Gates: Nintendo is Our 'Toughest Competition'

[Ciderax]

Gates: Nintendo is Our 'Toughest Competition'


That's right, Nintendo not Sony. Microsoft head honcho Bill Gates thinks that, because of the "impressive strength" of the company and its new Wii console, Nintendo is now Microsoft's biggest competition when it comes to video games.

In a recent interview broadcast in Japan, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has asserted that Nintendo, not Sony, is actually Microsoft's toughest competition in the video game space.

This comes as somewhat of a surprise, considering that Sony has been the market leader for two console generations in a row and that the industry in general seems to view Microsoft and Sony battling it out with high-powered systems while Nintendo takes a radically different approach and targets a slightly different audience with the Wii. Furthermore, Gates himself recently acknowledged that Microsoft and Sony are both looking to take over your living room. This doesn't appear to be what Nintendo is aspiring to, at least not on the face of it.

That said, there are only so many video game dollars to go around, and Nintendo is ultimately competing for a large segment of that same pie. When Bill Gates looks at how well Nintendo is doing with its DS and Wii, he has little choice but to consider them competition.

So what are the Microsoft exec's feelings on Sony at this point? In a different interview with Dean Takahashi of the Mercury News, Gates noted that he thinks Microsoft and Sony have "switched positions." Time (let's say 4 to 5 years) will ultimately tell if that's true or not. Gates also said that Microsoft has the "high ground" because it can "ride a silicon cost-reduction curve faster than Sony can."

News source: GameDaily BIZ

Nintendo, not Sony, is the biggest competition to Microsoft. While Microsoft tries to find ways to make more money than Nintendo, not Sony, Nintendo, not Sony, is doing nothing and still makes more money due to it's popular attraction, Nintendo, not Sony, Wii! Microsoft, on the other hand, is ruling the Operating System space and not Nintendo, not Sony.

Even though It's not talking about Sony, not Nintendo. I still have to put it's name in it.

[yukinari]

thats really stupid considering the fact that ps3 and wii offer more than xbox 360. Microsoft should be worried about ps3 AND wii cuz right now 360 is sucking ass. the only good thing about it is that online play is the best out of all 3.

[Tong-Pak-Fu]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] you don't read do you...

"Gates noted that he thinks Microsoft and Sony have "switched positions." Time (let's say 4 to 5 years) will ultimately tell if that's true or not. Gates also said that Microsoft has the "high ground" because it can "ride a silicon cost-reduction curve faster than Sony can."

I won't note on which console is better. The only thing I note is the facts here.

[Master Penguin]

Microsoft should be worried about ps3

Looks like you've been living in the closet for the past 2 months.

[Assinator]

totally, just check this [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] since i found this, the numbers of Wii's sold in compare of the PS3 r a couple of tenfolds more (u say that like that?) xbox's marketshare was, when i found this, something about 75-80%. xbox's marketshare dropped, PS3's marketshare dropped (well..dropped...it was never big, and if u update it numerous times u see that the Wii is selling waaaaay better. in the time 10 PS3's r sold, about 100-200 Wi''s r sold!) and Wii's marketshare is going up up and awaaaay!

[JustinDan]

Sounds more like Gates is attempting to insult Sony, but that's just me. This is a big slap to the face, if more.

[Assinator]

could be, be Gates is pretty damn right. just look at the sales numbers i gave ya in my previous post.

[JustinDan]

Oh, no doubt about it. But I've always seen Microsoft and Sony as two major rivals and Gates wouldn't mind rubbing it in Sony's face at their dropping sales. =P

[Guy From Crowd]

I'd have to agree with Gates on this one, if you take the data off of nexgenwars.com it becomes pretty apparent which console is leading money wise.

So if you look at nexgenwars.com on present date of January 22nd, 2007 do some math is simple.

Sony:

They have sold 1,160,196 ESTAMATED consoles.

Lets assume that they were all the $500.00 models, now there is no absolute way of knowing which model of the PS3 Sony sold a majority of, so I'll do both. (Also, I know they are $499 and $599, I am rounding to nearest dollar.)

1,160,196 X $500.00 = $580,098,000 (20 GB Model)
1,160,196 X $600.00 = $696,117,600 (60 GB Model)

So, if you look at that data Sony is making a minimum of 580 million and a maximum of 696 million. Not bad. But if I can recall correctly, Sony is loosing some money on the construction of their consoles. I don't remember how reliable this information was, just that it was posted on the news section of this website in earlier months.

Now the Wii.

4,092,657 X $250.00 = $1,023,164,250

Well damn, its not so hard to see where the competition is entirely here. I won't even bother to look for the Handhelds information although I cannot assume who is winning in that, from what I have read in various websites they have reached a statistical tie.


So yeah, Billy Gates is right on this one.

BTW, remember those two prices from the PS3 20 and 60 GB versions are completely unknown because I do not possess an accurate amount of how many were sold each. I can only assume of you averaged those two numbers together you would get something. Possibly leading more down the side of the 20 GB version (but I can't be sure about that).