How Stupid Does 1up Think We Are?
The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments.
- Friedrich Nietzsche
He who strikes the first blow admits he’s lost the argument.
– Chinese Proverb
The reason I talk to myself is that I’m the only one whose answers I accept.
– George Carlin
It is one thing to try to convince me of something that is tenuous at best. But it is something else entirely to tell me that my own eyes and ears are lying to me.
1up.com has just told me that own senses cannot be trusted because apparently my eyesight and hearing are so poor that I am physically incapable of watching, let alone understanding, footage of two men talking clearly and coherently into microphones while being recorded on video.
Back before New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launched last year, GameTrailers TV hosted an episode in which they featured Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime as a special guest.
During the episode, GameTrailers TV host Geoff Keighley issued a sales challenge to Reggie, asking the NOA president on the spot if New Super Mario Bros. Wii would outsell Modern Warfare 2. Reggie agreed to the bet stating Mario would outsell Modern Warfare 2 “on one particular platform,” taking into account NPD data through January 2010. I know this because I watched the video. With my own eyes.
The January NPD data just came in yesterday. Here are the results if you tally up the current U.S. sales totals for the two subject titles:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360): 6,156,700
New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4,866,700
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3): 3,249,000
As I can clearly see here (with my own lying eyes), New Super Mario Bros. Wii outsold Modern Warfare 2 on particular platform: The PS3. Reggie won the bet.
However, this cannot be, for facts are a mere inconvenience – obstructions that must be modified and reshaped to suit a particular desire. In this case the desire was to see NOA’s president lose a bet with a game-show host. Why, I do not know.
Don’t get me wrong, I think both games are excellent and extremely well-made. I can enjoy a spec ops mission in Call of Duty just as much as a multiplayer Mario session. But when someone assumes that I lack even a first-grade-level grasp of English conversation, I tend to raise an eyebrow in a state of confusion.
My confusion stems from the fact that 1up is claiming Reggie “said that New Super Mario Bros Wii would outsell the 360 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 by the end of holiday season.” I’d sure like to know what video it was that 1up watched to give the website this impression, because it sure wasn’t the same video I watched. The video I watched showed Reggie saying “I do believe so” in response to his own question of “on one particular platform” while Keighley repeatedly tried to interject with “on 360.” The odd thing, however, was that the words “Xbox,” “360″ or even “Microsoft” never left Reggie’s lips, though they did leave Keighley’s lips many times.
But I suppose I am asking too many questions; a bad habit of mine.
Back in December I questioned 1up’s reporting of the bet. I questioned why the website claimed that Reggie “thr[ew] down the gauntlet and issue[d] a sales challenge” when it was Keighley who issued the challenge. I also questioned why the website said Reggie specifically bet that Mario would outsell the Xbox 360 version of Modern Warfare 2, and why it backed up this assertion by linking back to one of its own articles paraphrasing the video.
Now I find myself questioning why the website is calling the bet a “prediction” on Reggie’s part when a prediction is usually something that involves just one person, unlike a bet, which involves at least two people. Oh, and I’m also wondering why the website has once again provided no direct link to the video itself, instead falling back yet again on its own paraphrasing.
Too many questions, not enough answers. Maybe it’s better that I just stop now before I give myself a headache.
Actually, I have only one more question.
Why doesn’t 1up expand its business and begin practicing law? After all, it’s usually only a lawyer who can convince you that it’s raining when someone is taking a piss on your head.
Reggie: Wii users don’t care about HD Netflix streaming
As spotted by Siliconera, Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aimé recently told CNBC that users streaming Netflix through the Wii aren’t going to miss the HD content they won’t be able to access — free content that’s available through other devices. He justified that claim with a simple argument: “over 26 million consumers have bought a Wii. The consumer is saying, for them, the quality of the visual is not nearly as important as the overall entertainment.”
It may irritate 360 and PS3 proponents to no end to hear him lay it out that plainly, but we’re having a hard time finding a flaw in Reggie’s logic.
Reggie: Wii users don’t care about HD Netflix streaming originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Reggie shows off the DSi XL
This week’s Nintendo Channel update may be a bit on the slim side, but Nintendo Week is back and actually has a few worthwhile snippets in this week’s episode. First up, Capcom’s Seth Killian struts his stuff in Tatsunoko vs Capcom, explaining the title for the unaware and showing off some of the combo-heavy gameplay behind it. Then, there’s the Reggie Fils-Aime interview where he talks about the Nintendo Week program, some of the third-party support Nintendo platforms enjoyed in 2009 and the DSi XL. He also manages to bring up the upcoming Zelda game without actually talking about it.
Head past the break for the full rundown of this week’s Nintendo Channel content.
Continue reading This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Reggie shows off the DSi XL
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Reggie shows off the DSi XL originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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1up Misquotes Mario vs. Modern Warfare Sales Challenge, Alters Terms of Bet
Perhaps you’ve heard by now of the GameTrailers TV episode in which host Geoff Keighley asked Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime whether New Super Mario Bros. Wii would outsell Modern Warfare 2. Fils-Aime responded by stating “On one particular platform – I do believe so,” and further added that he would be including NPD sales data up through January 2010.
However, if you read about the now-infamous bet over at 1up.com, you’d have gotten an entirely different story – one in which NOA’s president is depicted as himself issuing the sales challenge and specifically against the Xbox 360 version of Modern Warfare 2, not simply a single, unspecified platform.
On Friday the website posted an article entitled “NPD Fallout: Mario vs Modern Warfare.” In the article, 1up opens by stating, “Far be it from us to stoke the flames of the console wars, but when a major industry figure throws down the gauntlet and issues a sales challenge, we can’t help but check on the data.”
Only, the major industry figure (Fils-Aime) never issued the challenge – he merely accepted it. In the GameTrailers TV episode, host Keighley asks Fils-Aime: “So this is your big game for the holidays, you’ve got the biggest installed base, but is this thing going to outsell Modern Warfare 2?”
Fils-Aime first responds rather hesitantly by noting that Modern Warfare 2 is on two platforms, not simply one. However, Keighley then presents a more pin-pointed challenge by asking “But on a single platform?” Fils-Aime then changes tone and answers without hesitation, “Absolutely. I say that unequivocally.”
From this point forward, however, things become a little more dubious. Without linking directly to the GameTrailers TV episode, 1up claims in the NPD Fallout article that the bet entailed a deal that “New Super Mario Bros Wii would only be compared to the Xbox 360 version of the game, and it would be judged on NPD data through January.”
However, to support this assertion, 1up linked back to its own prior article on the subject (which did include a link the episode) from November 7 which paraphrased the GameTrailers TV episode by saying “Reggie also made a bold challenge to Infinity Ward” and that Reggie “issue[d] the caveat that they’ll only compare sales of Modern Warfare 2 on the 360 and not the 360, PS3, and PC combined for this unofficial challenge….”
It is this paraphrasing in particular that makes the NPD Fallout article a bit too untenable. While it is clear that Fils-Aime did not issue the challenge – Keighley in fact did – it is questionable whether Fils-Aime was referring to no specific platform in particular (meaning either the PS3 or Xbox 360) or the Xbox 360 alone.
After Fils-Aime responded to the question of “But on a single platform,” by stating “Absolutely, I say that unequivocally,” Keighley then asked, “You’re going to sell more copies of New Super Mario Bros. Wii than Modern Warfare will on 360?” Reggie responded by carefully limiting the bet, stating “On – on one particular platform? I do believe so.” However, Keighley quickly injected the comment “Just on 360,” while Fils-Aime was trying to state “I do believe so,” but the timing and context of that statement only seems to imply that Fils-Aime was saying “I do believe so” in response to his own self-imposed question of “on one particular platform?” The two then moved on and never addressed the issue of which version of Modern Warfare 2 they’re referring to, so it’s not clear at all that Fils-Aime was ever explicitly agreeing to bet sales of New Super Mario Bros. Wii against the Xbox 360 version of Modern Warfare 2 specifically.
Viewed as a whole, the GameTrailers TV episode gives the impression that Keighley wanted to place a bet involving the 360 version of Modern Warfare 2 alone, but that Fils-Aime would not entirely acquiesce and would instead agree only if he was given some wiggle room by including either the 360 version or the PS3 version.
But like many fast-talking exchanges, there may be room to infer two separate conclusions. It’s just that, in this case, one inference seems much more likely than the other. But we’re not here to tell our readers what the speakers really meant. So take a look at the video (linked again right here for your convenience), and you be the judge.
Nintendo: 80 percent of female console gamers prefer Wii
Nintendo’s resident name jotter-downer and kiester-kicker recently divulged to BMO Capital Markets attendees that the Wii is outperforming its rivals when it comes to female gamers. According to its estimates (via Kotaku), 80 percent of the female console gaming crowd prefers Wii over the alternatives. With an estimated 11.7 million female console gamers in the Americas — it’s important to note this data of Nintendo’s doesn’t take into account DS owners or PC users — the figure comes out to roughly nine million ladies waggling their way into the fun zone.
Nintendo: 80 percent of female console gamers prefer Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nintendo’s Fils-Aime: ‘effectively marketed’ third-party titles can sell on Wii
Despite slow to non-existent sales for several high-profile third-party Nintendo Wii titles, the company’s US head, Reggie Fils-Aime, still believes that third-party publishers on Nintendo’s console can be successful. Speaking with Kotaku, Fils-Aime says he’s “extremely disappointed” with the lack of major third party games on the Wii. He even goes so far as to say he’s spoken (presumably quite sternly) with “every publisher who makes content that is not available on my platform” about the subject.
When questioned as to why major titles like Grand Theft Auto IV and Assassin’s Creed 2 aren’t headed to his company’s console, he explains it as a measure of long lead times rather than technological inability. “Typically decisions are being made two years prior … and so the decisions two years ago were that those types of games would not be effective on the platform.” And though the subject isn’t directly broached, Fils-Aime remains steadfast that third-party titles can be successful on the Wii … with the right marketing. “High-quality, effectively marketed against our installed base, will sell. Period. End of story.”
It would appear then that Boom Blox, The Conduit, No More Heroes, and a mess of other third-party titles, had some truly ineffective marketing by Reggie’s standards.
Nintendo’s Fils-Aime: ‘effectively marketed’ third-party titles can sell on Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Reggie denies the existence of Wii HD
Though plenty of people — analyst Michael Pachter chief among them — are pretty certain that an HD version of the Wii is in the pipeline, you’re not going to catch Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Amie copping to it. Speaking with Geoff Keighley on Gametrailers TV, the Regginator said, “Michael continues to be the only one who believes that this is gonna happen. I don’t know how forcefully we can say there is no Wii HD.”
It certainly sounds like a firm refusal, but let’s all try to remember that the shelf life of a Nintendo denial is exactly 10 days.
Reggie denies the existence of Wii HD originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Reggie Fils-Aime on PSP Go: ‘What’s the benefit?’
In an interview with The Washington Post’s Mike Musgrove, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime handily dismissed the DS’s competition, suggesting either that he doesn’t feel threatened at all, or he feels really threatened (and the history of DS sales makes us more likely to believe the former interpretation).
He said that the newly launched, download-only PSP Go has a “fundamental concept problem in terms of ‘Who’s it for?’ and ‘What’s the benefit?’” He added that he has the “utmost respect for all our competitors, but it’s interesting to try and answer the consumer question of ‘What’s in it for me?’ in that product.”
As for the other major competition in the handheld space? When discussing the DS’s advantages over the iPhone/iPod Touch platform, Fils-Aime made the surprising move of referring to a third-party game, namely Scribblenauts. “That’s a fabulous experience that can only be brought to life on the DS.” Honestly, it probably could be done on iPhone, but it hasn’t and probably won’t, which is just as good for Nintendo.
Reggie Fils-Aime on PSP Go: ‘What’s the benefit?’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nintendo sells 2.2 million DSis, says Walmart is biggest customer
During a recent interview with CNBC, Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime addressed the Wii’s recent price drop (surprise: it’s seen positive results) and the company’s strategy for the upcoming holiday season. The manufacturer is counting on a strong showing for its DSi handheld, with Reggie revealing that 2.2 million units have now been sold, presumably in North America alone.
Of course, Nintendo couldn’t have possibly sold that many handhelds without the help of retailers and according to Reggie, Walmart has been the biggest customer. We’re not surprised — Walmart is supernatural, after all.
Continue reading Nintendo sells 2.2 million DSis, says Walmart is biggest customer
Nintendo sells 2.2 million DSis, says Walmart is biggest customer originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Reggie: Metroid Other M is a ‘more traditional’ Metroid game
With all the rapid-fire 3D action, Metroid: Other M may not look anything like any Metroid we’ve seen before, but according to Reggie Fils-Aime, it’s a return to a more familiar Metroid style. “A year ago, someone could have asked me, what’s going on with Metroid?” Fils-Aime told GameSpot. “When are we going to go back to the more traditional Metroid series versus the path that we went down with Prime? Here’s the answer: Other M.” The more traditional series — with a “harder edge,” according to Fils-Aime.
Reggie would like Other M to sell a bit more than the traditional Metroid game, however. “Metroid, for us, is a key franchise. And, in our view, really, since the SNES Metroid, we haven’t broken through in terms of 1.5, two million units, and that’s our bar,” he said. He also told GameSpot that he’s beginning to hear feedback from other companies, hoping to work with Nintendo in the same way Team Ninja is on Other M.
[Via The Escapist]
Reggie: Metroid Other M is a ‘more traditional’ Metroid game originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Top 10 Best Selling Games
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