Reggie interview: Redesign = Innovation?
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Feb 21st 2006 at 12:30PM }
In Engadget's most excellent interview
with Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo's name gathering, posterior assaulting VP of Sales and Marketing, it was revealed
that we shouldn't be completely caught by surprise should Nintendo decide to release yet another DS redesign. If you
count the model originally unveiled at E3 2004, this future model would represent a 3rd redesign--not that it would
stop us from buying it, apparently."Look at how many times we’ve improved on the Game Boy Advance in terms of the look, the feel, screen changes, and everything else. We believe that type of constant innovation is critical to driving this industry [my emphasis], and certainly if you look at the world wide sales of Game Boy Advance, I don’t think anyone would disagree."
HOLD IT! Your Honor, there is clearly a contradiction in this story! (...At least I hope so! The whole controversial case is riding on this...) Are we to believe that the act of repackaging and updating the aesthetic qualities of a platform, however attractive, is now considered to be a form of innovation? In the past, the witness has attacked the competition on the same grounds, complaining that they were simply releasing shinier and better versions of previously popular products. The implication was that their approach was the wrong kind of "innovation"! I suggest the witness revise his testimony! (Uh oh, Edgeworth has his serious / constipated face on. I hope he realizes I'm only referring to the actual hardware, not the games!)
Food for thought, or lousy leftovers? Be sure to follow the link for the entire interview.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
unreal mccoy @ Feb 21st 2006 2:19PM
better battery life + brighter screen - 5 pounds of blue/silver plastic = innovation
Ludwig Kietzmann @ Feb 21st 2006 2:27PM
Nope, gonna have to disagree with that. Those are improvements, certainly, but hardly the new developments that "innovation" would indicate. That word seems to be thrown around quite a lot recently, often for no good reason.
If a brighter screen is innovative, then surely the PSP is more innovative than the original DS? If something "better" is innovative, then I guess Call of Duty 2 with its improved visuals would be considered innovative too? Hmm...and yet that game's approach is exactly the kind of thing Nintendo is campaigning against. But let's stick to the hardware.
On a side note: "NOT innovative" does not automatically equate to "bad" either.
Loban @ Feb 21st 2006 2:39PM
i think Nintendo is going a little nutz with the word, and unfortunately Reggie may have slipped a little when he used this word to describe new DS designs.
that being said, i believe the Revolution IS truly innovative.
unreal mccoy @ Feb 21st 2006 2:40PM
If something has improved functionality, it can be considered innovative. I would argue that improved battery life and a brighter screen enhance the DS, and therefore are innovations. The DS Lite is still a DS, true, but the the Rev controller is still a game control.
However, I see your point. The DS Lite as a whole really isn't an innovation over the DS, but it does feature certain novel innovations.
Ludwig Kietzmann @ Feb 21st 2006 2:49PM
Well, I'm just calling him out on the DS Lite and GBA revisions. The Revolution is an entirely different story. :)
PodMonkeys @ Feb 21st 2006 2:59PM
DS Lite with its added features = innovation.
Skinny PS2 with inability to play all PS2 games != innovation.
:P
O'Neill @ Feb 21st 2006 3:03PM
I'm just tired of redesigning. I just bought my DS with a color you only find in Japan, graphite black, this time I'm sticking with it, no trades this time for me.
O'Neill::
unreal mccoy @ Feb 21st 2006 3:09PM
We shouldn't forget that Reggie, while full of wisdom and glory, is a marketing guy.
A card carrying BS'er...
Gonzo @ Feb 21st 2006 3:10PM
Reggie is absolutely right. They should be working on the next ds redesign already and another as soon as their done. The concept is called "Brand Energy" and it's why apple went from mearly reinventing the walkman to dominating the portable entertainment market. We're so bombarded with information in this "information age" that corporations need to constantly reinvent to keep their product/service in the consumers vocabulary.
Now-a-days as soon as a big company like this rests on it's laurels, it sinks.
Will it work for nintendo as well as it has been for apple? Time will tell but as things look now, probably not. Every new incarnation of the ipod brought, not just smaller size but, new features. All I want built into it is a way to read ebooks and listen to mp3s at the same time so I don't have to have the gbamp sticking out of
Martin @ Feb 21st 2006 3:41PM
The story sucked, but it's writing was top notch. Take that!
Ravage @ Feb 21st 2006 3:53PM
O'Neill, not to put too fine a point on it - but you can buy the Graphite DS here in the States. It's only available at Nintendo World in NYC though.
Ryan @ Feb 21st 2006 3:54PM
What makes Apple's iPod innovative? The MP3 player was not an apple idea. It was the entire package that made the iPod so successful. Each new revision of the iPod has improved upon the past but none I would argue was truly revolutionary in itself. The innovation in the entire product experience, combined with the revisions necessary to keep on the cutting edge is what I feel defines innovation. In this case I think Reggie is 100% accurate in his claim and not contradictory. The difference between the innovation of Nintendo Reggie suggests is the somewhat different approach Microsoft and Sony have taken in the past. While the competition is currently driving innovation in all three companies currently, it is different what Nintendo does with its hardware than others. It focuses on how the hardware can improve the experience with the software whereas others don't necessarily follow. While Microsoft and Sony are both creating products that have many purposes, they are so diluted, few truly know what to use their products for. They have shyed away from the concept of the game system and as a result have lost customers. Nintendo realizes it needs to capture the market that has been alienated by the complexity of games and the design of its products now reflect that. This revision has communicated to consumers what it stands for—simplistic yet enjoyable games with style. Nintendo has corrected all of the biggest complaints of DS? Too big, too bulky, not stylish enough, somewhat dull screen lighting, power button in wrong location, is only a game machine. Revision innovation only exists if it reflects what the product stands for in consumers minds and Nintendo has certainly innovated with this revision.
SuicideNinja @ Feb 21st 2006 3:56PM
What is innovative is their tactics that grant them the ability to release the same portable in several iterations and still sell them like mad.
Gonzo is right. If they keep putting remarkable spins on the same product, it keeps its energy and maintains consumer awareness.
Nushio @ Feb 21st 2006 4:13PM
You know when someone's been playing Phoenix Wright too much when.....
InfiniteLives @ Feb 21st 2006 8:50PM
Yeah, a ferrari is just a fancy repackaged model T. Stupid car companies. Why didn't they just make a F430 the first time. Geez.
jadenguy @ Feb 21st 2006 9:24PM
redesign can be innovation, like in the controller world. digital joystiqs to digital pads was innovative. digital buttons to analogue buttons was innovative. a folding gameboy that protected itself while using SPACE SAVING technology on the inside, that's innovative. better battery life, brighter screens, ergonomics, those can all be innovated. however, this isn't /that/ big of an innovation. but if something runs the same and uses less, that's as innovative as running more using the same. doing the same and lowering the price, adjusted for inflation, that's also innovative. so cut the guy some slack.
i am personally holding out for another sp-like layout, because that brought the old gameboy layout i loved so much. it was so...innovative.
WhiteTigerShiro @ Feb 22nd 2006 2:33AM
I think you're reading too much into the word "innovation". Over-all, Reggie is right. Re-designing the portable systems DOES make them sell more. As much as some people like to whine and complain about it, the majority just goes out and buys the newer version. Sometimes they're trading-in the older version, sometimes the new one is their first.
As for the so-called attacks on "competition", I still agree with Reggie. Look at most remakes of games that get released these days. The large majority of them are poorly done and just wreak of "rush-job". That isn't the case with every new GBA iteration though. Every GBA was well taken care of, and each one shined over the last in its own ways. Unlike those half-assed Mega Man remakes Capcom has been spewing-out lately. And let's not forget how sluggish Final Fantasy Anthologies and Chronicles ran compared to the SNES originals (sluggish even when compared to a high-tech game like FF7 or FF9).
You can't deny that when you hear about a game getting re-released, you pretty-much expect it to be poorly-done. Not the case with GBA, and probably won't be the case with the DSLite.
sopubun @ Feb 22nd 2006 5:56AM
Sheesh people. you people bitch and complain because, in reality, you just cant pull this off, but Nintendo can!
if it's redesigned/repacked, still sells like crazy, and adds to the bottom line, then it's innovative.
if it's brand new, but nobody really wants it, and doesn't add to the bottom line, it's not so innovative.
*sarcasm* Why didn't they just release laptops first time around when the PC debuted 30 years ago?! Why didn't apple just release the ipod with video 5 years ago?! *sarcasm* Things just don't always come out like a dream the first time they're made. That's just life! Other industries have been doing this for over a century since the Industrial Revolution started, kids! Make it cheap-attractive-profitable, sell, redesign, repeat.
Let the markets speak for themselves! You people are such whiners! Get over it!
dwarpdesign @ Feb 22nd 2006 6:49AM
Preach on,my brothers !
Sometimes it seems like I'm the only one who "gets it" when Nintendo releases a new handheld "update." What I see is this : a year and a half ago, when the original DS was released, they COULD have made something like the Lite, slim and bright. However, it would have been priced at $189, but released in a "bundle" with a screen cleaning cloth and a slipcase for $249, with no price drop in sight. But they didn't. They released something a little chunky, a little dull, with fantastic battery life, and a $149 price tag soon to drop to $129, still making that profit they are so famous for. Now, with improved technology, they can do it better, yet still at an optimal price point. I think this is the signifigant flaw with every single Gameboy/DS competitor to this day. The competition uses the latest greatest technology possible, and disregards all else. Nintendo use the greatest technology available, and then factors in battery life, size, durability, and price point for there intended market. And they overcome every time, and every time some other company tries to compete with the same old failed formula. /rant
dwarpdesign @ Feb 22nd 2006 6:53AM
Spelling Nazis, untie! I just misspelled their ^ 0_o
Ludwig Kietzmann @ Feb 22nd 2006 2:11PM
I see a lot of people are arguing against the part in my post where I claimed that constantly updating their systems wouldn't result in big sales for Nintendo. I find that odd, considering that part of the post doesn't exist.
Again, what I'm saying is this: Slimmer, brighter DS? NOT innovation that is "critical to driving this industry".
Innovation means introducing something new. Let's look at this in terms of the DS and how Nintendo sums up the competition. Reggie has claimed multiple times that the Xbox 360 is nothing more than a spruced up Xbox that plays similar games. Well, the DS Lite is a spruced up DS that plays EXACTLY the same games as the normal DS.
The DS was an innovative machine - it introduced NEW features which we had not seen in a serious portable gaming system before. That's why we love it. The DS Lite cannot claim to introduce the same. It's entire design is based on being smaller and looking better, something which is obviously influenced and brought about by competing products in the market. The "inspiration" comes from existing products, not from fresh ideas. It's the same as the GB Micro. There's no way you could dub it innovative, and yet it's from the same school of thought that spawned the DS Lite.
The whole point of this post is to point out that Reggie got a little careless with the "I" word, especially compared to their upcoming Revolution, something which truly IS innovative. Repackaging and better marketing is nothing we haven't seen before.
And again, don't take "this is not innovative" as meaning "this is bad". I can't wait to get my hands on a DS Lite. And yes, I have been playing Phoenix Wright a lot. Is that a crime? :)
soupbun @ Feb 22nd 2006 4:22PM
right. I think the investors, managers, and Nintendo consumers would disagree. If it's cheap enough and it sells in the market, it's innovative enough. Innovation in life is far beyond these "technical" specs people like to throw around. It's funny how people bitch and complain about the next gen consoles, but I was never the one to slam the other consoles by saying they're the same old crap over again. My only beef against them were the price premium you have to pay for their concept of innovation.
Making things a lot more convenient is definitely a point of innovation. Inventors in life don't invent just for the sake of inventing.
cyberfelon @ Feb 22nd 2006 4:33PM
As much as I like Nintendo, it's clear that they are using the word "innovation" when it isn't deserved. It takes more than a brighter screen and a smaller form factor to be innovative. The funny thing is that us DS fanboys are so quick to point out how the PSP isn't very innovative, offering simply a portable PS2 experience, and yet many commenters are jumping to the defence of Nintendo on this one.
Give it up, guys. If you can't admit it when Nintendo makes mistakes then you're a BLIND fanboy, which is the bad type of fanboy.
RageOverdose @ Feb 24th 2006 8:35PM
If innovation equals something new and different, then, technically, the DS lite is innovative; its a new DS. :P
All jokes aside, yeah, Reggie did seem to slip the word innovation where it didn't belong. But, then agian:
The GBC was innovative as it introduced color in the GameBoy line, but was essentially a new GB.
The GBA SP is innovative as it introduced much more portability and the first official screen light (albeit the inferior frontlit) for the Nintendo handheld line. It also had a built in rechargeable battery, a great addition
The DS lite, is well...Okay, I don't see much of a change besides ergonomics and aesthetics here, nothing they haven't done with previous handheld designs.
Nintendo has never really innovated in the sense of using new tech. They really took old, seperate tech, mixed them together, and made a new and enjoyable experience with them (Revolution is the same way, but to an NES degree, at least, that's what Nintendo is going for). Their handheld redesigns are the same way, they just put new stuff in their portables that basically sets the standard for the rest of the portables they release afterward. So, they really innovate in their own handheld product line.
:)
obo @ Feb 26th 2006 7:54PM
I washed a shirt today. The end result was several grams lighter, had fewer visual blemishes, looked brighter and performed better.
How did I wash it, you may ask? Well, silly boy, I innovated it!
obo @ Feb 26th 2006 7:57PM
RageOverdose: I agree with you, and this little nit doesn't change anything, but the Lite should also have brighter screens. Not innovation, still, but very significant. Unless you filed that under ergonomics and aesthetics?
Scapegoat @ Feb 27th 2006 2:55PM
I agree with dwarpdesign. When Nintendo showed the original Gameboy to Atari engineers, they just laughed! Grainy screen? Black and white graphics? clunky? Atari had a handheld with colour! It had the real McCoy! Or so they thought. Nintendo trounced the competition with the Gameboy, because even though it didn't have a backlit screen back then (when other handhelds did), it had 12 hours of battery life, off 4 AAs! Other handhelds got a 3rd of that length of life, and they needed almost a dozen batteries to be powered! Mooyeah, booyeah, Nintendo! Innovation, and just redisigns, are GREAT!
pixelator @ Apr 20th 2006 12:27PM
You DS fannies seriously need to look up the definition of the word.
Main Entry: in·no·va·tion
Pronunciation: "i-n&-'vA-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : the introduction of something new
2 : a new idea, method, or device : NOVELTY
Increasing sales through repackaging isn't innovation. Using brighter screen isn't innovation. Changing plastic color isn't innovation. Variable brightness isn't new, isn't innovation.
Redesigns CAN be innovative, as long as they, well, INNOVATE. The Lite is very cool and welcome overall, but there's nothing novel or new except the size and screen brightness settings.
Reggie is a mouthpiece, and a fairly loud one at that. He's just going to emit whatever marketspeak he thinks will drive attention and discussion, and look! It has. Calling endless revisions of the same old GBA SP with various colors 'innovative' is borderline insulting of people's intelligence, however.
I loved my SP. I bought an SP+. I even bought a Micro. The shape and size of the latter was somewhat innovative, especially the metal casing and cool faceplate design, but it wasn't a new idea, nor was the device, in and of itself, doing anything new. The various GBA SP models definitely weren't innovations, although one could note new features when the models were updated from original Gameboy to GBC, then GBA, then SP. THOSE major changes often introduced some new functionality, but was the GBC the first color handheld? No. Was the SP the first backlit handheld? No. Hell, even the first DS was basically an amalgam of existing tech and old concepts: Game & Watch dual screens, PDA stylus touchscreen, integrated mic, WiFi. Was the overall combo 'innovation'? It hasn't really changed the way games are made.
I think old Reg needs to rethink how packaging and design equates to cool and perhaps even creative, but not everything Nintendo does is INNOVATION.