Out of curiosity, who is there who could take Iwata's job if he stood down? I know Reggie's popular but I'm sceptical that board as conservative as this would allow a non-Japanese to take the job. After that who's left? Shibata? Miyamoto? It may well be that he's being kept on due to a lack of alternatives and a reluctance to hire from outside the company

I shake my head that he 'feels responsible' for Nintendo's performance. As the president of the company he IS responsible for Nintendo's performance, there is no 'feel' about it. The buck stops with him, he has the power to change whatever process or strategy within Nintendo that is causing their poor performance, the fact he hasn't makes him 'responsible' for it.

Yes, the Wii and DS were amazingly successful, but just like the coach of a football team that won a premiership 5 years ago but has been scrapping the bottom of the ladder since, past success can only carry you so far. Eventually new blood and ideas are required to find success again.