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Sega VP of Marketing: ‘Wii Will Not Last’

You know, we've heard a number of analysts predict that the Nintendo Wii will see a large nosedive, and predict that ultimately it'll be the PlayStation 3 to take it home. But to hear such words from a, currently prolific, supporter of the Nintendo Wii is pretty unexpected. In an interview with Scott Hillis of Reuters, Sega's U.S. Vice President of Marketing for Sega-Sammy Inc. had some pretty interesting words to say regarding the manner.

"I am a little concerned about the creative depth of the Wii pool," Steinberg said in the interview. "I'm not sure if they will top out in 2008 or 2007." Additionally, Steinberg says that as time goes on, the Nintendo Wii's visuals will look far more dated than they do today, which he believes will damper its long-term performance on the market.

"The Wii will start to look really dated in a couple years when developers get more value from the 360 and learn more and more about the PlayStation 3," Steinberg said.

"[…] How much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now? How can they design products that aren't too derivative of what's already out there? We know the PS3 pool is pretty deep. There's a lot to exploit there," Steinberg concluded.

In another interview with Reuters, the head of Electronic Arts' worldwide studios, John Schappert, thinks otherwise with EA announcing additional support for the Wii. "They are expanding the market, expanding the demographic, expanding the reach. Their approach is, let's make a game machine for the masses. They've got a machine that's covering all spectrums and it's additive to our business," said Schappert.

Whether or not the Nintendo Wii will continue to sell hordes monthly over the next year is left to be seen. Concerns over the system's punch, or lack thereof, do seem to be valid in an industry that is quickly moving towards an all new trend in television – the HD era. Ultimately, we're still at the belief that the Nintendo Wii in no way competes against the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Price the Wii in the same price-range as the two powerhouse next-generation consoles, and there's a damn good chance that the script would flip.