Can a gamer make a Wii cost more than an Xbox 360? This is the game of marketing add-ons and accessories...
With all the positive press about the Nintendo Wii let us take a look at some of the dark sides of the force. How much can we spend to get a two player Wii console and will it cost more than a 360 of an equivalent build out?
We'll compare the Xbox 360, since that box has already shipped, to the Wii line of products:
Xbox 360
Wii
To be fair, the Xbox 360 has its own limitations: Add on another $99.99 to build out the 360 with WiFi capabilities that come out-of-the-box on the Wii and slide in a game for $59.99 to cover the bonus game Wii Sports that comes in the Wii box (unless you live in Japan).
Now your looking at $679.99 for a total package cost compared to the $509.99 Wii cost. You may also include an Xbox 360 remote for $29.99 if you care - some of the early adopters received this for free in the premium box. However, since the Xbox 360's remote is focused for DVD movie viewing and the Wii does not play DVD movies it would be unfair to include this in a side-by-side comparison.
Lastly, make sure you realize that the Wii accessory list still doesn't show thing such as a headset for [future] online play. This may push the cost up another $20.00 or so I'd expect.
Both systems will take you for a ride in accessories but, honestly, that is where they're going to make the biggest bang for the buck. Of course you can cut down on these features to bring your price to something more reasonable. You can also upgrade parts over time.
If you're big time into accessorizing you may want to focus your efforts on the Xbox 360. The 360 console has the best selection of add-on products because it has been in the market the longest. You can look forward to HD-DVD playback soon as well, which gives your console even more dual purpose capabilities.
The largest difference, in my humble opinion, is the LIVE! online play. You can use your Wii as a browser but you can use your 360 as a multi-player gaming box. Currently, that's not something we'll see on our Wii until after the holidays.
In either case, if your in this for an investment you might want to think about a Roth IRA or something. If you're in it to game then both prices are not too far off considering the Sony PlayStation 3 will start at the price of a fully loaded 360 (unless you plan to buy that lower grade feature-cut version of the console).
Overall, it will be hard to make a Wii cost more than a 360 but don't look at the Wii package as a "cheap solution to gaming" if you plan on having more than 1-player and a few additional accesories. I'm also not sure about the Wii rechargability or options for such a product. That may push the price up even more.
Get your wallet out because this is going to burn.
With all the positive press about the Nintendo Wii let us take a look at some of the dark sides of the force. How much can we spend to get a two player Wii console and will it cost more than a 360 of an equivalent build out?
We'll compare the Xbox 360, since that box has already shipped, to the Wii line of products:
Xbox 360
- Xbox 360 Premium: MSRP: $399.99. This is the "best buy" of the two SKU's available for the 360 because it contains a headset and wireless controller as part of the product. Some have remotes in them as well. You're saving a few bucks by taking this route when you consider buying accessories later.
- Wireless Second Controller: MSRP: $49.99 - Wireless is the way of the future, no reason to be tangled in wires. Especially if you have children running by the TV as your playing.
- Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit: MSRP: $19.99. You need one of these for your first controller, else you burn through tons of batteries so its cost effective - and you can use it to re-charge your new 2nd controller too.
- Xbox LIVE! 1-year subscription: MSRP: $49.99. You get a year of online play, but this doesn't include buying marketplace products. You can find them at amazon cheaper, but lets stick with what you'll see in a physical store.
Wii
- Wii Console: MSRP: $250. That includes a Wii controller with nunchuck add-on, crappy cabling (or so we expect), Wii Sports, and the box.
- WiiMote: MSRP: $40.00. The box only comes with one controller.
- Nunchuck: MSRP: $20.00. THe wiimote doesn't include the additional controller addon.
- Retro Controller: MSRP: $20.00. Let's assume the virtual console games really play best with this controller.
- Opera Browser: MSRP: $20.00 (or 2,000 Wii Points) - This allows us to web-browse "for free." It is still cheaper then the $50.00 cost of LIVE! and, arguably optional, but it would be closer to the "equivelant" 360 build out if it's included here.
- Component HD cables: MSRP on EBGames $59.99. If you have a 360 and an HDTV you probably want these cables to hook up your Wii easier. Cables aren't cheap.
- 4GIG SD Card: MSRP ~$100.00. To get us closer to the 20GB capacity of the 360 let's use the biggest SD card that we've seen on the Internet.
To be fair, the Xbox 360 has its own limitations: Add on another $99.99 to build out the 360 with WiFi capabilities that come out-of-the-box on the Wii and slide in a game for $59.99 to cover the bonus game Wii Sports that comes in the Wii box (unless you live in Japan).
Now your looking at $679.99 for a total package cost compared to the $509.99 Wii cost. You may also include an Xbox 360 remote for $29.99 if you care - some of the early adopters received this for free in the premium box. However, since the Xbox 360's remote is focused for DVD movie viewing and the Wii does not play DVD movies it would be unfair to include this in a side-by-side comparison.
Lastly, make sure you realize that the Wii accessory list still doesn't show thing such as a headset for [future] online play. This may push the cost up another $20.00 or so I'd expect.
Both systems will take you for a ride in accessories but, honestly, that is where they're going to make the biggest bang for the buck. Of course you can cut down on these features to bring your price to something more reasonable. You can also upgrade parts over time.
If you're big time into accessorizing you may want to focus your efforts on the Xbox 360. The 360 console has the best selection of add-on products because it has been in the market the longest. You can look forward to HD-DVD playback soon as well, which gives your console even more dual purpose capabilities.
The largest difference, in my humble opinion, is the LIVE! online play. You can use your Wii as a browser but you can use your 360 as a multi-player gaming box. Currently, that's not something we'll see on our Wii until after the holidays.
In either case, if your in this for an investment you might want to think about a Roth IRA or something. If you're in it to game then both prices are not too far off considering the Sony PlayStation 3 will start at the price of a fully loaded 360 (unless you plan to buy that lower grade feature-cut version of the console).
Overall, it will be hard to make a Wii cost more than a 360 but don't look at the Wii package as a "cheap solution to gaming" if you plan on having more than 1-player and a few additional accesories. I'm also not sure about the Wii rechargability or options for such a product. That may push the price up even more.
Get your wallet out because this is going to burn.
