Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News | 2 Comments

The quotes below come from Satoru Iwata, who provided the following information at a recent investor Q&A…

“We have not announced the prices of Nintendo 3DS in the overseas markets, but when you look at the suggested retail price of Nintendo 3DS in Japan, you can see that there are some price differences with that of Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi in Japan. How the market can change with such price differences shall become important.

We have experienced several transitions from one platform to a new generation in the past, but the speed at which such transitions were made greatly varied in different markets. Perhaps, the quickest of all the nations in this regard is Japan. In terms of speed, the U.K. is outstanding in Europe. On the contrary, Germany is very slow in this transition. In the U.S., so many people respond to new platforms quickly, but as for the entire video game market there, it appears to move rather slowly because there are also so many people who respond to new offers very slowly. The U.S. is a big market with such dual natures. Given the difference in the speeds at which each market shifts to a new platform, how Nintendo should spend what amount of energy in order to launch and market many new Nintendo DS software titles must be slightly different from market to market.

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

We gave you a rundown about what Shigeru Miyamoto had to say about bringing both 2D and 3D Mario titles to the 3DS, but now his full remarks are available. You can see what he said below.

“This is not confined to Mario games, but when a game is made in 3D, we can make the players feel that the game is more alive, and the developers are able to incorporate more tricks for the players to enjoy. For its ability to provide the players with more choices or freedom in the gaming world, 3D is more suited.

On the other hand, there are also people who can’t stand even the slightly more complicated looks of 3D. In fact, with 3D games, game-play control has to become more complex. When the developers include all the functions in order to cater to the anticipated demands from the players who, as they gradually progress deeper into the 3D world, will want to do more and more, the game in the end inevitably will look extremely complex for the novice players. I mean, even though players will realize that the games are not complex when they actually play them, 3D games look complicated for those who see them for the first time.

From that perspective, as you indicated in your question, the consumer base of the “Super Mario” series has narrowed from when we launched “Super Mario 64.” However, we’ve been striving to make 3D games which can enable you to have the “I’m actually in the game field now” feeling and which can provide you with more fun options to choose from in the game field and, at the same time, which can be played by anyone. We’ve been developing the “Super Mario Galaxy” series with such a mission in mind. By launching “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” we have invited a number of people who didn’t use to play any 3D games to the world of 3D Mario, I think. Simultaneously, we have been making 2D games because leveraging upon and making improvements on 3D games alone cannot satisfy all the game players. We have made “New Super Mario Bros.” for Nintendo DS and “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” with such an objective. These 2D games are easy to understand and accessible to anyone. Even if the players only play for a short time, they can feel satisfied. After all, video games are not only about conquering all the stages. What is more important is the fun the players can feel as a result of the play. The 2D games have the advantage of delivering that sensation more easily to the players.

As for Nintendo 3DS, of course, we’ll be making both types of games. It’s not the issue of which is more attractive because each one has its own appeal. In the past 3D “Mario” games, and 3D “Zelda” games for that matter, if there were several floors at the same height, it was hard for the players to tell if each one of them was located with the same distance between them or if just one was further away and higher than the other floors. On Nintendo 3DS, you can readily understand the height and distance of the next floor in front of you. You can feel the difference by switching between the 2D and 3D modes. You might have had a hard time trying to jump on a stump or to hit a floating question-mark block in 3D Mario until now, but you will be able to do so easily on Nintendo 3DS. In addition, Mario and Link will both have more vivid presences. When I make games, I take great care of such details as the body weights of the players’ characters. When the character jumps, can the player feel the weight? When the character lands, does the land feel like it is acting as a cushion? How long should the character stand still in order for the player to feel the weight of the character’s body? I think about a number of such details. By making 3D games on Nintendo 3DS, such minute details can be felt, and the players can feel as if the world exists.

Talking about 2D games on Nintendo 3DS, those who have played 2D Mario so far can understand that the developers were unable to do a lot of tricks which made use of the depth of the screen. For example, when “Wiggler” or “Bullet Bill” fly towards you from a distance, if the developers try to incorporate the depth of the screen, you cannot tell if and when these characters hit you. But such tricks shall be available on Nintendo 3DS.

We have tried many things, including when we made games on Virtual Boy. We have some ideas for a “Mario” game which has depth in the screen. So, for both 2D and 3D games, we are excited to be able to make new tricks on Nintendo 3DS.”

Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 1 Comment

Nintendo showcased trailers of three Hollywood movies on the 3DS when the system made its debut back in June. DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon, Warner Bros’ Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, and Disney’s Tangled were all available for viewing in 3D. Nintendo declined to discuss the feature at their Fall 2010 conference, but Satoru Iwata actually was asked about it at an investor’s Q&A session a few days ago. Although he said that “nothing concrete has been decided yet” about 3D movies on the 3DS, he did say that the company has “received a number of offers since” since E3.

“Finally about the movies, nothing concrete has been decided yet. When we demonstrated Nintendo 3DS for the first time in the world at the time of E3, we were allowed to showcase some 3D movie trailers from a few Hollywood studios (to people including many from the Hollywood movie industry), and we have received a number of offers since then. Therefore, I am certain that people in Hollywood are interested in this new product. Whenever we have shown Nintendo 3DS, almost without any exceptions, people have shown strong interest in it. We understand that many movie theaters will be able to show 3D movies, and a considerable amount of movie content is going to be made in 3D. When it comes to the opportunity for them to be able to show 3D movies, however, people in Hollywood currently do not believe that 3D television sets will be able to spread into ordinary households with rapid speed. I have the impression that they see Nintendo 3DS as a strong candidate to become the very first 3D device to be able to spread into the mass market in massive volumes. I’d like to discuss more details at some later time, when I will be able to do so.”

Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 3 Comments

At E3, one aspect about the 3DS that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata pointed out was the system’s improved graphics over the DS. So far, what Iwata said seems to be holding true. A number of graphically impressive titles from third-parties have been shown over the past severals months, such as Resident Evil: Revelations and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater. At Nintendo’s latest investor Q&A, Senior Managing Director and General Manager of Marketing Division Shinji Hatano reinforced the idea that other companies are making graphically impressive games. Also, along with Iwata, the two explained that the upcoming portable is receiving a great deal of interest from third-parties in general, especially when compared to the DS’ initial support.

“Nintendo has been offering support to and collaborating with a number of software publishers inside and outside Japan. First about Japan, most of the publishers are interested in Nintendo 3DS and they are proactively trying to develop Nintendo 3DS software. As for the overseas publishers, I understand that I should talk not only about U.S. publishers but also about European publishers. E3 this year was the first opportunity for us to show Nintendo 3DS to many of the publishers. At that time, the Japanese publishers tended to have a higher appreciation than their U.S. counterparts. Then, the high appreciation and expectations from the Japanese publishers started to have a positive influence upon the mindsets of non-Japanese publishers and developers, I think. Our president mentioned the issue of graphical capability today. The American and European publishers are particularly interested in improved graphics, and many of them are independently researching this new 3D approach. I have not been able to see the most recent graphics, but I believe they have come to a fairly high level by now. It is true that at the time of E3 2010, these publishers were late in getting access to the relevant information, but Nintendo 3DS offers them the exact development fields that they are very good at, and the things they can do with this hardware must be exactly what they really want to do, so accordingly, I believe that they will develop something of a fairly high level. I cannot elaborate on the exact details today, but as far as I hear, the publishers are showing aggressive attitudes in developing for Nintendo 3DS, and I am personally looking forward to the outcome.” – Shinji Hatano

” I often travel abroad, so I have many opportunities to ask people in our subsidiaries about what our overseas software publishers think about Nintendo 3DS, and I know they have much stronger interest in it than when Nintendo DS was about to be launched. To say the least, our overseas publishers are not taking a passive approach to Nintendo 3DS at all. In fact, it is safe for you to think that they have been fairly proactive in thinking about this new hardware from the start.” – Satoru Iwata

Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 10 Comments

A few months ago, Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida mentioned working together with Nintendo to help promote 3D. It’s true that the two companies are offering different experiences, but but at the end of the day, it’s necessary to get the word out about the technology. Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America, expressed sentiments similar to Yoshida’s in an interview with Siliconera. Dillie is hoping that Nintendo does well with the 3DS so that consumers become interested in 3D in general.

“Our perspective is they are doing something different and that’s what Nintendo does. They’ve got their own view, Sony has their own view. Our hope is they do it well because we’re big advocates of 3D. We need consumers to have good 3D experiences. I actually haven’t seen much of their technology. I know people are excited about it. I’ve heard a little bit that if you move your head a certain way you might lose the image. I just hope they do a great job, building a great 3D platform so people are interested in other 3D platforms. Because, collectively, we need to make sure a consumer has a good experience with 3D however they’re experiencing it so they have an interest in more 3D.”

Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

This information comes from THQ’s Danny Bilson…

“That one is changed. It’s changed. It’s going to be a different–we actually changed the design and are doing something more unique. This is just creative but we wound up feeling the game we were building was too much like a section of Saint’s Row that you could play in Saint’s Row. Now we’ve come up with a new design with a completely original game mechanic and we’re building out something that supports Saint’s Row with that. Because you don’t want to play something that you can play within the main experience. It’s actually a really cool, unique game we haven’t announced yet for Xbox Live.”

That sounds a bit mysterious, doesn’t it? I wonder what THQ is planning for the game… It’d be nice if the company were to share a trailer or a few screenshots of the project. We know virtually nothing about the title at the moment!

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Videos | 0 comments

Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News | 5 Comments

This information comes from a Scribes update on Rare’s blog, and a fan asked if the company would make a Banjo-Kazooie game for the 3DS…

“Banjo-3DSie confirmed! Although by confirmed I do mean 100% utterly speculative. We haven’t done much in the handheld ’space’ since DKR DS and Pocket Paradise – could we dip our toes in again at some point? Possibly. 3DS? Not for me to say. Bandai WonderSwan? No.”

It has been awhile since Rare made a game for the DS, but Diddy Kong Racing and Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise were solid titles. It’d be interesting to see what the company would create for the 3DS…

Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 5 Comments

– Miyamoto believes that the range of players narrowed a great deal when Super Mario become Super Mario 64
– Miyamoto also believes that Nintendo’s developers successfully used the strong points of 3D to deliver new game experiences, but they also continued working on games that can be played by everyone in 3D
– The above led to Super Mario Galaxy
– Doesn’t completely solve the problem, though, which is why the New Super Mario Bros. series exists as well
– “When asked ‘what will we do on 3DS,’ the answer is, of course, we’ll make both [2D and 3D Mario titles]. They both have their own appeal.”
– 3D type of Mario game (which also applies to Zelda), it isn’t always easy to perceive depth
– Can see more clearly what’s closer to you with the 3D effect
– Miyamoto feels that the 3DS’s 3D effect also “gives a great feeling of existence to Mario, Link and others”
– This is important for Miyamoto’s games since they’re made with character “weight” in mind (making the player feel like the character has weight in its movement)
– Regarding 2D Mario games, Miyamoto noted that depth-based effects are already present in many of the games, such as a Wiggler or Bullet Bill flying at the screen from afar
– Miyamoto: “It’s difficult to tell when they will hit the player, so we were only able to use these lightly. However, we’ll be able to use this type of thing quite a bit on the 3DS.”
– Iwata: “You went more in-depth than I’d been expected. This is the first I’ve heard of this.”
– Miyamoto in response to Iwata: “No good? Don’t tell any game magazine people.”

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 2 Comments

This information comes from producers Akari Uchida and Akihiro Ishihara…

“We want to make it into a benchmark-type title for the 3DS. I can’t say too much, but we want to make full use of the 3DS’s capabilities.” – Uchida
– Team is using different features that may not even seem to work well together, such as combining the 3D graphics and switching from horizontal and book-style holing modes
– “We’ve thought quite a bit if horizontal holding is truly good, or if we should give up on the 3D output and keep it in book mode. One part of the answer we came up with is in the promotion movie.” – Ishihara
– Many hints in the teaser trailer released
– Team is trying to find a way to import data
– Asking for Nintendo’s help on the above
– Making the game so that players will want to start the game from the friendship part of the relationship, even if data can be imported
– Taking the form of “recollection”
– “Because the expressive ability has increased, we’d like players to enjoy themselves like they watch a movie remake. Also, we think it might be nice if we could include some ‘what if’ elements. It would be interesting if you could go back in time and enjoy different developments.” – Uchida
– “Recollection” an important part of the game
– “One of the concepts of Love Plus for Nintendo 3DS is ‘fall in love again with your girlfriend.’ We’re considering what can be done to make players fall in love with their girlfriend again after they’ve imported their data.”
– Main reason for focusing on recollections is so that the player feels “I love my girlfriend the most at this very moment” even after they’ve been going out together for two or three years
– “When you’re in a lengthy relationship, it’s unavoidable that you’ll forget the feelings you had at the beginning. But we’re taking various measures to make you remember those feelings once again. This is something that can be done because this is a game.” – Ishihara
– Want to improve on the game’s story
– Will focus on previously untouched areas, may see a new side of the girlfriends
– There will be “major changes” but nothing was said specifically
– “Because this is a major version up, we’re looking at it thoroughly and making changes to almost all areas. We’re taking it up a level. When we’ve reached the point where we can share information, we’re certain you will be surprised.” – Ishihara
– “This is just an idea right now, but we think it would be nice if the game could recognize not just your face but your friends faces too, and you’d be able to introduce them to your girlfriend.” – Uchida
– “There would surely be people who would introduce their girlfriend to their parents.” – Ishihara
– Difficulty with voice recognition because it’s dependent on hardware
– Team will be trying “different solutions” for voice recognition
– Improvements in sound quality and other areas
– Voice content alone could be about 60 hours
– “Regarding the data for graphics and sound, the thing boyfriends most want, we’ll definitely be upping the quality. As a result, the memory will likely be filled up.” – Uchida
– Uchida wants players outside of major cities to consider themselves lucky this time, unlike with LovePlus+, in which it was necessary to live in a big city to take advantage of Tag Mode/DS Station downloads
– May use StreetPass, though the team only heard about the feature recently
– “Regarding networking, we’re aiming to be at the forefront of all third parties, and maybe even first party as well. We may end up being the first to use a number of the services. With this meaning, we’re placing a big focus on wireless functionality.” – Ishihara
– DLC could be included with the network functionality
– Uchida joked that people would get mad if they made it paid DLC
– No match making will be included for network features (most likely means no girlfriend fighting)
– Not removing any of the girls
– Not putting in girlish looking boys
– Won’t chase after the girlfriends’ moms
– Jokingly: “I’d like to make Mama Plus at some point. Rinko’s mom is also quite lovely.” – Uchida

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