Honestly, I wonder if some business school paper will look at this in a few years to figure out how in the hell Nintendo could have missed the mark so poorly not just once (opening release) but quarter after quarter thereafter in terms of properly judging demand.

I know a ton of Wii’s have been sold; nevertheless, there’s an interesting ‘what could have been’ element to it. Personally, I tried to get a Wii from November 07 – March 08. My conditions were simple: I didn’t want a bundle, I didn’t want to pay over MSRP, and I didn’t want to stand in a line at 5am like an idiot – particularly after the console was already out for a freaking year.

As you might guess, I have no wii. (it’s a sad statement to have to write. Nintendo castration) As you might also guess, I’m no longer interested in it. Honestly, a game company that can’t be bothered to role out the proper number of consoles isn’t going to keep my attention for 2+ years. At some point, you say ‘I’m not going to be Nintendo’s bitch any longer’. (Combine this with the less tha impressive game offerings, and there you go)

Anyway, the long digression relates to this because I think the XB360 at $199 is a tremendously competitive offering. I think there are a lot of people who heard of the Wii hype, couldn’t get one, and have become disenchanted with it. Now look, a console from MS at the same entry point, readily available, with a much larger gaming library, superior graphics, and still ‘new’ stuff to tout. (I don’t even talk about the expensive brick that is the PS3)

PS I’m not a ‘casual gamer’ although I’m probably not considered a hardcore gamer either because I don’t get off on FPS or MMORPG. I’m a long-term PC gamer and I haven’t owned a console since N64. I thought about dipping my toes into the water with the Wii, got bitchslapped by Nintendo, and decided to go play in my own pool (PC). Maybe I’ll try again with the Xbox at $199