WiiNintendo

Nintendo has had a very successful run in recent years with its DS handheld and the Wii. But the company now faces some big challenges. The weak economy is depressing the market for games, and digital distribution of games is starting to reshape the industry. Chief rivals Sony and Microsoft are taking closer aim at the Wii with new types of controllers. Meanwhile, the new controller Nintendo is developing, dubbed the Vitality Sensor, is a pulse meter and it’s unclear how the company will build compelling games around it.

Mercury News recently spoke with Miyamoto about these trends and how they are affecting game development. Here is an edited version of that interview:

Q: How do you see the recession affecting Nintendo and the game industry? Does it encourage you to release fewer titles or to keep titles baking longer until the economy improves?

A: Well, obviously, the recession is bad for everybody and it does have impact in certain areas, but one of the things we look at when we look at entertainment is, if you want something bad enough, you’re going to save your money for it, right? And if you’re flush with cash but you don’t want something, you’re not going to use that cash.

We’re really just concentrating on creating something that people want. I think that’s one of Nintendo’s strong points, that ability to focus on that next challenge.

And (we’re) thinking of how a family spends their budgeted entertainment money. Rather than a dad going out and buying something that he wants, (we’re) creating something that we can present to them as something the whole family will use.

Q: I’ve learned that one should not be too skeptical of Nintendo, but many folks seem dubious about the new Vitality Sensor you are developing. How do you respond to that skepticism? And can you share anything about the types of games you are developing for it?

A: Ideally we would have been able to talk about this in terms of the software implementation rather than just the sensor itself. I don’t have any indication for you (of what we have in the works) other than to say that we have lots of very creative ideas.

We understand the challenge before us, and we have met these challenges in the past. We just ask that people have confidence in us.

Q: Of the games that are coming out in the near future from Nintendo, what are you most excited about?

A: I’m very excited about new ”Super Mario Brothers” and ”Wii Sports Resort.” But on a theme base, what I’m really excited about is that continued challenge to create things that gamers of all experiences can play.

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