Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has reaffirmed the company’s position on its next-generation system, the Nintendo Wii U, stating that although this will be the console maker’s first venture into the HD era, Nintendo will remain resolute in providing gamers with the best possible experience regardless of the console’s graphical output.
Iwata spoke extensively on the company’s approach to the Wii U as well as future game development at a recent investor Q&A last week. He confirmed that Nintendo plans on releasing in-depth details of the system at this year’s E3 and asserted that the Big N is not competing with Sony or Microsoft for the most technically powerful next-generation platform.
“As we will showcase the Wii U at E3 in June this year, the detailed announcements must wait until then, but we are aiming to make a system which shall not be forced into competing with the others where the contenders can fight only with massive developer resources and long development times as their weapons,” Iwata stated.
Mr. Iwata further elaborated on the need for a balance between graphical fidelity and creative design. He insisted that a series such as The Legend of Zelda would benefit from the increased power of the Wii U and Nintendo’s persistent dedication to fulfill promises to its consumers.
“Take The Legend of Zelda franchise, for example, the fans must be looking for the graphic representations that they do not see as cheap at all when the title is released for the Wii U,” said Iwata. “When it is necessary, we do not hesitate to roll out our resources.”
However, games like Rhythm Heaven do not necessarily require an increased amount graphical power to appeal to its audience, he asserted.
“If we had adopted rich photo-realistic graphics, it would have lost much of its appeal,” Iwata claimed.
The Wii U will be released later this year as confirmed last week and with the news surfacing every day about new features for the Nintendo family of consoles, there are high hopes for the future of the company. If the Wii U can establish Nintendo in the HD generation of consoles then the company’s development possibilities are tremendous.
