Support NeoGAF

[Rösti]

With Mr. Iwata having unveiled the Nintendo Revolution at E3 2005, the controller for the system debuting at TGS the same year, and the final name of the machine, Wii, announced shortly before E3 on April 27, Nintendo's E3 2006 Media Briefing was greatly anticipated. Today, May 9, 2016, marks ten years since this event and with it being widely considered one of the greatest press conferences at E3, I thought we could take a moment to remember that morning at Kodak Theatre when Wii and its games premiered.

It can perhaps also provide some ideas/discussions about a potential upcoming NX event from Nintendo, considering there will be no presentation by them at E3 2016.

Media briefing in full: https://youtu.be/HSxpv0ewhTs
Original thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98556

Note: The video file I got directly from Nintendo is in a resolution of 320x214, hence the rather low quality of the screen grabs. There are videos in better quality on YouTube, but I chose to upload the file I had just to be safe.

Intro - Mr. Miyamoto conducting a Wii Music orchestra

The show opened with Mr. Miyamoto conducting a Wii Music orchestra, as well as demonstrating Excite Truck and Red Steel.

Reggie on past, present and future

Reggie talked about gaming for everyone, and answered some questions about the Wii. Why they made it so different, how much it will cost and when it will launch. And of course, the back story of the name. As well as third party support.

Some lifestyle trailers were shown.

Title reel

A series of trailers for games, both first party and third party titles.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Reggie talks a bit about the new The Legend of Zelda for Wii, then introduces Bill Trinen and Nate Bihldorff to demonstrate the game.

More games for Wii

Reggie talks more Wii games such as Super Mario Galaxy, Project H.A.M.M.E.R, Red Steel, Rayman, Disaster: Day of Crisis and Sonic, not necessarily in that order. Backwards compatibility with GameCube was also brought up. Below are just a few screens.

Xavier Poix and Roman Campos demonstrated Red Steel on stage.

Nintendo DS games with George Harrison

George Harrison talked in great detail about past, present and future about Nintendo DS software and hardware.

Playing=Believing

Satoru Iwata enters the stage and talks about the philosophy behind Wii and Playing=Believing. Speech below the images.

Thank you, and good morning.

When I became Nintendo president, we decided on a new goal for our company expanding the total number of people who play games.

In order to do this, we needed to target not only current gamers but two different types of consumers those who once played, but who had lost interest.
And even those who had never played before.

How would we do this?

The industry has always tried to improve in the same direction with games that are more gorgeous and more complex. But in order to approach lapsed or former gamers and non-gamers, these types of games can not serve our purpose.

The logical solution is to re-invent the relationship between player and game - the game controller interface. We believe this approach can appeal to a much broader audience but also excite core gamers.
This is important because core gamers always represent our most important audience.

Our first implementation was Nintendo DS.
Like many disruptive innovations, at first it confused some people. But these people began to understand when they started to 'pet' their puppies with a stylus and talk to them through the microphone.
Next, in japan we launched the first of the brain games. They have already been played by millions of people who never tried a video game before. Many people in our industry thought these consumers were impossible to reach, but now the trend is spreading to the western world.

So, how do we continue this strategy with Wii?

One hand control with the Wii remote is just like the touch screen of DS. It breaks down a barrier to non-gamers and lapsed gamers. For anyone, it is comfortable. In addition, most lapsed gamers have wonderful memories of games they used to play. The virtual console aspect of Wii will bring them together again. And the virtual console will also act as a 'living laboratory' for simple, intuitive games.

Using the creative approach with the Wii remote control, and the business model of the virtual console, maybe a game like 'Tetris' can be feasible once again.

In the past 20 years, as game systems improved in functionality there were also downsides. Among these, the startup time before game play begins is growing longer and longer. I have been planning, developing and playing games for a long time. And I still love all of this. But these days, I am busier than ever.
And if I have to wait 30 seconds or 40 seconds or more for a game to load. Often I get frustrated and sometimes I just can not wait. And now that I know I can instantly stop or start playing my DS by just closing or opening the top, I think I am spoiled.
Maybe this has happened to you, too.

If serious gamers find these delays frustrating, how can we ever expect the mass market to show more patience than we do?
Unless we change, we can never increase the game play population.

The Wii console will also help solve this problem.
It can power up virtual console games and applications like our Opera web browser saved to Flash ROM almost as fast as a telephone or television in just a few seconds.

And let me describe one more hardware feature.
No game console, no matter how powerful, serves any purpose when it is turned off. So we designed our machine to provide owners a variety of services even when it seems like it is turned off. Wii will become 'the system that never sleeps.'

Using a design called 'wii-connect-24', the console automatically enters standby mode without the fan running but still operating key functions and using power about the same as a miniature light bulb.

Importantly, this means the Wii console can be constantly connected to the internet. For you hard core gamers, this means developers can 'push' a new weapon or vehicle or level to you even while you sleep.
For beginning gamers, just starting with something like Animal Crossing, anytime the console is in standby, they may return to find that a friend has visited their village and left a message or a gift.
And other developers will configure their games so that players will receive the game elements or information that the designer wishes. And programmers won't need to write a single line of code. Networking software is included in the hardware and developers can decide to add these functions at any time.
What we are aiming for is a system that is new every day.

Then finally, the most difficult job is to reach people who have never played before. To approach them, we need to remove several walls.

New controllers and the virtual console are important, but most important is software that these people will really want to play. These games would allow a core gamer and a non-gamer to happily and immediately compete against each other.
What kind of game can do that?

Among the examples you'll play tomorrow is Wii-sports.
This is a combination which will include tennis, golf and baseball in one package. It will be available on launch day. Beginning players will find control with the Wii remote intuitive and appealing. Serious gamers will find it a surprising way to attempt something they've already done many times before.

Expanding the game audience with Wii means increasing the number of people in any household who are involved with games.
Today, there are people who play and people who do not. Wii will help destroy that wall between them.

Regardless of age, gender and game experience, anyone can instantly understand Wii. And Wii can provide anyone with fresh, new experiences.

Everyday, there is something new.
For everyone, everyday.

This is our answer.

Thank you.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20060615034814/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2006/speech/english.html

Tennis

Reggie is back on stage, talking about tennis and a sweepstake that would allow one person to come up on stage and play Wii. Three finalists were in the audience.

Shigeru is back up on stage. He announced the winner of the sweepstakes is Scott Dyer. The guys then proceed to play some tennis.

Then the presentation is concluded.

I do not remember if I watched this live, but I thought it was a great presentation. Many interesting games shown, good pacing of the presentation and not that much statistics/sales talk. Many people remember this briefing fondly because of the intro with Miyamoto, Super Mario Galaxy, Twilight Princess and of course the tennis match I believe. It had something for everyone, like Wii.

So, share your thoughts on Nintendo's E3 2006 Media Briefing.

PS: Not to forget, the accompanying press release:

LOS ANGELES, May 9, 2006 - For more than 20 years, video game players have used body language to "help" them play. With Nintendo's upcoming Wii? console, those movements become a real part of the play. After grabbing the Wii Remote for the first time, hesitation gives way to concentration. Confidence builds. Excitement morphs into pure delight. And everyone watching says the same thing: "Hey - let me try!"

What drives this phenomenon? A remarkable controller and games that enhance the experience … realizing that the swing of your arm - not the movement of your thumb - causes a baseball to leave the park or a sword to find its mark. The Wii console introduces the next leap in gaming, one where players not only control their characters on the screen, but they also become them.

"The Wii console gives every game developer a tool to create new experiences, not just linear advancement," said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "It will attract all kinds of new players, and thoroughly satisfy the hard-core gamers."

One of Wii's launch titles will be Wii Sports, a new type of product designed to expand the video game experience to everyone, regardless of age, gender or gaming experience. These games will form the bridge that connects current gamers to newcomers. Wii Sports will include a tennis game that lets up to four players swing at, hear and feel the ball. Anyone can pick up the Wii Remote and start hitting straight shots and lobs, with top spin or a slice, using their forehand or backhand, simply by simulating the arm and wrist movements of a real tennis game. In the baseball game, players can hit or pitch a baseball using the Wii Remote as the characters on the screen mimic their movements. And in the golf game, players can drive the fairways or putt for the cup simply by swinging the Wii Remote as if they were swinging a real golf club. Games can be played with small, precise hand movements, but it's likely people will want to immerse themselves physically in the reality of the experience.

The Legend of Zelda®: Twilight Princess also will launch at the same time as Wii. It will thrill gamers with its captivating storyline, stunning game play and gorgeous look. The game makes use of the unique Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller for elements like fishing and special sword attacks.

Other Wii games in development include Metroid® Prime 3: Corruption, which redefines how first-person shooters look and feel. Players use the Wii Remote as their pinpoint-accurate arm cannon, while the Nunchuk attachment can be used to deploy a variety of functions, such as the Grapple Beam. The amazing Super Mario® Galaxy represents a crowning achievement for legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and his team. MarioTM floats from planet to planet while performing massive zero-gravity jumps in an environment new to gaming fans.

Excite TruckTM builds on a classic Nintendo franchise, but features a radical play mechanic in which players hold the Wii Remote sideways like a steering wheel. On jumps, they must balance it to make sure their vehicle lands squarely and earns a turbo boost. Many games make racing look real, but Nintendo also makes it feel real. WarioWareTM: Smooth Moves contains about 200 microgames that will have players holding the Wii Remote to their hips to do a hula-hoop motion, curling it like a barbell or putting it on their head and doing squats.

The Wii console already enjoys strong third-party support. Nintendo is working with every major publisher worldwide to create fresh intellectual properties and host strong, classic franchises on the console. Gamers can look forward to multiple offerings, including:

• Tony Hawk's Downhill JamTM, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Call of Duty® 3 from Activision
• Sonic and Super Monkey Ball games from SEGA
• DRAGON QUEST SWORDSTM: The Masked Queen and the Tower of MirrorsTM and CODENAME: FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Crystal BearersTM from SQUARE ENIX
• Madden NFL from Electronic Arts
• Rayman Raving RabbidsTM and Red SteelTM, the only original first-person game built from the ground up exclusively for the Wii launch, from Ubisoft
• and a SpongeBob SquarePants title from THQ.

Gamers also can expect ground-breaking offerings from Atari, Buena Vista Games, Eidos, Konami Digital Entertainment, Majesco, Mastiff, Midway Games, NAMCO BANDAI Games, Atlus and SNK. Nintendo and publishers large and small worldwide will introduce original franchises of all kinds, aimed both at pleasing the hard-core crowd and encouraging new generations and demographics of people to play.

"Once again Nintendo has challenged the status quo and opened new creative landscapes for us," says John Schappert, EA Canada's senior vice president and group studio general manager. "We look forward to creating original experiences for the Wii console while seeing how some of our best sellers play using the extraordinary controllers."

In addition to a healthy selection of new games, Wii will enjoy one of the largest launch libraries in video game history thanks to its built-in Virtual Console and backward compatibility with Nintendo GameCubeTM. The Virtual Console provides downloadable access to Nintendo games from the NES®, Super NES® and Nintendo® 64. The Virtual Console also will feature a "best of" selection from Sega Genesis titles and games from the TurboGrafx console (a system jointly developed by NEC and Hudson).

Wii will launch worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2006. Prices and other launch details will be announced at a later date.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/2006061...ntendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2006/release/english.html

 

[tanooki27]

a really excellent summation of a consequential presentation. wild how much the world (and industry) has changed since then

 

[Enforced]

Man that was a great showing. Love how they revealed Super Mario Galaxy out of nowhere in the middle of the trailer montage. It was so special.
Edit: oh yeah Metriod prime 3 Corruption too. It was a nice surprise too.

 

[JPS Kai]

Oh, how I've missed Breature From the Krusty Karb.

 

[Aostia]

great times...!

 

[Pif]

A moment that made them severely underestimate how powerful and what core network features were necessary to build a viable gaming platform going onwards.

Still the Wii was amazing.

 

[Avallon]

The beginning of the end.

Seriously, the Wii is responsible for a lot of Nintendo's troubles today. It brought with it shitty controls and overconfidence.

Ironically it's also probably the only thing keeping them afloat today.

 

[Qwark]

It seems crazy to me that in 10 years we've gone through not one, but two Wii consoles. A lot of great games, but also unfulfilled expectations.

 

[Tom Nook]

Great E3 showing.

The next day, Nintendo would showed this at a round table. Why didn't they show this during the briefing is beyond me. The crowd would've explode.

 

[Kyzer]

Nintendo entertainment anal and development.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I remember lurking on that old thread.

 

[Castef]

So, in the time that Final Fantasy XV was announced and developed, Nintendo Announced and marketed two consoles. Wow.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Remember when Red Steel looked exciting? I remember being excited for that... And then I was hurt. Badly.

 

[bumpkin]

Looking back, playing the Wii really was a magical experience that made me smile quite a bit. It's a shame it didn't have the horsepower to match up with the competition at the time. I often wonder if the ultimate outcome of the "war" would have turned out the same if it hadn't been grossly under-powered.

The reminder of Iwata during his hayday makes me sad though.

 

[Übermatik]

I remember getting a DVD of the Wii Showreels in the Official Nintendo Magazine. Those vids were so good. Really well made and showcased the Wii and the Wiimote really well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cCMPDRJQLk

That sound effect with the Nintendo logo, and then straight into the Metroid Prime 3 gameplay... sooooo good. The music kicked ass too.

 

[Pif]

Above Mr. M'S head. Can't unsee it.

 

[TheJoRu]

In my opinion by far the most well-paced press conference ever. Very convincing presentation of the Wii, so exciting to watch at the time.

 

[PotionBleue]

Quite a disconnect between the emphasis on WiiConnect24™ and what its actual use ended up being.

 

[BitStyle]

Great E3 showing.

The next day, Nintendo would showed this at a round table. Why didn't they show this during the briefing is beyond me. The crowd would've explode.

Definitely. I remember checking IGN after school to all of a sudden see that a trailer for a new Smash Bros was released. I was wondering why they didn't show that at the conference considering I was more excited for the DS lineup than the few games on Wii that looked appealing at that time.

 

[120v]

Those graphics ... I said WOW

seriously though I loved the little thing. been meaning to dust it off, I kind of miss it

 

[udivision]

Krusty... Karb?

 

[GenG3000]

My dad works at Nintendo and told me that tomorrow morning they will show the new Smash Bros. and Snake is in.

 

[Jonbo298]

YTMND had a field day over the name. Good times

http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/01/the-wii-zeitgeist-via-ytmnd/

 

[cw_sasuke]

This was pretty much the perfect press conference. Also getting Smash Bros. Brawl reveal a day later - just nuts.

 

[zigg]

I was at that conference. The existence of EXCITE! went right over my head. It was a year later when I picked it up and was blown away… one of the Wii's best.

 

[AmyS]

The most amazing game Nintendo has ever made IMHO.

 

[Neifirst]

I was SO excited for virtual console, especially when they revealed the classic controller shaped like the SNES pad. That first fall was quite a lot of fun with Wii Sports, Twilight Princess, and Excite Truck.

 

[dc89]

This conference took place before I started following the industry at the level I do now, so I did not see it.
So I can only try to imagine the feelings of seeing this for the first time. I don't know how I would have reacted, probably very mixed with a dash of Nintendo's crazy.

 

[Regulus Tera]

The most amazing game Nintendo has ever made IMHO.

Not even as good as its own sequel.

 

[Not]

And what an overall crappy ten years it's been.

EDIT: Those nostalgic GIFs in the OP though. This was the first E3 I ever saw live.

 

[Plinko]

As always with almost any Wii topic, people will come in and crap up this thread, but the Wii was a fantastic little system. It had the most underappreciated library of any system, and it is a shame so many passed it up because they didn't like the graphics or waggling the controller.

 

[FyreWulff]

I like how they just nonchalantly dropped Galaxy's announcement and first look in a fuckin' montage trailer.

Nowadays every game gets it's own Super Segment(tm) at a conference

 

[Ridley327]

After the calamity of Sony's E3 press conference that year (no anniversary thread for that one, huh), Nintendo going all-out with the Wii reveal was a welcome respite.

That being said, it is still surreal that anyone saw Escape from Bug Island fit to be revealed on an E3 stage.

 

[beef3483]

I don't care what anybody else says, those first three years with the Wii were glorious. It was such a shame that it fell off like it did after that, tainting the systems perception.

Still, I look at the VR systems today and view them as continuing the Wii's legacy.

 

[Neonep]

I remember how big this felt to me. Nintendo out here going all in.

 

[Tatsumi Oga]

Kinda what I was hoping for during the upcoming E3. The NX reveal event perhaps? Yeah we'll see.

 

[Agent Unknown]

Watched the live stream, will never forget it. Intro with Miyamoto and seeing footage of SMG for the first time were my favorite parts.

 

[Green Yoshi]

I even paid money in an internet cafe, so I could watch the stream of the press conference live.

 

[protomouse]

Great thread. Nintendo at its best.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Remember when Red Steel looked exciting? I remember being excited for that... And then I was hurt. Badly.

I think the backlash of that was why Red Steel 2 sold so badly compared to its predecessor.

 

[djtiesto]

Did that Necro Nesia game ever get released? I remember playing it at E3 2006 and it was horrible.

Man, the original Wii had such promise, lots of interesting 3rd party/Japanese titles revealed, a new dynamic on how you play... but it felt that with a few exceptions, it never really lived up to its promise.

 

[Ridley327]

I think the backlash of that was why Red Steel 2 sold so badly compared to its predecessor.

It definitely didn't help, but it also came out way too late and required a peripheral that the people who owned it wouldn't have been too terribly excited to use with that particular game. That, and I imagine there were fans of the game that didn't take too kindly to the radical change in art direction and setting that it took.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

After the calamity of Sony's E3 press conference that year (no anniversary thread for that one, huh), Nintendo going all-out with the Wii reveal was a welcome respite.

That being said, it is still surreal that anyone saw Escape from Bug Island fit to be revealed on an E3 stage.

And then in 2007 Nintendo had, for my money, they're absolute worst while Sony did a complete reversal from 2006's.

How dissapointed I was with Nintendo's 2007 conference. Camy Dunaway and the drummer with the funny haircut are etched into my mind.

 

[Ridley327]

Did that Necro Nesia game ever get released? I remember playing it at E3 2006 and it was horrible.

Man, the original Wii had such promise, lots of interesting 3rd party/Japanese titles revealed, a new dynamic on how you play... but it felt that with a few exceptions, it never really lived up to its promise.

Yeah, it eventually came out in Japan under that title, but it was localized in the west as Escape from Bug Island, and I distinctly remember a lot of the advertising they did for it played up the whole "well, it is a rather bad game, but it knows it's a bad game!" kitsch angle, to few takers.

 

[Honey Bunny]

That Metroid ad with the guy jumping behind the sofa got me to buy it. False fucking advertisement. Or maybe I was just gullible.

 

[Celine]

Remember the smaller but still good Wii games unveiled at that E3 like Excite Truck, Elebits and Dragon Quest Swords (if you are a fan of DQ).

It definitely didn't help, but it also came out way too late and required a peripheral that the people who owned it wouldn't have been too terribly excited to use with that particular game. That, and I imagine there were fans of the game that didn't take too kindly to the radical change in art direction and setting that it took.

And genre.
The first Red Steel was a FPS, the second one a first person brawler.

And then in 2007 Nintendo had, for my money, they're absolute worst while Sony did a complete reversal from 2006's.

How dissapointed I was with Nintendo's 2007 conference. Camy Dunaway and the drummer with the funny haircut are etched into my mind.

That was at E3 2008.

Did that Necro Nesia game ever get released? I remember playing it at E3 2006 and it was horrible.

Yes and it sucked.

The smaller (often by japanese developers) games is what define the Wii along side Nintendo bigger projects.

 

[DigitalRicket]

It was in this moment that skeptic of the Wii, Bradley Shoemaker, decided he would not purchase the system, but thought Mario Galaxy looked cool

 

[deriks]

An event with no flaws

 

[Exterminieren]

Everything the Wii U reveal wasn't, and everything the NX reveal needs to be. One of the best-executed and most pivotal press conferences in the history of the medium, IMO.

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

Best Nintendo console, to be perfectly honest. Second only to the Wii U if you're including the Wii backwards compatibility.

The VC could've been better, of course, but the native games (plus the GCN support) allowed for a huge library. Nintendo's fatal mistake was abandoning the motion-focused "revolution" in favor of making games like Kirby, Other M, and Galaxy 2.