Like a few other gamers, I bought the new Nintendo DS the day it was released here in the U.S. (Nov. 21). I was hoping it would be the beginning of a resurgence for the console gaming pioneer. I was also optimistic that it would finally represent an attempt by Nintendo to capture older audiences, a segment of the population that they have never seemed interested in reaching out to before. Unfortunately, in spite of losing market share at an alarming rate, they won't climb onto what could be a life raft for them - the adult market. They are still choosing to focus almost entirely on pre-teens.

They may not realize that there are many adults out there now who grew up with Nintendo, and still want to connect with the company that was associated so strongly with video gaming in their youth. The new "geek chic" has made it acceptable for them to carry around handheld gaming devices that would have been socially verboten in the past. But despite this huge opportunity, Nintendo still chooses only to court America's pre-pubescent youth.

Is that really where they think the money is? Or are they just out of touch with who the older gamers of America are? I think the latter may be the case. Consider that Nintendo's Chief of Public Relations, NiKen Toyota, congratulated himself on the recent increase of DS purchases by Mature (19+) gamers in Japan. He sited the advertisements featuring Japanese pop star Hikaru Utada as the reason it has risen from 49% to 59%. Well, that's great for the Japanese market, where they enjoy things incomprehensible to the American mind. But do they really think Japanese pop stars will connect them to mature gamers here in the States?