Pachter: Sony Move is basically Wii HD
Industry analyst Michael Pachter has weighed in on which of the big three console manufacturers will be the belle of the ball at E3 next month.
His opinion? Well, that depends on how well Nintendo's 3DS is received.
Speaking with Eurogamer in a really great interview, Pachter also said point blank that Sony's Move is Wii HD, plain and simple.
"Nintendo is on the verge of - certainly not dropping into third place or anything - losing its dominance, because I really truly believe that Sony Move is the Wii HD," he said.
"I really believe it. That's been my quote: I told everyone a Wii HD was coming this year, it just happens to say PS3 on the box. It is the Wii HD.
"That's a very easy upsell for Sony to say, 'If you have a Wii and you really want to play high-def games on your new big high-def TV, we've got 'em.'
"Sony is a winner and Nintendo is a loser on the console side, because the Wii Vitality Sensor isn't going to excite anybody. But the 3DS will. If you look at Nintendo's line-up, everything we care about is either out or known by now".
That being said, Pachter also said not to count Microsoft out with Natal, even though he believes that the peripheral will be marketed more to the less tech savvy.
"People are going to like Microsoft more than we expect," he said. "Microsoft isn't concerned about the gaming community with Natal, they're concerned about the gaming community's mothers and girlfriends.
"I really do think the gaming press has completely missed the mark on this one, that Natal is not intended for you to get up there and pretend you're holding a rifle and playing Call of Duty. It's intended for your mum to use the frickin' 360 to download a movie or watch Netflix and to make it less intimidating.
"The cool thing about Natal is the voice command. "Xbox on." I mean, that's cool. People will really like it when they see it and they begin to appreciate what it is".
Going back to the 3DS, Pachter said that unless Nintendo prices the new handheld properly, it will be killing the just released DSi XL - plus, the company needs to keep a closer watch on Apple.
"If the 3DS is anything like those little 3D point-and-click cameras, because that screen technology is pretty cool and I'm sure it is that, it will really get people excited," he said.
"Question is: what does it cost? If they get $189 for a DSi XL, do they think they're going to get $300 for a 3DS? I don't know. Maybe they will, but that's a tough purchase for me.
"The 3DS is coming along at a really good time for them. I don't think it's good for the DSi XL. If they launch the thing [the 3DS] prior to holiday, I can't imagine why anybody would buy a DSi XL this holiday.
"Longer term, Nintendo does really start to look bad as Apple really starts to push the iPod Touch as a gaming device, and that's happening this holiday.
"Again, the gaming press hasn't figured it out. The gaming press doesn't really understand the 12-year-old customer, nor do you guys care. Who plays DS games? Them, not us.
"Nintendo's got problems this year but the 3DS will make them look great at E3.
"This is more a hardware show than in the past".
The full interview can be read through here.
It's honestly a good read, but we already said that once.