Nintendo promises Wii U is for hardcore gamers!

The Gadget Show  Thursday 03 May 2012

When launched, the Nintendo Wii attracted millions of gamers who had never played games before. While it was a huge success, it failed to capture the imagination of the ‘core’ gamers who’ve grown up with Nintendo consoles. Speaking about its new and forthcoming Wii U console, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed that with its new console, Nintendo will appeal first to core gamers before the casual audience. 



Speaking about whether Nintendo should use the same tactics for the Wii U as it did for the Wii, Iwata said there are “issues to overcome,” admitting that Nintendo previously failed to get a balance between appealing to new gamers and giving existing gamers what they wanted.

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”...the Wii was able to reach a large number of new consumers who had never played games before by bringing hands-on experiences with its Wii Sports and Wii Fit. However, we could not adequately create the situation that such new consumers played games frequently or for long, consistent periods. As a result, we could not sustain a good level of profit,” the Nintendo president admitted.

It’s something Nintendo regrets, he said. “Moreover, regrettably, what we prioritized in order to reach out to the new audience was a bit too far from what we prioritized for those who play games as their hobby.”

With the Wii U Nintendo will add more depth to its gaming library by supplying a healthy mix of core and casual games. Iwata said gamers can look to the Nintendo 3DS as an example of this. Its library of games includes titles such as Super Mario 3D Land, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Metal Gear Solid 3D Snake Eater 3D and others to name but a few.

“Our approach for the Wii U is basically the same,” Iwata revealed. And if that means more gamers are satisfied, we can all look forward to a brilliant new console come this Christmas, when the Nintendo Wii U will go on sale. A date, if not the price is expected to be announced at E3 2012 this June.

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