Topic: Hardcore Moms?

[Robotor]

I got my mom to play zoo keeper for a round.  She didn't like the tiny screen.  The only game she'll play is Dr. Mario.  Although she tried to play SSBM once.  

[Savior]

Quote
Quite frankly, if a company like Nokia or Motorola teamed up with Nintendo to develop a game console that was a decent multi-function device as well as a good game system, a device where each company could leverage their strengths (instead of one trying to branch out into something that is not their core competency), I think they'd have a major hit on their hands.

the iBoy half iPod half Gameboy

Anyways i actually disagree... i think the DS can atract moms and dads. Hell ive seen it personally, My dad is the ultimate Anti Gamer, and once i showed him Nintendogs he actually wants to play it.


The Right Software can attract the biggest Nongamer.  

[couchmonkey]

...but can it keep the biggest non-gamer?  I'm all for attracting new audiences, but if another crash were to happen in the videogame industry, I think the new audience would be the first to go.  You won't see me quitting videogames unless all developers stop releasing quality titles (or only make sports games...) but 40-year-old mom may well buy a DS and a couple of games and never spend another dollar on it.

[RickPowers]

I don't doubt that the DS can attract non-gamers.  My contention is that the price is going to be the biggest deterrent.  A lot of you have mentioned how your non-gamer relatives are "considering" buying a DS.  But they haven't bought one yet.  They'll play the game when you hand it to them, but they will not seek it out and pay the nearly $200 to play it by themselves.  That's the hurdle Nintendo needs to navigate.

[wandering]

mmm.....I think it's a mistake to say that the average joe won't pay a lot of money for entertainment he enjoys. Adults who would never pick up a modern game controller spend money on Disney and the like, for example, and not always just with kids. I agree with Nintendo that the price of entry into gaming needs to be lowered, in any case. Not in terms of dollars, but in terms of the time someone has to spend just in order to get into today's games.

[Rancid Planet]

That much IS true wandering_nintendo_fan. But still, I don't think that either Sony OR Nintendo realize how to get non-gamers to game on the new portables. Sure the UMD Spiderman is nice but do you know how freaking well the PSP would be selling right now if it had been launched alongside say, a couple dozen hit movie releases and the better than average game line up they had at launch? The PSP would be sold out in N. America by now.

And yes the DS needs not only a GREAT PDA application but numerous other cute little planning devices as well. Or maybe just the greatest PDA program ever.

Anyway, I start too many sentences with conjunctions...  

[Hostile Creation]

I said "seriously considering".  If I can, I'm going to buy a DS for my sister and mother (their birthdays are only a month apart).

[couchmonkey]

Actually, I was also thinking about prices this morning, I agree that is a big problem for this whole "non-gamer" plan.  Seriously, videogames are freaking expensive.  You need to upgrade to new hardware every few years, and the cheapest software prices begin where the prices of DVDs, CDs, and books end.  Well, not including DVDs of TV shows, but even those tend to be as cheap or cheaper than brand-new video games.