The Official "Console War" and Video Game Thread

[He-Lurker]

I stopped by Gamestop today during lunch. I asked if they were taking pre-orders for PS3 and they had no idea what I was talking about. I also asked about the Wii and they had no idea either. They said I could reserve games, but when I asked what the point was if I couldn't get a system, and they didn't know what to say. Glad to see my Gamestop is on top of things

[TheDeviot]

Like I said: 8 PS3's per store. Figure Gamestop lets two employees per store preorder, that's down to six. You know friends/relatives of personel will get their preorders in before the populace which means zilch for anybody on launch day.
INW: SCALPER BAY.

[CJ Clifford]

It already happened! People started lining up at 6 AM!

Some people are just crazy. Granted, I stood in line for a 360 last year on launch day, but I was only in that line for an hour and I was planning on buying other stuff in that store anyway. There's no way you'd find me and my fat ass standing around for days in front of a store waiting for a frickin' console pre-order.

I just hope reserving a Wii won't be as difficult as this. I hope you are right about the numbers, Aerostratos. Perhaps Nintendo being the underdog will work out in my favor.

You know, I'm not even worried about pre-ordering a Wii. I don't know if you caught my little news link earlier, but it looks as if Nintendo will have plenty of Wii systems to go around on launch day, unlike its competitors and their respective consoles. It really seems like Nintendo is being conservative about their own estimates and how many systems will be available, and even those conservative estimates are above what they originally hoped for. At this point, I'm more worried about there being enough copies of Zelda:TP to go around.

Speaking of launch days and system availability, I remember being able to pick a Gamecube pretty easily at Meijer. The hardest part about it was getting somebody to get their butt to the department and open the freakin' case (20 plus minutes!). My dad decided to go to Meijer and asked if I wanted to go. I remember it was launch day for Gamebube and thought "Heck, you never know." Amazingly, Meijer had it, quite a few at that.

[AeroStratos88]

Oh geez. This is utterly ridiculous. I mean, on the highest level of ridiculousness that there can even possibly be.

uhm I see you and raise you this!



I wouldn't worry about Zelda:TP You'd have to assume that A. Everyone that would buy a Wii would buy that title and B. People wouldn't know about the GC Version coming out less than a month away.

[AeroStratos88]

Some guy put his pre order up.



and the winner is...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Playstation-3-Pr...QQcmdZViewItem

[D-Day V1]

Some guy put his pre order up.



and the winner is...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Playstation-3-Pr...QQcmdZViewItem

More like.....and the loser is......

Someone's gonna get screwed over on that one

Hey Dynamo, my buddy at EB Games told me that more than likely sometime this week they shopuld start taking pre-orders for the Wii, but he said they wont do it until they know how many they're getting in. He also went on to say that Gamestop/EB Games stores throughout would receive approximately 70% of the North American shipments, so youre chances should be good at landing one.

[CJ Clifford]

uhm I see you and raise you this!

Heck, for get that. I clicked the link for your updated pick below. Auction was over due to someone placing a "Buy It Now" for $1,000,000.00 Of course the winning bidder has zero feedback and [sarcasm]I'm sure he has every intention of paying[/sarcasm].

[Dynamo of Eternia]

I was at my local Gamestop last night picking up the new Mortal Kombat game (SHAMELESS PLUG: See my thoughts and quasi-review in the Mortal Kombat thread! ).

Apparently they are getting in 16 PS3's (probably because we are in a highly populated area) and they took all of the reservations on them within the first half hour. Not that I am surprised.

At this point, I'm more worried about there being enough copies of Zelda:TP to go around.

Well, Gamestop and EB are already taking reserves on the games. I already have 3 on reserve, including Zelda. I did that a week or two ago. Actually, I apparantly had a reservation for the Gamecube version from probably a year ago, maybe more, that I completely forgot about (in hind sight, I probably reserved it around the time I reserved Kingom Hearts 2). So, I just transfered that reservation to the Wii version.

So, anyway, the point is that if you are worried about the games, you can reserve them now. There's no restrictions on that.



D-Day... that's good news on the Wii! Hopefully there will be no major issues in getting one.

[Ironman]

2. We know that the sensor bar goes all wonky when halogen lights are in the room. But did you know that natural sunlight messes it up too? That's right, if you have the sun beaming right onto the sensor bar, it doesn't work. For about an hour or so, the sun shone right into the store, the two MP3:C kiosks had to have curtains above them, and the Wii Sports Tennis and Shooting Game kiosks were unplayable since they were "shrouded" in sunlight. Later the sun went behind a building, and everything was in working order again. So when you get your Wii, don't play it in the sunlight. Or keep the sensor bar and TV away from the windows.

http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/...age.id=2065592

Umm, that's not true at all. Nice try though.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/738/738266p1.html

The Wii will outsell the PS3. Mark my words.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/738/738261p1.html

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Umm, that not true at all. Nice try though.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/738/738266p1.html

The Wii will outsell the PS3. Mark my words.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/738/738261p1.html

Well, I think the reason that the Wii will do better right off the bat is because Nintendo will have more units ready to go at launch and immediately following launch than Sony. Don't get me wrong, its good for Nintendo.

But still, in the long run, things are yet to be seen. On the one hand, I could easily see Nintnedo beating Sony, and having Sony down in 3rd place this time, mainly due to the cost of the system (as great and advanced as some of the features of the PS3 may be, I don't know if everyone will jump on the PS3 bandwagon as they may have sticker shock).

However, Sony has been #1 for a while now with Nintendo trailing in 3rd, and there is a lot of hype around PS3 (whether or not the hype is warranted is a different matter altogether). So, it could be that in the long run, PS3 could do alright.

Now, for the record, I am rooting for Nintendo, and I hope that you and that 2nd article are correct on those predictions. However, I am also not holding my breath on it.


On a separate note, I particularly loved this comment from that first article that you posted:

In a related story, some Nintendo fans are planning to protest in front of Nintendo of America's Seattle headquarters after learning that Wii discs are, in fact, inedible. More as the story breaks.

Ah, that was classic!

[CJ Clifford]

Well, Gamestop and EB are already taking reserves on the games. I already have 3 on reserve, including Zelda.

My Zelda comment was more of a sarcastic one. There are going to be so many Wiis available, and Zelda is such a popular franchise. Unlike the poor PS3, no one is going to have a problem locating a Wii. And what's the first game people will get? Zelda of course

What else did you pre-oder for the Wii?

[Dynamo of Eternia]

What else did you pre-oder for the Wii?

I reserved Red Steel and a collection of the Metal Slug games. I like Metal Slug a lot, but don't actually own any of the games, so I thought this would be a good purchase.

[AeroStratos88]

Umm, that's not true at all. Nice try though.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/738/738266p1.html

The Wii will outsell the PS3. Mark my words.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/738/738261p1.html

Nice try too.

In the "ask Iwata" articles Iwata said they had trouble with halogen lights and some problems with sunlight at first with the sensor bar, but have made improvments in the software to fix what ever problems were there...

This was an official Nintendo event in one of their Nintendo Stores one of the first events open to the public and highly publicized and this happened. Plus it was posted and not taken down by anyone at the official Nintendo Forums. You can watch the video too if you want. I don't believe a damn thing that comes out of IGN since the head of the Wii department already publicly came out and said he did'nt believe in it. Oh well I geuss you can spin it and say it's cause every display they decided to use was a Sony Bravia.

Pre orders for the Wii *grain of salt people.

Friday.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/11/wi...mestop-friday/

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Well, here's to hoping that there are enough preorders to go around, as I probably wouldn't be able to get there to place an order until after I get off of work.

[AeroStratos88]

Well, here's to hoping that there are enough preorders to go around, as I probably wouldn't be able to get there to place an order until after I get off of work.

oh you should esp since they are getting 70% of the shipments for NA.

Not. Minus the fact that there are bigger retailers out there and the fact that there isn't a Gamestop/EB in every town and that aside from gamers no one goes to these stores to put up with their policies. If Nintendo is seriously going after the casual gamer or people just getting in to games there gonna want to have it in stores that these people frequent. Not go out of their way to get one. Nothing says value like an EB launch bundle they make most their customers buy. Wii will end up costing you 600.

So I bet Wal Mart Sears (which includes K mart) Target Best Buy and places of the like will get more than EB. Seriously what has EB ever done except promote the PS brand. You think Nintendo walked into all the EBs across the nation and said yep that small wall right there that you've alloted for us in the back is enough to show us you suppourt us enough to get the mass bulk of our shipments.

[Prince Adam's Dad]

I talked it over with my wife, and we agreed to preorder a PS3 in an attempt to 'flip' it on eBay (You can think whatever you want to of me - I have 3 kids and am in the Navy, so cash is always tight around the holidays. An extra couple hundred bucks would have been nice.)

I called my local GameStop to inquire as to whether or not they still had PS3 preorders available @ 10:30 yesterday. Surprisingly, they did (my wife was going to go over and reserve it, since I was at work). Unfortunately, I wasn't that the preorder deposit was $100. I swear, I thought it was $50. We just didn't have the disposable income right now.

I have no idea how much longer those preorder slots were available. However, I get paid friday...

AND THE WII WILL BE MINE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! [/psychotic laughter]

[Dynamo of Eternia]

oh you should esp since they are getting 70% of the shipments for NA.

Not. Minus the fact that there are bigger retailers out there and the fact that there isn't a Gamestop/EB in every town and that aside from gamers no one goes to these stores to put up with their policies. If Nintendo is seriously going after the casual gamer or people just getting in to games there gonna want to have it in stores that these people frequent. Not go out of their way to get one. Nothing says value like an EB launch bundle they make most their customers buy. Wii will end up costing you 600.

So I bet Wal Mart Sears (which includes K mart) Target Best Buy and places of the like will get more than EB. Seriously what has EB ever done except promote the PS brand. You think Nintendo walked into all the EBs across the nation and said yep that small wall right there that you've alloted for us in the back is enough to show us you suppourt us enough to get the mass bulk of our shipments.

Well, its odd that they are giving so many to EB Games/Gamestop. But, I'm not too worried about bundles.

Last year with the 360 they didn't push any bundles on me. I had reserved a couple of games an an extra controller (by choice, not by force), so I don't know if that had anything to do with it.

I know the bundle thing does exist, and I think its mostly to detour scalpers from just buying the system and putting it on ebay. But for the most part it hasn't been an issue for me.

I think if people reserve at least a game or two with the system (and honestly, who isn't going to want some games to play on it?), then it shouldn't be a big deal.

As for the whole PS2/Gamecube arguement... yeah, I see your point in terms of how much of each system and games for the systems that they carrey, but that has more to do with the fact that PS2 does have the largest quantity of games (not all of which are necessarily quality, but that's subjective from person to person) and statistically PS2 is more popular, with GCN having the fewest games and the lowest popularity.

However, not to beat a dead horse, but as I've said before in my experience with the few stores in my area, usually the employees there don't recommend PS2, and instead suggest Xbox (often siting the typcial disc read errors). And the same has been true so far with them recommending 360 over PS3 (though, i admit that its not totally fair to not recommend an unreleased system, but at the same time, they are going on what is known at this point).

Heck, last night when I was picking up MK, I was talking with one of the guys there about systems and what-not, and the PS2 came up, and he mentioned how they probably get about 2 to 3 people every 2 days or so coming in with problems with the disc read errors. All of which seem to be with the systems made prior to the newer, smaller model... the only problem the small model tends to have is heat related due to the lack of an internal fan, but there are ways around that issue. (Mine went with the disc errors, my fiance's still works, but I am worried that hers will die eventually of the same issue... I won't be doing it right away, but before they stop making it, I may pick up one of the small PS2's just to make sure I will still be able to play my games).



So, anyway, getting back on track with the Wii here...
While I understand why it would seem like sending 70% of the systems to stores like EB/Gamestop would be an odd decision, I think in many ways it is smart, if it is true.

While it may seem odd to send so many to a dedicated video game store when they are trying to attract a large casual audience of people who don't normally play games, I think it is the best bet to ensure that those people who aren't die hard gamers get their hands on one.

While someone who never, ever ever ever plays video games would be pretty illiterate to how these things work, even some of the most casual gamers will see the advantage in reserving things ahead of time, and many of them will likely have some knowledge of how to do so, or will know someone who can explain it to them. And that way, they can reserve it and get their hands on it with no problem.

If more units were going to stores like Target, Best Buy, etc, where they generally don't take reservations on systems, then you will get the people who camp out over night getting most of the stock, leaving little left for the casual gaming audience.

Granted, with Nintendo being the underdog and with so many units shipping this may not be an issue. However, the Wii has been getting a lot of attention. Even the guy I was talking with at Gamestop last night said that they've had a lot more people inquiring about the Wii than the PS3. So, Nintendo may be on to something here, and it could potentially sell out.

So, I think it makes sense the way things are being done. Someone can casually walk into a Gamestop or EB Games, make a reservation, and go on their way... as opposed to trying to camp out for it... which most casual gamers wouldn't do anyway.

[AeroStratos88]

Gamestop has just sent an e-mail to newsletter subscribers confirming that stores across the U.S. will be taking Wii pre-orders for $50 tomorrow. Only one reservation will be accepted per household and the e-mail warns that allocations are likely to sell out within minutes. The e-mail also confirms that Canadian stores will be taking pre-orders for the Wii and PS3 on Monday, Oct. 16]

While we still haven't received official official word from Gamestop in the form of an e-mail alert or press release, reports from Gamestop and EBGames employees across the country confirm that the major retail chain will indeed be taking Wii pre-orders when they open on Friday, Oct. 13. Word apparently filtered down through an e-mail sent to the chain's 3,600 stores late last night. Three different stores confirmed to Joystiq that $50 down would be enough to reserve a system.

Reports on how many units are available per store vary -- one employee told Joystiq they'd be receiving 36 units, another said 32, yet another told us "under 20." Still other stores seem unwilling or unable to officially confirm the pre-order date or units available without the official word from Gamestop corporate. Regardless of what your local store tells you over the phone, though, tomorrow is definitely the day to line up if you want to reserve your Wii. We recommend you start packing your pup tent now.

http://gonintendo.com/?p=6660

http://gonintendo.com/wp-content/pho...an0s001_01.jpg

[Dynamo of Eternia]

You know, this really sucks for people who work for a living, and therefore can't be there to line up to reserve a gaming system first thing in the morning.

I honestly often wonder what the hell the people who do line up for these things do for money to pay for these systems that they have all of this time to stand in line for hours if need be.


Anyone know of anyplace else that is taking reservations?


EDIT:

Ok, I may have a solution to this issue, so long as the Wii reservations don't sell out any faster than the PS3 ones did the other day at my local store.

I called my local store and they are taking reservations tomorrow. They open at 10 am. I talked to my boss and asked if I could take my hour lunch break at 9:30 am, and she said its no problem. So, I will go to Gamestop, hopefully reserve the system, and come back to work.

The other day, they said that they sold out of PS3 reservations within a 1/2 hour. So, hopefully there won't be some huge line going out the door. The good news is that right across the street from the Gamestop I go to is an EB Games, and just down the road is a mall with another Gamestop in it. So, hopefully I can reserve one at atleast one of these locations.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[CJ Clifford]

Gamestop has just sent an e-mail to newsletter subscribers confirming that stores across the U.S. will be taking Wii pre-orders for $50 tomorrow. Only one reservation will be accepted per household and the e-mail warns that allocations are likely to sell out within minutes. The e-mail also confirms that Canadian stores will be taking pre-orders for the Wii and PS3 on Monday, Oct. 16]

I also received this e-mail. It's a shame I have to work tomorrow. But, as long as Nintendo's estimations on Wii production are correct, I doubt placing a pre-order will be all that necessary. Still, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[shigsy2003]

Howdy

HDMI port, Blu-Ray drive, Cell processor -- the PS3 will ship with everything needed for high definition playback. Everything except for high definition cables, that is.

The latest issue of Famitsu contains a first report on the cables that will be included with the Japanese version of the PS3. Purchasers of either the 60 Gig or 20 Gig models will get a power cord, USB cable, ethernet cable and standard composite AV cable.

That's right! No component, HDMI or D cables are included in the box! While Sony hasn't announced the wiring that will be bundled with the US version of the system, in Japan at least, those who want high definition cables will have to make a separate purchase.

On the plus side, the PS3's AV Multi Out interface accepts the same cables that you used with your PS2, so if you already have S-Video, D or Component cables, you should be able to reuse them.

Read the article here


What a strange thing not to do. Why go to all the trouble of setting it up with HD yet not bundle in the wires?

Also from IGN.com:

Here's a look at what the products Japanese Wii owners will be able to use with their new system. All prices are tax inclusive. Unless noted, all products are due for release on 12/2, simultaneous with the Wii.

Wii AC Adapter
[RVL-A-AD(JPN)]
Nintendo includes one of these with each Wii, but you can purchase another for 3,000 yen.



Wii AV Cable
[RVL-A-KT(JPN)]
Likewise, each Wii ships with one of these bundled in, but you can purchase another for the low price of 1,000 yen.

Wii S-Video
[RVL-A-KS(JPN)]
2,500 yen will get you the improved picture of S-video.

Wii D-Cable
[RVL-A-KD(JPN)]
Japan prefers the D-Cable to component, but they both deliver basically the same picture quality and allow for progressive output. Pricing is set at 2,500 yen.



Wii Component Cable
[RVL-A-KC(JPN)]
Nintendo is also making a component cable available for the system, also at 2,500 yen.

SD Memory Card 512MB
[RVL-A-SD1(JPN)]
This 512MB memory card is functionally equivalent to a standard SD memory card, but has the Nintendo and Wii logos. Pricing is set at 3,800 yen.



Wii LAN Adapter
[RVL-A-UE(JPN)]
The Wii has WiFi built in, but those who prefer a wired connection will want to pick up this USB LAN adapter. It's set for release some time in December at a price of 2,800 yen.



Nintendo Japan also announced today Japanese pricing details for the Wii-mote. While the Japanese Wii, like the American one, will include one Wii Remote (RVL-A-CW) and a Nunchuk (RVL-A-FW), the devices will also be available separately for, respectively, 3,800 yen and 1,800 yen. The Classic Controller (RVL-A-RW) will sell for 1,800 yen. All three will be available on 12/2.

The price and release dates listed here are all for Japanese Wii products. Stay tuned for details on the system's US accessories.

You can also check out the first Wii promo spot here

If you want to see all the pics for the acessories check these links:

S-Video Cable

D-Cable

LAN Adapter

SD Memory Card

Component Cable

AV Cable

AC Adapter

Oh and here is a Japanese poster for the Wii.

Chris M

[MattOnDemand]

I talked it over with my wife, and we agreed to preorder a PS3 in an attempt to 'flip' it on eBay (You can think whatever you want to of me - I have 3 kids and am in the Navy, so cash is always tight around the holidays. An extra couple hundred bucks would have been nice.)

eBay is not allowing that this time around due to the Xbox 360 fiasco.

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2006/10/12/...s-vs-legality/

but still, what's stopping me from putting up a PS3 for 1 penny with no reserve?

[discosupafly]

Great post, Shigsy! Also in japan, we're getting the television commercials for the Wii. Much like the ads for the brain training software on the DS, it starts with a pure white screen and the Wiimote coming into view. A man's voice asks: "Do you know what this is?" (in Japanese, of course), and then answers: "It's the new remote control for the Nintendo Wii".

That's about it really, but just thought some of us might like to know.

[Prince Adam's Dad]

eBay is not allowing that this time around due to the Xbox 360 fiasco.

That is rediculous. If selling a retail item for a profit were illegal, I wouldn't have had to pay almost four times the ticket price to see the Raiders play at the Redskins last year.

It is called "people with the foresight to reserve a system profiting from those who were not". Supply and demand.

If the grounds of removal of the auctions is "the legality of it", then, by their definition, any product sold on eBay in its original packaging should not be sold for more than the retail price.

I scored a MIB 200X Teela and flipped it on eBay, then donated the profit to He-Man.org during the "pledge drive" a few years back. I didn't have a reserve, started the bidding at a buck, and made $50 on the fig. I couldn't afford to go out of pocket to help, so that was how I did my part. Does that make me a bad guy?

I think that my biggest problem is the people who say "what about little Timmy, who really wants a PS3?" Let's be honest. PS3 ISN'T a kid's system. If little Timmy is 14 or 15, then he is old enough to know when the system is preordering, and he should take his little butt to Gamestop and reserve it himself.

The "Tickle Me Elmo 10th anniversary (TMX)" is a different story. Those things are undoubtedly for small children. Putting one of those up for profit, now that's dirty pool in my opinion. My wife and I were looking for a TMX for some time for my 15 month old. He saw one, and was completely tickled by it. The thought even crossed our minds to put one up on eBay if we found more than one. That was shot down fairly quickly. I didn't want to be the guy to keep a TMX from a real little Timmy. We even decided to forego the idea of getting one for my baby (again, he's only 15 months, and thought Chicken Dance Elmo was just as funny), and if we find TMX, it's going in our stash for Toys for Tots.

So stop crying foul when some spoiled teenager has to settle for a Wii to go with his 360 that he undoubtedly got last Christmas because some enterprising individual beat him to it.

EDIT: I read a little further down on the responses, and it agreed with a suspicion of mine:

And the premise of this blog post is inaccurate at best. ebay did not remove the auction postings because sony asked. Nor did they remove them because the auctions are inherently unethical or illegal. Ebay removed the auctions because the listings violated the TOS agreement. Selling something on ebay for profit is not unethical. Selling something that you don't actually have and may not get, is unethical, and that's why ebay won't allow it. Once the units actually get delivered, there is no problem legally or ethically with selling a ps3.

That is how we were going to handle it. I don't put up an auction for something I don't have in my hands. That's not cool.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

That is rediculous. If selling a retail item for a profit were illegal, I wouldn't have had to pay almost four times the ticket price to see the Raiders play at the Redskins last year.

It is called "people with the foresight to reserve a system profiting from those who were not". Supply and demand.

If the grounds of removal of the auctions is "the legality of it", then, by their definition, any product sold on eBay in its original packaging should not be sold for more than the retail price.

I scored a MIB 200X Teela and flipped it on eBay, then donated the profit to He-Man.org during the "pledge drive" a few years back. I didn't have a reserve, started the bidding at a buck, and made $50 on the fig. I couldn't afford to go out of pocket to help, so that was how I did my part. Does that make me a bad guy?

I think that my biggest problem is the people who say "what about little Timmy, who really wants a PS3?" Let's be honest. PS3 ISN'T a kid's system. If little Timmy is 14 or 15, then he is old enough to know when the system is preordering, and he should take his little butt to Gamestop and reserve it himself.

Well, this time arond it's kind of hard for little Timmy to get to Gamestop to reserve a PS3 when they do so first thing in the morning in the middle of the week when little Timmy is in school, and his dad is at work. This, of course, is in addition to the fact that little Timmy, even at age 14 or 15, is not old enough to drive himself over to the store. So, unless the store is within reasonable walking distance from his home and he has the day off, he is out of luck.

On one hand, there is ethical issues with buying something with the intent of reselling it for profit on ebay (regardless of what the product is or who the intended age group is for). No matter how you try to justify it, in some ways it is shady. Though, it is not illegal.

I do agree to a certain extent on the foresight of reserving things. However, it was one thing with previous game systems when you could casually walk into a Gamestop or EB Games months in advance and reserve the system and could rest easy knowing that you will get one (Even if it turns out that they aren't getting in as many systems on the first day as the reservations they take, then at least the remaining people will be taken care of as soon as more come in). This was nice because it meant you wouldn't have to camp outside of a Best Buy or something for a system.

But now, this time around, with PS3 and Wii, you basically almost have to camp out just for the reservation. That's just stupid.
Foresight is one thing, but when it comes down to people camping out just to reserve a game system in the middle of the week, some people simply have lives that they can't interupt at a day's notice just to go out and reserve a video game system.
And frankly, I'd like to know what the hell these people do for money to even afford these systems if that have so much time to do things like this.

It's one thing with the situation with previous systems if someone doesn't go and reserve a system when they can easily do so, and then have to resort to ebay and the people with the foresight to make a reservation. But when it comes down to the point of this current scenario, people who simply have lives are basically held slave to the people who don't necessarily have foresight, but rather have way too much free time on their hands to stand in line and take advantage of others in the process... that's something else entirely.

Anyway, I won't go on about it any further because I think I've made my point and I don't want to start some huge arguement.