N-Philes

Some companies are quiet in the months following E3, reiterating many of the statements and positions made at the event. Some will go on the defensive, claiming that tweaks and changes are underway to products that didn't impress, others will go offensive hoping to get the last word before the long summer months. And then there's Nintendo.

Wii caught much of the E3 buzz, but the house that built Mario still left many details secret. The interviews continued, with little details and ideas seeping into the media. Most significantly is the possibility of pre-paid cards to purchase games through Nintendo's online service. Ubisoft assured everyone that Red Steel will undergo control tweaks to make the launch game more responsive and a visual makeover to improve graphical detail. While not an announcement, a newly-filed patent suggests that Nintendo might be planning on integrating a messaging service into the Wii.

Nintendo has been explaining itself to consumers and the media for the past while, so they've taken a few opportunities to do the same to its employees, shareholders, and retailers. In an effort to expand (and keep an eye on) its user base, Nintendo announced plans to create a new division: Nintendo of Korea. Korea is a lucrative gaming market in which Nintendo currently plays a small role.

At a corporate briefing last month, Nintendo mentioned that they don't plan to lose much, if any, money on individual Wii sales. The fact that they didn't make any concrete estimates suggests that they still don't have final launch prices set in stone. Nintendo also assured everyone that third parties are very interested in the system, and are getting lots of hands-on time with Wii. As for sales forecasts, Nintendo reiterated that they expect Wii to healthily outsell GameCube, and anything less would be a failure. They expect to ship four million Wiis worldwide by the end of 2006, and launch would be a failure if "shortages aren't experienced."

Nintendo also touched on its unstoppable portable line. Square-Enix is concerned that there won't be enough DS Lites for the August 24th launch of Final Fantasy III, however Nintendo made clear that two million DS Lites are being manufactured every month. For comparison's sake, 2.3 million GBAs were being manufactured at its peak. Touching on the Game Boy line, Nintendo mentioned that Micro sales didn't meet expectations, but that was partly due to the company's focus on the DS.

In terms of launches, the DS Lite hit both US and European shores. While Americans had to settle with the ultra-sleek white units, Europeans were able to choose between the white and black models. One shipment to black DS units was actually stolen and never heard from again. For Japan, Noble Pink DS Lite was announced, as well as a new Rumble Pak specifically designed for the Lite.

School for nearly every kid let out in June, which means one thing: weak game releases! North America saw Cars for GameCube, while Game Boy saw Pixar's racers along with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Nintendo touched generations with the DS releases of Sudoku Grid Master, Magnetica, and Big Brain Academy. Jack Sparrow and Lightning McQueen also makes an appearance on the DS, along with the releases of Point Blank and Break'em All.

Japan's DS fever left Game Boys across the nation starved, and GameCube was thrown Ultimate Spider-Man. Magical Vacation, Metroid Prime Hunters, Phantom Thief Rousseau, Digimon Story, Metal Saga Season of Steel, and Touch Comic Dialogue were among the titles released for the DS. Europe saw some key releases, such as New Super Mario Bros., Nintendogs Dalmatian & Friends, and Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is your Brain? for the DS, Final Fantasy IV Advance for GBA, and Super Monkey Ball Adventure for the ‘Cube.

Overall Comments: Will every GBA slot gadget require a separate Lite (or rather, "old DS") model? The Rumble Pak. The DS Browser has a DS version and a DS Lite version. Since most people won't downgrade from a Lite to a Fat model, there isn't that much issue involved, but it's a slippery slope... at least until Nintendo releases enough colors and special edition Lites to make everybody want one.

Nintendo has spoken a lot this month, but hasn't said much that we didn't already know. But like they say, it's isn't what you say but how you say it, and Nintendo's comments showed their confidence in Wii, and their determination and willingness to succeed in the next generation. The GameCube only has a few solid titles left for release and that fact is showing. Ironically the best-selling Game Boy system seems to be harder-pressed for quality titles. Perhaps most ironically is that the highest profile releases in the month heralding summer to million of kids and teens aren't targeted at them, but at their parents.

A Month in Preview: July 2006

The games industry is a bizarre one where some things don't make sense. Gaming's core demographic have more time in the summer for playing games. Game companies, after building hype at E3, should release games in the summer so that Billy and Angela have something to do on long vacation car trips or a rainy day. Instead, companies would rather have their products lost in a sea of winter holiday releases, leaving summer high and dry. Aside from a few movie tie-ins, don't expect much in the way of releases on any Nintendo platform.