I've often wondered how the attitudes of many Japanese gamers compared to gamers in the west. Is there anything equivalent to all of this gamer (I refuse to use the h-word) snobbery towards the Wii or Nintendo in general? (e.g. "the Wii is a kiddie console.") Is the perception of Nintendo different at all?
I know that by some measures/estimates here, the perception is that Super Mario Galaxy underperformed in Japan. NMSB, of course, sold much better. Since Nintendo has tried to make greater efforts to tie the gameplay in Galaxy to NMSB with the opening 2D level, as well as including the instructional DVD video, is Galaxy 2 faring any better in the market?
I think the hardcore (sorry) / casual gamer stereotyping is less prominent in Japan.
Young kids love Pokemon and the DS, then when they reach early teens and go into Junior High School they upgrade to a PSP and Monster Hunter. High School and beyond they'd get a PS3. (this is of course all generalising)
The Wii has mixed things up a bit though (as it has everywhere else) as long-time ex-Nintendo fans who have grown up, might go for a PS3 AND a Wii, possibly thanks to the Virtual Console and retro-style games.
Only the super hardcore Otaku might go for a XBox 360 to complete their collection of consoles, but I'd say those guys are rare.
As for snobbery, I don't see it really, people are just happy in their own camps playing games they like, it stems from Japanese culture of doing your hobby with other people who like the same thing.
Sorry to give an image of everyone holding hands singing "We are the World" but it kinda is like that from my observations.
Your 2nd question was kindly answered already!
I really hope Galaxy 2 continues to show Japanese people 3D Mario games aren't scary and confusing and can be a lot of fun.