If Two Trains Travelling in Opposite Directions...

I was trolling around NextGen.biz when I came across two very similar articles. The first, Eiji Aonuma (Direector of Zelda) promising not to leave hardcore players with new games that aren't designed for housewives and grandparents. The second article is Chris Lewis (Microsoft) saying that the Xbox 360 will have a more intense shift to the casual space rather than simply pumping out hardcore titles.

Both companies doing extreemly well with their respective audiences naturally want to branch out to the other pool. Nintendo needs to because casual gamers are fickle and won't stay with the system for long, Microsoft needs to because the hardcore gamer population isn't big enough to sustain their ambition. While they both look to the greener grass on eachother's lawns I can't help but wonder whatever happened to the dream of the Wii60? I understand the corporate dreams of each trying to control both markets but do they need to? While both sides have their shortcomings their is great risk in an extensive branch out and the two systems can likely co-exist as different options.

Microsoft does not have the back catalogue of games to push forwarrd to the casual market, they lack the Mario factor. The closest thing they have is Rare's Banjo-Kazooie line and the XBLA. Now, while the XBLA has been a phenominal success bringing independant developers to the consoles I notice a severe lack of casual gamers pursuing the Xbox for that purpose. The casual titles being picked up and played are through the hardcore. The few casual players that do wind up playing an XBLA title are likely coerced by a hardcore player. This is not to say they do not enjoy the casual offerings of the XBLA but the pattern is hardcore gamer brings in the casuals, few casual players pick up an Xbox 360 for this purpose.

Nintendo is at the complete other end of the spectrum. They have absolutely no problem bringing in the casual gamers, they flock to the newness of the Wii remote and are satisfied with the unsubstantial party games available at the moment. However, most hardcore gamers either shun the system as a gimmick or picked one up and are so dissapointed they have not played it in months. The sales seem to be strong for the Wii currently, but without a hardcore base to lean on it's an uncertain future relying on the new breed of gamers and Nintendo's overplayed legacy titles aren't enough to keep everyone coming back for more.

It's understandable that each want to branch out but why compete with the masters of the opposing domain? When Peter Moore said that he approved of dual console ownership it got me thinking alot about the idea of two game companies working not necessarilly together, but unopposed to provide gamers with a much more robust and enjoyable experience. Pouring resources into sectors that aren't your forte is always a risky business, by switching focus you alienate your core group which is never a good move. Why not just improve what you're good at and let your symbiote partner take care of the weaknessess?