Today on Gadget Talk: Wii and the Casual Gamer

Marketnews - Gadget Talk: Casual Gamer

Apparently I’m not alone, and Nintendo recognized the “casual” gamer as being an untapped market compared to the “hardcore” gamer, and they have done fantastically well with their Wii console. In much the same way that the Wii ambushed XBOX360 and Playstation3 last Christmas, it was reported yesterday that Nintendo has snuck up past Canon and is now the 2nd largest stock on the Nikkei, behind only Toyota.
...
In really big companies, there are often only two speeds in their gearbox: Glacier, and Panic. Nintendo’s success may have finally forced Microsoft and Sony to shift into overdrive and treat gaming as mainstream, family entertainment, instead of a niche market aimed at hardcore young gamers who have both money and time on their hands.

I was a little concerned that I might come across like Andy Rooney (who is kind of an ass) as I was whining about "kids today and their fancy games" but I hope I got my point across okay.

Sphere: Related Content

From the Boo Hoo Department: Sony's Dave Karraker whines about PS3's treatment in the media

Via LazyGamer comes a link to this interview in GamePro with Sony's head of PR Dave Karraker:

GamePro: The Toughest Job in Video Games: Sony PR
I think a lot of this goes back to the proliferation of the Internet, where a very vocal minority can make a lot of noise and potentially alter perceptions of the masses, whether they are accurate or not. A lot of this, naturally, is driven by the media who seem focused on taking swipes at us lately, without taking in the full picture.

...

A lot of the perceptions are not justified and seem fueled by people who don't have all the facts or have some kind of axe to grind.

...

Sure, there were some perceptions on PS3 that were justified. For example, we didn't have nearly enough hardware at launch to meet consumer demand. That was difficult for all of us and contributed to a tough climate with press and analysts. That's behind us now, but a bit of that still lingers. Frankly, I have stopped talking to media about the launch and am now really just focused on the games.

So, it's unacceptable when a "vocal minority" alters the perceptions of the masses? Isn't that what advertising is about? So what Dave is saying here is that Sony's PR machine got out-maneuvered by people with no marketing budget.

The media is to blame, of course. They always are.

Translation: "Wah! It's not fair!"

It's only May, but I think that we might have a lock on the winner of Worst Publicist of 2007.

Sphere: Related Content

Speaking of gaming pundits...

Flatland Pastor recently made me aware of an excellent gaming blog, Ghosts in the Game, that takes a thoughtful, metaphysical approach to programming and game design.

A great read, if you like that sort of thing.

Sphere: Related Content

It's a small world after all: a South African gaming pundit responds

Last week's piece in CE Pro on Blu-ray vs HD-DVD got a nice reception from a South African gaming website called LazyGamer.

LazGamer.co.za: Little consumer interest in Blu-Ray or HD-DVD
Lee Distad is a CEDIA Certified Professional Designer for expensive audio and visual stuff… so his opinion on the current format war is obviously more educated than mine…
He brings up a very valid point that I have not seen before. None of the high end manufacturers (Denon, Marantz etc) have chosen a side and currently don’t make either.
So why is it that people who sell R100k systems to rich people have no interest in the format war?
Basically because neither format has really proven to be any better than upconverted DVD’s that display in 1080p…
He even goes as far as saying that neither way[sic] win this war and both might end up just falling by the wayside along with DVD-Audio and SACD. (I don’t know what either of those are but I guess that proves his point?)
Anyway follow the link to see what else he has to say, it’s all very interesting really.

My weakness for flattery aside, LazyGamer is an excellent aggregate of gaming news, and I really like being able to read firsthand a non-North American perspective.

I'm about ready to start singing Kumbaya any minute now...

Sphere: Related Content