The Wiire

Miyamoto on Mii, Marketing and Link's Hands
By Shawn White / September 14, 2006
Following Nintendo of Japan's Wii Preview in Tokyo, Japan, company President Satoru Iwata and Game Designer Shigeru Miyamoto discussed various aspects of Wii with the press.

The Wii is set to launch in one color, white. Miyamoto explained the reasoning behind this decision and the soonest availablity of more colors. "Until Spring, we'll have a supply limitation, so we want to avoid the situation where people don't buy because their favorite color isn't available," Miyamoto stated. "We'll provide new colors after that. Our aim is a design that's not scary."

Following, Miyamoto discussed The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and why Link is right handed in the Wii version. "He was originally left handed," explained Miyamoto. "However, there will be more users who swing the controller with their right hand, so we made Link hold the sword in his right hand. By the way, in the GameCube version of Twilight Princess, Link is left handed."

During its speech in Tokyo, Nintendo revealed Mii, a previously unannounced feature of Wii that allows players to design 3D caricatures of themselves, friends and family, and then save them to their user profile. Miyamoto elaborated on Nintendo's goals for the service. "We're thinking of something where you use your Mii for communication," said the game designer. "We don't have a name, but as an image, it's something like Wii Mixi." As a note, Mixi is Japan's most popular social network, with over three million registered users.

Fans and the media have long noted the similarities between Nintendo DS and Wii as a predictor of the latter machine's potential success. However, Miyamoto stated differences do exist between the platforms, and that what works for one won't necessarily suffice for the other. "The popularity of the DS will does not ensure the popularity of the Wii," the Mario creator said, noting that the Wii, unlike DS, requires a television, which could put the console at a disadvantage compared to the handheld. "Getting people to notice the PR campaigns will be difficult [for Wii]," Miyamoto admitted.

Stick with The Wiire for more insight from Nintendo's executives.

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