#37359 - OddOne - Thu Mar 10, 2005 8:58 pm
Game Developers Conference Attendees Hear First Details about 'Revolution,' Upcoming Wi-Fi Service for Nintendo DS
SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2005 ? Thousands of video game developers in a standing-room-only crowd today heard Nintendo President Satoru Iwata outline the company?s bold vision for the future. Iwata, a veteran video game designer and player himself, made several major announcements during his Game Developers Conference keynote speech, "The Heart of the Gamer," including such highlights as:
---Nintendo?s next game console, code-named "Revolution," is proceeding on schedule and will include both backward compatibility and Wi-Fi features.
---Nintendo soon will offer a free Wi-Fi connection service to Nintendo DS owners.
---Iwata demonstrated several new software titles using the innovative features of the Nintendo DS, including voice recognition, touch-screen control and wireless connectivity.
Nintendo DS: Iwata announced that the Wi-Fi protocol for Nintendo DS will provide users with a link to other players across the country or around the world. Once the service begins later this year, Nintendo DS users will be able to connect to the service wirelessly at Wi-Fi hot spots, whether they?re at home, in a hotel or at a coffee shop. As one of several Wi-Fi games, Nintendo?s in-house development team is creating a new Animal Crossing game for global Wi-Fi play.
DS software: The speech featured a live demonstration of two Nintendo DS software titles that Iwata said represented types of entertainment that go beyond the traditionally accepted definitions of "video games." One, Nintendogs, asks owners to nurture and interact with a variety of breeds of digital puppies. Puppy owners can issue voice commands, play games and train their puppies while developing real emotional bonds with them. Nintendogs is set to launch later this year in North America. The second title, Electroplankton, offers an otherworldly array of sights and sounds aimed to soothe or stimulate players with the innovative use of both the touch screen and voice interaction. "This is designed to produce harmony, not adrenaline," Iwata said.
Nintendo will announce more information about both Revolution and the Nintendo DS Wi-Fi service at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in May.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2005 ? Thousands of video game developers in a standing-room-only crowd today heard Nintendo President Satoru Iwata outline the company?s bold vision for the future. Iwata, a veteran video game designer and player himself, made several major announcements during his Game Developers Conference keynote speech, "The Heart of the Gamer," including such highlights as:
---Nintendo?s next game console, code-named "Revolution," is proceeding on schedule and will include both backward compatibility and Wi-Fi features.
---Nintendo soon will offer a free Wi-Fi connection service to Nintendo DS owners.
---Iwata demonstrated several new software titles using the innovative features of the Nintendo DS, including voice recognition, touch-screen control and wireless connectivity.
Nintendo DS: Iwata announced that the Wi-Fi protocol for Nintendo DS will provide users with a link to other players across the country or around the world. Once the service begins later this year, Nintendo DS users will be able to connect to the service wirelessly at Wi-Fi hot spots, whether they?re at home, in a hotel or at a coffee shop. As one of several Wi-Fi games, Nintendo?s in-house development team is creating a new Animal Crossing game for global Wi-Fi play.
DS software: The speech featured a live demonstration of two Nintendo DS software titles that Iwata said represented types of entertainment that go beyond the traditionally accepted definitions of "video games." One, Nintendogs, asks owners to nurture and interact with a variety of breeds of digital puppies. Puppy owners can issue voice commands, play games and train their puppies while developing real emotional bonds with them. Nintendogs is set to launch later this year in North America. The second title, Electroplankton, offers an otherworldly array of sights and sounds aimed to soothe or stimulate players with the innovative use of both the touch screen and voice interaction. "This is designed to produce harmony, not adrenaline," Iwata said.
Nintendo will announce more information about both Revolution and the Nintendo DS Wi-Fi service at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in May.