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Reggie Fils-Aime Talks

Dante

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Dante Newbie

Dante

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In the video podcast Dean & Nooch on Gaming, hosted by San Jose Mercury News’ Dean Takahashi and Mike Antonucci, Nintendo of America president Fils-Aime addressed the Wii’s continuing short supply.

 

“The good news is we’re flowing more and more product into the marketplace, and the amount of Wii hardware that will be in North American stores will be unprecedented—substantially more than the launch and substantially more than has been seen to date,” Fils-Aime assured.

 

Unfortunately for consumers, this doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be seeing stockpiles of Wiis on store shelves.

 

Fils-Aime conceded, “The bad news is that given the level of demand, and given the fact that the more we put in, the more we sell, it is still going to be difficult to get hands on the Wii.”

 

He said that major retailers will be regularly re-supplied, and gamers will simply have to check with managers at key retailers to find out on what days they get their Wii shipments in.

 

“…Demand outstrips supply on a worldwide basis,” Fils-Aime said, with product only lasting in stores for a few hours.

 

Recently, the Financial Times reported that the Wii has become the top-selling console worldwide, beating out more expensive rival Xbox 360, which launched a year before Wii.

 

”We are not taking our current success lightly. This is a long-term battle,” Fils-Aime said.

 

Commenting on his competitors, he said, “…360 and PS3 essentially trade share as they alternate on price reductions… Really, none of that is affecting our business.”

 

The Wii isn’t Nintendo’s only hot item. The handheld DS is still selling piles of units monthly.

 

Fils-Aime still considers DS momentum to be quite strong, as evidenced by the 383,300 hardware units sold in August in the US ( it was the second-best selling platform after the Wii, which sold 403,600). Fils-Aime said that DS inventory will be “tight,” but not Wii “tight.”

 

He also quietly reveled in the fact that DS is trouncing Sony’s more powerful PlayStation Portable. “In terms of PSP and [sony’s new] ‘slim,’ I actually put a unit in my hands yesterday. I think most consumers will be hard-pressed to tell the difference. So I find myself fortunate that [sony] continues to struggle a little bit.”

 

www.next-gen.biz

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Charlie Newbie

Charlie

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I still think Reggie's lost his touch at public speaking. Or did he ever have it? His one (and only?) good performance was the 'kicking ass and taking names' one at E3 in 2004.

 

Still great news that the Wii is out of stock everywhere in America. Let's hope the developers take heed and make some good games which aren't mini-game collections....

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Falcon_BlizZACK Newbie

Falcon_BlizZACK

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I still think Reggie's lost his touch at public speaking. Or did he ever have it? His one (and only?) good performance was the 'kicking ass and taking names' one at E3 in 2004.

 

Honestly, I would prefer younger, more enthustiastic speakers to talk about games, some guy bordering 50+ doesn't really cut it for me (except honourable Miyamoto ofcourse)...Reggie seems like one of those out of touch dads trying to 'keep it real with the homies'.

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Charlie Newbie

Charlie

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I always thought he was a good speaker and thought he done well at E3.

 

But the Pokemon XD did mislead some people...

 

He's really boring to listen to. Have a look at some other companies Keynotes and you'll see what I mean. He... also... talks... really.... slowly...

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ShadowV7 Newbie

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He's really boring to listen to. Have a look at some other companies Keynotes and you'll see what I mean. He... also... talks... really.... slowly...

 

Yea your right about that, he isn't the fastest talker is he. But saying that I don't watch much press conferences or Keynotes.

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Strange Cookie Newbie

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His one (and only?) good performance was the 'kicking ass and taking names' one at E3 in 2004.

 

I agree. I never quite got the hype about Reggie. His E3'04 was good and unexpectedly aggressive, but even since he has been a Nintendo-robot. He never really said anything useful, unless you count '"Wii/DS is selling great... No competition... Love us...Great titles... I'm happy..." as informative. He still talks the talk, but can't walk the walk anymore. He's trying so hard to do another E3'04 it's becoming a bit embarrassing really.

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Noku Newbie

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Erhm...

 

When compared to the dillholes at the competition, this man sets a prime example of how to address an audience. Clear, crisp speech, speaking not too fast for the information to fly by, and not too slow for the crowd to lose interest.

 

In my opinion, this guy even takes Steve Jobs' name.

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Konfucius Newbie

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I think Reggie is a great talker. He really knows how to fully use his voice and uses nice rethorical touches.

However I find the content often very lacking. It's more about blasting things out of proportion with praise (and often doesn't quite deliver what the praise made us expect). The E3 '04 was good in that regards as he brought the information across very well and the information was what I would consider accurate and fair in the sense that it wasn't exaggerated.

 

And I often have the feeling that his words don't really represent his actions or even his thoughts but that he just says what is best for good PR - but who doesn't?

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tapedeck Newbie

tapedeck

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With the little information Nintendo of Japan probably give Reggie it's probably hard to maintain that journalistic "edge" that some other big-mouthed companies attain. It's probably difficult for Reggie at times. Yet I like the way he handles things. He brings a confidence and swagger to Nintendo and really knows how to handle questions thrown at him in a roundabout (PR) format. The confidence is good for Nintendo's image.

 

 

Reggie's age and dress sense probably appeals to the casual mom-gamers Nintendo are after.

Would a 40yr old Wii mother prefer Reggie or Phil Harrison? Uber macho confidence or bald geek?

 

Plus, his hair is made of wool. Real wool. From sheep.

:blank:

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Dante Newbie

Dante

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A interview with MercuryNews.

 

Q: The Wii console has been a big hit to date, with you guys having a difficult time meeting demand. This is going to be a bad Christmas for folks still wanting to buy one, isn't it?

 

A: We have been sold out worldwide since we launched ... Every time we put more into the marketplace, we sell more, which says that we are not even close to understanding where the threshold is between supply and demand.

 

Q: There's been a lot of buzz about Microsoft's "Halo 3." How do you expect it to affect the console battle this holiday season?

 

A: Will they sell a lot of software? Certainly. Will it sell hardware? I think it's an open question. Why? Because I think that the "Halo 3" consumer already has the hardware, because they're playing "Bioshock" and "Crackdown" and a variety of games that are, in the end, quite similar: first-person shooter experience, multiplayer capable online. Tell me what's new?

 

Q: So do you feel like you need to counter "Halo 3" in some way?

 

A: No.

 

I am fortunate to have a series of (games) that are all going to drive substantial sales for me and are all targeted to different parts of the consumer mix.

 

Q: If supply were not an issue, how many Wiis could you be selling?

 

A: We don't know. What I can tell you is that typically, our inventory is lasting a day ... I don't think we will know when supply crosses with demand till after the holiday season.

 

Q: What is it about your manufacturing system that doesn't allow you to catch up with demand?

 

A: The issue is not a lack of production. The issue is we went in with a curve that was aggressive, but the demand has been substantially more than that. And the ability to ramp up production and to sustain it is not a switch that you flick on. We're working very hard to make sure that consumers are satisfied this holiday, but I can't guarantee that we're going to meet demand. As a matter of fact, I can tell you on the record we won't.

 

Q: Can you give those moms out there who are desperate to have a Wii for the holidays any pragmatic advice on how to get one?

 

A: (They) should have a range of outlets that they are frequenting: a Target, a Wal-Mart, a Best Buy, a Toys 'R' Us, a GameStop, CircuitCity, all of the likely suspects. They ought to talk to the manager and ask them, "When do you get your deliveries?" And they ought to stop by on a frequent basis. We're going to flow hardware. It's not that it's going to show up only on one occasion. It's going to be constantly flowing in.

 

The only other pragmatic advice is that we're aware of the situation, and we're working very hard to address it. Believe me, I'm constantly pushing for more capacity and more volume.

 

Q: One of the issues that keeps being raised about the Wii is the question of whether two or three years from now people are still going to be buying it, particularly as prices of the other consoles come down and the next-generation features they offer - realistic graphics, high-definition capabilities - start to become more affordable.

 

A: The best way to answer that question is that in our view, we're just getting started ... We're looking at our business and constantly looking for ... how do we continue driving the business forward? And I believe because of that relentless pursuit for more, that this platform is going to be vibrant for quite some time.

 

Q: Are you already planning your replacement for the Wii?

 

A: You know, our hardware group, literally as soon as the system's out the door, they're already thinking about what's next. That's true for any of our platforms.

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