Game makers say Wii a bargain

[Don Seer]

Nintendo has lined up powerful allies -- game makers, who like the new Wii's unconventional features and game development costs that run half of what's required for Microsoft and Sony's new consoles

if the same amount of money can be made from something that costs half to make. what will business's do?

THQ Inc. Chief Executive Brian Farrell said that investment in a next-generation video game can run roughly $12 million to $20 million, while a title for the Wii could be in the $5 million to $8 million range.

The Wii's similarities to its predecessor GameCube outnumber the differences, in terms of game development.   

“When you talk about the PS3 and the Xbox 360, ramp-up costs are significant. You don't have the same ramp-up costs on the Wii because you have the tools already,”

what does that mean? it means as some developers already knew how to program for gamecube.. they'll know wii as wii is a performance upgraded gamecube.
as far as the wii controller programming goes.. there is a library for programmers to use that already exists so that work is taken care of..

source: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1064470

[Trauma-san]

People are really ignoring this aspect of the system.  It's not only more developer friendly, it's half as cheap.  Think what that translates to.

- More games for the wii.
- BETTER games for the wii, since potentially twice as much money could be thrown at it, proportionally, than a 360 game.  They can pay 20 designers and have a finished wii game, or 40 designers to have a finished ps3 game.... or they could pay 40 designers to make a huge wii game. 
- Developers excited about getting classic franchises on the wii
- Smaller, creative independent developers can better afford a game for the wii.
- Wii games are cheaper at retail than ps3 games.

This is all just the benefits of lower game development costs, we haven't even delved into whether the creative system is more fun or not.  The wii is winning the war, behind the scenes, before launch. 

[Don Seer]

yup.. prepare to see neverending delays on ps3 games

[Bomb-A®]

i agree the wii makes business sense....but look at it like this...there are a substanstial number of gamers who are willing to pay $60 to play a game like gears of war....its a completely different experience....same with halo 3....people will pay for that stuff....the wii and the 360/ps3 offer different gaming experiences....its just a matter of which one you want....its the latter for me



peace

[T-Dogg]

I'm not a consoles man myself, but it's definately interesting to see who reigns supreme in the console business now that all three majors have a new one out. PS3's off to a rough start with a bad release game line-up (they're either crap or already available for other next-gen systems, I've heard) and problems with older HDTV's with both picture AND sound. I haven't heard anything about Wii. That's good I guess - bad news travel fast, and none have reached me. (Except Zelda's sub-par graphics, but that's more of an issue with the game than the console. Plus I heard otherwise it's great, so...)

Smaller development costs are definately a plus for the Wii, but that doesn't guarantee better games. Good ideas and good execution of those ideas guarantee better games. Also the controller can either prove to be an obstacle or a blessing for developers, we'll see. I'd certainly like the Wii to do good though.

But as far as I see it, none of the systems have a game yet that'll make it or break it. Gears of War is probably the first big exclusive title that'll really attract people to the 360. Wii's got the control system to lure in people now, but they're missing a game, I think. PS3 hasn't got shit yet. Plus, it's expensive as fuck, so until the price comes down people ARE going to choose in favor of other systems.

[Black_Smoke]

Zelda is definitely  a Killer App,wouldnt be surprised if it got GOTY
Gears of War is 360s first Killer App ,also GOTY nominee

[MontrealCity's Most]

Can i plug a normal remote into my wii because if its 3 am i dont wanna be swingin my remote so i can use it ads a sword. And furthermore how can i play hockey or football with that remote the buttons are not too conventional to play sports game were i need quik finger release .

[Don Seer]

^ yup

but dont knock it till ya've tried it.. almost every person i've heard with that attitude has changed their mind after actually using it..