A meeting of great minds

Although nobody expects Nintendo to ignore boxed retail games with its 3DS handheld, the smart money is on the company announcing a greater focus on download titles than before. Capcom CEO Haruhiro Tsujimoto believes the system has the potential to introduce a new business model to the hardware landscape.

Speaking to Japanese newspaper Nikkei, Mr Tsujimoto said:

What we're more looking forward to is the offering of a new business model. Nintendo has been in the hardware business for a long time, and I believe they must be looking closely at Apple's recent success. We third parties are paying attention to Nintendo's E3 3DS announcement because of this point as well.

As first, tentative steps into digital distribution, WiiWare and DSiWare have certainly had their faults but have also provided plenty of opportunities to both developers and players to experience otherwise impossible games. Nintendo is expected to ramp up the digital delivery service with 3DS but in its own way, so don't expect an iTunes-style store to be unveiled at E3 next Tuesday.

[source andriasang.com]