Nintendo E3 Conference News

Nintendoâ??s E3 conference finally got underway earlier today after a timely dispute with LA Fire Marshals concerned over the densely packed room; no matter what situation Nintendo finds itself in, it always seems that everybody is eager to find what the future holds for the Japanese giant.

Despite introducing the Nintendo Revolution and the GameBoy Micro, the continued absence of Mario 128 along with specific details on what the future may bring resulted in yet another feeling of transition for Nintendo, as it gears up for online play and continues development on the Revolution.

Championing the fact that Nintendo are undisputed leaders in terms of content creation, Reggie Fils-Aime Nintendo Viced President Sales & Marketing, celebrated topping 2 billion Nintendo titles during the past twenty years. Without doubt Nintendo remain focussed on games, however much like Microsoftâ??s ambition, the intention is to broaden this range and encompass those who wouldnâ??t classify themselves as gamers with titles such as Nintendogs and Electroplankton heralding the new direction for Nintendo.

Both titles have had a profound impact upon their Japanese release, pushing worldwide sales of the Nintendo DS past the 5 million mark â?“ a figure that Nintendo proudly claimed is double that of the Sony PSP and took great fun in recognising the delays in getting Sonyâ??s handheld to the European market!

Whether or not other territories will take to concepts that lie firmly outside the boundaries of a â??videogameâ? remains to be seen, as Nintendo looks to user creativity as providing a new impetus to the stifled videogame scene that weâ??re currently stuck in â?“ or as Reggie put it â??creating is just as much fun as competingâ?.

Demonstrations of both titles in action backed up this point, as renowned artist David Hollands put the music/visual delights of Electroplankton to the test while Shigeru Miyamoto made a brief appearance to demonstrate his Mario-cap donned canine in action.

2005 sees Nintendo finally getting into the world of online with the promise of both Animal Crossing DS and Mario Kart DS before the end of the year; a point that Nintendo were keen to admit that they didnâ??t â??inventâ?, but one that they hope to â??reinventâ?. A simple, intuitive interface in co-operation with GameSpy Technology will bring the DS online, allowing both friends to play together or bouts against unknown opponents with similarly matched skills.

Once again Nintendo took the opportunity to poke fun at its competitors when it comes to a low take-up for existing online services, suggesting that the combination of a free, simple and effective online service could witness 90% of all DS users participating in Wi-Fi DS titles. Nintendo are looking to change the masochistic nature of online gaming, trying to create a service that will appeal to everybody; anybodyâ??s who endeared the drivel of 11-year olds on Halo 2 would have to agree with Nintendo on this one.

Confirmation of an entirely new Tony Hawkâ??s title to promote the service was also confirmed, allowing gamers to get together in Skate Groups and providing innovative Touch-Tricks via the touch screen. Fans of the excellent Mario & Luigi: SuperStar Saga were also well catered for, with confirmation that a sequel is currently in development for the DS.

The focus on Nintendo DS online concluded with a list of those supporting the service, featuring an array of the industryâ??s strongest publishers and highlighted with a strong commitment from Square-Enix.

Although rumours before E3 had already taken away some of the gloss, Nintendoâ??s unveiling of the GameBoy Micro for Fall 2005 seemed to please an eager audience that canâ??t seem to stop lapping up new ways to play GameBoy/GameBoy Advance titles. The slick, polished designs introduced by the GameBoy Advance SP are continued, as the Micro shrinks the GBA technology into a stylish silver casing. Boasting a brighter, sharper, clearer 2 inch screen then anything thatâ??s come before it, the GameBoy Micro measures a mere 4 inches wide, 2 inches tall and 0.7 inches deep and weighing a measly 2.8 ounces â?“ two-thirds the weight of an iPod mini or if youâ??d prefer about the same as 80 paper clips. Removable faceplates continue the theme of customisation that is currently sweeping across the industry, while the removal of Start/Select buttons from the face could provide a suggestion of Nintendoâ??s future direction.

Nintendo were very keen to promote the GameBoy Micro as a â??new lookâ? and not a â??successorâ? to any existing format; however you have to question just how many times Nintendo can keep bringing the GameBoy out and how reliant upon it that they are - those whoâ??ve previously invested in GameBoy Advance, GBA SP and the Nintendo DS would naturally question whether they need yet another format that boasts being able to fit into the tightest pair of trousers!

With confirmation of just how much control Nintendo holds over the entire handheld market (94%), the conference soon turned over to the hugely anticipated debut of the Nintendo Revolution.

Billed as the smallest console ever created by Nintendo, the prototype design for the Revolution looked and felt exactly like that and weâ??d find ourselves surprised if the final design ended up looking like what was on display today. Various colours were presented with the suggestion that Nintendo had yet to decide on a final one, throwing the suggestion towards the crowd. In keeping with the PS2-esque design the Revolution will come with a silver stand to facilitate stacking the system horizontally or vertically.

The biggest surprise in store however came from confirmation of the Revolutionâ??s backwards compatibility; as previously claimed the Revolution will play *all* games from the GameCube, but it gets better then that as the console will have access to 20 years of classic Nintendo titles from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the Nintendo 64. Precise details on how the system will be setup were not discussed, more importantly whether or not a price will be attached to the downloads has yet to be addressed â?“ exactly how much gamers will pay for retro classics such as Excitebike and Legend of Zelda remains to be seen, but thereâ??s no denying it instantly creates the largest catalogue of landmark titles, a dream come true for Nintendo fans.

Revolution titles will be stored on 12-centremeter optical discs, however a unique self-loading media bay will play both Revolution and GameCube discs easily. Surprisingly Nintendo also confirmed that owners will have the option of equipping a small, self-contained attachment to play movies and DVDâ??s â?“ signalling that Nintendo have succumbed a little to peer pressure.

Nintendo chose to stick clear of getting bogged down in system specs, with the only notable aspects being 512MB of internal Flash memory, wireless controllers, two USB 2.0 ports and built-in Wi-Fi support â?“ whether or not Nintendo will follow Microsoftâ??s lead and allow PSPâ??s to be hooked up has yet to be addressed!

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata confirmed that popular franchises such as Mario, Zelda, Super Smash Bros, Donkey Kong and Metroid are all in development for the Revolution â?“ suggesting that the final nail in the coffin has been applied to Mario 128 appearing on the GameCube.

The overall strategy appears to be one of â??all-accessâ? gaming for people of all types, bringing together new games and old, while allowing big-budget, high-profile masterpieces and smaller independent titles.

Whether or not the gaming audience will take to Nintendoâ??s new direction however remains the biggest question...