Microsoft calls Wii a kids toy
11 Nov 2006 - Microsoft isn't feeling threatened by Wii, but would liked to have gone head-to-head with Sony this year.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft's European Xbox boss Neil Thompson discussed the status of the Xbox 360 as it heads into the Christmas shopping season in Europe, expressing with certainty that Nintendo's Wii won't affect sales.
"It has the potential of taking consumers spend and wallet share away from us in general, but at a product comparison level it's not competing with us at all," said Thompson of Wii. "It's an innovative, low-definition product.
"People will make a clear decision as to whether they want that sort of product a kids toy or they want high-definition gaming and entertainment and all that it brings."
He added that Nintendo's only a competitor in the sense that "they'll take consumers pounds and I'd like to have as many of those as I can."
Thompson would've preferred PlayStation 3 to have been on the market in PAL territories this year, primarily because "people could have really made the comparison" between Sony's and Microsoft's offerings. He concluded, "Sometimes it's worse when you're fighting a myth, than when you're fighting reality."