E3 Media & Business Summit 08 - Nintendo Press Conference
By Chienne - Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:36am
Somehow, we're still awake, and we're gearing up for another bunch of publisher press conferences, live from E3 tonight. First off the blocks is Nintendo, who kick off proceedings at 1:30am (Adelaide time), and we've got the energy drinks and lollies ready to keep us burning the midnight oil.
Again, Ignant is actually in Los Angeles at these events, so we're hoping to add some photos and impressions to the blog, too.
So - what are you expecting from Nintendo this year? Will we see the new DS that is constantly being rumoured? What about Wii Music? Will it finally see the light of day? What's in store for the Wii Balance Board? ...time will tell, so pop in and stick around for all the fun and festivities, when we bring you all the news that's fit to print, with our live coverage from the Nintendo Press Conference at E3 2008.
The new Wii MotionPlus, Wii Music, and the Wii Balance Board
2:41am: Mr Iwata and Mr Miyamoto have built a company based on one thing - "The next advantage" - and that, my friends, is the apparent end of that. I feel somehow cheated, but will amuse myself with dreams of Wii Music and wondering how Grand Theft Auto will translate to the very small double-screen.
2:39am: ...Reggie is now wrapping up by telling us that the DS is obviously not a "fad" - but that to keep fresh, they need to keep updating their product. I wonder what's next...
2:38am: No question that games can - and will - engage us in more compelling ways. There is only one place where such a wide variety of games can be found... and that is, of course, the Wii. "Nintendo simply brings more smiles to more faces."
2:37am: Welcome back Reggie and Cammie to the stage after the band has departed.
2:37am: But still... this looks (and sounds) very impressive. Not sure if it's been worth the (two year!) wait, but... this, I want. I'm a sucker for novelty.
2:36am: I take it back. It's very wonky. UgLyPuNk has dubbed it the worst version of the song he's ever heard. ;)
2:35am: ...and they're playing the Super Mario theme, a bit slowly and slightly wonky, but... it's so cute.
2:35am: Up to 4-person multiplayer all at once playing in the same band. We're about to see a demonstration of how it can all fit, featuring various Nintendo staff... and the inevitable cowbell joke ;)
2:34am: While you won't be marked or score points, the Wii will record videos of your performances. One person can play and record their own parts, and add them all together into their own music video.
2:34am: Shigeru's asking if we remember watching him conducting an orchestra, a few years ago. This orchestra game is included in Wii Music, along with some other mini-games including a choir and note-matching games.
2:33am: The drummer only picked up the game yesterday, and is already "quite good". :)
2:33am: The demonstrator is a professional drummer. He's using a separate mode which uses the Wii Balance Board to activate drum pedals... and this mode also includes lessons, so you can teach yourself the drums!
2:32am: Wii Music will have more than 50 different instruments you can play - the Piano (wiimote/nunchuck), the Violin (wiimote body, nunchuck bow), guitar (wiimote frets, nunchuck strum), and a variety of percussion instruments (obvs, wiimote + nunchuck are drumsticks).
2:30am: Shiggy was just holding the remote as if it were a saxophone, and pressing the buttons to match up with the notes he wanted to play. There is, really, no way to make a mistake - and nothing to worry about.
2:30am: ...it's something quite different to other modern music games. Most of them require you to press buttons with precise timing, matching symbols for the best points, etc. Wii Music, on the other hand, is designed for everybody to be able to experience the joy of performing music. No need to closely follow notes or rhythm guides in order to play Wii Music. All you have to do is hold the Wii-mote and move your hands and your body as you would if you were playing the real instrument. The Wii will interpret, and play a note that matches your movements.
2:28am: This game was originally being designed alongside Wii Sports, Wii Play and Wii Fit, way back when the Wii was originally being thought up. If you want the whole family to play, music is a must.
2:27am: Hello, Shiggy :)
2:27am: ...and now Shigeru Miyamoto has stepped out, playing along with the drums on what I thought may have been an ocarina (heh)... but he's actually playing the Wiimote that sounds like a saxophone... and we have a first-look at Wii Music.
2:26am: Wii-mote + nunchuck == drum sticks. Wii Balance Board == bass drum pedal. This is the best drum solo I've seen played without any instruments for a while. :)
2:25am: ...it is... (suspense building) ...a drums simulator. Oh, wow.
2:25am: Available this holiday... safe to say it'll generate a lot of smiling faces...
2:24am: Wii Sports Resort launches globally next spring.
2:24am: Games have to be redesigned to now work with this - officially stated - 1:1 motion control.
2:23am: It's so much more sensitive with this attachment. Very nice.
2:22am: ...woodchopping! The wii-mote (+ MotionPlus) are your axe, and you are chopping what is actually seems to be a giant pencil. It's not exactly tennis, but... my wrists ache just watching :P
2:21am: Reggie is riding a virtual jet-ski with the combination Wii-mote + nunchuck combo (nunchuck plugs in to the bottom of the MotionPlus) - twisting the controller affects the revs of the jet-ski!
2:20am: Those of you who were discussing whether it would be 1:1 motion - this looks pretty darn close.
2:20am: Apparently, the change to the Wii-Mote with the new MotionPlus will be as new an experience as it was the first time you picked up the Wii-Mote.
2:19am: ...and, of course, it comes with one Wii MotionPlus and a new extender-jacket bundled with every copy of Wii Sports Resort.
2:18am: This is considered the "worthy successor" to the Wii-mote... and now there is also the worthy successor to Wii Sports - Wii Sports Resort. "It's literally a day at the beach," he says.
2:17am: Reggie's back, looking to build on the idea of "looking at the DS with a fresh pair of eyes" ... while we thought he may be segueing into a new DS build, it was actually a way of talking about the Wii MotionPlus that UgLyPuNk wrote about yesterday.
2:16am: ...she's just announced what sounds like the cookbook program we mentioned a week or so ago, like it's something new. It arrives in the States before the holidays.
2:16am: She's talking about using her DS in totally different ways... more a sort of PDA service. Checking baseball scores, ordering food, using special wifi capabilities...
2:15am: On a totally different note. "Why can't air-travel and my DS work better together?"
2:14am: Set in modern-day Liberty City, it takes a different look at the series while still embracing everything that fans of GTA have come to expect. We'll have to look this one up later.
2:14am: A custom version of Grand Theft Auto - Chinatown Wars arrives this winter.
2:13am: ...and Cammie continues: The next invasion of Pokemon - Rangers, will be arriving soon!
2:12am: Focussed more on the "creature" game with the DS - to hit the core elements that may not be so major in the PC (etc) game. The stylus is used creatively, with drag and drop, and it's much more about communication and sharing.
2:12am: ...and now, we look at Spore, which is also arriving on the DS by the end of the year.
2:11am: Coming out this fall (so soon!) ...allowing song share between versions of the game, so your version of Guitar Hero On Tour can be shared with a different version - like Decades - and songs can be shared (...this implies there will be moar...).
2:11am: ...they've just announced Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades... apparently other people thought much more highly of it than we did. Watching the trailer now.
2:10am: 2005 - 30% of all recipients were female. 2006 - 46%, last year, girls very nearly equalled the male audience, 48%.
2:09am: Cammie is back on stage now, explaining that the Wii is just a part of what Nintendo are working on. "The Wii stays in your living room, what about the games you take with you?"
2:08am: And, surprisingly, the third is Call of Duty: World at War ...showing both the action on screen and off, with the Wii Zapper firmly in hand.
2:07am: Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party ...nuff said? It uses the Wii Balance Board as it has never been used before!
2:06am: Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Cartoony light-sabers, you can't go wrong, really!
2:06am: Various ideas - casual games, expanding existing franchises, starting new ones... the Wii library grows much faster than both other consoles, with "dozens and dozens" arriving over the next few months. They can't possibly show them all, so we're getting "just three new games" that take very different approaches to the options available on Wii.
2:05am: There are as many different approaches to developing for Wii as there are developers working on the project.
2:05am: Now, the third-party partners are a new front, selling amazingly well.
2:04am: Two different fronts - firstly, well-known stable of stars leveraged early inthe generation to reassure veteran gamers. Also created new titles (Wii Sports, Wii Fit) that made even confirmed non-gamers stand up and take notice.
2:04am: While Wii hardware sales are well known as being amazing, Wii software is also going through the roof.
2:03am: Its historic sales pace is actually *increasing*, hand over fist. June stats may show that Wii is the best-selling console of this generation in America - just like it has worldwide.
2:03am: ...and while the DS is doing very well, the Wii is doing fantastically also!
2:02am: There seems to be an unlimited number of people out there looking to get into games, apparently.
2:02am: Total DS software sales in the US this year have been pushed 29% more than last year. The June NPD data is expected to show that the back-and-forth battle for "America's favourite console" (between the Wii and DS) will have gone back to the DS side.
2:01am: Lifetime total sales of all Pokemon titles is now 180 million copies :|
2:01am: People thought 2007 would be the peak year for DS, but it is still selling more than 2 out of every 3 handhelds sold in the US. Already running 12% ahead of last year's sales, which is largely thanks to the new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon titles.
2:00am: Predicted: Total DS worldwide sales will grow to almost 100 million systems by next March.
2:00am: There are still non-gamers who could be playing games - and there are also hardcore gamers who are unable to find the games they want. Nintendo wants to help both those groups.
1:59am: ...and he's using a lot of numbers, which we'll catch up on later. Apparently, Nintendo are still no closer to being 'satisfied', even though they're going very well.
1:59am: Nintendo are very "pleased", he says, with the way that Nintendo is currently performing, and with the upcoming release of Animal Crossing for Wii later this year.
1:58am: And now, hello to Reggie Fils-Aime.
1:58am: Technically - Animal Crossing: City Folk, btw.
1:57am: Looking ahead, players should have the freedom to create their own world, communicate with others in a variety of ways, and to connect with each other.
1:57am: You can really get a personality of people - the way they decorate (or tidy) their rooms... or how they have set up their town - it tells you a lot about the person, which is kinda fun.
1:56am: There's also a new Wii Speak, which is a microphone attachment - so while playing multiplayer, you can chat with the people you're playing with!
1:56am: It's all about communication - writing letters can be sent to other townies, other gamers, or to the Wii Message Board.
1:55am: Apparently replacing Tom Nook's store, there is now an auction site where you can buy and sell. The Happy Room Academy makes a comeback, and now Gracie has her own fashion shops. There is a hair salon, where you can get your hair did, or put on a mask and look like your Mii!
1:54am: ...this is due out for Wii by this holiday season! We're being shown a (horribly cute) explanatory video in dubbed Japanese. For those unfamiliar with the game, we're being introduced to the Town, and the idea that the animals in the town of Animal Crossing live their lives, even if you aren't playing the game.
1:53am: Animal Crossing!
1:53am: The first one - fits with a larger social trend... Nintendo is not the only one to have this idea, but they'd like to think they bring something new to the topic.
1:52am: "We always challenge ourselves to be pioneers in forming new paradigms. We see fresh surprises, and I hope you enjoy the ones we have for you today."
1:52am: All this is much easier to say than to do!
1:52am: Common sense is not enough, but there are answers. Nintendo want to find new ways to make players feel engaged and enriched. The overall effect must be "increased enthusiasm".
1:51am: "...this happens faster when other people try to reproduce the change." Ha!
1:51am: Now we have a new paradigm - what can we expect next? Sooner or later, people will get tired with a new form of entertainment.
1:50am: The strongest evidence in breaking down this barrier is not from a Nintendo first-party product, but is in fact from Guitar Hero 3 - which is more popular on the Wii than on any other platform.
1:50am: There were some statistics about salescounts - before Iwata starts talking about how last year, he mentioned breaking down the barrier between gamers and non-gamers.
1:49am: Showing pictures of an old lady and a young woman getting her hair cut as examples of people who may never have thought of playing video games. Nintendo have changed the way people think of video games - it is no longer just a gift bought at holiday times, people are buying their own, at any time of the year.
1:48am: However - new games are also popular (such as Wii Fit) - and even moreso, small games with small budgets can capture a large audience "if they have a great idea".
1:47am: He explains that the Mario developers and the Zelda developers are both hard at work for new Wii titles - for people who like to play the same games.
1:47am: Players are demanding increasingly better games - and so companies like Nintendo are increasingly pushing themselves more and more.
1:46am: In the past, it was impossible to expect to sell the same title for two or three years - but nowadays, titles like Nintendogs, Super Mario Bros... are doing just that. "These products seem to be ...evergreens." And this is a big change in the industry.
1:45am: He's now taking a few moments to explain what has actually changed in the past five years.
1:45am: Iwata believes that people - even Nintendo employees - had a very "common sense" idea of video games. Nobody could have imagined that five years from then, Nintendo would be selling millions of copies of "bathroom scales" around the world.
1:44am: Shaun's left, and now Satoru Iwata has been welcomed to the stage.
1:42am: Cammie and Shaun are discussing the game, how easy it is to play, and Cammie has stepped up onto the Balance Board to test out her awesome half-pipe snowboarding skillz. She's currently playing as Shaun's avatar, so he's asking her to make him look good!
1:41am: Apparently this is Cammie Dunaway hosting - Reggie Fils-Aime is nowhere to be seen... at this stage. I wonder where he is!
1:41am: ...and due to the wonders of modern technology, we've jumped into the feed right in the middle of a snowboarding display with the Wii Balance Board and Shaun White Snowboarding... and Shaun White himself demonstrating!
1:36am: Getting ready for everything to go live, let's see what Nintendo has in store!
Again, Ignant is actually in Los Angeles at these events, so we're hoping to add some photos and impressions to the blog, too.
So - what are you expecting from Nintendo this year? Will we see the new DS that is constantly being rumoured? What about Wii Music? Will it finally see the light of day? What's in store for the Wii Balance Board? ...time will tell, so pop in and stick around for all the fun and festivities, when we bring you all the news that's fit to print, with our live coverage from the Nintendo Press Conference at E3 2008.
)
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The new Wii MotionPlus, Wii Music, and the Wii Balance Board
LIVE BLOG:
(most recent event first)
2:41am: Mr Iwata and Mr Miyamoto have built a company based on one thing - "The next advantage" - and that, my friends, is the apparent end of that. I feel somehow cheated, but will amuse myself with dreams of Wii Music and wondering how Grand Theft Auto will translate to the very small double-screen.
2:39am: ...Reggie is now wrapping up by telling us that the DS is obviously not a "fad" - but that to keep fresh, they need to keep updating their product. I wonder what's next...
2:38am: No question that games can - and will - engage us in more compelling ways. There is only one place where such a wide variety of games can be found... and that is, of course, the Wii. "Nintendo simply brings more smiles to more faces."
2:37am: Welcome back Reggie and Cammie to the stage after the band has departed.
2:37am: But still... this looks (and sounds) very impressive. Not sure if it's been worth the (two year!) wait, but... this, I want. I'm a sucker for novelty.
2:36am: I take it back. It's very wonky. UgLyPuNk has dubbed it the worst version of the song he's ever heard. ;)
2:35am: ...and they're playing the Super Mario theme, a bit slowly and slightly wonky, but... it's so cute.
2:35am: Up to 4-person multiplayer all at once playing in the same band. We're about to see a demonstration of how it can all fit, featuring various Nintendo staff... and the inevitable cowbell joke ;)
2:34am: While you won't be marked or score points, the Wii will record videos of your performances. One person can play and record their own parts, and add them all together into their own music video.
2:34am: Shigeru's asking if we remember watching him conducting an orchestra, a few years ago. This orchestra game is included in Wii Music, along with some other mini-games including a choir and note-matching games.
2:33am: The drummer only picked up the game yesterday, and is already "quite good". :)
2:33am: The demonstrator is a professional drummer. He's using a separate mode which uses the Wii Balance Board to activate drum pedals... and this mode also includes lessons, so you can teach yourself the drums!
2:32am: Wii Music will have more than 50 different instruments you can play - the Piano (wiimote/nunchuck), the Violin (wiimote body, nunchuck bow), guitar (wiimote frets, nunchuck strum), and a variety of percussion instruments (obvs, wiimote + nunchuck are drumsticks).
2:30am: Shiggy was just holding the remote as if it were a saxophone, and pressing the buttons to match up with the notes he wanted to play. There is, really, no way to make a mistake - and nothing to worry about.
2:30am: ...it's something quite different to other modern music games. Most of them require you to press buttons with precise timing, matching symbols for the best points, etc. Wii Music, on the other hand, is designed for everybody to be able to experience the joy of performing music. No need to closely follow notes or rhythm guides in order to play Wii Music. All you have to do is hold the Wii-mote and move your hands and your body as you would if you were playing the real instrument. The Wii will interpret, and play a note that matches your movements.
2:28am: This game was originally being designed alongside Wii Sports, Wii Play and Wii Fit, way back when the Wii was originally being thought up. If you want the whole family to play, music is a must.
2:27am: Hello, Shiggy :)
2:27am: ...and now Shigeru Miyamoto has stepped out, playing along with the drums on what I thought may have been an ocarina (heh)... but he's actually playing the Wiimote that sounds like a saxophone... and we have a first-look at Wii Music.
2:26am: Wii-mote + nunchuck == drum sticks. Wii Balance Board == bass drum pedal. This is the best drum solo I've seen played without any instruments for a while. :)
2:25am: ...it is... (suspense building) ...a drums simulator. Oh, wow.
2:25am: Available this holiday... safe to say it'll generate a lot of smiling faces...
2:24am: Wii Sports Resort launches globally next spring.
2:24am: Games have to be redesigned to now work with this - officially stated - 1:1 motion control.
2:23am: It's so much more sensitive with this attachment. Very nice.
2:22am: ...woodchopping! The wii-mote (+ MotionPlus) are your axe, and you are chopping what is actually seems to be a giant pencil. It's not exactly tennis, but... my wrists ache just watching :P
2:21am: Reggie is riding a virtual jet-ski with the combination Wii-mote + nunchuck combo (nunchuck plugs in to the bottom of the MotionPlus) - twisting the controller affects the revs of the jet-ski!
2:20am: Those of you who were discussing whether it would be 1:1 motion - this looks pretty darn close.
2:20am: Apparently, the change to the Wii-Mote with the new MotionPlus will be as new an experience as it was the first time you picked up the Wii-Mote.
2:19am: ...and, of course, it comes with one Wii MotionPlus and a new extender-jacket bundled with every copy of Wii Sports Resort.
2:18am: This is considered the "worthy successor" to the Wii-mote... and now there is also the worthy successor to Wii Sports - Wii Sports Resort. "It's literally a day at the beach," he says.
2:17am: Reggie's back, looking to build on the idea of "looking at the DS with a fresh pair of eyes" ... while we thought he may be segueing into a new DS build, it was actually a way of talking about the Wii MotionPlus that UgLyPuNk wrote about yesterday.
2:16am: ...she's just announced what sounds like the cookbook program we mentioned a week or so ago, like it's something new. It arrives in the States before the holidays.
2:16am: She's talking about using her DS in totally different ways... more a sort of PDA service. Checking baseball scores, ordering food, using special wifi capabilities...
2:15am: On a totally different note. "Why can't air-travel and my DS work better together?"
2:14am: Set in modern-day Liberty City, it takes a different look at the series while still embracing everything that fans of GTA have come to expect. We'll have to look this one up later.
2:14am: A custom version of Grand Theft Auto - Chinatown Wars arrives this winter.
2:13am: ...and Cammie continues: The next invasion of Pokemon - Rangers, will be arriving soon!
2:12am: Focussed more on the "creature" game with the DS - to hit the core elements that may not be so major in the PC (etc) game. The stylus is used creatively, with drag and drop, and it's much more about communication and sharing.
2:12am: ...and now, we look at Spore, which is also arriving on the DS by the end of the year.
2:11am: Coming out this fall (so soon!) ...allowing song share between versions of the game, so your version of Guitar Hero On Tour can be shared with a different version - like Decades - and songs can be shared (...this implies there will be moar...).
2:11am: ...they've just announced Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades... apparently other people thought much more highly of it than we did. Watching the trailer now.
2:10am: 2005 - 30% of all recipients were female. 2006 - 46%, last year, girls very nearly equalled the male audience, 48%.
2:09am: Cammie is back on stage now, explaining that the Wii is just a part of what Nintendo are working on. "The Wii stays in your living room, what about the games you take with you?"
2:08am: And, surprisingly, the third is Call of Duty: World at War ...showing both the action on screen and off, with the Wii Zapper firmly in hand.
2:07am: Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party ...nuff said? It uses the Wii Balance Board as it has never been used before!
2:06am: Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Cartoony light-sabers, you can't go wrong, really!
2:06am: Various ideas - casual games, expanding existing franchises, starting new ones... the Wii library grows much faster than both other consoles, with "dozens and dozens" arriving over the next few months. They can't possibly show them all, so we're getting "just three new games" that take very different approaches to the options available on Wii.
2:05am: There are as many different approaches to developing for Wii as there are developers working on the project.
2:05am: Now, the third-party partners are a new front, selling amazingly well.
2:04am: Two different fronts - firstly, well-known stable of stars leveraged early inthe generation to reassure veteran gamers. Also created new titles (Wii Sports, Wii Fit) that made even confirmed non-gamers stand up and take notice.
2:04am: While Wii hardware sales are well known as being amazing, Wii software is also going through the roof.
2:03am: Its historic sales pace is actually *increasing*, hand over fist. June stats may show that Wii is the best-selling console of this generation in America - just like it has worldwide.
2:03am: ...and while the DS is doing very well, the Wii is doing fantastically also!
2:02am: There seems to be an unlimited number of people out there looking to get into games, apparently.
2:02am: Total DS software sales in the US this year have been pushed 29% more than last year. The June NPD data is expected to show that the back-and-forth battle for "America's favourite console" (between the Wii and DS) will have gone back to the DS side.
2:01am: Lifetime total sales of all Pokemon titles is now 180 million copies :|
2:01am: People thought 2007 would be the peak year for DS, but it is still selling more than 2 out of every 3 handhelds sold in the US. Already running 12% ahead of last year's sales, which is largely thanks to the new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon titles.
2:00am: Predicted: Total DS worldwide sales will grow to almost 100 million systems by next March.
2:00am: There are still non-gamers who could be playing games - and there are also hardcore gamers who are unable to find the games they want. Nintendo wants to help both those groups.
1:59am: ...and he's using a lot of numbers, which we'll catch up on later. Apparently, Nintendo are still no closer to being 'satisfied', even though they're going very well.
1:59am: Nintendo are very "pleased", he says, with the way that Nintendo is currently performing, and with the upcoming release of Animal Crossing for Wii later this year.
1:58am: And now, hello to Reggie Fils-Aime.
1:58am: Technically - Animal Crossing: City Folk, btw.
1:57am: Looking ahead, players should have the freedom to create their own world, communicate with others in a variety of ways, and to connect with each other.
1:57am: You can really get a personality of people - the way they decorate (or tidy) their rooms... or how they have set up their town - it tells you a lot about the person, which is kinda fun.
1:56am: There's also a new Wii Speak, which is a microphone attachment - so while playing multiplayer, you can chat with the people you're playing with!
1:56am: It's all about communication - writing letters can be sent to other townies, other gamers, or to the Wii Message Board.
1:55am: Apparently replacing Tom Nook's store, there is now an auction site where you can buy and sell. The Happy Room Academy makes a comeback, and now Gracie has her own fashion shops. There is a hair salon, where you can get your hair did, or put on a mask and look like your Mii!
1:54am: ...this is due out for Wii by this holiday season! We're being shown a (horribly cute) explanatory video in dubbed Japanese. For those unfamiliar with the game, we're being introduced to the Town, and the idea that the animals in the town of Animal Crossing live their lives, even if you aren't playing the game.
1:53am: Animal Crossing!
1:53am: The first one - fits with a larger social trend... Nintendo is not the only one to have this idea, but they'd like to think they bring something new to the topic.
1:52am: "We always challenge ourselves to be pioneers in forming new paradigms. We see fresh surprises, and I hope you enjoy the ones we have for you today."
1:52am: All this is much easier to say than to do!
1:52am: Common sense is not enough, but there are answers. Nintendo want to find new ways to make players feel engaged and enriched. The overall effect must be "increased enthusiasm".
1:51am: "...this happens faster when other people try to reproduce the change." Ha!
1:51am: Now we have a new paradigm - what can we expect next? Sooner or later, people will get tired with a new form of entertainment.
1:50am: The strongest evidence in breaking down this barrier is not from a Nintendo first-party product, but is in fact from Guitar Hero 3 - which is more popular on the Wii than on any other platform.
1:50am: There were some statistics about salescounts - before Iwata starts talking about how last year, he mentioned breaking down the barrier between gamers and non-gamers.
1:49am: Showing pictures of an old lady and a young woman getting her hair cut as examples of people who may never have thought of playing video games. Nintendo have changed the way people think of video games - it is no longer just a gift bought at holiday times, people are buying their own, at any time of the year.
1:48am: However - new games are also popular (such as Wii Fit) - and even moreso, small games with small budgets can capture a large audience "if they have a great idea".
1:47am: He explains that the Mario developers and the Zelda developers are both hard at work for new Wii titles - for people who like to play the same games.
1:47am: Players are demanding increasingly better games - and so companies like Nintendo are increasingly pushing themselves more and more.
1:46am: In the past, it was impossible to expect to sell the same title for two or three years - but nowadays, titles like Nintendogs, Super Mario Bros... are doing just that. "These products seem to be ...evergreens." And this is a big change in the industry.
1:45am: He's now taking a few moments to explain what has actually changed in the past five years.
1:45am: Iwata believes that people - even Nintendo employees - had a very "common sense" idea of video games. Nobody could have imagined that five years from then, Nintendo would be selling millions of copies of "bathroom scales" around the world.
1:44am: Shaun's left, and now Satoru Iwata has been welcomed to the stage.
1:42am: Cammie and Shaun are discussing the game, how easy it is to play, and Cammie has stepped up onto the Balance Board to test out her awesome half-pipe snowboarding skillz. She's currently playing as Shaun's avatar, so he's asking her to make him look good!
1:41am: Apparently this is Cammie Dunaway hosting - Reggie Fils-Aime is nowhere to be seen... at this stage. I wonder where he is!
1:41am: ...and due to the wonders of modern technology, we've jumped into the feed right in the middle of a snowboarding display with the Wii Balance Board and Shaun White Snowboarding... and Shaun White himself demonstrating!
1:36am: Getting ready for everything to go live, let's see what Nintendo has in store!
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