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Reggie: Wii U's online functionality will be 'flexible' to publishers
If you're looking for Nintendo's Wii U to have a unified online network ... don't. While concrete plans for the system's online functionality have yet to be fully detailed, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime made it sound like it'll be left entirely up to individual publishers in an interview with Forbes. Nintendo is "creating a much more flexible system," Fils-Aime said, "that will allow the best approaches by independent publishers to come to bear. So instead of a situation where a publisher has their own network and wants that to be the predominant platform, and having arguments with platform holders, we're going to welcome that. We're going to welcome that from the best and the brightest of the third party publishers." He said that Nintendo's system would be an "extremely robust online experience," but deferred to publishers regarding specifics. However, during the Ubisoft/Nintendo developer roundtable at E3, Ubisoft continually deferred to Nintendo. We hope this isn't how the actual development of the service is going.
Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime dishes cumulative sales numbers for current console generation
Rather like Nokia and its market share obsession, Nintendo just can't seem to stop talking about its hardware sales lead. The company's US chief, Reggie Fils-Aime, recently dished some NPD data detailing the specific advantage that the Wii has over its competitors in the US since the current console generation launched: Mario's team has managed to sell 30.4 million units of its hardware, followed by Microsoft's Xbox 360 at 21.9 million and Sony's PS3, which lags somewhere far behind with 13.5 million total sales. On the more mobile front, DS sales have ratcheted up to 43.1 million, more than doubling the PSP's 17.7 million shipments to the US of A. Nothing we haven't heard before, really, but it's always good to get a statistical update for the sake of keeping flamewars as informed as possible.
Reggie: Nintendo sees Apple as larger threat than Microsoft and Sony
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime wants to make sure you're not getting it twisted -- he's not competing with other game companies, but with the very concept of time itself. Speaking to Forbes recently, Fils-Aime explained that "It's all about time." Rather than just competing with the likes of Microsoft and Sony, Fils-Aime said, "I compete with Zynga, I compete with surfing the net, I compete with the newspaper." What about eating ice cream, Mr. Fils-Aime? Hmmmm? Regardless, he does see one direct competitor to worry about: Apple. Fils-Aime rhetorically wondered, "Do I think that in the near term they can hurt us more than Microsoft? Absolutely." Though, despite astronomical sales of both the iPhone and iPod Touch, Fils-Aime believes that content will win the day, bringing up Dragon Quest IX as an example of a game that can "consume." He even pointed out that 14 of the top 20 selling games this generation originated with Nintendo. Fils-Aime didn't point out Apple's bigger trump card -- its device does a lot more than play video games. We're confident that Nintendo isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but competing with a phone in terms of handheld sales? Not so sure about that.
Reggie: 3DS launching in 'major markets' by March 2011
When Nintendo of Japan made its first terse, cryptic announcement of the 3DS in March, it offered a vague release window: "during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011." At the time, we assumed that this time frame applied to the Japanese launch only. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime kicked that assumption in an interview with IndustryGamers. "The one thing, for sure," Fils-Aime said about the 3DS release plan, "is that we will launch in all of our major markets by March 31, 2011." As for the specific release dates, Nintendo is still "making individual market decisions in terms of what's happening in Japan, what's happening in the Americas [and] what's happening in Europe." It's worth noting that the last two DS systems launched in the spring in North America: DSi on April 5 (2009) and DSi XL on March 28 (2010). Fils-Aime also reiterated that the design of the device seen at E3 is not final, so don't get married to the analog stick placement or those shiny paint jobs just yet.%Gallery-95697%
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.
Reggie Fils-Aime: Nintendo 3DS is Nintendo's next 'platform'
It may sound like the obvious statement to make, but for how much Nintendo has enjoyed marginally improving its handheld over the last few years, it's a big deal. According to an interview with Businessweek, Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that the upcoming 3DS will indeed be Nintendo's next platform -- not simply another revision of its already existing DS tech. "The Nintendo 3DS for us is our next handheld platform," Fils-Aime assures. Even though Nintendo's business is "fundamentally about software, not hardware," the new tech will be "a means to an end" -- the final goal being "a great consumer experience." Reggie wouldn't offer anything else on the proposed new handheld, other than mentioning Nintendo's plans of debuting it at E3. We'll be there. [Via MCV]
Reggie courts core devs, questions motivation to Move
In an interview with IndustryGamers, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime asserted that Nintendo does care about third parties and does need them, despite the fact that Nintendo's business is sustained pretty well by first-party games. "The fact of the matter is we know we create great content for younger consumers," he said, "we know we've got great content for more casual players, and we want fantastic content for that more active player who loves Metroid or Zelda, but maybe also wants something like a BioShock 2 to play as well." Reggie then admitted, "We're not good at it and it's not a key focus area," thus Nintendo's interest in third-party developers. The boss man also reiterated, almost word for word, his previous position that Nintendo would begin work on the next Nintendo system when a developer was unable to do something on the current Wii hardware, and he repeated that an HD feature alone wouldn't be enough to justify a new console. When asked about the PlayStation Move, Fils-Aime questioned the Sony device's appeal. If the Wii already scratches the itch for motion-based gaming, then why would consumers be moved to pick up a PS3? "What's going to motivate them to spend minimally $300 for a new [PS3] system, plus minimally $100 for the Move motion bundle? So [as a consumer], now I'm into this for $400 and I still have to spend money on software. What's going to motivate me to do that?"
Reggie: Nintendo not 'thinking seriously' about next console yet
In a Forbes interview, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime gave the impression that a new home console from Nintendo is still in the distant future. "The way we approach that innovation," he said, referring to Nintendo's innovative "jumps" (like the Wii), "because we have hardware developers working side by side with software developers, is that when the software developer comes forward with an idea that can't be executed on the current platform, that's when we start thinking seriously about the next system. We're not there yet, from a Wii perspective." Of course, E3 is still a few months away. Satoru Iwata recently commented that a Wii successor would "need something new" in addition to HD graphics to be worthwhile, and Fils-Aime, who has previously, "forcefully" denied plans for an Wii HD model, echoed this sentiment. "So when people talk about high definition for the Wii console, our feedback is that that by itself will not create a brand new experience. Therefore, we're not interested. What we have to push for are groundbreaking new experiences. Technology has to enable it, not to be a means all by itself." [Via Edge]
Nintendo: 80 percent of female console gamers prefer Wii
[Source: Kotaku] Nintendo's resident name jotter-downer and kiester-kicker recently divulged to BMO Capital Markets attendees that the Wii is outperforming its rivals when it comes to female gamers. According to its estimates (via Kotaku), 80 percent of the female console gaming crowd prefers Wii over the alternatives. With an estimated 11.7 million female console gamers in the Americas -- it's important to note this data of Nintendo's doesn't take into account DS owners or PC users -- the figure comes out to roughly nine million ladies waggling their way into the fun zone.
Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime squashes Wii HD rumors... again
Oh, brother. Here we go again. Just over a year after Nintendo's own Reggie Fils-Aime denied the existence of a forthcoming Wii HD, the bigwig is having to make that very same denial again. Naturally, a few new rumors of an HD-enabled Wii have surfaced since that fateful day in October of 2008, and with the recent price drop, it made sense to think that the Big N might actually be looking ahead. Instead, it seems that it's perfectly content selling hundreds of thousands of consoles that want nothing to do with modern amenities like "HDMI," "1080i" and "things that the PS3 and Xbox 360 have offered since day one." The man's exact quote? "I don't know how forcefully we can say there is no Wii HD." And Reggie, we don't know how much more forcefully you can continue to break our hearts.
Reggie Fils-Aime on PSP Go: 'What's the benefit?'
In an interview with The Washington Post's Mike Musgrove, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime handily dismissed the DS's competition, suggesting either that he doesn't feel threatened at all, or he feels really threatened (and the history of DS sales makes us more likely to believe the former interpretation). He said that the newly launched, download-only PSP Go has a "fundamental concept problem in terms of 'Who's it for?' and 'What's the benefit?'" He added that he has the "utmost respect for all our competitors, but it's interesting to try and answer the consumer question of 'What's in it for me?' in that product."As for the other major competition in the handheld space? When discussing the DS's advantages over the iPhone/iPod Touch platform, Fils-Aime made the surprising move of referring to a third-party game, namely Scribblenauts. "That's a fabulous experience that can only be brought to life on the DS." Honestly, it probably could be done on iPhone, but it hasn't and probably won't, which is just as good for Nintendo.
Nintendo sells 2.2 million DSis, says Walmart is biggest customer
During a recent interview with CNBC, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime addressed the Wii's recent price drop (surprise: it's seen positive results) and the company's strategy for the upcoming holiday season. The manufacturer is counting on a strong showing for its DSi handheld, with Reggie revealing that 2.2 million units have now been sold, presumably in North America alone. Of course, Nintendo couldn't have possibly sold that many handhelds without the help of retailers and according to Reggie, Walmart has been the biggest customer. We're not surprised -- Walmart is supernatural, after all.
Reggie: Metroid Other M is a 'more traditional' Metroid game
With all the rapid-fire 3D action, Metroid: Other M may not look anything like any Metroid we've seen before, but according to Reggie Fils-Aime, it's a return to a more familiar Metroid style. "A year ago, someone could have asked me, what's going on with Metroid?" Fils-Aime told GameSpot. "When are we going to go back to the more traditional Metroid series versus the path that we went down with Prime? Here's the answer: Other M." The more traditional series -- with a "harder edge," according to Fils-Aime.Reggie would like Other M to sell a bit more than the traditional Metroid game, however. "Metroid, for us, is a key franchise. And, in our view, really, since the SNES Metroid, we haven't broken through in terms of 1.5, two million units, and that's our bar," he said. He also told GameSpot that he's beginning to hear feedback from other companies, hoping to work with Nintendo in the same way Team Ninja is on Other M.%Gallery-65847%[Via The Escapist]
10 memorable E3 conference moments (Ravi Drums not included)
With E3 coming up, and amazing and/or hilariously awkward conferences on the way (get your bingo cards ready!), Crispy Gamer's Kyle Orland offers a look back at the most memorable conference moments of E3's past. Remember Reggie's first appearance, when he was trying to act like a tough guy for some reason? Remember when Rock Revolution revolted against its own presenter? Perhaps you've managed to forget Jamie Kennedy's stint as an Activision conference host. No doubt Jamie Kennedy has tried.We're a bit surprised not to see Nintendo's 2008 conference represented. Orland took the high road and used some of the 10 slots for historically interesting press conference moments. We suppose there's quite enough talk online about that particular conference anyway.
Reggie promises a better E3 from Nintendo this year ... again
Fresh off the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks at GDC 2009, Nintendo of America head honcho Reggie Fils-Aime had some interesting things to say about Nintendo's plans for this year's E3. "From Nintendo's perspective, we always go into E3 with a very high bar wanting to satisfy not only the core fans but also ourselves," he told GameTrailers TV, teasing the reveal of a release date for the upcoming Zelda. "We haven't announced a launch date -- maybe we'll do that at E3."So, conclusive evidence of a brand new Kid Icarus game? Not quite. Though Keighley hammered "the Regginator" for details on what exactly Nintendo would be bringing to the "glamour and sizzle" fest of this year's E3, the exec kept mum, saying, "Everyone wants to know what we're going to announce at E3 and my answer is, come to E3 and you'll see." Guess we're waiting 'til June 2 like everyone else.[Via Play.tm]
Reggie: No plans to reveal DSi-enhanced software until after launch
NOA president Reggie Fils-Aime spoke with MTV Multiplayer about the DSi and the GDC announcement of DSi-exclusive and DSi-enhanced software. Though Nintendo isn't making specific announcements about hybrid games until after the system is in stores -- "It would be reasonable to talk about that after we've launched" -- Reggie believes that the majority of DS software will either not take advantage of the DSi's features or be hybrid. "Why? One hundred-million installed base of DS. Developers are going to want to leverage that installed base and yet they'll want to provide extra content via the features of the DSi, like the camera. That's my expectation as to how it will play out."Reggie also offered impressions of his hands-on time with The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, providing a slight gameplay detail: "You do more in tracking and outlining. We showed it in the trailer. You move [an extra] character to a spot in order to unlock puzzles. I really like that." He responded only "Wouldn't that be nice?" when asked if Spirit Tracks would be DSi-enhanced.%Gallery-48535%
Reggie on why used games are not his problem
Speaking to VentureBeat, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime attempted to dismiss the proliferation of used game sales as not only something that Nintendo isn't worried about, but as something that consumers shouldn't think about, citing the long life of some of Nintendo's games."We don't believe used games are in the best interest of the consumer," Fils-Aime said. "We have products that consumers want to hold onto. They want to play all of the levels of a Zelda game and unlock all of the levels. A game like Personal Trainer: Cooking has a long life. We believe used games aren't in the consumer's best interest."While it may be true that designing a game that can be replayed enjoyably for years is a good defense against used games, many consumers will still fast-track their way through games to trade them in as quickly as possible for something totally new ... just because. Reggie follows up this argument with an odd point -- that other forms of media don't have significant used markets."Describe another form of entertainment that has a vibrant used goods market. Used books have never taken off. You don't see businesses selling used music CDs or used DVDs. Why? The consumer likes having a brand-new experience and reliving it over and over again. If you create the right type of experience, that also happens in video games."That strikes us as just wrong. There have been used book shops worldwide for as long as there have been books, and there's even (at least one) chain of stores devoted entirely to it. And stores like Hastings and CD Warehouse trade heavily in used DVDs and CDs.
GDC09: Spring release for MotionPlus still possible
With all of the amazing stuff that Nintendo did show at GDC, we briefly forgot about what it didn't show: Wii Sports Resort and the MotionPlus device, both of which we'd expect to hear something about if they were still planned for "spring." MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo asked Reggie Fils-Aime about the missing game and peripheral, and Reggie suggested they could still make a spring release. "We haven't announced the full spring line-up ... And it feels like winter in Seattle right now."Reggie also mentioned that Wii Sports Resort's controls had been improved beyond the previous demo. "The level of full motion capability is far in excess of what we showed at E3."%Gallery-27741%
Top 5: Say What?
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Top_5_Nintendo_Corporation_Quotes'; Ahh, the quote. Whether used to end an essay or defame a political opponent, the quote is a very versatile tool. Particularly in the era of blogging, every word that escapes a well-known figure's mouth has the potential to be immediately flung back at them. It's quite scary to look back on conversations I've had and consider the possibility of quotes of mine being used to define my character as a whole. In fact, judgement of character based on a quote can even usurp the validity of the quote itself. Conventional wisdom asserts that singer Lauryn Hill once made a statement to the effect of "I'd rather have my children starve than have a white person buy my album." While this is simply not true, the false statement has been cited by those who would define Hill as a racist. Even Eminem supported the fallacy in a song whose title I won't mention. Being over a century old, Nintendo is bound to have a few interesting quotes attributed to them. Coupled with a philosophy that is undoubtedly unique and perhaps offbeat, the Big N is not lacking in the department of ear-catching statements. Two weeks ago, I made a Top 5 in which I tried to downplay any tension between Nintendo and its fans. This week, I'm providing cheap ammunition. Enjoy. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
Reggie thinks third-parties don't 'get' the Wii: discuss
Alright, alright. There's a few things going on here. First off, Reggie Fils-Aime told Forbes "I will be able to say our licensees 'get it' when their very best content is on our platform, and with very few exceptions today, that's not the case." That's a pretty good conversation starter right there. He also lamented the absence of Grand Theft Auto and Spore on his platform, teased community features without spilling anything at all, and for kicks threw us this utterly hopeless word on a price cut: "At some point, it will be time to adjust the [price], but we're nowhere near that point now." We're pretty astonished that a console honcho like Reggie would so summarily insult his third-party partners, but we can't help but agree -- though peep Nintendo Wii Fanboy's via link down there for an alternate perspective on the matter. To us, the question really lies in the blame game: is Nintendo's Wii strategy and unique hardware approach to blame, or is everybody else out there too dense to cash in? But really, this is just too wild, too incendiary, too awesome for us to hog all the discussion. Hit up the vaguely-applicable poll option, and then let loose in the comments. We're all ears![Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]%Poll-22618%
