by Gregory Gay - 01.07.10
Earlier this week, Nintendo pres (and bad enough dude to save our President) Satoru Iwata gave an interview with Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. For the most part, it was the kind of PR fluff that we’ve grown numb to, but Iwata did happen to let a few interesting morsels slip out.
While not particularly relevant to international audiences, Nintendo has some interesting plans for DS WiFi spots across Japan. Customers that go to a McDonalds can download original content to their handhelds - things like Pokemon minigames, manga, and quizzes. This year, they are trying to expand these hotspots to a variety of other businesses. Very cool stuff, but it doesn’t seem like they have any plans for similar programs in other countries.
Speaking of the DS, Iwata mused about some of the potential capabilities of the next-gen follow-up. He noted, “[It will have] highly detailed graphics, and it will be necessary to have a sensor with the ability to read the movements of people playing.” While there have been motion-sensing peripherals on the DS, they’ve been pretty limited in their capabilities. One has to wonder if Iwata is implying something along the lines of the Wii or Microsoft’s Natal. The DSi’s Wario Ware: Snapped could be a sign of things to come (though a iPhone-style accelerometer is more likely). When asked if the successor to the DS would be able to connect to high-speed cellular networks, Iwata dismissed the idea. Nintendo has no interest, at this point, in charging any sort of monthly fee for playing games or accessing the internet.
Of course, this discussion is a little premature. The current DS is still going strong, and the DSi LL has just hit Japanese shelves. Iwata assured the newspaper that Nintendo has no plans to release a new handheld in 2010. What is coming this year? The new Legend of Zelda! This mysterious new Wii chapter in the long-running series will be released before the end of the year. The interview doesn’t note whether this will be in Japan or world-wide, but we did get Spirit Tracks first.
The rest of the interview was light on details, but it is definitely nice to get any information at all out of the big N. With a release date likely to fall in November, we should be hearing more about the new Zelda soon.
Image: Kotaku
I can’t wait to hear more about the new Zelda, but I bet we’ll have to wait until around E3 time for more info.
I’m also pretty happy about the 2010 tentative release, but I won’t be surprised if they delay it.
Michael Tucker - 01.07.10 4:26 am
I’ll be surprised if they DON’T delay it.
S~G - 01.07.10 4:28 am
We’ve had the McDonald’s WiFi service for roughly 3 years. Additionally, most other outlets are reporting that the new DS feature will be something more akin to the iPhone’s accelerometer.
And, lest people think it’s Nintendo trying to jump on the iPhone train, Kotaku reposted an interview they conducted the day before the DS’s original unveiling at E3 in 2004, where Iwata specifically mentioned that there was one feature they had to leave out (because the tech. was still too new and expensive), which was an accelerometer.
Amrcanpoet - 01.07.10 11:37 am
It makes me rotfl when I hear people crying about copying iPhone while remembering the Game Boy games with built-in accelerometer.
orangefedge - 01.07.10 12:22 pm
If by 2010, you mean 2011, then yes.
Cowlix - 01.07.10 8:16 pm