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[Riki]

'eh... I think this is a misstep for them in a way. I don't think going after the QOL stuff is a bad idea, per se, as they've been somewhat active in that space for years and that's where technology is trending.

But at the same time, Nintendo isn't fundamentally a QOL company. They're an entertainment company. They should be getting into movies, TV, theme parks and toys. That's a more natural extension for them to branch out into and one where there isn't nearly as much (slated) competition over the next few years.

If Nintendo has shown an unwillingness to do anything, it's be actively competitive. I suspect they'll be crushed by more nimble, smaller startups that are able to blow up quickly (even if they too wind up crashing and burning just a few years later).

Fully leveraging their IPs and expanding into other media seems to me like the easy way to more money.

Iwata said they are already in the process of all that last night.

 

[heidern]

Actually, it feels to me like they are still hoping to attract that Wii Fit market from 5 years ago again, not realizing that the ship has sailed.

The ship hasn't sailed. Health is a bigger issue now than it was then as obesity rates increase and the market for health products increases. Governments are trying to react though and awareness of health issues is increasing as they put more effort into it. It's just a matter of relevent products being released.

Wii Fit is one thing, but an entire platform developed for this with a range of innovative products could explode into a mainstream product. Think of this as analogous to Apple expanding their business with the iPod.

 

[KingSnake]

So, them wasting resources on this lunacy doesn't warrant discussion on how it will affect their video game business? You know, the reason why they're relevant in the first place?

They're a company, not a some kind of charitable developer. They have to make money. If the fact that they are producing high quality games doesn't guarantee them enough income they need to find other pillars to support their business.

Edit: abour resources, as Penguin pointed out, they are already there and doing the same thing within the company. Unless you are afraid that the next console won't get a Wii Fit, I don't see your point.

 

[Penguin]

The reactions intrigue me a great deal.

I don't really see the downside in trying to diversify the products you offer, and its an avenue they've been exploring for the better part of a decade.

As for stealing resources, they already have people in the company who do stuff like this or do folks imagine the balance board, Wii Fit meter, Wii Fit and the sort just kind of fell out of the sky one day?

 

[Interceptor]

Unless you expect this to make more money than Nintendo ever has from games then I really don't know why people are thinking this is Iwata's signal to get out of gaming.
Especially when he said the exact opposite of that.
It's really like you guys only read whatever you want regardless of reality.

Yep, it´s all there in the slides and yet people argue if he said the complete opposite.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

So, them wasting resources on this lunacy doesn't warrant discussion on how it will affect their video game business? You know, the reason why they're relevant in the first place?

The thing is they are not wasting resources, they are merely segregating their touch-generations from their video game consoles. On the DS, Wi, there was a geriatric and casual marketplace for Wii Fit, Brain Age, English Training, and Cooking Guide. These products sold millions. Now, on the 3DS and Wii U platforms, that blue ocean demographic is gone, gone forever most likely.

Sooo, Nintendo has to figure out a way of how to salvage those intellectual properties. You can't just throw away Japanese million sellers because the platform is in congruent to the potential demographic.

 

[Exterminieren]

'eh... I think this is a misstep for them in a way. I don't think going after the QOL stuff is a bad idea, per se, as they've been somewhat active in that space for years and that's where technology is trending.

But at the same time, Nintendo isn't fundamentally a QOL company. They're an entertainment company. They should be getting into movies, TV, theme parks and toys. That's a more natural extension for them to branch out into and one where there isn't nearly as much (slated) competition over the next few years.

If Nintendo has shown an unwillingness to do anything, it's be actively competitive. I suspect they'll be crushed by more nimble, smaller startups that are able to blow up quickly (even if they too wind up crashing and burning just a few years later).

Fully leveraging their IPs and expanding into other media seems to me like the easy way to more money.

Diversifying the reach of their characters and licensing them out to both other developers and other sources of entertainment outside of gaming was one of the strategies that Iwata outlined last night.

 

[Sendou]

The thing is they are not wasting resources, they are merely segregating their touch-generations from their video game consoles. On the DS, Wi, there was a geriatric and casual marketplace for Wii Fit, Brain Age, English Training, and Cooking Guide. These products sold millions. Now, on the 3DS and Wii U platforms, that blue ocean demographic is gone, gone forever most likely.

Sooo, Nintendo has to figure out a way of how to salvage those intellectual properties. You can't just throw away Japanese million sellers because the platform is in congruent to the potential demographic.

You don't think there's any change that the recent expansions may be related to this QOL venture? I'm talking about the new building in Kyoto and like.

 

[pulga]

The thing is they are not wasting resources, they are merely segregating their touch-generations from their video game consoles. On the DS, Wi, there was a geriatric and casual marketplace for Wii Fit, Brain Age, English Training, and Cooking Guide. These products sold millions. Now, on the 3DS and Wii U platforms, that blue ocean demographic is gone, gone forever most likely.

Sooo, Nintendo has to figure out a way of how to salvage those intellectual properties. You can't just throw away Japanese million sellers because the platform is in congruent to the potential demographic.

So what do you propose? A dedicated tablet/handheld device for these Touch Generation games? Doomed to fail. If they want to salvage and make money off of these properties, get them on Android and iOS. Casuals won't buy another device just to play these games.

 

[GCX]

I'm already hyped about the GAF thread for the grand reveal of this thing.

 

[AtomicShroom]

Remember back when we were kids in the 90's, whenever Nintendo would announce something and we'd all be like "Yes!! This sounds like the best thing ever!!"

...

I remember...

 

[ironcreed]

I know whenever I think of quality of life products, the first brand that always comes to mind is Nintendo.

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

Unless you expect this to make more money than Nintendo ever has from games then I really don't know why people are thinking this is Iwata's signal to get out of gaming.
Especially when he said the exact opposite of that.
It's really like you guys only read whatever you want regardless of reality.

If it's actually real and is a hit, yeah it could make more than their traditional gaming business does, especially with the efforts they put forth on 3DS/Wii U.

 

[Exterminieren]

So what do you propose? A dedicated tablet/handheld device for these Touch Generation games? Doomed to fail. If they want to salvage and make money off of these properties, get them on Android and iOS. Casuals won't buy another device just to play these games.

The idea is to provide the customer with something that they've never seen before, rather than providing a new tablet or diving headfirst into the 15 billion other health and education apps on mobile.

I mean, I don't know what they're planning or whether it will work, but it's fairly plain they aren't talking a tablet.

I know whenever I think of quality of life products, the first brand that always comes to mind is Nintendo.

QOL software was some of Nintendo's largest selling product last gen. Of all the companies to expand into this space with a new proposition, it makes most sense for it to be Nintendo.

 

[Spieler Eins]

I'm already hyped about the GAF thread for the grand reveal of this thing.

Probably gonna be in OT anyway, no one's gonna notice it here

 

[10k]

So Iwatacare is rolling out in 2015? Nintendo is saved.

 

[pulga]

The idea is to provide the customer with something that they've never seen before, rather than providing a new tablet or diving headfirst into the 15 billion other health and education apps on mobile.

I mean, I don't know what they're planning or whether it will work, but it's fairly plain they aren't talking a tablet.

so nothing short of a holographic Dr. Kawashima, eh?

i can't wait for him to pop up whilst I'm fapping to remind me to do my multiplication tables

 

[Griss]

The reactions intrigue me a great deal.

I don't really see the downside in trying to diversify the products you offer, and its an avenue they've been exploring for the better part of a decade.

As for stealing resources, they already have people in the company who do stuff like this or do folks imagine the balance board, Wii Fit meter, Wii Fit and the sort just kind of fell out of the sky one day?

The problem is that they have a history of not having enough resources to satisfy two audiences at once, and even mentioned their lack of resources (only 5000 employees) during the conference.

The second is that they're doing this new thing while still remaining so fundamentally incompetent in their core business, and showing nothing to reverse said incompetence. They can't get games out on time, they can't make enough games, they can't get the OS right, they can't even make a fucking emulator or release VC games without issues.

My problem with Nintendo is just the core slowness and incompetence of the company. And in response their attitude is 'this shit is hard, instead of upping our game let's go over to this other market, might be some easy money over there'.

Diversifying on its own is no problem, and I think the Nintendo Qwol may be a success. But it's their core business I care about, and they're fucking that up like crazy.

 

[10k]

Sooo, Nintendo has to figure out a way of how to salvage those intellectual properties. You can't just throw away Japanese million sellers because the platform is in congruent to the potential demographic.

Nintendo doesn't have a choice. Those IP's will never find success again. Their are tons of brain age and cooking clones on smartphone apps now for cheaper then what Nintendo would charge for those products.

 

[Oersted]

You don't think there's any change that the recent expansions may be related to this QOL venture? I'm talking about the new building in Kyoto and like.

Not the main reason, but it surely played a part.

Probably gonna be in OT anyway, no one's gonna notice it here

Wouldn't count on it.
http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=745801&page=1

But we are going offtopic here.

 

[Huff]

Not sure why people are worried about this QoL stuff being a success. Nothing this company has done recently has shown that they can survive in a rapidly moving and changing fitness/health tech field

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

You don't think there's any change that the recent expansions may be related to this QOL venture? I'm talking about the new building in Kyoto and like.

Not particularly. I mean most of those TG teams were dedicated and small. The expansion of R&D was more to compensate the 3x increase in art staff alone necessary for high production software in this HD era.

So what do you propose? A dedicated tablet/handheld device for these Touch Generation games? Doomed to fail. If they want to salvage and make money off of these properties, get them on Android and iOS. Casuals won't buy another device just to play these games.

I have no idea how Nintendo plans on releasing Brain-Age QOL and English Training QOL. Maybe it's a chip they surgically plant inside people. Seriously, they are purposely being rather mysterious about it.

 

[Phawx]

Alright possible non-wearable things (in reality)

Types of devices that act autonomously and observe their environment.

Nest (which was acquired by Google)
KinectV2 (which actually has the ability of recognizing people and heart rate)
Other external sensors (air quality in the house, barometric pressure, i don't know)


Which standard will they use?
zigbee
zwave
bluetooth 4.0

SaaS (software as a service)
Nintendo Health portal retrieves all of this information
Miiverse tie in?

Competition is Google and Microsoft as far as I can see in the "Non-wearable" market. And both of these competitors have a far better understanding of Software as a Service.

I'm not too sure what they are going to leap frog into. Nor would I think people would recognize Nintendo as a competent provider of these services.

So unless they have some ultra mega sensor that no one is aware of, I'm just not seeing this.

It will still sell in Japan.

 

[jts]

Nintendo is hardly strapped for cash.

and that's like saying a starving hobo is in better condition than a starving dog. One might be better off, but bottom line is they're both still starving. And from what I've gathered this is separate from the console business, so I don't see how it'll translate to more games.

Yeah, it's hardly strapped for cash because it made a KILLING on the Wii, Wii Sports, Wii Fit, DS, Brain Training, Nintendogs and the likes.

Without the profit from a lot non-gaming ventures, it's hard to me to believe that they could afford a Wii U level of failure and stay independent and plan future consoles. So there's that.

 

[Carlisle]

Eh, as long as they keep making Marios and Zeldas I don't care what else they do to keep the company floating. And maybe I can get washboard abs out of it too.

 

[Interceptor]

Alright possible non-wearable things (in reality)

Types of devices that act autonomously and observe their environment.

Nest (which was acquired by Google)
KinectV2 (which actually has the ability of recognizing people and heart rate)
Other external sensors (air quality in the house, barometric pressure, i don't know)


Which standard will they use?
zigbee
zwave
bluetooth 4.0

SaaS (software as a service)
Nintendo Health portal retrieves all of this information
Miiverse tie in?

Competition is Google and Microsoft as far as I can see in the "Non-wearable" market. And both of these competitors have a far better understanding of Software as a Service.

I'm not too sure what they are going to leap frog into. Nor would I think people would recognize Nintendo as a competent provider of these services.

So unless they have some ultra mega sensor that no one is aware of, I'm just not seeing this.

It will still sell in Japan.

I think your approach is at least somewhat near the reality, but it will be a device which simple doesnt exist yet ("we don´t want to compete in an existing market but take ideas from it and transfer it to a new market, a blue ocean"), they also said they don´t intend to do this alone, they need a strong partner for this. There will be some kind of hub which grants you access to all these different QoL devices (wristbands, watches, fitmeters, whatever) entirely off-screen. My guess is that this device will also be capable of playing/streaming videogames ("redefine gaming consoles"). It will be a hub to "enhance" different aspects of your life via Nintendo hardware & software. They hope they can boost/enhance their new QoL environment with games and vice versa. They are still a entertainment company with a main focus on videogames - thats not going to change, despite what some people here want to belief.

There is one information which is important to gaf - if you want their games, buy their hardware. That´s not going to change. Ever.

 

[saichi]

this one comes out of left field and I don't think anyone saw it coming. If this is a success, Iwata would the one who put big N on top with DS and Wii then lost money with 3DS and Wii U then take Nintendo back on top again. If this fails, Iwata would be the one who kills Nintendo.

 

[Azih]

To echo what some other people have said:

They can't even support two platforms adequately with software, how the hell are they going to be able to create and support a third platform/device/system/nonweaable QOL thing? THAT NEEDS SOFTWARE TOO you know!

I think the endless and almost constant droughts should have taught us now that Nintendo is not good at efficiently creating software. Their big plan is to starve the existing 3DS and WiiU of even more resources to 'leapfrog' to some completely mysterious non wearable device that is not described or explained at all?

 

[Lan_97]

I really like the ideas behind Wii Fit U, gamepad, and Miiverse. There's a great potential here to provide a constantly connected experience, but they really dropped the ball in both implementation and marketing. Wii U should have been marketed and designed as a living room companion, instead it's just another system that I have to wait to boot up, what to load the store, wait to load miiverse, and was pretty much introduced as a Wii accessory.

 

[Buddha Beam]

Iwata said they are already in the process of all that last night.

Diversifying the reach of their characters and licensing them out to both other developers and other sources of entertainment outside of gaming was one of the strategies that Iwata outlined last night.

Oh that's great. I'm still making my way through all the news, so apologies.

 

[IrishNinja]

Does anybody remember Konami for the games this days?

exactly what i came to post: FOX aside, this was pretty much their exit from the software business. i can see why iwata'd wanna get around mobile phones, so this might be interesting, even if it doesn't rightly appeal to most of us.

honestly, if it keeps them from having to shuttle talent & close up studios, i'm okay with it. i mean, i guess all that vitality sensor R&D was gonna go somewhere.

 

[metalslimer]

this one comes out of left field and I don't think anyone saw it coming. If this is a success, Iwata would the one who put big N on top with DS and Wii then lost money with 3DS and Wii U then take Nintendo back on top again. If this fails, Iwata would be the one who kills Nintendo.

I don't think it would kill Nintendo, but if this bombs catastrophically Nintendo will be in the worst position they've been in.

Also if Nintendo really is only shifting the devs they had on touch generations and Wii __ onto this thing, that seems like a meager amount to support this new thing with.

 

[Pie and Beans]

One key aspect of whatever this QOL thing is going to be, its going to be cheap for the low entry price I presume Nintendo knows they would have to hit. So any dreams of Tony Stark level AI surfaces telling you your body fat percentage while showing you the weather on your jogging route is out. Iwata has left it so undefined its hard to understand what on earth he's getting at since if its not a "wearable" its... a what? Cant be furniture or personal gym stuff because thats massively cost prohibitive. A micro-console like the GameStick which plugs into your TV, has pedometer functions, and maybe also plugs into a Wii Fit board?

The problem is of course iPhones and Smartphones and wearables are all massively ahead in this area already, never mind the entire decade they have on Nintendo's antiquated understanding of OS and services. What use is one of these devices if it now even lacks the "also plays games/entertainment" angle? Nintendo is pledging to divergence once again in an era of almost total device convergence. Its patently ridiculous and once again reveals how little theyre aware of the tech world around them. Things have changed vastly since the DS and Wii Fit's fortunes.

There is one information which is important to gaf - if you want their games, buy their hardware. That´s not going to change. Ever.

5-6 Years later: QoL venture fails spectacularly. Nintendo's hardware sales continue to experience steep decline, Iwata forced out and replaced. Never say never.

 

[optimiss]

I think catering to the hardcore gamers would have worked (despite the under-powered specs) if they had put out some great games for it in the first year. People will overlook some pretty glaring issues if the games are good. Unfortunately they squandered that first year; half of their major releases were mediocre sequels (NSMBU, NSLU) and remakes (ZELDA). The lineup was so bad that people didn't want to invest in the system just to play the 2-3 good games.

People always point to the gamepad as being a problem but I really don't think it is. They could provide some really compelling experiences with that thing but they always default to off TV play. Wooo exciting! :|

I have a Wii U and have enjoyed it because I am a Nintendo slut, but damn, they have really done a poor job of making it a compelling product. They better bring the heat at E3 or the Wii U is done for sure. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen.

 

[Ooccoo]

Vitality Sensor 2.0 confirmed!

I don't know what to think. Seems like Nintendo is headed for a disaster (not doomed, just branching into stuff no one wants).

 

[metalslimer]

One key aspect of whatever this QOL thing is going to be, its going to be cheap for the low entry price I presume Nintendo knows they would have to hit. So any dreams of Tony Stark level AI surfaces telling you your body fat percentage while showing you the weather on your jogging route is out. Iwata has left it so undefined its hard to understand what on earth he's getting at since if its not a "wearable" its... a what? Cant be furniture or personal gym stuff because thats massively cost prohibitive. A micro-console like the GameStick which plugs into your TV, has pedometer functions, and maybe also plugs into a Wii Fit board?

The problem is of course iPhones and Smartphones and wearables are all massively ahead in this area already, never mind the entire decade they have on Nintendo's antiquated understanding of OS and services. What use is one of these devices if it now even lacks the "also plays games/entertainment" angle? Nintendo is pledging to divergence once again in an era of almost total device convergence. Its patently ridiculous and once again reveals how little theyre aware of the tech world around them. Things have changed vastly since the DS and Wii Fit's fortunes.



5-6 Years later: QoL venture fails spectacularly. Nintendo's hardware sales continue to experience steep decline, Iwata forced out and replaced. Never say never.

Silly Pie, Iwata is never being forced out. And Iwata's non wearable nonsense seemed like a delay to get people talking and distracted away from Wii U. I'm sure the actual product will be a lot more conventional than some are speculating.

 

[Opinionatedfish]

Konami already makes money in this field. Honestly though, I think Nintendo's approach will be panels that you can put around the room. This will be aimed more at Japanese style apartments and smaller rooms/houses.

Here's the pitch for this tech. There will be a central hub/dome that communicates with the panels. Each of the panels is essentially a big, touch sensitive button with a small array of lights, a camera, and sensors in it. The central hub would be an upgradeable cube with the ability to talk to Nintendo panel capable devices.

Here is how the user experience would work for a normal Japanese home life.

You come home from work and take your shoes off at the door. Before you step into the main part of the house the panel detects your motion and lights up RED. Touch the panel with your palm and say "Hello." The panel records the immediate state of your hand, the rapidity of your voice, and responds with a response matching your heart rate, facial recognition. "Welcome home. The time is 1700. You seem stressed. Would you like to relax?" or "Welcome home. I trust your day was good?" or "Welcome home. Are you okay? Should I contact someone?" You respond with simple commands like Yes or No. Nothing particularly complex. The panel sends the information to your hub which sends out information to smart phones, PC apps, your Nintendo video game system, and other items. The information recorded is stored to keep track of your health or the health of other people. The hub would then make suggestions on your devices as to diet, exercise regime, sleep schedules, and so forth. It sounds complex but it's simple in nature. You just touch the panel.

You have a family. Your significant other and two kids. One of your kids comes home, touches the panel, and that information is sent to your smart phone and PC at work. So, you know they made it home from school, they seem okay, and the panel camera snapped a picture of them when they came home that you can now view. The panel detected that their temperature is slightly below normal. This means they are probably hungry. There's some food in the fridge. Send them a message to eat. The hub would then sound off: "There are snacks in the fridge, -insert child's name-. The estimated arrival home time for -insert your name- is 1930." The hub would also keep track of activity in your DVR or other devices. The hub would allow you to remotely set your DVR or settings for other items as well as make recommendations for food to order or purchase.

One item that would be excellent for Japanese apartments or individual rooms would be light wall projectors. These are wall mountable light/camera arrays that allow surface manipulation. Several E3's back, Nintendo had interactive Koi ponds in a section of their booth. When you stepped on the floor in this pond, it caused ripples and waves. You could sink stones in it or interact with the fish in the pond. An item like this projected onto an empty wall or other surface is one item you could activate. Example: You come home, touch the panel, and it notices that you are stressed. "Would you like to relax?" If you answer "Yes." The hub asks if you would like to use the wall. You could say yes and it would use the light projection to add interactive imagery to your walls and surroundings to help facilitate a relaxing mood. It might raise your thermostat slightly or lower it slightly. The panels would be in each room. You could also set them so that stepping into a room and touching the panel would turn on the lights for you or turn them off when it detects that you left.

Okay. All of that sounds ridiculously invasive. But we live in a world where people publish damn near everything on Facebook or Twitter. Why not have the panel automatically update your Facebook status to tell people that you've arrived at home too? Your health is fine, you seem a little stressed, maybe the hub would suggest that you order out and then display a set of suggestions on one of your walls. Just move your hand over the selection displayed on your wall and confirm an order. Feel like Pizza tonight?

I dunno.. the panel and hubs seem like that is what we would get. Oh, the panels synch with other devices. Are you diabetic? When you go home, your glucose meter automatically syncs with the panel. It would compile the times that you checked your blood sugar levels. "Welcome home! Please be sure to check your meter at 1600." "Welcome home! Your last account showed low blood sugar. Please check your meter." it would also talk to other fit meter like devices. "Welcome home! You have not met your walking quota today. Are you tired? If you are not tired, I have sent a recommended. grocery list to your phone along with highlighted sales at Lawsons." You could also sync it to your bank and bills. "Welcome home! You seem stressed. There are three pending bills due in three days. Would you like me to handle those? (Administer one time auto-pay)"

A lot of those features would be automatic and it wouldn't explicitly tell you what it was doing. You come in, the panel glows red until you touch it. When you touch the panel, it turns green or blue. For people who are color blind, you could set it to pulse rapidly when you come in and then stop glowing after you touch it. If you have vision problems, you could set it to make a small beeping noise until you touch it.

Please touch the panel. Just musing a bit.

 

[Aquamarine]

Silly Pie, Iwata is never being forced out.

He'll buy up all of the shares and continue his reign of tyranny.

 

[eighty(one)]

The problem is that they have a history of not having enough resources to satisfy two audiences at once, and even mentioned their lack of resources (only 5000 employees) during the conference.

The second is that they're doing this new thing while still remaining so fundamentally incompetent in their core business, and showing nothing to reverse said incompetence. They can't get games out on time, they can't make enough games, they can't get the OS right, they can't even make a fucking emulator or release VC games without issues.

My problem with Nintendo is just the core slowness and incompetence of the company. And in response their attitude is 'this shit is hard, instead of upping our game let's go over to this other market, might be some easy money over there'.

Diversifying on its own is no problem, and I think the Nintendo Qwol may be a success. But it's their core business I care about, and they're fucking that up like crazy.

Couldn't have said it any better.

 

[Pie and Beans]

Silly Pie, Iwata is never being forced out. And Iwata's non wearable nonsense seemed like a delay to get people talking and distracted away from Wii U. I'm sure the actual product will be a lot more conventional than some are speculating.

He'll buy up all of the shares and continue his reign of tyranny.

Kimishima will throw him down the reactor shaft of the QOL Star II.

 

[Guevara]

The problem is that they have a history of not having enough resources to satisfy two audiences at once, and even mentioned their lack of resources (only 5000 employees) during the conference.

The second is that they're doing this new thing while still remaining so fundamentally incompetent in their core business, and showing nothing to reverse said incompetence. They can't get games out on time, they can't make enough games, they can't get the OS right, they can't even make a fucking emulator or release VC games without issues.

My problem with Nintendo is just the core slowness and incompetence of the company. And in response their attitude is 'this shit is hard, instead of upping our game let's go over to this other market, might be some easy money over there'.

Diversifying on its own is no problem, and I think the Nintendo Qwol may be a success. But it's their core business I care about, and they're fucking that up like crazy.

Good summary.

But the really crazy part to me is that health-tech/fitness-tech is a hot area for innovation. It has all the fitbits and fuelbands, there are thousands of apps, there are 100 startups moving at a startup pace. It's a red ocean, basically. And it certainly won't be easy money for slow, clumsy Nintendo.

 

[Oppo]

I can... sort of see why this would be attractive to them as a strategy...

.. but I think they will be crushed between the twin vices of Apple and Nike if they try to bust open the nascent eHealth market. They can't really compete here.

I mean, if they pull it off, more power to them.. but much like MS's TV focus, Nintendo's new health focus is profoundly uninteresting as a gamer.

It reminds me so much of the Wii Fit launch, and Miyamoto's presentation. "Hello, I invented video games. Here is an exercise mat." *sad trombone sound*

(also.. "non wearable device" is ridiculous.. that is everything. Camera, Wii Fit, Kinect... I hope thats a translation glitch)

 

[metalslimer]

I just keep thinking about something with all these quality of life things all united under a single OS and I keep coming back to wtf isn't this an iPad or ? Maybe this will be a cheap alternative that convergences QOL apps into a single platform, but I still don't know wtf a nonwearable is.

 

[Azih]

The other thing is that Iwata has already admitted that he is pretty clueless about territories outside of Japan. Is the Qwol only for Japan then? If not then how is he going to compensate for his lack of awareness of the international market when leading the design of these kind of devices?

 

[chrishackwood]

Dr Mario ....for real? I'm not sure I'd want him as my GP!

 

[optimiss]

Silly Pie, Iwata is never being forced out. And Iwata's non wearable nonsense seemed like a delay to get people talking and distracted away from Wii U. I'm sure the actual product will be a lot more conventional than some are speculating.

Agreed. Everyone seems to be focusing on the health component but it also encompasses learning and a few other things (can't remember, don't have the slide in front of me). It will most likely be some sort of home entertainment machine with upgrade-able software and apps to extend the functionality. I see it as more of a personal assistant style home device ala Google Now/Siri. It will probably also have a mobile app component for iPhone/Android/3DS for on-the-go interactions. It will keep track of your life so that you don't have to. I can imagine it also having a limited amount of home automation features. This is commonly thought to be the next big thing after wearable computing.

 

[agrajag]

this is dumb

 

[Oppo]

I just keep thinking about something with all these quality of life things all united under a single OS and I keep coming back to wtf isn't this an iPad or ? Maybe this will be a cheap alternative that convergences QOL apps into a single platform, but I still don't know wtf a nonwearable is.

Yeah, it is. An iPad or iPhone connected via BT to a FuelBand or FitBit, and your Withings Scale, and running Fitocracy. It's all there.

 

[The Technomancer]

God I am so sick of smartphones. Am I the only one who likes dedicated devices?

 

[Pie and Beans]

I just keep thinking about something with all these quality of life things all united under a single OS and I keep coming back to wtf isn't this an iPad or ? Maybe this will be a cheap alternative that convergences QOL apps into a single platform, but I still don't know wtf a nonwearable is.

Pretty much.

I too am somewhat at a loss to what 'hardware' Nintendo is going to release here. Its clear theyre a decade behind in the smartphone app area so... like what?