GameSpot: Nintendo has stated that the Revolution will be-WiFi enabled. Does this also mean that the console will be able to get online?
Reggie Fils-Aime: Revolution as well as Nintendo DS, as we launch the right software and finalize our system, will be able to get on the Internet. So you'll be able to play your neighbor across the street, you'll be able to play your friend cross-country, or that new friend across the world. When we talk about WiFi-enabled, we really are talking about wireless play through the Internet for both of those systems and we're committed to making that happen on DS by the end of the year.
GS: When can we expect to see the online-enabled DS games?
RF: We've talked about fourth quarter in terms of when the games that truly take advantage of wireless connectivity, through the Internet, will happen. Metroid Prime Hunters is going to be wireless play local area network (LAN), so eight players playing Samus hunting each other. That's where we're going, so from a wireless Internet play standpoint [it's] fourth quarter.
GS: What can we expect from Nintendo at E3?
RF: At E3 we will certainly share more information about Revolution. Having said that, Revolution won't have a big presence at the booth itself. It'll be touched on in our press briefing, I'll talk about it with our retailers, we may show some things in the back room so to speak. But on the show floor it really is all about Game Boy Advance and showcasing the great product we have for that system. It's gonna be about DS and the new games we're launching for the August-through-holiday time period, and showcasing the great product for GameCube, especially the Legend of Zelda game.
GS: The new trailer has obviously gotten fans riled up for the new Zelda game. When should they expect it?
RF: We're targeting the fourth quarter. We will certainly keep the fans excited about it. We have a lot more footage to show, it will be playable at E3, and it's a fantastic game. I've the opportunity to play some of it and it's phenomenal. It's deep, it's rich--it has all of those elements that you love in a Zelda game and graphically it looks beautiful. So from a Nintendo fan's standpoint, stay tuned. There'll be a lot of information shared between now and E3 and it will probably have the largest presence, from our perspective, on our show floor.
GS: What's the lasting impression you want people to walk away with after they leave your booth at E3?
RF: We want them to leave feeling that "Wow, Zelda is going to be as huge hit and I want it now. And I'm going to go to my local retailer and put a deposit for the super premium edition of the game," which we'll make available. We want the fans to walk away saying, "Wow, look at all this great GBA product and I'm going to be a two-handheld consumer, having both my old-time GBA as well as my brand new DS." I want the consumer walking away just totally blown away with all the great product coming out for DS, especially Mario Kart, Metroid Prime Hunters, and Animal Crossing. So, in total, I want our fan walking away saying, "Yes, I need to be a three-system household, SP, DS, and GCN."
GS: What was the thinking behind making the Revolution backwards compatible?
RF: I think it makes it easier for the consumer to stay excited about Zelda. Now consumers can go buy that Zelda game without fear that they won't be able to keep playing the game for a long time. It was a very strategic choice to share the information about backwards compatibility. Backwards compatibility was a very big, very strategic choice. Just like backwards compatibility for DS to GBA. So this was something that was very important for us, especially to conceptualize as you create that new system. How do you make sure that that new software delivers all the experiences you want as well as have that backwards compatibility? It's not as simple as it sounds.
