James Delahunty
10 Mar 2010 20:00
Reggie Fils-Aime, President and COO of Nintendo of America, has told Forbes that the company is not ready yet to begin work on a new home console to replace the Wii. "When the software developer comes forward with an idea that can't be executed on the current platform, that's when we start thinking seriously about the next system. We're not there yet, from a Wii perspective," he said.
Fils-Aime once against mirrored Nintendo's general attitude toward including the latest technology in games consoles, saying that as an enabler, technology has to enable a new and unique experience for players. "So when people talk about high definition for the Wii console our feedback is that that by itself will not create a brand new experience," he said.
"Therefore, we're not interested. What we have to push for are groundbreaking new experiences. Technology has to enable it, not to be a means all by itself." He said that Nintendo has no plans to sell virtual items like rivals, saying the company does not feel it is an idea that creates value for the consumer.
On the issue of the new motion controllers on the horizon for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (PS3), Fils-Aime cautioned that the competition will face its own challenges in terms of the need to develop compelling software and to offer it as a competitive price.
"They will be separately challenged because the motion-enabled part of their business will only be a small part of their line. For us, it's core to what we do," he said.