Iwata: Vitality Sensor delayed until it works with 99% of customers
In the recent investor Q&A, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that no, the insane Vitality Sensor peripheral hasn't been cancelled. Nintendo just ran into a small problem -- human bodies are weird and unpredictable.
"This is a totally new type of entertainment," Iwata told investors, "and there are large individual differences in the biological information of humans. For example, if it was acceptable that only 80% of the users thought the result was natural, then we could propose this to consumers right now. However, we are aiming for a level of quality in which 99% percent of consumers feel comfortable, and that is why this project is taking time to complete." We suppose that the Vitality Sensor would be even less fun than most of us imagine if it didn't even sense properly.
The variation in feedback is apparently a major hurdle. While Nintendo's not giving up, Iwata warned investors that "now I cannot clearly say when we will be ready to put this on the market." And though he didn't mention it, Nintendo will likely face another hurdle thanks to the delay -- having to adapt the Vitality Sensor to work with a new console.
