Wii Virtual Console gift-giving channel launching worldwide in December, Wii TV guide channel announced for Japan, “practical” non-gaming DS functions coming
Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo, has made some very interesting statements in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, regarding the future of the Wii and the Nintendo DS.
As far as the Wii is concerned, Iwata dated the Wii Virtual Console Gift-Giving Channel, that allows gamers to purchase virtual console games as gifts for another player, and those games will be downloaded directly to that person’s Wii for their playing pleasure. This Wii Channel will be released worldwide this December.
In addition Iwata said they are working on another all-new Wii “Interactive Television Guide” channel for Japan that will is currently set for release in Spring of 2008.
As far as the Nintendo DS is concerned, Nintendo has already attracted scores of non-gamers with the DS Brain and Vision training titles and most of their Touch Generation series, including games like various Soduku titles and Clubhouse Games. And Iwata stated that they will be pushing the DS non-gaming system functions even further in the future. He said the company plans to roll out these “practical” functions that “will be useful in places like train stations, amusement parks or museums. This is the first device that is portable and wireless and anybody can use,” said Iwata of the DS. “With so many devices out there, it would be wasteful to not turn it into a tool.” Iwata did not go into details about what exactly they have in store for the DS.
Examples of non-gaming functions already in use include during baseball games in the US where Nintendo has already used the DS to transmit stats, trivia games, and video replays to fans who have their DS on in the audience (for a fee) at Seattle Mariner gamers (Washington State being where Nintendo HQ is located). And in Japan, museums have allowed visitors to download a virtual tour guide to their DS’. And it’s likely these type of features, such as a GPS system I’d be willing to bet, that Nintendo is talking about.
I for one am all for this. Since the N64 days Nintendo has seemingly been against adding extra functionality to their systems. While other platforms got CD and DVD playback and such, Nintendo users were left without that extra functionality. Which was fine, we were there for the games! But if Nintendo does have the option to include extra functions, then I think they should definitely offer them. It can’t hurt, and anything that can better help the DS in it’s war with the PSP (even though it doesn’t quite need the extra ammo considering the absolute pounding the PSP is getting in sales) is a good thing. And this type of functionality and non-gamer attractiveness is good for the industry, the more people we can pull in with stuff like Wii Fit, the better. — Via GS
