Saturday Soapbox: Can Nintendo court the casuals again?

[wraggster]

Do you remember the last time? When the Wii launched at the tail end of 2006, it was to an air of excited curiosity that went well beyond the borders of core gamers, with Nintendo conjuring what ran close to a full-blown phenomenon.I remember December 8th 2006 well enough, a day that was thrilling and miserable in equal measure. Nintendo hardware launches, for myself and countless others, are dates blocked off in calendars with thick bright marker pen lines. Holidays are booked, and plans for doing nothing beyond playing games are made. Happy Nintendo day!It didn't quite pan out that way, though. I was one of the unfortunate majority that failed to get hold of a console on day one, a pre-order lost as demand aggressively outstripped supply. A friend managed to get one, though, and later that day I popped around to be met with an incredible scene: a room thick with the sweaty smell of excitement as a group of twentysomethings, many of them playing games for the first time in over a decade, bounced around in furious bouts of Wii Sports.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-09-15-saturday-soapbox-can-nintendo-court-the-casuals-again