Jan 6, 2010
According to an interview with Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, Nintendo Co., Ltd. president Satoru Iwata went over some of the company’s goals for the year, including releasing the latest in the long-running Legend of Zelda series.
Also high on the list is increasing the number of DS WiFi spots throughout Japan. Currently Nintendo has a deal with McDonalds to provide WiFi throughout the island nation, via a service called “Mac de DS.” Customers can bring their DSes and DSis to McDonalds to download items and original content, such as Pokémon mini-games, character downloads, a chat service (other than Pictochat) and most recently a Dragon Quest IX game.
It seems Nintendo is interested in expanding their reach beyond McDonalds. “To proactively increase the number of hotspots, we are talking with a number of businesses,” Iwata told reporters.
Iwata dismissed the idea of cellular-like functions for the DS or future iterations of the device, when asked. The ability for always-on Internet connectivity like the iPhone, even with a monthly service plan, is currently not in the cards according to Nintendo’s president.
However, regarding a DS successor, Iwata said this: “[It will have] highly detailed graphics, and it will be necessary to have a sensor with the ability to read the movements of people playing.”
However, with 2009 being a banner year for the DS, Iwata said that we won’t be seeing any form of DS2 any time soon.
Iwata also discussed the state of the Wii – he admitted that sales slumped in Japan last fall, but pointed out that the system was the biggest seller in both Japan and America over the last three years, stressing the importance of software to that success.
The Asahi Shimbun notes that there will be a press conference in July for the new pulse Vitality Sensor controller add-on, with the intent to release it for sale as soon as possible. It also noted that the Zelda sequel will be available before the end of 2010, but it is yet unclear whether it will see a global launch or if that timeframe is Japan-only.
Well now you can thrash around playing your handheld in public?
Beats me, dude. All I know is that the way I play with my Wii, I would hate to use my motion-controlled DS2 in a crowded Tokyo McDonald's during after-school hours. Holy hell those places get crowded. You have to wait for a seat sometimes.
Why is motion control necessary for the DS2? Simple - motion controls are the sole reason the Wii sold millions of units. Thus, Nintendo's going to ride that train until everyone jumps off.
nobody has to jump off the train, all they have to do is sit on their couch and waggle
You know, "to read the movement of the player" doesn't necessairily mean motion controls like the ones incorporated in the Wii. One could argue that buttons track the motions of the thumb for instance, or possibly he's referring to some EyeToy-like motion capturing of the gamer's expression. I think it to be rather rash to dismiss the piece of hardware on this vague basis, especially given how wrong everyone was about the DS and Wii before they released.
A lot of people bought Zubas back in the day, but that doesn't mean they're weren't ugly.
the touchpad on the DS has led to some really awesome games
some people like to blubber about the controls in the zelda DS games, but a lot of people (myself included) love them, and it provides for a gameplay experience that wouldn't otherwise exist
How many games have made awesome use of the touchscreen, though, and how many have used it just as a bullet-point on the back of the box? That's a matter of opinion, of course... I personally have not found even one use of the DS touchscreen that make me glad its there, and have rolled my eyes at the forced and awkward use of it in countless games. But I would guess that even folks that have found implementations they like of the touchscreen would admit that far more games use it badly than well.
The Wii and DS didn't get shovelware because of gimmicks or fads or anything. They got it because they had the largest install bases. I mean the PS1 and PS2 had heaps of shovelware too, and there was no waggle on them.
Eh, $20 bucks we're playing the new Zelda title in 2011.
Well there's shovelware and then there's shovelware. Really I think what happened with the Wii really re-defined what that term really meant. When you go back and talk about shovelware for the PS2 and PS1 it was really just cheap games that came out in abundance because the system was #1. With the Wii most of the developers didn't really care what they were crafting, as long as they could pound in some waggle controls and tons of mini-game they got that out the door because at the time families were just buying the games because they thought their kids would play em. Luckily now people are a bit more "educated" on what happens when you just buy a game because of all the pretty colors on the box.
On all systems, especially ones with larger install bases, you get games obviously made without any care. You get licensed junk, me-too entries in popular genres, etc. With the Wii and the DS, though, you get games that are just one or a few uses of the control gimmicks, as if that's the only consideration in developing them. Games--even bad ones--should have some kind of point other than being an excuse to poke a handheld or flail your arms around. The concept behind these games is basically "implement control gimmicks", and that's what makes them different to me.
Like this:
I think my detachment from Nintendo has just about gone all the way.
Well for what it's worth, supposedly Best Buy and Target will no longer carry Wii minigame compilations. I'm sure they'll make some exceptions, since I mean Wii Sports Resort is a minigame compilation, but it actually sells. Same with Carnival Games, WiiFit, etc.
For what it's worth, Nintendo is denying that Iwata said anything about the DS2, blaming the reporter for misinterpreting his comments.
The Wii did redefine shovelware in that it has so much of it, and that people buy it. Wii owners by and large do not research games. They walk into a store, they stare at the wall, they pick up some games and read the back and choose based on whatever marketing scheme attracts them the most. They love minigames... storylines? Not so much. Zelda is a tough sell to the average Wii owner, since it doesn't involve baseball or some other real sport that has been put on the Wii. They also like Wii fit, but most seem to rarely use it.