Nintendo

ends's S-trategy for

the

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.1

Sdly Sarrett
The Llnivcrsity of AJabama in ofAlahma for market

sqnwqr

gxne consoles
(PS3) on

b€e

third-gffidisl selliag in_ eanieit drrirrg

Nwbc l?, 2006, h headlion agairst M*xodb first-b-sta*et rhich had been rdcsd a full 1a ear2005. Tbc n€& LJ/pe suruuding h*ich overshadcred *e innoduction of -Wii system bliday seasm" Ss5r srted

is

vidm ganre console segmen since 2ffi0, Iwata warited to todally change the ryrtet's perception oftheWii by pxwiding anentirely different video strare in ttre gamc

playingc4pqi€,ne that would

be less intimidat-

o casual garws and to people who bad not previou$ plapd video garrs. The concept un&dying ing the ent

Wii--with its inrcvrtive

tw6 dtt6 later.

ffitroll€r-lras' to build

and distinccively differ-

on the.company! sucon tire popular

Many lurd-

cesg

viewed the Wii as a toy, deridirg the ib urcak graphics, I*tftof DVD playtac( name. Some vileogane industry aaWii as tbc lrsF&ch efort of a srugthat bad dosdnatedthe globat glandscape ad t*rs hccorne incre*iryb !h. market wi& its rhen Sony followed fur lffierosoft5 entry into with the Xbm-AraftCs acknoc,ledged *ystem world frt {€tl strategicdly ri& DS haft{reW !rid6 game plajpr,

vittr the innsvative user interface

han&Id Ninendo garne DS video game player.

While Nintendo's strategy for the Wii of concdatating on pioaeering a daringly differenr video contoller (as opposed to building a raft

@

ofnew

esbd

that

Nimdot

lFlatively smal!

games, givec tbe lf;ffit lack of technoistication relatirre ra, PS3 and Xbox

sn*er of new Wii rwrld of peoplewbo

grlphics feagres and technological capability into -the essole icelf--as had leen done for.the Xbcx . 3@ and PS3) uras vioved as very risky, it so far hid proved spectacularly zuccessful. Indee{ Nintendo quickly sold out of Wiis in the 2006 boliday season, sold atl the Wiis it could