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Shane Kim: First console to 100 million wins
Microsoft's Shane Kim now sees the end to the console war as a new magic number: first system to 100 million units sold wins, he tells Wired. That's an increase of 90 million over the 10 million mark Microsoft used to promote as the bellwether of victory. Kim believes consumers are still deciding what system to choose and that this console generation is different from the others. (Yeah, it's the first time Microsoft actually has a chance.)Kim explains that Sony won the last couple generations, but Nintendo is clearly in first place this time around; however, he wonders if Nintendo can keep that momentum going up to 100 million (at Nintendo's rate of supply, it could take decades). He even questions it there'll be a clear-cut winner this generation. Finally, Kim assures that the Microsoft hardware guys are still working on reducing the cost of Xbox 360, in order to hit that "mass market" price point.
Codies suit doubts Wii sustainability, expects Wii 2 'pretty quickly'
Y'all may recall a rant from Dave Perry last year, in which Earthworm Jim's dad predicted that the Wii would lack staying power, due to its shortage of technical grunt. Well, Codemasters CEO Rob Cousens is clearly singing from a similar hymn sheet, because he's made pretty much the same prediction in an interview with GameDaily.Warning that people would write Sony and Microsoft off "at their peril," Cousens claimed that Wii 2 would have to come along "pretty quickly" if Nintendo wanted to keep the Wii dream going for a full ten years. In short, he reckons the hordes of new gamers that have propelled the Wii to success may grow tired of the console before long."I could give you an argument that says there's going to be a Wii 2 pretty quickly because [Nintendo would need one] in order to sustain momentum over a 10-year period," claimed Cousens. "And what type of software would it have then? Because right now it isn't driven by technological supremacy or power."I wonder if the idea of opening up a whole new audience to 60-year-olds looking to make sure their brain cells don't die off is a sustainable form of entertainment," he added. "Maybe they got it right because we are all an aging population in Western markets, but I somehow think as a form of entertainment that won't be the case."It's a little early in the console cycle to decide whether he has a point, but Cousens' argument also sounds as though it's based on a personal hunch, rather than any compelling evidence. But who knows, maybe we're all going to be horribly wrong when it comes to guessing the eventual victor from this bloody battle.
Wii's lead in Japan getting narrower
The Wii outsold the PlayStation 3 by 2-to-1 in Japan during October. No biggie, right? Happens, like, every month. That's just how the Wii rolls. But here's the thing: the console's lead in its homeland appears to be steadily dissolving.Back in June, you may recall how Nintendo's box outsold its bigger and blacker rival by 6-to-1. Such a resolute thrashing didn't bode well for the competition, but a cheaper PlayStation 3 has since nibbled away at the gap, and now Japanese information well Enterbrain has revealed that October saw 110,415 Wii sales, compared to 47,183 for the PS3. Those figures, fact fans, mean October was the fourth consecutive month in which the Wii's lead was snipped.Sure, it's not time to hit the panic button and head to the bunkers just yet, and we appreciate that such statistics can be manipulated to suit alternative perspectives, but there definitely seems to be a steady shift occuring in the attitudes of Japanese consumers. Needless to say, we await November's figures (not to mention the impact of Wii Fit in December) with bated breath.
