Yeah but we also had to as core players put up with a lot of garbage from Nintendo the last six years. They refused to push online gaming or to make a real online network until now, and predictably it's buggy and slow as hell because they are like a decade behind in experience in this field. 

Why? Because why bother with an online network when Wii Sports is printing money for you hand over fist? Soccer mom doesn't care about online networking. 

Stuff like that. Nintendo made record profits, but they couldn't be bothered to localize The Last Story or Xenoblade (in a timely fashion) let alone market either one. They didn't take many chances with software IP that weren't casual mini-game fests either. 

If the Wii U's primary audience ends up being core Nintendo fans, Nintendo is going to have to sober up quick and change in a lot of areas they allowed themselves to get lazy in the last 5-6 years. And I don't see that as a bad thing. Nintendo needs a kick in the ass, being kicked to the curb by casual gamers will make them work harder in areas they've badly neglected for too long. 

Like making (gulp) an actual new I.P. that is a core gaming franchise and putting real marketing dollars and budget behind it. 

before you became a hardcore player... you were once a casual gamer.... its part of the evolutions....
its not like 100% of the people who bought COD are hardcore player...
its part of the gaming world... you invite casual gamer then you mold them to become hardcore gamer.

This thread is hilarious.

I got an NES when I was a kid and had very little experience with gaming, and within about 2 weeks I was playing and enjoying many titles like Zelda and Ninja Turtles and Blades Of Steel. Not just sticking with Mario. 

If you've had a Wii for five years and you still are only into like .... Just Dance ... I mean whatever. Nothing wrong with that, but the fact is, I think Nintendo may have to accept a bitter truth here -- gaming just isn't a big deal to a lot of people. Lots of people will love it and take to it, and lots simply won't. No controller is ever going to change that. 

They like it sure ... in very small helpings, like a person who likes turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but not as a daily thing. And for that type of a person, yes, the rise of the smartphone/tablet basically scratches that small itch they have for gaming now and again. 

A dedicated game console really is about as neccessary to them as a $500+ DSLR camera is to the grandma that just wants to take a few photos of her grand kids when they come over. 

One forgets that during the "hardcore" GameCube years, Nintendo was even *more* obstinate about online gaming than in the Wii years.

Yup, but that doesn't change the fact that I think casuals are generally done with Nintendo and today they are going to be forced (whether they like it or not) to re-focus quite a bit. 

And to me honestly, I don't view it as really that bad of a thing. 

I mostly agree with what you are saying, but I cannot demonize Nintendo for not taking some of the steps you mentioned.  Can they do more?  yes you have a point.  But at least we have other options for online and newer IP's.  But back on topic, there are a fair number of titles to make Nintendo a hardcore purchase.

well thats not going to happen. Most games need some sort of gimmick to actually sell. Gimmicks are what drives the industry.

if your talking about motion control gimmicks, then yes, there prob will be games not relying so heavily on them like it was with the Wii.

well that is nintendo's market strategy and they the company is still here right?

if they are not your market then move on and grab things you want... does it affect you as a gamer that nintendo target your so called "casual gamer" how does it affect you?

company don't market to everyone... so what if nintendo is targeting casual gamer? their wii was a success, maybe wii u won't repeat that success but does it really affect you?

Casuals need to stick to gaming on cell phones.