Game Companies Prep for Holiday Season

Time to go back to my bread and butter for this week's post.  We all know that Halloween is just a few weeks away, meaning that Thanksgiving is a few more weeks away.  Most importantly, this means that Black Friday is a few more weeks plus a day away, and this day usually marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season.  This time of year is when all things of all types start to fly off the shelves, but my focus today will be on what I know.  Believe it or not, video games have probably become one of the primary purchasing categories of the holiday seasons, for all ages, due to their relatively cheap price point and entertainment value.  Let's look at what companies are doing to prepare for the holiday season.

Many of you know (or many of you may not know) that Nintendo is planning to release its next system, called the Wii-U, this holiday season.  Here's what it looks like:

So what's the story with this guy?  Well, on the left is the big sell of this new system: the tablet controller.  Nintendo has already shown us examples of how this device will be implemented: for example, in the flagship Mario game for the new system, 4 players will use normal Wii remotes to play, while a fifth player can assist by using the tablet to draw helpful items; this will be translated onto the TV screen so that the other four players can see and use it.  The Wii-U tablet will also allow users to play games on the tablet, in case someone else wants to use the TV.

The Wii-U will finally bring Nintendo's system technology into this generation (that's right, THIS generation, not next), with hardware comparable to a slightly improved Xbox 360.  With this product, Nintendo sticks to their mantra of making games that sell by being engaging, not by being pretty or "hardcore".  The Wii-U will release with models selling at $299 and $349.

However, with the release of this new system, other companies (and Nintendo themselves, more on that in a second) are implementing price cuts to try and maintain the pace.  The Xbox 360's selling price will be cut by $50, allowing folks to also buy packages that include the system and a game or two.  The Xbox 360 has always been the cheaper of the "power" systems, and this price cut ought to really give it a nice push in this year's holiday competition.  If only it weren't for...

Nintendo.  The Wii (without the U) will still be on the market, even though game development for it will soon come to a halt.  The Wii's price will drop to $130 (I add an underline because of how epic this is), which includes a controller and two very popular games, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort.  If I didn't already have a Wii, this package would be highly enticing, and I'm sure that families all over the world will be tempted by this price cut.  I mean, if you can wait a bit on the Wii-U, why not just buy the Wii now and play it for a while, and you can take most of the equipment you purchase for the Wii and transfer it to the new version, whenever you get it?  Sounds like a pretty simple plan to me.  The Wii still has a pretty strong lineup of games to play for all ages, so I won't be surprised if the elder Wii at the cheaper price point has itself another strong selling season.

So beyond the surplus of good games that come out during the holiday season, the price cuts we'll see for the older systems, and the brand new Wii-U, a lot is happening this holiday season to entice gamers and non-gamers alike to spend their money on this brand of entertainment.

Oh, and what got me started on this article?  Dance Central 3 is out soon and is receiving solid reviews as usual.  The Kinect has surprised me in how well it's done and how solid the product is.  I will certainly be tempted to buy one, with Dance Central 3, this holiday season.  What games/systems are you looking forward to?

Have a great day and I'll see you next time!