Wii the Wii's sales+casual emphasis have a long term positive effect on gaming?

[boffo]

This is intended as a discussion/debate thread. Take the chance to predict what you think the future will bring. Will the gaming industry further shift towards bringing in the casual gamers at the possible expense of the long time(hardcore) gamer and if it does will this be a good thing? Or will Nintendo continue to be the only one to put their primary focus on the casual market and let Sony and Microsoft battle it out for the rest of the market? Or will the casual gaming trend just end up as a fad that within 5-10 years will be nothing more than a small niche genre of games?

I'm looking for intelligent debate here so don't just put an answer of yes or no. Regular forum rules still apply so while rebuttals are highly encouraged remember that opinion and fact are different things and that you need to respect the opinions of others. Hopefully this will lead to an interesting discussion.

[Ark]

Wii the Wii sales...?? da hell kinda sentence is that? :P

Anyways, after managing to get a Wii last year, i haven't really even touched it since Mario Kart...and their haven't been many games that have grabbed my attention and the only time i ever play it is when my little nieces come over, so really i see it now as more of a toy and only picking it up to waste a few minutes, so its like something you buy just to have...but also I think nintendo will have a long run with what they have
though i can't really say they have much of a hardcore lineup nowadays, i'm sure their casual lineup will most likely keep them going...my mom and dad where never really gamers but i have gotten them to try some Wii games...
Their focus on not just gamers but everyone else as well can give them enough attention to grab sales...and its pretty much working

[boffo]

I could see Nintendo sticking with their casual focus, but at the same time it could cause them some problems in the long run. They keep getting applauded for bringing in new gamers but how many of them would stick around and buy a Wii 2? For the parents and grandparents that have started gaming with the Wii I would expect many of them would feel no need to get another gaming console, unless Nintendo can pull a rabbit out of the hat twice and make their next console into a must have as well. And for the kids that are happy with their Wii's now, will they remain happy? Perhaps growing up playing casual games will be enough for them, but some may want something more than what Nintendo is offering. That'd be where Sony and Microsoft come in.

I guess the greatest fear for many right now is that Sony and Microsoft see how much money Nintendo is making right now and decide that must be the way to go. Personally I could see MS having an easier time making the shift to the casual market just because they have fewer established franchises than Sony does. Sony might be in the best position however to bridge the gap between the casual and hardcore types of gamers with games like LittleBigPlanet and Ratchet and Clank that really do a good job of appealing to all ages.

In the long run however I see Sony and Microsoft staying as the more hardcore consoles(especially if their next consoles are anywhere near as expensive as their current ones were originally) but they'll likely try to do a bit more to appeal to the casual gamers or those that feel they want more than what Nintendo is giving them. For Nintendo I see the Wii continuing to be the top dog for this gen, but I don't think it will guarantee success for their next console. If the Wii 2 is little more than a Wii with better motion controls and HD graphics it might not be enough to convince many people to upgrade.

[codenamelenny]

Right now Nintendo is making games for both "core" and "casual" gamers. They bring in new gamers with games like wii sports/fit/music but keep them with mario kart, Galaxy, SSBB, Punchout, etc. Well that's what their plan is.
I don't know what will happen next gen. Nintendo will probably introduce something new other than better graphics.

[boffo]

Nintendo has probably done the best job of everyone developing games for the Wii when it comes to trying to release an variety of games that cater to everyone, yet even they have been favouring a more casual bias with more casual releases than core releases.(plus I don't think I'd consider Mario Kart as a core game anymore. Rubber banding has made 150cc more of an annoyance than a challenge and you have to really suck to not be competitive online. Still a fun game but it's horrible how far downhill that franchise has gone since the original Super Mario Kart).

I was at a store that sells games yesterday and it was the first time in a while that I gave much of a glance to the Wii section. It made me laugh looking at some of the stuff that was there. Build-a-Bear Workshop? Imagine Babiez? I could list more but my brain made me stop there. I'd say that things might be OK if Nintendo would just enforce some quality control, but they're the ones who thought Wii Music was a great idea.

[Ark]

im sure nintendo will have their Wii last 'till the next console wars(actually i'm 100% sure all 3 consoles will last 'till the next), yet to me it just doesn't seem like much but if they can at least bring up the hardcore back then it'll surely boost up the reputation...seeing how most people view it as a family friendly console nowadays, even though they have their fair share of T-M rated games...(No More Heroes was badass!! and Madworld looks even crazier!!) what i hate though is the fact that the "Multi" console games are on every system, the Wii most of the time gets dumbed down or nothing at all version...take "Burnout-Paradise" for instance its a "multi" console game yet doesn't appear on the Wii due to it being less of the power and hard-drive which can be a set back for nintendo itself...

games like smash bros, mario kart, and zelda...i hate to admit it but those were awesome games but my attention for them was short as soon as i maxed out as much as i could on those games and then moved on to Call of Duty, Metal Gear Solid etc. and i've pretty much stayed with those games in the long run...

many of their games are a great grab but if only i could actually take most of them seriously...

[E6600]

I think the Wii is the best thing that happened to gaming, the Wii brings:

1. A change in focus, instead of raw power, new ways of interaction with your games.
2. A new class of gamers, that might become even more interested in gaming in the future.

Nintendo's next console is going to have a strong base to build on top of. Nintendo will be at the top of gaming world for at least the next 5 years. We'll see more companies emulate the Wii's success.

[Spindel]

Originally Posted by E6600

I think the Wii is the best thing that happened to gaming, the Wii brings:

1. A change in focus, instead of raw power, new ways of interaction with your games.
2. A new class of gamers, that might become even more interested in gaming in the future.

Nintendo's next console is going to have a strong base to build on top of. Nintendo will be at the top of gaming world for at least the next 5 years. We'll see more companies emulate the Wii's success.

I agree with this.

The Wii has a lot of good (as in fun) games, even if I can't deny that there also is a lot of crap for it (just like the PS2).

Games like da blob, boom blox and Z&W to name a few 3rd party offerings that might have colourful "kiddy" covers but are good games and there are more.

I personally have more games then I have time to play at least (I work to much so I don't have that much time to play still play my DS more than my Wii in bed before I go to sleep )

[boffo]

Originally Posted by E6600

1. A change in focus, instead of raw power, new ways of interaction with your games.
2. A new class of gamers, that might become even more interested in gaming in the future.

The main problem I still see with number one is that while waggle is a new way to interact with games too many Wii games use it as nothing more than a direct replacement for a button press, so it doesn't really change much. Perhaps once they incorporate true 1:1 motion as a standard feature then we'll start to see just what motion control can do for a game.

And the new class of gamer we'll just have to wait and see how many of them will feel the need to upgrade into the next generation or make a jump into Playstation or Xbox gaming. I still get the feeling a lot of them will just be fine with the Wii and a handful of games that they own.

[Ark]

imo, to add a little 'oomph' (not that they really need it) i think the Wii needs a 'rewards' like system similar to sony's "Trophies" and microsoft's "Acheivements"....for i find myself playing a few older games like 'uncharted' as well as new ones as well for that certain trophy just to show it off, my skill and the fact that i luv a challenge rather than the old days in common games where i just play a game to just finish it and see the end...