Digi disti will take over in 20 years - Iwata

By Ellie Gibson Published 6 November, 2009

Plus: Demo plans! Vitality Sensor! Cats!

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said there's still life in the old shops yet, predicting it will be decades before we're buying all our games over the internet.

"Most radical people even dare to say that retailers will be replaced by digital distribution in no time. But personally, I think it will still require a significant amount of time," he said, speaking during a recent Q&A session.

"In short, in 20 years or so I might say it will have probably changed. But in 5 years or so, I do not totally agree with opinions that no one will purchase titles at retailers by then. Habits of life do not change such radically and quickly."

That's not to say Nintendo isn't keen to increase the popularity of the Wii Shopping Channel and the DSi Shop, of course. "Internally we have been discussing that we have to engage customers with less information to purchase. And as an experiment, we will be offering demo versions of specific titles next month on a trial basis to see if it can widen the customers," said Iwata. "But I don't think that the demo version is the final solution."

So what else has Nintendo got up its sleeve? Well, there's the Wii Vitality Sensor - which is "not a simple pulsimeter", according to Iwata. "It is a tool to analyse various biological signals by scanning the pulse, in order to make something invisible visible. The point with that is you can figure out your current conditions... I have a strong feeling something fun will appear around this gadget."

As for Shigeru Miyamoto's future plans: "Because Dragon Quest IX made Passing-By Connection much more popular, there has been an increase in people carrying around their DS, and we are trying to develop something unique around that factor," said Mario's Dad.

"And, recently I have cats. That's all!"

Nintencats, then? Wii Pussy? Shigeru Miaowmoto's Amazing World of Cats? Who knows.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (15) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Darren #1 2 years ago

    So another claim that refutes any chance that the next generation consoles will be download only and will in fact include an optical drive of some kind, likely Blu-ray. Microsoft won't be pleased but I am. ;)

  • Pirotic #2 2 years ago

    If Nintendo are going to do it in 20 years, My money is on everybody else already having done it within 10.

  • Hobo #3 2 years ago

    How beautifully out of touch.

  • GamesConnoisseur #4 2 years ago

    So Nintendo is more in touch?! Didn't someone just say Ninty Wii hadn't produced anything classic in the past 18 months as if perhaps they either misread what the gaming audiences wants or just lost the plot?!

    20 years is too black and white, more likely the share of DD will creeps upwards each year and who to bet which year the DD value of market share surpass 50 percent?

    That ll be the milestone day... sure some ways off but today DD is a lot more than last year and the year before.

    Steam and equivalents on PC
    XBL growing library Inc X360 games
    PSN Inc PSPGo DD only
    Wii VC and WiiWare etc

    That just the main ones, iPhone, Flashes, Facebook games, Sky games etc
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 14:57

  • varsas #5 2 years ago

    Out of touch? Digital distribution is useful and convenient but I and many others still want physical copies of games.

  • LazyDan #6 2 years ago

    Armchair business analysts! Unite and dispute Nintendo's research via guesses based on what you personally do and your personal opinion of Nintendo and its games! Ha ha, what will Nintendo do then! WHO WILL BE THE VIRGINS THEN, NINTEDO?!

  • Ignatius_Cheese #7 2 years ago

    "I have a strong feeling something fun will appear around this gadget."

    You mean you don't fucking know!? Don't announce stupid peripherals without key titles to back them up, you arse. Seriously, bloody idiots...

  • Mono_X #8 2 years ago

    If everyone else is doing it in 10 years, then in 10.5 years Nintendo will probably be making massive profit.

    Out of touch, that's right. I mean Nintendo didn't even put HD in their console, and that's been absolutely vital to a console's success this generation...

    When it comes to making a profit, never listen to nerds.

  • menage #9 2 years ago

    Bullshit, really.

    I want to actually have something physically instead of a long time rental, cause nobody can guarantee me that my purchases will be there forever.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 10:10

  • Kill_Crazy #10 2 years ago

    Cats! \o/

  • davisorle #11 2 years ago

    "Wii Pussy"

    I know im a fan but not Wii's really..

  • TonyHarrison #12 2 years ago

    You have to laugh at people who think they know what they're talking about here.

    Trust me guys, Nintendo will know more about digital distribution than your average gamer, that's why they're in the business and you're stuck on here talking nonsense...

  • KDR_11k #13 2 years ago

    He says 20 years as meaning it'll take really long (previously he said he just doesn't know what will be then). The people who want something physical are a significant number.

  • Hobo #14 2 years ago

    It is funny seeing people look down on those that dare to stick their neck out and provide an opinion, whilstthey just sit on the fence and lap up everything Nintendo have to say.

    Or should we just close the comments off on every news piece in favour of us just agreeing with whatever a developer/manufacturer has to say?
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 17:26

  • biru #15 2 years ago

    This is something economics will decide. Physical distribution isn't going to disappear any time soon, but those who still hanker after a disc in a box will have to pay a premium for it. Personally, I have better things to spend my money on.