Nintendo's Wii may get early launch
Industry observers expect company's new video game machine to launch before the PlayStation 3 - perhaps by a month or more. — Game Over is a weekly column by Chris Morris — NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Nintendo has stated numerous times …
Context & Ripple Effects
Nintendo arrives at mid-2006 with unusual handheld momentum behind it: the DS Lite's US launch went off on June 11 after a Rockefeller Center launch party, New Super Mario Bros. picked up a Challenge Mode just this week, and the company even shipped President Bush a DS Lite and Brain Age ahead of his 60th birthday. Against that backdrop, Chris Morris reports industry observers expect the Wii to reach shelves before Sony's PlayStation 3 — perhaps by a month or more.
The catch is that the timing remains unconfirmed: Nintendo has stated repeatedly that it plans a 2006 launch but has not committed to beating Sony to market, so the 'early launch' scenario is observer expectation, not company announcement.
First-order effects
- An earlier-than-expected Wii launch would put Nintendo's console on retail shelves first for the 2006 holiday season, letting it capture gift spending while the PlayStation 3 is still unavailable.
- Because the timing is still rumored, retailers and publishers must plan holiday marketing around two possible calendars until Nintendo commits to a date.
Second-order effects
- If Nintendo moves first, Sony's PlayStation 3 debut becomes a response rather than the generation's opening move, forcing Sony to compete for attention and shelf space in a window Nintendo has already claimed.
- Two major console launches in close succession would intensify the fight for preorder demand and retail display placement during the holiday quarter.
Third-order effects
- Pairing a first-to-market Wii with the DS Lite's strong June launch would signal Nintendo competing on launch timing and new input methods rather than hardware specifications — a repositioning that changes what the console race is judged on.
The trend: The 2006 console cycle is turning into a race for the holiday calendar, with Nintendo leveraging handheld momentum and launch timing to press Sony's traditional home-field advantage.