Sega Exec Expresses Doubt Over Wii

Scott Steinberg, Sega of America’s VP of Marketing, has told Reuters that he sees more future potential for PS3 than for Wii, and that he fears (much like Steve Kent) interest in the console may wane fast. Here’s a quote:

“How much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now? How can they design products that aren’t too derivative of what’s already out there? [...] We know the PS3 pool is pretty deep. There’s a lot to exploit there.”

My take: While questioning a product’s future is all well and good, I get the feeling that Steinberg is missing the boat a bit. Are there a lot of junk Wii games that do nothing new and are full of gimmicks? Sure. But there are also a ton of games like that for 360 and PS3, just manifested in slightly different ways. Method of input isn’t the issue here.

Wii’s success isn’t merely due to ‘wrist motion’, but a variety of factors — price, accessibility, image, Miis, and namely, Wii Sports – that all converged at just the right time.

Regardless of input method, the only real danger of any popular console going stale is a lack of quality, innovative software that pushes the envelope and appeals to a wide audience. That, in the end, is going to be the ultimate test of Wii’s staying power.

Interview at Reuters

source: Next-Gen