Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime disses all comers
By Marc Perton 
posted Jan 19th 2006 9:48AM
posted Jan 19th 2006 9:48AM
Nintendo's Executive Vice
President of Sales and Marketing, Reggie Fils-Aime, had a chat with News.com recently, and laid it on the line about
the company's plans for the new year -- and about what Nintendo really thinks of the competition. Among other things,
Fils-Aime dissed the PSP, saying that "the buzz for the DS is huge and growing, and the most anticipated handheld
titles are on our platform, not on Sony's." He also hit the Xbox 360 for being overpriced, insisting that a
full-on 360 rig with accessories would cost customers $700, while the Revolution will run for under $300 (though we
somehow doubt Nintdendo will shy away from selling or endorsing high-priced Revolution accessories). Ah, not since Sim Wong Hoo have we seen such braggadocio; spin on, Reggie, spin
on![Via DS Fanboy]
It really is retarded people like himself make me NOT want to buy things from that company. However, then again I can only take so much Mario,Luigi,Yoshi,Donkey Kong, spin offs>.
But I find it funny how such an arrogant person is able to spew out so much trash, when the last console they made was a failure because they did not integrate new technology into it (DVD at the time, GameCube uses CD) and seems like they still wont. (their using DVD and not so hot GPU)
What, did you really expect the Vice President of Sales and Marketing to sit there and praise the competition? This isn't any different from something Peter Moore would say, for example.
The GameCube, by the way, does not use CD. And the Revolution isn't even using "standard technology" since it's based around an entirely different concept.
You missed the funniest quote though:
Q: How do you think Revolution will sell?
Fils-Aime: We will sell more units than Xbox 360 did here in the United States in our launch window. I mean, in December we sold more GameCubes in the United States than Microsoft sold 360s, and Revolution will do better than that.
Gamecube uses mini-dvds. 1.5 GB of data. Not CD.
Yeah, what a bastard. I'm sure that instead of spending 300 on extra cables, controllers, and assorted whatnotery, he's going to really slip the screws into you to buy extra games.
Is it so hard to believe that rather than have you spend all your money on accessories they'd have you spend them on games?
Please people, don't say things like you're not going to buy X because of Y, because you never would've bought X even if Y didn't exist, because you're an Z fanboy.
Well the guy has reason to brag.
Between its portables and the Gamecube Nintendo IS the undisputed market leader.
And yes the DS is making a mockery of the PSP sales wise.
"the buzz for the DS is huge and growing, and the most anticipated handheld titles are on our platform, not on Sony's."
Hey, Reggie! What happened to Nintendo's policy of noncompetition? Feeling a little threatened by the fact that the PSP sold more than the DS in the United States, are we?
I really wish this guy would shut up. You'd think he learned how to keep his mouth shut after the whole "I'll dropkick the next kid who says RE4 isn't a Gamecube-exclusive title" fiasco.
I do like Nintendo and have for many years, but I just don't like Reggie. He's so damn arrogant, there's no elegance. Can't he just praise his own system and just not mention the others? I'm pretty sure that reporting editors will make the comparisons themselves anyways.
Sweet, Nintendo of the olden days has finally made it back.
It's about time they started to fire back after all the lame insults Microsoft and Sony have slung at them. Eat it.
I'll be the first to admit, I haven't bought a Nintendo home console since the SNES -- and I likely won't be giving the Revolution much of a look, either.
I currently own the Xbox 1 and the PS2, and I just bought the Nintendo DS handheld. I bought these three systems for two reasons -- one, I liked the library of games, and two, the controllers felt "right" in my hand. You hardcore games might discount that second sentiment, but for casual gamers like me, it's traditionally a valid concern -- and one of the primary reasons I never bought an N64.
I'm going to have to see the Revolution launch titles before I make my decision... but based on previous launches, it doesn't look like there will be much to win me over. I'm not a big fan of 3D Mario and Zelda usually bores the crap out of me.
Unlike Hong Nintendo is actually a decent company.
I HATE Nintendo, and I don't like handhelds.
But I will be the first to admit that you won't pry my cold dead fingers off my DS.
That thing kicks ass. And I am actually looking forward to the Revolution.
You have to understand something. Thats like a Catholic saying they are a big fan of the devil.
It's a complete 180 for me. I didn't like the gamecube, I didn't like the N64, I thought the SNES was ok but enjoyed my genesis WAY more.
He's absolutely right when he says the buzz around the DS is incredible as to where the buzz around the PSP seems to be "uh, well, it's great for homebrew".
And the 360 IS a bit pricey, you can't ignore that.
I think the comparison to Sim Woo Hong is a bit uncalled for. As he tends to be a melodramtic, sometimes blatant liar.
well, everything he said is true. The DS is beating the PSP in sales and a full-out 360 rig would come to about that and the DS hasn't got the most anticipated handheld titles? online tetris, animal crossing(im in the UK) harvest moon and metroid i think lost of people are waiting for those.
Reggie is simply stating the truth: The DS is winning and the Revolution will be a revolution
Remember back in the day when like a few people had consoles and they were made for the gamer? Recently all we've been seeing from xbox and sony have been variations on fps, driving, and sports games. Whereas Nintendo has been producing innovative games like Eternal Darkness. The DS itself is an innovative system with its touch screen, and the Revolution is looking to be just as innovative. Sony, we've seen this trend coming, where sony wants to merge everything into one system, movies, music, internet, etc. In my opinion all this does is provide a system that does all of those weakly, whereas the DS (and hopefully Revolution) will do gaming and do gaming well. So yes Nintendo may not be shipping out its 60th clone of Halo, but they're going to be behind a small number of really unique and innovative games you won't see anywhere else.
The DS having the "most anticipated handheld titles" is all subjective. I could give a crap about Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, and Metroid.
I want Katamari, Worms, and Exit.
Some ppl can be so ignorant. iReally wish idiots would stop commenting on matters they know nothing of. A full 360 rig costing $700? WTF... Unless I'm missing something, I didn't pay that much for it. Additions such as the WiFi adapter is not essential to the game system nor is the hard drive(especially if u don't have live). If a person doesn't need any of the options the X360 offers, they can have the system for the traditional price of about $300.
The Revo isn't packing the same amount of balls as the X360 or the PS3 so obviously its going to be cheaper. The PS3 and the X360 will offer the absolute best hardware available for some time and if you want it, it ain't going to come cheap. So everyone stop crying like little females over the price. If money is tight, get the Revo... simple as that.
November Sales Numbers:
360,000 PSPs
380,000 DSes
900,000 GBAsp/GBAmicro
Worldwide Numbers:
13 Million DSes SOLD
10 Million PSPs SHIPPED
Right now.... Nintendo has a right to brag. DS owns everywhere.
Although Nintendo might "own" you dont see any Sony executives making stupid remarks. No, you see them able to control themselves and NOT make a fool out of themselves.
Ninetendo is overrated now a days. I DONT CARE ABOUT MARIO ANYMORE.
"Sony needs to drop the PSP price, since that's the
only serious issue holding the PSP back from complete market dominance."
The thing holding back is that it needs more awesome games. The price is not bad... I just won't buy one until there are 2-3 games I want on it. I have a DS because I like Mario Kart and Advance Wars, and am looking forward to Metroid : Hunters and Tetris DS.
When the PSP has games, I (and many people like me) will buy it.
18."Although Nintendo might "own" you dont see any Sony executives making stupid remarks. No, you see them able to control themselves and NOT make a fool out of themselves."
Lol, so did Ken Kutagari get fired without me noticing?
Reggie may not be my favorite Nintendo representative, but c'mon people! This is BUSINESS! All 3 major game companies have people working for them that say this kind of stuff all the time. In fact, in almost any kind of business you'll see this kind of favoritism. Wouldn't you unfairly support the company that gives you your fat pay check?
Also, I don't understand how people can already say, oh, I'm not getting a Revolution, the PS3 is so much better. Or, I'm not trying a Revolution, I like the Xbox controller. How can you not want to at least try that controller out? How opposed to change can you get? Until you've tried something, or at least know more than what something looks like, you have to reserve the right to at least give it a chance.
The PSP has a slow screen refresh. Yes, I have a PSP sitting at home (not mine, my younger bro's). While the PSP is more powerful graphically, there isn't any must have game. Not to say there isn't a few decent games but not one that would make a PSP a "must have" product. Most of the games on PSP are just ports of PS1/2 games...not exactly inspiring or impelling. So aside from I think Lumines, what is there?
UMD movies. Please. I'm not paying $20-25 for a stupid lower rez copy of a DVD I already own. I do admit that encoding movies onto a Memory Stick is the way to go but Memory Sticks can get expensive and it becomes prohibitive to own multiple Memory Sticks.
Nintendo's DS already has a few chart toppers. There are already much higher quality games on the DS (even with it's lesser system/graphics power). Granted there seems to be a lot of sequels and ports here as well but there are truly a few gems that the PSP can't touch.
#8, News Flash: The DS is outselling the PSP in Japan and in the US (not sure on Europe). The GB Advance is outselling both combined. I hardly think Nintendo feels threatened. Wary, yes, threatened, no.
The PSP has almost the same number of _shipped_ systems as the Nintendo DS has _sold_. That isn't the same thing. Just because I shipped 1 million units of Product A, doesn't mean I sold 1 million units of Product A. Regardless, the DS has SOLD more units than the PSP has SHIPPED.
Wako, don't get me wrong- I believe in the unique strengths of both Sony and Nintendo. In the end, they both can reach levels that the other one can not. How ever, saying that you don't see Sony making "stupid remarks" is a bit uncalled for. Sure, I believe that Reggie was a bit arrogant, but it's also his job to stand behind his company, and he didn't lie about a bit of it. His arrogance could also be viewed as passion for his product.
On another note, no, I couldn't pull out an article in five minutes showing you where Sony completely dissed Nintendo, but that's because there's nothing to back it up. Can you imagine Sony saying "The PSP can do all this, it should be selling better than the DS!" They honestly couldn't say much else without lieing, and I don't see Sony doing that. It could be worded much better of course, but really, it has no ground.
I like both company's, and I wish that it wasn't necessary for them to have to compete. How ever, just because they have to doesn't mean we have to choose sides either- even if you can only choose one console/hand-held. Sony may be more technology savy, but Nintendo has skill in making a good, polished game without decking out your system and making it cost $100.00 more because of production. On the other side of the coin, Nintendo does lack some gaming experiences that many gamers can not go on without. Personally, I believe Nintendo has some gaming exeriences I couldn't go on without.
It's a 'choose what's best for you' situation. Each console has it's fans, and none of them are wrong for liking what they like about their machines. They're all simply different.
"Gamecube Nintendo IS the undisputed market leader"
... its last in the console wars....
Sony and MS make statements like these all the time. Its common practice to talk up your product. I personally think its silly but I guess investors like bravado.
Nintendo is doing well with its DS so they do have something to be proud of. Reggie is just playing chearleader Steve "Developers" Ballmer does the same thing from time to time.
This one goes for number 18:
So when Sony executives say they will take handheld gaming out of the Ghetto(implying that Nintendo only released ghetto handhelds) that is somehow a valid statement and not something incredibly stupid to say?
"The PSP is like having a real game console in your hands."
#7, you're OUT OF YOUR MIND. can we just talk about GAMES...
"Why doesn't Nintendo put a sock in all of that big talk and come out with a more powerful, smaller, DS? Maybe one that has useful internet access, built-in SD memory card slot, some multimedia abilities, and a slim body that isn't such a brick. In the meantime, I'll think I'll stick to playing Katamari, Xmen, and GTA on my "unbuzz-worthy" PSP."
BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. the PSP games suck. dont pretend you enjoy those shitty titles. i would buy a portable media player or a pda if i wanted crap homebrew & "umds" (not that id want to watch/buy HITCH)... nintendo is innovative, fun & doing great things. dont try to knock the big N or you might get stomped for real!!
I like my DS, it's an interesting toy with some nice games, but clearly, the PSP is on a WHOLE other level.
---
a... lower level, that is..
A full on Rig of 360 costs $700?You dont need much extra after you buy the premium bundle.A play & charge kit and maybe an extra controller if you need it.He is just talking out his AZZ.
im glad nintendo is starting to get the respect it deserves
Yes, what Reggie said could sound arrogant but what's wrong with being confident about the company he works for while what he said is a valid claim without much of exaggeration? He has the right to brag with those sales figure.
I love my PSP and DS. I love PSP for being able to play PS2 like games on its portable body whereas I love DS for pumping out more games that are ACTUALLY FUN to play personally. However, I believe taking a side, because PSP is simply more powerful or DS has special features, sounds pretty silly to me when you can enjoy both of them. Yes, taste for games can be purely subjective however not the sales record. And Nintendo is clearly beating Sony in the sales department... but who really cares, right? I don't give a crap about it as long as I get to play great games on both portables.
btw, can't wait for newly designed DS ('case I don't like how it looks and feels cheap)
To address a couple of things:
An Xbox 360 rig will easily cost you a lot of money after taxes.
Xbox 360 standard system: $400
Extra Wireless Controller: $50
2 x Play and Charge Kits: $40
A game: $60
Tax: ~$50
Total: $600 for the system, 2 controllers and a game after taxes.
That's a pretty typical setup, and supposedly they sold 3 games on average per console, pushing it up to around $700.
Regarding the PSP: As someone said, it has a terribly pixel refresh rate causing ghosting, not to mention the high rate of dead pixels.
The problem with the PSP is that hardly any of the games make good portable games, but make good console games. There is a huge difference, and developers and Sony haven't picked up on this yet.
"But I find it funny how such an arrogant person is able to spew out so much trash, when the last console they made was a failure because they did not integrate new technology into it (DVD at the time, GameCube uses CD)"
Wow, you're an idiot.
"Although Nintendo might 'own' you dont see any Sony executives making stupid remarks. No, you see them able to control themselves and NOT make a fool out of themselves."
What was it that that bald white guy said about DS? It was just a toy, or some'n?
Look I am 29 years old i've been gaming a long time, not like the 18 year olds now a days that feel its just graphics or nothing and want to pit systems against each other. I own a 2 ds's and 1 psp my wife convince me to buy the psp (shiny things and women you know) I got it cheap 120 used. My ds systems are played all the time because the games are good and i can download play with my wife using 1 game. My psp is in my dresser drawer i hardly use it, I have homebrew on it and guess what roms I play on it old nintendo games and sega games. The psp is like having a ferrari and driving it only occasionally because the oil change costs 4000 dollars. When it comes to portables nintendo has it right. If you want to go on graphics alone buy something by sony, if you want something you want to pick right up and play agreat game its nintendo. Oh and if I wanted something rated adult I'll buy porn.
I HAD both portable consoles. I traded in my dusty old PSP for a slim-line PS2 (the true competitor of the PSP). Guess what? I'm now playing the same games for up to $20 cheaper on my lovely 50 inch screen. I miss my Lumines disc...but I'll be back to puzzling once 10-player online Tetris hits the shelf. I may have kept my PSP if it were truly portable. It's bulky to lug around...scratches easily...stupid load times (grrrrr!!!!)...and the battery life is horrible. Portable media? I, like 10's of millions of others out there bought an iPod. Way more staorage for portable vid entertainment.
The DS does pack more of a gaming punch. Sure, the graphics are weaker, but they aren't god awful by any means.
If you hate on the DS simply because it's made by Nintendo you're just straight up ignorant. If you havn't given Mario Kart DS a round, you really are missing out. Oh...an wow...Castlevania DS is insanely addicting!
Will I repurchase a PSP? Possibly. If the software lineup warrants it. Like I said, I can get all the good games the PSP on my PS2 for cheaper. Also, it just isn't worth the big bucks right now...especially now that I have to save my $ for all the Next Gen consoles on the horizon!
The DS is cheap, portable, and fun...also Reggie is right..there are some kick ass games coming soon!
According The Mecury News site, sales figures for the US of 2005. PSP 3.63 mill, DS 2.43 mill.
http://news.punchjump.com/article.php?id=1916
"17. November Sales Numbers:
360,000 PSPs
380,000 DSes
900,000 GBAsp/GBAmicro
Worldwide Numbers:
13 Million DSes SOLD
10 Million PSPs SHIPPED
Right now.... Nintendo has a right to brag. DS owns everywhere."
Are you kidding me? If I was working at Nintendo, I'd be freaking out. The PSP, with barely any games worth mentioning, let alone playing, is keeping pace with the DS, with all of its titles? Barely a year ago, Nintendo OWNED the portable market. They WERE the portable market. Now they've got a little over 50% marketshare with their primary product? (Let's ignore the GBA SP and Micro, since they exist primarily as a means of inflating Nintendo's sales numbers and deflating the PSP's marketshare numbers.)
Nintendo has problems if Sony can challenge them like that.
31, "What was it that that bald white guy said about DS? It was just a toy, or some'n?"
"Bald white guy," eh? I didn't know Sony had such an executive. Does he sit next to Token Black Guy at board meetings?
*sigh*
Stupid Nintendo fanboys
Mention the DS and you invariably get a boatload of insipid BS from Reggie-ass-kissing Ninty fanboys who 1). Wouldn't own a Sony product if you gave it to them (synonymous with Mac fanaticism) and 2). all deny they're Nintendo fanboys.
1). PSP has GAINED MARKETSHARE on the DS since the latter had a huge headstart in the USA, Asia (not Japan) and Europe. The ONLY PLACE the DS has really cleaned house on the PSP is JAPAN, where you could literally market a dead hamster coated in wet dogshit and as long as it said NINTENDO next to the $149.99 pricetag, they'd sell 10 million units in the first week. The Gameboy Micro proves it.
2). The PSP has MANY more 8.0+ rated games than the DS on Gamespot, and they're the ones who crapped on GTA (they seem to grade PSP games slightly lower than other media sources on average). So this BS about no good games on PSP is simply that: Ninty freak BS.
3). I enjoy a good game of Advance Wars DS as much as the next geek, but ENOUGH ALREADY with the Mario this, Yoshi that, Wario something and POKEMON endless rehashes/ports/sequels. DS fanboys who blast the PSP as having watered down PS2 ports - SO WHAT? It's a bloody handheld, you idiots - the DS has more than its share of sequels (Castlevania, Mario Bros, MK, AW, etc), crappy ports (Rayman, King Kong, Burnout, Ridge Racer, etc.) and rehashes... And lately, I wouldn't brag about the 'quality over quantity' of such gems as KIM POSSIBLE, SPONGEBOB and ELF BOWLING.
4). Not long now until Reggie puffs up his chest (for the third time in as many days, most likely) and yanks the veil off the NEW UPDATED DS in a few months with better screens and less clunky design -- the second iteration in a series of revamps and revisions just like the ubermilking of the GBA line all the way down to the gold/blue/polka Poke-Fami-Scooby sticker-happymeal-edition #1,239.
...No wonder N-fanboys are so defensive, aggro and snotty? They've been had with recycled kiddie junk and pokemon color editions so much they don't know which way is up, anymore. I'm sure not saying Sony is perfect either, with their proprietary lockdown you-can't-use-our-tech firmware tricks and overpriced MemSticks... Or their failure to provide more original titles and the $199.99 BASIC PACK they've been enjoying in Japan, but hey - at least they don't pull this Steve Jobs-like hypocritical bullshit with the whole 'We're the good guys trying to really evolve gaming, just help us out against these bad guys!' line. Give me a fucking break.
Activist Nintendo fans = shmucks extraordinaire.
lolling @ M$ + SoN¥ phanboyZ!!1! UR NOT h4rdc0r3!1! nInt3nd0 pwns J00!!1!one!
Of course you've got to assume that everyone who likes the DS so much is a fanboy.
1) Son'y been reporting shipping volume, Nintendo's been reporting sales. One of these things is not like the other.
2) Entirely subjective. I personally don't like most of the PSP titles as portable titles at all. The big problem here is that now that you can have a handheld PS2, people have started to think that they just need to make smaller PS2 games. Not so. You need to make "quicker" PS2 games. Games which you can stop playing at the drop of a hat, since a home console gamer might have hours to spend on a game, but a handheld gamer might have to get off of a train or otherwise stop at a moment's notice. Was Lumines pure candy-coated crack? Sure. That doesn't make it a great handheld game, since the main way to unlock content is to play through stage after stage with NO SAVE POINT.
3) ENOUGH ALREADY with the Metal Gear Solid this, Tony Hawk that, and endless GTA rehashes/ports/sequels. The real difference is that the DS versions of games are either things that simply aren't done on home consoles anymore (Sidescrolling platformer Castlevania,) or significant improvements to an existing game, such as the separate map screen in Mario Kart.
4) And I'm sure that the addition of a backlight as costs lowered, the rechargeable batteries, the clamshell design to protect the screen, those are all part of the horrible conspiracy, too? I mean, it's not like Sony would release different colored PS2s and PSPs, right? They certainly would NEVER release a limited edition PS2, would they? And there's no way that they'd ever try something as horribly evil as slimming down their flagship console in a later release.
But that's irrelevant. I bought the PSP. I played with it. I left it at home today. Again. Just like every other day. I bought the DS. I take it with me to work. I play with it on the train. I don't CARE that it's not a great movie/video player, it plays games that I can enjoy in the small doses of time available to me. And I really don't care about Nintendo beating Sony. Unfortunately, I do feel that Nintendo is doing a lot to evolve handheld gaming, while Sony's just completely missing the point. This is mostly backed up by the sheer amount of fun I've had with my DS, dealing with touch screen games and the like, compared to my slightly dusty PSP. So yeah, I'll help them, but not because they're asking. I'll help because they're giving me something enjoyable for my money, while Sony isn't. (This also applies to the GB micro, which isn't that much better on the surface, but is the only handheld which I can really carry along in almost any situation, and after extensive testing on a loaner, I decided that it's perfectly playable.)
But anyway, after years of Sony wrestling away the market, and Microsoft attempting to jump in, it's about time that Nintendo started firing a few back across Sony's bow.
Regardless, that's just one gamer's opinion. I could care less if you agree with me, just don't paint me as some blinded Nintendo fanboy who has no basis for the Nintendo side of the same whining which comes from both sides. I made my choice, I'm sticking to it, and from there on, it's just a matter of taste.
I am not a fanboy or nothing, but i do fink that Nintendo have got this hand held games war to a 'T'. Its likely that @ the Next E3 show Nintendo are going to reveal there Gameboy advance 2 system which if we all remember the ds was not a follow on from the Gameboy series...... The GBA2 is rumerd to be Graphically better than the gamecube, so once this has circulated people will hold off spending there money on the PSP (which just has por PS2 ports)
You see Nintendo dnt even need to win this war, they jst need to slow down PSP sales but since they are winning its a loosing battle realy.
PSP will go Atari Lynx or Sega Gamegear style loss. The only thing is is that expect about 18 months wait from the E3 show.
Reggie either lives in a bubble, or knows that his blatant over-confidence might actually help garner support.
"No wonder N-fanboys are so defensive, aggro and snotty?"
Yeah, you're right. Nothing defensive, aggro or snotty about your little rant at all. Oh, the irony . . .