With the 3DS having just launched in Japan, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has expressed the company's hopes for the handheld system and the stance Nintendo is taking towards the eventual successor to the Wii.
During an interview conducted by Yomiuri Online (as translated by AndriaSang), Iwata hopes that the 3DS userbase will be greater than that of the current range of DS handhelds. When asked about sales targets, Iwata replied:
We don't have a specific sales target, but we'd like to increase the number of people who experience it to beyond the DS. We've equipped it with a 3D camera and so-forth, which can also bring in those who aren't interested in games.
The 3DS will be the first 3D video playback device to reach major penetration... We've had many proposals from the film, music and such industries. We're looking into distributing Hollywood trailers and movies, along with things like 3D reference software.
When talk turned to the Wii's successor, Iwata echoed the words of Nintendo of America's President, Reggie Fils-Aime. Noting that the console launched only four years ago, the fact that the Wii is selling 7 million units a year in North America alone is a sign that the console hasn't reached its limit yet.
We'll make decisions about a successor system at the time when software developers cannot offer surprises (on the Wii).
