
Reggie Talks Wii & Wii Fit Supplies for Holidays, Hints at Nintendo Community
November 19, 2008 | 3:15 PM PST
In an interview with Forbes, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime spoke on a variety of subjects, including his thoughts on how the supply of Wii consoles will fare against the demands of consumers this holiday season:With Wii hardware, I think we've got a good shot at meeting demand during the holidays. With 'Wii Fit,' I know we'll fall short. That's a product we have consumers lining up for each morning outside of our Nintendo World store [in New York City]. -- Reggie Fils-Aime, to ForbesAnother topic which came up was that of the seeming inability of third-parties to capitalize on the Wii audience, even when trying to directly target them through efforts such as EA Sports' "All Play" titles:
Fils-Aime says this is because third-party publishers still don't quite understand the Wii audience. Tweaking the game-play mechanics is only part of the equation. This audience, he believes, is just as interested in games that do well on other systems--but, to date, publishers have been reticent to bring those to the Wii.One of the more intriguing subjects touched upon regards the use of "community" as a battleground, one which Sony is preparing to meet with PlayStation Home and Xbox has sought to make the first steps into with their New Xbox Experience. But where does Nintendo fit into all of this?
"I will be able to say our licensees 'get it' when their very best content is on our platform," he says. "And with very few exceptions today, that's not the case." -- Forbes
Nintendo, however, has been pretty quiet on the matter of community so far--a curious stance, given the Wii's significantly larger installed base of customers. That silence might be coming to an end soon, hints Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.I'm not sure what they're up to, but I can't wait to see it. Perhaps, with any luck, we might see an upgrade to the Miis in the process.
"Nintendo has always had a vision on community," he says. "The issue is that we define community differently than our competitors. ... Our consumers do want a sense of community, and we're going to deliver that--but in a way that is unique to Nintendo."
Fils-Aime declined to specify when the company might elaborate on its plans, but next year's E3 conference is a prime candidate. -- Forbes
Oh, and what conversation with Nintendo brass, especially one from a publication like Forbes, would be complete without asking about a price drop?
Less redundant, probably. Nonetheless, Reggie offers some mildly reassuring words to spice things up just a bit:
At some point, it will be time to adjust the [price], but we're nowhere near that point now. -- Reggie Fils-Aime, to ForbesOf course, we all knew they wouldn't charge 25 sawbucks forever, right?
















