by Craig Herman

Created on: April 24, 2010

The best place to start would be to define the word niche, as it’s one of those descriptors thrown around with an assumed meaning. Using the definition “A situation or activity specially suited to a person's interests, abilities, or nature” (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2009), the next question to ask would be – who are the person(s) that the Wii is aimed at?

Part of the Wii’s launch was the emphasis on people of all demographics finding something to enjoy in the console. In simple terms, regardless of the control methods, the Wii cannot be a niche console because there is nothing specific about a target market of “everyone”. Yet in the years since the Wii was launched many would argue that Nintendo have leant more towards a specific market of people found to be using the console. Personally, I despise the term “casual gamer” because it makes presumptions about who is qualified to enjoy gaming and what constitutes a “proper” game – two concepts which are based on nothing more than an attempt to employ elitism and snobbery. That debate isn’t for here yet lends itself to this one, because games such as Wii Fit, Brain Training, and perhaps even Wii Sports have found themselves embraced by a more specific market. Even if there was conclusive proof that the 22.56 million people who have purchased Wii Fit were completely different to the 21.22 million who have purchased Mario Kart Wii, it would still disprove the niche theory.

Focusing specifically on the control methods, the Wii could only really be niche if the “Wiimote” and nunchuk could not be used by those that are accustomed to the more traditional controllers associated with the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. That the Wii’s controls are easier to use and/or understand by demographics such as those with arthritis, learning difficulties or a head injury does not mean that it is especially suited to their abilities. It does not negate the need to have a basic perception of up, down, left and right. Nor does it remove the requirements of some games to be accompanied by motions of the elbow, wrist or should which may still cause pain and/or confusion to some people. If the Wii was truly a niche console, it would address such issues.

If anything, the success of the Wii in comparison to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 lends itself more to a debate over whether these consoles have become niche. Their focus of the past few years has been offering high-end graphics and content which could not be replicated on the Wii. The great irony to this debate is that the emergence of Sony and Microsoft’s own motion controls later this year suggests an acceptance that they themselves have inadvertently become the niche. Not the Wii.  

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