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Nintendo sorta cares about getting Netflix on the Switch
Nintendo will bring streaming video services to the Switch, but don't hold your breath, because it'll probably take a while. That's the main takeaway from a Washington Post interview with the company's Reggie Fils-Aime that was published earlier today. When asked why Nintendo didn't have the major names in video on its latest console, the executive said that they would come, "in time."
Nintendo Switch makes its live TV debut on 'The Tonight Show'
After you check out our discussion with Nintendo's president Reggie Fils-Aime, you can get a good look at the new Switch console in operation () on the Tonight Show stage. Reggie and host Jimmy Fallon played the yet-to-be-released console, taking a trip through The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild showing off its ability to go portable with the press of a button. Additionally, after previewing a bit of Super Mario Run action, Reggie announced that starting today, you can visit Apple Stores worldwide and try out a demo version before the game launches December 15th. There's not a lot of new information if you've been paying attention, but it does give a good idea of what using a Switch will be like when it ships in March. As an extra bonus, check out the second video to see Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto playing the game's theme song along with The Roots.
Nintendo TVii gets TiVo support in January, hoping to support other DVRs 'in the future'
Nintendo TVii is scheduled for arrival on North American Wii U consoles at some point today, but it's lacking a few key features Nintendo promised when the service was first revealed back in September. Most notably, TiVo support was delayed until "early 2013," though Nintendo of America Director of Network Business Zach Fountain reveals a January launch in the first ever "Reggie Asks" (headlined by ... you guessed it, Nintendo of America president / interviewer Reggie Fils-Aime). Nintendo TVii's co-developer i.TV, represented in the interview by company head Brad Pelo, confirms our fear that TiVo DVRs will be the only supported DVR in the near future on the Wii U. Pelo thankfully adds, "In the future, of course, we hope to add support for other DVRs." The group also discusses a main feature of TVii's second screen integration: "TV Tags." Beyond just viewing shows on the Wii U's GamePad controller, many shows (starting with "the top 100 shows in the US market," including sports, and evolving to integrate "what Nintendo TVii thinks is hot, what we think has momentum, and what we think our audience might find interesting") will feature social interaction and rich content (think: Miiverse-esque chat and stats for sports). Should TVii be as successful as Nintendo believes it will be, Pelo sees producers of popular television shows working with Nintendo to speak to their show's audience more directly. We're just hoping for a chance to talk about those crazy outfits Cee-Lo wears on The Voice in real time on the Wii U -- let's make it happen, people!
Nintendo Wii U gamepad not for sale separately in US until games support multiple controllers
Nintendo's Wii U gamepad may be the star of the Wii U show, but it won't be available as a standalone at launch. It will, however, be available when games that function with more than one WiiPad become available, according to Nintendo America CEO and prez Reggie Fils-Aime. "Through the launch window, there are no games that leverage a second controller. And so, during the launch window here in NOA [Nintendo of America] territories, we will not be selling at retail a second gamepad," he told investors during a Q&A this afternoon. "But certainly, when the games come out, we'll be making that accessory available," he added. As for when games will take advantage of a second WiiPad is another question altogether, and one that Nintendo isn't willing to answer just yet. Initially, the Wii U only supported one WiiPad per game, with additional control handled via the Pro controller or Wii remotes. Nintendo changed its tune, though, following public outcry for multiple WiiPad support.
Nintendo sees next opportunity for Wii success in Latin America, Eastern Europe
"We will continue to sell the Wii," Nintendo America president and CEO Reggie Fils-Aime told investors today in a Q&A followup to the company's big Wii U event in New York City. "In the US, the Wii has sold about 40 million units. We believe that there continues to be an opportunity with the Wii." However, where Fils-Aime sees the most opportunity may not be where you expect. "I'm responsible for Canada, and Latin America as well," he said. "We think there's opportunity in both of those markets, especially Latin America." The Wii is currently offered by Nintendo in North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe, but not Latin America. The Wii ranges from $140 to $250, depending on what it comes with. "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," he said. Fils-Aime and Nintendo also have their eyes on Eastern Europe. "On a 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." He also stood behind the console continuing to sell in its currently available markets alongside the Wii U after the new console launches this November. "We do believe there's still opportunity for the Wii, and we will continue to sell the Wii side-by-side for some period of time." Unsurprisingly, he didn't say exactly how long Nintendo is planning that support, nor would he say if we should expect a price drop for the aging console, but if we had to guess, we'd say "The Wii will drop in price" and "soon."
Nintendo TVii supported by 'all' major US and Canadian cable companies, dish services
Nintendo TVii will support "all" cable and dish carriers in the US and Canada, Nintendo director of strategic partnership Zach Fountain told Engadget this afternoon. He said that no major carriers are excluded, and the only requirement for signing up is inputting your cable company's account information to the Wii U. DVR and TiVO functionality are plugged in similarly, where users input information via web, and services resultantly pop up on the Wii U. Nintendo TVii launches with the Wii U on November 18 in the US and Canada for free, and remains exclusive to North America for the time being.
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.
Live from Nintendo's 3DS preview with Reggie Fils-Aime
We're here live in NYC at Nintendo's 3DS press preview event, where Reggie Fils-Aime is scheduled to give a short presentation to kick things off. We're hoping to learn some pricing and availability details -- and possibly hear a word or two about 3D and the eyesight of younger gamers. After that, it's time to party, right? We'll find out.
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.
CE-oh no he didn't!: Reggie Fils-Aime says the iPhone OS isn't a 'viable profit platform for game development'
We can't say we'd expect Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime to lavish praise on iPhone OS gaming and the abilities of the iPad, but we figured everyone had to at least acknowledge the effect of Apple's handhelds on the market and the potential of its tablet, you know? Nope -- ol' Reg just told Kotaku that Apple "is not having an impact on Nintendo when you look at our business, our volume, our hardware, our software," and that "clearly it doesn't look like their platform is a viable profit platform for game development because so many of the games are free versus paid downloads." Snap -- although we'd bet plenty of top-tier iPhone game devs like ngmoco would argue that their "freemium" model is working plenty okay. That's not all, though, as Reggie also had some choice words about depth: "If our games represent a range between snacks of entertainment and full meals depending on the type of game, (Apple's) aren't even a mouthful, in terms of the gaming experience you get." Double snap -- we'll leave it to you to argue that one out.
Reggie: Holiday blockbuster for the Wii to be revealed at E3
Unless you have some sort of parentally-enforced bedtime, or live in an Amish community that shuns the use of televisions, there's really no excuse to miss the piping-hot weekly episodes of Gametrailers TV on Spike. If you skipped last Friday's show, you missed some of the most exciting news to grace Nintendo fanboys' ears in quite some time -- the promise of an E3 unveiling of a Wii holiday blockbuster, delivered by the mountainous Reggie Fils-Aime."We are going to have great new content maximizing all our key franchises," Fils-Aime promised. "It's going to be a good second half." As host Geoff Keighley conjectured, a Donkey Kong Wii title is certainly a logical assumption, but our fingers are eternally crossed for Animal Crossing Wii. What first-party franchises do you hope The Reg was hinting at? [Via Kotaku]
Unofficial Wii bundles make Nintendo unhappy
Nintendo sure loves talking about things it dislikes. Recently we learned that Wii shortages were on the company's ever-growing list of pet peeves. Now, Reuters reports that Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is speaking up against unofficial Wii bundles, which force customers to buy the console with additional games and peripherals not of their own choosing.We're all too familiar with Wii bundles, which artificially increase the price of the relatively cheap console. GameStop does it. Wal-Mart does it. Now, Reggie is expressing distaste over the practice, claiming that it masks the console's price advantage over its competitors, and forces customers to buy things they don't want.Though Reggie states that Nintendo has contacted specific retailers to express their feelings, he does not address Reuters' question as to whether Nintendo threatened those retailers with fewer shipments. Reggie recently announced a plan to guarantee Wii consoles in 2008 to purchasers who pick up rain check certificates at GameStop retail locations later this week.[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Lil' Reggie digs Super Mario Galaxy in new trailer
Here's the new trailer for Super Mario Galaxy that we're sure you'll see during your favorite TV programs soon. As you can see, Nintendo marketing has eschewed the "Wii would like to play" guys this time in favor of ... wait a minute ... is that supposed to be a young Reggie Fils-Aime? Either way, the clips shown look great, hitting us right in the inner child that remembers having a stiff neck from playing Super Mario 64 for two hours straight at the local Blockbuster Video. Though we're not sure we understand the rationale behind choosing a tiny Reggie doppelgänger as the front man for the ad, we most definitely understand the little guy's enthusiasm.
Wii can't meet demand for holiday season, says Reggie
Faster than we could say "Nintendo," the Wii has once again slipped back into questionable supply for this holiday season. Where previously Reggie Fils-Aimé appeared confident in the "unprecedented" number of Wiis in stock this Winter, now the Nintendo of America President seems convinced that demand will still far exceed supply, with shortages through the end of 2007 meaning crummy Christmases and half-baked Hannukahs two years in a row for some gamers.In an interview with Mercury News, Fils-Aimé goes "on the record" to state that the Wii can't possibly meet demand by the end of the year. He strongly emphasizes that this is not a production issue, and has to do merely with the incredible demand for the product, which production has been unable to keep up with (though that does sound like a production issue to us).Still, Reggie promises that the Wii will be appearing in retail locations at an almost constant flow, and urges potential buyers to call stores persistently to ask when future shipments are arriving, and to get to stores early.[Via GamesIndustry]
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.
Iwata lays the smack down on Nintendo of America
Not content with his company's record earnings, Nintendo's Satoru Iwata dropped the smack on Nintendo of America's lackluster sales, citing a unique inability to unload copies of DS phenom Brain Age. Said Iwata, "When I received a report from the U.S. that they sold 1 million Pokémon Diamond & Pearl already, I asked them, 'why did you sell only 10,000 Brain Age last week, when Europe sold through 30,000?' This is a typical example of how I communicate with our people in the U.S." Typical? Instantly, our image of NoA's towering Reggie Fils-Aime simultaneously kicking asses while jotting down names (in cursive, mind you) has been replaced with one of Iwata flipping over boardroom desks while asking ... nay, demanding to know why Nintendo can't seem to make a dent in America!Mr. Iwata, if we may be so bold as to make a suggestion that we feel may help contribute to even higher record earnings and additional piles of cash to swim in: make more consoles. You see, the DS Lite and Wii have been relatively scarce since last December! Don't worry folks, Iwata's on top of it. He says, "a small increase [in production] is expected at the retail outlets from next month." Wait, that's this month. Don't blow it, Reggie or you know who's gonna come knocking.[Thanks, Josh; via DS Fanboy]
Reggie introduces (old) Metroid Prime 3 video
Some fine Sunday night viewing. We have a clip of the Reggie narrating a video of Metroid Prime 3 ostensibly running on some form of the Revolution hardware. The Revolution Fanboy crew is quick to remind us this isn't new material by any means: it's the same footage Satoru Iwata showed off at last year's E3. Apparently that wasn't the only venue that got to see it, and Iwata wasn't the only Nintendo bigwig who showed it off. Worthwhile viewing for those who haven't seen it... or for those of you with embarrassing gamer-crushes on Reggie. Say it again Reggie... say "make no mistake" again![Harmless rant™: By the way, that Revolution logo is really ugly. They could have submitted that to our (very quiet of late) lineup of possible Revolution interfaces, and we'd have called it a fake; probably even an "amateurish" fake. We know it's not a final name, we know it was only a mockup menu... we're just sayin'. As long as they get that super-sleek micro/DS Lite/Revolution hardware stank all over that logo when it's done, we'll be happier than a pair of wireless revomotes.] [Thanks, DJ Rage; via Revolution Fanboy]
