In an interview with the Seattle Times, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata disclosed his thoughts concerning the public reaction to Wii at E3, the PlayStation 3's price and Wii's global selling potential.
When asked if anything surprised him during E3 last week, Iwata replied, "The surprise was that the feedback to the Wii console was actually even better than we had expected before coming to E3. Before E3, we thought that maybe people would have hesitation because what we are proposing is, 'Forget about the past. Forget about the classic controller. You are now supposed to do a free controller style.'
He continued by saying, "We thought that we would get mixed reactions to our presentation. However, almost all the people who have touched and played the Wii have shown very positive reactions."
Next, Iwata was questioned on his reaction to the "Wii" name when hearing it for the first time. "I saw Wii as one candidate among many others, but the name Wii captured my attention so strongly, I thought, 'This is it'", Iwata stated. "At the same time I thought that probably Wii would have some controversy."
"There were some criteria for us to come up with the name. It had to be short enough so that we didn't need any other nicknames or abbreviation. What we are targeting with Wii is not only existing gamers, but also people who have shown no interest in other games," Iwata said, reiterating Nintendo's goal with Wii. "These nongamers, for example, really cannot understand what GBA means, if GBA is something different from Game Boy Advance. We wanted something with a strong impact that people will remember as soon as they hear it." Iwata also noted Nintendo wanted a name unlike any other video game machine.
Following, Iwata was questioned on how difficult he thinks it will be to sell Wii to people given that one must play the system to understand it. He admitted that getting people to buy a machine that requires hands-on experience will necessitate Nintendo "be smart with the marketing."
"The same thing happened in the case of the DS. The DS was a very unusual machine. For us, the DS didn't necessarily boast beautiful graphics at all. We had to emphasize that touching is believing," Iwata said. "But we were in a better position for marketing the DS because the DS is, after all, a portable machine. We can take it anywhere and present it to anybody on the street and say, 'Please try it.'"
Japan's reception to the DS has been positive thus far, with the handheld selling over 13 million units in the country to date. Given Wii's functionality, sophisticated design and speculated low price point, coupled with the added strength of Nintendo's brand established by DS, the Wii's potential for performing as well in Nintendo's home country seems plausibly high. However, many fans and analysts wonder how the new console might perform on the other side of the Pacific, to which Iwata responded:
"[Wii] has global potential. When we showed the tennis game ['Wii Sports: Tennis'] at the media briefing, we had such a strong reaction afterward. There is no boundary to games like tennis, and so it can be appreciated around the world."
During Sony's pre-E3 media briefing on May 8, the electronics provider revealed its own next-generation console, the PlayStation 3, would cost between 499 and 599 dollars, depending on the bundle consumers purchase. Iwata touched on the announcement, stating, "[it's] not something I should comment on as a corporate president. But as one single person, a potential customer for the PS3, I think it's a bit expensive. But it depends on how the general public is going to see it. So far, within two days now, a majority of people who have commented on the price point are saying the same thing: It's expensive."
In addition to the price point announcement, Sony also disclosed that the PlayStation 3 controller would incorporate "Six Degrees of Freedom", or rather an accelerometer similar to the one found in Wii's Nunchuk unit (Note: "Nunchuk" is the official spelling as stated by Nintendo), but lacking the full functionality of the Wii Remote. Iwata provided his reaction to the move: "Actually before they made the announcement we already anticipated that they might do that, so I had to laugh. Even though I was laughing, it was with a grim face, I should add (laughs)."
"Having said that, please know that putting the motion-sensor technology into the classic-style controller is one thing. Putting the motion-sensor technology into the Wii remote as well as the "Nunchuk" controller, where you can use both hands freely and independently, this is quite another thing," Iwata assured.
Nintendo announced during its own pre-E3 media briefing that the Wii Remote would utilize a programmable speaker built-in to the device. The Seattle Times asked Iwata about the difficulty in incorporating the technology. "Technically speaking, it's not very difficult. But if you ask me if any company can do it, I think it would be difficult," Iwata noted. "That's a very unique advantage Nintendo has. In terms of hardware, we can work very quickly because Nintendo is the hardware manufacturer as well as the software developer and publisher."
On a different note, Iwata mentioned that Nintendo wants "[filmmaker George] Lucas to think about making a game where this can be used as a light saber", utilizing the speaker to help create the feeling of an actual light saber duel.
Finally, Iwata was questioned about Wii's horsepower and if would be problematic in the presence of technically more powerful consoles.
"[Sony and Microsoft] are putting so much cost and energy to beef up the pure horsepower. I really do not deny the way they have chosen, because beefing up the graphical capability is one of the ways to entertain people," Iwata stated. "It's just that Nintendo has not chosen that because Nintendo is not concerned about the possibility of putting those kinds of energies into the graphical engines."
Iwata continued, once again reciting Nintendo's strategy with Wii and the company's intention to expand the market. "Even though we can make the current game graphics a lot better, we don't believe we can expand the gaming population at all," he surmised. "That's why Nintendo decided to take a completely different path for the Wii."
The Seattle Times interview can be found here.
The Wiire will have more from President Iwata in the future.
