05-21-2006, 10:57 PM
Newsweek is reporting that after the Nintendo DS sales explosion and the strong Wii showing at E3, Nintendo is poised for a console comeback. In the US, Nintendo has dropped from 90% of the console market in the 80s to 14% today. Apparently, "Wii will change everything"
Quote:
The Wii's strong showing at the 2006 expo earlier this month, combined with Sony's announcement of two PS3 models for the mind-blowingly high prices of $499 and $599, has prompted many of the same analysts who dismissed Nintendo to predict its continued resurgence. "Not only will fan boys buy it, but it will also be the second console of choice" for PS3 or Xbox 360 owners, says analyst Michael Pachter of the U.S. research firm Wedbush Morgan. In Japan, publishers like Konami are even more bullish. "I would use the dominance of the DS in Japan to predict the future for Wii, since the vision for Wii is similar," says Michihiro Ishizuka, president of the company's game division. Okasan Securities analyst Masashi Morita believes that in addition to capturing nongamers, Nintendo can even win back some of its lapsed fans with the Wii's built-in support for the company's vast library of classics. And though Nintendo has yet to announce the Wii's price or release date, it's expected to be cheaper than its competitors, leaving Sony and Microsoft to duke it out for the graphics-guns-and-gore crowd. If the console war is indeed hell, Nintendo, it seems, would rather give peace a chance.