Wii U Super Mario Scrn01 E3 (Copy)

Nintendo's presence at E3, despite the battle between new systems from Microsoft and Sony, was nevertheless successful at earning some media attention. The focus was mostly on Wii U, as the company went into the expo with little choice but to acknowledge its issues so far, but nevertheless revealed playable demos of some big-name franchises that will come to the system both this year and in 2014.

Speaking to cnet.com, Scott Moffitt, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Nintendo of America, emphasized the company's expectation that the lineup revealed would drive significant sales for the Wii U.

We know the power of great software driving hardware. We have powerhouse titles that will drive hardware sales this holiday season.

...With some great content coming on Wii U, we will ignite sales and start seeing phenomenal growth

Moffitt cited the success of the 3DS as an example of the kind of turnaround that Nintendo hopes to see with the Wii U. When asked the usual question about the company moving into smartphones either with software or its own hardware, meanwhile, the answer was unsurprising.

We draw the line at creating a playable game on those devices. We have a firm position.

...When you have the marriage of hardware platform dedicated to gaming and Mario, there's magic that can't be replicated on a phone.

And finally, on the issue of used games restrictions or online requirements, as confirmed for the Xbox One, Moffitt avoided direct comment but made clear where the company's priorities lie on those topics: "We try to make decisions that will respect our fans and their intelligence and win their support."

It reflects an increasingly challenging and evolving games market that Nintendo is regularly stepping up to bat on questions of Wii U's sales, 3DS against smartphone content and issues of DRM (digital rights management), rather than "do you have regular money fights with the Wii and DS profits?"

And yet Nintendo currently has reasonable standard lines for these issues, with the biggest question mark being whether it'll successfully convert its Wii U lineup into a substantial revival for the system. Naturally we hope it will.

[source reviews.cnet.com]