Reggie highlights the casual at Nintendo's Gamer Day

Riding high thanks to the astronomical sales of its handheld and console platforms, Nintendo reiterated its commitment to expanding the gaming audience earlier this week at a summer preview event in Seattle.

Bridging the immense gap between hardcore gamers and the mainstream has long been a goal for the company whose DS handheld has sold over 40 million worldwide. Showcasing a handful of titles intended to preserve its momentum through the summer months, the event made it clear Nintendo's race to embrace the mainstream has reached full stride.

With only three first-party titles and a couple third-party games on display, however, there was some disappointment among press attendees.

Along with the newly announced brain training sequel Brain Age 2, Nintendo unveiled North American releases for two casual puzzle games, Picross and Planet Puzzle League.

But none of the company's more core titles, such as Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol, let alone the highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, were on display. This appeared to be a strategic move by Nintendo designed to place the spotlight on mainstream gaming, while keeping its big hardcore guns primed for the crucial Christmas selling period.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime (pictured) was certainly quick to point out the mainstream theme.

"We're an 'and' company, not an 'or' company," Fils-Aime stated, Rumsfeld-like, in his welcoming address (the context being hardcore AND casual rather than hardcore OR casual). "We want to satisfy the core and capture new gamers on the fringe with titles like Brain Age 2."

While traditional games will always have a home with Nintendo, Fils-Aime reckons the new focus is on expanding the appeal. "Nintendo is an entertainment company, so we're competing not just with PlayStation and Xbox but also with movies and music," he said.

This push was furthered by the presence of third-party games such as THQ's Drawn to Life and Ubisoft's Jam Sessions.

It would be hard to argue against the massmarket appeal of a game that gives you the power to play a guitar anytime, anywhere. The phenomenal success of the Guitar Hero console franchise points to Jam Sessions'potential, even if previous DS music titles such as Electroplankton and Elite Beat Agents, which were hardcore successes, haven't really set the sale bells a-ringing.

Still, 40 million gamers have already chosen Nintendo DS, with the company predicting an additional 22 million this year. So when you nexy see someone on the train completing their daily Brain Age training, or putting the final touches on their hero in Drawn to Life while waiting for a haircut, remember: we're all gamers now.