first, what is a "core' gamer anyway ? Is there a concise definition to what would be a core gamer ?

Many people think that core gamers are the ones who are only interested in playing M-rated games. Others think that core gamers are the ones who play and enjoy multiple consoles, and others think that core gamers are the ones who are interested in every kind of game their can get their hands on, others think that core gamers are the ones who try to complete every quest/achievement/mission on their games (those so called "completioninsts")

If you talking about consuming, yes, many Nintendo fans are "core" gamers, many of them don´t miss franchises like Pokemon, Mario, Zelda and love to try to get 100% of those games. They buy Nintendo franchises by millions.

Of course, there´s a good fraction of Nintendo fans that are casuals, who prefer to play franchises like WiiSports, Wii Fit, Just Dance etc. But those kind of gamers are also part of the Xbox (Kinect), Tablets and PC consumers.

Your description falls exactely on the cathegory of casual gamers (who are spread in all platforms) not Nintendo fans, which in general are very dedicated to their games and systems.

Not really. I don't even really consider them to be people.

depends, the soccer moms who bought the Wii for Wii sports and dance central ? not really no
the nintendo gamers who buy mario,zelda, metriod for example and game a lot on the system? yes

I'm a core gamer. There's no doubt about that.

I 100% agree, you can always borrow a console from a friend with too many for a bit. I borrowed my friends PS3 for a few months to beat Uncharted 2 and InFamous (mine broke a while back).

I miss how Blockbuster used to let you rent consoles

I suck at competetive multiplayer, and I don't know any developer names except for Miyamoto. Am I not a hardcore gamer to you, despite owning about 500 games and most platforms?

Also for "Best of all time" I'm surprised you omitted The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy :P Get with the older gens man.

The obvious flaw in your thinking is that it asserts that AAA games are what defines the "core gamer." Especially since those same AAA games, by necessity, rely far more on the mainstream ("casual") consumer than niche games do. To go along with your analogy, it'd be like someone calling himself a car buff because he can name all the latest sedans coming out from the major manufacturers.

Of course, I could be wrong. Seeing the crowd that most loudly proclaims itself to be the core gamer, I've long ago concluded that the label is closer to an insult than anything.

AAA Games do not have to be mainstream games. Catherine for PS3/360 is definatly AAA, and I would not consider that casual. Same with XenoBlade for Wii. Valkyria Chronicles and Lost Odyssey are also AAA, and I think Lost Odyssey. Mind you I define AAA as games of high quality, not games with high production costs (But I think Lost Odyssey's production costs were pretty high for a Japanese game non the less).

However often times games with large production costs do turn out good, maybe not great, but good.

For the Car analogy, that would be like knowing what a Henessey Venom is, and why it's important. Cars are not the best analogy because most people can't truely afford Ferrarri's, and to a degree, most people can't afford multiple consoles, but you can always pick up a PS3/360 late into its life (now is a pretty good time) or borrow a console off a friend.