Reginald Fils-Aime over de Cube, de DS en de Revolution

Hier komt het volledige interview, een aantal interessante dingen zullen cursief gemaakt zijn:

IGN: Will the Nintendo Revolution be at E3 2005 and will it be playable?

Reggie: (Smiling) You know, we're here to talk about the DS; we've just given all this new information! Our worldwide President Mr. Iwata has made a statement that the Revolution will be discussed at E3 and that's my expectation as well. Stay tuned. Wait until May.

IGN: Between advancements in the way we browse the internet and HDTV, we know technology sells. Graphics sell as well. But recent statements by NCL executives downplay technology. Why is that?

Reggie: It's interesting. I think you need to be careful in taking comments by our executives out of context. The fact is, Nintendo DS is a very technology driven instrument. Wireless, touch-screen, voice activation capabilities; huge levels of technological advancements. Certainly, Nintendo is not anti technology. What we've said and what we're trying to communicate is that graphics have been pushed as far as they can go.

Driving down that path will likely not lead to innovations in gameplay. We believe innovations need to be driven by tools and capabilities that are delivered to developers. That's what we've done with the Nintendo DS and I think we delivered. That's also what we'll be doing with all of our future devices, whether that is the Revolution or the next evolution of Game Boy. We believe technology needs to be applied to deliver entertainment. Said another way, we're in the entertainment business not the "technology" business.

IGN: How is Nintendo working with third-party publishers to beef up Revolutions lineup?

Reggie: To focus on the DS as an example, we've worked hand and glove with our developers. We're launching with a full range of third-part software right from the start. We believe our relationship with third party developers has never been better. We think, quite frankly, that the results speak for themselves in terms of the range of third-party titles that we're showing here today. The developers themselves are excited talking about the DS and to show off their development. We're quite pleased.

IGN: Mind if I ask you some GameCube questions?

Reggie: Sure.

IGN: Why do you think third-party games don't sell as well on the Cube as they do on the Xbox and PS2?

Reggie: I think, first off, that you need to be sensitive to the installed base. We're not satisfied with our position in the console race. We're aggressively trying to move up and to be much closer in the number two position. Having said that, great third-party titles absolutely sell well on the GameCube. Most recently Spider Man 2, if you look at the numbers for that on the console space, that product sold quite well for us.

If you also look at exclusive titles for GameCube they sell quite well, whether you're talking about Tales of Symphonia, WWE: Day of Reckoning. We believe, and certainly our licensees believe, that there's huge opportunity on the GameCube. I think just look at a game like Madden on consoles and trying to make comparisons is quite misleading.

IGN: Looking toward the future, how is Nintendo going to appeal to the adult gamer in 2005 and beyond?

Reggie: I believe Resident Evil 4 is the best game Capcom has ever done. That game plays extremely well. It's a great game. The fact that it's rated "M" will help its appeal the adult gamer, but what will drive it is that it's a great game. We'll have other great games that I think will age-up GameCube. Frankly, a big one is going to be the new Legend of Zelda 3D that will release next year.

Our focus on GameCube is to have a successful back-end of the lifecycle. We believe that needs to be driven through software. Software launches that leverage great franchises. Software launches that leverage unique game playing capabilities like Donkey Konga and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat so that's where our focus is going to be. We certainly believe we will appeal to a wide range of gamers with those titles.

IGN: Speaking of Legend of Zelda, will that be released for GameCube or the Revolution?

Reggie: That will launch on GameCube. Let me be clear (laughs) that will launch on GameCube.

IGN: If the Xbox 2 launches in 2005, will the Revolution launch in 2005 to combat it? Or will it wait for the PS3 in 2006?

Reggie: Y'know, that's a great question. And you started that question with a pretty big "if," in terms of what will Xbox do. Our focus is this: we will bring Revolution to the marketplace roughly at the same time as the competition. Certainly, our sight is on the number one player in the console space. We are driving our timetables based on what we believe Sony will do. We are driving our software lineup to maximize all the capabilities of Revolution. That's what we're looking to do. Not that I want to ignore the Xbox, but certainly we believe that a rush to a new system is a mistake. And frankly, there are a lot of examples as you look at the history of gameplay, that a rush to a new generation is not a good thing.

IGN: Will the DS be a standalone unit or will it connect to the GBA, GameCube or even the Revolution?

Reggie: In terms of connectivity to the SP, that cannot happen. The two systems work on two different wireless frequencies. Could there be interactivity with GameCube? Potentially. Depends on the software and accessories needed from a GameCube perspective. But it's certainly possible. Could there be interaction with the Revolution? Certainly possible. Certainly capable.

What we're looking to do is create great games that will take advantage of that connectivity. If you look at the connectivity between the SP and GamCube, we think that was shown off best once games like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and Four Swords came into play. They really showed the consumer what connectivity was all about.

IGN: If the DS is Nintendo's approach to innovation, why is its flagship title a remake of a seven-year-old game?

Reggie: What I would ask you to do is to go play Super Mario DS for yourself. The land is similar but the gameplay is quite unique in terms of being able to play as different characters, playing all the mini-games. It is not a port. It really is an add-on to what was a hugely successful game seven years ago as you say. We believed it was appropriate to have Mario in our launch list of titles.

IGN: A name like "Revolution" indicates something pretty unique. Isn't there a danger in limiting third-party support by taking such a unique approach?

Reggie: All I can point to is look what we've done with the Nintendo DS. We've taken hugely innovative ways of gameplay. And what have we seen? We've seen a huge number of third-party developers who want to be involved with the Nintendo DS. We've seen a launch lineup that is full of third-party games. Honestly, we believe third-party developers are embracing our view of the future.