In an interview with Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun, Nintendo Co., Ltd. president Satoru Iwata discussed some of this year's goals, which include releasing the newest Legend of Zelda game.
High on the Japanese exec's list was increasing the number of DS WiFi spots across the country. In Japan, the company has a deal with McDonalds to provide a "Mac de DS" service. Customers who bring their DS units to McDonalds can download items and original content as well as play others via WiFi. Besides Pokémon mini-games and character downloads, there are also McDonalds quizzes and even a McDonalds manga service.
(Nintendo of America teamed up with McDonalds in 2005 for a similar WiFi service.)
Nintendo, it seems, is looking beyond the current partnership with McDonalds. "To proactively increase the number of hotspots, we are talking with a number of businesses," Iwata told the paper.
When asked if Nintendo is planning on giving DS an iPhone-like cellular functions with the ability to connect to the internet, Iwata dismissed the idea of a monthly service plan for playing games and noted that the company is not thinking of adding such functions in future models of the Nintendo DS.
A Nintendo DS successor? Up to now, Nintendo has released several variations of the Nintendo DS — however, it has not released a completely new handheld. Regarding a DS successor, Iwata offered this: "[It will have] highly detailed graphics, and it will be necessary to have a sensor with the ability to read the movements of people playing." In the past, motion peripherals have been released for the Nintendo DS.
But with the Nintendo DS posting record sales in America during 2009, the exec said this was not the time to discuss when this successor will hit the market.
Iwata also touched on Nintendo's home console, the Nintendo Wii, admitting that sales stalled in Japan last fall, but pointing out that the console has been the biggest seller in both Japan and America during the past three years. He stressed the importance of software.
According to the Asashi Shimbun, there will be a press conference this July for the new pulse Vitality Sensor controller with the intention of putting it on sale as soon as possible. The paper also noted that the newest Legend of Zelda sequel will go on sale before the end of 2010 with no note whether this refers only to Japan. The game was first announced at the E3 game expo in Los Angeles back in 2009.
