Sladey
07-03-2007, 09:02 AM
In recent statements from their representatives, Nintendo swears that it hasnt abandoned the hardcore crowd while Microsoft promises to cater more to casual gamers.
The grass is always greener on the other side, and most companies are constantly seeking to expand their customer base in pursuit of greater revenue. So, it should really come as no surprise that Nintendo has stated its intent to appeal more to the hardcore gamer, while Microsoft will shift some of its attention to attracting more non-traditional gamers.
When Nintendo first announced the Wii, the company claimed to be designing the console for people who didn't normally play video games, including women and grandparents. Microsoft, on the other hand, has succeeded by catering to a demographic of more dedicated game enthusiasts, PC gamers and the kind of young males drawn to violent shooter software, such as Halo and Gears of War.
Now both hardware manufacturers seek to grow the audiences that they are founded upon. In a recent interview with MCV, Microsoft executive Chris Lewis said that invading Nintendo's territory was vital in taking the Xbox 360 to the next level.
"Our drive is to appeal to a wider genre with more casual types of gaming," Lewis was quoted as saying. "Clearly we need to continue toward more casual-based gaming experiences, and more peripheral-based gaming experiences in front of the screen".
Lewis later stated, "For 360 to appeal in the way we want it to and for us to achieve our aspirations, we need to be in the broader space as well as investing in the core element". Lewis went on to add that you will hear more about Microsoft's push at E3, but speculation indicates that it might include using Microsoft's existing camera peripheral more and perhaps even deploying their own gyroscopic, motion sensing controller in the market.
On the other side of the street, Nintendo has profited greatly this console generation from games that are primarily a compilation of quirky mini-games employing the easy pick-up-and-playability of the Wiimote. This has left the core contingent of gamers feeling alienated by the "Big N", with nothing of real interest to play other than The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. In a statement reported by Infendo, Twilight Princess director Eiji Aonuma promised that all of that would change.
"It's because of gamers that games have come as far as they have," Aonuma noted. "It's not Nintendo's intent to alienate those people... We think we can involve everyone -- people who played games in the past because the approach is so new, and people who were never gamers."
Source - Gamestrailers
The grass is always greener on the other side, and most companies are constantly seeking to expand their customer base in pursuit of greater revenue. So, it should really come as no surprise that Nintendo has stated its intent to appeal more to the hardcore gamer, while Microsoft will shift some of its attention to attracting more non-traditional gamers.
When Nintendo first announced the Wii, the company claimed to be designing the console for people who didn't normally play video games, including women and grandparents. Microsoft, on the other hand, has succeeded by catering to a demographic of more dedicated game enthusiasts, PC gamers and the kind of young males drawn to violent shooter software, such as Halo and Gears of War.
Now both hardware manufacturers seek to grow the audiences that they are founded upon. In a recent interview with MCV, Microsoft executive Chris Lewis said that invading Nintendo's territory was vital in taking the Xbox 360 to the next level.
"Our drive is to appeal to a wider genre with more casual types of gaming," Lewis was quoted as saying. "Clearly we need to continue toward more casual-based gaming experiences, and more peripheral-based gaming experiences in front of the screen".
Lewis later stated, "For 360 to appeal in the way we want it to and for us to achieve our aspirations, we need to be in the broader space as well as investing in the core element". Lewis went on to add that you will hear more about Microsoft's push at E3, but speculation indicates that it might include using Microsoft's existing camera peripheral more and perhaps even deploying their own gyroscopic, motion sensing controller in the market.
On the other side of the street, Nintendo has profited greatly this console generation from games that are primarily a compilation of quirky mini-games employing the easy pick-up-and-playability of the Wiimote. This has left the core contingent of gamers feeling alienated by the "Big N", with nothing of real interest to play other than The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. In a statement reported by Infendo, Twilight Princess director Eiji Aonuma promised that all of that would change.
"It's because of gamers that games have come as far as they have," Aonuma noted. "It's not Nintendo's intent to alienate those people... We think we can involve everyone -- people who played games in the past because the approach is so new, and people who were never gamers."
Source - Gamestrailers