TOKYO, Sept. 16, 2005 – Every gamer who plays. Every one who used to play. Even those
who have yet to play, Nintendo is your bet.
As the cornerstone of his speech today at the Tokyo Game Show’s
annual event, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata elaborated on the theme of the company’s aim and proven ability to broaden
the population of video game players. Two shining examples highlighted in his keynote include the smash-hit sales of the highly
innovative Nintendogs game for the portable Nintendo DS system, and the new controller that will be central to the company’s
upcoming console system, code-named Revolution.
Nintendo breaks with more than 20 years of video game history by abandoning
the traditional controller held with two hands and introducing an all-new freehand-style unit held with one hand.
The
intuitive, pioneering interface allows players to run, jump, spin, slide, shoot, steer, accelerate, bank, dive, kick, throw
and score in a way never experienced in the history of gaming.
“The feeling is so natural and real, as soon
as players use the controller, their minds will spin with the possibilities of how this will change gaming as we know it today,”
explains Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president. “This is an extremely exciting innovation – one that will thrill current
players and entice new ones.”
When picked up and pointed at the screen, the controller gives a lightning-quick
element of interaction, sensing motion, depth, positioning and targeting dictated by movement of the controller itself.
The
controller also allows for a variety of expansions, including a “nunchuk” style analog unit offering the enhanced
game-play control hard-core gamers demand.
The response from all major publishers worldwide has been extremely positive.
Beyond its other innovations, the new controller gives third parties flexibility, allowing them the option to use as many
or as few of the controller features as they desire. In addition, incorporated technology will easily allow games from the
NES, SNES, N64 and Nintendo GameCube generations to be controlled in familiar fashion.
Nintendogs for the DS, a virtual
and sophisticated dogfest, has taken the gaming world by storm, already selling more than 1.5 million units in Japan and North
America combined. The game, just as Iwata believes the Revolution controller will do, is exciting current game players and
attracting hordes of new consumers into the playing world.
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A webcast of Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's
keynote address at the Tokyo Game Show will be available Friday morning, September 16, 2005 at the following address:
http://www.irwebcasting.com/050916/03/index.html 
