Microsoft Questions Wii and PS3 Online Strategy

The Nintendo Wii has taken off like a rocket and is a seriously hot commodity this holiday season. The PS3 is also very popular, but it’s hard to find due more to a relatively small launch than an overall desire by consumers (not to say it isn’t there – but if you can’t find it, you can’t buy it). While people are out searching frantically for presents, they may not be able to find a Wii or PS3 but they can surely find an XBox 360.

That puts Microsoft into an interesting position this year: the XBox 360 is easy to find and delivers next generation content with a solid library of games. Since the field is becoming more and more even, the battleground is shifting to online content. Microsoft has its XBox Live, Sony has the Playstation Store and the Wii has its channels (which allow you to buy older games or just mess around on the internet). Who will win? In an interview with Microsoft’s GM of Game Development, Chris Satchell, Games Industry gets him to weigh in with his thoughts on the Wii:

“I think the Wii is of interest, I’m not sure what its long term potential is. It’s a super-strong for Nintendo’s first-party IP, but beyond that? I get that it is getting more developer support and that’s good, but I just don’t know if it’s going to be that compelling.”

“It’s going to start very fast, it’s a cool thing that’s different, but I’m not sure how big it’s going to be in the long term.”

Satchell then moved on to the PS3 and commented on Sony’s online services thus far:

“I don’t think Sony has the right focus. I’m not even sure, looking at how they execute, that they even think that it’s important. Like providing people with tools so that they can be creative; they certainly don’t seem to do it in their professional space, so I don’t really believe they’re going to do it in other spaces.”

Satchell goes on to say that it takes many years of developent and millions of dollars to develop a system like XBox Live and that their competitors are “not chasing a fixed target, they’re chasing us constantly innovating.” He then went on to comment on how Microsoft differs:

“So I think that’s where we do something different – we desperately care about the game development platform. How you enable the developers, how you give them a great software platform to build on. I don’t think our competitors care in the same way; they have different interests.”

Nintendo and Sony may have different interests now, but they seem to be taking notice. Both companies have signed a deal with Akamai to provide hosting for their online markets. Will the fact that the PS3 network is free be able to make up for its lack of polish and features? Even though Nintendo claims that it’s not competing with Sony and Microsoft, will the Wii take sales away from Microsoft or Sony? These questions should be answered within the next couple of years, but either way, the consumer wins in the end.

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