GDC11- Development Process of Nintendo 3DS - Hideki Konno

Hideki Konno - Manager / Producer, EAD Softwre Development Department Group. 1.

Introduction
- 3D Mii character. Select core components such as color, and then take a photo of yourself. The system will create your Mii character for you.   Believes this makes it more fun for the whole family to enjoy. You can still modify it if you like.

- Discusses Triforce group - aka the structure of the group.

- Strives to make reports, communicate with and consult with bosses in a timely fashion. He says this is important to prevent the teatable from being updended (aka management being top heavy in involvement)

- Mr Miyamonto was very picky when speaker was a rooky software developer (he is now a director). He feels that having a critical eye, has been very important in game experience. As a rookie you might think it's picky, but as you get more experienced you realize how important a critical eye really is.

- 2008 - Mr Konno took over the development in next gen. hardware.

- Believes about being consistently curious about things provides us with the driving force necessary to learn and grow. 

Goals of Nintendo 3DS


- Carry it with you
- Connect with each other
- Get something new everyday

Features 


Street Pass
- Receive and share something new.  Looks like a gamey version of Loopt.
- He thinks that it might be difficult to fully take on, as you need to set up connection.
- Sounds like it's associated with the game programs you have.
- StreetPass Mii Plaza is a communication tool that lets you exchange Wii characters.
- Believes a lot of creative game play using Street Pass will be created by developers moving forward.

Spot Pass
- receive new kinds of information. Receive data automatically merely by being in the vicinity of a wi-fi access point. This is through their own Wi-Fi or through one of 10,000 hotspots provided by ATT.

- requiring customers to take action to receive data is a barrier. They allow nintendo / other partners to PUSH content automatically. As an example says it could be cool to wake up and find you have received new movie trailers through this system?

- hopes game developers could come up with new concepts to bring this to life.

Development Process of Nintenodo 3DS

-  Hardware and software teams work in same building. They value collaboration and cooperation. 

That being said, there aren't too many cases of a hardware developer walking around the software studios. This is more top level management. Mr Konno was about to garner this cross-over experience. 

-  Joined forces with members of hardware team. Mr Umezu is involved in the Nintendo 3DS layout, Design was Mr Sugino.  Thinks of Mr Umezu as a logical, good thinker.   

- Talking about glasses free 3D was a new concept for them. Thought reaction would be 'why 3D again?

- As a developer, consider how you go about increasing the quality of content in your tool box.  Mr Konno will often go into his toolbox to find existing and new features and gain new perspectives.

- Mr Miyamoto wrote ideas on slips of paper and stuck them on a wall. At that time computers were simple.  He would then stare at them, move them around, move away and look at them at a distance. That was how things got done. Mr Konno picked up this habit, but does it all in his head - his 'toolbox'.

But occasionally still sticks up notes on his desk.

- Used this toolbox approach over and over for this project. Over course of several months, spent time discussing all of the possibilities before them and gradually formed an overview of the Nintendo 3DS.  

- 'Playing is Believing'. Key phrases used by Nintendo when announced Wii.  Provides direction and impetus to direction.   

   - to bring about glasses free 3d investigated the latest in this technology. Some people didn't believe they could do it, as the company had failed before. So they decided to do some experiments. 

  -  stimulus of working together well with hardware and software team brings about a strong product. 

Case 1 - glasses free demo with Mario Cart Wii on a 3D screen. 

All experiments had to have true demos. PLAYING IS BELIEVING. 

Case 2 - tested 3D depth slider. Adds and subtracts 3D depth using analog volume. Ability to adjust this to match expectations was an exceedingly fresh experience.

Case 3 - control pad and circle pad. Proposition that came from development team. 

SOFTWARE

Gave example of Nintendogs + Cats, which will go on sale when the nintendo 3DS is released. 

Was picky for this game.  Two areas he paid attention:

- to increase realism was very critical in approach to eye and fur presentation. 

      - Eyes are sharper and more emotive.  

      - Fur is much more detailed. 

- new AR feature that allows a dog to sit in the 'palm of your hand'. 

SOFTWARE PARTNERS

- Konami

- Capom (Super Street Fighter!)

- ubisoft (Dinosaurs 3D!)

- Nintendo Legend of Zelda 3D!

- Cubic Ninja

- Madden NFL 3D

- Animal Crossing

- Mario Cart 3D

PRODUCTION PROCESS CHALLENGES

- 'Just start by moving a box, that's all you need to do' says Mr Miyamoto. Mr Konno says it's not as easy as that.  But the concept is to start by moving something as simple as a tissue box, find stuff to manage in small chunks.

- Never used the phrase 'for the time being'.  Was always told that things need to be decided NOW. Mr Konno wasn't used to this.  

- Always need to make sure we're going to surprise their customers, whether it be software or hardware.


TO END
It takes a long time to develop a game, and not always fun. Things are often stressful and you can't seem to get a handle on things. Mr Konno feels like it's a long distance bike race. If you don't pace yourself you will never ever get to the goal line. If you can switch gears at the right time to adjust your pedal speed to get the most suitable pace for that time, it should be more enjoyable.

Always want to surpass expectations and want people to say "I want to work with him again".

GDC11 - Keynote Address: Satoru Iwata, President, Nintendo Corp.

Video Games Turn 25: A Historical Perspective and Vision for the Future"

About the speech: 
For a quarter of a century, the engine of video games has been "must have"—the viral communication of what a gamer simply can't do without. Sometimes it's hardware, sometimes software, sometimes an accessory, but "must have" always describes an experience that can't be missed—the next big thing.


Along the way, innovation has continuously reinvented the game experience in terms of graphics, player control and pure game design. But in the process, part of the magic of those early days of game creation has been lost.
As a leading player during all 25 years of the modern video gaming era, Nintendo has a unique perspective on what makes gamers grin, what defines the term "gamer" and what is essential to ensuring industry growth.


Comments from bloggers:
CVG:   Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has criticised 'quantity-obsessed' social and mobile creators, questioning whether developers in this model will be able to make a living in the future.

Speaking during his GDC keynote speech, Iwata argued that the video game business is splintering into two sides; one focused on quality, the other quantity.

Gamasutra:

One of the most important lessons of Iwata's career came early on, he said, when he expected his technically superior games to sell better than those of Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto.

“Mr. Miyamoto taught me a painful lesson: Content really is king,” Iwata said. “His games outsold mine by a huge margin. I found out then that engineering is not quite as important as imagination. To be honest, I was ashamed.”

Over the years, Iwata says he's learned “must have” universally appealing games tend to be the ones that challenge existing notions of what a game is and how it should play. The most successful games exploit the power of social connections and target audiences that don't traditionally play games, as well, he said.
Wired (blog):

At Nintendo’s keynote presentation Wednesday morning at Game Developers Conference, the company said the streaming movie service would be available on its new handheld game system by late summer. But perhaps more pertinent to the gamers in attendance was news that the team behind the stellar Super Mario Galaxy is creating a new game in the series for the glasses-free 3-D handheld.
The keynote, presented by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata with a brief appearance from Nintendo of America chief Reggie Fils-Aime, was otherwise light on substance. Iwata discussed his views on what makes a gaming experience a “must-have” phenomenon, and Fils-Aime said that 10,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots in the United States would let 3DS owners log in and play games for free starting in late May.

Blood-Sugar Monitor Attaches to Nintendo DS, Enticing Kids to Manage Health

http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2010-04/blood-sugar-monitor-attaches-nintendo-ds-enticing-kids-manage-health

'The battle to control type-1 diabetes in children could get a little easier -- as long as the kids keep playing with their Nintendos. Bayer Diabetes Care unveiled a new gadget Monday that aims to help kids manage their disease by tapping into their love for video games.'