:: Wii vs. PS3 - Part 2 of the 2007 Holiday Blog Special

At the beginning of the 2007 winter holiday season, I had my mind set on acquiring a Nintendo Wii, the video game console with the revolutionary, motion-sensitive gameplay. I am an interaction designer who focuses on designing intuitive interfaces for interactive applications. That being said, the Wii seemed to be an appropriate, electronic accessory for me to own. As I stated in my earlier blog entry, I joined the masses in trying to track down my own Wii console. In fact, I became obsessed with the pursuit of this machine, and was willing to pay double its market value to own it.

Like so many others, I was unsuccessful in my efforts to purchase a Wii. I grew weary of the chase. Having grown up a believer in Sony technology (after all, the Sony Walkman was one of the most influential gadgets that I ever owned), I decided to purchase a Playstation 3.

The Playstation 3 targets a completely different audience than the Wii. The PS3 persona is the hardcore gamer, the technophile, the multimedia enthusiast, the early adopter, etc. The Wii targets "everyman"....and "everywoman." (That is, after all the secret to its mass market appeal) I happen to fit into both companies' behavioral target profiles. I like videogames, yes, but I certainly can't hang with the Halo 3, Worlds of Warcraft, Gears of War crowd. I am a novice, at best.

Was the PS3 the right decision for me? Absolutely. Here's why:

1. I love to watch movies - The PS3 has a Blu-Ray DVD player that also up-converts regular DVDs to better resolution (if you have a high-definition TV).

2. I love to listen to music - Like the Xbox 360, and the Wii, actually, you can set up a remote media server using Windows Media Player, Orb, or TVersity, and stream your media files directly to your console.

3. I enjoy eye-popping graphics - Like the Xbox 360, again, PS3 games usually have stunning graphics, suited for high-definition televisions.

4. I'm a "twitch" "arcade" gamer - Like most novice gamers, I gravitate to "button mashing" affairs that require the gamer to merely "hammer" one or two buttons in order to execute beautiful fighting moves, or blast away 3-D rendered asteroids.

5. I'm an ex-"goth" - Sony, thankfully, has no problem licensing games that can be dark, violent, and cinematic. I designed the initial user experience of FEARnet.com, the internet's premiere, online horor portal, and the PS3 has plenty of games that satisfy my craving for this type of entertainment.

My current, guilty pleasure, is a game called "Heavenly Sword." Heavenly Sword is a gorgeous, sword-fighting game that fills my plasma tv with stunning, high-definition beauty. It also requires the user to understand a few, basic, controls....and even utilizes the Playstation 3's "Sixaxis" motion controller...making those of us who didn't get a Wii feel a little better about our Playstation 3 purchase!


Jonathan Lupo
VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab