Iwata: 4-Year Console Cycle 'Too Inflexible'
Nintendo wants to do 'everything possible' before successors.By Steve Watts, 11/05/2007
Everyone knows Wii is significantly less powerful than its competitors. Some have felt the system will be lining up its next console earlier than the usual console lifespan to play catch-up with current technology. But, according to Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata, the company isn't planning on abiding by those traditional rules.
As reported by Aussie Nintendo, the company's Q3 financial results conference saw Iwata claiming that he's "doubtful that such a notion of platform cycles can be applied in the future." He argues, instead, launches should depend on when it can signify a major shift in entertainment, or when they have done everything possible with the current hardware. He also says that scheduling the successor to current hardware on a 4-year life cycle without paying attention to changes in the market "appears to be too inflexible an approach to us."
This isn't to say that the company doesn't have eyes on the future. "We need to forecast what the future will be like with the expected evolution of new technologies which are available at any given time, and try to identify the so-called 'sweet spot' of technology over the next few years," he said.
So, when will hardware revisions come? It's hard to say, but don't count on it being anytime in the very near future. Iwata says that "we are not suffering from the shortage of new ideas for the DS," implying that whatever is to come next from Nintendo in the handheld space is a long way off. Their strategy for the Wii will likely be similar, using the system until their ideas have been exhausted. Maybe it's the DS that will have the 10-year life span after all.
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So - what does this mean? Does he want to lengthen the time between hardware releases or shorten it? (Or is he not sure yet?)
Discuss.
