Once again - people seem to be confusing "core" with "hardcore" - and as gergroy said - niche with casual.
If the coffee shop analogy didn't work - here's maybe a simpler one.
The guy who spends all day torrenting and downloading anime and manga (not paid - "copyright infringed") - may call himself the "biggest hardcore anime fan" - but as far as the market goes - he's not the core - or even in the market. In fact the market moves on DESPITE him. He contributes nothing to the market. He can bang on about being as hardcore as he wants (and he may well be) - but he doens't contribute to the cost of creating/producing/marketing the product he's so "hardcore" about.
Nintendo aren't trying to appeal to the hypothetical guy who plays Metroid 1 on his NES all day long for the last 20 years, who hasn't bought a Wii , Gamecube or 64. They've moved on. He can be as "hardcore" as he wants in his "love" and "appreciation" - but unless some of his "dedication" is to keeping the market - from production costs to marketing costs - churning - he's casual - if that.
Essay Pro