Iwata Admits Mistakes with Nintendo 3DS Launch

The Nintendo 3DS handheld, which was released during March all over the world, enjoyed a very good week on sale and then started to fade as gamers became annoyed with the limited number of video games that the company launched for it.

Nintendo has promised more support for the device at the E3 2011 press conference and it seems that high-ranking executives were aware of the issues linked to the 3DS.

Speaking to shareholders Satoru Iwata, who is the president of Nintendo, has stated, “We also must reflect on the fact that we were not able to launch Nintendo 3DS at a time when a sufficient number of strong software titles were ready.”

He added, “In order to avoid the same thing from happening to the Wii U, we are considering details, such as what software is suitable for the launch, more carefully than ever before.”

The Nintendo 3DS managed its impressive initial sales because of the three-dimensional gaming experience that it could deliver, but it has proven hard for developers and for publishers to take advantage of this new feature and create games that use it in an innovative manner.

The Wii U home console is a much bigger bet for Nintendo because this is the platform which will make or break the company for the next five or more years.

The unique selling point of the Wii U is its new controller, which has traditional controls and motion tracking but also incorporates a new touch screen that can be used at the same time as the main television screen.

At the moment, a number of publishers and developers have been offered access to the Wii U in order to see what kind of games can be offered on it and how the touch screen can be used in a completely different manner.

But to make sure that the Wii U is a success, Nintendo needs to make sure that it created a launch line up that includes titles built around Mario, Zelda and other characters that defined the company.