The Next Generation is Here... Introducing the WiiStation 720
312 days 1 hour ago
| by:
Errol James
The
new millennium arrives, and Sony introduces itself with the PlayStation
2. Nintendo's old punching bag, SEGA, arrived before the new millennium
(9/9/99 to be exact,) and suffered the consequences. SEGA had been hurt
after putting up a fight for most of the last millennium with Nintendo.
When it came to fighting Sony, Sega could barely take a swing. Meanwhile Sony was still partying like rock stars as if nothing had changed. The
party must have been seriously interrupted on the day Microsoft
announced they were entering war for the voice of a generation.
Microsoft's
entrance in the war for the crown is a sign of the future of gaming.
Who better to convince the mainstream about games than a company that
dominates it? Think of it this way. Whatever gaming console sells the
most units is the Microsoft of its generation. (Shout out to Apple)
Back
to the new millennium. A year after the PlayStation 2 exploded on the
scene, Nintendo releases the GameCube and Microsoft releases the Xbox.
They couldn't even come close as they both lost by about oh 100 million
units or so. The PlayStation 2 could thanks its head start, and it's
collection of games for that. I think Nintendo felt that the company
that enters the war on Sega's behalf wouldn't stand a chance. That
turned out to be wrong as the Gamecube placed last for the generation.
Nintendo had lost the fight against Sony again.
With
the agony of defeat fresh on their minds, Nintendo locked themselves in
the lab (witherroljames.blogspot.com) They probably asked themselves
what made the PlayStation 2 so popular? One could say it was the appeal
that Sony had to the mainstream. Sony knew that they would have to
appeal more to the mainstream if they were going to beat Microsoft.
What better way to appeal to the mainstream then have the largest
collection of video games? The collection was so large and diverse,
that casual gamers had a better chance of finding a game that appealed
to them. Either that or parents had a better chance of finding the
right game for their children.
They
next question probably was something like "why did gamers overlook the
Gamecube?" One could say that it was the audience they tried to appeal
to. The Gamecube exposed Nintendo's soul. Even though they were in
last place, they were still releasing fun games. It felt as though
it was just about the art and nothing else.
Did the hardcore gamers turn their back on Nintendo? I doubt it.
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