EEDAR looks at the Wii and the birth of the casual console market

The data shows how much the "Wii bubble" contributed to the explosive growth in software sales in 2008, the year the Wii really took off as a family and party device. This data corroborates a broader theme EEDAR has seen across our research - new, shortened gaming experiences that have added diversity to the market, especially mobile, have cannibalized the casual console market, not the core console market. People will find the best platform to play a specific experience, and for many types of experiences, that is still a sofa, controller, and 50 inch flat-screen TV.

The core console market is alive and very well, but the casual market that flocked to Wii has since moved elsewhere. That's why Nintendo too such a hit on Wii U. The casuals didn't grab it and the core didn't want a system they perceived to be casual. The market for core gaming consoles right now is strong, so hopefully Nintendo can really take advantage with the NX.