It seems like every few months, the gaming press collectively gives up on Nintendo and writes off the company’s wildly popular gaming systems. “No one uses the Wii any more,” is a phrase I’ve heard time and time again.
Nintendo is here at E3 2010 to tell us that’s bull.
Part of Nintendo’s press conference yesterday centered around that very idea. Nintendo put up a series of slides showing the installed base, new game sales, and a startling poll result that showed that people plan to purchase the Wii in numbers twice that of the other two consoles combined. No doubt with the impending release of the 3DS, the portable system will sell like wildfire as well.
Remember how much ridicule the gaming press gave Nintendo for announcing motion control rather than a more powerful generation of hardware with the Wii’s release? Clearly, Microsoft’s Kinect is a long-overdue response to the ‘revolution’ that the Wii introduced, and PlayStation Move is nothing but a pure carbon copy. Luckily, Nintendo is suffering no such ridicule with the amazing glasses-free 3D experience of the 3DS.
For E3 2009, Nintendo had no real announcements to speak of. Their booth on the show floor was practically empty. Admittedly, the only reason Icrontic’s reporters stopped by was for the free frisbee for trying out Wii Sports Resort. E3 2010 is another story altogether. I stopped into Nintendo’s booth yesterday and was amazed by the contrast. Amusement park-style queues were set up and filled with people. Nintendo’s announcements this year have certainly struck a chord with the press that are gathered here, as conference attendees line up in droves to try out a variety of games that excite us by reviving childhood memories, or continue a beloved franchise. The largest line of people is still waiting to get their hands on Nintendo’s next gaming revolution, the 3DS.
I don’t know why we, as gaming press, seem to give up on Nintendo so easily. It really seems that no matter how many times hardcore gamers write off the leader of the ‘casual’ games market, Nintendo finds a way to not only bounce back and excite gamers again, but also to repeatedly innovate and push the boundaries of video gaming.
How soon we forget.
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