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IGN: Don't take this the wrong way because we're happy. But why unveil Zelda: Phantom Hourglass at GDC and not E3?

Beth Llewelyn: We just thought it'd be fun. We wanted to give you guys a little taste of what you'll see more of at E3. We thought you'd appreciate it. It's a game we're working on and we certainly wanted to start talking about it.

IGN: Right. But it seems to us that Nintendo traditionally holds its big guns until E3. However, you're already giving us a major Zelda game at GDC. So what does that say about your E3 presence?

Beth: Nothing. We'll have nothing to show there [laughs].

IGN: Give us a little more than that!

Beth: I think you're going to be very excited with E3. There'll be a lot to talk about at E3. Certainly Revolution will have a big presence there. We'll be saying a lot more about that. And DS will have a huge presence. I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised and have a good time.

IGN: Lots of beautiful DS Lites at your GDC booth. But you didn't mention anything about a US launch of the handheld at GDC.

Beth: We haven't talked about the launch date. It will be coming to the US. It will become a global product. But we just haven't said specifically when you'll be seeing it here. You will, though.

IGN: When do you think we'll be hearing around the release date in the US?

Beth: You know, that's a tough one to say right now, but soon.

IGN: Before E3 or at E3?

Beth: I'm not quite sure yet.

IGN: Nintendo DS is disrupting development. Revolution will disrupt development. What about the Game Boy?

Beth: Well, we're just talking about two of our big products for this year. So, obviously DS has been out there and we continue to bring out some great games for the system. And Revolution we have said will launch this year. So we're just really right now focusing on those two products.

IGN: You don't have anything to announce for the Game Boy market. Where is the Game Boy market going?

Beth: It's not going away. Game Boy is a huge franchise of ours and certainly we're going to continue to support that. There are still games coming out and Game Boy Advance SP is doing great. We'll continue to see games out there for that, but what comes next? Well, you'll have to wait and see.

IGN: Is Revolution the final name of your new system?

Beth: No, it's not.

IGN: So it's definitely a codename?

Beth: It's a codename.

IGN: And it's going to change?

Beth: It is going to change.

IGN: Great. When are you going to reveal the final name?

Beth: Well, you're going to have to wait and see.

IGN: E3?

Beth: Not quite sure yet.

IGN: Somehow we think that's a lie.

[Laughter]

IGN: Will we see new IPs for Revolution at E3?

Beth: Maybe. Maybe, maybe. We haven't talked about any of the games for Revolution yet. You'll learn more when you get to E3.

IGN: How are you tackling presenting Revolution at E3?

Beth: It's an interesting thing to approach because clearly what makes Revolution so unique is the controller and picking that up and playing with it and really understanding what it is and why we're so excited about it. So yeah, we definitely want people to get their hands on the controller and experience the system, but that does make for a unique challenge. You know, how do you show that in a press conference and how do you show that to a large group of people? That's what we're working on right now.

IGN: So will your booth at E3 be organized dramatically differently from last year?

Beth: I can't give away all the secrets about our booth. But you will have fun. You will get to experience some new games and you'll get your hands on the controller.

IGN: Will you have private, enclosed rooms for demos?

Beth: I don't know yet.

IGN: So, SEGA Genesis and TurboGrafx games on Revolution's Virtual Console. That makes us happy. Does this mean all SEGA and TurboGrafx games will come over?


Beth: That's kind of up to SEGA, as to what they want to provide. But what we talked about today was kind of a best-of from SEGA and then TurboGrafx games. But we haven't gone into specifics about what that means or what some of the games will be. But the idea is that you will be able to play some of your favorite SEGA Genesis games or some of the games that were out on the TurboGrafx.
IGN: Is this an exclusive agreement?

Beth: Not necessarily exclusive, but we're just excited to have that content on the Revolution.

IGN: And when you speak about SEGA and Hudson, does this announcement mean that just titles published by those companies on Genesis and TurboGrafx may come to Revolution?

Beth: It could be beyond that. But obviously that would be a discussion between publishers and SEGA.

IGN: Are any other deals like this in the works?

Beth: Obviously we want to make a very robust library for the Virtual Console, so there may be other announcements down the road.

IGN: What would you say to people who are afraid that Revolution will have poor third party support?

Beth: I would say they shouldn't be afraid. There will be plenty of third party support for Revolution. We're talking to a lot of developers and a lot of publishers and everybody is very excited, especially once they start playing with the controller and see what it can do. So, I think for gamers out there and even non-gamers who we're trying to reach as well, there will certainly be a robust library for Revolution - more than just Nintendo titles. Absolutely.

IGN: Can we expect exclusive third party games?

Beth: You can.

IGN: Playable at E3?

Beth: [Laughs]

IGN: We happen to know that there will be.

Beth: That may be a good place for you to learn more about some titles for Revolution.

IGN: What's the deal with Zelda: Twilight Princess and the Revolution controller?

Beth: We're going to obviously talk a lot more about Zelda when we get to E3. But Miyamoto did talk about the fact that you can use the Revolution controller with the GameCube Zelda. And that's about all we're talking about right now.

IGN: So that will be demoed at E3 then.

Beth: We'll certainly be talking about it at E3. And Mr. Iwata did reference that in his speech today - that we'd see Zelda on GameCube and DS at E3.

IGN: So you're still positioning Zelda: Twilight Princess as a GameCube title?

Beth: Yes.

IGN: You're not going to say 'for GameCube / Revolution' on the box, or anything like that?

Beth: It's a GameCube title.

IGN: It's definitely just GameCube then?

Beth: Right now, it's a GameCube title.

IGN: [Laughs] Right now? What does that mean? Oh forget it -- you're not going to answer, anyway.

[Laughter]

IGN: Are you going to start talking about DS and Revolution wireless connectivity?

Beth: It's not something we've talked about yet. We're very much focused on what DS is doing - Wi-Fi gaming and DS-to-DS; those aspects. We clearly haven't said a lot about Revolution. You'll start hearing more about that, but right now the focus is on two separate systems: the handheld and then the console.

IGN: You guys made a point to state that Nintendo is not running away from the competition. So how do you see yourself in the market versus 360 and PS3 this holiday?

Beth: Well, we clearly think we're moving down a different path. Sony and Microsoft are going one direction, talking about graphics and processing power. All these buzzwords. Very focused on how everything looks on screen. We're going a different direction. We're focused on the experience. How are you going to play the games? As Mr. Iwata talked about today, the investment that Nintendo has made into the controller is far more than anybody typically would. Usually you invest into what's on screen and we shifted that a little bit because we think the gameplay experience is so much more important and that is where we wanted to innovate. So, I think yes, we're all going out there with new systems and that in some sense we're competing for dollars. But we're going down a different path from what our competitors our doing.

IGN: Is Revolution a genuine 'mainstream' videogame console?

Beth: Absolutely.

IGN: Do you think Revolution could potentially do bigger numbers than 360 or PS3?


Beth: Oh, I think Revolution has tremendous potential. I think we've done a fabulous job with Nintendo DS. Not just getting it out to core gamers, but building on that with games like Nintendogs and you're certainly going to see that with Brain Age. Mr. Iwata talked about what's going on in Japan. It's become quite the phenomenon over there. So we're talking a lot of those key lessons and putting them toward Revolution. So what we're doing on the handheld space you can see in the console space. We're always asking how we can expand the market and go beyond the core. We certainly want to keep the core and you're going to see the games that core gamers love - so Mario, Zelda and all of those will continue to be made. But what else can we do to help us reach the broader audience? And that really goes to the whole philosophy behind the Revolution controller. So many people will pick up a remote control for a TV and yet so many people are intimidated by the 16 buttons on a videogame controller. So that has certainly been part of the thought process behind how we can reach more people.
IGN: The Virtual Console is going to be home to hundreds of classic games, from the sound of it. But can we expect original games for it, too?

Beth: Yeah, and actually Mr. Iwata touched upon that briefly today - the system being a platform for developers to try out new content. So, certainly. We've been focused pretty heavily on the classic content and now bringing SEGA Genesis and TurboGrafx games, but it certainly will be a forum for bringing some new content.

IGN: There's still a Revolution secret, apparently. It gets mentioned every now and again.

[Beth laughs]

IGN: Is it a big secret?

Beth: It depends on which one it is, I don't know. Clearly there are things we haven't said yet about Revolution, mainly talking about the games and what you're going to be able to play and what the experience is really like. But yes, there are still some secrets out there about what the system can do.

IGN: Hardware related secrets?

Beth: You know, maybe. It's kind of hard to say. There are just a lot of things that we haven't talked about yet. There's a lot more to learn.

IGN: How have third parties been reacting to the controller?

Beth: From what I've heard, it's been very, very positive. I think people are excited about what it can do. Because it is something different. It's exciting. It's not just more of the same. They can push their imagination a little bit and push their creativity. I think, again, it helps that we have a bit of a track now with the Nintendo DS. I think that's opened the doors more for people to be excited about the possibilities for Revolution. But the reaction so far has been very, very, very positive.

IGN: It sounds like the reason for Iwata's keynote was to show developers how to disrupt the market. You demonstrated two examples of this approach on DS, but nothing on Revolution. Why not?

Beth: We're just laying the groundwork for Revolution. We chose not to at this point in time. A lot of that has to do with where we are and what we're ready to show, and obviously with E3 around the corner there's work being done getting ready for that. But this was an important audience to reach in order to talk about Nintendo's broad message to the industry and what we've been doing. I think Mr. Iwata did a very good job today. It was great.

IGN: Sony says final PS3 dev kits will hit in June. When do final Revolution dev kits hit?

Beth: We haven't announced what our final dev kit schedule is yet.

IGN: Is Nintendo meeting with developers at GDC to talk Revolution?

Beth: Yes. We have our development support group, product development, yes. Obviously it's a very important show for those folks to meet with licensees and publishers and developers. Oh yeah.

IGN: No HD graphics on Rev. Will this be an uphill battle for Nintendo and do you think it's a point you need to address during your E3 presentation?

Beth: I think we've been talking about the HD stuff for nearly a year. No, I don't think it's going to be a big deal. A lot of people really close to this industry are early adopters and everyone gets very excited about HD, but you have to remember that the majority of people out there don't have high-definition television, or if they do they only have one in the house. The penetration rate of HD is very small. Certainly down the road Nintendo will adopt that. Yes, in the future, we will. But right now we'd rather put the money and the development dollars into something like the controller because we think that's more important. It's also something that's going to be more accessible by the vast majority of gamers out there. HD is exciting and looks pretty, but ultimately not a lot of people are going to take advantage of that.

IGN: Will Revolution games still look pretty?

Beth: Of course they'll still look pretty. That's kind of a given. They're going to look nice and they're going to be fun to play. We didn't want everything to be focused just on graphics. That's not what Revolution is about and it's not what gaming should be about. It's not just the graphics. It all comes down to fun, which is again a point Mr. Iwata ended his speech with.

IGN: Are you going to keep the name 'Virtual Console' for your Wi-Fi download service?

Beth: That's my understanding.

IGN: Will the interface be shown at E3?

Beth: Don't know yet.

IGN: Will the design of the console change at all when we see it next at E3?

Beth: No, it shouldn't. Maybe some little tweaks, but overall that's the final look of the system.

IGN: Have you seen these Nintendo Go photographs floating around the Internet?

Beth: You're about the fourth person who has asked me that. I have know idea what that is. I haven't been on the Internet yet today, but I have no idea what that is.

IGN: Is the Revolution hardware itself finished?

Beth: I believe so, yes.

IGN: Is there any chance we can take the Revolution console on display at GDC home?

Beth: Uhhh… no.

IGN: What's your final message for Nintendo fans looking forward to Revolution?

Beth: At E3 there's just going to be a ton of news. I think E3 is going to be a great opportunity to learn more about Revolution. To see more things happening on Nintendo DS. And to just kind of get a better sense about what's happening with the future of Nintendo. It's going to be an exciting show and there's lots to look forward to.

kinopio

Never heard of her.

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Now playing
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
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Aipotu

I think she's a bot. We might have to wait and see.

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Doctor_Mango

i'v never heard of her, but she seems like she would be fun to interview

f1reburn

Well, at least she doesn't say "no comment" after every question.

And we now know the revolution name is going to change after all.

djsilvertiger

It's actually a somewhat informative interview.

*Revolution name will definitely change, Nintendo GO is fake
*Rev hardware finished
*E3 is actually going to be awesome and not nothing!

God Blessa!

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Chris to Chris- Your favorite Podcast. Probably the best thing you've ever heard.

Spawn

Still didn't say very much though. Nintendo's PR people were in the past mentioned as Jedi-knights by IGN, but I think they're more like Sith-lords, clouding everyone's minds...

That said, the points that DJSilverTiger mentions are nice points to know.

Iris

We've known that since last year's E3.

This time, we won't be left hanging by our own hype. It's been reiterated multiple times by Nintendo.

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kinopio

She didn't exactly say the hardware was finished, only that the design wouldn't see much changes if any. The other two points were already known.

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Now playing
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Torchlight

djsilvertiger

I KNOW THAT! Just reiterating! But I believe I made a useful list.

God Blessa!

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Chris to Chris- Your favorite Podcast. Probably the best thing you've ever heard.

Joester

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octorok and roll

Wow, Nintendo found a replacement for Perrin Kaplan as "the lone female PR rep who isn't told a damn thing about what's going on."

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Quote of the Month:

BuzzJive

Too much reading for not enough info, but I'm really digging this news:

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George

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Cursive

Isn't the promise of new content basically the same idea as the Xbox Live Arcade thing? Or is that just like puzzle games etc? It's pretty good presumably allowing smaller developers to distribute their games cheaply. Although the 512MB storage of the Rev isn't exactly going to be able to store a lot of 'proper' games, if you know what I mean

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StarFoxEternity

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TendoGamer

Pretty good interview, got quite a lot of information. IGN really grilled her.

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Terranigma Freak

Am I the only one who's getting the feeling of these systems being reborn on the Rev? By that, I mean brand new games will be made for these systems. Cause that what it sounds like to me. That would be awesome.

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Aipotu

since some of you have no idea who she is.

I wonder if they'll get any more systems to emulate.

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