"Actually our corporate philosophy is just more of the same, better graphics and bigger processors, isn't going to attract consumers in the video game business, you have to offer something different. And so as a result, on the Nintendo DS, the touch screen, voice activation…and now we're launching the Nintendo WiFi connection, which allows people to play over the Internet with their Nintendo DS. Our partnership is with Wayport, of which McDonalds is one of their big outlets."
For the first time…Nintendo is facing serious competition in the handheld game business…from Sony's Playstation Portable. Harrison says the DS is more than holding its own with the launch of the Nintendogs game. And there are plans to launch quiz titles that have become a hit in Japan…in the U.S. as well…
"Targeting non-gamers is part of our strategy to expand the marketplace and these two games in Japan, Brain Training and BrainFlex, have been hugely successful…combined over a million and a half units sold already. And we're going to bring them here in the spring to the U.S. What's significant is given the economics of game development, this took less than four months and fewer than ten people to actually create these games."
To Nintendo…that sounds more super than Mario. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.