Iwata: Video Chat for 3DS Possible
Nintendo president bigs up device in uncertain economy.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has been waxing lyrical about the company's financial standing, stating that a fluctuating worldwide economy and a waning interest in its 'blue ocean' strategy has been impacting profits.
The discussion with the BBC about the financial slump follows a round of interviews talking up the upcoming 3DS handheld - which Nintendo hopes will bring a kick to its margins. According to GfK Chart-Track, overall console sales in the UK for the first six months of 2010 fell by a third, apparently due to a lack of interest in Wii and DS platforms.
"If the Yen, or any currency, changes over one, two or three years, then that is something that we corporations have to deal with," said Mr Iwata. "However, if over a week a currency fluctuates by five or ten percent, there has to be something seriously wrong with the economy.
"From that perspective, we cannot say our [global] economy as a whole has been stabilised and there is uncertainty on how to estimate our profits. The Euro is just one of the most recent examples of the issues we have been observing in the currency market since the shock of Lehman Brothers," he added.
With Apple muscling in on the handheld gaming scene with its iPhone devices, there is added pressure for Nintendo to maintain its dominant position in the market. Along with 3D games, Iwata said to Forbes that he would be interested in talking to Hollywood studios to place 3D films onto the 3DS - and he even namechecked 3D video chat as a possible feature as well.
3DS features - a response to the iPhone, or Nintendo reaching out beyond the 'blue ocean'? Let us know in the comments box.
The discussion with the BBC about the financial slump follows a round of interviews talking up the upcoming 3DS handheld - which Nintendo hopes will bring a kick to its margins. According to GfK Chart-Track, overall console sales in the UK for the first six months of 2010 fell by a third, apparently due to a lack of interest in Wii and DS platforms.
"If the Yen, or any currency, changes over one, two or three years, then that is something that we corporations have to deal with," said Mr Iwata. "However, if over a week a currency fluctuates by five or ten percent, there has to be something seriously wrong with the economy.
"From that perspective, we cannot say our [global] economy as a whole has been stabilised and there is uncertainty on how to estimate our profits. The Euro is just one of the most recent examples of the issues we have been observing in the currency market since the shock of Lehman Brothers," he added.
With Apple muscling in on the handheld gaming scene with its iPhone devices, there is added pressure for Nintendo to maintain its dominant position in the market. Along with 3D games, Iwata said to Forbes that he would be interested in talking to Hollywood studios to place 3D films onto the 3DS - and he even namechecked 3D video chat as a possible feature as well.
3DS features - a response to the iPhone, or Nintendo reaching out beyond the 'blue ocean'? Let us know in the comments box.
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