Nintendo, which says its target is gamers from the age of 'five to 95', has enjoyed success with the launches of its next-generation console Wii and 'touch generation' handheld console the Nintendo DS.
Its strategy has left Microsoft and Sony to fight over gaming's traditional core market of 16- to 24-year-old men. However, Microsoft is now looking to widen its appeal by developing similar technology to the Nintendo Wii's innovative motion-sensitive 'wand' controller for its Xbox 360 console.
The company has already gone some way toward targeting a wider section of gamers. Last year it launched Viva Pinata for the Xbox 360. The game, aimed at the youth market, sees players tend to a virtual garden and animals.
Last week Nintendo strengthened its position in the casual gaming space with the latest edition of its DS Brain Training series, which has sold more than 10m units in the UK.
More Brain Training is being supported across Europe by a TV ad campaign starring actress Nicole Kidman (Marketing, 27 June).
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