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Greenberg: "Wii is like a Karaoke Machine. Barely used, except when friends are over"

July 04, 2008 in News comments 25

In a recent interview with Gamasutra, Aaron Greenberg, director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, talked about Microsoft's plan on attracting a more casual audience to the 360 as well as what he thinks of the Nintendo Wii ...

"I think for us, we don't really see the Wii as a direct competitor, we actually very much complement the Wii experience. It's obviously clear that we're going head-to-head with the PS3 in this generation. I think what Xbox will be able to do as well as the Wii is grow the market"

When asked about Nintendo's de-emphasizing of hardware power with the Wii, with Gamasutra's interviewer suggesting that "...if they keep going down this path, they don't really need to make a Wii 2", Microsoft's Greenberg pointedly suggested:

"Everyone says that eventually the novelty will wear off, right? I think that a lot of the people that are buying that console today are not people that have generally bought consoles in the past, right?

You see they're not buying games on it, right? They're buying it, it's like something they break out when people come over, and it's maybe a fun thing, but it's almost like the same people that buy a karaoke machine, you know? They're not really buying it for games, they're just buying it as a novelty."
Miss Razz via gamasutra.com »
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  • -2
    dmf_dynasty Jul 4, 08
    Just like your mom!!!1!!1

    But that does pretty much describe my Wii use. I break out Mario Kart everytime a friend comes over, but haven't really played it for a personal gaming experience since Galaxy came out.
  • 0
    iLLmatic Jul 4, 08
    That is the funniest analogy I've heard about the Wii yet and it really sounds accurate.
    • -1
      Jaw Knee Jul 4, 08
      Haha, too bad it's not accurate.
      • 0
        BlackLabel Jul 5, 08
        Actually it is accurate, yes there are some Wii fans generally the ones up Nintendo's ass that feel obliged to play the Wii everyday to prove people wrong, the rest of the world the ones that have other consoles or are heavily into PC gaming have a white box on their shelf, waiting for the day sometime in the distant future for all of their friends who also have Wii's they don't use to come over each with a controller in one hand and some beer in the other, they will all get a laugh out of the machine roll on another 6 weeks of no use and repeat the cycle.

        That is the span of the average Wii user, its no lie that more people spend more money on peripherals for the Wii than games, hell i do i bought the Wii Zapper in the hopes it would rejuvenate my Wii habits but hell i haven't turned the console on in over a year.
  • 0
    Pyrazor Jul 4, 08
    Save Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Twilight Princess, and MAYBE Brawl it pretty much is.

    But then that's like saying the Wii's a casual console. It is, and it's going to be used as such. Casual typically means when you have buds over.

    People play the Xbox by themselves because LIVE supports rigorous online play for aggressive people but the 360 is clearly no good for friends and family. Greenberg is right, but then that's why the whole Wii60 philosophy is quite popular.
    • -1
      Slumpy monkey Jul 5, 08
      I play 360 with my friends all the time, We never play my wii. Its just not fun.
  • 0
    Akira_EX Jul 4, 08
    2007 wants its argument back.

    Besides, he's wrong on the "Wii owners don't buy games" bit.
    • -2
      BlackLabel Jul 5, 08
      Actually most Wii owners don't buy games, most have the 3 big Wii games but thats about it, they might have Resident Evil or something but thats about it. Most then go onto buy 6 peripherals in the hope it makes their old games feel fresh again but it never does since they have essentially bought $20 lump of plastic that serves no purpose but to hold the controllers.
      • 0
        Akira_EX Jul 5, 08
        So, uh, why were more Wii software purchased in its first 18 months than any other console? Hell, third party offerings on the Wii outsold all game sales in the first 18 months for either of the HD twins.
        • 0
          Slumpy monkey Jul 5, 08
          Wii 3rd parties = 29.05 million
          X360 total = 30 million
          PS3 total = 20 million]

          ??

          Maybe its because all nintendo has got is 3rd parties then hype the shit out of everything else so some kid sees it and goes " OH SHIT MUM I WANT THAT GAME"
  • -3
    Smiffers Jul 5, 08
    I didnt even read the article, as soon as I saw 'Xbox' I thought, of course hes going to bash the Wii, the Twat.
  • -1
    Oogity_Boogity_Boo Jul 5, 08
    The main analogy is pretty true for me. Then again, I've been playing a lot of other games for the 360 as well. And GTAIV can get in the way of Wii playing...
  • -2
    Absolute Jul 5, 08
    100% truth.

    Only game I have ever played when friends aren't over is Twilight Princess, while I play a ton of games on my 360/PS3 alone.
  • -2
    Final Blade Jul 5, 08
    Aww look at all the Wii fanboys trying thumbing down posts cause they know this is true.

    I agree 100% All my Wii friends have grown bored of the Wii library calling it lack luster of great games. Like I said the PS3 and 360 has combined over 100 games worth playing and over 30 of them are great games, Wii has like 7 must buy titles. Not good.
    • 0
      Miss Razz Jul 5, 08
      quote
      Wii has like 7 must buy titles. Not good.
      It's a bit more than 7.

      As of May 2008, the Wii has a total of 20 games that are rated "good" (80% +) on Gamesrankings.
      That's compared to the PS3's 40 "good" games and the 360's 86 "good" games.

      Nintendo has a fair share of good games, but there are so many shitty ones in between. People probably aren't playing the Wii as much as they want to because the wait in between good games is so friggin' long.
      • 0
        Final Blade Jul 6, 08
        Good games and must buy titles are completely different. Im well aware that Wii has 20 good games, but must buy titles are games like Mass Effect, bioshock or Metal Gear Solid 4. Cause they are games that are beyond good its a "Must Buy". And the Wii has 7 of those.
  • 1
    BANDITO ATTACK Jul 5, 08
    we've officially ran out of reasons to laugh at the wii, haven't we?
  • -1
    pwned227 Jul 5, 08
    Nintendo seems to be less of a game company and more of a entertainment company.
    • 0
      Big A2 Jul 6, 08
      They always were an entertainment company (ever wondered what NES stands for?) Heck, that's what games are ment to do, entertain!
  • 1
    Murray3 Jul 6, 08
    All the good games are single player, other than Brawl and Mario Kart(and for the first week, Wii sports) I only play single player games.
  • 0
    Absolute Jul 6, 08
    The thing is, the Wii is all about party/multiplayer games, hence the name of the console, Wii=We. So it's really no surprise that's it's main pull.
    • -1
      Seproth Jul 6, 08
      Ummm...the called it Wii because it's easy to pronounce in all languages. Two of the three big first party titles Nintendo has aren't even multiplayer...

      Let's not forget it was called the "revolution"
  • 1
    TurMoiL911 Jul 6, 08
    This is actually partly true for my family. My uncle bought a Wii for our family to see, but only my cousin really plays it. We only use it at family gatherings.

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