ntendo DS to feature wireless multiplayer
Kristan Reed 14:59 02/03/2004
Iwata comments suggest that you can ditch those link cables
Nintendo’s forthcoming Dual Screen handheld console set to feature short range, Bluetooth style wireless connectivity, according to comments made by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata just prior to the DS announcement.
In an interview published by Japanese Web site [Mainichi Interactive], Iwata repeatedly referred to the at-that-point-unannounced ‘Innovative machine’, and said: "The innovative machine has a short-range [wireless] networking capability. It will introduce a refreshing new experience if it's played by one person alone, but we're hoping that it will be even more fun when it's played with multiple [people]"
Iwata went on to bemoan the technology obsessed gaming industry and that “Games have come to a dead end,†and that devoting huge teams to games didn’t equate to bigger sales. “It's obvious that there's no future to gaming if we continue to run on this principleâ€.
“Creating complicated games with advanced graphics used to be the golden principle that led to success, but it is no longer working. The biggest problem is that [developers] need to satisfy the core gamers, who want games with more volume and complexity, while they also need to satisfy average users, who don't have as much knowledge about games.
“The situation right now is that even if the developers work a hundred times harder, they can forget about selling a hundred times more units, since it's difficult for them to even reach the status quo. It's obvious that there's no future to gaming if we continue to run on this principle that wastes time and energy [in development]. Nintendo is called 'conservative' and 'quiet' nowadays, so we hope to show our existence as an innovator to new styles of entertainment."
Iwata also dampened expectation of the DS as a powerful next gen console, urging that people appreciate that "it is a 'unique' machine, so not everybody will understand it right away.â€
“There might only be 10 to 15 people applauding during its unveiling at E3 [hey, he knows all about whooping US crowds, right? – Ed], but they'll understand it once they touch it. At the least, it should serve as a hint towards [our] next-generation console."
