Nintendo President Outlines Bold Vision to Attract New Audiences to Video Games

Game Developers Conference Attendees Hear First Details about 'Revolution,' Upcoming Wi-Fi Service for Nintendo DS

SAN FRANCISCO--March 10, 2005--Thousands of video game developers

in a standing-room-only crowd today heard Nintendo President Satoru

Iwata outline the company's bold vision for the future. Iwata, a

veteran video game designer and player himself, made several major

announcements during his Game Developers Conference keynote speech,

"The Heart of the Gamer," including such highlights as:

-- Nintendo's next game console, code-named "Revolution," is

proceeding on schedule and will include both backward

compatibility and Wi-Fi features.

-- Nintendo soon will offer a free Wi-Fi connection service to

Nintendo DS(TM) owners.

-- Iwata demonstrated several new software titles using the

innovative features of the Nintendo DS, including voice

recognition, touch-screen control and wireless connectivity.

-- Iwata unveiled new images from the highly anticipated Legend

of Zelda(R) adventure coming this year for Nintendo

GameCube(TM).

"This is Nintendo's plan: make our existing game world better,"

Iwata said. "For us, this is a passion. This is a mission of

adventure."

Revolution: Iwata announced that Revolution will feature built-in

Wi-Fi protocols, which will allow users around the world to connect

with one another wirelessly. Revolution's technological heart, a

processing chip developed with IBM and code-named "Broadway," and a

graphics chip set from ATI code-named "Hollywood," are being designed

to deliver game experiences not possible to date.

"We're excited to be developing the graphics chip set for

Revolution, which continues our longstanding relationship with

Nintendo," says Dave Orton, ATI Technologies Inc.'s president and

chief executive officer. "As the leading graphics provider, ATI is

committed to delivering exceptional visual performance that enables

consumers to interact with new and visually compelling digital worlds.

ATI is proud to support Nintendo's innovative contributions to

gaming."

Nintendo DS: Iwata announced that the Wi-Fi protocol for Nintendo

DS will provide users with a link to other players across the country

or around the world. Once the service begins later this year, Nintendo

DS users will be able to connect to the service wirelessly at Wi-Fi

hot spots, whether they're at home, in a hotel or at a coffee shop. As

one of several Wi-Fi games, Nintendo's in-house development team is

creating a new Animal Crossing(TM) game for global Wi-Fi play.

On the keynote stage, Iwata also took part in a spontaneous

eight-player wireless contest of Mario Kart(R) DS to demonstrate the

local area network capabilities of Nintendo DS. He added that

shipments of the DS game system have now surpassed 4 million units to

North America and Japan in the 16 weeks since launch. With the system

set to debut in thousands of stores across Europe within hours of his

address, that number will approach 6 million units shipped by the end

of March.

DS software: The speech featured a live demonstration of two

Nintendo DS software titles that Iwata said represented types of

entertainment that go beyond the traditionally accepted definitions of

"video games." One, Nintendogs, asks owners to nurture and interact

with a variety of breeds of digital puppies. Puppy owners can issue

voice commands, play games and train their puppies while developing

real emotional bonds with them. Nintendogs is set to launch later this

year in North America. The second title, Electroplankton, offers an

otherworldly array of sights and sounds aimed to soothe or stimulate

players with the innovative use of both the touch screen and voice

interaction. "This is designed to produce harmony, not adrenaline,"

Iwata said.

Zelda: Iwata wowed the crowd by showing previously unreleased

footage of the stunning Legend of Zelda adventure for Nintendo

GameCube. The game will launch later this year, and is expected to be

the most sought-after game of 2005 on any console.

Nintendo will announce more information about both Revolution and

the Nintendo DS Wi-Fi service at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in

Los Angeles in May. To hear the full audio podcast of Iwata's speech,

visit www.nintendo.com.