New console to link up with Nintendo DS
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has stressed the importance of forging a link between the DS handheld and the new Wii console, stating that the technology for interconnectivity is already in place.
Speaking to gaming blog Kotaku, the legendary games designer said that the option for consumers to connect the two 'disruptive technology' platforms has already been implemented in the Wii console - but that Nintendo has yet to cement plans with regard to how best to utilise it.
Using the DS touch-screen and microphone input to affect Wii gameplay as well as downloading content from Wii to be edited and then uploaded back to the console from the DS were just a couple of the suggestions presented, but no firm announcements have been made thus far.
Miyamoto stated that the connectivity functions for the two devices would likely be available by the time the Wii launches during the fourth quarter of the year, or very soon afterwards.
Central to Nintendo's next-gen strategy is the expansion of the gaming audience and a move away from 'core gamers' to a broader demographic, who will want to play the Wii regardless of age, gender and previous experience of videogames.
Software innovations aside, the company believes that its revolutionary motion-sensing controller is key to breaking down the barriers and encouraging a new, non-gaming audience to join in.
Miyamoto hopes to further encourage this expansion of the consumer audience by offering a personal attachment to the new controller. Effectively, each person in the household could have their own controller, which is tied to their own gaming preferences and will ensure that the Wii automatically customises the look or settings of various games, depending on which controller is used to switch the machine on or join a new game.
Whilst Microsoft already offers a personalised gamertag and user profile for it's Xbox 360 console (with similar plans announced for the PS3), Nintendo appears to be taking the idea a step further, offering a personalised controller that enables the console to instantly recognise personal preferences and game settings - a move which could prove to be exceptionally useful in helping the company achieve its ambitions in the next-gen market.
