Nintendo's Core Vs. Casual Dilemma: Can The Wii U Really Attract Hardcore Gamers?

Is my controller a tablet?

I don't like making predictions. They *can* do it, but it's still just a maybe right now. Then again, back in 2005, millions of PS2 gamers were swearing that the PS3 was going to be the big thing in the next generation. Look how that turned out. Gamers can easily be persuaded by better game libraries and prices.

Another big maybe is how the competition will shake out. They haven't even announced anything yet, all we have are rumors. There's a pretty solid chance that there won't be any real power gap this time around. Nintendo announced about a week ago that they're selling the WiiU below cost, which implies the hardware is better than the price would indicate. And Sony/MS really can't afford to go too high on price, which will constrain how strong they can make their offerings. (And seriously, if you want big gaming power, screw consoles; go PC.)

The only thing that is really prohibiting me from going PC is the high initial cost. If I'm going to get a gaming rig, I want to do it right, and currently, I just don't have the money to splurge on a $800-$1200 machine.

Oh, believe me, I feel the same way. I do play some PC games, but I don't have a real gaming rig either. Consoles are much more affordable.

My point was that if you're going to be a console gamer, then obsessing over power is pretty silly. In power terms, consoles are always dated right on release.

That's bad logic, half the Wii U's hardware budget is spent on the tablet controller so you're only getting a $150 console with a $150 tablet controller. The "true" next-gen consoles could easily be $300 and around eight times as powerful. Also, I don't want to be a PC gamer again until I can start buying completely DRM-free retail copies of most games. It's sad, for the past four years I've been exclusively a PC gamer and I've even started a business building gaming computers for locals. I still want my consoles to be powerful enough for 1080p, 60FPS and a nice leap in graphics.

"the Wii has lived in isolation its entire life due to its unique structure that is wildly different from other platforms"
The Wii is literally just Gamecube hardware in another shell, there really isn't any difference at all architecturally to the Gamecube. Technically, yes, the Wii is very different from a PS3 or 360 but it's the very same architecture as the Gamecube(with some minor overclocking, I think).

It was revealed months ago that the Gamepad costs Nintendo about $55 in parts. Are you really claiming that the WiiU costs Nintendo only about $100 in parts? Because it is definitely higher than that.

Aside from that, you say that Sony and MS could easily beat the WiiU in power with just $300, but this ignores two very important things: 1) the differences between PC hardware and console hardware, both in cost and construction; 2) the financial realities of both companies (MS' game division is deep in the red, Sony as a whole is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy). So if you are seriously expecting an 8x power gap, then you're going to be disappointed.

The answer is no. They didn't do it with the Wii. Almost. ALMOST! There was a time where quite a few hardcore games were coming out on Wii then it just stopped. Instead we got a million Carnival Games, Dora the Explorer, a ton of pointless and inaccurate fitness games, and then a slew of Nintendo branded games (which most were pretty good). I highly doubt the WiiU can pull it off UNLESS 3rd party companies jump on board because THEY have the hardcore gamer franchises.

The marketing department sure as heck hasn't thought of the word "hardcore" at any point.

Nintendo isn't making products for me anymore. As much as that may sick, it's the truth. What they are doing instead is making a butt load of money and good for them.

Hardcore pretty much lost all meaning anyways.

What exactly is considered Hardcore? Most games hold your hands, it's bad I have to turn off half off these tutorials and other crap so I can actually PLAY the game.

CoD is not hardcore. I know more casuals that play it than any Hardcore gamer, my 'hardcore' friends play BF3 and you can say they even went to the whole 10 minute match thing with the TDM and DM modes.

There are rare few 'hardcore' games now. The hardest difficulty settings are becoming cake to gamers that can remember simple enemy patterns or with shooters have the sense to duck down before you get dead.

But anyways who cares? If people want a WiiU for the casual games, a WiiU for the core games, or a WiiU to just have one what does it matter?

And in the end Nintendo is worried about the money they are going to rake in with New Super Mario Bros. 2, the new Zelda they will release as well as all the other Nintendo branded cash printers.

Nintendo fanboys at their finest. Seriously, Nintendo has never catered to hardcore gamers. Its always been up to 3rd party companies to do that, and they tend to steer away.

Anyone who can say that with a straight face has no business calling other people fanboys. Nintendo has the Mario Galaxy games, the Metroid series, the Donkey Kong Country series, and a whole lot more which are quite objectively not casual titles. If you don't like them, fine. But don't try to pretend that they're casual games just because they're first-party Nintendo titles.

Way to forget that the hardcore titles on the Wii simply didn't sell. Blaming Nintendo for that is ridiculous. Why not blame yourself for not buying the games. You even admitted that there were hardcore titles but that they stopped coming out with (which I don't even agree with, but whatever).

By the time most of the better games came out people were dumping off their Wiis like crazy. People gave up on it after a certain (I sold mine after only having it for 18 months). I did buy the hardcore games, but they were hardly being released. If I bought another Wii I would only be playing another handful of games that have come out since I last had mine. Not worth another purchase.

That's your fault for dumping it so early. Also, I note that you're changing your story. First you claimed that first-party games weren't "hardcore". Now you admit that some are.

The reality is that there are plenty of "hardcore" Wii games. There always were. To deny that is simply blind fanboyism. Not liking them is another matter; everybody has different tastes. But to deliberately understate how many there are is just asinine.

I didn't change my story. I just find it funny how beligerant Nintendo fanboys get. I dumped it about 3 years into its cycle and there are probably only a handful of games that are worth playing that have come out since. Not my fault Nintendo pushes away 3rd party support.

You speak the truth good sir or madame.

The problem is, its hard to imagine buying a Wii U to play games that I can play on my 360 or PS3 already? Mass Effect 3, AC3, Arkham City... these are not next gen titles. Unless the controller is insanely game changing, I can't see someone who already has a 360/PS3 swapping - unless they're doing it to play Nintendo exclusives. Anyone with a Wii I can see upgrading though obviously. Especially when 720/PS4 come out, the Wii U is gonna be a joke if it can't run their games (which it might be able to if they really use APU's).

Exactly, as will most people. I have only talked to 2 people I know that want a WiiU because they are casual gamers. The only thing people seem excited for is the gimmicky new controller. And it will stay a gimmick unless some developer can use that controller for amazing purposes.