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Fils-Aime: Wii up to 40 million units in US, Nintendo won't abandon it
The Wii has sold 40 million units in the US, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime told investors after the Nintendo Direct Wii U conference today.Even though the Wii U is set in holiday stone with a launch on November 18, Nintendo isn't losing sight of the Wii."We will continue to sell the Wii," Fils-Aime said. "As we sit here today, in the US the Wii has sold about 40 million units. We believe that there continues to be an opportunity with Wii. Yes, these are late, late adopters. And yes, price points are important. But we do believe there's still opportunity for the Wii, and we will continue to sell Wii side-by-side for some period of time."Many Wii games and all Wii accessories are backward-compatible with the Wii U, which Fils-Aime called a "one-two punch in our home console business between Wii U and Wii."Besides, the US isn't the only market for the Wii. "I'm responsible for Canada and Latin America as well," Fils-Aime said. "We think there's opportunity in both of those markets, especially Latin America. You can reach price points, you can reach consumers that candidly we won't be able to reach with the Wii U. That's gonna continue to be an opportunity."Lastly, on the global base, certainly there are markets in Eastern Europe. There are a number of other markets where if Wii has an attractive price point, it'll do well. So, we will continue to be in the Wii business for quite some time."
Dual GamePad support won't be coming to Nintendo Wii U until 'well after launch'
Contrary to what we'd heard, it seems as if you and your friends won't be able to enjoy some of that dual GamePad play on Nintendo's upcoming Wii U -- at least not until some time after the novel gaming console launches later "this holiday." During an interview with Gamasutra, Reggie Fils-Aime (Nintendo of America President) said, "Games need to be built that can take advantage of the two GamePad controllers" and that "it's going to be well after launch for those game experiences to come to life." According to Fils-Aine, developers will have to first place all their focus on "asymetric gameplay," before eventually adding support for two GamePads on their titles. Notably, the revelation comes shortly after he himself confirmed the Wii U GamePad won't be featuring any multi-touch capabilities. Not all is lost, however, you'll just have to wait it out a little longer than expected, or make due with one of those Wii remotes you have laying around in the meantime.
Nintendo 3DS will launch 'in all major markets' by March 2011, design still being tweaked
When Nintendo of Japan first announced the 3DS (think: way back in March), it promised a release of the portable by the fiscal year ending March 2011. Given the DS and DSi's six-month global rollout window, however, we weren't sure if that applied to the world or just the company's backyard -- sure, we've heard rumors of a UK release in October, but nothing's been confirmed. Cue Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime to give a definitive answer: "The one thing, for sure, is that we will launch in all of our major markets by March 31, 2011." Well, that about settles it in our mind. Fils-Aime also clarifies that what we saw on the floor is not the final design -- something that was mentioned during the press conference -- but we wouldn't expect anything more than slightly altered button placement (for its part, the official site lists "look," battery, pre-installed software, and supported languages as TBA). But hey, if you want to believe a third screen is possible, don't let us stop you from dreaming.
Full DS downloads not coming to DS, Reggie misinterpreted?
When Reggie sat down with the NY Times recently, many might have misinterpreted what Reggie said in regards to future plans regarding DS downloads and the Everyone's Nintendo Channel. Gamasutra states that a nameless Nintendo representative issued a statement regarding the rumor of downloads directly to the DS as "incorrect." An anonymous Nintendo representative apparently said that the real functionality will reside in the Wii being able to download DS titles to be played on Wii. "Users can download games to play on Wii," the nameless NIntendo rep said. This rep also supposedly went on to say "and, in the future, the Nintendo DS will be able to receive demo versions of some DS games from Wii, but not the entire game. The demo will be erased once the Nintendo DS is turned off."We're wondering at the possible alterations our DS games would need to go through in order to be played on Wii. How about you?
GameDaily 'Persons of the Year': #1 - 3 and readers' choice
GameDaily concluded its "Persons of the Year" feature today by announcing Nintendo America's COO Reggie Fils-Aime took the top spot; Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb took the readers' choice award. Fils-Aime bested Activision CEO Bobby Kotick (#2) and Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos (#3) because of the Wii's phenomenal success in the States. GameDaily had previously announced #4 and #5, which went to Aaron Greenberg and Jeff Gerstmann respectively.Major Nelson -- guru of Xbox -- received the readers' choice award after politely directing his loyal readership to GameDaily's website. Before Major Nelson stepped up his campaign, Assassin's Creed producer Jade Raymond was in the lead. Too bad Raymond didn't win though, GameDaily ended up having "Men of the Year" awards rather than "Persons of the Year."Read -- 2007 Persons of the Year #1Read -- Persons of the Year: Readers' Choice Unveiled
Petition: Tell Reggie to lose some weight
The most surprising thing about Nintendo's E3 2007 press conference wasn't the Wii Zapper or the upcoming release dates or even the official announcement of Wii Fit. No, the most surprising moment of the show was when Nintendo of America President and CEO Reggie Fils-Aime's Mii ballooned to an "overweight" body-mass index of 27.51 in front of a crowd of thousands. While the ass-kicker and name-taker claimed that the extra weight came from muscle and not fat, we agree with Shigeru Miyamoto, who said that was simply a "nice excuse."The folks over at WiiHealthy aren't too happy with the public face for their weight-management system of choice. They've started a petition to convince the Regginator that "he has to lose some weight by playing healthy games on the Nintendo Wii!" Sure, there are probably more important issues to sign your name to (like a PS3 price drop, for instance) but we can definitely get behind the idea of continued good health for our favorite Nintendo revolutionary.
NOA's Reggie Fils-Aime talks Manhunt 2, AO titles
Talking with Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime about WiiWare, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal used the opportunity to bring up Nintendo's stance on games rated Adults Only by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, first in relation to their "hands-off" approach to the download service and then with the recent Manhunt 2.Fils-Aime makes the company's stance with the ESRB very clear: no AO-rated titles. "This is not an image issue, Wii welcomes games rated E, T and M," he said, adding that he doubts Nintendo will ever approve an AO-rated title.Concerning Manhunt 2, Fils-aime said that, "What Rockstar has right now is a game rated outside our spectrum, outside any manufacturer's spectrum," and asserted that they are still interested in releasing the game if it receives a Mature rating.
CNet takes Reggie's name and other words
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime contributed a column to CNet's News.com, in which he discusses the "technological divide" growing between those who can afford and understand expensive, complicated equipment and those who cannot. He suggests that there is in fact a way to cross this divide, and serve consumers on both sides. Avid followers of Nintendo should know what he suggests: a low-cost device that innovates and creates new markets. He then proceeds to describe the Wii as simple and accessible enough to appeal to people who aren't willing to commit to complicated new developments-- the way cereal bars appeal to people who enjoy eating food but have no time to cook a full breakfast. We respect that there seems to be an actual strategy behind the Wii, and we recommend reading this column to see it laid out in very logical terms.
Metroid Prime 3 not shipping before July
In a recent interview with Newsweek, Reggie Fils-Aime revealed that he likes ponies Metroid Prime 3: Corruption would not be shipping before July. This is hardly a surprise, as we expect Nintendo to hype the heck out of what will surely be the first killer-app FPS on the console, but we find it slightly disappointing nevertheless.More disturbing, however, is the concept of the "Big Three" (Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl) all supposedly being released in 2007. Realistically, one of these three will be pushed back (most likely Brawl, since Prime is extremely far into development and Shigeru Miyamoto recently reconfirmed a 2007 release for Galaxy), but with nothing coming before July, will Nintendo risk putting even two of its heavy hitters in close proximity to one another? Nintendo could get away with only one release, provided certain games are released as scheduled, but the prospects are disturbing.
GDC 07: Even Reggie's limo driver is famous!
Over at Joystiq, they snapped the above picture outside of the Phil Harrison (he's some Sony guy or something) keynote speech today. It's funny on multiple levels; not only was Reggie at the PS3 keynote (he must own one of them suckers), but his limo driver looks like he spent the majority of his time outside the keynote pounding beers. Maybe he doubles as Reggie's body guard? He looks like a grizzled war vet ...
Reggie pledges no game droughts
Reggie recently sat down and talked with Newsweek, claiming that their will not be any new game drought on the Wii, something that a lot of folks claim killed the GameCube. Seeing as how many purchase Nintendo systems for Nintendo-created games, this is the greatest worry facing the Nintendo consumer and with delays on Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, many are fearing this to be the case. Reggie puts those fears to rest, however (or, at least, attempts to): NEWSWEEK: Let's look at first-party software for a minute. As evidenced by software sales, gamers who purchase Nintendo platforms do so primarily to play Nintendo-developed games. But from the Nintendo 64-era on, Nintendo has a history of repeatedly delaying key titles, creating long droughts between the AAA games for which its fans bought the hardware. For example, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, your flagship title for the Wii, is in fact a long-delayed Gamecube game that has been moved over to the Wii, as has Super Paper Mario. So how can you assure gamers that are considering a Wii--keeping in mind that they've heard such promises before--that they won't endure the same droughts between AAA first-party titles that they suffered on the Nintendo 64 or the Gamecube? Reggie Fils-Aime: The way I answer that question is with three very real examples. First, Zelda: Twilight Princess, on Wii, is arguably the best game we've ever made. Period. It is fantastic. It's been essentially made, from the core essence of that game, to be perfect for Wii. And yes, while its development started as a Gamecube title, the fact is the Wii version plays fundamentally different. A consumer can buy the Wii version and the Gamecube version and have two fundamentally different experiences. Now certainly, the Gamecube version of Zelda is fantastic. But the Wii version of Zelda is without peer. The second example I point out is Metroid Prime 3, which is a from-the-ground-up creation of Metroid for the Wii system. That title is going to come out early in 2007. That will give us fantastic momentum coming off of the launch, and will certainly be an example of how there will be no new game drought for this system. The third example I would give you is Mario Galaxy, another from-the-ground-up Wii game that we are strategically timing the launch to make sure that we continue driving momentum through 2007. So N'Gai, how do I answer the question, "Will there be no drought," and "How will we make sure that there are fantastic titles for Wii?" The answer is Zelda, Metroid and Mario. Which is a pretty darn good lineup. So are you willing to make a "Read my lips" pledge right here? I thought I just did. All right. I'll be checking in with you when these titles actually ship. [Chuckles] Exactly. [Via Codename Revolution]
Reggie sez: Online in Q2
When the big man speaks, we listen. And yes, we're referring to the deity that is Reggie Fils-Aime, standing atop his mighty pedestal after supplanting Zeus for the title. He was recently on Spike TV's GameHead, speaking rather generically about the Wii. But, as you may have guessed, there was a diamond in the rough: the news that the first multiplayer online Wii games will be announced in Q1 2007 and start shipping in Q2. Finally!We're a little disappointed that online didn't come right out of the box; God knows some games really could have benefitted: Madden 07, Call of Duty 3, and Red Steel certainly could have used the boost. Still, at least a smidgeon of online functionality is coming quite soon, with the ability to trade custom levels in Elebits via the magic of the internet intertron. That's its new name. Thus have we spoken, and thus it is so.[We don't normally steal our sister site Joystiq's pictures, but this one was just too good.]
More Times Square silliness
As sort-of promised, we've got some more coverage for you. After meeting up with various head honchos of the geeky online blog community (Christopher Grant, Andrew Yoon, Raw Meat Cowboy from GoNintendo, Chris from Advanced Media Network, I'm talking to you), the "festivities" started. They opened with a rather lackluster performed by someone named "DJ Ravidrums", who was essentially a drummer playing along to some prerecorded music. Bah. But then ... wait! It's friggin' Reggie!This man should have received a deafening applause. Eardrum-destroying. And truth be told, it wasn't bad. But Nintendo made the mistake of setting up the stage on a side-street, in which there was no way anyone standing in line could watch. As such, the viewers of the event were curious bystanders and members of the media, such as myself. Can you imagine this sad scene?"Hey, guys, it's great to be here. You can fill in the blanks, right? My name is Reggie, and I'm about ...!"Only around nine or so people shouted the obvious answer, including myself. How horrible.Still, the speech he gave was decent, and the rest of the stage performance consisted of some TRL/Miss USA woman and more of that weird drumming guy. Exit, stage left.Where to now, we asked ourselves? Well, let's check out the Wii display upstairs and then HOLY CRAP it's Reggie again! Yes, the Regginator was giving yet another interview for a major station (don't ask, we don't know), and right afterward, a few well-informed fans ran up to him to get their DS Lites signed. He was busy, he was in a rush, but Nintendo Wii Fanboy was able to edge in one question! And here it is."Reggie. Honestly, and PR spin aside, do you truly believe that the Wii is going to take first place in sales in the next generation against the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360?"A slight pause. He turns to stare me down."Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind. We're offering what gamers want, and they're going to love it."Hear that? It's the sound of oh snap.And by the way, that man's handshake is a vice of absolute death.
Reggie chats rumors
During a video interview with Reggie Fils-Aime, CNET's Rich DeMuro grilled the Nintendo president about the upcoming console. Turns out, we should expect no mystery announcement, no major new bomb, basically nothing more until the launch of the console. Reggie wants to dispel all rumors that the company is planning a major announcement pre-launch. For the most part, we're thankful, because the roller-coaster ride has near caused a coronary in us already. We just want the console already![Thanks :P!]
Reggie: Wii no sidekick to 360
Numerous fanboys (not to mention Peter Moore) have predicted that the Nintendo Wii find success as "second console," tucked safely on the shelf next to an Xbox 360. An agile Robin, if you will, to Microsoft's burly Batman. Afterall, you can buy both a 360 and a cute, cuddly Wii console for the cost of a PS3. Unfortunately, Mario master Reggie Fils-Aime told USA Today that his Wii refuses to don the green underwear."I'd much rather have the consumer buy a Wii, some accessories, and a ton of games, vs. buying any of my competitor's products."So for Fils-Aime it's my Wii or the high-Wii. Hey, nobody expects Reggie to embrace the role of yellow-caped man-bitch...er...Boy Wonder. The economics just work out that way.
Reggie talks flaps, WiiConnect24, and micro transactions
It's been awhile since we've heard from Reggie following his big promotion and in his latest chat with Game Informer, he confirms that the mystery flap on the front of the Wii will house the SD Card slot. In stating this, Reggie says that the SD Card is the only "announced" memory medium, so it's quite possible that Nintendo has another system up their sleeves.As for WiiConnect24 and micro transactions, Reggie sees this as digital delivery for smaller content for games, such as exclusive items or news headlines. In the interview, he says that this will be available to third parties, but is not something that will be forced upon them.
Peter Moore: I want a free Wii
During a roundtable discussion at E3, Peter Moore discussed mostly his console, yet managed to take a second to say a thing or two on the Wii. In discussing the possibility of purchasing a Wii upon release later this year, Peter called upon Nintendo ass-kicker, and subsequent name-taker, Reggie Fils-Aime to hook him up with a free unit."Well I hope my friend Reggie [Fils-Aime] sends me one, I don't know. [laughs] Look I was there when Iwata-san pulled out that thing. I was there in the front row in Tokyo... and I said [to myself] "You've got to give 'em kudos for trying." And I'm literally going to go over there tomorrow and try to find Reggie or find Perrin [Kaplan] and I think Mario's the game... if you've got to play one game it's Mario. I'm sure I'll get one. Right now I'm trying to get my Brain Age down [laughs]. Look, it's not partisan; I love what Nintendo is doing."So even though a little bit of that comes off as condescending, which you can't blame me for assuming as I wasn't there and only have text to work with, any press is good press, no?
