So what does Shigeru Miyamoto think of the divide between core and casual gamers? Well, maybe there really isn’t one after all. He believes that a casual gamer can become hardcore after a time, as he told Official Nintendo Magazine:

I think it’s a natural transition. said Miyamoto. Everyone starts off as a light user but at some point many of them become hardcore gamers. My wife bought Brain Training about three years ago. In More Brain Training, you know how there is the Dr Mario game? She became absolutely hooked and today she is much better than I am!

[Notes: Brain Training is the Japanese version of Brain Age, and apparently being married to the most famous video game creator in the history of the universe isn't enough to get you free DS games.]

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Ever see those amateur musicians playing on street corners, inside malls, looking to entertain crowds, maybe make some cash, and just wanting to make some music? Yeah, well, they’re not even using real instruments anymore.

This weekend and the following weekend, trios of performers will set up at various locations in major U.S. cities, demonstrating Wii Music and jamming for the crowds. You may have even caught some of these groups this past weekend, cranking out some tunes on their Wii Trumpet, their Wii Saxes, Wii Vibes, Bass, and Drums. If you spot them again, be sure to stop and enjoy the performance.

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Speaking of video games and music, the numbers are in for Wii Music’s first two weeks on store shelves, and they’re not all that high. Nintendo’s own Cammie Dunaway, citing NPD figures, says the non-game sold “65 or 66,000″ units. Cammie isn’t worried, though.

We’re predicting that it’s going to be an evergreen title. And if you look at titles like ‘Brain Age,’ it’s about the same as what ‘Brain Age’ did during it’s first few weeks and went on to sell 2.5 million copies. ‘Wii Fit’ certainly had a larger launch than that. But I think that people are starting to understand ‘Wii Music.’

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Everyone loves music; it’s an undeniably inherent trait in each of us. It should be no surprise that even among the general population around us, just about anyone can find some fun in music video games. Many of those games include popular songs that are familiar favorites, and that alone is enough to draw a player into the game, regardless of whether or not they can actually play the game.

Wii Music, however, is built on a different philosophy, and one new to music video games. It’s such a radical departure from existing music video games that I’m sure many of you watched the videos and heard the hands-on impressions from the E3 unveiling and immediately wrote the game off. To be completely honest, I did, too. As a soon-to-be music educator, I had been hoping for another music game that could potentially be used to make learning about music fun for people. At E3, I was introduced what seemed to turn music-making into a dumbed down waggle-fest for the casual crowd, and I was convinced that this game wasn’t going to be a big title for me this year. I was completely wrong.

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It’s pretty hard to give you an idea of how Wii games play these days. It’s not as easy anymore to assume you’ll simply be mashing buttons. You need to know exactly how you’ll be using that Wii Remote, that Nunchuk Controller, without having to worry about going out and finding a playable Wii kiosk with the games you want. You’d think that by this point, we’d have a Channel on the Wii that potentially allows for the download of free demos. Oh, wait.

That said, I really think you need to experience Wii Music before you can decide if you want it or not. On paper, it sounds pretty great. After playing it, I’m convinced it’d be a decent party activity, especially if you have friends that don’t necessarily want to create a jazz combo upon meeting up to hang out. I can think of several grown friends of mine that would have a blast with this game. On the other hand, if you’re looking for Rock Band: Nintendo Edition, well… this won’t cut it.

At $50 for 60+ instruments, you’d think Wii Music is a steal. Based on what we’ve played of the game, it may be a bit on the easy side for rhythm/music game enthusiasts, but for others, it can make for a fun party pasttime. As a future band director, I’m horrified of the possibility that kids will grow up thinking they can play notes at any time and it will sound good, but as a music educator, I’m looking forward to the creative outlet and exposure to so many new instruments.

If you’re not yet decided on whether or not to pick up the game, Nintendo’s launch press release can be read after the break talking about the details and modes of the game. I’ll try to get a review of the game done by next week, but seeing as I’m still playing through Sonic Chronicles…

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Nintendo has announced the official release date for their most recent stab at the casual market, and Wii Music will be taking the stage on October 20th. All of the maestros in the making out there ready your WiiMotes, and prepare to waggle… er, conduct to your heart’s content in just over a month. I’m going to be dancing up a storm playing the virtual sax. Nintendo’s full press release after the break.

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For everyone who can’t wait to get their air-strum on, don’t fret. Wii Music is set to land in Japan on October 16th. What that means for aspiring air musicians in other regions? You’ve got me. I suggest asking Iwata, he might know. Around 60 instruments and 50 songs will be included in the final build. Personally, that number just moved this game up my list a few slots. I don’t think I can even name that many instruments, can you?

Kotaku

A Japanese retailer event today (or tomorrow there? I don’t know…) has confirmed a few interesting details for Japanese Wii owners. They are as follows:

• Captain Rainbow will launch in Japan on August 28 for ¥6,800 (or $63.32 USD)
• Wii Music will launch in Japan on October 16 for ¥5,800 (or $54 USD).
• Colored Wrist Straps (in white, pink, blue, and green) for Wii Remotes will be available for ¥300 each ($2.79). Packs of four will be available for ¥1000.
• Valkyrie Profile will launch in Japan for the Nintendo DS on October 2 for ¥5040 (or $46.93 USD)

I guess coloring the wrist straps is one way of providing colors to Wii owners while still trying to quench Wii demand in a single color. I hear wrist straps on electronics are huge in Japan, so I expect those to be promptly snapped up.

NeoGAF

Along with all the other announcements that Nintendo made at their press conference yesterday, they also mentioned that Wii Music would be arriving on store shelves later this year. Check out the video above for the big announcement, as well as a Wii Music jam session from Miyamoto and several other Nintendo execs.

Daily Motion