Sony Claims Wii Is “More of a Novelty” Despite Wii Sales Doubling PS3 Sales

Gaming Tech News

The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) has an article out that indirectly outlines Nintendo’s comeback into the gaming world. Accordingly, U.S. retailers estimate that nearly 1.5 million Wiis will be sold before Christmas, about twice as many as the PS3. Nintendo explains that “Demand, as you can see from the reaction of consumers, has been greater than even we had hoped for.”

Sony’s response? “We feel very confident that the PlayStation fan is going to wait until
they can get a PlayStation 3…If they do pick up a Wii, it’s as more of
a novelty,” says Sony spokesman Dave Karraker.

Wow. Strong words coming from Mr. Sony PR. Especially considering that eBay auctions have the Nintendo gaming consoles selling for over $450, not to mention users of Craigslist.org posting offers to trade their unopened, more-expensive PS3s for the
Wii, plus the price differential.

And then we have some commentary by game publisher THQ. The company predicted that, due to shortages, it would be less likely to make anything by releasing games for the PS3. So THQ instead released four games for the Wii and pushed back any PS3 games till next year.

During the previous console wars, Nintendo came in third place behind Sony and Microsoft. But this time around, Nintendo, the smallest of the three companies, already seems to have a comeback in the works…

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