We all know the Nintendo Wii is the least-powerful next-gen console, but Microsoft’s Robbie Bach won’t have any of that. He’s hellbent on tearing the Wii up and claims that the Wii itself is just a glorified GameCube. Says Bach:
“…the video graphics on it aren’t very strong; the box itself is kind of underpowered; it doesn’t play DVDs; there are a lot of down-line components [that] aren’t actually that interesting. … They don’t have the graphics horsepower that even Xbox 1 had. So it makes sort of the comparison set a little bit difficult.”
Ouch. Hard to swallow, but Robbie has a point. Newsweek’s Level Up went to “technical experts” to discover if what Bach was saying is true. In a nutshell, the Wii essentially is a GameCube with a new controller and improved memory clock speed. Peep the entire Level Up article for a really, in-depth look at the guts of the Wii.
Geek Out: Xbox Uber-Boss Robbie Bach Takes a Shot At Nintendo’s ‘Underpowered’ Wii. [Level Up via Slashdot]
jealous, petty bullshit.
I’m sort of interested in all the success the Wii is having. Jealous or not, he isn’t lying, and it has to be frustrating.
To be honest, the Wii’s success can potentially be the thing that puts a halt on gaming advancement.
Imaging if the Wii end up surpassing all of the consoles install user base (yea the Wii is selling well but the 360 still far exceeds the install user base of the 3 next gen consoles).
The Wii becomes first Skew, and game makers will start to develop for the Wii first and port to other platforms (sortof like how it was with the PS2).
2-3 years down the road, that will make for a very unattractive console gaming atmosphere.
Maybe it will push the whole Games for Windows thing along
Makes one want to look at the Wii even more. If it’s so underpowered why is it selling so well. Must be fun. Bach is worried about market share.
This article is a technical complaint that stems from a lack of understanding of the culture of console gaming. Nintendo could make the most powerful, most graphic-tabulous console ever, and the original Super Mario Bros. game would still be one of its biggest selling games because of what it is and not what it does. Console and game makers could learn a lesson about the value of games armed with the power of people instead of megahertz. The players know why they play, and Nintendo knows what they are doing.
Unlike David, I don’t think the success of the Wii will put a halt on gaming advancement. Just the opposite, actually. I believe the success of the Wii will serve as a wakeup call that fun games are more important than raw power and fancy graphics. Hopefully, more developers for the 360 and PS3 will take this to heart and start paying more attention to gameplay. Gears of War has been very popular, but not everyone likes shooters. One of the most popular games right now is God of War II, which is for the PS2…not the PS3. That also shows that gameplay is more important than graphics and horsepower. If more developers start making GOOD GAMES instead of just flashy graphics, then everyone wins.
Also, if the Wii becomes the #1 console, that will keep down the cost of development for games. Which in turn will mean more innovative games like Rez, Katamari Damacy, Loco Roco, Elebits, Super Paper Mario, WarioWare, Trauma Center, Shadow of the Colossus, … So far those kinds of games have come out for consoles with 90% of the market and/or low development costs, and not for the bleeding-edge tech consoles.
But yeah, if all you play is FPSs and sports games, it must be a little perplexing.
Maybe in 1000 years when there is a religion based on video games, Wii vs PS3 will be the David vs Goliath of their religious book, probably called the 81881_3.
“…..To be honest, the Wii’s success can potentially be the thing that puts a halt on gaming advancement.”
What a bunch of bunk, haven’t you learned from your history yet? That’s like saying that the failure of the 3DO, which was technically superior to PS1 and Nintendo 64 had halted the progress of video games. The fact is that normal people weren’t ready to spend so much money to buy a video game system, this drove costs down and made video games more accessible for everybody.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the last (and only) time the so-called superior piece of hardware “won” was the Super NES. The NES was inferior to the Master System, the PS1 was (somewhat) inferior to the N64, and the PS2 was pretty far behind both the Xbox and the GameCube. Why would things change now? Did that “kill gaming as we know it”? Nope.
And I think it’s funny how the Microsoft folks were all “Yeah, we think the Wii as a niche system is great!” prior to its launch. Now that it’s doing really well, “Well, it’s really not that powerful anyway …” Sounds like a jealous sorority girl at a party.
And instead of trash talkin’, doesn’t Bach have another Xbox SKU to be working on?
Full disclosure: Owns Wii (for games) and PS3 (for movies)
Wii is pwning like a little Beast.
Once Metroid and Super Smash Bros come out, it will sell even more too.
thats my five cents
Microsoft got it wrong again. It’s about the games stupid. Ars Tech stated that hardcore gamers accounted for about 10% of the gaming market. PS2 had a 120 million install user base. So they went out and made a system for about 15 to 20 million people. The casual gamer makes up the rest of the market. This is what Nintendo went after. Bach also stated that developers won’t make money off of Nintendo. Hmmm, 100 million to develop for PS3 and 360, 10 million to develop for Wii and you can cross those games over to PS2. I think I can afford 10 Wii duds and still come out ahead over a 360 dud. Bach also said it doesn’t play DVD’s. Earth to Bach, everyone has a DVD. Its not a selling point anymore. At least the PS3 offered Blu-Ray. Which when the blue diode price comes down will be a compelling reason to buy one.
If the only merit of the Wii is its remote control, why cannot game developers add an bluetooth and IR extention to the XBox and PS3 that reads from the Nintendo remote control. If they make themselves compatiable with the Nintendo remotes but not selling the remotes. I meant make a Wii-mote accessory that interface with the XBox and PS3. Then game developers can write game that has the HD graphics and use the input device from Nintendo. They won’t violate the patent, will they?
It is like selling iPod accessories that interface with your BMW. Anyone can do it without Apple’s license, can’t they?
I’m tired of expensive movies with no plot, formulas, or sequels with tons of expensive visuals . Too many games fall into this same category today. I’d gladly buy a fun side-scroller over a 70$ frisbee with ‘cool graphics’. I don’t really care whats under the hood. I have quite a few classic console games for the WII.
I’ll buy that PS3 when enough 12 year old acne geeks looking for a cpu hard-on drive down the price.
Pretty fascinating. Now if only the Wii would do full-body motion, I would purchase it. I don’t want to exercise my wrists, make me run, jump, swing.
Are video games really about GHz, RAM, and processors or are they simply about fun?
That’s why Wii is better.
errm I don’t know what he is on about because the wii surpasses ever last generation games console in terms of spec and graphical horse power. If the article I read in a magazine a few months back is correct, this guy also had a rant about the xbox when it first came out, I think he just wants attention. And if like he says the wii really is two gamecubes stuck together with duck tape then think of it this way the ps3 and xbox 360 are getting out sold by two gamecubes stuck together with duck tape.
Just goes to prove that Graphics alone do not make a good game or gaming system. The Wii is fun and the games are great. That’s what makes a good system, not a few more pixels on the screen.