is hardcore gaming dying? is the wii a fad?

i wanna know your side of the story. my opinion is considering the low price of the wii and the multitude of crappy third party dribble. i feel that the wii was bought becuase mom's thought " its cheap and has a lot of kid friendly games." what is your oppinion.

i just want to know that ill still be able to play on an xbox 360 or ps3 controller the next few generations.

Given how well games like Call of Duty 4 and GTA4 have sold the last little while, it's doubtful that we'll see the end of 'traditional' gaming any time soon.

However, I do think that we'll see the death of some particularly niche genres - that or they'll continue to get smaller. Fighting games, for example. I don't think Soul Calibur 4 will sell well - Virtua Fighter 5 didn't perform well either as fewer and fewer people are interested in a game that requires that sort of committment and you can't make money off that small an audience.

As for the Wii...I dunno. I don't know sales figures on games but I think the console is still well outselling any one game, and like the DS it just keeps churning out hardware without any decent accompanying software. People are going to notice that - heck, there was an Ubisoft announcement recently that basically said the casual gamers are becoming more discriminating when it comes to buying crappy titles.

Even people who have never played games before will start avoiding certain titles when they get burned, so the bright side to all of this Wii nonsense is that eventually all those people who bought Carnival Games will realize that it's crap and stop fueling the casual market (maybe not entirely, but a little bit).

Its a different market then the PS3 or the 360. The Wii is really the first casual game console. It is capitalizing on peoples desires to play light hearted, simpler and less involved games. That is why it is so popular among adults and kids and not so much the hardcore crowd (age 13-24). Adults have big priorities and a lot of responsibilities. They don't have the time to devote to the learning curve of more hardcore games. They just want to sit down for an hour or two a few days a week and kill time. Younger kids can't comprehend or excel at hardcore games so they are not in the market of the PS3 or 360.

In the future this may change in the future and probably will.

The Wii is the only console that caters to the hardcore gamers

It's got a great variety of games for all users and if you're hardcore you have to buy everything in all genres.

The Mom comment doesn't make much sense since you think that a casual Mom is going to camp out overnight for one.

Your controllers aren't going anywhere. Expect a move toward something akin to the sixaxis. There will be motion controls, but with less pointing and arm movement. Things like the wiimote are not accurate or comfortable enough to be used for long periods. There will be a few games that are exclusively motion, but I imagine devs will let you use the classic controller for most games, if motion does go to the xbox and ps.

As for games. They haven't changed a bit. Zelda, Metroid, and even Mario still have hardcore appeal. Games are only as hardcore as you make them. One could argue that pokemon is a casual game, but if you look at the boards most people are professional battlers that spend hours tweaking their teams. Rock Band and Guitar Hero have easy and expert settings. It is easy for a nub to win at SSBB until you turn off the items. Games will always try to appeal to both hardcore and casual players.

Shovelware is way exaggerated. Just don't buy it.

I like how people keep referring to all the Nintendo console's as a "fad", nearly every one of their consoles has been described as such. Yes, even the original NES was called just a fad. Yet 20 years later here they stand still strong as ever. 20 years isnt a fad, its an era. The fact that they are on top with their consoles outselling both Sony and Microsoft means they are doing something right.

Sony shot themselves in the foot choosing to use super expensive components in their console, causing a ridiculous price tag upon initial release. If they had chosen to make the blu-ray feature an external unit, like MS's HD drive I really think the PS3 would have seen better sales. Meaning Sony wouldnt have had to lean on the PS2 like a crutch until the PS3 could support the gaming department of the company.

Microsoft made a fatal mistake, they considered Nintendo beneath them, Bill Gates even said in an interview that he didnt even consider Nintendo to be a serious competitor in the gaming industry. He even considered the motion sensitive remote a terrible idea that noone would buy into. Now look at Microsoft, they are playing catch up in an attempt to develop their own motion sensitive controller to be on even ground with Sony and Nintendo.

So is hardcore gaming dying? No, of course not. However I think Sony and Microsoft could stop and take a page out of Nintendo's book. Dont just cater to hardcore gamers, make cutsie fun games too. Instead of forcing players to play almost exclusively online, make more games split screen and system link compatible. It almost feels like Microsoft and Sony are trying to force the gaming industry into a specific direction and more and more gamers are starting to take notice, not liking the direction.

I don't see why anyone believes that casual gaming is suddenly going to go away. I read a Washington Post article several days ago that videogaming among people 70 or older had increased by 200% (or 300% I forget which) since the Wii hit. I don't doubt that it has increased by similar percentages among other groups of traditional non-gamers. The fact casual games are shallow doesn't mean people will get bored and moved on. Lots of board games and party games are shallow, but that hasn't stopped the likes of Twister and Candyland from being enduringly popular.

Hardcore gaming at this exact moment isn't as widespead as it was, but I think that is due more to the decline of hardcore gaming in Japan (a decline that started in the late 90's long before casual gaming became important) and the high prices of the PS3 and to a lesser degree, the X360 (neither one has hit the price at which prior consoles sold in big numbers). In Japan if you want to make big money, you make a casual game, but since hardcore gaming is still healthy in the US (hardcore games such as CoD4 and GTA4 have put up massive numbers) one can go either route.

Sure casual games are probably easier and cheaper to develop, but I think games and art and game designers are artists, and I think guys that entered the industry in order to make certain types of games are going to continue making those games. The likes of Sam Houser, Hideo Kojima and Cliffy B aren't going to start cranking out puppy raising games unless we consumers make it clear that they cannot profitably make the big, elaborate games they love to make.

In summary, as a hardcore gamer who doesn't care for Nintendo's old franchises, I couldn't care less about the Wii, but I don't think its success is something hardcore gamers should be worried about.

There is a general foolishness here when people talk about the crowd the Wii appeals to. If you think, for one second, that "little kids" don't play or buy the 360/PS3 in large numbers, your dead wrong. If you think the WIi is the first casual console, your dead wrong. The PS2 is the first mass-appealing console, hence the first "casual" console. THe Wii, although I don't like most of its games (only a few), is the future. There is no "separate markets." There is only the Wii, which appeals to more people in the generally same market, and the PS3/360 which appeals to less people in the same general market. When people say video games, those consoles come to mind. What does that mean? THe same market is being reached, but different age groups treat it w/ different interests (i am not considering age groups a market, b/c if that were so, then little kids, and young adults would both love the Wii/Ps3/360; however, the WIi appeasl MORE to the little kids, not less to the young adults, and so on).peter1191

You are using the term casual differently than the original poster (he seemed to be using casual to refer to the simplicity of a game/console interface, you are using it to refer to popularity).

Also, its impossible to argue that the Wii and the PS3/X360/PS2/Xbox target the same demographic given radically different sales patterns. Sports games, shooters and free-roamers are quite popular on those systems, but on the Wii such games fare poorly (on the Wii minigame collections put up huge numbers, but such collections fare poorly on non-Wii consoles).

Given how well games like Call of Duty 4 and GTA4 have sold the last little while, it's doubtful that we'll see the end of 'traditional' gaming any time soon.

However, I do think that we'll see the death of some particularly niche genres - that or they'll continue to get smaller. Fighting games, for example. I don't think Soul Calibur 4 will sell well - Virtua Fighter 5 didn't perform well either as fewer and fewer people are interested in a game that requires that sort of committment and you can't make money off that small an audience.

As for the Wii...I dunno. I don't know sales figures on games but I think the console is still well outselling any one game, and like the DS it just keeps churning out hardware without any decent accompanying software. People are going to notice that - heck, there was an Ubisoft announcement recently that basically said the casual gamers are becoming more discriminating when it comes to buying crappy titles.

Even people who have never played games before will start avoiding certain titles when they get burned, so the bright side to all of this Wii nonsense is that eventually all those people who bought Carnival Games will realize that it's crap and stop fueling the casual market (maybe not entirely, but a little bit).

DJ_Lae

Wait what? Are you crazy?

The DS is the games king out of any system out now, console or handheld.

All consoles are for casuals. PC is the only hardcore one.tonymontanabee

I have to agree, but I do have to say people dont buy as many games as they use to on consoles since most places it can be a expensive hobby, people might buy 1 or 2 games a month at most now and days.

although i agree there are a tonne of shovel ware on the wii...

i disagree that it only appeals to people who just don't have the time, and are looking for something less involved.. the great thing about the wii is that appeals to just about every type of gamer out there.. inc. people with lots of time, people with not a lot of time, and so on..

.. and that evidenced by the fact that a year and half later its still selling out, faster than they can deliver.. which sucks if you're still trying to get one..

i think the shovel ware and ports and copious amounts of mini games, are largley due to the fact that the wii is a new way to play.. and those games are a quick cash cow... "more involved" games take more involved developement and take longer to produce, and i think nintendo mistake on that part was not getting proper wii dev kits out early enough

.. but such is life, theres already been a few stella wii games released... and we should hopefully be seeing alot more by the of 2008/early 2009 and going forward

"Casual" and "hardcore" a meaningless terms invented by gamers wanting to elevate their gaming status over the masses. These "hardcore" gamers want to have their little gaming island and anyone playing other games are for "casual" gamers whose opinion doesn't count.

People talk about how there are quite a few party and kiddy games on the Wii, and that makes it casual. These types of games tend to gravitate to the highest selling console. The PS1 and PS2 had tons of these games. With party games, I think it's funny how no one ever mentions how Guitar Hero and Rock Band. No, these games get labelled "hardcore" and dodge the "hardcore" gamer stigma against party games.

I don't think motion-sensing or the pointer will be going away. I do think that traditional control schemes will be around for a long time; because sometimes it just works better. But, binning the pointer would be like binning the mouse on the PC. The pointer makes navigating much easier and is much more accurate than using an analog stick for many genres. The pointer also opens up strategy games to the console market.

As the gaming continues to grow as a hobby, genres will continue to phase in and out based on mass-market appeal. Most of the genres we play today will continue to grow and thrive in future generations.

Anyone who says that hardcore gaming is dying is a moron. Anybody who say the Wii is a fad is a moron. Hardcore gaming is here to stay, as is the Wii. Hardcore gamers have never once carried an entire generation to success, and the winning company has always known this. Appealling to the casual audience is how one wins a battle in this war, as it attracts in more gamers that eventually become hardcore gamers. EVERYBODY here was a casual gamer in the beginning. Anybody who says otherwise is an arrogant, pretentious, smug little twit who needs to take their head out of that bubble and see the real world. The companies have never cared about the hardcore gamer, let's face it. If they did, every game system would be a Neo Geo.Video_Game_King

QFT

indeed, everybody starts somewhere