Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg Says People Buying the Wii “as a Novelty”
By Chris on Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 7:10 PM PST In Game Companies, Game Consoles, Game Platforms, Games Industry, Microsoft, Microsoft, Nintendo, Nintendo
Executives in the games industry just don’t know when to quit while they’re ahead. Microsoft director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, Aaron Greenberg, has provided us with yet another example of this. Speaking with Gamasutra about Microsoft’s casual games initiative, he talked about how they don’t see the Wii as a direct competitor, and that Microsoft actually benefits from the Wii’s growing sales, as those who buy the system are eventually “going to want to graduate to an Xbox 360 experience.”
Greenberg was asked if he tohught it possible for Microsoft to appeal to both core and casual gamers, he said, “Yeah, absolutely. I think that there’s a difference in the type of customer that is buying the Wii. When you think about it, there’s a difference between trying to be the number one console with nine year old gamers, and being the console that offers the most experiences from 13 to 33.
“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.
“In this generation we’re seeing record revenues for the U.S. 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.”
Apparently he wasn’t content with that assertion, though. During the course of the interview, the interviewer pointed out “…if they keep going down this path, they don’t really need to make a Wii 2.” Greenberg responded, “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?
“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.”
Uh huh. Things like this make me honestly wonder what kind of delusion Greenberg & co. are living under, and whether they actually believe this kind of thing.
Scared someone at MS might be right?
LOL
he is right.
The Wii is targeted towards kids and adults who are NOT current gamers. The system is a joke, its an introduction to gaming made for people who arent currently playing.
The Wii directly compliments next gen gaming consoles in the fact that people DO get tired of it. I am a manager at gamestop and i would have to say 80% of the people i talk to who own a Wii only use it as a novelty item, for parties and such and/or have gotten tired of it and want a more in depth experience!
Congrats to Microsoft at their marketing and advertising on the system but from a gaming standpoint its no more than a karaoke machine in the year 2008.
But i agree with this man 100%
I am not sure why Chris(the author) thinks that it is such an absurd idea that Aaron has. I think Aaron is dead on. Obviously he is not speaking about every single person that bought a Wii, but I bet he is talking about a lot of them. I myself have a Wii. I did not buy it to be a party accessory but it sure had become that. I only bring it out when people come over. My kids don’t even play it, and one of them plays his PS2 on a regular basis. The Wii has shown amazing technology, but it does not have the functionality to go with it. I am sure that the Wii is going to push the gaming industry a long way both in bringing non-gamers into the market and push the industry closer to virtual reality, but the fact is that the Wii is not really a competitor of XBOX 360.
This is hilarious.
So this guy is, “Speaking with Gamasutra about Microsoft’s casual games initiative, ”
Ok. Then he goes on to” talk about how they don’t see the Wii as a direct competitor,”.
So, let me get this straight. MS is moving forward with a casual games initiative yet they don’t see the Wii as a direct competitor. Either this guy is an idiot or blind.
Obviously the Wii will be a direct competitor to whatever initiative MS makes in the casual games space. I mean…..duh?
That being said, I play my Wii all the time and so does everyone I know who has one. I’ll admit, that if you are a teenage boy, the 360 is probably your best bet, because it has the most boobs and guns. But for everyone else, the Wii is great.
LOL Microsoft LOL
what a dick. i own both consoles and like both.
Increasing sales? Have you TRIED buying one lately? My brother wants to buy one with his money and we spent all afternoon trying to find a store with one in stock! STFU Microsoft! *he says as he is using Windows XP*
Please note that is in addition my current XBox 360 and soon to be a PS3 also in my arsenal.
I’m a pretty hardcore gamer and I’ve got a Wii.
I think he’s referring more to established gamers getting bored with the system, more so than people who are relatively new to gaming.
I own a Nintendo Wii, an Xbox 360, and a PS3, and the truth of the matter is that I do actually buy more games for my 360 than I do for my PS3, with my Wii coming in a very distant third. I picked the obligatory games like Metroid Prime 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, but after I finished those, I only ever play the Wii when friends are over, and then its Wii Sports we play, my girlfriend plays Wii Fit every single day though, but in the same respect, she never plays anything else, including Wii Sports.
Meanwhile, when I have some down time, I’m usually on the 360 for games like Mass Effect & Rock Band… and in truth, when there’s a party here, its usually Rock Band that people play more than Wii Sports.
The novelty of the Wii is great for awhile, but I have to agree overall with Greenberg, it is just that - a novelty, and like all novelty items, it will eventually die down. The system itself is ridiculously underpowered in terms of hardware versus current machines, and I think that as the lifecycle of these consoles continues on and developers really start pushing the 360 and PS3 to their hardware limits, you’ll see the Xbox 360 pull ahead of everything else due its solid online support and strong hardware. Sony & Nintendo both dropped the ball last generation with online service, and this generation Sony picked up the pace a lot, while Nintendo lagged behind against significantly. I think the generation of consoles after these will only survive with a very tightly integrated online experience, which Microsoft has already mastered.
I guess we’ll know in a few more years.
Those people at Micro$oft don’t know when to quit, do they? The Wii is direct competition. If you like it or not, it’s on the same market and people have to decide between a Wii or a Xshit. Even though the 360 is around 6 milion units ahead of the PS3, that is only because of the one year head-start. Now what we really should see is if the 360 stands up to the Wii or PS3. At least Phony copied the Wii’s motion sensing(very badly, but did). Still, the Wii is the real representative of the actual new generation of video games, which is a common feat for Nintendo consoles, as seen with the NES, SNES, GB, GBC, GBA and DS. I have a Wii. It rocks anything else. And let’s remember: without the Wii, how are you going to play Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Pokémon, Smash and all those great Nintendo franchises? Oh, and Smash > everything.
I think you all should watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByPcQBveWOA
i have a Wii for the nintendo titles which i know will never let me down
xBox is a literal and metaphorical waste of space imho which is why i will never own one
i may buy a PS3, again for the individual titles, God of War III etc.
but when it comes to real gaming, PCs for the win
I had my Xbox 360 before I had my Wii…..the Xbox 360 came out before the Wii did by this guys statement I have somehow taken a step down by buying a Wii after already having a 360, and I can’t help but take a little offense to that.
I do not agree that the Wii is some sort of elementary school for gamers. I think, if anything the Wii complements any systems you may already have.
If you use all of the features that the Wii provides you find it is much more than just a “novelty”. Being able to download classic games from Nintendo and others is a huge plus. And now that WiiWare is out we get to see great original games and some non-original ones as well, but they are games you might not otherwise get to see….ever. I think the Wii is much more than just a gimmick. I always have felt that way.
I own all three consoles, and both handhelds…..I am a gamer, true gamers do not pigeonhole themselves into “casual” or “hardcore,” they just play games…..period.
Go Marlins!!!!
He does have a point or two…. but he sure does know how to NOT use them right….
Well now, he could always take this speech to the Japanese market….see what they think.
LOL, and he actually think the RROD console is better? hahahahaha!
Okay…I know I’m a 360 fanboy…but Aaron Greenberg is actually right (for once.)
The 360 and the PS3 are the competitors for this generation. The Wii is not on the same level of gaming. Yes it may sell more than both the 360 and the PS3, but the games it sells are no where near the type of games that attract buyers to the PS3 and 360. People buy these consoles for the shooters and the action games…the Wii is kind of like a novelty console. It is a party console, thats why it sells so well. So many families buy the Wii so they can do some fun stuff together and so that the parents can somewhat relate to the kids.
@ManofTeal. He’s not saying that the Wii is a step down from the 360…he actually says that the Wii complements the 360 very well (exactly what you wrote as well.) He’s saying that people entering the market will most likely buy a Wii first, and then will have an appetite for more hardcore games, and will eventually move on to the PS3 or 360. No where in the interview does he say that the Wii is on a lower tier, he simply points out that the Wii is a different type of console and sells for different reasons. Also…Greenberg never calls the Wii a gimmick.
Also…most of the people above me solely disagree with him because they are Sony fanboys. Bounce, G4NJ, Darth Naner, Handisnacks, Cuthar (just to call you out.) PLZ note I said most…if I called you out and your not a PS3 fanboy lets just pretend I wasn’t talkng to you.
Also. The point he makes about people getting bored with their Wii’s is very true. I don’t personally own a Wii, but many of my friends do. And maybe they are just odd, but when we hang out…if we play a console it usually isn’t the Wii. I mean, yeah Wii Tennis and Wii Bowling are fun for a while…as well as Super Smash Brothers…but eventually it just plain wears out. And the Wii isn’t bringing out a consistent supply of good games for its console…so it does get old pretty quickly.
Queue Norbit.
What he is doing is what quite a few people are doing, taking pot shots at a extremely sucessful system that doesn’t even have half the tech that the PS3 and 360 has….check out Digg sometime…or YouTube for that matter….same song, different dance.
Mr.Greenberg goes on to say:
“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?
That was a gross over assumption that has -no- merit whatsoever and no bearing on the Wii being a gimmick…it is, however, a cheap shot aimed squarely at the consumer, if we’ve bought a Wii we must not know much about other systems and/or not purchased systems in the past?!?
In fact, most of Mr. Greenberg’s statement is based on pure assumption and conjecture (I.E. talking out of his Wow-Hole) with little to no evidence to support…of course the Wii will fade into the background like so many other systems, this is natural….but simply because the Wii looses it’s audience does -not- mean that they’ll start gravitating toward the 360.
I am not a Wii fanboy, i own and enjoy all systems equally…but this argument or whatever it is is getting tired…gimmick or otherwise it has sold, and it has sold well…it’s a feather in the cap of a long standing company that deserves every accolade it recieves..in other words..Nintendo delivers (except for the Virtual Boy)
Whew….Ok i think i’m done now.
This guy talking smack again,
what a douche.
I personally disagree with the fact that everyone calls Wii the party console. Blatant. Lies. Most of it’s amazing games are one player. Mario Galaxy, RD (Disputable), Twilight Princess, and Metroid Prime 3. Granted, there are amazing multiplayer games for wii, but most of the amazing multiplayer games are for PS3. Call of Duty 4 anyone????