Ask me anything

Satoru Iwata has conducted another of his famous Iwata Asks interviews. The lucky guy on the receiving end of the questions this time is one Katsuya Eguchi, the general software producer of Wii U. Eguchi is perhaps best known as the creator of Animal Crossing and the producer of Wii Sports.

During the 18 minute chat, Eguchi emphasised the importance of Wii U GamePad and what it could do differently. He noted that Nintendo DS and 3DS already have two screens but the advantage of Wii U was that the screens can be moved independently to open up new gameplay opportunities.

Nintendo Land is envisioned as a game that sells Wii U in the same way Wii Sports did Wii, built around the concept of "what if Nintendo made a theme park?" Nintendo experimented with new game experiences and then picked the best ideas: a total of 12, six multiplayer and six single player. After creating the basic gameplay, Eguchi came up with the Nintendo theme park as an environment to unite the attractions, using Nintendo characters to flesh it out. Nintendo Land represents a culmination of Wii U's trials and errors.

The new Wii Sports?

Eguchi explained that the uncomfortable experience of gathering a family around a laptop to share online content inspired the web browser. Browser content can always be seen on Wii U GamePad, but when you want to show others what's going on you can use the television — and do it in style, with a curtain that hides the contents until it's prepared properly.

Miiverse came about as Eguchi felt scared to start conversations on the big bad web on existing forums: the worry of spoilers, and the dread of being ignored. Wii U intertwines message boards with games, as if everybody's playing together, giving a sense that you're never playing alone and showing how others are playing without ever leaving the main game.

The conversation finished with a proclamation that Wii U can cater to any player, whether they're playing by themselves or in a group. Iwata sums up this thought delightfully: "It's quite the greedy machine, isn't it?"

You can view the full video here: