Are Pack-Ins Past It?

Nintendo's recent decision to pack a game with its Wii console has inspired a mixed reaction from gamers everywhere. Some are pleased that the Pack-In is making its return for the first time since the days when the SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis came packaged with the flagship title of their relative mascots -- Mario and Sonic, and some are irritated and annoyed they will have Wii Sports in their collection from day one.

In many ways, the death of the pack-in signalled the start of a more expensive age in gaming, with the cost to develop, produce, manufacture and distribute games rising, and in line with that the cost of the games themselves rocketing up.

So why has Nintendo chosen to pack the minigame compilation Wii Sports with it's new console? Will it give them an edge over Microsoft and Sony? It's certainly up for debate.

To start out, I figured I'd ask gamers just what they thought of pack-ins coming back. To get a decent view, I've asked different people - I've asked gamers hardcore and casual, non gamers, and several journalism colleagues of mine.

Here's what they all thought.

Chris Holmes, games journalist of many years on several sites online seems to love the idea of pack-ins. To quote, "This Wii pack-in deal is great, because I had to buy 5 games with other consoles at launch which was annoying to say the least. Many people called for Microsoft to pack-in some titles, to no avail. Pack-ins are interesting as they mean new users don't have to pick a game or a bundle. Some argue that people would buy less games because of it, but I think it's great for consumers to have something to start off with, which was also the argument I used to back up the Metroid Demo with DS units. I think that the Wii offers value for money without coming across "cheap" for adding a game in."

So it seems Chris is happy. Being a games journalist he's almost obliged to own all three consoles, and so like the case is for me, anything that can bring that cost down, or make that wallet destroying period known as launch slightly easier is looked upon happily. As Chris touches on here, it also suits Nintendo's tactic from a business point of view, which I'll talk about in more detail later in this article.

Next up is my friend Sam, who is an avid gamer on a limited budget. He's not quite as happy as Chris. His gut reaction: "I don't like it. It feels like somebody is being forced to buy the game with the console. Wii Sports might appeal to many but it won't appeal to all, and the inclusion of the game might cause some people to hold-off buying for when just the console is available." When asked if he'd buy the console himself, he replied "Eventually, but not on launch day. I'd rather have Zelda than Wii Sports myself."

Sure enough, if you're outside of Japan, you want to buy the Wii but don't like the look of Wii Sports, you're screwed. There's no other way about it -- Wii Sports is something you're stuck with. On top of this, as every single Wii owner will have a copy of Wii Sports, its trade-in value at stores such as EB and Gamestop will be quite literally non-existent. Sam also asked me if the pack-in actually made the console more expensive, and we'll examine that in detail later on.

Next up is the casual gamers -- Jon, Gush and Matt. The three of them play games, but they certainly don't play to the extent that the likes Sam and I do. These three didn't know anything about the Wii, let alone it's pricing or the recent pack-in announcement. After a quick explanation of the new controller and how it'll work, they explained their thoughts.

"Good idea," says Matt. "You don't have to buy the game too," is the initial general consensus from the group. "There's no fuss about it all" comments Gush, and Jon adds that "If your parents buy it you for Christmas, you don't have to worry about them buying some random crappy game." It seems the casual gamers are impressed by the pricing, though they were more than a little put off by the control method and name. I told them to wait until they see it to judge, as I'm sure their thoughts will change then.

Finally, the market Nintendo is trying to market the Wii to: The Non-Gamer. Chloe really has had no interest in games at any point in her life. Her brother plays them, and to her it's all over her head. However, she did think the DS was a good idea, so she's right in Nintendo's demographic.

"Good idea," she said, "But what if it's a really bad game?" I assure her the game isn't a bad one at all from what everybody's seen, and in fact a fun party-game. "It gives less choice but it helps new people, which is good. Does it make it more expensive?" she asks. I tell her that there's no other option, and you simply have to buy the packed-in game. She shrugs. "Good idea, then." Score one for Nintendo with the non-gamer camp, which of course includes that all important market of parents.

And that leads me onto my next point. Just why are Nintendo doing this? We all know that Nintendo is, in the words of Reggie "Dedicated to providing quality games for core gamers while opening up the market with new, interesting games for non-gamers." But that could be made much simpler.

Essentially, they are trying to make more people pick up the remote and play their console with more simplistic, different games, as they did with the DS. The choice in design on the DS -- a touchscreen method that to non-gamers seems more simplistic than a controller with many buttons -- has been copycatted to the Wii, with the Gamecube's configuration of 7 buttons, 2 analogue sticks and one d-pad being swapped for a simple TV remote style design.

We all know the rest of Nintendo's tactics for pulling in new gamers with games like Nintendogs and Brain Training expanding their demographics. But how does this fit in with the launch? The answer is simple, and simple is what this is all about -- making it easy for the new gamers.

Just as Nintendo believes they were daunted by controllers with a plethora of buttons, they believe these people would be daunted by a range of pricing plans, bundles and setups. Therefore, Nintendo offers one setup, one colour, with one game, no choice, for $250. Fitting in with the intention of being simple, they have packed the game in so that parents and people just buying a home console for the first time don't have to choose from the (large) launch lineup. For those people simply wanting to try gaming, everything is lined up. It is ready. All they have to do is hand over their money.

For that reason, the pack-in works well, though it may ruffle the feathers of a few gamers who just want their Wii and Zelda.

And what about that price? Well, the Wii is going to drop at $250, which, while more than expected, is much cheaper than the rival consoles. Some people screamed bloody murder when the announcement came, as the Japanese price translated to $212. They assumed that the extra cash was a price-hike because Western countries have Wii Sports bundled but Japan does not.

I'd argue this isn't the case. While previous generations were slightly different, there is a slight price hike to cover things like shipping, localisation and distribution. This I can live with. While I can't prove anything, I'm fairly positive that we would all be paying $250 for the Wii if Nintendo had decided not to bundle it with Wii Sports. In many ways, because of that, it is a free game.

If the pack-in is a good or bad thing, and no matter how many gamers it has upset, there's no doubt in my mind that it won't damage the Wii launch significantly, or even at all. Even those gamers I've seen on certain internet forums screaming "Wii Sports? No fucking way! I want Zelda! Fuck you, Nintendo!" will be there on launch night queuing up, cash in hand.

That is why this tactic is a good one. They won't lose any core gamers through the inclusion of a pack-in, but they'll certainly gain some parents and non-gamers, impressed by the offer. If all goes well, we could see the PS4 and the Next Xbox copying Nintendo's tactic and packing in a game free of charge.

I'd like to know what you guys think of this. Good or bad? Do you want Wii Sports? Annoyed you're going to have to own it? Should other companies follow suit? Personally, I think it's a great idea for enticing more people to buy the console that perhaps wouldn't and streamlining the gaming confusion for parents this Christmas. However, the proof is in the pudding, the reaction after the launch will likely determine if this becomes tradition, or a one off flaw.