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Recently, Satoru Iwata, CEO of Nintendo, spoke to Tech-On! about the company’s Wii strategies.
Iwata compared the Wii to the DS. “When Nintendo opted for dual screens for the DS, more people were shaking their heads and wondering what we were thinking, than commending us for the decision. Yet, the market turned out favorable to the DS,” he stated.
Again, Iwata confirmed that Nintendo is not working to create a next-gen console but rather a unique system to engage the user. He also mentioned some interesting things Nintendo is considering for their new console.
“Let’s say your Wii is connected to the Internet in a mode that allows activation on a 24-hour basis,” he explained. “This would allow Nintendo to send monthly promotional demos for the DS, during the night, to the Wii consoles in each household. Users would wake up each morning, find the LED lamp on their Wii flashing, and know that Nintendo has sent them something.”
Iwata also suggested that Nintendo will offer users the option to download original casual games similar to Xbox Live Arcade. They also plan to bring cheaper games to users.
“When creating a packaged game to be priced at 5,000 yen (about 45 USD), developers tend to feel the need to create a rich game,” Iwata stated. “Yet it is possible to create a reasonably entertaining game in two months with a team of three. Offering such games for 500 yen (about 5 USD) over a network could lead to a reasonable number of people purchasing it.”
“Nintendo once was the champion in the console maket, yet is now the challenger. Challengers have a hard time getting the market to listen to them. Our intent was to revolutionize the user interface in the portable games market, where Nintendo is the reigning champion, and follow that up with the Wii’s success in the console market. We have earned support for our user interface innovation much faster than I had expected, and this should help propel the Wii forward,” Iwata commented.
For the latest on the Wii, keep checking back to Cheat Code Central.