Just when you thought the Wii had started to reach the end of the hype train, along comes an article from an unlikely source — shooting the whole cycle into overdrive once again. It seems that Lance Ulinoff, Editor for PC Magazine is all hot and bothered over the oversized DS system that most people like to call the Wii (I kid!). In fact, he has labeled it the crowning achievement of consumer electronics, or “the best product ever,” as he likes to put it. So what exactly is the cause of his excitement? I’ll let Lance explain this one to you:
“There’s a scene in Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (originally released as Star Wars in 1977), when Luke Skywalker is being trained by Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi to use a lightsaber. Ben tells Luke to “use the force” and “let go of your conscious self and act on instinct.” This is what Nintendo obviously did with the Wii. Instead of trying to one-up the competition, it took a moment to imagine a console system that would appeal to everyone.”
That right there, is quotation gold. Laugh all you want, but I somewhat agree. Nintendo took a big gamble with the Wii, and by all appearances, it’s working miracles. There is still the dark cloud of doubt hanging over Nintendo concerning how long they will be able to maintain the popularity of the Wii over time, but they are certainly still kicking ass and taking names at the moment. Once again, I give you Lance Ulinoff for his take on the situation:
The Wii is penetrating our culture, but few people are talking about the PS3. Look at all the stories about the Wii injuries, which seem to have done nothing to hurt the console’s appeal. And the game system is even becoming synonymous with “easy.” I’m tempted to call the Wii’s public reception almost “Apple iPod-like.” We all know Apple’s success in launching new brands and product lines. I’d put Nintendo up there, too. Just look at its track record: GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite.
I’m still not sold on calling the Wii the greatest product (or even console) ever made. Surely it is a load of fun, and well worth the money. Then again, so was just about every other game system I purchased since the Atari 2600. I’d like to exclude the Sega Saturn from this argument, since it was the highest priced shell of a machine I’ve ever dropped a paycheck on — but that’s best left for another story. The bottom line, is that Nintendo has tapped into the pulse of a nation; better yet, the world.
No matter how you feel about the Wiimote and the direction Nintendo is going about its business, a few people might agree that the gaming landscape is a lot better off for it. Nintendo is taking gaming in a direction that is filled with a lot of excitement and potential for growth. I know of at least one PC Magazine Editor that sure thinks so.
[Via Evil Avatar]
