Nikkei: Iwata talks about the Gamepad, Miiverse, & increasing the gaming population

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Deleted_171835

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On accusations of copying the Ipad...

"We began talking about having another screen being a good idea around 2008. We thought thoroughly about our other options, but in the end, this was the idea which was the most logical for us. So, in 2009, just as we began to press forward with this idea, sure that we were on the right track, this thing called an 'Ipad' came into the world."

"So, 2.5 years after the debut of the Ipad, when we were announcing the Wii U, it was the start of the tablet boom, the reaction was, 'Nintendo's just added a tablet to a game console, and there'll be no revolution this time.' Even though we'd been working on dual screens prior to the release of tablets, it looked like we were just following a trend."

On transmitting a system's message...

"[The initial reaction to the DS] was terrible. The DS began with sentiments like 'Has Nintendo lost the plot?' and 'have they gotten that desperate?'. When the PSP released, no one thought that the DS would succeed. That was the narrative at the time, but when things like Brain Training and the DS Lite came out, that changed. Afterward, people thought, 'Ah, so that's what that was, huh?'.

"The Wii was an exception. With the Wii, the DS Boom was in full force, and we were able to show off the tennis demo using the Wii Remote Controller, and it was a simple concept for everyone, one that could be understood immediately."

"We were really lucky, but at that exact time, the popularity of large-screen flat panel TVs was increasing, and the living room space opened up a little bit. We had a really strong wind behind us (luck) and we didn't have to work particularly hard to send our message."

On beating Smart TVs at their own game...

"When we thought of the Gamepad, I was convinced that future TV remotes would, like the Gamepad, come with a screen attached. This is the so called Smart TV, right. TV manufacturers have, for a long time, been making trials for the internet to be viewable on TVs, but the hurdle with that is that inputting text on a regular remote is very difficult. There is [was] no remote that allowed you to read, touch, and type in your hand."

On increasing the gaming population...


"There are many things on the internet that are more interesting when viewed together. Watching videos, shopping, trip planning, and the Street View Google Map service [which will begin on Wii U] this month, in January. This way, if it's an enjoyable experience, for people who don't have any interest in games in the family, rather than something that's a hassle to have, the Wii U can become something that they have a connection with."

"I am still thinking about increasing the gaming population, and it's something I'd like to spend my whole life doing. Not becoming an enemy of mothers is healthy. Previously that idea wasn't in the minds of game shops, and I said it a little too forcibly, maybe, but now I don't talk like that. People are aware of that idea now, see. But the way of thinking hasn't changed. In order to realise that change we must improve the reception people have to Game Console Companies. For example, suppose there is someone who doesn't play games, but does watch Youtube, and this person gets used to holding the gamepad, the threshold for gaming has been lowered in them. Or, until now, there has been cases of a mother wanting to watch TV, but the child doesn't want to quit his game, and then they argue over it, but now the kid can continue playing solely on the pad. It is in this way that we can change the reception of gaming companies."

On Miiverse, empathy, and social gaming...

"The outlook for Nintendo fans on social networking services such as Twitter is worsening. If we look into it, the people who used to post about Nintendo are satisfied with Miiverse and have stopped posting online as much."

"When we first spoke about Miiverse, we were told that trying to make a social network now was a fool's errand. We were asked by many people why we weren't simply connecting up with Twitter or Facebook. But, what we thought would be good about the service has largely come true and, as of right now, our customers are really enjoying it. The networks of people on Facebook and Twitter aren't all people you are playing games with, right? From my viewpoint, I don't use Twitter or Facebook [privately] but if I were to, it would be about things like 'Hey, wanna go for a drink?' 'Wanna go on a trip?' 'Why don't we have a class reunion?', and so on, it wouldn't be just about the people who I am playing games with. Because I couldn't tell my high school buddies that I had got a high score in Mario Kart. (Laughs)"

"We, Nintendo, have always thought this, but games shouldn't just be about the time you spend with a console, but also telling people that you passed something, or that you found a neat trick is interesting. If I were to put a name on it, it would be empathy."

"Mr. [Shigeru] Miyamoto has been talking about this concept for years, the reason that the games that he makes are popular around the world is that they have that meta-shared experience between players. Mr. Miyamoto likes making you feel that, and giving you the ability to feel that. It was at a time thinking about that that we received the original idea for Miiverse. Like 'Ah, this is an empathy network.'"

"So, with 'empathy' as a theme, we created Miiverse to make games played alone not a lonely experience, but one that you could experience with many people. In order to make that a reality, we had to integrate it into our platform, and support it as a unified service."

”[Regarding Miiverse on PCs and Smartphones]I can't make any concrete statements about when it will be available yet, but it won't be far away."

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Looking forward to Miiverse on the 3DS. Particularly for Animal Crossing!
 

Qtis

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I have to say that the part about the Miiverse made my day. So far social integration has been a so-so thing for me. In other words, I've pretty much opted out whenever it was possible, since Facebook is mainly for communicating with friends, not for telling them how much time I spend playing games, watching netflix, youtube or whatever. Now with Miiverse, it's quite the same. I doubt I'd be telling people what I'm studying, but I sure as hell will be talking about games if I wanted to play co-op with someone.
 

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