Nintendo detailed its Quality of Life project, automatic downloads, and upcoming pre-load capability for Wii U (and next year 3DS), as well as other information during its semi-annual financial results briefing today.
Find the full lot of information gathered below.
Wii U
After announcing the Wii U games lineup at E3, people started to re-evaluate the system as a platform, according to Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata.
Mario Kart 8 launched globally in May, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is scheduled for next month. Before Nintendo’s recent “50-Fact Extravaganza” broadcast, people were skeptical over how much more content the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. would include. But it showed notable differences from the 3DS version and Nintendo believes the two versions will not cannibalize each other. According to Iwata, the more the 3DS version is sold, the greater the momentum for the Wii U version becomes.
Automatic Downloads
In the U.S. market, Nintendo has started direct digital sales through Nintendo.com. Until now, consumers were required to turn on the game platform and enter the purchased download code at the Nintendo eShop to play the download version of a game purchased online. But from now, by using your Nintendo Network ID when purchasing the game at an online shop, the game will be automatically downloaded through the SpotPass feature.
“This function makes possible, for example, purchasing a game at an online shop while being away from home, and enjoying the game soon after arriving home, without having to wait for the game to be downloaded, which would be completed by then,” Iwata said.
Currently, in addition to Nintendo.com, the function is available at Rakuten books, but will soon be available at other online shops, including Amazon.
Pre-Load
The pre-load system already available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam will soon come to Wii U with the launch of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
The system will allow a user to download “most of the game content” of a purchased digital game prior to its release. When it launches, users can start playing after only ownloading a requisite minimum amount of update data.
The pre-load system will be available both via the automatic download system detailed earlier, as well as via download cards sold at stores.
The system will be implemented on Wii U first, and on 3DS next year.
Quality of Life
The first theme of Nintendo’s “Quality of Life” business will be “health.” This project will be non-wearable, non-contact, non-operating, non-waiting, and non-installation-based. Basically, non-sensing.
Iwata spoke a bit about the health theme:
Visualizing sleep and fatigue.
Everyone needs to sleep, and all of us get tired.
There is no argument that whether or not we have sound sleep or not significantly affects our health, and many of us recognize through our daily lives that accumulated fatigue makes it difficult to maintain good health. However, we tend to recognize these conditions in a subjective fashion. Fatigue and sleep are themes that are rather hard to visualize in more objective ways. At Nintendo, we believe that if we could visualize them, there would be great potential for many people regardless of age, gender, language or culture.
A “Quality of Life Sensor,” which will automatically measure sleep conditions under Nintendo’s non-sensing concept, is in development. All you have to do is place the sensor on your bedside and it will measure the movements of your body, your breathing, and your heartbeat using radio frequencies. This data is gathered and transmitted to the servers, which will be analyzed and used to visually represent sleep and fatigue results. Based on the results, services intended to improve the user’s quality of life will be recommended. Data will continue to be gathered each day to observe the gradual improvements these recommendations make.
Nintendo is partnering with ResMed to realize this project. It intends to launch the platform in 2016. The app that the hardware will come with will run on both smartphones and game systems.
Pre-orders for Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have been robust worldwide. In Japan, pre-orders are near that of Pokemon X and Y. In the U.S., they are in line with X and Y. And in Europe, they are far exceeding X and Y.
3DS hardware sales decreased in the first half of 2014 due to Nintendo not releasing any million-selling titles in the Japanese market. However, starting with Yokai Watch 2 in July, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS in September, and the recently released Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, sales have increased. Furthermore, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are due out in November.
Nintendo promises to continue this “enriching” lineup of 3DS titles next year.
As for the New 3DS models, which launched this month in Japan, Nintendo does not plan to launch them in the western market this year.