CE-Oh no she didn't! Part XXVI - Nintendo's Kaplan on why no one got shot for a Wii
By Ryan Block 
posted February 12th 2007 3:27PM
posted February 12th 2007 3:27PM
This one kind of came out of nowhere, but when asked by GameSpy how the PS3 launch affected the Wii launch, Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan thought it was time to lay down the smack:"Well, we didn't have anyone in line that got shot waiting for our system. So there's one sign of the different approaches between our two companies. I think that there were really two different audiences. The core gamer probably went out and tried to purchase both systems. ... I think we were just really prepared. Years of experience doing this ensured that we would have a very good launch."
So there it is, Nintendo's preparedness, experience, and approach to console gaming ensured nobody got shot over the Wii last holiday season. Surely it had nothing to do with more copious console supplies, or a pricetag of half that (or less) than the PS3. Oh, and Perrin did forget to mention the personal bodyguard Nintendo assigned each and every new Wii owner late last year, that helped too.
[Via Joystiq]
yeah, no one got shot, but a single mother did drink herself to death to get one for her kids....
i dont think most people would think that drinking a large amount of water would cause them to die...
That wasn't Nintendo's fault, that was the fault of idiot radio hosts. And hers, too. She should have had more brains than to try to stop the flow.
And I still can't get that bodyguard to give me some privacy....
Hello, broken wrist straps, at least people who bough the PS3 are safe from flying remotes.
what would you prefer bullet in the chest or wii-mote?
Too bad they're still stuck with a PS3 though...
Was the bodyguard inside the box? Mine didn't come with one. Where do I write for a refund?
"Well, we didn't have anyone in line that got shot waiting for our system. So there's one sign of the different approaches between our two companies."
I mentioned it on Joystiq too, but this has to be one of the absolute dumbest quotes I've ever heard come out of Nintendo. I mean really read it over and think about what she says here. The only suggestion she can be making is that Sony somehow intentionally orchestrated the attempted murder of its own customers.
I'm sure that's not quite what she meant. But it *is* what she said. It was a poorly-considered argument in the first place that she made worse with a really unfortunate turn of phrase. One mistake compounded with another.
Jeff, You are not reading that quote correctly.
She seems to imply recklessness or negligence on Sony's part in their planning of the launch and distribution, not purposefully placing customers in harm's way.
She's saying that Nintendo organized everything better, so it never came to violence.
Which is a stupid argument for the reasons Engadget pointed out in their posting.
Ah, the Joystiq. Engadget's sister site that doesn't have quite the same nice feel but does manage to grab the game stories a day earlier.
I'm not sure I'd call her statement laying down the "smack" - tackless, yes, but quite a smackdown. The "years of experience doing this" comment doesn't really ring insulting towards Sony. They've had the prior manic system release with the PS2. I don't recall hearing a lack of Gamecubes.
I think we've all said stupid things when put on the spot before now. Admittedly her comment is very stupid but it makes sense. In fact a lot of this story smacks of journalist sensationalism. What I think she was trying to say is that Nintendo made sure there was enough machines to meet demand and therefore not cause a mad rush (has there ever been a mad rush for a Nintendo product?). Hence her comment "I think we were just really prepared."
I totally agree with you Carbonize. I think what she said WAS smart, and made sense. When she explained that they actually put a good number of systems out the door PRIOR to launch day. This should be a 'CE-Oh how do you like them apples Sony?'
And the award for best headline goes to... . Keep up the good work. I think that Nintendo's secret plan was to keep its customers safe until they brought the Wii home, and then BAM. Wiimote in the face.
There may have been copious supplies in the US but they were in very short supply in Europe (my son only got his a week ago). Despite the shortage, no-one was shot here so perhaps the lesson is not "too few Wiis/PS3s/whatever" but "too many guns".
"too many guns"
I couldn't have put it better myself...
sure, nobody got shot, but a mother literally died trying to get one, and there were the broken wrist straps, and the large supply, and the fact that its nintendo, and the fact that the wii didnt have a particularly strong launch lineup, and the wii isnt as technologically strong as the ps3
dont get me wrong, i love my wii, but dont say that its because of you guys that nobody got shot, because the launch wasnt as smooth as it could have been
She's a MAN, baby!
/austinpowers
I believe what she's saying is that there's a difference in launch philosophies between the companies, not that Sony intentionally orchrestrated the shootings--that seems very obvious when I read it. Furthermore, the point out them doing things differently as companies is aboutthe number of launch systems available, which has a lot to do with the fact that Nintendo chose to produce a system that was not beyond their means to produce (unlike Sony, who suffered massive delays due to their new technology causing problems). Basically, her point is that Nintendo's got experience in launching systems compared to Sony, so they know how to meet the demand better.
As for other users' comments that are completely unrelated: the woman that drank herself to death was because of a radio station contest: it was not endorsed or run by Nintendo in any way, so the blame for that one cannot lie on Nintendo, just as, in my eyes, the blame for the shootings cannot be placed on Sony, as they were simply supplying the product for which crazy people were willing to attack others for.
The Wiimote thing: The only reason the straps break is when they are not used properly. This has been shown again and again by industry sources, so, again, not Nintendo's problem, but the problem of stupid people who don't learn about how to use the Wiimotes before they start to play.
This reminds me of this comic strip: http://xkcd.com/c186.html
"it had nothing to do with more copious console supplies, or a pricetag of half that (or less) than the PS3" = "preparedness, experience, and approach to console gaming"
What the hell's Engadget complaining about?
Except the contestants were made to sign a waiver indicating the dangers of water intoxication (hyperhydration). On top of that during the competition the DJs were commenting about various cases of water intoxication that resulted in deaths.
the quote is dumb and aparently you really do need to be dumb in order to be a CEO... but it seems a lil out of place... and people getting shot for systems isnt fully under the Sony's (except i think sony and the retailers should have joined forces to have a couple security guards ensuring the consumers' safety while lined up) problem nor cause a system to have a successful or horrible launch.
The two DJs who hosted the contest were warned both by a nurse and a health technician that someone could die from drinking too much water.
Can you say "non sequitur", Perrin?
"Surely it had nothing to do with more copious console supplies, or a pricetag of half that (or less) than the PS3."
isn't having plenty of consoles ready on the date of launch indicitive of a companys ability to properly handle a launch?
the lady *chose* to drink water until she died. no one *chose* to get shot. that consequence was chosen by an unrelated 3rd party on their behalf.
someone willfully entering a contest and dying due to not understanding that water intoxicification exists... is ever ever so slightly different than someone consciously and deliberately forcing a degenerate and violent act onto another unwilling person.
you have to be seriously stupid to even pretend to equate the two.
the playstation is a system that caters to hoods. if you don't see that... you are naive.
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there someone shot for a Wii?
I'm pretty sure I read it on Engadget, but don't remember when, or the wording of the title.
If Nintendo was prepared, they would have an adequate supply of Wiis IN STORES NOW! Why can't I get one even though I want one? Answer me Perrin.
The only reason nobody got shot for a Wii is because not as many people want one. Sure, more people have one, but that is only because of supply and price. If the price and supply of both systems were equal, the PS3 would out sell the Wii at least 500:1. The PS3 is obviously the better system, but people have to make choices when it comes to price. Still, it's not a reason to murder someone; that will always be inexcusable. All I'm saying is one crazy person with a gun happened to want a PS3, and that's all it takes. It has nothing to do with Nintendo's "skill" at launching a product. The only real problem here is it's too easy for a psychopath to get a gun in this country.
"...the PS3 would out sell the Wii at least 500:1"
Are you fucking stupid?
"...people have to make choices when it comes to price."
Yeah, you're right. No one wants to drop $600 on a PS2 with 1080p graphics, an HDMI port, a HDD, and a blu-ray drive.
No, see, the "only real problem here" is that you're a fucking sony fanboy who can't stand the fact that Nintendo released a console that, while technically inferior to the ps3, is doing much, much better than the ps3 and will likely continue to do so because sony is too arrogant to drop the price in the very-near future, which it needs to do if it can ever hope to catch up with the 360 or the Wii.
Could be because the console is ridiculously popular. Do you think it's easy to produce 4,521,459 systems four or five months? No. Let's be realistic here about logistics of manufacturing anything here. Let's also consider how ready each of the systems were for launch:
All three sold out on their launch, but only 360 and Wii have been able to keep selling out months afterward. PS3's are available in retailers all over the place, they've not even sold 1.5 million consoles yet. Since the middle of November, Nintendo has sold almost half as many consoles as had Microsoft in about 16 months.
There's a big difference between being ready and being READY. So far, of the three next gen consoles, Nintendo has been the most ready: the most able to provide the most consoles over the least amount of time. If they're still selling out, I'd consider that a good mark on Nintendo rather than a bad one.
Matt, I would argue that not many people want a PS3 if they are available at many retailers at any given time, as was proven recently with the little mistake that the EGM editor (IIRC) made (offering anyone 1200 dollars for a PS3 sighting). If I wanted to, I could cash in for a good 6,000 at least right about now in my area.
"Surely it had nothing to do with more copious console supplies"
Surely it didn't, since the "copious" supplies to which you refer are still resulting in lines outside the stores 3 months after launch...
She's a loudmouth, but there is, undeniably, a thread of truth to Kaplan's statements.
The fact that there was a large number of consoles available at launch highlights Nintendo's clearly superior ability to plan for and execute a console launch. Who else deserves the credit, if not Nintendo?
The article also mentions the Wii's lower price. This, too, is due to the myriad decisions made by Nintendo to keep manufacturing and distribution costs down. Again, this didn't happen by magic.
The target audience ALSO makes a difference. The age range, (overall) maturity levels, and entertainment appetites of PS3 and Wii's respective audiences certainly play a part in the way these people behave in a group. Nintendo fans, by and large, have selected their console of choice for completely different reasons than PS3 buyers.