Nintendo President Satoru Iwata had a pre-scheduled strategy briefing to announce the companies planned direction. As expected, Iwata stuck to his guns, saying that Nintendo would continue on its path to make console and hand-held consoles and games. He did address the issue of porting hits like Zelda and Super Mario to mobile devices.
But Iwata was resolute that Nintendo would not take Mario mobile, just a day after Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group Ltd declared its mobile ambitions with a deal to buy Google Inc’s Motorola handset division for $2.9 billion.
He said mobile devices had a role as marketing tools to help potential customers “understand the wonder of Nintendo games,” although those games would still need to be played on Nintendo consoles.
The way I read this, that last bit seems to support the rumor (reported Tuesday) that Nintendo characters might appear on iOS and Android in some marketing form, perhaps as a mini-game or advertisement.
Iwata also teased a new personal health strategy.
The CEO was vague about the details of the new health business, hinting that the device or service could be used “beyond the living room” unlike the sports and fitness games available for its Wii and Wii U consoles.
“I’m sure you’re thinking of Wii Fit, but this is not like anything we have made before,” Iwata told a briefing of analysts and reporters.
“Looking after your health requires effort and many people quit quite soon after starting something. But we, as an entertainment company, can help people get over the difficulty of continuing their efforts in a fun way.”
Nintendo will continue down the path of more tightly binding the 3DS and Wii-U. Currently, the Wii-U has its own game pad. Not clear if that means merging the game pad and 3DS architectures.
He also said there would be a merging of handheld and home game console software architecture, suggesting that users would be able to download and play the same game across platforms in the future.
Iwata and his Board also announced that they would take a pay cut. I love this move. It signifies solidarity. I hate the idea of a CEO or President getting a big bonus while their companies languish.
Iwata announced on Wednesday that he would take a 50 percent pay cut for the next five months, while other board members would reduce their salaries by 20 percent, after admitting the company had failed to convince customers of the merits of its Wii U console.
Didn’t Xerox stick to their heals too?
This is actually very smart. One of the key points where mobile devices like iOS and Android provide value that Nintendo does not is in the Universal app model. Buy a $5 game on the iPad and it also works on your iPhone. Just log in with the same Apple ID. If Nintendo were to do the same with Virtual Console titles, I’d buy a lot more of them.
Also, they tease the ability to play 3DS games on the Wii U. This also makes sense, as the two systems share the same basic inputs. This provides an additional value for buying 3DS games in digital form, as you can simply play them on both systems.
Sadly, it will probably be a year or more before any of this comes to pass, but they’ve got the cash to survive until it’s ready. Hopefully, they also realize that their next console has to be comparable to the others in order to remain competitive.
This likely means the ability to play 3DS games on the Wii U, and possibly to use your 3DS as a controller for supported Wii U games.
(-from 75000_tokkul on reddit) , as a longtime Nintendo fan, I agree with his points:
Wii U and 3DS need to have an update making it so your digital purchases are linked to a shared account and not the device. Right now losing the device is also losing everything you paid for.
The Wii U needs an expensive re-branding campaign that is basically a relaunch with good titles coming out the SAME day.
Release some games. People saying “I will buy a Wii U when xxxxx comes out” have been waiting far too long already. The console shouldn’t have been launched if there wasn’t a game line up for it.
-I agree, you’d think Nintendo learned this lesson with the Gamecube.
Stop trying to overcharge for your older games on the eshop. That NES game is not worth $5. Getting the game + emulator online is no problem for the majority of people who want to play them.
Put Gamecube games on the eshop at a decent price. Take advantage of these great titles many people missed out on the first time around.
The top-level pay cut is an impressive gesture. Executives of other struggling companies should take note.
Also, Apple.