We all praise Nintendo for returning gameplay and not graphical pop to the forefront. Since their conception, games have been designed to be fun first and everything else second. Nintendo seems to realize that more than any other developer in the world, which is why some of its presentational shortcomings are usually overshadowed by welcomed over-compensations in control and design. But make no mistake: Wii Sports is also the product of Nintendo's bottom line and, yes, even laziness to some degree. The developer could have achieved a simple, accessible visual style with lots of added detail and effects, but it chose not to. Wii Sports dons a crisp, clean look, but is otherwise decidedly generic, static, and frankly, archaic. Nintendo spent less time, energy and money on the graphics because it had a winning hook to fall back on, which was of course the new motion controls. Why, though, should innovation come at the expense of presentation? Because it's easier and cheaper.
Expend less energy, cut costs and somehow make more money anyway. Sadly, save for only a few epic hardcore titles like the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Mario Galaxy, this mantra of sorts has been the Nintendo way through Wii's lifecycle. I wish it weren't so, but I can point to a dozen examples, from actual games to outdated models that the firm clings to only (so far as I can tell) because it remains reluctant to change.