Nintendo UK on no second 3DS XL Circle Pad, lack of core titles a misconception, more
A new interview with Nintendo UK marketing manager Ben Taylor has popped up online.
Taylor talked all about the 3DS XL, including why it was decided not to include a second Circle Pad. He also commented on the 3DS’ strong sales in Japan, said that those who say the system lacks core titles os a misconception, and once again relayed that you won’t see Mario – or any other Nintendo games – on other platforms like iTunes.
Head past the break for all of Taylor’s responses.
Taylor on how Nintendo ended up making the 3DS XL…
“We’re always looking to improve and develop our products and research showed that a bigger screen was a very important feature to include to continue the momentum of the 3DS.
“We have been able to answer this request via the 3DS XL – the screen is 90% bigger which means that your gaming experience is even richer and games like Kid Icarus and Super Mario 3D Land look better than ever.”
Taylor on whether or not Nintendo would consider adding in a second Circle Pad in future 3DS revisions…
“We did review the possibility of the second controller, but we felt that increased battery life was really important to players, and this would have been affected if we had introduced one. It would also have made the console a lot bigger and bulkier.
“Importantly, the majority of games, for instance the likes of Mario Kart 7 or Super Mario 3D land, don’t benefit from the second controller. A second circle pad peripheral is in development for the 3DS XL which can be used for titles such as Resident Evil Revelations.”
Taylor on how much third-party software dictates the features of Nintendo’s hardware…
“Hypothetical questions are always slightly difficult to answer! Battery life and the size of the screen have very much been our priority based on our research.”
Taylor on the 3DS’ strong sales success in Japan…
“The 3DS continues to perform really well in Japan which is great to see. In terms of software we’ve not only had some really strong first party titles such as The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and Kid Icarus.
“But we’ve also got really strong third party support party support so can offer something for everyone. This is a positive sign and we are confident that as we saw with the original DS, we will see growth in the UK.”
Taylor on whether or not the lack of 3DS news at Nintendo’s E3 conference undermines the quality of the system…
“We had an awful lot to fit into this years E3 conference. We knew that the Wii U was going to be in the spotlight and we wanted to share as much information as we could during a short space of time.
“However, the 3DS is still a very strong focus for our business. We announced a number of 3DS titles during our presentation – New Super Mario Bros. 2, Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Luigi’s: Dark Moon and we then we held a separate event solely for 3DS news which went into more depth and which we streamed online on the Wednesday night.
“Furthermore the 3DS was the sole content of our Nintendo Direct announcement on June 22.”
Taylor on whether or not the quick 3DS price cut is indicative of a market that’s becoming increasingly difficult to predict…
“We have publically acknowledged that we got the pricing of 3DS wrong at launch and took steps to address it. 3DS now benefits from an increasingly strong software line-up, so it’s an exciting time for us.”
Taylor on gamers who bemoan the “casual” software catalog on the 3DS and say it lacks gritty mature content…
“I think this is a common misconception, we’ve got a number of really strong core titles available on the 3DS including the likes of Kid Icarus, Resident Evil Revelations, Kingdom Hearts, Legend of Zelda and Street Fighter. The Virtual Console and eShop means that gamers have access to their old favourites.”
Taylor on the importance of maintaining a strong digital store front on 3DS and interest in seeing more indie developers taking part…
“This is definitely important to us. The 3DS provides a great platform for indie developers and we’d love to see more.”
Taylor on why Nintendo has avoided iTunes…
“Nintendo is home to some of the most creative and innovative gameplay experiences and franchises in the industry. We spend years developing consoles that will allow us to support the kind of game functionality that our titles demand. You wouldn’t be able to have the same immersive gameplay experience on other devices – Mario’s home is on Nintendo consoles!”
Taylor on the key to overcoming the downturn inside Nintendo and how healthy he believes Nintendo’s future is…
“The 3DS has really started to build momentum in 2012 and we’re looking forward to continuing this with the launch of 3DS XL, New Super Mario Bros. 2, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance and New Art Academy and a strong evergreen software of titles like Mario Kart, Super Mario 3D land, Kid Icarus and Mario Tennis.
“Combined with the launch of Wii U we’re looking forward to a busy year ahead. Watch this space!”
