Miyamoto interviewed by EGM

The good people at Electronic Gaming Monthly have interviewed Shigeru ´Shiggy´ Miyamoto. The interview is not up on their site yet, but fans apparently copied it from the magazine´s paper edition. So the original source is not confirmed. But I have copied it from my good friend Phalanx´s blog and that means reliability. Anyway, here goes (formatting is mine):

EGM: Speaking of the virtual console, might older offline multiplayer games, like Mario Party, be altered so you could play them online with the Revolution?

SM: We know that we will offer the past games for sure. But we are discussing the possibility of having older games like Mario Party playable online. So if our discussion goes well, and if the technical aspects of Revolution also go well, that's possible.

EGM: You've said the Revolution controller will be unique - do you worry about it alienating developers? Say Splinter Cell comes out for all the next-gen systems; might the Revolution controller be so different that it'd be tough to map the controls onto?

SM: Well, of course, the idea is that the Revolution will sell and sell and sell so it becomes the standard in the industry. [Smiles] However, at least for the launch period...we designed the controller so it can play any of the different conventional styles. After all, we are talking about it playing games from our past machines via the virtual console. So don't worry.

EGM: Why make the DVD player optional with Revolution? And how will it work - is it an attachment or a remote or what?

SM: The majority of households already own a DVD player or two. We don't want them to spend extra money just to have a console which happens to have DVD capability. And the DVD player isn't going to be an attachment; it´s going to go inside the machine so you won't even be able to tell the difference.

EGM: You've promised Wi-Fi for the Revolution but will it also have a standard Ethernet port?

SM: No, it doesn't have an Ethernet port. However, through the USB port, it´s possible to have Ethernet with an adapter. Considering where the machine will be placed in the household, we think it would be difficult for people to route the typical Ethernet line to it. Also, we're considering connecting the DS with the Revolution via Wi-Fi.

EGM: Some people are saying Nintendo has given up trying to lead technologically and is focused on innovation.

SM: I don't think the Revolution's graphics will be inferior in any way to Xbox 360 or PS3. Even if you look at Zelda on GameCube - I don't think that looks inferior to what the competition is touting as "next generation" visuals. But we think there are more important things for now than making the system work with a high-definition television. The majority of people won't be playing our system with an HDTV, though with the Revolution, 480p resolution will be standard. We are not taking graphics and technology lightly - we are trying to make the best-balanced machine that will appeal to the most people.

EGM: Moving on to other games - we know Smash Bros. is coming to the Revolution, but what about DS?

SM: We're thinking about it.

EGM: What about Luigi's Mansion? Is that series over, or will we ever see another?

SM: The director often says, "Make another one! Make another one!" and I want to use Luigi again.

EGM: Any chance we'll see another Pikmin?

SM: Nothing´s set in stone yet, but the interface we're creating for the Revolution is well suited for Pikmin - I think it would be a good match. Not much I can say other than that.

EGM: Will we ever see anything more of Stage Debut a technology demo that allowed players to map their face on in-game characters?

SM: Yeah, I want to do something with it.

Providing this interview is real, there are some intriguing points to pick up on, here. Most interestingly of all, Miyamoto seems unusually bold in his assertion about market leadership. At E3, I asked him whether he thought that Revolution could return Nintendo to the throne, so to speak. And he was much more coy, essentially avoiding my question by saying something like "it´s not about market leadership". That´s all they ever said until now.

Secondly, about the Ethernet connection, could that be another clue? Now, a normal ethernet port is near the work area, a console in the living room. But most people don´t have a separate study, so the desk wouldn´t be too far away from the television. I guess that could reiterate the rumours that the Revolution will be far more portable than anyone would guess. The size of three stacked DVD cases is already an indicator that Nintendo might redefine the term ´home console´.

Thirdly, there is the bold assertion that Revolution graphics would not look inferior to the competitors´ standard. No comment needed here. I´m just relieved.

Lastly, the Pikmin comment is probably the best clue about the controller yet, coming from the horse´s mouth. In my opinion, that reaffirms some sort of gyroscopic technology. But also the rumour about advanced voice recognition comes to mind. Remember the whistle for the roll call in that game? I just had a mad idea. What if the controller really had no buttons (or just very few) and some functions (the A, B, X and Y buttons for example) were completely covered by voice control? All buttons that don´t need to be kept depressed could easily be substituted by voice commands. In this particular example, you would line up the Pikmins using the gyros and shout out the orders they should perform. It´s a mad thought, I guess and I´m hungry, tired and dehydrated. So please go easy on me in discussion ;P