I just want to see the games. I suspect the ND broadcast will be done in a festive way from the show floor, so I probably won't notice much difference.

i good with the Nintendo Directs...

well, you will see the same games but without the usual pr on a conference about how awesome they are compared to the competition and all that unneeded stuff.

It's a shame there's no conference, I bet next year Henry will hold traditional one instead of a special ND - so as far as E3 goes there's only s Sony or Microsoft conference to pick who's had the best conference . I quite enjoyed the Nintendo conferences as this year would have been perfect to show off their games

Nintendo Directs are done too often. When you do something too often, it loses its appeal. That's what I love about E3 Press Conferences. Once a year. Big Stage. Lots of hype and high expectations.

Last year, we watched a stream. People at E3 then got to go and play the games shown.

This year, we'll watch a stream. People at E3 will then go and play the games shown.

The only difference is that instead of a stage as the platform, you'll see whatever background they are filming.   I mean it is still just like an E3 Media Briefing like they hold every year except that it is filmed ahead of time and the background is different.   From a viewer persepctive, not much is actually changing.

As for why, costs and information control.

1. ND's are far, far cheaper to produce than a massive E3 Media Briefing.

2. By splitting the information into 3 segments (ND for consumers, followed by an in person retailer and analyst briefing and a media E3 booth walk through), they really get to reduce the information that each segment needs rather than filling time with info some segments don't need and they get a much more direct dose of the information they do need.  They can talk to investors in investor speak or retailers in retail speak for an hour while giving media exclusive hands on time with the games before E3 begins.  Consumers get information on games.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

Not really. Reading up online some journalists (reputable ones, like Gamesindustry.biz) have suggested that the cost of an E3 mega conference goes up to around the $5 million to $10 million mark--and it never satisfies everyone.

I just don't see the importance of a one hour hype bubble, especially not when Nintendo need to throw so much money at it. And like it or not, Nintendo's message--conference or no conference--will get pushed to one side in the immediate aftermath of Microsoft and Sony talking about new consoles in great depth. That's only natural.

I also agree with Iwata that trying to appease shareholders, analysts, journalists fans and general consumers in the course of one E3 press conference is a fool's errand. Wii U won't be turned around by a sixty minute on stage press conference, and the information about the games can be broadcast across the internet just as easily through the Direct. Less money can be spent on the Direct but the immediate effect will be the same--every gaming site and blog will cover Nintendo's announcements, just as they have with other Direct announcements. Trailers, titles, screenshots and play-tests will be swimming across the net over the next week.

And the advantage of the Direct? Nintendo can follow it up on Wednesday with another broadcast, or through the week with smaller, focused broadcasts, or next week with a 3DS broadcast. That way people will continually talk about Nintendo and what they are doing, even as all the information coming from traditional press conferences gets dissected immediately and then lost in the perpetual buzz of E3. Nintendo were talked about far more last year because they got the ball rolling with the Miiverse Direct before their Wii U conference, and then held a 3DS conference. They kept releasing information which kept people talking. They need to advance and improve on that strategy.

Nintendo can target the broader market closer to the release of their products with television campaigns and more focused methods, rather than assuming or hoping for some kind of spill-through from E3. If you consider the saturated coverage dedicated gaming media gives E3, Nintendo won't lose out on that front, and any loss on the mass-market front is easily made up for later in the year. For every hundred E3 articles a gaming site runs, a mainstream site may run one to ten. Nintendo have plenty of time to make up for any loss of exposure in the months ahead, and can do so in ways that will directly hit the mainstream consumers.

So no. I'm not disappointed. The information I want will still be relayed directly to me, and it will probably be better communicated and better managed than it would live on stage.

EDIT: I'd also point out Nintendo's products will still be on the show floor, which is hugely important. Nintendo are still at E3 in a big way.

I'm sure gonna miss all the awesome reactions... I love those! That's what made the reveal of Zelda TP so amazing! We won't have that this year =/

Bingo. As far as any individual person is concerned, this E3 is no different than it's ever been: business partners get their show, journalists get their show, we get our stream, the only difference is that it's being compartmentalized (and the divide and conquer trick for different audiences has shown to be a good thing in the past)