You have played games before, therefore you are a core gamer by Nintendo's definition. The reason the non core is called the expanded audience is because it is a term for people or are not currently interested in the games industry and represent an opportunity to grow the industry.
You are not interested in the Wii because it was not designed for you. It was created for mothers, grandparents and a whole bunch of other people who have no idea that a site like this even exists. Nintendo is making some core games now to tap into the core market and gain a tiny overall percentage of it because it may as well get a little extra income from it, but it sure as hell doesn't need to. The fact its taken so long shows how important it is to Nintendo.
The concept that people will eventually get bored of the Wii is an interesting one. Until now, the games industry has been selling new consoles to a market that craves the new. Gamers constantly desire more powerful hardware with better graphics and more features but who's to say that this is the model the new expanded audience will follow. Nintendo's new (non nerdy) audience were quite happy to take a backwards step with the wii, because they couldn't give a shit about graphics. They probably aren't even aware that the xbox 360 and ps3 are more powerful. Therefore, it is entirely possible that they will be very happy with their wiis and their lifestyle games for some considerable time yet.
Nintendo will need new IPs with blockbuster appeal eventually, but they won't be a killer FPS or a new RPG, they're more likely to be a shopping channel or some kind of cooking game. Nintendo won't go back to competing with Sony and Microsoft on their terms because what's the point. It certainly didn't work with the gamecube.
Finally, there is no chance that Microsoft and Sony will attract the majority of Wii users next generation. Microsoft and Sony will never leave their hardcore audience completely. It would be far too much of a risk to take on the now widely established Nintendo brand in the market that Nintendo themselves created. And while Sony and Microsoft still retain their hardcore audience, they will never be an attractive proposition for someone who has never played games before apart from a few sessions on Wii fit. Instead they will copy a few of the Wii's features in an attempt to steal market share from Nintendo, but without ever really realising what made the Wii popular with the casual audience in the first place.
Do you really think Microsoft and Sony entered the games industry because of their desire to create games for the hardcore gamer? They entered the market because rightly they saw it as a market that was about to explode and it was an opportunity to make a lot of money. When Sony introduced the original playstation the reason it was so successful was because it expanded the market and brought in the mainstream. Nintendo has just continued this trend and this generation has taken this model to an entirely different level. Sony has lost sight of what it is the mass market actually wants. They thought they could win people over with a blu-ray player when actually what they wanted was a more accessible gaming experience. Sony are probably kicking themselves that they've been beaten at their own game.
The gaming industry has been changed for ever. Sony has already hailed Nintendo's "superior" business model, do you think they'll ever spend that much money on the development of a console again? Sony and Microsoft will be forced to follow Nintendo's lead next generation or be pushed into further insignificance. Microsoft has already started copying some of the Wii's features in an attempt to gain market share and this trend will continue next generation as both companies seek a larger audience.
Of course there will always be a hardcore market that some of the industry will want access to. But as this market becomes smaller and smaller compared to the far more lucrative mass market far fewer resources will be spent trying to attract it. There was a time when the gaming industry needed the hardcore to survive but now, as Nintendo has proved, they are more or less irrelevant.
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eddy's Comments
You have played games before, therefore you are a core gamer by Nintendo's definition. The reason the non core is called the expanded audience is because it is a term for people or are not currently interested in the games industry and represent an opportunity to grow the industry.
You are not interested in the Wii because it was not designed for you. It was created for mothers, grandparents and a whole bunch of other people who have no idea that a site like this even exists. Nintendo is making some core games now to tap into the core market and gain a tiny overall percentage of it because it may as well get a little extra income from it, but it sure as hell doesn't need to. The fact its taken so long shows how important it is to Nintendo.
The concept that people will eventually get bored of the Wii is an interesting one. Until now, the games industry has been selling new consoles to a market that craves the new. Gamers constantly desire more powerful hardware with better graphics and more features but who's to say that this is the model the new expanded audience will follow. Nintendo's new (non nerdy) audience were quite happy to take a backwards step with the wii, because they couldn't give a shit about graphics. They probably aren't even aware that the xbox 360 and ps3 are more powerful. Therefore, it is entirely possible that they will be very happy with their wiis and their lifestyle games for some considerable time yet.
Nintendo will need new IPs with blockbuster appeal eventually, but they won't be a killer FPS or a new RPG, they're more likely to be a shopping channel or some kind of cooking game. Nintendo won't go back to competing with Sony and Microsoft on their terms because what's the point. It certainly didn't work with the gamecube.
Finally, there is no chance that Microsoft and Sony will attract the majority of Wii users next generation. Microsoft and Sony will never leave their hardcore audience completely. It would be far too much of a risk to take on the now widely established Nintendo brand in the market that Nintendo themselves created. And while Sony and Microsoft still retain their hardcore audience, they will never be an attractive proposition for someone who has never played games before apart from a few sessions on Wii fit. Instead they will copy a few of the Wii's features in an attempt to steal market share from Nintendo, but without ever really realising what made the Wii popular with the casual audience in the first place.
Do you really think Microsoft and Sony entered the games industry because of their desire to create games for the hardcore gamer? They entered the market because rightly they saw it as a market that was about to explode and it was an opportunity to make a lot of money. When Sony introduced the original playstation the reason it was so successful was because it expanded the market and brought in the mainstream. Nintendo has just continued this trend and this generation has taken this model to an entirely different level. Sony has lost sight of what it is the mass market actually wants. They thought they could win people over with a blu-ray player when actually what they wanted was a more accessible gaming experience. Sony are probably kicking themselves that they've been beaten at their own game.
The gaming industry has been changed for ever. Sony has already hailed Nintendo's "superior" business model, do you think they'll ever spend that much money on the development of a console again? Sony and Microsoft will be forced to follow Nintendo's lead next generation or be pushed into further insignificance. Microsoft has already started copying some of the Wii's features in an attempt to gain market share and this trend will continue next generation as both companies seek a larger audience.
Of course there will always be a hardcore market that some of the industry will want access to. But as this market becomes smaller and smaller compared to the far more lucrative mass market far fewer resources will be spent trying to attract it. There was a time when the gaming industry needed the hardcore to survive but now, as Nintendo has proved, they are more or less irrelevant.
All eddy's Comments