Is Wii the Next Atari?

[blackadvent]

Another real reason for the crash was a flood of games so crappy, that no one could figure out which ones were good, and which ones were a steaming pile of expletives.

Because game development has become more complex, the rise of game reviewers ala Internet (even if highly flawed, there are honest ones, ie Penny-Arcade and the Escapist), and the fact that we aren't likely to see anyone else try to enter the console business (EA's crazy, but not that crazy, same with Square-Enix, and Apple's too focused on the iPod) all contribute to NOT creating a new crash.

That's not to say it still couldn't happen. Rising prices could cause a second crash (PS3 comes to mind- cheapest 360 is a hundred $ less, and the Wii is in 'normal' territory).

As for portables... I'm pretty sure Microsoft and Co. aren't stupid enough to compete against Sony and Nintendo... yet.

 

[PurpleRain]

There were games in 1983? I thought people still played with sticks.

 

[Copter400]

Please don't say that. The implications of it makes my brain hurt.

 

[Zoidbergio]

I'm equally worried about movie, television, radio, and book crashes.

Gaming is here to stay; it's a multi-billion dollar industry and demand for the product is only going to increase.

The whole concept of video games is a lot larger than it was then. There was very little games could do in terms of gameplay back in 1983, now the possibilities are endless. Gaming will be able to capture the imaginations and money of people for a long time to come.

Don't lose any sleep over it.

 

[rawlight]

I'm not sure if a crash is imminent, but definitely a crunch. Too much crap and not enough market share to go around.

Someone above said that today is different from the 80's because there are fewer consoles. I disagree with this. Fine there are only three "official" consoles, but there are many development platforms. You need to consider games for mobile devices (phones, PSP, DS), web-based games, games for legacy consoles as well as PCs and Macs. There are many different platforms vying for our attention. I might even be inclined to say it's worse now than it was back then.

Someone else said that the reason for the crash was lack of gameplay and that now the possibilities are endless. That's crazy talk I say. If the possibilities are endless why are the majority of games just the same old mechanics with a new coat of paint? There were technical limitations in the 80's that made certain things impossible to do. However, the lack of variety in games was not totally a result of technical limits, but rather the inclination of developers to cash in for a quick buck with another sequel or movie license game. No need to be creative when you can just rerelease a proven winner.

 

[soladrin]

yea honestly, the only reason i can think of is when the graphics hit photo realism, graphics card producers will no longer be able to pump out new cards every 3 months, and honestly, i think the industry will suffer a lot from that.

 

[Arbre]

I'm equally worried about movie, television, radio, and book crashes.

Maybe it's me, but I'd rather try dodging a book than a television.

 

[Chilango2]

Ah yes, I see the Doom sayers are back, predicting the imminant demise of games.

Really, even if there's a "depression" I don't think talking about 83 again is at all informative, helpful, accurate, or, really, anything.

Come back to me when there's a meteor in the sky, then we'll talk.

 

[MacCarth]

I'm not sure if this issue has been addressed or not, but Nintendo has had a pretty loyal fan base. Let's face facts, the only thing that was keeping the gamecube afloat was die-hard nintendo fans who wanted the latest mario adventure, legend of zelda, smash bros, and (to a lesser extent) iterations of mario sports games.

I think the main flaw in your argument (no offense intended) is that you assume that Atari had just as intense a fan base as nintendo does. Also, with changes to the market and technology, nintendo might go into a completely different direction if they decide to make a new system. People will always want the new system coming out, especially if the companies decide not to make any new games for the system anymore.

This is probably the reason why nintendo ported titles like Twilight Princess and Super Paper mario to the Wii console: they didn't want their customers to be "in" on the experience. They wanted their customers to be so enthralled by the idea of these new games coming out that they'd all go out and buy wii's.

Even though it's been about a year later and companies are still creating the same gimicky controls, I hope for the day that there will be solid third party games for the wii.

-Mac