by Caloy Soup

Created on: September 02, 2006   Last Updated: February 04, 2010

Believe it or not, the reason Nintendo Wii is going to be a run away success is because it is following the footsteps of the original Playstation launch model.

When Playstation launched in the 90's it released a relatively affordable gaming system, with more than a dozen games ready for launch, and something different - namely 3D graphics.

The 90's saw the release of the Panasonic 3DO an expensive gaming machine that could also play video CD's. Sega Saturn improved it's 2D engine, but struggled with 3D graphics. Aside from that developers had to invest too much time and money to produce games, that could be developed faster and cheaper on Sony's Playstation.

2006 will see the release of Sony's Playstation 3. It will be the most expensive system on the market, and it will be capable of playing bluray HD disc movies and games. Microsoft XBox 2 is Sony's biggest competitor, because they offer the same package of videogame entertainment; High Definition videogame graphics and movie playback. XBox 2 will be cheaper than Sony's videogame machine, but both machines continue to drive the philosophy that High Definition equals next generation mindset. This can be paralleled to improving 2D graphics in the 90's. A predictable hardware improvement, but nothing different.

Nintentdo Wii, will launch with more than 2 dozen games, 2/3 of that library will be third party games, meaning strong support from major companies such as Sega, Squaresoft, EA, Activision, UBIsoft, and Atari. Plus, significant first party releases like; Metroid, Zelda, and a new Mario game.

Nintendo's videogame machine will also offer DVD movie playback, and will be the most affordable next generation console, with a pricetag rumored at $200-250. (In the 90's Playstation launched at a $400 pricetag).

Lastly, Nintendo offers something different. The Wii introduces the wii-mote. Nintendo's controller actually senses and translates 3D movement. Imagine swinging a tennis racket to hit a tennis ball, gripping a sword across your face to defend yourself from Gannon's furious attack, or aiming for zombies by simply moving your gun in their direction. Depending on the game your wii-mote becomes the tennis racket, the sword, or the shotgun. Instead of moving your thumb over the four direction joystick or pad, all your movement becomes intuitive and natural, you swing right, your in game character swings right, you slice left, and your in game character does the same, it is as if you were actually interacting with objects or characters on the screen.

When the Nintendo Wii launches, insiders say it will become the second console people buy after an Xbox 2 or Playstation 3 purchase, making it the # 1 console of choice. This year consumers will make
Next Generation + Video Gaming = Nintendo Wii.

Learn more about this author, Caloy Soup.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.