Masaya Matsuura thinks big is not always better
No one can deny the deeply-rooted desire for increased portability in our gadgetry. MP3 players, phones, PDAs and even Game Boys have all succumbed to its forward-moving push by getting smaller over the years. At the Nordic Game Conference in Sweden, revered designer Masaya Matsuura shared his thoughts on why Nintendo's Wii was outselling Sony's PS3: It's too big! Citing Japanese consumer tastes as the main reason, he believes the system itself is, "too big for the Japanese." Xbox fans should note that he didn't care for the power brick either.
While praising the Wii for introducing new game play ideas, he also brings up an interesting point on longevity, not believing gamers would want to withstand hours of "shaking the controller." Those that get winded walking up a flight of stairs should consider this if choosing their second console.
Hey Matsuura-san: it's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it. I've got my PS3 nestled in its rightful place inside my cool and spacious TV cabinet and don't frequently juggle it or take it out to play fetch with my dog. Maybe the PS3 was too Americanized for Japanese tastes, but a console doesn't get a lot of portability anyway so I fail to see its size as being an issue. As for exercise, we'll stick to curls (cheese curls) so we can focus our free time on PS3 time-suckers like Motorstorm and Oblivion.
