Miyamoto - Nintendo very interested in networked devices/user-generated content, Miis could come to Nintendogs

A portion of a USA Today interview with Shigeru Miyamoto…

USA: The 3DS has some new wireless features, correct? Could you talk about how that could be used in games?

SM: It’s a little bit hard to explain but obviously, Nintendo is very interested in the idea of networked devices and user-generated content and we think that is going to be important in entertainment going forward. And a lot of other companies feel the same way. What we feel is important is Nintendo needs is to look at these from a perspective, and execute them from a perspective, that is different from what other companies are doing because if all we are doing is the same thing that everyone else is doing, that’s not very fun. So what we we are looking at are ways that we can deliver this content or connect people to one another in ways that are different or unique. Take for instance the “Bark mode” (from the original nintendogs) or the “Tag mode” feature from the Nintendo DS. This is a form of wireless communication in which just walking down the street and passing by people on the street, you somehow have a wireless connection with that person and you may get their data or they may get your data. And there’s this kind of interesting sense of surprise when that wireless communication is going on. It sometimes feels like it is kind of a virtual connection and it sometimes feels like it is a real connection between you and someone you have actually met on the street.

So we are looking at ways to expand on this idea of “Bark mode” and take advantage also of the fact that there are wireless networks available for people to use and through those people who maybe don’t have connections in the home can still be able to enjoy some of that network functionality without necessarily even realizing (it). So when they pass by a network connection that they are able to connect to, the data comes to them automatically, rather than having to actively seek them out.

USA: So if I had my nintendogs and you have yours and we happen to pass each other in the mall our dogs might bark at each other?

SM: On Nintendo DS, the way that it worked, you would have your Nintendo DS, you would put nintendogs in, you would turn the game on. In the game you would set it to “Bark mode” and then you would close your Nintendo DS and put it in your pocket. And the only way that the connection would happen is if you passed somebody else who had done the same thing. … So it was a bit of a hurdle in terms of trying to create those connections. The idea with this is that it is built into the hardware. You don’t necessarily have to have the game on and you don’t have to have specifically set it into “Bark mode” at that moment. If you have set up your “Bark mode” data in the hardware, then it would do that regardless of whether you have actively set it up or have tried to activate “Bark mode” on any particular trip.

USA: So in theory if that connection happened (in the new game), you might see your dog and another dog in perhaps a virtual park?

SM: Yes, we would be able to do something like that. And who knows, maybe the Mii of the owner of the dog would also come along as well.