Microsoft boss says Wii gamers will graduate to 360

360 News | Once the novelty wears off.

Microsoft director of product management for 360 and Live, Aaron Greenberg, has suggested that the Nintendo Wii is mostly just a novelty device for parties, and that gamers will so want to 'graduate' to the Xbox 360.

"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?" asked Greenberg, in a recent interview with Gamasutra.

"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."

In addition, Greenberg doesn't actually see the Wii as a competitor.

"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."

Greenberg also praised the Wii, saying that the extra markets they have created will benefit Microsoft in the future, as gamers move onto other consoles.

"In this generation we're seeing record revenues for the US and globally for the business, and we're seeing more people buying and playing games than ever before, and the Wii is definitely part of that. And as they grow that pie, that benefits us too, because those customers are eventually going to want to graduate to an Xbox 360 experience."

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92 Comments

Marka

3 years ago

The "novelty" isnt the problem, its the poor game library. Besides Nintendos first party titles there isn't much else to see or do.

ANDYBALLINA

3 years ago

True Marka, that's the thing preventing my puchasing a Wii. As there is only about 3-4 games I really want on it.

?oe?oe

3 years ago

That's the opposite for me, there is only 5 games I want for 360, and that's why I can wait, it's not gonna kill me. My Wii, you know, actually gets used. I have just about 30 Wii games (!) and it will increase considerably over the year.

Don't hate me. I just have different tastes.

swatmajor1

3 years ago

Well, I don't own a 360, yet, but will be getting one for a very "Nintendo" game that's comming out on it. Good old Banjo-Kazooie 3.

But I think this guy is talking more about the American market, where people want less innovation and more gore/sports and games which make them feel good for being yanks.

There's my 2c's

Also, note to the Gaming department at Microsoft, "Don't give Aaron Greenberg "Chemicals," it makes him say wierd things."

ObsoletE

3 years ago

my Wii does sit reasonably un-used, but the problem i have is not one of the novelty wearing off, it's that i can't set it up in the room i want it in - a mixture of the screen being too close, and too high for the sensor bar to register properly.

there are so many games i've bought that i don't play just because the Wii is on another TV and i prefer to play from the comfort of my bed. i still haven't finished Zelda...

RXWAG

3 years ago

ObsoletE wrote

nor have i...

or galaxy!!

but my reasons arent because i cant play it in bed...

maybe ill move my wii into my room.

ANDYBALLINA

3 years ago

That's the great thing about having different consoles, they cater to different people and there taste's in games.

Super Mario Galaxy rules

Fetidchimp

3 years ago

i have both, 360 i got first, and while the wii version of dbz budokai tenkaichi 3 blew me away, i haven't really turned it on since. I only have 4 games for the wii and i have 70 for the 360. And at the risk of being attacked, i probably won't be getting another wii game until a wii cricket game comes out (yeah right) or they stop naming things so goddamn generically and i can tell what i want. Wii case covers tend to blend in with each other on shelves to me for some reason.

Tom101007

3 years ago

I would consider myself a core gamer, and i dont own a 360. I only have a wii actually, i guess its cause of the games i like, though the ps3 is looking tempting cause of final fantasy 13, I dont mind playing an FPS but its far from my favourite genre, The games on thw wii appealed to me so i got a wii, i might eventually get a 360 but it wouldnt become my main console, it just dosent have my favourite games on it.

ANDYBALLINA

3 years ago

Fetidchimp wrote

I only have 4 games for the wii and i have 70 for the 360

70 Xbox 360 games, holy ****

Have you got Super Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario, Boom Blox, Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Brawl?

franky573

3 years ago

Nintendo will outlast the xbox no doubt. I'm a games student and I've researched the Nintendo history. Nintendo has the most advanced methods of advertising, customer service, tech systems and hardware.

The xbox is simply a computer in a smaller box. The Nintendo is an innovation that companies are now trying to mimic. Do I need to mention SIXAXIS? The Nintendo market is quite abviously different to xbox and there needs to be that difference. The xbox is the novelty if you ask me. It is simply microsoft trying to capitalise on the 'gamers'.

The xbox is lagging behind in this generation. It was first out and will be the first to die. More and more developers are starting to realise that if they want to create games across the PS3 and xbox, they have to absolutely downsize the game to get it to the xbox hardware specs.

The xbox is the console for people who like playing pc games. The Wii is for people who like platform games. The PS3 is for people who like console games. I may be wrong there but it's simpy an observation I've made.

xbox management should severly discipline this man for his comments. They are anti-business and quite juvenile. xbox wants too much for what it has. They can't be the next Nintendo no matter how much they try.

Fetidchimp

3 years ago

zeldamario wrote

Fetidchimp wrote

I only have 4 games for the wii and i have 70 for the 360

70 Xbox 360 games, holy ****

Have you got Super Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario, Boom Blox, Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Brawl?

I discovered a long time ago that when i trade a game or sell it, i invariably want to play it 2 years later, so i just keep them all now.

no i have RE4, Red Steel, DBZ 3, and sports.

Quote

yeah like making people wait a year, advanced as it gets. Do they send them via carrier pidgeon. i think advanced needs to be arrogant.

franky573

3 years ago

Fetidchimp wrote

i probably won't be getting another wii game until a wii cricket game comes out (yeah right)

Um... there is beach cricket on the Wii.

Fetidchimp

3 years ago

i don't want to play colourful, big head cricket in a pack with other games, just normal cricket, must be the 360 gamer coming out in me that i want a serious sim and not a bunch of miis running around.

ANDYBALLINA

3 years ago

Yeah, I've had the same feeling when trading PS2 games, I found I want to play them again, so I've been purchasing a few I traded in earlier this year during the EB sale. I don't bother trading in my games anymore either.

ANDYBALLINA

3 years ago

You need to get all the games i mentioned above fetidchimp

BlackMamba

3 years ago

I have been a very loyal nintendo supporter over my lifetime but this generation I own both a Wii and a 360. The 360 i bought because I won a HD tv.

Nintendo seems to be focus on acquiring a larger casual base and forgetting some of there hardcore fans that supported the GC. When they do release games like ssbb,smg,zelda and metroid they do an awesome job though.

The 360 is really good to play but it does bother me that every second game seems to be a fps, racing or sports game. Dont get me wrong I love games such as co4 and ninja gaiden 2.

Im happy with both systems and thats my 2 cents.

Spanca

3 years ago

franky573 wrote

Nintendo will outlast the xbox no doubt. I'm a games student and I've researched the Nintendo history.

*unsubstantiated babble*

Stay in school son.

franky573

3 years ago

Lets pretend that the prophecy of Greenberg came true.

Shouldn't xbox be thanking Nintendo for initiating an unprecedent growth in the games market.

Surely more people now know of the xbox and PS3 because they play the Wii.

To play devils advocate, if gamers 'graduated' to the xbox it would be because of the Wii's absolute success.

It wouldn't be because the 'novelty' wore off.

And has Greenberg considered that maybe it's not a novelty. That people are buying the Wii because they are sick of the classical controller system? That we may find in future that people graduate FROM the xbox to the Wii when they realise how the xbox is just a reincarnation of everthing thats ever been before...

franky573

3 years ago

Spanca, I'm long outta school buddy.

I was purely implying that the history of the Nintendo empire would suggest it knows what it's doing. Microsoft is new at this game. So far they would appear to be the next Atari.

Find a book titled 'Digital Play'
Read the history of gaming sections.
Nintendo are masters.
And to think they started out making Disney themed card games.

Rabscallion

3 years ago

As much as i like some things about the wii, 360 is really the only console for me

although ps3's are great etc, they pretty much cost twice as much as a 360 after certain trade ins etc or whatever (dont ping me on technicalities) and hte games are generally much cheaper and have better trade ins. I also think the graphics are fairly equal. I love some parts of the wii, but to me its sort of just a novelty thing to play with freinds

ppjim3

3 years ago

franky573 wrote

I was purely implying that the history of the Nintendo empire would suggest it knows what it's doing. Microsoft is new at this game. So far they would appear to be the next Atari.

Microsoft have brought a massive amount of content/framework to the videogame world through their XBOX brand, without even considering DOS/Windows was/is one of the biggest videogame platforms in history. They may be new to creating a singular videogame machine but you can clearly see they are ahead of the tech curve. Their online, community, and integration is YEARS ahead of the competition. Nintendo wouldn't know what modern tech was if you hit them in the face with it. Just consider that nearly everyone on earth hating on their Friend Code system and horrible Internet gaming framework and yet... it stays!

Their Wiimote is great and I love my Wii (at times when a good game is in it) but it's no N64 or SNES as far as games catalogue goes and for my money Microsoft is bringing in the games I want. If Nintendo had some better forward thinkers in the company they would be a lot further ahead this generation (in EVERY way) rather than jut a controller.

I, and most of us here, couldn't care less about casual gamers or making money at this point and the Wii doesn't have the games I need to be happy. My PS3 is an expensive PS2, for now, unfortunately but that is most likely due to my general disinterest in Japanese games these days or having the superior 360 version available.

ANDYBALLINA

3 years ago

Franky573, I don't agree with you at all.

franky573 wrote

The xbox is lagging behind in this generation

franky573 wrote

More and more developers are starting to realise that if they want to create games across the PS3 and xbox, they have to absolutely downsize the game to get it to the xbox hardware specs.
The xbox is the console for people who like playing pc games.

Ok, first of all the Xbox is not lagging behind, out of all the 3 next gen consoles it has the largest gaming library.

Next you say that developers have to downsize the game to fit the hardware specs. Xbox 360 games are easier to make than PS3 games, according to gaming publishers games are alot harder to make due to the PS3 Blu-ray.

Then you say Xbox is for people who like playing PC games. Dude, its a gmaing console, not a PC and I hate playing PC games, but love the 360.

A few facts you might want to consider before posting.

And indeed you need to stay in school and learn more.

Vervain

3 years ago

I think I can sum this up fairly quickly.

The Wii will continue to sell many more consoles than the 360, but the 360 will most likely continue to havbe a much higher attach rate then the Wii.

I agree that the Wii is a bit more of a party console, but then again that has nothing to do with the console so much as what games are being released on it. Other than the Nintendo games most of the games being released for the Wii are party titles. So why the hell would you expect it to be anything but a party console when most of what you can get are party games?

Still I'm buying a Wii by the end of the year. I need my Zelda, Mario and Smash Brothers fix darn it.

Jeremy

3 years ago

franky573 wrote

Shouldn't xbox be thanking Nintendo for initiating an unprecedent growth in the games market.

Surely more people now know of the xbox and PS3 because they play the Wii.

To play devils advocate, if gamers 'graduated' to the xbox it would be because of the Wii's absolute success.

article wrote

Greenberg also praised the Wii, saying that the extra markets they have created will benefit Microsoft in the future, as gamers move onto other consoles.

"In this generation we're seeing record revenues for the US and globally for the business, and we're seeing more people buying and playing games than ever before, and the Wii is definitely part of that. And as they grow that pie, that benefits us too, because those customers are eventually going to want to graduate to an Xbox 360 experience."