I can't stand Apple. That's why I got a black DS lite, and I would have gotten a black Wii if they had them. But it's true that Nintendo is following Apple's lead: making gimmicky, underpowered machines that are marketed to idiots.

How much do you want to bet this ends up on Matt Cassamassina's blog?

@altgod: Yes and no. I personally think in the vision of their, I guess, "playability," their intentions are much more pure (indicative of his first statement).

Business-wise, they want to be marketable and expand the gaming population, which they have been successful of.

But in terms of the "art of gaming," they have also been successful in creating an exciting new experience in the games we play without just making better graphics.

But God, I hate Apple, mostly because any product of theirs I can easily find a cheaper AND better one made by a different company. So I'm not quite convinced that's Nintendo, yet. (IE: the DS Lite.)

@altgod: Seconded. At least Nintendo doesn't charge $1,000 dollars for the Wii.

I can see how Nintendo would like some of what Apple does, but I've always found that Apple products have worse specs, generally don't do what they're designed to as well, and cost more than the competition. As long as Nintendo keeps producing good games and keeps their prices down, I can live with the worse specs. When they start taking that Apple business model is when I start to worry (or just wonder what they're smoking).

They hate gamers and making games for gamers, that's all that can be said. Hate us /hard/.

In other words - no good games, play your sports.

@altgod:
Looks like someon hates the iPod

@Garo: Is it me?

'Cause I do.

@erlik:
Hate is such a harsh word... I guess you mean you don't prefer it ;)

Those eyes were ripped from the sockets of the apocalypse.

Did nobody ever tell Iwata that a game can have both a simplified control scheme and pretty graphics?

Apparently not.

@altgod:

are you that much of an idiot? You talk underpowered machines but how's Vista treating you BTW... sucks I know doesn't it.

Apple makes better everything so unless you get a clue as to what you are talking about then you might as well just STFU

@erlik: i'll third that and add in some anti-fanboy jingoism with an "you mean iPood rite?"

@altgod: here here!! also, everything apple produce is over priced, cynical, over hyped and lame. 'features' such as stupid visual gimmicks don't make a computer / console good, they make it a stupid gimmick.
i'm terribly disappointed by this statement of intent by nintendo, seriously my hatred for apple is so deep and intense my opinion of nintendo, which until now was mildly positive, has fallen drastically.
the day apple dies is a good day for humanity.

When people talk Apple I am completely baffled by how Apple fans think its better over MS/Windows.Yea MS has a monopoly, yea MS has shady business practices, yea MS is the spoiled child of the IT industry.

But how do you justify crying "dirty" to MS for their monopoly practices when you support a company that complete grips and monopolizes their entire system?

Image if MS made the hardware components the computer itself, the box, the retail store and all the software on it? I mean that's what Apple does. The day Apple ever competes to MS on PC market share is the day we sell our child's future away.

Meh... I will love Apple when they unveil the next gaming console... that is MIND CONTROLLED!!

Mario Galaxy is the poster-child for this. It looks good but the story is rudimentary (almost secondary since you could miss it all together) and it definitely places the emphasis on game play over everything else. Clearly it works; I've got one star left (my wife begged me to stop playing) and Galaxy is sitting at the top of many game of the year lists.

I personally like apple products. Sure they can be a touch expensive but the interface is really simple and they are pretty cool looking. I'm actually writing this comment from my iPod touch after reading the article on this nifty device as well

Shaky Cameraman: "Ummm....sir....you've got...a bit of blood..."
Iwata: "Oh!" (Takes out handkerchief, dabs at lips).

Very Shaky Cameraman: "No, sir.....your....eyes..."

Iwata: "Ah yes, what is the saying? Eyes bigger than stomach? AHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

selling illusion rather than experience

@Garo:
Actually not really. The iPod is alright. There are better mp3's but there's nothing that I really hate about the iPod. It works well, and isn't really that overpriced anymore. My biggest gripe is with their PC's. Remember the G3s? Remember having to deal with that shit for 3 years? I also had to program on Macs when I was learning Java. Fuckers broke every 30 minutes.

@Antek718:
Is it Monday today?

@altgod:
I know that Apple doesn't make what most people think of as PCs, but PC does technically stand for personal computer.

i guess Nintendo and Apple will ally each other against Microsoft, sooner or later.
Nintendo iPhone DS, Apple DS Phone or something like that.

@altgod:

Too right. Their user interfaces are terrible and confusing and their heralded "design philosophy" really isnt anything special. I don't like how any of their products look.

Additionally, iTunes? What. A. Mess.

I kinda like the Load times on the Wii.. If you can have huge graphically intense games with no load times then that would be great!!

@altgod:
Well I like my iPod but I don't like iTunes.
Can't discuss the Mac because I never had one and I don't intend to... well, maybe ;)

After spending 6 hours trying to dig out an entrenched virus in my winbox and realising it would have been faster to just reformat and start over I decided Never Again.

Yes, Apple is security by obscurity and the smaller installed base meant less interested script kiddies, but as I grow older I yearn for simplicity.

Plus my work dictates use of photoshop and illustrator so ubuntu is out.

@cactaur:

Maybe you'd like to enlighten me as to how Apple uses "security by obscurity" when OSX is a UNIX operating system, and the base of the OS is the Darwin platform, which is open source software?

Buy a clue. Seriously.

@Tanod: Which is why Super Mario Galaxy was both a commercial and critical failure.

Clearly Nintendo have no idea what makes games fun anymore so should drop out of the market altogether.

i agree with Satoru, he's pursuing games the way they were ment to, entertain the public, and they're destroying barriers between gamers/nerds and other ppl. they were ment to do that in the first place. obviously Wii2 will have HD and cost the same it does today, see how smart that is? so then they will have future gaming machines with that potential cause SONY/MS have done all the investments/research on it. Simple, and ppl, WIndows>Mac, for everyday operating Systems, but MAC> windows in Grafic design. u simply cannot get better Design programs on windows, they're not that good, how do i know? cause i am a grafic designer, i use them everyday so what do we see here? same argument u get in consoles, but the turth is, they were made to pursue different stuff they can't compete.

DEnzal, u're a retard, it was acclaimed 2nd best game of all time, so u know, u better shhhhh. =P

@Denzal: are you joking? Galaxy's average review score rivals Ocarina of Time

"I myself have used Apple products for many years, but I didn't model my management style on them. The philosophies "Limit model creep", "Produce simple products", and "Drive new styles and innovations" that the companies share are simply neccessities for Apple as an electronics firm and Nintendo as a game firm, and come from an inward-looking focus."

I didn't model my management style on them.

@gnugeek: It's security through obscurity because Apple's market share is so small that no one bothers to write viruses for it. Yes it uses a UNIX variant as its base but most effective viruses (usually Trojans) require user initiation and need to be written for a specific OS and UI family.

@amost & Andrezao: If you look back at the post Denzal was referring to, it's fairly clear that s/he was being sarcastic.

@Denzal:

I hope you're being sarcastic, but if not...

Selling a half million in the US during first week alone doesn't necessarily mean commercial failure. It's not Halo 3 like numbers, but it certainly isn't horrible. And as far as being a critical failure...check the average review scores again with eyes open. It was anything but a critical failure.

Anyway, as much as I am happy for Nintendo's success, a little more meat in their machines and games would be cool. If not that, then make some games that your new casual market actually would consider buying. Frankly, and I say this as a Wii owner, there's a lotta crap out there and it's unfortunate that the new market doesn't really read up on what they're buying.

Nintendo sales are certainly indicative of that.

It's the demographic you should be looking at.

@Andrezao: I believe Denzal was being sarcastic. If not, please feel free to correct me.

@cactaur: Even if there were less viruses written for Mac (what I took your "security through obscurity" comment to mean, sorry if I misunderstood), there are a multitude of flaws with OSX in terms of security. When these were pointed out to Apple their answer was "we'll fix it in the next OS," which certainly doesn't help people unless they're willing to upgrade everytime a new .1 comes out. Even then some of the problems weren't actually fixed.

I'll try to find some of the articles I read before on it.

As more and more disgruntled idiots on Windows switch to Apple, and more and more games come out for Apple systems, you are more and more likely to run into viruses and system-compromising situations. I'm not saying you have to be an idiot to hate Windows, I'm saying that people who aren't computer savvy switch to an Apple because they see "Hey, there are no viruses for Macs" which is not only completely erroneous but dangerous. Even on a Mac you need a firewall and an anti-virus, and to stay up-to-date on all patches / definitions / etc for both your software and operating system.

er... the first line is meant to be a quote.

Here's what I don't get about the Wii-hate. I have a Wii, a PS2, and a 360 as my main consoles. Every generation up to now I've had to get a new controller with each system. What Nintendo may have done with the Wii is shift the dynamic between the system and the controller.

The Wiimote is standard bluetooth, not a proprietary tech. We've all seen Johnny Lee interface the Wiimote with his computer. In addition, almost any controller can be plugged into the Wiimote and use the bluetooth connectivity to communicate. Presumably, this would require a special jack and the right software in the console box iteself.

The Wii has been described as a few gamecubes duct taped together. If Nintendo continues this trend the next console will come in two flavors: Console and Wiimote(s), or console only.

If Nintendo waits, the next system will output HD (probably to 1080p), be just as fast as a 360, and probably cost about $100-$150. It'll probably work with all gamecube / Wii games, as well.

Consoles have reached a point where the generation gap isn't going to bring very drastic improvements. TVs won't be going higher than 1080p for a while, I imagine. Nintendo has the opportunity to keep using "old tech", make a profit on an upgraded box, and satisfy almost every type of gamer out there with limited to no development costs. Wii 2.0 will simply be a Wii with (possibly) a high def disc drive, possibly (but not likely) a hard drive, and upgraded processing / graphical abilities. This will be "old tech" in a few years and will position Nintendo to be able to sell a strong console at a budget price. Keeping the same basic architecture should also make things easier on the developers.

This is all dependent on the Wiimote lasting as well as every other Nintendo product. The hard work has been done, and Nintendo has created an expandable video game system centered around the Wii remote. I want to see them use it to the max extent.

Just make a bloody iPhone DS and get the merger over with!

Nintendo sucks big time! A story doenst count? wtf? graphics dont count? omg! can we all go back to hercules gfx and spectrum? ffs just stop saying stupid things! We want to evolve! Not interested in playing super mario bros forever!

LOSTHORIZON, you obviously did not listen to anything said. Fanboys (see: you) suck.

@Losthorizon:
So you would rather play eye candy like lair all your life? If it makes you happy then great...

Wow this turned into a nice cesspool of a thread. @Losthorizon: Hey stop bashing we don't need that here on Kotaku.

The Apple/Nintendo thing is a great analogy: if you're looking for total bang for your buck, they're never going to be the go-to people. But they have that special something (an uncluttered design sense in hardware and software) that makes you a convert and keeps you coming back, even if they're not always the best deal in town.

If you read the comment Denzal is replying to, you'll see he's abviously being sarcastic.

Anyway, I like what Iwata is saying and I like the direction Nintendo is taking. I think his point is that its very hard for a company to expend the resources necessary to push a powerful console ahead. Therefore, you can't really go out on a limb and experiment while pursuing that strategy. The wii was designed to promote a very risky strategy. They had no idea if the wii-controller would be a success so they couldn't attach it to hardware sold at a loss. Its a no-brainer really. Now that the Wii-controller has proven itself, they can be more aggressive on the hardware in the next iteration. Keep up the good work Ninty and the consumer will continue to reward you.

@Tanod:

Did anyone tell Tanod that if you simplify the controls and then charge 599 US dollars you've just lost the hardcore and the casual players simultaneously. MS and Sony both got stupid this gen with pricing. $300 dollars is what you launch consoles at, less if you can manage.

Also, this 12 SKU bullshit needs to stop as of 2 years ago. This generation has seen it fail like... 6 times. Sony launches PS3, the 20gig is the only one that sells worth a damn (I never saw one in stores). They launch the 80gig, that doesn't sell but now the 60 does. They cancel the 60gig, now only the 40 sells. MS, well, MS is a bunch of idiots if they thought the core would sell.

@Garo:

I can proudly say I absolutely despise every Apple product ever made. And that's HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE for those keeping count of the hate-factor.

Agreed on the firewall, disagree on the antivirus, as long as you're careful, you can keep your system pretty safe. Leaving your computer out in "plain sight" on t