[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by Bob Violence

I just ran the Famitsu article through Babelfish, and while the result is predictably mangled it seems clear Iwata wasn't talking about classic game pricing:

"Compact making" seems to be Babelfish's rendition of the Japanese term for small-scale Geometry Wars-type games. In short, fuck Ars Technica.

Which Famitsu article? If it's the one I think it is, then Iwata is referring to new games made for the virtual console, if that happens.

Found the link, here we go:

Wiiの目玉機能、ゲームを配信するバーチャルコンソールについて新しい発言が。当初はファミコン、スーパ ーファミコン、ニンテンドーDS、ゲームキューブ、PCエンジン、メガドライブなどの過去の作品が遊べる、 とだけ報道されてきたが、｢コンパクトな作りの新作を500円とか、1000円で遊んでもらいたい｣(同) という新しい構想が飛び出した。

　この構想の根底には、｢シンプルなゲーム内容なのに無理にでもモードを追加して5800円で販売するよう な、あらゆる商品が大作化していく流れに歯止めをかけたい｣という岩田社長の思想があり、コンパクトな商品 はコンパクトな価格に、という強い思いが込められている。Wiiのソフトの価格帯はこれまで50ドル以下と だけされていたが、さまざまなバリエーションが生まれそう。また、コンパクトなゲーム開発は、新しいクリエ ーター発掘にもつながると踏んでいるようだ。

　バーチャルコンソールの起動時間についても言及し、｢すべてのゲームで、というわけにはいかないでしょう が、開発者に"3秒で起動しよう"と口うるさく言っています｣と岩田氏。自由にプレイを始めたり、終らせた りできるニンテンドーDSを強く意識しているようで、これはユーザーにとってうれしい仕様だ。

Translation:

Then it was about a new statement concerning Wii's noticeable function, the Virtual Console that distributes games. At first, past works on the Famicom, Super Famicom, Nintendo DS*, Gamecube, PC Engine and Megadrive will be playable, which is all that's come to be reported, but "I'd like users to be able to play titles at say 500 or 1000 yen, works of a compact production" was called out as a new idea by Iwata.

The basis for the idea, "I'd like to put a wrench in the gears of taking a simple idea and then adding modes to it recklessly, selling it for 5800 yen, that kind of process of making all types of products into huge productions," are President Iwata's thoughts, compact games for compact prices, showing his strong feelings. Wii's price range for its software has so far been made out to be below 50 dollars, but with this, variations begin to be born. Also, it appears that its been touched on that compact game development could be linked to uncovering new creators.

To reference the Virtual Console's start up time, "I'm not saying it's probably going to be all the games but, I've been very loud and forceful to the all the developers to 'boot up in around 3 seconds'," says Iwata. He strongly kept in mind the DS which lets users start and stop freely, which is for the users, a happy specific perhaps.

*Probably meant Nintendo 64 and is a typo here. If not, WHOA! :P

-Kitsune