What drastic disparity are you talking about? Graphical quality, arcade vs. cinematic focus, third parties making crap for idiots vs. real products for real customers, or something else?
_Teron_
Graphical. The subject of the Law of Diminishing Returns and the Uncanny Valley. The thing Nintendo claimed would not be that disparate between the consoles.
Those prospective buyers are the customers that matter the most, currently. The Core market still exists as of now and can be sustained for a little while longer. Thing is, the Core Market isn't growing. Keeping the old customers reasonably happy is good and all, but if the Core is diminishing, new customers have to be lured in from somewhere. It is true that the current Core is essentially insatiable as far as increased sophistication goes, but that route is one of ever-escalating costs and diminishing returns especially since the lower-end audience doesn't lust for better and better graphics. As far as the general populace goes, the Wii standard of graphics is Good Enough. Realize that this is not an absolute for all eternity, but merely the current situation. Sometime in the future, the market may well be receptive to an increase in graphical fidelity, and it is then that making the technological jump is economically viable: When most customers actually want it.
The current situation is most people just wanting to make calls, and the Core saying that everyone should have a smartphone._Teron_
What makes you think the core market isn't growing? Sure, it may have been that way for Nintendo going from the SNES to the N64 to the Gamecube, but Sony had some wild growth from PS1 to PS2 and MS has seen growth in their consoles as well. There are still "complex" games selling several million and it really doesn't show any signs of stopping. Growth in one area does not indicate a diminishing of another.
But yes, costs went up for development of HD games, but this happens every console cycle. As each generation goes on, the costs come down as tools, engines and outsourced labour become more readily available and the associated hardware reduces in price. And, yes, minor improvements over the Gamecube gave the Wii the smallest cost increase, but only because all of the old tools still worked, all of the engines, and the system was known well enough that the games could be made the same way only with more of everything and a different controller input.
I would also argue that better graphics is something everyone can appreciate. What means nothing is the technology behind the scenes. It's more about results than methodology and the human condition demands that it's never enough. Current Wii level graphics will not satisfy people forever. The length of time may vary, but it will happen, for some sooner than others, and there will always be someone to fill that void.
The greatest misconception people have is thinking this is a new phenomena. The casual market has always been there, it just hadn't been measured by Nintendo or Facebook. The board games and card games of the past have been supplemented by the casual games of today as it becomes more readily available and more people become familiar with the technology required. If we have spare time, we will always find a way to fill it. Some will continue to want more from the games, some will lose interest and others will find contentment at a different level (for a while), but no part is doomed. Nothing has disappeared, we still have board games, we still have 2d shoot-'em-ups, it's just expanded to include much more.
The green isn't just a lack of games. It is a seething hatred at the Wii audience, and the values they represent. It is a fear of being marginalized. It is the utter incapability of seeing the Wii or titles like Wii Sports or Wii Fit as quality products because they do not adhere to the Prettier Chainsaws mentality.
I am not talking about those people who simply buy an Xbox because they don't happen to like the Wii's offerings. I am talking about those people who, with near-religious fervor, proclaim that the Wii is a non-console, a mere toy for these casual idiots who are so clueless they cannot see the real quality, the awesome superiority of the HD graphics, and so on and so on.
That is the odd part.
_Teron_
But as long as something exists, you'll have haters. Everything is subject, sports teams, religion, politics. Heck, I've had a few disagreements with the sun in the past. It happens. Does it really matter? For them, casual vs. hardcore, Law of Diminishing returns and any study you wish to provide mean nothing. It's our team vs. your team and everything else is just ammo.
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