StuffWeLike

Wii Price Cut

Wii

When will Nintendo lower the price on the Wii? If you think it’ll be this holiday season, you’re probably wrong. I’d say Spring ’08/Summer ’08. Here’s why:

Nintendo has yet to steadily replenish its Wii unit supply. Why would Nintendo want to lower the price of a system that’s still sold out? There wouldn’t be any advantage to doing it.

This holiday season Nintendo needs to focus in on the games. It needs to tell gamers that while the Xbox 360 may have Halo 3 and the PS3 has Heavenly Sword – The Wii has Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros Brawl. Mario has always been a million unit seller series and last generation’s Smash Bros title gave the Gamecube its most wide appealing game. Nintendo cannot afford to draw attention from these two AAA title releases.

Thirdly it’s highly likely that Sony will lower the price of the PS3 either by this holiday season or early next year. In the race of console supremacy, the PS3 is in dead last. Sony needs to throw as many cards as it has to grab gamer’s attentions before the gap between the Wii and Xbox 360 sales gets seriously out of control.

In order to continue to appeal to a wider consumer audience, Nintendo will have to lower the price of the Wii console. Keeping the above factors in mind, Nintendo will most likely wait till next year to take the plunge. Most likely the price drop will only be a $50 price reduction. Hopefully Nintendo will continue to bundle Wii Sports even after the price drop. Wii Sports has been the reason why many casual gamers have been so interested in the Wii with its unique gaming style. To eliminate this free bundled title might actually hurt Nintendo in the short run.

Xbox 360 IPTV

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is the wave of the future. On January 7, 2007 Bill Gates announced how Microsoft will bring Television to Xbox 360 users, not through downloads but through live feeds. The Microsoft TV IPTV Edition is set to be available this holiday season and will give users an alternative route to watching TV.

Imagine being able to throw away your DVR/cable box, not paying for your Cable TV service, and seeing every channel in digital format as well as high-definition. That’s the promise that IPTV brings. While Microsoft isn’t the only company working on IPTV technology, Microsoft is well ahead of the pack because it’s install base for Xbox 360 users is already over 10 million worldwide!

While it isn’t clear how Microsoft will distribute this service, if it’s a free download on the Xbox 360 – why wouldn’t you use it? As a suggestion for Xbox 360 owners who want IPTV, you might want to purchase Xbox 360 Messenger Kit. Isn’t it easier to search for a show by literally typing it in rather than selecting the on screen text?

IPTV is only one part of Microsoft’s overall vision of creating the “Mediaroom.” Microsoft’s Mediaroom will bridge the gap between home computers and the living room Television, expanding upon the current Windows Media Center software.

The only company that’s close to bringing IPTV to the home is Apple. Similar to the Xbox 360, the Apple TV can grab photos and videos. So far though the Apple TV hasn’t been that great of a success. Right now there’s no major advantage to owning the Apple TV simply because it doesn’t do anything outrageously unique.

Rumors have surfaced saying that Apple will release its IPTV product/software sometime in 2008. As with any product, Apple tries to be as innovative as possible. But how can you innovate in a sector that has yet to be widely tested?

Every electronic manufacturer realizes that the future of the technology industry is convergence. Hopefully these software giants know that consumers want their content no matter the platform it was purchased or added onto. The service that’s going to succeed is the service that provides it all, in an easy to use system.

Videos about this beautiful world, where machines serve man without frustration can all be found below:

Add StuffWeLike.com Blog Videos to your page

Colin McRae dead in helicopter crash?

For a lot of us gamers, the name “Colin McRae” is nearly synonymous with a line of great rally games. But it appears that bad news has struck. Colin McRae is feared dead in a helicopter crash in Scotland.

The chopper was owned by McRae, and originally four bodies were found in the crash. McRae’s agent confirmed, however, that Colin was piloting the craft. No survivors have been found, and the identities of the other passengers have not been confirmed yet.

Colin McRae was a popular rally driver known in the gaming industry for the series of racing games that share his name. Goodbye, Colin. We’ll always remember you.

[Via Telegraph]