A check of Santa's list this year finds lots of requests for new video game consoles, but the requests split along brand preference. Both Sony and Nintendo have rolled out new technology just in time for the holidays, competing for space beneath the tree.
Amid a flurry of hype that created long lines at retail stores, Sony released its PlayStation 3 console in mid November.
Offering enhanced graphics capability, the PS3 was eagerly anticipated by video gamers who appreciate realistic imagery and complex plot lines.
While the demand for the PS3 was building prior to its release, the supply was shrinking. Sony had announced plans to have nearly two million machines ready for launch, but production problems reduced that number drastically.
By launch day, PC World reported that number had been cut to 500,000 -- and even that, the publication said, might have been overstated.
Getting much less hype, Nintendo rolled out its new console, Nintendo Wii (we).
Coming just two days after the PS3 release, Wii produced no long lines at retail stores but generated plenty of buzz all the same.
Though stores quickly sold their supplies, there seemed to be plenty of the product. The company said it would ship four million units by the end of the year and sold 600,000 consoles in the first eight days on the market.
The PS3 sells for the suggested retail price of $499 and $599, depending on model.
As stores sold out, PS3s appeared on eBay for $1,500 to $2,000. The Wii lists for $250. Some retailers have bundled games with both systems to push the price higher.
But more than just price separates the two systems. While Sony has worked to improve the graphics technology of video games, Nintendo has made it clear it wants to expand the audience.
While many of the graphics and story intensive games for the PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 have a dark and foreboding -- and sometimes violent -- feel, Nintendo Wii offers games the company says will be part of a fun, shared game experience.
Nintendo designers have made the controller simpler and less intimidating to operate. It replaces complicated button sequences in sports games, for example, with intuitive hand motions, to simulate swinging a racquet or rolling a bowling ball. Its wireless, and looks a lot like a TV remote.
Wii also is making a nostalgia play for its 20-something fan base. It's offering "classic" games many users will remember from their childhood, including for the NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx16 consoles. Players can redeem "Wii Points" in the Wii Shop Channel and download their games.
"Developers worldwide have enhanced Wii's launch library of new games with countless new ways to play," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Whether you pick a completely new property or a classic franchise, the Wii experience draws you in."
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