Game On: Nintendo Gears Up For E3

As the gaming world gears up for the big Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, on June 2, Nintendo is getting ready to introduce products aimed at capitalizing on the success of its Wii console.

Though the company itself is (so far) not giving any clues, according to a report on Computerandvideogames.com, it looks like the WiiFit Plus will be launched at E3 and will be sold separately from the board and in a bundle—good news for the 17 million existing WiiFit users. In addition, more gamer-centric announcements are expected.

Satoru Iwata, Nintendo Co.'s global president, will provide details at the show. This week, Iwata said that it was vital for his company to produce a steady stream of new, engaging titles for users, not only to keep them interested but also to dissuade them from buying used titles. In April, Iwata also addressed the burgeoning market of selling downloadable games, a method of buying that is likely to grow with the increasing popularity of the iPhone App store.

During a financial briefing Q&A session this spring, Iwata addressed Nintendo's performance during the global economic recession. He noted that the video game market has been relatively insulated from the downturn compared with other industries.

"Products with good sales results receive repeated orders—so the products sell even more," he said. "We have observed that kind of tendency."

At that time, Iwata also addressed the question of online and download sales of gaming products, something popularized by Apple and something Nokia's new Ovi Store is struggling with.

"If I am told, 'Within a couple of years from today, there will be no retail outlets which will be selling packaged software,' my reaction must be, 'There's got to be something wrong with that assumption because I do not believe people's behaviors can change in such a short time,''" Iwata said.

The company's WiiWare is a service that lets Wii users download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console. Iwata said net connection ratios to the Wii shop channel (through which users connect to WiiWare) have gradually been increasing. "We are making efforts with the hope that it will someday reach and go beyond the tipping point," Iwata said. "The current situation, however, is that we are observing only a gradual increase."

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