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Washington Post: "Nintendo Upsets Sony on the Fun Factor"

While the people in my group preferred looking at the PS3's games, they preferred playing the Wii.

This means in side by side comparisons when people rely on what looks best visually to them they are going to go with PS3

Article am fail
 
"A few minutes later, he was cursing the PS3. Most of my friends who picked up the PS3's controller ended up frustrated. The typical game for the system requires players to have memorized where all the buttons are, and it's much harder to just pick up a controller and have a good time. Some of the verdicts they offered are unprintable."

So games were unplayable for the last 11 years, thanks for pointing that out washington post.
 
"A few of them now say they plan to buy the system for themselves."

Would love to read Mike's follow up article where he talks about how many actually did.
 
To the people saying the whole button thing is bullshit, go ask your parents to try to play a current game and see how well they do. My parents could play Super Mario Bros. pretty well, but these days, they're lucky to be able to look up from the controller.

Sure, it's easy for us, we grew up and kept playing games as things evolved, but for people just coming into it, or coming back to it, it's complicated.
 
dark10x said:
Oh boy...

It's as if nobody has considered the fact that, for seasoned gamers, this is not a bad thing. Memorize the buttons? Come on...

Did I say anything about "seasoned gamers"? did he say anything about "seasoned gamers"? No, if you'd bothered to read what I quoted you would see that he said:

Has the average human being become so dense...

i.e., he is struggling to understand why it is that the average ex/non-gamer doesn't find the traditional controller to be an inviting interface.

dark10x said:
However, to speak as if more traditional games have no place, well, that's just ignorant.

Once again, neither I nor Nintendo have said anything of the sort. Enough of the straw men...seriously. Your post was an utter waste of time because it was written in response to comments that I never made - you gave birth to them in your head and failed to read WHAT I ACTUALLY WROTE.
 
I don't think its a matter of there being too many buttons, it just seems the current control setup as seen on the PS3 and Xbox360 has just become stale. Its good for average to hardcore gamers but it seems like everyone else needs something new.

I'm just happy theres consoles that can cater to both sides of me. One one side, I want to have a traditional controller on the other, I want a new type of controller to feel like I'm experiencing something new.

Also, in all honesty, its the techy side of me that wants the PS3 not really the gamer side, the gamer side of me is really interested in the Wii.
 
Nintendo had always have the upper hand when it comes to easy to pick up party games, sure my non-gamer mates all enjoy playing my GC games but non of them would put down money for their own consoles.

A few of them now say they plan to buy the system for themselves.

We'll see if this turns out to be true or not.
 
Ynos Yrros said:
So games were unplayable for the last 11 years, thanks for pointing that out washington post.

:lol Funny shit.

Sony should release that "WIN" controller so these people can play the games.
 
a little off-topic, but since the PS3 is damn expensive for the reason of having a blu-ray drive, and in 2-3 years, BD drives will be cheaper, so do you think if Sony sticks with BD with PS4, do you think it would be cheaper than the current PS3 60GB version?
 
Link said:
To the people saying the whole button thing is bullshit, go ask your parents to try to play a current game and see how well they do. My parents could play Super Mario Bros. pretty well, but these days, they're lucky to be able to look up from the controller.

Sure, it's easy for us, we grew up and kept playing games as things evolved, but for people just coming into it, or coming back to it, it's complicated.
No it isn't :/ . You don't use all of the buttons.

Plus, I wonder how would he comment Warhawk and Lair? They have all the waggle in the world.
 
To the people saying the whole button thing is bullshit, go ask your parents to try to play a current game and see how well they do.
Nobody is suggesting otherwise...

What we ARE saying is that this does not somehow place the Wii in a superior position for GAMERS. I'm not interested in simplicity. The Wii was designed to attract non-gamers, and they could be very successful on that front, but it doesn't mean that EVERYONE wants the industry to move in this direction.
 
Link said:
To the people saying the whole button thing is bullshit, go ask your parents to try to play a current game and see how well they do. My parents could play Super Mario Bros. pretty well, but these days, they're lucky to be able to look up from the controller.

Sure, it's easy for us, we grew up and kept playing games as things evolved, but for people just coming into it, or coming back to it, it's complicated.

My mom tried to play mario sunshine... she kept hitting the wrong buttons, she couldn't aim the hose and she panicked every time enemies whould approach her. She couldn't even get through one challenge.

I have a sister that's a gamer and she get's so nervous when she play any kind of action oriented game that she simply can't play them.. She panicks and freaks out and she just can't handle the stress. She only plays rpgs. This is partly because she never developed enough dexterity to handle fast paced action and so she has no confidence.
 
marwan said:
a little off-topic, but since the PS3 is damn expensive for the reason of having a blu-ray drive, and in 2-3 years, BD drives will be cheaper, so do you think if Sony sticks with BD with PS4, do you think it would be cheaper than the current PS3 60GB version?

It probably will, being mass produced should drop manufacturing costs down. Though, who knows if BD will be the standard at all. Not only do you have HD-DVD as a threat (BD isn't 100% assured as far as winning), you've got HVD (Holographic Disks) that could be on the cusp of becoming mainstream as the next generation (after this one) starts to come about.
 
MrSardonic said:
and yet if it had been saying "wii feels more like a gimmick than a revolution" and "the ps3 has taken the gaming experience to a new level and provided a fantastic BR players at a lower price point than stand-alone players", I don't think you'd be saying "bunch of PR crap".

the reality is that almost every comment about the wii/ps3 in the mainstream press (and even dedicated gaming press) has said the same thing - non gaming friends are having fun with the system in a way that they haven't previously.

Dont get me wrong, im pro-wii, but I just find kinda odd that every member of the press is suddenly making similar articles about the Wii and they all use the same buzzwords that Kaplan says, all this while downplaying the importance of the PS3's power.
 
Pureauthor said:
I can see where they're coming from... especially when I hit [] instead of O in VP2 and completely screw up my combo chain. T_T

They're on opposite sides of the configuration! I'd say, "Well, maybe he's a newer gamer," but you're not playing a "new gamer" game. :)
 
dark10x said:
Nobody is suggesting otherwise...
They are, actually. You aren't, but others are.

What we ARE saying is that this does not somehow place the Wii in a superior position for GAMERS. I'm not interested in simplicity. The Wii was designed to attract non-gamers, and they could be very successful on that front, but it doesn't mean that EVERYONE wants the industry to move in this direction.
I don't think anyone is saying this, though.
 
Y2Kevbug11 said:
They're on opposite sides of the configuration! I'd say, "Well, maybe he's a newer gamer," but you're not playing a "new gamer" game. :)

Yeah, I'm just pretty clumsy with those fingers of mine, Okay? No need to rub it in.
 
dark10x said:
Nobody is suggesting otherwise...

What we ARE saying is that this does not somehow place the Wii in a superior position for GAMERS. I'm not interested in simplicity. The Wii was designed to attract non-gamers, and they could be very successful on that front, but it doesn't mean that EVERYONE wants the industry to move in this direction.
Wow, you just put my thoughts in great words :).

I want advanced games, with amazing graphics, sounds, stories. Simple games are fine for some time, but without titles like GOW, Resistance, MGS4, FFXIII, DMC4 or Lost Planet, I would probably quit next-gen.

I want things on screen to seem real and be believable.
 
dark10x said:
Oh boy...

It's as if nobody has considered the fact that, for seasoned gamers, this is not a bad thing. Memorize the buttons?

You can have complex games without dozens of buttons.

What we ARE saying is that this does not somehow place the Wii in a superior position for GAMERS. I'm not interested in simplicity.

Wii tries to offer simplicity in the interface not in the actual content. I think Zelda proves that point.
 
dark10x said:
Nobody is suggesting otherwise...

What we ARE saying is that this does not somehow place the Wii in a superior position for GAMERS. I'm not interested in simplicity. The Wii was designed to attract non-gamers, and they could be very successful on that front, but it doesn't mean that EVERYONE wants the industry to move in this direction.

Not a lot of us want it to (including me, since I like options), However, the more people that get into gaming, the BETTER. It's healthy for the industry.
 
Ynos Yrros said:
So games were unplayable for the last 11 years, thanks for pointing that out washington post.

get this...they were unplayable to all the people who didn't play them because the controls were too much of a barrier. Is it that hard for some of you to grasp this fact?

dark10x said:
Nobody is suggesting otherwise...

have you even read some of the comments made in this thread?

dark10x said:
What we ARE saying is that this does not somehow place the Wii in a superior position for GAMERS.

You seem to be having trouble understanding that this article is not talking about which console is superior for existing gamers, and that most people here are not talking about that either. You also wrongly assume that Nintendo is not trying to cater to existing gamers as well.
 
dark10x said:
Nobody is suggesting otherwise...

What we ARE saying is that this does not somehow place the Wii in a superior position for GAMERS. I'm not interested in simplicity. The Wii was designed to attract non-gamers, and they could be very successful on that front, but it doesn't mean that EVERYONE wants the industry to move in this direction.

Damn, what made you think they won't aim at GAMERS?
 
Krowley said:
My mom tried to play mario sunshine... she kept hitting the wrong buttons, she couldn't aim the hose and she panicked every time enemies whould approach her. She couldn't even get through one challenge.

I have a sister that's a gamer and she get's so nervous when she play any kind of action oriented game that she simply can't play them.. She panicks and freaks out and she just can't handle the stress. She only plays rpgs. This is partly because she never developed enough dexterity to handle fast paced action and so she has no confidence.


Sound's like my kinda girl.
 
We're looking at a Brain Training times X factor here (since Brain Training mainly appeals to a subset of older people and Wii Sports appeals to everyone).

Draw your own conclusions on how things play out with that as a factor.
 
DefectiveReject said:
So this new generation is gonna be
Non-Gamers Vs Gamers??


In the end everybody will flock to the winner and the support will follow them. So if wii wins, it will have plenty of hardcore games available... And if ps3 or 360 win, they'll have a fair number of casual oriented games.

They're just going after the same pie from different sides and nintendo's hoping to make the pie bigger than it was last gen.
 
dark10x said:
Nobody is suggesting otherwise...

What we ARE saying is that this does not somehow place the Wii in a superior position for GAMERS. I'm not interested in simplicity. The Wii was designed to attract non-gamers, and they could be very successful on that front, but it doesn't mean that EVERYONE wants the industry to move in this direction.

Fine, but that's not at all what this article is about.
The author didn't need to mention that gamers have no problem with PS3 controls because it's a given. Of course this type of discussion belongs on a forum full of game enthusiasts, to whom this article was clearly not targeted.

The mainstream press are taking an "us vs them" mentality with gamers. This, of course, is playing well to Nintendo's hand.
 
Mojovonio said:
I agree. Wii is much more fun to play than 360/PS3.


gears of war on coop,and raimbow six mp says no way

the article is pure bs another blowjob to Nintendo pr department
 
Sony needs to make their own Wii Sports it seems.

Anyway if I lined up a dozen "non-gamers" and asked them to choose between Metal Gear Solid 3 and Mario Party 6, I'm pretty sure I know which direction they'd go, and I'm pretty sure that didn't turn into a market share windfall for Nintendo last time around.
 
Zer0 said:
gears of war on coop,and raimbow six mp says no way

the article is pure bs another blowjob to Nintendo pr department
baby_crying_closeup.jpg
 
The mainstream press are taking an "us vs them" mentality with gamers. This, of course, is playing well to Nintendo's hand.
Yes, I see that now (helps to read the whole thing).

What I'm interested in seeing is whether or not those people are willing to drop $250 for the machine (and a lot more if they want multiple controllers and games).

I've talked with several non-gamers about the Wii and they all sounded interested...but none of them wanted to actually buy it themselves. Should be a unique battle...
 
Nerevar said:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/22/AR2006112201857.html



More negative press for Sony? More positive press for the Wii? Regardless, this demonstrates the way the mainstream press is judging both systems.

On a sidenote, I posted this because this is the sort of article that reaches mainstream consumers. My 60-year old father is interested in the "new Nintendo" due to this article and seeing the people playing golf in the commercials (a man whose extent of gaming is Civilization 1 and Railroad Tycoon on his 4 year old PC). So it seems like the Nintendo Wii is reaching the mainstream. We'll see if that can translate into sales anytime soon.
yeah, i've been stunned by its appeal.

i always thought i'd enjoy the console, but seeing the range of family and friends, some having no interest in games and some casual gamers, all loving playing it, has been amazing to witness. i haven't had chance to play zelda yet, because wii sports is so brilliant! it's the most fun i've ever had, or ever seen anyone having, in a videogame!

imo, wii sports is an incredible killer app for the system and i think time will prove this.


Y2Kevbug11 said:
oh noes :(


sony is recalling ps3s to add fun shaders :(
i think sony and ms are going to end up wishing is was that simple ;)


MrSardonic said:
Nintendo are getting a crazy amount of good press. I hope for their sake that they don't **** it up - they need to continue providing (and asking 3rd parties to provide) compelling and original software, as well as make sure their online approach doesn't become a mini-disaster. IGN were pretty damning of Nintendo's online world
from first parties, i think you can guarantee it. in a couple of years i think the range of compelling content for consumers is going to be huge. as for third parties, i'm not sure, eventually maybe, but judging by the brief time i've had with some of the third party stuff, most of the time they have no clue what they're doing.


Mithos Yggdrasill said:
Well, I have read tons of impressions and tons of reviews. Is it really the begin of a new Era ?
imo, yes.


Starchasing said:
I cant imagine what will happen when that Family Exercise game from Miyamoto is released...
yeah, when the fitness game hits i think it's going to make brain training look like a moderate success!
 
Link said:
To the people saying the whole button thing is bullshit, go ask your parents to try to play a current game and see how well they do. My parents could play Super Mario Bros. pretty well, but these days, they're lucky to be able to look up from the controller.

This side of the argument is such bullshit. Granted my parents started out as gamers and stopped playing over the time, they had no problem using the DualShock 2. I gave my father the controller to play Onimusha 3, told him the basic controls, and he was Issening genma in the Hell mode with no problems. My mother picked up the controller to play Mario Sunshine, and was beating the levels without a problem. My father tried Resident Evil 4. Again, no problem.

Hell, i was at the Ebgames trying out that garbage live. An old guy came up, saw the screen on how to play, and did not **** up once.


I think people are blowing the whole "controller is to sophisticated" thing, way out of proportion. How the hell did we even come to this? Was there a survey I missed?

Of course people will find the Wii easier to play for something like wii sports. Give that person something like Red Steel or CoD (if I got that right) and see how well they fair. The more complex the controls, the harder it will be for a person that doesn't play the games, regardless of controllers.
 
I think most people are glossing over the line in the article where the author mentions even his "hardcore gaming friends" preferred watching / playing Wii with others than playing RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDGE RACERS on PS3.

My friend Jon, a technophile who likes racing games, reached first for the PS3 and wrestled with the menus and controls for the driving game Ridge Racer. Eventually, we played some races on the system and enjoyed some crisp and realistic-looking racetrack scenarios. But, for a while, he gave up on that and watched Andy and me fall over the furniture as we boxed each other on the Nintendo system. "I'm having more fun just watching you guys play that," he said.

I'd say the author is clearly saying that, from his experience with his group of friends, gamers and non-gamers, Wii was more fun in every way. A stunning indictment of the hardcore gaming community, to be sure. Maybe he just doesn't know enough gaffers?
 
Oldschoolgamer said:
Of course people will find the Wii easier to play for something like wii sports. Give that person something like Red Steel or CoD (if I got that right) and see how well they fair. The more complex the controls, the harder it will be for a person that doesn't play the games, regardless of controllers.

Right, because once a market is targetted, every single game on the system has to target that market as well.
 
My friend Jon, a technophile who likes racing games, reached first for the PS3 and wrestled with the menus and controls for the driving game Ridge Racer.
I find that EXTREMELY hard to believe...

Either he only plays sims or he just sucks (I'm going with the latter). Ridge Racer is a very simple game to play and requires very few buttons. You can play it with a d-pad and the x button. The drifting is a unique mechanic, but that will apply to Wii games as well (per game). The controller brings no complexity to the game (you could play it with 3 micro switches even, that's it).

I fully believe that the average person will struggle MUCH more trying to play something like Excite Truck over Ridge Racer 7.
 
Draft said:
Anyway if I lined up a dozen "non-gamers" and asked them to choose between Metal Gear Solid 3 and Mario Party 6, I'm pretty sure I know which direction they'd go, and I'm pretty sure that didn't turn into a market share windfall for Nintendo last time around.

Did the Washington Post write about Mario Party 6 in such a positive light?

Of course people will find the Wii easier to play for something like wii sports. Give that person something like Red Steel or CoD (if I got that right) and see how well they fair. The more complex the controls, the harder it will be for a person that doesn't play the games, regardless of controllers

RS and COD are basicly hardcore games so you point fails. Also, a controller can make a game harder, for example is hard to play SF2 with an analog stick, its much better with a dpad.

At the end i think you should forget about complexity and ask yourself wich controller is more fun to play with.
 
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