Sega exec: Wii hype may cool as PS3, Xbox 360 mature

Wolfwood | June 15, 2007 | News | Playstation 3 Wii

While the Wii is enjoying success as a console which breaks the mold (and the ice), Sega US' vice president of marketing fears it will only be a matter of time before developers run out of steam on the Wii. Sega's Scott Steinberg explains in an interview with Reuters that while the scope of the Wii is refreshing, the console as it stands is simply underpowered. At the same time, Steinberg believes the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 could enjoy renewed support over the next few years as those very developers finally begin to tap into the potential of the more powerful (and expensive) consoles.

"I am a little concerned about the creative depth of the Wii pool," Steinberg said in an interview. "I'm not sure if they will top out in 2008 or 2007."

"...how much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now?" Steinberg said.

"How can they design products that aren't too derivative of what's already out there?"

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Comments

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bbb7002004 | June 15, 2007

Wow, this guy is right. What was I thinking getting a Wii. I mean, those guys at Sega sure know how to build a successful system, certainly better than Nintendo. Its not like every system they sold got beaten into the ground by Nintendo. Oh, wait a second...

All mocking aside, this guys opinion is idiotic. Any system that runs out of fun games will fail no matter how powerful it is, hence why PS3 isn't doing well yet.
I guess if you view the Wiimote as a gimmick, only capable of tacked on waggle controls, then developers could run out, but the Wiimote has so much potential in so many genres, I just don't see this happening.
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huntyr | June 15, 2007

Consoles don't have a long life anyways. Most of the consoles will last about 2-5 years before something new comes along or the company makes a new version of it. 5 or 10 years from now we won't be comparing the Wii/XBox/360, instead we'll be looking at the next generation of consoles.

Its just the way it is in this world of high-tech. Anything with a CPU has a short lifespan as it gets outdated fast.
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  iLLmatic | June 15, 2007
  
  But the Wii CPU/hardware was outdated from the jump. That is the problem.
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bbb7002004 | June 15, 2007

Your still treating Wii to typical console rules, which by its very nature it breaks. The idea behind Wii was never to have the latest hardware, so being outdated is not the issue.
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Seeker X | June 16, 2007

If the PS3 is anything like the PS2 (Which it pretty much is in every single way), the PS3 will end up with quite a library once people know how to work with it.

Yeah, yeah, developers have complained about the PS3, just as they did for the PS2 and quite possibly the PSOne.

And if once developers get their way around the "difficulties" of the consoles, who's to say they won't stick more to the original controller customs than the Wiimote's? Third Party games are still doing crappy on the Wii as far as I've seen.
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Final Blade | June 16, 2007

Good point Seeker X and according to Team ninja they will utilize the ps3 power and six axis controller, which means there not lazy.
Um hello huntyr how long did the ps2 last for oh thats right 6 years. Besides how do you know how long these consoles will last. For all we know all 3 can last for 12 years. Just cause you think it will last for 2-5 years doesnt mean it will this time. Get your head out of your rear and see the light.
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bbb7002004 | June 17, 2007

The PS2 had the largest library because so many units were sold. When developers were looking at what system to develop for, they say that their were 5 times as many PS2 owners as either Xbox or GC owners. It just made economic sense to develop for PS2.
If things continue as they are now, this will not be the case with PS3. You can already see many of PS2 biggest exclusives, such as GTA, also going to Xbox360. Sony is not getting the 3rd party support they were, and have out priced a good portion of those that bought PS2. Developers will develop for which ever system they can sell games for.
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  Final Blade | June 17, 2007
  
  Well this could also benefit them as well. I mean sure some are going multi except for Square-enix games there loyal. And the ps3 are fine honestly, i mean they already have 15 new titles never heard or created b4 which makes you wonder what there up too. And the agency looks great if they do it perfectly. The ps3 is fine, so i dont see your point.
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Miamifan99 | June 17, 2007

This is actually true. I have Wii myself, but the fact is that they just can't do as much, or make as many game, or just overall be as creative as the other systems, because they will not be able to have a wide enough variaty of games that have all of the motion censors. I never though of this, and so I see your point.
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Crystal Creation | June 20, 2007

Now that the whole topic has been brought up, it's easy to see SEGA's point of view on the topic, especially when you detect the limitations that do become quite obvious with the Wii, such as gaming variety etc...