something higher? I'm not seeing much improvement with 720p over the 576p I get with normal TV.

(ps. wow, just an extra 144 pixels in height? no wonder! Never worked that out before :) 1080 or above it is for me then)

[Axegrinder]

I haven't properly read through this thread but here are my thoughts on the topic.

I use to be a 'hardcore' gamer doing between 1-6 hours a day. I absolutely loved it, however as I have grown older I have found time to be on the decrease and with that my lack of interest in gaming has diminished also.

Don't get me wrong I like gaming but with time being important, I prefer to do other things with my timetable. Also as games have got really complex I find my self struggling and not completing a game. Not to mention taking a week just to get through a level.

Now enters the DS which was superb, short burst gaming, while still challenging. I want bother arguing what the DS has done as it has been mentioned on end in MR. I am expecting the same with the Wii. My friends are exactly in the same boat as I am.

Nobody has picked up on your point but I agree with you entirely. I'm 36 and find most games these days a turn off. Everything's been done before many, many times over. I keep an eye on what's new, frequent the forums to see what games people are hyped about, but I'm not motivated enough to play them anymore (having little spare time due to family is another reason). The video game industry has been stale (to me, at least) for many years.

Now the Wii is nearly here (in the UK) and last night I put down my twenty notes for a pre-order! That's one person at least that Nintendo has sucked in. Granted, I'm not totally new to games (far from it) but I had just about given up on buying a console again. It's that short burst gaming that you mentioned that is the key to me. I don't want long, drawn out complexity anymore (not sure I ever did), I want fun. Something that I can pick up quickly without learning a multitude of button configurations.

I think the Wii is going to deliver fun by the bucket load and I expect a lot of similarly minded older gamers will get back into gaming through this machine. Time will tell.

[dukebound85]

I haven't properly read through this thread but here are my thoughts on the topic.

I use to be a 'hardcore' gamer doing between 1-6 hours a day. I absolutely loved it, however as I have grown older I have found time to be on the decrease and with that my lack of interest in gaming has diminished also.

Don't get me wrong I like gaming but with time being important, I prefer to do other things with my timetable. Also as games have got really complex I find my self struggling and not completing a game. Not to mention taking a week just to get through a level.

Now enters the DS which was superb, short burst gaming, while still challenging. I want bother arguing what the DS has done as it has been mentioned on end in MR. I am expecting the same with the Wii. My friends are exactly in the same boat as I am.

so true. i used to play games kinda alot but not too much maybe 5 hrs a weeks or so but as i get older, id much rather not play games at all.

i never thought id not be interested in games much. heck i have a 360 and i havent played it in like a month. my bro on the otherhand, plays it like 6 hrs a day....

[MacRumorUser]

Nope, Lost and a few other shows from my PowerBook (VGA, full resolution and that). I can see the resolution increase clearly with games, sharper edges perhaps? Just stands out more than film and TV in HD. I'm thinking about forgetting about HD altogether till 1080p is the standard, or something higher? I'm not seeing much improvement with 720p over the 576p I get with normal TV.

(ps. wow, just an extra 144 pixels in height? no wonder! Never worked that out before :) 1080 or above it is for me then)

VGA full resolution ? but what res ? 640x480?

Also the 'torrented' HD episodes on the net are crappily compressed and you wont see any difference on those compared to SD.

I tried an epsiode of Robin Hood BBC from the net and it looked crap, no different to TV - even though it was ripped at 1280x720... Got to remember they are then heavily compressed undoing any benefit of the HD...

However ,I downloaded an episode of CSI today in HD from the marketplace. It is clearly and obvious difference to the SD content we get.

[sikkinixx]

. this way my WHOLE setup screams... LOOK HOW BALLER I AM!

Well I put diamonds on my dinner so my s*** sparkles.

Now THAT is baller biatch :D

[raggedjimmi]

VGA full resolution ? but what res ? 640x480?

Also the 'torrented' HD episodes on the net are crappily compressed and you wont see any difference on those compared to SD.

I tried an epsiode of Robin Hood BBC from the net and it looked crap, no different to TV - even though it was ripped at 1280x720... Got to remember they are then heavily compressed undoing any benefit of the HD...

However ,I downloaded an episode of CSI today in HD from the marketplace. It is clearly and obvious difference to the SD content we get.

Lost, series 3 episode 1, 4gb. way more than the 1gb 720p versions, I figured I was using a fast connection so it wouldn't take that long. I mean up close it's very very sharp. Maybe it's my eyes but at a distance it's just back down to normal.