Nintendo President Satoru Iwata Interview

[Akeldama]

As the next round of the console wars is set to begin, Boomtown exclusively talks with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. Here Iwata discusses the latest Nintendo revelations, the company's new consoles and the future of this longest surviving console manufacturer.

Of course we can beef up the processing power of the Revolution. The other two companies are trying to take advantage of the beefed up processing power just in order to make better graphics and quicker processing. What they are trying to do is to try to realize much better graphics in the end and they are in the belief that better pictures on the screen can interest the audiences.

So Nintendo is trying to take a very different approach. For example, similar to what we did with the Nintendo DS we are trying to introduce a brand new interface to the Revolution. The decisive factor of game play shall not be the nimble enough fingers, whether or not you can manipulate the many parts of the controller at the same time.You can read the whole interview with Iwata right here (http://ngc.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art.view.php?id=8255).

[bapenguin]

I like what he says about barriers, except they ARE creating one by allowing online gaming only through wi-fi. Yes, they are supplying free "hotspots" but that still limits access to a lot of the gamers who aren't going to be near them.

All in all, it'll be interesting what Revolution brings, it sounds like their target audience is totally different than the other 2 manufacturers.

[Wraithzula]

bit of a typo in the article...Nintendo wasn't founded in 1889!

Actually, it was. Nintendo was originaly a playing card manufacturer.

The History of Nintendo (http://www.nintendo-europe.com/NOE/en/GB/corporate/index.jsp)


Edit: woah, typos

[bapenguin]

silly me. Only 4 presidents in that time? That's pretty damn amazing.

[Scaryboy]

Yep, I think the revolution could still be very interesting, just perhaps not to the average EvAv reader. While the other two companies are aiming squarely for the 18-34 male demographic, where every other game is about some meathead marine cracking skulls in Nazi Germany/Dhurkadhurkastan/Tatooine, Nintendo seem to be aiming for absolutely everybody else.
I shall be expecting some absolutely brilliant games such as "Advanced Lawnmower Simulator" and "Ordinary Salaryman 128"

[themulf]

Lets not forget, triangle tap simulator and 'another mario-yoshi-donkyKong game without substance that takes advantage of pop-culture imagery, and mid-late 80's nostolgia'.
Hooray, lets not forget that playing old games is innovative! My pc is rather innovative, has been for as many years as emulators been out. Imagine that.
Nintendo needs to follow sega's path, and just do software.

[Furious Wang]

Sounds authoritarian to me.

What they are trying to do is to try to realize much better graphics in the end and they are in the belief that better pictures on the screen can interest the audiences.

Uh, I think everybody but [I]Nintendo is of that belief. Better graphics can interest audiences, for sure. Now, they don't satisfy audiences but no one is claiming that, are they? Except for the Killzone Cgi...

Yeah, but go ahead and keep spouting your "Gamers don't want realistic games" line. Just ignore the millions of copies sold by GTA, SoCoM, Halo, Doom, HL2. Ignore the fact that every decent war game is a million seller. Ignore the multibillion dollar licensed sports game market that thrives on selling the same game year after year with slightly more realistic graphics. Just ignore all of that. Ignore the billions of dollars your company could be making and the millions of fans you could be pleasing if you weren't trying so unreasonably hard to be different and unique against the known wants and desires of the majority of gamers in pursuit of your idealist vision of what your elite handful of aging game developers and corporate execs think games should be.

[Heretic Machine]

Yeah, but go ahead and keep spouting your "Gamers don't want realistic games" line. Just ignore the millions of copies sold by GTA, SoCoM, Halo, Doom, HL2. Ignore the fact that every decent war game is a million seller. Ignore the multibillion dollar licensed sports game market that thrives on selling the same game year after year with slightly more realistic graphics. Just ignore all of that. Ignore the billions of dollars your company could be making and the millions of fans you could be pleasing if you weren't trying so unreasonably hard to be different and unique against the known wants and desires of the majority of gamers in pursuit of your idealist vision of what your elite handful of aging game developers and corporate execs think games should be.

This is why I would never invest in Nintendo.

[Scaryboy]

I think you're missing the point Wang, they're not making this console for you. You already have either the PS3 or Xbox 360 to choose. They are aiming for the people that haven't really tapped into gaming because they have zero interest in "boy's toys" like GTA, SoCoM, Halo, Doom or HL2. They are trying to snag the folks that bought millions of copies of Tetris or The Sims. Maybe they'll succeed, maybe they'll fail, but they have pretty much admitted that they cannot compete with Sony and Microsoft as things currently stand so they're trying to carve out a new market for themselves.

[vornskr]

...they're not making this console for you. You already have either the PS3 or Xbox 360 to choose. They are aiming for the people that haven't really tapped into gaming because they have zero interest in "boy's toys" like GTA, SoCoM, Halo, Doom or HL2.

Bing-O

It may not make the monies like Microsoft's or Sony's product, but atleast it's there to provide contrast to the same old thing. For that atleast, I'm glad Nintendo is still in the hardware biz.

[Vandenh]

Yep.. what Scaryboy said :)

Nintendo have a lot of guts to do this. basically they stepped aside and decided to do their own thing. It might turn pretty good and at the very least, they will probably manage to capture the young market (yeah yeah... I know it is not politically correct to say this when Nintendo fanboys are around... but they DO have the young market at the moment). A super easy playable Pokemon with some kind of weird controller could do wonders.... heck.. why not have stuffed WiFi Pokemon toys that communicate with revolution. The sky is the limit ;)

[trip1eX]

I like Nintendo's games. Great stuff. I'm glad they are doing their own thing. They can get too cutesy for me but they know how to make a great game.

I happen to like doom3 and hl2 and bf42 and those games too, but I don't need to see 30 other copycats doing the same thing.

[SaintArnold]

Scaryboy = Post of the Year

[Whimbrel]

Every time Nintendo has come up with a new console since the SNES, they have some crackpot explanation for why their console doesn't need to be as powerful, functional, or convenient as the other systems. With the N64 they claimed they didn't need discs and they were going to stick with cartridges even though they would be expensive and limit memory. With Gamecube, they went to discs, but didn't want to allow dvd functionality or networking. In each iteration they spew some crap about innovation in gaming and that graphics are not as important as gameplay. Also, they claim that backwards compatibility is not worthwhile. Then they re-release waverace, f-zero- metroid, and Mario Brothers games with essentially unchanged gameplay and improved graphics. Meanwhile, true innovations that revolutionize playing on consoles like networked gaming and online play get ignored while consumers are told that these are unimportant gimmicks. When will Nintendo recognize that some of these gimmicks explain why Sony and Microsoft were able to come from nowhere to dominate their market?

If Nintendo wants to stand on the quality of its games, then they should build a console that is functionally equivalent to the consoles of their competitors. Then we can choose between those few games that are exclusive to any one console. There is a difference between choosing between Metroid and Halo and choosing between Metroid and a DVD player that also plays Halo.

I like Nintendo. My only current gen console is a Gamecube. But I bought it because of the price and game bundle that was available. Next time around I'm switching.

[Savok]

I think you're missing the point Wang, they're not making this console for you. You already have either the PS3 or Xbox 360 to choose. They are aiming for the people that haven't really tapped into gaming because they have zero interest in "boy's toys" like GTA, SoCoM, Halo, Doom or HL2. They are trying to snag the folks that bought millions of copies of Tetris or The Sims. Maybe they'll succeed, maybe they'll fail, but they have pretty much admitted that they cannot compete with Sony and Microsoft as things currently stand so they're trying to carve out a new market for themselves.

Sadly most people here probably won't understand, and we'll have more and more flame wars over the same old crap.

They're the Twisp & Catsby of the gaming world, and I for one love Twisp & Catsby.

[Savok]

You're playing DVDs on your Xbox? Are you homeless?

[Whimbrel]

My point is not necessarily that every new console should have wireless tivo and a dvd burner, but that the console should not determine the software. If you want to make a monkey sign language game fine. If you want a nazi killing game fine. Nintendo keeps arguing that they can make better games by limiting the functionality of the hardware. If Nentendo wants to revolutionize gaming, staying in business with a commercially viable console would be a good start. After that, they need to separate their vision for what game experience they want people to have from their console design. Design a functional console. Let the software create the difference in gaming experience. It wasn't the console that made tetris more fun than Mario World. Just the software.

[if76]

I take this interview as nintendo officially saying "we're no longer in the console business". It sounds to me they're making a TOY more akin to one of those kiosks you see in bars where you touch the screen to answer trivia and play other little games.

It'll be a $100-$150 party system like a karaoke machine but as far as realizing new virtual worlds and taking gaming to the next level I think it's woefully underpowered.

[if76]

If I had any consideration of buying this system the fact that it's wifi only is the nail in the coffin. I've never had a wifi experience that is as fast and as stable as plugging in with an ethernet cord. I can't imagine they save much money by not including an ethernet port and I think the decision not to include one is mind-boggling.

[Savok]

I can agree there, give me my god damn port for ethernet cords

[EyesNoMore]

They're the Twisp & Catsby of the gaming world, and I for one love Twisp & Catsby.
Savok wins.

As for WiFi only, I think we all know that the big N puts out well-made devices. I'm not too worried about the quality of the experience when it comes to Nintendo.

[Zurik]

I think its funny that now I'm hearing that graphics are not all that matters. Is that why the alot of people jumped to the xbox? How much faster and better it could handle games? I mean sure, Nintendo could go for the broader audience with games like the Sims, but unless they make exclusives, why wouldn't everyone not buy these games on the xbox 360 instead? Now, if Nintendo's coming up with complete unique games that no-one else can get the rights to, then they've got something to draw interest. If its just going to be endless sequels to the few established franchises they already have, then I'm not shelling out next generation prices for their hardware.

[Furious Wang]

The Exuberance is Insubstantial.

And so is Nintendo's innovation.

I'm not the one missing the point, you guys are.

The point is this:
Nintendo can do whatever they want, make whatever games they want, and I'll probably love all of them. But limiting their hardware to just the games they want to make at the cost of excluding developers and gamers who want realistic graphics, online play, and dvd based content is ridiculous when they absolutely have the means to do both. I would 100% honestly love to see Nintendo be eternal all reigning king of the console world with excellent 3rd party support. Then I'd have no need to buy a second system. But their pointless stances against what they view as unneeded innovation when said innovation is actually embraced by the majority of gamers confounds the hell out of me as it should you. No one has enabled Sony or MS to gain ground on Nintendo than they themselves have. Had they gone with CD content, had they gone with DVD content, had they gone with online play, had they gone with realistic graphics (not for their games but produced hardware allowing it), had they gone with more mature themes (not for their games but encouraged developers to produce it), had they gone with all of these in ADDITION to what they put out instead of defiantly saying "NO" when they had every capability of doing otherwise, they would still be on top, they would still have Square, they would still have large 3rd party support, people would be enjoying their 1st party games online AS WE SPEAK, they would have an exponentially larger installed base and they would be making billions more in cash. And the gaming world would be a much much better place.

[kizke]

Furious Wang, you speak the truth. It's so very painful but true.

Life just hasn't been the same since Square jumped ship in 1995. I think that really will stand as the beginning of the end of Nintendo's supreme position in the games market when we look back years from now.

[MosBen]

Furious Wang pretty much said it all, but I'll just say it a bit differently. Nintendo may think that voice acting in a game isn't important and that they can get away fine with gibberish talk combined with text (a la Animal Crossing), but not all developers agree with that ideology and going with a disk format like those tiny disks for the GC means that it's just that much harder for companies to make the games that THEY want rather than the games NINTENDO wants. And given two other platforms that push the technological barriers so that developers can make the games THEY want to make, it's pretty easy to see why Nintendo has had 3rd party support troubles.

All that combines, for me, to the conclusion that if Nintendo is so concerned with making games the way THEY want to they should just be a software company. If Nintendo wanted to it's not like they couldn't make any of their GC games for, say the Xbox.

[netcraazzy]

I think this is definitely an attempt by Nintendo to distance themselves from Sony and Microsoft. It does seem a little arrogant the way that Satoru Iwata was describing the "others" as only wanting realistic graphics, but that's all part of the PR game. Now what has me interested is to see where all of this actually ends up. How exactly is Nintendo going to go about catering to non-gamers? I'd wager a bet and say it's going to take more than a new controller design to get grandma to play Mario.

[Rommel]

Maybe the controller will only have one, extremely sensitive, button. That will free developers from having to base gameplay on nimble fingers. True freedom!

[mister_slim]

I guess the complaint is that Nintendo is too arrogant to get good third party support? Most of the other complaints seem pretty delusional to me.

Anyway, carry on.
I like what he says about barriers, except they ARE creating one by allowing online gaming only through wi-fi. Yes, they are supplying free "hotspots" but that still limits access to a lot of the gamers who aren't going to be near them.
You have an HDTV but you can't afford a wireless router?

[Savok]

Wang you're like a broken record that started playing 6 years ago, what you're saying now was what was said at the GC launch, and what'll be said at the launch of another Nintendo console many years down the track,

Why did they publish Metroid Prime the way it was? Why did they publish Eternal Darkness? Why allow RE4 (at the time exclusive) to be on their system? That new Splinter Cell is pretty awesome, and *gasp*, it's on GC as well. They aren't against anything, just unlike the other two they don't see realistic grahpics as the centre of the universe, they have better things to do.

Nintendo won't be on top ever again, simply because the market has changed, it's mainstream, I'm watching the actual news and see 2 minute pieces on the fucking Xbox 360. Give the mainstream the choice between Mario and Halo, they're going to grab Halo everytime, unless Mario somehow sold out for mainstream consumption, which brings us to....

Square, look at them now, they've sold out in the worst way possible, all to try to grab the mainstream market. Is anything they make these days worth playing?

And would it kill you to use paragraphs?

[mister_slim]

Nintendo won't be on top ever again, simply because the market has changed, it's mainstream, I'm watching the actual news and see 2 minute pieces on the fucking Xbox 360. Give the mainstream the choice between Mario and Halo, they're going to grab Halo everytime, unless Mario somehow sold out for mainstream consumption, which brings us to....
I don't know if the Xbox model, which the PS3 seems to be following, is mainstreamable. If the Xbox had PS2 level sales, I don't think the attach rate would make it very profitable for MS. I wonder how many PSP games Sony has to sell to recover their loss? I suppose we'll have to wait a couple of years for Qs, and they probably won't help much anyway.

[Furious Wang]

And would it kill you to use paragraphs?

Do you even know the definition of a paragraph?

[Savok]

Yes it's used when you move onto a new line of thought/topic, or at least it's supposed to be. Mostly people use them so what they write is readable by humans and not a giant blob of text.