Wii meets its predecessor
So today I set the Gamecube next to the Wii today. Because the Wii supports all gamecube games the gamecube itself has gotten useless and is collecting dust on my shelf. Selling it isn’t an option, because you can’t get much money out of them.
The gamecube itself was the most underrated console of its generation, many people don’t even know that this console was more powerful than the competitor the playstation 2. The future of the Wii however looks much brighter than that of the gamecube. Unlike the current generation X-box 360 and playstation 3 the Wii doesn’t sport a super duper graphics chipset. Yet it’s selling so fast. Why, well many people claim that the unique controller is an important factor and I agree, but the even more important factor is, the price. That’s right, it’s new, it’s good and above all: It’s frigging cheap!
And not only for the customers, but also for the developers! The development kit is largelly based on the gamecube kit that results in a cheap price tag and an almost identical syntax. This on its turn results in cheaper development cost.
Game publishers won’t ignore the Wii, too many units have been sold and there is lots and lots of money to be made.
INNOVATIVE developers might not ignore it, but not all such developers can afford even cheap porting costs (not to mention taking real advantage of the controller will require considerable additional development).
And the non-innovative ones (alas, typically those who can afford to port) are by their nature also not likely to make use of the controller…
As much as I may hope the Wii controller is the future of gaming, there are still a few hurdles.
As Garth would say, “We fear change…”