E3 looms ever closer, and Nintendo is getting more talkative. Last week was the Nintendo Media Summit, which showed off some titles for Wii and DS including Mario Strikers Charged, Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree, Brain Age 2, and this week we have a few interviews to share. Reggie Fils-Aime and George Harrison have been talking quite a bit about the Wii's success and what's to come.
Both are rightly touting Wii's success in selling to a new demographic as well as the unexpected but not unwelcome high sales numbers. In Chris Kohler's interview with George Harrison, Harrison says for this generation Nintendo could be responsible for "40-45% of the hardware sold." If their competitors continue focusing on the hardcore gamer while ignoring the vastly untapped market for which Nintendo is reaching, Harrison could even see Nintendo being responsible for over 50% of hardware sales. He also touches on Wii's download service, claiming that more is to come, but refused to go into detail.
Reggie makes similar comments regarding Wii's success, albeit without numbers, in his interview with the New York Times. Reggie once again reiterates the current Nintendo philosophy: graphics aren't everything. He maintains that Sony and Microsoft made a mistake in focusing on horsepower instead of innovation, and that the average gamer doesn't care about the best graphics. He then goes on to state that the PS3 and Xbox 360 are not the only competition. "If people decide to stay home on a Saturday night playing Wii bowling instead of going to the movies, we win. If people spend 22 minutes making their perfect Mii instead of watching a sitcom, we win."
In another Reggie interview with the Wall Street Journal, he insists that third-party publishers are selling exceptionally well on the DS and Wii, and as evidence points out that many of the bigger developers are even creating entire teams specifically for Nintendo's platforms. He gives the usual praise for Ubisoft, but also commends EA for the "provocative" Boogie and Activision for Guitar Hero III. In fact, Reggie believes Guitar Hero has the potential to be the biggest-selling game in the industry once it comes to Wii. The subject shifted to Nintendo's competition once again, and when asked about Sony's claims that the PS3 with its Cell processor and HD is the future, and not Wii, Reggie responded, "I guess when you're not doing well you have to grasp at something."
No breaking news was revealed in any of the interviews, but Nintendo's current level of satisfaction with Wii's success is evident and sprinkled with hope for the future. E3 is just around the corner, and Nintendo will hopefully have a lot to show once it arrives.
Both are rightly touting Wii's success in selling to a new demographic as well as the unexpected but not unwelcome high sales numbers. In Chris Kohler's interview with George Harrison, Harrison says for this generation Nintendo could be responsible for "40-45% of the hardware sold." If their competitors continue focusing on the hardcore gamer while ignoring the vastly untapped market for which Nintendo is reaching, Harrison could even see Nintendo being responsible for over 50% of hardware sales. He also touches on Wii's download service, claiming that more is to come, but refused to go into detail.
Reggie makes similar comments regarding Wii's success, albeit without numbers, in his interview with the New York Times. Reggie once again reiterates the current Nintendo philosophy: graphics aren't everything. He maintains that Sony and Microsoft made a mistake in focusing on horsepower instead of innovation, and that the average gamer doesn't care about the best graphics. He then goes on to state that the PS3 and Xbox 360 are not the only competition. "If people decide to stay home on a Saturday night playing Wii bowling instead of going to the movies, we win. If people spend 22 minutes making their perfect Mii instead of watching a sitcom, we win."
In another Reggie interview with the Wall Street Journal, he insists that third-party publishers are selling exceptionally well on the DS and Wii, and as evidence points out that many of the bigger developers are even creating entire teams specifically for Nintendo's platforms. He gives the usual praise for Ubisoft, but also commends EA for the "provocative" Boogie and Activision for Guitar Hero III. In fact, Reggie believes Guitar Hero has the potential to be the biggest-selling game in the industry once it comes to Wii. The subject shifted to Nintendo's competition once again, and when asked about Sony's claims that the PS3 with its Cell processor and HD is the future, and not Wii, Reggie responded, "I guess when you're not doing well you have to grasp at something."
No breaking news was revealed in any of the interviews, but Nintendo's current level of satisfaction with Wii's success is evident and sprinkled with hope for the future. E3 is just around the corner, and Nintendo will hopefully have a lot to show once it arrives.