GigaOm has posted an interesting article called "Why the Wii Could Win the World (but Probably Won’t)". The author claims that Nintendo's console only needs three things to "win it the world" (I'm not even sure what that means.): a full-features web browser, an iTunes-like interface for purchasing content with Wii points, and a multiplatform social network with seamless chat/IM. After speaking with a Nintendo executive, the article's author said:
"While the Nintendo exec I spoke with listened attentively, he explained that such features don’t fit the company’s main goal: to provide a platform for fun and games. For the moment, then, the Wii seems destined to become this generation’s Playstation 2 -- an epically popular game console, but little else. Which is a shame, because if Nintendo misses out on this opportunity, we do, too."
I'm not entirely sold on the author's argument. I don't see myself using the Wii, or any console for that matter, for several of the general computing tasks he mentions (web browsing, editing Google Docs, etc.). Of course, the right interface could change all that. Furthermore, I don't see how his argument is limited to the Wii. Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are rumored to be getting waggle controllers that would provide the same input as a Wiimote. What do you guys think? Would you use the Wii or any other console as a general computing device? Or is this a case of a guy that doesn't really understand consoles indulging in a "rhetorical flourish"?
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