Iwata Talks Prices, Names, and Blogs
In an interview with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Satoru Iwata talked about their goal, console pricing, the Wii name, a bit more. Firstly, we’ll get the prices out of the way. He did not reveal the price for the Wii, so stop holding your breath now! He talked about how it wasn’t really unusual that no price was announced. He referred to the Xbox 360, PSP, and DS – none of which had their price revealed at E3. However, with a launch this fall, he said to expect a price announcement this summer. When asked how it would compare to the PS3, he had this to say:
Q: On pricing, can you give a general sense for how you might compare to something like the $600 version of the PlayStation 3?
A: First of all, all we’ve said is that we’ll have an affordable price range. We’re using “affordable” in the sense that the price won’t be significantly higher than Nintendo’s prices have been historically. Compared with $600, anything is affordable, so it’s absurd to even compare our price.
With the reactions to the name, Iwata yet again brought in the inclusion of non-gamers. He wants those who don’t know “know that Game Boy Advance and GBA are the same thing” to know what the Wii is. After all, would people understand if we kept saying “Rev” like I sometimes did with my friends? Likely not. He also reminds us that people thought “Game Boy” was a stupid name back then.
Lastly, he said this about the Dual Shock 3:
Q: Sony showed its own motion-sensing controller this week. What do you think?
A: A motion-sensing controller that you hold with both hands is completely different from one that you can use with either your right or left hand. Worldwide, bloggers have been writing that they copied us, but I don’t really think we’ve been copied.
I don’t think at all that we’ve lost Wii’s advantage. We’ve come out with a unique, new innovation. I think the fact that a company would do something similar is an admission from the outside that it has value. So instead of getting angry, we should celebrate.
Q: You mentioned bloggers. Do you read blogs?
A: I read blogs quite a bit.
Q: Gaming blogs or other blogs?
A: I read various things, but I use a blog search engine to look for blogs related to my work. But I also read blogs that aren’t related to games.
Does he read QJ? Hey Mr. Iwata! *waves*
In an interview with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Satoru Iwata talked about their goal, console pricing, the Wii name, a bit more. Firstly, we’ll get the prices out of the way. He did not reveal the price for the Wii, so stop holding your breath now! He talked about how it wasn’t really unusual that no price was announced. He referred to the Xbox 360, PSP, and DS – none of which had their price revealed at E3. However, with a launch this fall, he said to expect a price announcement this summer. When asked how it would compare to the PS3, he had this to say:
Q: On pricing, can you give a general sense for how you might compare to something like the $600 version of the PlayStation 3?
A: First of all, all we’ve said is that we’ll have an affordable price range. We’re using “affordable” in the sense that the price won’t be significantly higher than Nintendo’s prices have been historically. Compared with $600, anything is affordable, so it’s absurd to even compare our price.
With the reactions to the name, Iwata yet again brought in the inclusion of non-gamers. He wants those who don’t know “know that Game Boy Advance and GBA are the same thing” to know what the Wii is. After all, would people understand if we kept saying “Rev” like I sometimes did with my friends? Likely not. He also reminds us that people thought “Game Boy” was a stupid name back then.
Lastly, he said this about the Dual Shock 3:
Q: Sony showed its own motion-sensing controller this week. What do you think?
A: A motion-sensing controller that you hold with both hands is completely different from one that you can use with either your right or left hand. Worldwide, bloggers have been writing that they copied us, but I don’t really think we’ve been copied.
I don’t think at all that we’ve lost Wii’s advantage. We’ve come out with a unique, new innovation. I think the fact that a company would do something similar is an admission from the outside that it has value. So instead of getting angry, we should celebrate.
Q: You mentioned bloggers. Do you read blogs?
A: I read blogs quite a bit.
Q: Gaming blogs or other blogs?
A: I read various things, but I use a blog search engine to look for blogs related to my work. But I also read blogs that aren’t related to games.
Does he read QJ? Hey Mr. Iwata! *waves*
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