Nintendo of America president and COO Reginald Fils-Aime recently sat down for an interview with USA Today where he answered a few questions about Nintendo's upcoming home console, Wii.
While many of the questions and answers are things we've heard before, the interviewer and Reggie toss in a few others that are new. Asked about the "PSWii" or "Wii60" second-console combination Iwata once espoused as a marketing strategy, Fils-Aime gives his opposition: "I'd much rather have the consumer buy a Wii, some accessories, and a ton of games, vs. buying any of my competitor's products."
The interviewer also asked Reggie about the subscription model for online play and what Nintendo's considerations towards it are. "We view online gaming as essentially an enhanced way to enjoy the gaming experience and drive more sales of hardware and software," he replied. "[Wii is] the same premise. We will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They'll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. The Wii console is going to be Wi-Fi enabled, so essentially, you'll be able to plug it in and go. It won't have hidden fees or costs."
Summing up the interview, Reggie explained how he saw Nintendo's strategy going forward. "Our competitors are both going down the same path. Both believe that more and more performance with a higher and higher price tag are their keys to success. So what do I see? I think our two competitors will trade share between them, while we go off and grab share in a completely different way."
USA Today also has a sidebar to the interview where they've put down specs and launch details for the console (though it's important to note the source at the bottom of the sidebar: "USA Today Research".) They've got Wii pegged for a November release, carrying a 729 MHz Broadway, a 243 MHz Hollywood, and 88 MB of RAM. Nintendo's own announcements for launch details should be coming very soon.