An industry analyst has told Gamasutra that the Nintendo Wii bubble “could be” on its way to deflating.
According to Doug Creutz of the Cowen Group, Wii owners plan to buy fewer games than they did a year ago, while Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 players intend to increase their purchases.
He attributed the expected decline in Wii sales to the current economic climate, as core gamers who owned other consoles were unlikely to slash entertainment spending “when budgets get tight.”
Creutz added that the Wii was likely to drag down overall holiday software sales, but noted the “biggest” negative impact would be limited to companies which had invested significantly in Nintendo’s platform.
Meanwhile, Sony’s Playstation 3 appeared poised to kick off a strong holiday season.
?”With the frontline Xbox 360 console (the Elite) also retailing for $299, we believe Sony now has, for the first time, a significant price advantage at retail, particularly in the minds of serious gamers who are more likely to be considering the PS3 vs. the Xbox 360 Elite rather than the $199 Xbox 360 Arcade version,” concluded Creutz.
See Also
?Electronic Arts closes Pandemic Studios
?Wii regains top hardware spot as PS3 sales slip
Nintendo poised to “regain control” of console market
?Gamers ditch Xbox 360 for PS3 sequels
?Wii fails to deliver
?Wii don’t want no Nintendo consoles
Video game industry halts downward spiral
