Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has been sharing a few thoughts in an extensive interview with The Street.com, captured at E3, and touching on some of the significant issues arising from the show.
Deflecting initial questions on the Wii's price point like a Jedi master, Iwata told The Street, "Sorry, but give us more time before making the announcement. Of course, it's going to be an affordable price point." However, the Nintendo president was clearly in a jovial mood and couldn't resist a quick dart at the PS3's weightier price, adding, "If we put the PS3 as the standard price point, any price point is going to be affordable."
Here on CVG, we're currently expecting the Wii to rumble in at around 150-200 of our great British poundies during launch, but we quite like that Iwata gag, particularly with many industry watchers now seeing it as a gamers 'second console' to accompany their 360 or PS3.
Moving on to address concerns that the big N might neglect hardcore gamers in its overall attempt to broaden the market, Iwata said, "If we had not shown the Legend of Zelda or if we had not shown the Red Steel during the [E3] briefing ...then I'm afraid that people might have misunderstood Nintendo's [motives]. If all they had seen was Wii Sports or something like that, people [might] say, 'Oh, Nintendo has already lost interest toward the games for the serious gamer.'
"The fact of the matter is it's not the case. By taking advantage of the unique controller and very unique play style of Wii, we will not only invite the newcomers but also excite the existing gamers. Now that's the kind of message we really wanted to deliver."
As to who would win or lose the next-gen console war, it appears Nintendo is to rise above such things, with Iwata concluding, "So, what we are focusing upon is not only the current gamers, but also those who are not playing with video games at all. That is our goal, so that's why we are not caring so much about our competition with Sony or with Microsoft. We do not care if we can [beat] Sony or if we can [beat] Microsoft or if we can win in the current market-share battle in the same arena at all. That's not our focus. Our focus is whether or not we can increase the game population."
What a load of nonsensical rubbish. If you can increase the game playing population your market share will grow, therefore your standing in comparison with the other consoles. He's hardly doing this for the good of the world.
Nintendo still have this godawful idea stuck in their heads that they aren't in competition with Sony and Microsoft - THEY ARE. There's room for 3 consoles in the market, but that's all the Wii is, a console. Yes it's different, but it is still a home based gaming device.
What a load of nonsensical rubbish. If you can increase the game playing population your market share will grow, therefore your standing in comparison with the other consoles. He's hardly doing this for the good of the world.
Nintendo still have this godawful idea stuck in their heads that they aren't in competition with Sony and Microsoft - THEY ARE. There's room for 3 consoles in the market, but that's all the Wii is, a console. Yes it's different, but it is still a home based gaming device.
Surely Nintendo are the only ones that are still saying their machine is just a console - it's MS and Sony that are going down the 'entertainment hub' route...
Precisely. Nintendo are releasing a games console. Not a multimedia hub or cheap PC.
Also Ninty are the first to realise that going for the same market share is the wrong idea. Look at the Japanese multiformat charts. Other than Winning Eleven 10 and Dragons quest, everything else is Nintendo, and thats done by appealing to sections of the general public who don't normally play games, as well as the hard core gamer. The gaming market share is still pretty small, and there's a monstrous ammount of people not being tapped by the current "lets make our product as powerful as humanly possible" approach.
I don't know, I think you CAN focus on growing the games market without growing your market share.
Assume, for example, that the current games market was 100 million people, each buying a next (or new) generation console.
Let's say for example Sony sold 50 million this generation, Microsoft 35 million and Nintendo 15 million. If they were to sell that many again this generation, Nintendo's market share is 15%.
Now let's say the Wii attracts 5 million new gamers who would never have bought a console. The market is now 105 million and Nintendo's share is 20 million - or around 18%.
They haven't significantly grown their market share, but they have grown the market.
I've kept numbers simple and not factored in us folks who usually buy more than one system each generation, but it shows that Nintendo can concentrate on new gamers without having to worry about market share. They can grow their sales without worrying too much about the competition.
another thing i find funny is both microsoft and sony are saying the wii will be everyones second choice trying to play down nintendo's importance like thier a second thought, well i think if anything it will be most peoples first choice, not everyones gonna have a ps3 or 360 but i bet most people will have a Wii.
What a load of nonsensical rubbish. If you can increase the game playing population your market share will grow, therefore your standing in comparison with the other consoles. He's hardly doing this for the good of the world.
Nintendo still have this godawful idea stuck in their heads that they aren't in competition with Sony and Microsoft - THEY ARE. There's room for 3 consoles in the market, but that's all the Wii is, a console. Yes it's different, but it is still a home based gaming device.
That's not necessarily true, Nintendo aren't going along with the idea of having a machine that's an entertainment hub for the whole house lie Sony and MS are, they're just releasing a console. And from what Sony and MS are saying at the mo, they don't seem to see Nintendo as competition either, just a cheap secondary system that people will break out from time to time.
I think what Iwata means is that they actually, really don't care about sales volume in comparison with the PS3 and 360, the Wii is going to be manufacuring for a lot less than either of the other two and since the games will be on DVD's rather than HD-DVD or Blu-Ray the production of the drives and disc's will be a lot cheaper. So Nintendo, as they did with the Gamecube, will be able to make profits without having to have the kind of market shares that Sony and MS need to get a profit.
Man, even Nintendo have given up against Microsoft and Sony. I mean, Nintendo just doesn't care anymore. They've given up already. Too bad. The Wii controller was interesting.
Not presenting crazy unrealistic expectations does not mean they have given up. I'd much rather read these kinds of statements than have them act like they think they can be #1 in sales only to end up being #3 again. Nintendo will likely be #3 (and they know) but it will be a damn good one and with the great tactical moves they have done they can guarantee a system with a longer life and more games than the GameCube.
That's all I need, not a system that will have every single third party game on it but a system with many AAA Nintendo titles and the occasional gem from another renowed developer like Capcom, Sega, Konami, etc. To the general market it'll be #3 but it'll be the only system I find worthy of owning aside from my PC...
Ninty haven't "given up". The're just not after the same people as Sony or Microsoft. They're not after the people who want Gran Tourismo 14 or Grand Theft Auto 12. They're after people who want innovative games and new ideas.
In my opinion they're after people who want quick 5 minute gaming. Try holding your TV remote out in front of you for 20 minutes. Now try waving your arm around as you're doing it for 20 minutes. Not exactly the most comfortable of thing to do is it?
I, for one, will only be owning a Wii. I currently own an xbox which I haven't touched for such a long time now. I had absolutely no intention of buying either a 360 or PS3. Nothing interests me anymore. Gaming has gotten boring. I grew up with the atari, c64 etc. when gaming was new and fresh. It was exciting, even though the graphics were, by today's standards, poor and uninteresting and sound was little more than a blip and bloop. What Nintendo are doing is re-inventing gaming, and I haven't been this keen about a gaming console since back in the 80s when I used to drool over the commodore 64 games on the shelves at the local gaming shop. Good on Nintendo. They are doing exactly what the gaming world needed.
In my opinion they're after people who want quick 5 minute gaming. Try holding your TV remote out in front of you for 20 minutes. Now try waving your arm around as you're doing it for 20 minutes. Not exactly the most comfortable of thing to do is it?
Well, you hold your controller for extended periods don't you? And its not like you hold the remote at arms length for ages, its not about that, its about holding the controller where its required, you won't be keeping it still for very long so your arm isn't gonna get tired, unless you're extremely lazy and unfit I guess.
The advantage of a standard controller, if you're uncomfortable, you can move around and get comfortable, move the controller into a more comfortable position and so on. This will be much harder to do with the Wii.
Ninty haven't "given up". The're just not after the same people as Sony or Microsoft. They're not after the people who want Gran Tourismo 14 or Grand Theft Auto 12. They're after people who want innovative games and new ideas.
The below statement from the report suggests other wise:
By taking advantage of the unique controller and very unique play style of Wii, we will not only invite the newcomers but also excite the existing gamers. Now that's the kind of message we really wanted to deliver."
I was allways under the impression that Nintendo's main focus with "Wii" was to attract new gamers, the un-tapped market, so to speak? Nintendo need the massmarket, hardened gamers as much as new gamers. It's good to see that Iwata acknowledges this.
On a personal note I admire Nintendo's brutal honesty. On the one hand you have Nintendo accepting that the current mood toward bigger, faster better looking gaming experiences might very well leave them in a position where Xbox360 & PS3 steam ahead in sales. On the other you have Nintendo comfortable with the knowledge that, whilst they may trail behind in overall sales, they will continue to bring something fresh and exciting to the industry; carving out their own little niche in the market, giving gamers a much wider choice of gaming enjoyment.
It'll be intresting to see Nintendo's stance on this in a years time.
The advantage of a standard controller, if you're uncomfortable, you can move around and get comfortable, move the controller into a more comfortable position and so on. This will be much harder to do with the Wii.
You are very set against the Wii aren't you? I don't really see how holding the Wii's controller can be more uncomfortable than any other controller, there aren't really that many ways that you can hold any controller since you can only make minor shifts before you can't reach buttons as easily and the Wii's doesn't look to be very much different in that respect.
I'm talking more of how you position your arms rather than how you actually hold the controller. I move it through a range of different positions whilst I'm playing games (especially during long sittings of games such as Oblivion) and this isn't going to be possible with the Wii. Also during my games playing I move around quite a bit (I don't really like sitting still) so this would also be picked up.
It's not that I'm against the Wii, I'm just yet to be convinced by the controller and won't be until I get to try it for myself.
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