Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Nintendo on GameCube launch

Exec admits it was a bit fudged.

Nintendo bigwig Reggie Fils-Aime has admitted that a poor selection of launch games contributed to the poor old GameCube ending up in third place this time around - but they won't be making the same mistakes again.

Speaking to Nintendo Power Magazine, Fils-Aime admitted that the games on offer when the GameCube first hit the shelves were not "diverse and strong enough from a first and third-party perspective" - and that there was too long to wait before the second wave of games were released.

This time around, Nintendo plans to do things a little differently: "We have been sharing information and development tools with publishers since very early on in the process. We have communicated to them why it makes sense to develop for the platform, and why it makes business sense to bring their best current franchises and brand-new concepts to the platform," Fils-Aime said.

"Those have been our key tools and tactics to make sure that publishers are on board with our strategy."

Fils-Aime described the software Nintendo put on show at E3 earlier this month as "a very broad range that will meet gamers needs."

"From Metroid Prime 3, Mario Galaxy, and Ubisoft's Red steel, the core gamers will be thrilled. With Tennis and WarioWare, we have titles that will reach the masses."

"And, based on the sheer range of titles we've shown, we're confident that the entire first year of Wii's launch will be strong. So, I believe we are well on our way to addressing the key lessons coming out of the GameCube launch."