The October 30th corporate Nintendo briefing was packed with information on the future of Nintendo. The HD future, hardware and issues on software were all mentioned in the full briefing found here. Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto specifically mention the upcoming New Super Mario Bros Wii game, a brief reference to DS titles, and quite a bit on the Internet and gaming.

According to Miyamoto, the multiplayer aspects of the upcoming Super Mario Bros title were only made available by the Wii's unique hardware.

"On every Mario project we have discussed the possibility of having two players play together simultaneously," Miyamoto said. "This time the screen zooms in and out accordingly, thanks to the capacity of the Wii console. The camera can zoom out as far as three times wider where you can see a very small Mario running around, and zoom in to show huge Mario and Luigi." Miyamoto adds that since the Wii can handle unique camera angles for four characters, they developed the title to allow for up to four players at a time.


Future DS titles were only briefly mentioned. Miyamoto "left significant hints..." when talking about focusing on the DS as a platform used outside of the home, according to Iwata. Miyamoto specifically mentioned Dragon Quest IX's passing-by connection.


Iwata did have a lot to say on digital distribution of Nintendo titles. "I think it will still require a significant amount of time," Iwata said. "In other words, it will require many years and months for the majority of video game purchase to become digital." Iwata mentioned that he believes the major shift from hard copies to digital copies will take place in twenty years, "[b]ut in 5 years or so, I do not totally agree with opinions that no one will purchase titles at retailers by then." Interestingly enough, Iwata believes that digital copies should expand the lifespan of a title rather than replace how the majority of players purchase it. "With the Internet connection, players can purchase additional features or receive extra services. As a result they will play a single software for a longer time without feeling bored and will not sell it to the used-game shops, which will then contribute to more software sales."


In regards to piracy, Iwata believes it is hard to measure exactly what impact it has had on Nintendo sales. Iwata does mention that it's a cat-and-mouse kind of battle and notes Europe's high piracy rate due to looser laws in some countries. "We have acknowledged that this is an endless battle, and we believe the best measure is to keep fighting it technologically and legally," Iwata says. He does not go any further into exactly how Nintendo is fighting piracy.


Finally, Iwata metioned Nintendo's reasoning behind WiiWare demos being made available. "The current situation on Wii Shopping Channel or Nintendo DSi Shop is like a purchase with specific intent, where customers who already know the name and information of the game they want directly seek out," Iwata said. These demos are aimed at people that may not necessarily do research on the game they want to purchase, but are instead casually browsing the catalogue. He then ties it in with his thoughts on digital games. "I don't think that the demo version is the final solution. I believe that until customers have a reason to visit Wii Shopping Channel or Nintendo DSi Shop without purpose, digital distribution will not become popular."