Nintendo always working on new hardware

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed the company is always developing new hardware - even though they end up throwing some of their ideas in the bin.

Speaking in an investor call he said, "We do not think that Nintendo DS and Wii will last forever. Our internal hardware teams are always researching and working on new hardware so that we can launch them whenever we find a very interesting idea.

"You may not be able to believe this, but even when Nintendo has completed a hardware, it does not mean that we will surely launch it," he added. Apparently it takes up to three years to develop a new piece of hardware. Then an internal team decides whether they'd be better off sticking with the hardware that's already on the market. If so, they might still end up using some of the new ideas and custom chips in future products.

"[New] hardware is not needed until the time our software developers see the end in making new software with the existing hardware, or unless we have no more new market to explore and all the potential consumers have purchased our hardware," said Iwata.

"The more decisive factor is when the software developers will start demanding for new hardware as they cannot create any more software with surprise factors with the existing one. Nintendo has always been making the hardware in order to prepare for that day to come."

Speaking of existing hardware - any chance of a price cut? "I have never said that cutting the suggested retail price is not in the cards," Iwata said. However, he added, there are problems with applying price cuts on a global basis, and the effect doesn't last long anyway.

"Accordingly, if we really do enact a price cut, it must be exactly when it can maximise the business. At least for now, I have no specific ideas about the price cut at all." Apart from, 'Let's not do one,' presumably.