Post by: Kairon on January 06, 2008, 09:47:58 AM
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=15058
At the 2007 Game Developer's Conference, Nintendo Designer Shigeru Miyamoto talked about using his wife to gauge how successful his latest games would be. But in a recent interview with the Japanese newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata uses mothers as a barometer, predicting that "if we manage to get even the mothers who hated games to buy in, it marks a bright future for our industry."
In order to pursue this expanded market, Iwata said that they would need to reverse a decline that he claimed was "driven by negative images such as 'interferes with study' and 'causes crime'." Accordingly, Nintendo designed the DS portable gaming system to be "a platform that no one could hate." And the idea behind the Nintendo Wii home console was to "create a 21st-century lifestyle where the family can come together to laugh and converse." Additionally, Nintendo sought to produce a variety of software aimed beyond the typical gaming consumer and re-cast games as a family activity. "We formed a new company image with Brain Training," stated Iwata, referring to the hit Nintendo DS title, known outside Japan as Brain Age, that focuses on daily mental exercises.
Iwata also responded to comparisons between Nintendo and "iPod-era Apple" by calling the similarities between the companies "simply necessities" that have grown out of "an inward-looking focus." And when asked whether cell phones might affect Nintendo's market, he touted his company's superior ease-of-use, remarking that cell phones have so many different features that "even someone with engineering training such as myself finds it difficult."
Additionally, Iwata was asked about being the first Nintendo President and CEO not related by blood or marriage to the Yamauchi family, which founded the company. "That era's board of directors looked outside the company for a replacement," he confessed, "there was hope of increasing Internet support, and changing to reflect the era and circumstances more." However, Iwata was also mindful of over-extending his mandate, acknowledging that there was "also the potential to damage Nintendo's image with too many changes."
Thanks to Mandoric at NeoGAF for the translation!
Post by: UncleBob on January 06, 2008, 09:59:00 AM
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Nintendo CEO reveals that Nintendo's handheld was intended as "a platform that no one could hate,"
Obviously, he didn't count on Sony Fanboys and Ian.
Post by: NWR_pap64 on January 06, 2008, 10:56:32 AM
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Originally posted by: NewsBot
Nintendo CEO reveals that Nintendo's handheld was intended as "a platform that no one could hate
I beg to differ...
Post by: Caliban on January 06, 2008, 11:01:35 AM
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on January 06, 2008, 11:43:31 AM
Post by: Kairon on January 06, 2008, 12:19:28 PM
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on January 06, 2008, 12:44:40 PM
I'm the HARDTIME LONGCORE Gamer. I've risen above technology fads and internet animosity.
Post by: darknight06 on January 06, 2008, 01:16:05 PM
Post by: Kairon on January 06, 2008, 01:22:58 PM
I personally think that Nintendo is playing a dangerous game with their ignorance of the cell-phone resurgence. Are they right in pooh-poohing the threat? I hope so, because cellphones are really just gettimg more amazing every minute in capabilities and cultural dominance.
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on January 06, 2008, 01:29:33 PM
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 06, 2008, 01:30:14 PM
The DS would then be the best gaming phone on the market and even has a touchscreen for for a full qwerty keyboard.
Post by: bubicus on January 06, 2008, 03:59:39 PM
Think of it this way: if you're going to make a mass-market cell phone game cheaply, you have to make a game that is playable on a phone that is two or three years old. The people with the newest cell phones won't care about your game unless you spend more money to develop an improved version for the new phones. And other than the iPhone, there are no high-end cell phones that exist in large enough quantities to make a decent profit with after applying development costs. On the other hand, the DS is a single worldwide platform, and there are tens of millions of them on the planet now. I can't see any reason why Nintendo would have to be worried about the loss of market share to new cell phone models unless the iPhone or some other model (or a group of models that share an operating system and specifications) hits 15+ million units sold. It's simply a matter of available population vs. quality control vs. development cost.
Of course, Nintendo is based in Japan, where cell phone specifications are probably more standardized. Developing Japan-only cell phone games could be slightly profitable for them. However, doing so won't bring help bring them much profit in a worldwide cell phone market compared to the money factory that is the DS.
Post by: Kairon on January 06, 2008, 04:09:17 PM
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 06, 2008, 04:21:22 PM
Now everyone would have a reason to always carry their DS around with them and a reason to turn it on everyday.
edit: guess I need to start spell checking, since my keyboard doesn't seem to be working right.
Post by: ShyGuy on January 06, 2008, 05:20:05 PM
Post by: Plugabugz on January 06, 2008, 07:37:15 PM
Oh now the naive children of the world get sucked into false hope
Post by: Ian Sane on January 07, 2008, 05:24:30 AM
I normally wouldn't be concerned about cellphones because cellphone games suck balls. You can't have a small cellphone with full phone functionality that also has the suitable control options for games. I think the lack of a decent controller is the biggest reason why those games all blow. But then we're talking the mainstream here where quality doesn't mean anything. So maybe it is a threat but mainstream tastes are so illogical I can't think of exactly what to do. I figure the phone people think is the coolest would sell the most and games for that would win regardless of quality. The best fashion accessory will win.
Post by: Smash_Brother on January 07, 2008, 05:53:24 AM
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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
I guess I'm in the minority in that the idea of playing videogames with my whole family turns me off. I only ever wanted my parents to tolerate gaming in that they would let me play without giving me a hard time about it. I wanted them to have a basic understanding of save points so they wouldn't get all upset when I couldn't put the game down right this damn second. I never cared about mainstream acceptance (though I wanted Nintendo to be the market leader) because the mainstream is full of idiots. Gaming was an escape. I could seek refuge in a sub-culture that was more on par with my tastes. Companies catering to the mainstream could ruin music, ruin TV and ruin movies but for a while videogames were pretty safe even if the threat was always there. This all had been a long time coming though I never expected Nintendo to initiate it. Companies act like aggressively targeting the mainstream means making something everyone loves and money-wise it may appear that way. But sub-cultures and niches hobbies exist for a reason and there is a group of people that ultimately get excluded when you include everyone else.
I normally wouldn't be concerned about cellphones because cellphone games suck balls. You can't have a small cellphone with full phone functionality that also has the suitable control options for games. I think the lack of a decent controller is the biggest reason why those games all blow. But then we're talking the mainstream here where quality doesn't mean anything. So maybe it is a threat but mainstream tastes are so illogical I can't think of exactly what to do. I figure the phone people think is the coolest would sell the most and games for that would win regardless of quality. The best fashion accessory will win.
I actually understand where you're coming from, but I'm sure you also realize that Nintendo is doing this out of necessity.
With the GC, they learned that if you're going to win a fight against two charging bulls, you don't do it by running at them straight on. You go around them and attack from the side, which is a pretty apt analogy for what they're doing right now.
