Cars and video games…? Why am I suddenly so nervous? Next week Nintendo will be making an unprecedented appearance at the most unlikeliest of pit stops: the 2011 LA Auto Show. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime and founder and CEO of West Coast Customs Ryan Friedlinghaus will be giving a special presentation to the press during the event’s November 17 presentation to the press regarding a new collaboration between the two. Additionally, there will also be a Nintendo booth for attendees to visit during the show’s November 18-27 run.

Any guesses on the collaboration? It’s probably just a custom choppers themed Wii game but who knows. I’m rooting for in-dash 3DS systems.

Nov. 10, 2011 15:00 UTC

Gamers and Gearheads Unite with Nintendo’s First Appearance at the LA Auto Show

Nintendo Teams Up With Famed West Coast Customs for a Special Project at Major Automotive Trade Show

–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo:

WHAT:		Nintendo will be making an unlikely pit stop at the 2011 LA Auto Show, marking the video game company’s first-ever appearance at an automotive trade show. Members of the media are invited to an exclusive presentation by Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime and special guest Ryan Friedlinghaus, founder and CEO of West Coast Customs, to unveil an exclusive collaboration between the iconic gaming brand and one of the most recognized names in the custom automotive industry.
		The presentation will take place during the LA Auto Show’s Nov. 17 Press Day at 12:10 p.m. Consumers will also be able to visit the Nintendo booth from Nov. 18-27, when the show is open to the public.
WHO:		Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime and founder and CEO of West Coast Customs, Ryan Friedlinghaus
WHEN:		Media Presentation
		Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
		12:10-12:35 p.m. (please arrive at noon)
		Members of the Public
		Nov. 18-27 (visit www.laautoshow.com for show hours)
WHERE:		Los Angeles Convention Center
		West Lobby
		1201 S. Figueroa St.
		Los Angeles, CA 90015

VISUALS:

• On-stage presentation by Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime and the founder and CEO of West Coast Customs, Ryan Friedlinghaus
• B-roll available upon request

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Quick, what were the two most annoying things about your 3Ds at launch date? Let me guess, lack of games, and no Internet connectivity. Understandably so. Does it make you feel better to know that Reggie Fils-Aime has acknowledged the issue? What do you mean, “Hell effin’ no”? All the same, in an interview with Kotaku, he spoke a little bit about the weak start for the 3DS, attributing it to people’s desire for a major title, and for Internet connection, saying:

“…when we started talking to consumers who were aware or interested, but hadn’t yet bought, they told us two things: first, I need a big Nintendo franchise for our purchase. The second thing was I need the network to be up. I need the connected experiences to be there.”

Citing the launch of the eShop and Ocarina of Time 3D, he adds “I think we’ve got that issue not only identified but addressed. While he stops short of admitting they launched too early (classic Reggie), he does go on to say:

“The system did not launch earlier than planned (but) we thought there would have been a tighter gap between launch and the first network update.”

Lesson learned: launch with a major franchise title, and if you release Internet-ready, don’t do it at all.

Is there anything else holding you back from buying a 3DS?

Kotaku
via IGN

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Nintendo of America has announced a new vice president of marketing and sales. Filling the void left behind by Cammie Dunaway, the new exec, whose past work includes SoBe, Mountain Dew Code Red, and AMP Energy Drink campaigns with PepsiCo, is officially part of Nintendo of America as of today. Says NOA president Reggie Fils-Aime:

“Scott Moffitt makes a marvelous addition to the Nintendo team. His expertise in driving growth will be a terrific asset as we build momentum for the Nintendo 3DS system and continue to reach new audiences for the Wii console.”

Before Cammie Dunaway, it was Fils-Aime who acted as executive VP of marketing and sales, and both Dunaway and Fils-Aime have been primary speakers at Nintendo’s press briefings at E3. It is very likely we’ll be seeing Moffitt’s first public appearance under Nintendo during their E3 conference on June 7 at the NOKIA Theatre.

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Aw, say it ain’t so Cammie! The Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing Cammie Dunaway has announced that she is taking a position outside of the video games industry, and will be leaving Nintendo on October 1. Said Ms. Dunaway:

“I’m thankful for my time with Nintendo and proud of our team’s accomplishments in growing the Nintendo audience. I look forward to watching the continued growth of the Nintendo brand in the years ahead.”

while Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime added:

“We appreciate Cammie’s contributions to Nintendo and the role she played in bringing the Wii and Nintendo DS experiences to millions of people. Her team and the rest of Nintendo of America remain focused on our goal of maintaining the incredible momentum Nintendo enjoys heading into the busy holiday season.”

It is unknown where Ms. Dunaway is headed but I’m sure I echo many Nintendo fan’s sentiments in wishing her luck in her career.

IGN

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The post E3 2010 speculation on the Nintendo 3DS release date has been, in a word, chaos. Recently, president of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime made an appearance on the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon, stating the 3DS would not be coming til next year. Now, insiders from Japan indicate that the Fils-Aime misspoke. And apparently, they take issue with the “next year” assessment.

While sources to Kotaku insist that the Nintendo 3DS will be released by the end of this fiscal quarter (March 2011), essentially confirming earlier statements from Fils-Aime, they also say that the “next year” comment is out of step, raising suspicion that they may be aiming for a holiday 2010 window for release in Japan. However, the 3DS is supposed to have a worldwide launch, causing even more confusion.

While everything is still in the rumor stages, the stage is set for Nintendo to make an epic announcement. Could we be in for a 3D Christmas?

Kotaku
via MyNintendoNews

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At Nintendo’s media briefing at the Nokia Theater on June 15th, company President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime told eager attendees that a troop of models would show off the new alluring 3DS handheld for the first time ever, immediately following the briefing. As we at The Tanooki made our way back towards the entrance of the theater, we were able to get our first peak at the no-glasses 3DS technology through a series of images. Nintendo chose stills from some of their popular video game franchise titles, including Super Mario Galaxy and Pikmin, to illustrate the capabilities of the 3DS. I, like many in attendance, suffered from the same noticeable physical impression of the 3D implementation; a dropped jaw. My personal 3DS model described my reaction as “cute,” which made me realize just how much of a tech nerd I am. Little did I know, my reaction to 3D images on the 3DS was just the beginning of an explosion of excitement Nintendo had in store.

Across the street from the briefing at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Nintendo had each of their big E3 Wii and DS announcements in demo form right on the show floor. Noticeable in the back was an elevated booth that hosted dozens of 3DS devices (each with a model) only accessible through a long line. As you can imagine, no other device or software title had a line as monstrous as the 3DS. On the second day of E3, I waited decided to jump in line, hoping to get a glimpse of some 3DS titles in action. After about an hour, I made it through the heavily guarded entrance, only to find out I wasn’t getting a glimpse, I was getting 20-minutes of playtime.

Nintendo had set up different rows with different software titles on each 3DS, for attendees to easily walk around and see as much as possible. The only problem was, you really didn’t know what game was where. Like a mad scramble, I was off. My first stop was at PilotWings: Resort, a brand new PilotWings adventure set on Wuhu Island, the backdrop of Wii Sports Resort. The game is great, and features the same great fly planes through ring and jetpack gameplay from the previous N64 title. But more importantly, the 3D effects are stunning. Your character appears well into the foreground compared to some of the scenic island elements in the background. You just can’t really believe what your seeing, because you’re not wearing glasses, something that’s been firmly recognized as an unbreakable rule of achieving 3D. Yet, Nintendo broke it.

Graphically, the game also looks amazing for a handheld. I had a hard time noticing a real difference between the graphics of the 3DS title versus any given Wii title. I should also note that there was no eye adjustment time for 3D. When watching films like Avatar in 3D, it took my eyes about 10 minutes to really adjust. Probably due to the small of the screen, that just wasn’t an issue. You’re instantly immersed in the new dimension, and you don’t ever want to leave.

Eager to see more, I dashed over to the Mario Kart demo. Instead, Nintendo placed a slideshow of images from a brand new 3DS Mario Kart title. The kart racers looked like they were miniature LEGO pieces that must have been sitting on the screen. While the game didn’t look as impressive as I had hoped graphically, the 3D effects were wild. Again, you really just can’t believe what your seeing.

Another great game I got to see was nintendogs + cats. The game features facial recognition, so as you pull your face towards the screen, your puppy will come near the screen and lick your face. This was great to try out, especially in 3D. The game also features cats, but ever since my real cat peed relentlessly over every square inch of carpet in my room, I’ve been off the cat-bandwagon. I don’t think any pet simulator, whether the original nintendogs or the 90s phenom the Tamagotchi, can come anywhere close to this type of immersion. You feel as though your pet isn’t just some developer’s creation, but rather a living, breathing creature set in a real world. That feeling is all thanks to the mix of 3D technology with impressive graphics.

At this point, I had heard the news that Nintendo was taking older classics, and giving them the revamped 3DS treatment. While The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was announced for a 3DS release, it was not available to view on the showroom. Luckily, another classic title was there ready to be played; StarFox 64 3DS. I darted over to an open 3DS and began my play-session. This game is the handheld’s shining star. No title better showed the benefits of adding a new dimension of depth to a video game than StarFox 64 3DS.

Because you fly your Arwing away from your body, the trees, structures and items you pass come towards you. And as you shoot your enemies, your laser beams moves away from you. Instead of just getting smaller to represent moving through space, it actually appears to be moving through space. This is where 3D technology thrives for gaming. You’re able to better navigate your ship, learning how to precisely time a barrel-roll, shoot enemies, or launch a bomb at the right distance. I can’t wait for you to all see this game in action.

During Nintendo’s press briefing, Fils-Aime broke news that the company has made exclusive partnership deals with companies such as Warner Bros. and Disney to bring 3D movies to the 3DS. At the booth, trailers for Disney’s upcoming film Tangled and DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon were viewable. The image quality was top notch and the 3D effects were, once again, stellar. It takes you a bit of time to wrap your head around just how this whole no-glasses thing can be happening. In fact I’m still not clear that this isn’t just some sort of magic. It has not been revealed just how Nintendo plans to releases these 3D films, but I’m guessing a hugely revamped online store or brand-new Nintendo Internet store, accessible through Wi-Fi or your computer, that will boast a wealth of content.

Some 3DS models walked around the booth, asking us if they could show us their specific demos. One of which was a collection of 20 NES titles revamped in 3D. Talk about a total nerdgasm. Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man 2, Punch Out!! and Metroid. A true who’s who of top notch franchises. The origins of Nintendo’s software collection, shown in the newest technology. You will be so impressed by what 3D technology does for older games. This demo proved that 3DS technology is not exclusive to 3D open world games. These 2D NES titles benefited from the technology, adding depth and a fresh take on games that have been untouched for decades. If available, I would have gently slid my credit card into any machine in order to purchase the entire collection right then and there.

At this point, my 20-minute time limit was up, and Nintendo staff started to walk us out of the booth area. Near the exit, a group of 3DS models were demoing one of the new handheld features, the 3D camera. Players will be able to take 3D images of themselves, their dogs, anything they want. Though I was being ushered out, I got a quick glimpse of a 3D image of a guy with his hand extended. For the effect to work well, you need to have some depth in image, so his hand served as a great way to test out the technology. The image insanely cool, making this feature the most drool-worthy feature I’ve ever seen a video game console have on the non-game front. You’re going to be amazed.

I find it hard to believe that anything the 3DS offers will grow stale, ever. These features are so new and so cutting edge. Seeing the 3DS live and in person, I can say without a doubt I am a believer in the technology and a believer in what Nintendo has created. And I’m not alone. Developers Warren Spector, Hideo Kojima and several others have been blown away by what Nintendo has created. And Nintendo has already announced an incredible lineup of third party titles, including Super Street Fighter IV 3D, DJ Hero 3D, Ridge Racer and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D.

I sincerely apologize to you all that there isn’t a way to show you the technology, through images or video. But the handheld is promised to launch prior to March 2011, which likely means this holiday season.

Demos for the technology will likely be in local retail stores long before the product launches to give consumers as impression of what this product does, considering no one is buying it if they can’t see it first.

I urge you all to trust us that it does work, it works well, and you will undoubtedly be blown away. 3D has officially become as important as motion controls to the future of gaming. You’ll all be believers too in just a few short months, I promise.

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Will you be getting your, as Tanooki features editor Pete Betcher puts it, grubby mitts on the Nintendo 3DS as soon as next March? “For sure”! In an E3 interview with Industry Gamers, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime discussed the anticipation for the Nintendo 3DS, explaining why they have not announced a price or launch date:

“Well, the reason we haven’t announced a launch date or pricing is that, first, we wanted to get reaction here. Secondly, we’ll be making individual market decisions in terms of what’s happening in Japan, what’s happening in the Americas, what’s happening in Europe. The one thing, for sure, is that we will launch in all of our major markets by March 31, 2011.”

He also states in the interview that the 3DS design is “not 100%”, meaning the slick model you see above may not be what ends up in aforementioned grubby mitts. We’ll see what happens in the next nine months.

Industry Gamers
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Hello faithful readers! We’re here live at the NOKIA Theatre waiting for Nintendo’s press conference to start! The conference is scheduled to run from 9 to 11 PT so watch this space for our glorious Nintendo press conference live blog. We’ll also be posting constant updates on Twitter so be sure to keep an eye on that too.

All times are in Pacific Time.

8:45 – Just 15 minutes until it starts. We have great seats (10th row or something) and the music is much less obnoxious than it could be. There’s a giant screen in the middle of the stage that will most likely be used for trailers, but right now it’s showing a series of trivia questions. Did you know there are 34 different Imagine games on Nintendo consoles? Doesn’t that make you feel… kinda sick?

8:50 – Ten minutes! Pins and needles!

9:00 – The Nintendo logo just replaced the trivia questions on the screen. Any time now!

9:02 – Reggie Fils-Aime takes the stage, talking about how awesome E3 is. Focusing on different forms of control, including those of Nintendo’s competitors, but not in a catty way. “Technology is only a tool. What matters is the experience.”

9:05 – Video of Miyamoto talking about changing Zelda to replace the sword and shield with the Wii Remote and nunchuck. Sounds like there will be 1:1 swordplay. Giant scary Miyamoto is talking to tiny little Bill. He’s demoing the controls now.

9:07 – Bill is being eaten by a Deku Baba. Miyamoto says he’s doing it wrong and just kind of popped out of nowhere and is now on the stage. He’s detailing the controls. You’ll only be using a few buttons on the controller. Most moves are done with motion controls. Z targeting is back, naturally. He’s abusing a poor mushroom and showing the slices at different angles.

9:09 – The Deku Baba is toast. There’s an eye on a door you have to confuse by spinning your sword in a circle to make it dizzy. Demoing the shield now. Shake the nunchuck to raise the shield. Miyamoto is having a little trouble doing a shield bash to deflect Octorok shots. Thos Bokoblins are kind of creepy. They’re blocking attacks with their weapons. You have to swing your sword in a way that gets around their attack. This game is going to make my arms tired, I think.

9:12 – Link can finally dash with the A button when not in battle. Oh, this is nice. Hold the B button to open a menu of items and select an item like bombs or a bow on the fly. No more assigning items to buttons. You don’t have to press a button to bring your slingshot out once it’s equipped. Just point at the screen to aim. The graphics are, of course, much nicer than they were in Twilight Princess, by the way. Miyamoto just blew himself up with a bomb. Whoops. If you’re holding a bomb, you can throw it by raising the Wii remote and just kind of flinging it. A target line shows where it will land. You can also just kind of roll a bomb like a bowling ball.

9:15 – There’s a little interference so the bow isn’t working too well. Miyamoto is holding the controller like it’s actually a bow and arrow. Hold the C button to hold an arrow and pull bakc, then release to fire. Now they’re playing with a “beetle.” You can throw it and then tilt the remote to make it fly around. It can pick up items for you. It looks tricky to control, but fun.

9:17 – They’re playing around with the whip now. Focusing on how quick it is to switch items while taking out a Bokoblin most badassly. They’re kind of apologizing about the interference with the demo, but it will work fine on the show floor. Sadly, it looks like Zelda won’t be out this year, but next year. Trailer time again. Lots of thinsg that were just shown in the demo, plus a giant scorpion boss, rolling around on a giant rock, and pinning a heart (health pickup) to a fence with an arrow. Which is just cool. Stalfox is holdin gtwo weapons. This looks great. We’ll be sure to post the trailer as soon as we can!

9:21 – Reggie is talking about casual games again. Now talking about sports games, comparing realistic games to arcade games. Specifically mentions NBA Jam. An exclusive Wii version will be on the show floor. New Mario sports game showing several kidns of gameplay, including hockey and volley ball. (This might be multiple games, actually.) Showing Mario Dodge Ball now. And basketball. Yes, it’s one game. Called Mario Sports Mix.

9:24 – Mario Sports Mix is coming next year. Now Reggie is talking about how amazing Nintendo is and how everyone is buying Wiis and Wii games. Now he’s talking about “bridge games” that help casual gamers turn more hardcore, including Mario Kart Wii and New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

9:27 – The next “bridge title” will use Miis. It’s Wii Party. Trailer Time. Showing some minigames and different game modes. Shows “house party” mode but is a little vague about what that means. Wii Party is coming this Christmas.

9:28 – There’s a new Just Dance game coming, apparently. There’s a trailer. It’s,,, kind of obnoxious. 40 plus songs. Hottest dance moves. Dancing duets. Some of these people in the trailer are not dancing very well. Up to 8 players.

9:31 – New Golden Sun news! Called Golden Sun Dark Dawn. Trailer! The world has been reborn. Not Isaac is kind of wandering around towns and caves. “A new generation must rise to the challenge.” Showing touch screen Psynergy powers. Battles are 3D. Showing a summon taking up two screens. I don’t recognize the summon but it’s been a while. I think there were character names shown on the top of the screen but I missed them. Whoops? Looks nice. Coming this holiday!

9:33 – Talking about the new Goldeneye. Jason has just wet himself, and me as well. “A new Goldeneye game is coming out for the first time this generation!” Stars Daniel Craig, mysteriously. Wii exclusive. Jaws, Odd Job are involved. Paintballs are back, which are key. Sniper. Dude on a toilet. This is all very fast paced. Bond jumping off a dam. Jason says it’s a remake but I can’t tell because I didn’t play Goldeneye that much. Coming this holiday.

9:35 – Epic Mickey time. Reggie talking about how iconic he is. Warren Spector takes the stage! And Adam Creighton, a producer. Looks like a walkthrough similar to the Zelda one. Let’s see if this one actually works.

9:38 – Mickey is in “wasteland.” There will be weird versions of lots of forgotten stuff that Disney hardcore fans will probably love. There will be worlds based on Disney theme park attractions as well as animated worlds. Drawing and erasing are key in this game. He’s using paint thinner to erase things like walls and characters. There will be a “morality system” type thing that we already knew about, focusing on creating things or destroying them.

9:40 – There are three kinds of areas. About to show a “travel zone.” It’s side scrolling, and inspired by Steamboat Willy. (Others will be based on other cartoons.) Warren is thrilled to be making a Mickey game. It will be playable on the show floor. There will be an Iwata Asks with Spector on e3.nintendo.com.

9:44 – Reggie is talking about Masahiro Sakurai. Talking about how great Kirby is and how he hasn’t been on a home console in a starring role in 7 years. It’s about we heard more about that! Trailer time. This is already adorable. Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Kirby is made of yarn and it’s the cutest thing in the history of the world. He’s whipping at enemies and objects with yarn. It’s 2D. The entire world is made out of various kinds of felt and other materials. It’s a very pretty game, I have to say. Looks like he has a little helper. A blue Kirby with a crown. Now there’s a giant Kirbot shooting missiles. Showing a few bosses now. That fire effect is nice. Comes out this fall. Will be playable today.

9:47 – Talking about Dragon Quest IX now and how Japan has such a boner for it. Throwing some numbers out there. Talking about how it was the multiplayer action that sold the game in Japan. (If you’ve been following this game, there isn’t much you don’t already know.) Dragon Quest IX comes out here in 26 days.

9:48 – Metroid Other M trailer time now. Showing Samus running around and shooting stuff, naturally. Morph Ball, blowing a hole in a door, scanning stuff. Wall jumping too. Some side scrolling and some full 3D. We’ve known this stuff for a while but it’s nice to see it in motion. Though I have to say, some areas are looking kind of jaggy. It’s coming out in August.

9:54 – It’s 3DS time now. Talking about 3D games in your living room being kind of expensive and a pain. Talking about how terrible the glasses are and I have to agree completely. Considering how much he’s talking about price, this 3DS had better be pretty frigging cheap. 3DS trailer is talking about 3D throughout the ages. Trailer didn’t actually show a 3DS, but there’s one on stage right now. Uh oh, a fog machine. Those give me nosebleeds. It’s glowing blue. I think it might be alive. Satoru Iwata takes the stage.

10:01 – There’s a 3D slider on the side that can adjust the intensity of the effect. A 3D touch screen doesn’t work so the bottom screen isn’t 3D, I guess. Graphics are improved. Will have a motion sensor and gyro sensor. Hopes people will innovate with them. Is compatible with DSi games. Has two cameras on the outside. Will take 3D pictures! Wow, that’s neat. Will be able to show 3D hollywood movies. Includes How to Train your Dragon, Tangled, and something else.

10:04 – New 3DS game, Project Sora, is Kid Icarus! “Sorry to keep you waiting” says Pit. Full 3D. Lots of flying. Pit is protecting a town. The graphics are amazing. I forgot I was looking at a 3DS game. It looks almost like a Wii game. Kid Icarus Rising? I, uh, missed the title. Will have a 3D trailer on the show floor.

10:06 – 3D will make it easier to tell how far away a floating object is. Sleeping 3DS systems can talk to each other. Uh oh. Automatic communication is a hardware thing now and not a software thing. Will download things without you knowing. Lots of online features, and no monthly fee.

UPDATE: Uh, much headache during the conference concerning our Verizon mifi connection. Very unstable. So unstable, actually, that apparently all of my updates past 10:06 didn’t actually get posted. So… sorry about that, I guess? It’s too bad because I typed a big list of all of the announced third party 3DS games (and there were a LOT, including Metal Gear Solid, Professor Layton, and Kingdom Hearts) that I couldn’t possibly do again right now from the Media Hospitality Lounge at the conference center. It was pretty awesome, though!

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Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime were in Redmond, WA (as well as a few familiar Nintendo faces) for the unveiling of the new Nintendo of America headquarters. Washington state governor Christine Gregoire was also on hand to celebrate the opening of the new facility, which boasts a slew of environmentally friendly features, including 75,000 square feet of plants blanketing the roof, a drainage system that filters pollutants out of the rainwater and seven electric-vehicle recharging stations in the parking garage. There are also references to Nintendo’s most popular franchises through the new building, including an employees-only Nintendo World store, a new Cafe Mario employee restaurant, and a directional system that color codes the facility into Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi and Wario quadrants. The top conference room is even named “Master Sword”!

Nintendo, get in touch if you need some more clever ideas incorporating your franchises into the building’s theme. I’m thinking “Mega Man” and “Mega Woman” for the bathroom doors. Call me!

TechFlash
via Joystiq

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In an interview with CNBC, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime took the time to update the consumer public a few points of Nintendo news, promoting the newly announced black Wii bundle, and the success of Netflix on the Wii. According to the man himself, almost 1 million Wii users have subscribed and used Netflix on the Wii. When asked about whether Nintendo was affected by the iPad release, Fils-Aime says they’ve seen “no impact”, setting two sales records on the Nintendo DS in the past three months, a time frame that includes the iPad’s release. He goes on to say that he believes that two devices can have success at the same time, a statement backed strongly by both the iPad and the DS’ sales. Fils-Aime also points out that the Wii has sold 5 million units in the past four months. The iPad, meanwhile, has just sold 1 million units in 28 million days. Safe to say Reggie is right when he says there’s room enough for Nintendo and Apple both!

CNBC
via GoNintendo

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With the trend of adding “Lite,” “i” and “XL” to the world’s most popular handheld gaming device, some theorized that Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS would be nothing more than a 3D capable DS handheld. However, Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime is setting the record straight.

“The Nintendo 3DS for us is our next handheld platform,” Fils-Aime stated. “We have ideas of hat we want to bring to the consumer that we can’t do with the current DS model.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a boat load of new features, and a slight redesign. Likely, no additional details of the 3DS will be announced until June’s E3 expo, where The Tanooki will report all the juicy details live as they’re announced.

Business Week
via Kotaku

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“[Apple] is not having an impact on Nintendo when you look at our business, our volume, our hardware, our software. I’ve seen data that suggestions that while consumers are constantly downloading Apps, they play with them for a few times and then they are moving on to the next thing. Clearly it doesn’t look like their platform is a viable profit platform for game development because so many of the games are free versus paid downloads.”

After that, Reggie pulled a page from Hideo Kojima’s book and proceeded to use a food analogy to compare the platforms.

“If our games represent a range between snacks of entertainment and full meals depending on the type of game, [Apple's] aren’t even a mouthful, in terms of the gaming experience you get.”

Kotaku

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Being a Nintendo fan is like being a LOST fan. No matter what, there are always going to be endless questions and not enough answers to satisfy us. Kotaku’s Brian Crecente had an opportunity to pick the brain of Nintendo of America’s COO Reggie Fils-Aime about a few popular items for discussion between the Wii and DS.

As of late, one of the most talked about discussions regarding the Wii is of course, its lifespan (and that pesky Wii HD rumor we all want confirmed). Just how much longer can the Wii go on? According to Fils-Aime, you’ll be waiting a while for a successor, claiming the Wii has a “very long, very vibrant life in front of it.”

In regards to competing motion controllers coming later this year from Sony and Microsoft, Fils-Aime wasn’t too worried either. He sees the competition from Sony, as, well, not very competitive.

It’s certainly me too or Wii too, as I like to say. There is nothing that they showed that is surprising. There is nothing that they showed that is innovative and in the end it will come down to how much fun the software is. How entertaining the experience is and I’ve yet to see anything that highlights this as an entertaining experience.

Fils-Aime also talked about their upcoming peripheral, the Wii Vitality Sensor, a small device that once placed around your finger, will detect your feelings and emotions based on heart rate. The device set to launch later this year, will be demoed in full at E3.

The first thing we need to do is to show our vision of how the Vitality Sensor can be used for a new and unique experience and we recognize we haven’t done that yet. We’ve talked about the concept. We’ve shown some people video. So our focus is to bring to life how you could utilize the Vitality Sensor and our goal is to do that sometime around E3.

Nintendo late last year implemented a brand new way to game by introducing the Super Guide in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. This device basically steps in to show a gamer in trouble how to successfully advance. Fils-Aime thinks this technology will help bridge the gap between casual and core gamer in future titles.

Because it provides a safe way for a consumer to try a new genre, a new game… it will continue be an offering. It may not be in every game but it will certainly be in key games, key genres where we are trying to move this massive 27 million person install base to try something we think is important for them to try.

Lastly, after the announcement that Netflix will offer their Instant Streaming service on Wii later this year, rumors circulated that the Netflix service would be coming to DS as well.

We’ve already shown an ability to transmit content from the Wiii to your DS. We do it with Wii No Ma service [in Japan]. We can transfer game demos from the Wii to the DS too, so the technology is absolutely possible.

Despite the technology available, Fils-Aime admits that no solid talks have been made between the two companies. It’s great to hear a bit from the head honcho of Nintendo’s American division speak honestly about the upcoming new developments planned for both Wii and DS consoles. It seems E3 this year will likely please both the casual and the core.

Kotaku

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Last week at GDC, Nintendo’s COO Reggie Fils-Aime spoke with Industry Gamers about Nintendo’s capabilities as a leading developer. Fils-Aime commented that the company is “not good” at creating core experiences for the Wii. More mature gaming experiences, titles such as Bioshock 2, just aren’t Nintendo’s thing.

The fact of the matter is we know we create great content for younger consumers. We know we’ve got great content for more casual players, and we want fantastic content for that more active player who loves Metroid or Zelda, but maybe also wants something like a BioShock 2 to play as well. And we also recognize that we don’t create that type of content ourselves. We’re not good at it and it’s not a key focus area. We want that content on our platform, so we have to court third-party developers and encourage them to make [those titles].

Despite acknowledging  their unwillingness to create more core experiences, it’s great that Nintendo has been consistent at showing how much they need and want third party support for the console. I’d prefer Nintendo continue creating their near-flawless gaming experiences, as continuously do, and leave the hardcore titles to the third party developers.

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On a recent broadcast on CNBC, both Nintendo COO Reggie Fils-Aime and Netflix chairman Reed Hastings came together to talk about the announcement of Netflix coming to Wii this spring.  Overall the interview covered the basics, of note however was Reggie’s response to being asked about the Netflix service not being able to provide HD content to an HD-less Wii console.

“The vast majority of content that’s available for streaming through Netflix is not HD content,” Reggie said. “The consumer has voted, over 26 million consumers have bought a Wii, so the consumer is saying that for them the quality of the visual is not nearly as important as the overall entertainment.”

This may be partly true based on sales figures alone, but I think if the consumer had a choice today, they’d choose an HD Wii over an SD Wii.  Reggie also made claims that just an HD version of the Wii console wasn’t something that interests Nintendo, and that no new console will arrive until after the Wii’s life cycle.  Guess those hoping for a dual console market can scratch that off their lists.

CNBC

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