Nintendo president Satoru Iwata believes that Wii U will ultimately be better suited to hardcore gamers whilst admitting that Wii appealed to mainly causal gamers. Iwata hopes that Wii U with its HD graphics and expanded features will appeal to a wider demographic than the Wii.
“Shortly after the Wii console was released, people in the gaming media and game enthusiasts started recognising the Wii console as a casual machine aimed toward families, and placed game consoles by Microsoft and Sony in a very similar light with each other, saying these are machines aimed towards those who passionately play games,”
“It was a categorisation between games that were aimed towards core, and casual.”
“I certainly do not think that Wii was able to cater to every gamer’s needs, so that’s also something I wanted to resolve,” he said. “The general public’s impression that Nintendo was casual grew as time went by.”
“One of the key reasons that such things as the core and the casual exist today is that we decided not to adopt HD on the Wii console,” Miyamoto explained. “Of course, besides that there are things like issues with the controller and the challenges that it brings, network functionalities and many other things, but I think HD was the biggest factor that everyone was able to clearly understand the difference.”
“The barrier that separated the two genres [core and casual] was only something psychological, just an impression that people had about them. For example, The Legend of Zelda games were something geared towards the toughest audience, and it has been so from the beginning,” he said.
“So it’s not like at Nintendo we don’t have it in us.”
Isn’t this old news just repeated in the recent Iwata Asks interview?
yea, but in that one he didnt admit that the wii was casual
In truth, the key to the WiiU is that its extra functionality makes games possible that are more difficult than the games that are considered core gamer games.
This blog gave me the idea? http://alturl.com/ddne2
Yes, but the article asks an important question and fans of nintendo can do the best thing by answering what can they invision with the Wii?
can you answer that question http://alturl.com/ddne2
I’m pretty sure I recall them saying how the Wii would support both hardcore and casual gamers… look what happened… -.-
It supported hardcore and casual gamers?
of course it did. what do you consider Zelda, Metroid, Mario Galaxy an many other games to be casual? people are so ignorant these days!
he ment third party -_-
how can you tell he meant 3rd party? he asked if it supported casual and hardcore so he means the Wii games in general
because he did NOT ment mario, zelda, metroid, etc..those are obvious nintendo games.
he meant wii as a console would support hardcore and casual. so he was meaning all games in general.
wow you can see what is not written on the Internet :O by looking at the written and assuming someone meant something they did not include in their text? impressive! i wish i could do that -_-
it takes training *puts on shades*.
The problem is that fans of nintendo arent answering the right questions. This blog had a great question for fans to think of what can be made using the WiiU? I wonder what you will say? http://alturl.com/ddne2
Wii sports may not be hardcore for you, but for all those elderly people who bought it to get exercise, that was as hardcore as it gets.
All joking aside, Mr. Miyamoto is exactly right when he said the barrier between core and casual is purely psychological. A lot of the Wii/Nintendo being labelled as casual was Sony’s doing. Jack Trennton is always talking crap about Nintendo as if he, the CEO of Playstation Entertainment, is not the most Sony biased person there is or that his opinion of Nintendo actually matters. Unfortunately, when the CEO of one of the big three starts enabling social stigmas in order to alienate 20+ y.o. Nintendo fans, Sony fans support him without a second thought. And that’s all the core/casual argument is, a social stigma. While self-proclaimed “core” games see people who are playing non-Sony, MS, or PC consoles, as somehow inferior or more immature, and cyber bully them any chance they get, gamers labelled casual by the “core” gamers see them as asocial, weak, trigger-button happy nerds with no life. That certainly isn’t true all the time, but for a large majority, it’s true… and saying that isn’t stigmatizing since they’re the ones calling themselves “Core” and it’s true.
The fact of the matter is, there is no defined line between casual and core… however it’s just common sense that all core games started out as “casual.” People just don’t automatically go from not being a gamer to someone who plays WoW 60 hours a week. Therefore, since Nintendo is the only one who focused (or even knows how to) on expanding the gaming audience by making an affordable, appealing, trendy console… if Nintendo didn’t exist and it was just PS3 and Xbox, with no stepping stone between non-gamer and “core,” the video game industry would stagnate and probably eventually just die out.
Sony and MS literally owe it to Nintendo for their success for acting as that transition phase. And now Nintendo’s looking to unify both sides by getting in on the high-end hardware market with the entire cheaper, “casual” market already in their pocket. If Nintendo succeeds, and with such a big head start to get everything perfect, it’s pretty obvious they’ll be pretty successful, Sony and MS will lose business. They can try to wrestle some of the casual market with whatever, and Microsoft has better chances at that with the Kinect, Sony is mostly helpless (and clueless) without a whole lot of control over their game library. Developers of “casual” games would sabotage themselves before they ever thought it would be a good idea to migrate to Sony. Nintendo will inevitably steal some of their market share and Sony won’t be able to take any from Nintendo. I promise you, Sony is aware of that, and if they can’t play fair, Jack Trennton’s gonna say much worse things than the 3DS being only good for babysitters.
Hopefully, he’ll say something really stupid and insulting and get fired because of it. I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if it happened.
Trennton is an idiot! lol i always read his last name as treton :P
^This.
I determine current “core” games to be games that take many hours to complete (say at least 10 hours). Casual games to me are the “pick up and play” games that can start and end within an hour. This is any sort of mini-game collection, party game, board game, etc. Core games are more single player type experiences and casual more multiplayer (after all the matches start and end quickly).
I agree, the WiiU allows a physical dmension to further games, I wonder what games we know and love can challenge us to do with that added function. I asked you previously to check out this blog but I will again http://alturl.com/ddne2
The WiiU can satisfy both but more in terms of gameplay than graphics.
This blog asked what can we do with the WiiU , what do you think? http://alturl.com/ddne2
He is wrong, with the Wii the success was with the casual. The DS was casual, the 3DS aimed at hardcore, and the hardcore did not like it. Here is the thing. The core wants to sit down and play a game with just the controller, relax and have a fun time. Where as the casuals want to have fun and not just relax. That is why the Wii U may fail like the 3DS, the demographic is wrong. Putting hardcore games and making casual games hardcore is completely wrong. The Wii U has some great ideas, but the console should not be forced to be enjoyed with the tablet controller. Instead they should make a standard controller and market it as a casual and hc machine.
The control scheme can be whatever u want (its up to the dev team) it supports wii-mote, the classic controller, the tablet, the nunchuck, pretty much evry controll scheme, and if the Dev team is smart, they would take the extra time to make the game let you choose how u want to play. (like in ssb: brawl you can use any controller, AND change the button scheme around). As for “forcing” things to be enjoyed, all Nintendo did was add a new option, and me as a core gamer, I welcome that.
to me nintendo added not just another option but a great standard. the WiiU remote means every single game should have people standing up. This blog asked a cool question to fans?http://alturl.com/ddne2 It made me think, imagine a 2 player shooter where one player controls the shooting, rotating around in the room, every angle, looking through their console and the other player controls the vessel communicating with the big tv screen for information and gadgets and rotating around the room with to get a gist of the opposition around, like last star fighter?
If you can’t enjoy a game because you think it isn’t “core” or because of the controller then… I just feel sorry for you. A gamer that has an inability to enjoy games? Sad.
i bought and tried, i swear i really tries to enjoy both zeldas on the DS and for the love of god i freaking hated the fact that i had to use that stupid stylus to play an adventure game, so are you saying that its sad and you feel sorry for me aswell becauase my preferance in gaming wasnt an option on a game that i wouldve loved to play? keep in mind ive played and passed every zelda game before that EVEN the CDi zeldas, if so, i feel sorry for you.
You played and beat the Phillips CD-i games? Shit, you are hardcore.
well kind of, i did beat em but it was me and my dad playing the games so we both beat the game, kind of embaras to say it, but i really miss thoses games lol nostalgia mostly
Respect!
I agree abujaffer, people who missed pikmin were crazy. This blog asked nintendo fans to figure out how the new controller could change their favorite games http://alturl.com/ddne2
When I look at classics like super smash bros, imagine a board where you fight an opponent on the main screen but if you move from the main screen your character can be pushed into another fight area , which appears in the hand held screen, fighting whomever. That function allows for puzzles and different fighting task
#nintendo
I disagree legend. To me the WiiU should succeed but it all depends on the developers imagination. The WiiU is the first game that really challenges design of games to be physical non sit down.
this blog http://alturl.com/ddne2 asked about what you could see in a WiiU game and I was thinking , imagine a pac man game where you had to use the small screen and rotate it in all sorts of angles to stay with pacman as he tries to escape from the ghost. with 2 player, players could switch characters if their remotes face each other and play within the same space with their screens rotating. the key for fans is, what can we think of and suggest to nintendo that will really focus on what the WiiU offers functionally. http://alturl.com/ddne2
so even NINTENDO is ADMITTING they fucked up? kudos to you nintendo, for acknowledging your errors. i applaude that.
I think he admitted that the Wii was aimed to a different audience, and left out the core gamers, not that they messed up, Wii is the best selling console for this gen.
The problem was he met the goal of getting casual gamers to play, to such a high extreme that core gamers got left out.
Aiming towards a different audience isn’t the same as fucking up. Let’s think about this: Based on technology alone, which console is most geared towards hardcore gamers? The PS3. Now, which console sold the worst? again, the PS3. Now which is most aimed toward ‘casual’ gamers? The wii. Which sold the best? The wii. Now then, who came out on top in that little scenario?
This is also relevant to the Gamecube. Some of my favorite, “core” games are on th GCN, but it was the worst selling console of that generation. On the other hand, the PS2 sold around 250 million units.
good point hocotatirum check out the comments on this blog http://alturl.com/uc4hs
this is going to be too expensive… screw it
i will keep my 360
I can tell you it will be cheaper than “Five Hundred and Nintey-Nine U.S. Dollars”!!
If they want it to appeal to a hardcore audience, they should drop the Wii branding. Project Cafe sounds way hipper.
Or nintendo stream, or the nintendo, you name it.
I think that the name is irrelevant, if the games are there then whatever, I’m a gamer, not a fashionista.
Lmao! ^5
Whilst the name doesn’t matter much, I think losing the Wii branding does.
Wii U doesn’t sound different enough for me, based on the name it sounds like a small upgrade, like the original wiimote is to wiimote plus. They should have changed the branding to make it seem like something new and worth getting, if it looks like just another wii, some people will think “I don’t need Wii U, I already have a Wii”
You should just call it whatever you want to call it… I’mma call it Nintendo Boss :D
Like a BAOS!
I hope they don’t lose all the casual games…because some hardcore is good, but what I like the most of nintendo is the casual gaming, also it is better to have both, they don’t have to change completely but add something new
They will not brian, I look at the WiiU as a great idea.
The handheld screen allow for great functionality. Imagine wiparty, where you are flying and have to use the handheld screen and follow the plane as you change its speed and etc. with the buttons.
this blog asks what nintendo fans can think of for the WiiU http://alturl.com/ddne2 I realize that physically the WiiU will get everybody up and having serious fun.
They need to change the name, or the physical aesthetics of the new console.
Casuals will see it as an add-on for the Wii which they don’t require, or will buy a tablet controller and expect it to work with their Wii. (I witnessed a woman raging at GAME because They bought Wii Fit without a Wii and somehow expected that to work…)
Core gamers will dismiss it as casual because it already just looks like a Wii, and even has Wii in it’s name. There are pros and cons, but I strongly recommend that they change the name of the console, while keeping the existing aesthetic qualities to reel in both core and casual audiences.
Nintendon’t change the name of a console after it’s been revealed.
They stick with what they say and they make it work their way.
I know, there is no way they will change it. But I for one strongly advise them to do so. Honestly, I think they can still do really well if they keep the existing name, but they MUST ensure they have several big core games at the console’s launch. And for me, that means only 1st party titles, as I only but Nintendo games on my Nintendo system.
They definitely NEED some big launch titles 1st party and 3rd party. I don’t want Nintendo to look like a washed up, has been, lame sauce gaming company.
Mii, the WiiU can have certain difficulties designed into games that make them difficult beyond the average or best “core games”
this blog ask what can nintendo fans think of WiiU to do for game play http://alturl.com/ddne2
my question to you is, what kinds of aspects can the WiiU offer for your favorite games that would make the game more approved for you
I agree with this entirely
Nintendo knows what they are doing. They will dominate with the Wii U just as the did with the Wii. As long as the games are there to support it, people will buy. I don’t think they will repeat the same mistakes they made with the 3DS launch.
Let’s hope.
Wii may have been very successful, but personally I always found myself saying “This game already looks great, but I wonder how awesome it’d look in HD!” and “Ahh, if only this game was online, then I’d get more out of it!”
It’s not all about graphics, and it’s not all about online. Mario Kart Wii’s online works pretty well, Brawl on the other hand (for me) not so well in terms of d/c and lag. Other games such as Wii Sports, I would have loved to have online score boards, or play Mario Party online.
The Wii was a success, but also (secretly) a bit of a let down. This is how I found it anyway.
They’ve got a couple of aces up their sleeve, and there’s a big cat still in their bag. I can sense it…
All the beans have not been spilled.
Donzalong I think developers are key as well.
the WiiU remote allows for 360 degree game play for every game, most game developers have matured and focus on physically idle games, in terms of the body, but the WiiU console allows for every game to challenge the physical nature of gameplayers, redefining hardcore, I came upon this reading this blog http://alturl.com/ddne2
check it out, what kind of added functions can the wiiu give your favorite game
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I believe that innovation purely relies in the games, not the console. People go on about the wii being revolutionary and changeing the way people play yadda yadda yadda
But really? the best games on the Wii barely use the wiimote and actually would have been BETTER with some extra graphical power and control scheme. I’m talking Twilight Princess, Xenoblade, Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros Brawl (Which needs to be played with a gamecube controller anyway)
Wouldn’t everyone rather pay about 100 to 200 pounds on a machine with a normal control pad, no gimmicks, decent online, and all the fabulous nintendo exclusives? I would.
The controller doesnt have to be different for the games to be outstanding. look at Ocarina, look at Mario 64.
So yeah, just my opinion.
I think the Wii revolutionized gaming in terms of accessibility to the casual gamers, the”motion” gimmick did not catch on, but the fact is the “casual” aspect of gaming did, and thus the gaming industry has now shifted to a new era, in which games are made in mind of all markets, not just the “core” market.
And I’m following you, games make all the difference but I think the combo of console tech and game design will revolutionize gaming in the future, not just 1 of either.
In this case though the games are really important because nintendo challenges developers to consider players that mostly dont exist. These are players that are standing up and interacting with more movement than average, not the clicking of a console only but movement of the head and wrist and body , standing.
This blog had a great idea for fans of nintendo, what do you think? http://alturl.com/ddne2
Can we stop side stepping the real problem the Wii had with appealing to the core gamers please… and can people stop using Zelda and Mario as proof of hardcore gaming because that too is just as silly.
The bottom line is if AAA third party cannot bring their multi-million dollar selling core games to the Wii due to inferior technology then core gamers who love those franchise would not even piss on the Wii which was the case this current gen. Yes the Wii was an EPIC success but it only managed to corner a new market with the casual crowd. Outside of Metroid and maybe the next Zelda… Nintendo 1st and 2nd party developers have not shown they have the talent and skills to produce a mature looking and intense gameplay mechanics of franchises such as MW, Battlefield, Uncharted, Halo, God Of War etc. So that is why they will currently have to rely on proven 3rd party developers to bring that experience to the Nintendo platform. I hope, Nintendo will purchase a developer with skills to bring their own exclusive car racer that can rival GT and Forza. That is another area Nintendo is so greatly lacking… don’t dare mention mario cart… since it shows you clearly did not get the point and will sound stupid. Love the Mario cart franchise but its not the same… a go cart is not the same as a fully loaded Lexus.
Here is to hoping they really go hard with the WiiU in every aspect (online, games, marketing, more powerful technology than the PS3 etc). I for one ready to buy it to pair it with my PS3. I was once a die hard Nintendo fanboy till the Wii (just not my style) and ready to get their new HD system… Metroid and Zelda in HD EPIC… plus quality 3rd party experiences and new IPs. Now we wait and see.
^this, nuff said.
Very true, 1.
“a go cart is not the same as a fully loaded Lexus.”
But my go kart shoots turtle shells. Let’s see your Lexus do that. lol. All kidding aside, I agree with you 100%. Nintendo needs to go all out with this console. Balls to the wall, get the 3rd party dev working for you, (Final Fantasy please). A new Eternal Darkness couldn’t hurt either. And finally, a massively multi-player online HD Pokemon game. With a single player offline campaign and an online multi-player mode to battle against people all over the world.
So in your eyes, core games means the amount of blood drawn, the number of guns or weapons available and HD graphics?
I disagree, I consider it to be more about the time required/put in in order to finish the game (Final Fantasy). Graphics don’t make a game hardcore, nor the guns.
agreed, and to push this thought a little further, a hardcore gamer is someone who plays games passionately for hours and loves doing it, the games that are played make no difference to his/her category.
I agree, if you play just games that are considered “hardcore”, you are a very limited gamer.
Yes, it doesn’t matter at all. Mario Galaxy, Twilight Princess, Other M are core games. Halo, Final Fantasy, are core games as well, just each title is completely different and are mostly different genres. Wii Sports, Mario Party, Mario kart are casual games.
I myself enjoy games from both groups.
I like what u said here, but a LEXUS? lol what? u get a 8.5 for this post.. pffft a lexus……
Lol GreenCheese I am sure you got my point so leave the lexus alone.
Gamer Greg… I am not surprise that a few including you still don’t get it. At point did I say core games me blood and guts… the very short list of games mention is just that… an example of core games hence the “etc” part. The bottom line is Nintendo cannot move forward with just the casual market because they are never going to be early adapters.
Jadnice,
you are right about third party developers being the core issue with “core gamers”
But, I read this blog http://alturl.com/ddne2 and it made me consider that the aaa developers for nintendo have been given a better platform.
meaning, the wiiu to me opens up a new era in game play in that the controller offers developers a chance to add visual and positional elements into all their games that are not present on average.
So, I think the WiiU offers nintendo developers a new environment which to me offers more in terms of positional and location and viewspace based properties in games.
Thus the WiiU is really making another leap in another direction, whereas xbox and playstation are visually focused. Nintendo is gameplay focused. Providing the most physically challenging and perspectively challenging games.
imagine, a game like “art of balance” where you could rotate the handheld screen and view 360 degrees. The game can get physically far more difficult. You have to stand up, you will have to rotate and still be gentle placing the items. But, the game can expand and offer far more levels with a myriad of more difficulties that are not visually stunning per say but are physically challenging [ far beyond some guy sitting in front a a screen clicking buttons] and in terms of gameplay beyond as well [not just click a button and there is a response, but you have to pay attention to different sources of information, a la the tv screen and the remote screen as well as different actions and items in different perspectives with the handheld screen].
I imagine the media will not agree with it when the change occurs but nintendo with the WiiU will keep the “casual” gamers but create if the developers see the potentials , not visually, but in terms of gameplay and physicality of gameplayers, another class of hardcore/core game players, who play games which are not visually stunning, necessarily [opinions opinions] but are far beyond playstation and xbox in terms of gameplaying techniques and physicality as well as the multiplayer possiblities that opens up.
You have some interesting points. The problem they face is that core gamers, as they are called, expect the next high fidelity in graphics (so often to an unrealistic level…. TV to date only do 1080p… HELLO!!!). But i do understand the level headed core games that expect much better AI, much better Physics and less limitations due to memory (WiiU should have at least 1GB for processing for it to make sense… memory is cheap now). So for me I expect a much better and smother looking graphics for the WiiU along with great and unique game play using the controller.
Nintendo 1st and 2nd party developers now have the tech to showcase their skills and i am hoping for some WOW factors… we know they can do the party and feel good games but lets see the next level.
JAdnice, good point. many gamers look at visual only for many things.
Nintendo has their work cut out for them, but if any company can change suitably it is Nintendo, especially when it comes to changing how we think about games.
Jadnice, your right, the current game players called core want superior graphics, thus us true fans of nintendo, must change the communication and label those games as something else, maybe v1 core games, for version 1. Nintendo will start v2 core games :)
yea just like the 3ds apeal to the “hardcore”. lml
I’ve got an Xbox 360 and Nintendo 3DS, but I would never touch a hardcore game if I wanted to.
wtf, so you would never play an awesome game like mass-effect, bioshock, elder scrolls, halo, battlefield, etc… because its hardcore? whats your definition on hardcore, a shooter? you do know zelda is hardcore, why, because its a game that fans love and take serious and could play for hours.
I’m very sure that the Wii-U will bring many gamers.
Whether a game is considered “Hardcore” or “Casual” is not too important to me, as long as the game is good I’ll probably like it.
Well than why is it called the Wii U. Give it a name not related to the Wii.
I’m so very proud to be part of this well-versed community associated with Nintendo. Every comment in this article alone is poetry compared to many comments I see in the comments sections of IGN articles. I believe the loudmouth visitors are the real problem with the site, rather than the staff…actually, IGN Australia is worse. Anyway… Take their article for this same story, for instance: http://wii.ign.com/articles/119/1191484p1.html
It is explained just as well as here, and they extend some important questions to the readers. Here’s one “gem” courtesy of the highest-rated comment.
“Melchiah_III: Why Wii didn’t appeal to the ‘Core’? Lack of good games!!!”
Even worse, some who came to Nintendo’s defense (one even listing the many great games on the platform, a good move) did so more to bash Melchiah_III than correct him.
To internet civility. ;)
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To me, the WiiU’s possibilities are only bounded by the creativity of the developers. The developers for the WiiUs games, can not think, in the box. they must think outside of the box. This blog ask nintendo fans to answer a great question about WiiU games to be, take a look. http://alturl.com/ddne2
Imagine what kinds of gameplay are now possible. I think the WiiU will create a whole new group of core gamers whose focus is not visual but interface based, while being able to keep the “casual” gamers
Nowhere in these quotes did Nintendo state that the Wii was targeted towards the casual crowd. They merely stated that was the impression “others” seemed to have. And even stating they did in fact make “core” games like Zelda. So once again Sickr, you misinterpret what Nintendo has said. Sorry if I’m being rude.
Nintendo needs to get some strong 3rd part games available at launch to show off what their system can do. But more than likely, it will be a Nintendo game that shows off the true capability of the console, after all, nobody does it like Nintendo.
donzaloog,
we can help nintendo as fans if we come up with our own ideas and suggest them to nintendo. This blog entry has the full idea, enjoy the comments and add to the discussion http://alturl.com/ddne2
I love playing Nintendos Hardcpre games on my Wii. I wont play anything else. I see people didnt seem to relize the Virtual Console that gives you all the great hardcore titles of the past. I have a bunch of old games on my Wii.
@Allison,
perhaps a great idea would be to redesign the virtual console games by adding features only the wiiu could provide to those games. I got this idea from this blog, check out the comments and any ideas, just add to the discussion. http://alturl.com/ddne2
I love hardcore games on my consoles, I remember on the Wii i always played hardcore games with VC and the games which are exclusives.
I agree wii was for casuals, especially when Ubisoft spammed the console with imagine games.
I can’t wait for Wii U and that controller for hardcore games, I don’t see why people are complaining about that controller its comfortable.
Nintendo will capture hardcore gamers if they don’t rush and the games are good.
I really can’t wait for the Wii U games they shown at E3, the only 3rd party exclusive is Killer freaks and all the 3rd party games are hardcore. I’m excited for about 2 of the Wii U 3rd party hardcore games so far. Games I’m interested for is Ghost recon and Killer Freaks and a recent first game trailer got my interest also. Come on count down on my laptop for the rumored 29th June release date for Wii U!
So want to ask if you are, why are you complaining about the controller? and for anyone what hardcore games are you excited for?
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You can definitely see your expertise in the paintings you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe. At all times go after your heart.
Hey! This post could not be written any better!
Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate!
He always kept talking about this. I will forward this
post to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read.
Thanks for sharing!