Today, we are here to talk about Nintendo eShop. I've gathered together the people who made the Nintendo eShop application and the content for enjoyment there.

Nintendo eShop is a new service scheduled to be made available for use on June 7 via a system update. It is a new service only for the Nintendo 3DS system that will allow users to download Nintendo 3DS software and view product videos, among other things.

First, I would like everyone to introduce themselves.

Okay. I'm Kazuto Nakaya from the Network Business Department. For Nintendo eShop, I was mostly an application director.

I'm Daiji Imai, also in the Network Business Department. I am in charge of directing the client side of affairs with regard to video distribution.

I'm Takao Nakano from the Special-Planning & Development Department. I am the director in charge of the 3D Classics series of games.

I'm Kenta Tanaka from the Software Development & Design Department. I was in charge of the Virtual Console for Nintendo eShop.

Thank you. First, I'd like to ask about Nintendo eShop. To sum it up, it is a shop for the Nintendo 3DS system that is like an integration of the Nintendo DSi Shop¹ and Nintendo Channel.² Nakaya-san, you've been involved in our online shopping services since the Nintendo DSi Shop. In consideration of any point in need of improvement in the Nintendo DSi Shop, what did you try to achieve this time?

When I was assigned to Nintendo eShop, people around me said that lots of people have things to say about the shops. So I was somewhat prepared, but once I got started, reports saying, "This is no good!" and "Can't you do something like this?" started pouring in from all over the world with regard to the Nintendo DSi Shop. So I started there.

I remember saying in a meeting that we should make shopping more fun so that the shop was a place you would go even if you didn't have anything particular to do.

That's right. You said that early on. So we decided to integrate functions of the Nintendo Channel and Wii Shop Channel - which suddenly more than doubled the number of staff involved.

Then I got the task of making the shop a place you just stopped by to browse and casually pick something up. That wasn't easy to figure out. The screen designer had trouble, too. He often went to real video game stores, general stores and book stores to get hints for designs and ideas.

Until now, the shops have been places where you went for a particular purpose, but this time, we wanted to make a place where you could window shop. How did you choose from among the many demands that came in?

At first, I made adjustments in order of those requests that were greatest in number. This time, I made a demo device for Nintendo eShop and had people actually try it out. Then new opinions arose and some things that had been requested turned out not to be so great, so it gradually changed.

Oh, that's right. With Nintendo DSi Shop, we didn't have time to get everyone's input, so we just implemented the minimum functions necessary for a shop. This time, you made a working model that would run on its own apart from the server and passed it around.

Yeah. I made a demo device that could run the application on its own even if it wasn't connected to the server. I had everyone try it out fairly early on, so I heard lots of opinions and gradually polished it up.

Could you tell me about some of the things that you thought were important at first but turned out not to be so crucial later on, or about those ideas that came up after people had tried it out?

With regard to the search function, a lot of people wanted to be able to search within detailed parameters. But as the shop took form, we began to emphasise what we wanted to line up first and what kind of shop we wanted as the seller, rather than focusing on having customers search, so the number of people with precise opinions about the search function gradually decreased.

I do suppose that if you're making the customers search, Nintendo eShop isn't fulfilling its purpose.

Right.

This time, the shop manager in each region can freely rearrange the shelves, so you paid a lot of attention to how they could flexibly rearrange the shelves for showing their customers.

Yes, exactly. But this was our first attempt at that, so I'm a little worried about how it will turn out. (laughs)

How the shop managers in each region operate after Nintendo eShop starts will be important. We may find that America is doing really well or hear that Europe's profits are looking good, so each shop manager's skills will be on display.

It does seem like the regional managers are feeling that pressure. They formed a shop managers group and are moving to compete while also sharing some operations among the various regional shops.

After Nintendo eShop has been up and running a while, it could be interesting to hold a session of "Iwata Asks" called "Iwata Asks: Nintendo eShop Managers International."

Yeah! I'd be interested in finding out which region is running the best shop.

Since we've gone to all the hard work of preparing this system, I can't wait to see how they implement it.

Another big change in the online shop this time is the integration of the Nintendo Channel functions. Specifically, that adds such functions as game promotion, gathering user game ratings and searching for games with good reviews. There was quite a discussion about changing the review system away from the Wii system's to a five-star system, wasn't there?

Yeah, quite a tussle. A five-star ranking is the standard ranking system that users are familiar with from the Internet. We thought that a five-star system would be more comfortable to users than assigning a number somewhere up to 100 points. Some resisted the idea of changing the previous system, so much so that, at some point, we were considering to adopt different ranking systems for different regions.

Do opinions really differ so much by country?

Yeah. Even now, we don't all quite agree. For example, there is division over what standards to apply, like whether one star is bad or actually sort of all right. It looks like we'll be able to settle on one worldwide Nintendo ranking system in the end, so the developers are relieved.

Reconciling the differing opinions in Japan, America and Europe was hard. And a lot with regard to the different ways of handling tax was a nightmare.

Oh yeah, was it ever! (laughs wryly) This time, we switched from a point system to a cash system. Each prepaid card is in that country's monetary unit, and when you download a product, the receipt bears the price, so the number of currencies being handled shot up.

In particular, the number of currencies increased in Europe. It was my first time to hear a lot of them! Just when it comes to the krone³ in places like Northern Europe, there's the Norwegian krone and Danish krone, and - while their pronunciations are slightly different - the Swedish krona, and the Czech koruna… It's like they're all relatives!

Are there really that many?

Yeah. Krone means "crown." It's a common name for monetary units in Europe, so there are all kinds of them with that kind of name.

Hmm. I see.

There were all sorts of complications like that. I wondered why I was spending so many days just thinking about the money involved. Actually, that's still going on.

About how many countries are involved with Nintendo eShop?

We plan to start with 25.

But tax rates differ even within a single country.

Yes. The server team in America is working on that. Add to that our financial, accounting and legal people in the various countries, and there are so many people from so many countries involved in this project that it takes forever to decide anything.

What we're having the most trouble with right now is tax rates in America. In America, tax rates are determined by state, city and county. There are about 60,000 postal codes, and usually, once you know the postal code, you know the tax rate, but the tax rate in some areas isn't determined solely by the postal code.

The postal code isn't enough?

Nope. It gets a bit complicated, but…should I go into it? (laughs) In America, some areas with the same postal code straddle state lines. For some reason, the postal zone wasn't determined together with the state boundary.

Since the postal code doesn't determine the tax rate in that area, once you punch in that number, you have to choose which area you live in. We've been wrestling with these details in each country for quite some time.

Oh, I see. And one of the other goals from the start this time was to increase the speed with which the screen changes. The Nintendo DSi Shop was browser-based, so in order to change the screen, the server made information for the browser to read, and that was then constructed on the screen, so screen transition wasn't very fast. What did you do to speed it up?

We used a method whereby a database of likely content for display is created, then assembled and read first - like with the Nintendo Channel.

In network communication, retrieving data in bundles is faster than flipping through it all.

Right. And our client programmers are doing everything they can to cut down on the amount of data.

That persistent frugality has an effect on the speed of screen transition.

Yes. We're building up the effects of a lot of such small efforts.

When I first saw the prototype linked to Nintendo eShop, I couldn't help but ask, "Is it really connected?" I couldn't tell that it was accessing a server at all. It ran so smoothly that it seemed like mock data.

When it comes to speed, I think we achieved our original goal. But we've added some things internally, so it may be a little slower than the last one you saw. I'm a little nervous about it.

Now I'd like to ask some questions to Imai-san. The video download service you are working on won't be available when Nintendo eShop opens, but this service will become possible via software distributed through the shop in the near future, so I'd like to ask you about it here today.

The world has never seen anything like this service. How did you begin thinking about this?

This service allows your Nintendo 3DS system to use the SpotPass⁴ feature to download 3D videos, so users can view new 3D videos each day. Until now, people have only been able to see 3D images in movies. That experience will now become much closer to them. And what's more, if SpotPass is activated, the videos come in automatically. So first of all, I wanted users to feel that increased accessibility. They don't have to wear any special glasses to use it in the first place, and I want to make it so that people can use it without feeling any obstacles at all!

They come in before you know it, so you open your Nintendo 3DS system, and even if you're somewhere unconnected to the Internet, you can watch new 3D videos every day.

Right. If you have a wireless environment at home and put your Nintendo 3DS system in Sleep Mode, it will download content overnight. And if you pass through Nintendo 3DS access points such as NTTBP's Wi-Fine areas while commuting to work or school, content will download before you know it. You can watch it on the train or while having lunch on the go.

The videos swap in and out on their own, so each encounter with the videos is unique.

That's right. You can't save the videos. They come in each day, so the next day there are different videos. It's something you can look forward to and enjoy every day.

What was your reason for designing it like that?

It was partially because of video rights issues, but if the videos just kept piling up, the users would have to actively choose the videos they watch. I thought having them simply check out a short video and then look forward to the next day was more appropriate for this service.

Most network services out there involve active choice. That's comfortable for people who are good at choosing from among limitless possibilities, but those who aren't sure what they want may never find something of value to them.

Right. We can provide stereoscopic videos for people like that, too, so they can watch them without any burden whatsoever.

What was it like when you first tried a working version?

The staff says that it's mysterious how what you look at one day has changed the next. Every day when the videos change, I am able to watch with a refreshed feeling.

With video services to date, you basically had to access the Internet to watch something. But with the SpotPass feature, the videos download automatically - as if to say, "Here, take these today!" - and you can view them even somewhere without access to the Internet. It's a rare approach among Internet services.

Yeah. I think delivering recommended 3D videos to Nintendo 3DS users before they know it is really amazing. I hope all kinds of people will check them out.

What kind of videos have impressed you so far?

Among the sample videos I've seen, the sports ones were most pleasing. Especially when there's something like a sports competition, I think it would be great each day to see a digest of highlights. And when it comes to the daily news, stereoscopic images would lend it an increased sense of reality, so you would feel closer to events occurring far away. I want to see videos like that.

Until now, Nintendo 3DS users have mostly only seen their notification LED show green when they passed by someone with the StreetPass feature activated, but from now on, I hope they will see it shine blue as content comes in via the SpotPass feature.

By the way, something that doesn't seem to be well known is that when it shines orange, that means a friend has come online. I don't think many people have seen blue or orange yet, but I hope they will enjoy that soon!

All right, Nakano-san. Among our various topics today, development of 3D Classics⁵ got off to the earliest start.

Yeah. We started toward the end of 2009, so we've been working on it for a while.

How did you come to be in charge of it?

My boss said he wanted to recreate classic titles with a focus on stereoscopic graphics for the Nintendo 3DS system. I ended up collaborating with Arika⁶, since they have experience in a wide variety of fields and are an extremely reliable company when it comes to suggesting and implementing new methods of visual presentation.

Several were suggested as candidates for becoming 3D Classics. What was the first one you made?

In developing 3D Classics with Arika, the first title that came up was Namco Bandai Games' Xevious.⁷

That was because we ourselves wanted to see it in 3D. Especially, Solvalou⁸ floating in midair! (laughs)

Uh-huh! We based the 3D version on the arcade game. With a 2D screen, players had to use their imagination for Solvalou flying above the ground, but on the Nintendo 3DS system, we thought we might be able to recreate it using stereoscopic graphics so it looked like it was really floating.

But when you started making it, you ran into a lot of difficulties.

Yes, that's right. In the original version, the game unfolds on a flat surface. The moment we made Solvalou float in midair, all sorts of discrepancies arose.

For example, when an enemy on the ground fired at Solvalou in the original, everything was on the same plane, so it didn't seem unusual if the bomb appeared at the same altitude as Solvalou the moment it was fired and then hit Solvalou right away.

But with the Nintendo 3DS system, Solvalou is floating in midair. If the bomb suddenly appears - zhing! - at the same altitude as Solvalou… We were like, "Huh? Something doesn't feel right!" (laughs) Everything was off!

When you took a 2D game enhanced into 3D by the player's imagination and made it an actual 3D game, nothing felt right.

Yeah. For the same reason, when Solvalou fired at surface opponents, the bombs would strike the same instant they were fired. (laughs) A lot was off simply at a glance.

But if you try to make that look natural, then the game elements don’t work properly.

Exactly! The actual game was made in 2D, so the bombs strike Solvalou the moment they're fired. But for the Nintendo 3DS system, we had to create an interval between when they are fired and when they strike. There were all kinds of discrepancies like that. It was a big challenge making something that would satisfy fans of the original and provide a fresh surprise on the Nintendo 3DS system.

So at first it looked like you would merely port it, but it actually turned out to be a lot of work! (laughs) I would guess it was about 20 times the work of merely porting it?

That's about right. That was a bit frustrating. (laughs) If you look closely, you will probably notice that we actually had Arika redo the graphics and programming from scratch.

And you didn't just create a 3D world from scratch, but when you move the 3D depth slider down, it transitions smoothly to the old 2D graphics. That must have been an incredible task!

It was! We spared no effort! (laughs) At first, since it was new hardware, we tried making the graphics richer, but that didn't impress much.

Yeah. Miyamoto-san and I both said, "Put it back the way it was!" (laughs)

Everyone has strong memories of Xevious. The most impressive moment is when Solvalou lifts off.

Would you give me some examples of titles that didn't work out well when you tried them out, as well as some examples of games that, to the contrary, matched the 3D effect perfectly?

Let's see… One game that didn't go well was Tennis for the Famicom.⁹ The tennis court originally in the background had perspective, so I thought we could simply shift it to 3D. But we had originally created that screen to have a three-dimensional effect in 2D, so in real 3D imaging, it wasn't very surprising. I thought, "That's totally normal!" (laughs)

It was surprising how unsurprising it was. (laughs)

Yeah. (laughs) And a programming problem arose after changing the collision detection for the ball and racket from a plane to a 3D field. It took as much work as making a tennis game from scratch. If there would be the surprise of seeing it become 3D, we might want to make it, but we had to conclude that the resultant value would not be worth our hard work, so we scrapped it.

It was too underwhelming, so it went into the bin.

Yeah. In addition to Xevious, Excitebike¹⁰ is an example of a title that went well.

3D Classics: Excitebike will be a free download for a limited period of time to commemorate the opening of Nintendo eShop.

Yeah. The new 3D Classics: Excitebike doesn't just create a sense of depth by layering the characters and background. If you turn the 3D depth slider up, the incredibly three-dimensional world with perspective that opens before you will knock your socks off!

Yes, that's a little mysterious. Originally, Excitebike used orthographic projection, which creates a three-dimensional effect by showing objects at an angle without causing scenes and persons in the distance to look smaller. In 3D, the world really expands, so I hope people with a Nintendo 3DS system will make use of the free download to experience it.

Yes, definitely. I hope they will download it during the promotional campaign.

Altogether, how many 3D Classics did you make?

We're currently making six. Release of Xevious and Excitebike is slated for June 7. I hope everyone will look forward to those titles, as well as the others.

How did you choose those titles? The balance between how good they look in 3D and how hard they will be to make is important.

That's right. And if you don't possess a certain degree of familiarity with the original game, you won't sense the extent of change to the 3D version, so you have to have both. Some titles were minor but looked good in 3D, while others were incredibly major games but didn't work out well, so we chose those that presented the best of both worlds.

Moving on to Tanaka-san, we're finally ready to discuss the Virtual Console. How did you come to work on it?

To be honest, I don't really know! (laughs) One day my boss just told me to head it up.

Working on the Virtual Console wasn't as simple as making a universal emulator for feeding the binary (file data) and knocking them out, right? What exactly do you do?

They're basically the same as before, but when something isn't quite right, we correct it. The Game Boy system made use of the characteristics of its LCD. For example, it would make characters and so on flash to represent them as translucent, but when you do that on the Nintendo 3DS system, it just doesn't work, so we adjust things like that.

A lot has changed since back then with regard to the way something flashing looks and the response speed of liquid crystal, so you're not just moving around the same images. How do you determine which titles to use?

Basically, the Nintendo eShop region managers mull it over among themselves, saying "I want that one game for North America," or "I want this title for Europe," or "This software is necessary in Japan." It gets a bit messy sometimes because a game that is still popular in America may never have been sold in Japan! (laughs) Once the roster begins to take shape among the shop managers, we estimate the practicability and production costs of those titles and consider the scheduling involved.

I suppose there are easy titles to make as well as hard ones.

Roughly speaking, action games and puzzlers are easy to make, while you have to check a lot of spots in RPGs, which takes a lot of time.

When the original programming doesn't result in something that looks like the original, you go in and fix every detail, right? How many titles will be available on the Virtual Console?

There will be six titles (six for Japan, four in Europe) when the shop opens.¹¹ We plan to add others later.

There are some modes you added to the Virtual Console out of a playful spirit, aren't there?

Yes. I was born in 1980, so I was part of that generation in which everyone was dying to have a Game Boy system. But I couldn't get my parents to buy me one. (laughs)

The Game Boy system came out in 1989, so you were about 9.

Yeah. About that time, everyone was getting hooked on Super Mario Land¹² and Tetris.¹³

Back then, a game system that you could carry around was a revolutionary invention for children.

Absolutely. So in realising the Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS system, I had a longing for certain characteristics. I wanted to recreate the atmosphere of the games as faithfully as possible. For example, the Game Boy system's LCD was a little greenish at first.

A sort of yellow-green.

And I even wanted to recreate that afterimage in Super Mario Land when Superball Mario throws a ball. (laughs)

Huh? That too?!

Yeah! (laughs) I included an extra mode with the old colouring and afterimages, so you'll think, "Oh, it was just like this!"

Did you compare it to the old game?

Yeah. I thought there might be a slight difference in how long the afterimage sticks around. (laughs)

(laughs) Like the afterimage needs to be a little stronger?

Yeah. (laughs) But if I went overboard, it would be hard to play on the Nintendo 3DS system, so I made something playable that also brings back those old memories to a certain extent.

Another extra mode is a display mode for playing at the original resolution. Usually, the graphics are blown up to display in accordance with the Nintendo 3DS system's screen, but you can also play at the resolution of the original Game Boy system. However, the Nintendo 3DS system's resolution is higher, so it only shows up as a little window in the centre of the Nintendo 3DS system's upper screen! (laughs)

But it's pleasing the moment it does.

I can't help but think it looks great.

You even recreate that feeling of the liquid crystal set back a little from the Game Boy system's screen cover. I love that dedication to something some might consider pointless. (laughs)

Yeah. (laughs) I wanted to recreate as faithfully as possible how the LCD was just behind the screen cover.

The key is to have it set back just a little.

And I even recreated the way the red LED on the left-hand side of the screen cover would grow a little faint when the power started running low. I don't know if anyone will like that, but I paid attention to that as well. (laughs)

(laughs)

It’s sort of like you're saying, "Good thing you put me in charge, huh?"

But I wasn't the only one. Actually, one other person from the Game Boy generation participated in this project. We had different ideas of the Game Boy system, so we disagreed about a lot.

Your personal impressions didn't match up?

Right. Like when it came to the greenish LCD and afterimage. I brought in an actual Game Boy system and said, "There! See?" as we tried various approaches. (laughs)

Sounds fun.

And while it has a big impact on gameplay, this time you can stop the game anytime you want and do it over as often as you want.

That's different from the Wii system's Virtual Console.

Yes. With the Wii console, you can't save partway through and play over and over again. However, since there was also a battery life issue back then, I figured many people -myself included - were often unable to play a game all the way to the end. And old games were really difficult!

They were hard on the players.

Yeah, it would be too bad if people bought something from the Virtual Console for the first time, found it too difficult, and gave up. I hope people will make use of this function, which allows them to save anytime and play parts over again, in order to beat games that they never could before.

Actually, I had never cleared Super Mario Land, so I used this function in playing it again and again, and after two times through, I noticed the Stage Select function for the first time! (laughs)

You were born right in the middle of the Game Boy generation but didn't know about that function in Super Mario Land until working on this project.

Yeah. I bet stuff like that is in other games as well, so I hope people will take notice of such things!

Now that Nintendo eShop is ready, Virtual Console games and 3D Classics will appear in increasing number, so the Nintendo 3DS system is about to finally assume its complete form. As you walk around with your Nintendo 3DS system, has the impression it makes changed now that it has so much in it? Let's start with you Tanaka-san.

I have a lot of Virtual Console games lined up on my HOME Menu screen. When I see that, I do think it has changed. I feel richer now that I have so many!

How about you, Nakano-san?

I only have 3D Classics in mine, but when I downloaded them - you know how the package pops out of the present? That feels really good. I bought it myself, so I knew what I was getting, though. (laughs)

As more and more software is added to the HOME Menu screen, I suppose it should look bustling. I will perhaps feel like showing it to the others.

And you, Imai-san?

When a video downloads, a blue mark lights up in the software icons on the HOME Menu screen. I hope people will notice a change every time they open up their Nintendo 3DS system.

Nakaya-san?

Actually, Nintendo eShop will also sell Nintendo DSiWare software. I think the fact that you can run Nintendo DSiWare on a Nintendo 3DS system is a hidden sales point for the new system. There's a function called Nintendo 3DS Transfer Tool that allows you to move most of the Nintendo DSiWare you downloaded for your Nintendo DSi system to your Nintendo 3DS system. I get excited when I see all that Nintendo DSiWare lined up on the screen. I was in charge of the Nintendo DSi Shop and have lots of Nintendo DSiWare on the Nintendo DSi system that I downloaded personally. I'm glad that I can make good use of it.

I see.

I'm also happy that once Nintendo eShop opens, you will be able to see all kinds of products lined up in downloadable titles for Nintendo 3DS; Virtual Console games and Nintendo DSiWare. The number of products on the line-up this time is daunting, but I'm comfortable with it.

Preparing the shop is indeed hard, but it's a rich line-up and you can switch from screen to screen rapidly, so I think it's a more pleasurable experience than previous shops provided.

I think so, too. Until now, no one had said much to me about the new software, so I learned a lot today. I made a lot of connections in my head, like, "Oh, so that function was for selling that kind of software!"

After the shop opens and everyone's Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu screen livens up, each user's personality will begin to show. Downloaded applications generally go on the SD Card, so if you up your SD Card's capacity, many will fit on it. This is another occasion for everyone's impression of the Nintendo 3DS system to change.

That's right.

And since it is a place that integrates a function allowing users to search for games they might like with a function that allows them to read customer reviews, I want to handle it so that if you want game information - even if you don't have any particular purpose in mind - you will find something interesting by dropping by Nintendo eShop each week.

That puts a lot more pressure on me! I'll do the best I can! (laughs)

And since the shop managers can freely rearrange the shelves in their region, each shop manager's skills will be on display. It will be obvious when a particular country is, for example, throwing its weight behind Super Mario Land.

That's a lot like how real stores have to consider how to best use their shelves.

I'm also looking forward to special selections displaying the shop manager's recommendations. For example, it may be worth thinking up special promotions, such as a Mother's Day special lining up software geared toward mums or a summer break special introducing games to play during summer vacation.

Until now, even if you watched a video, you couldn't buy the game right then and there, but now that these functions have been united, it will be clear how certain videos or specials made the sale.

I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a little apprehensive. It may, however, provide hints for thinking up future services.

Picking up on that idea, I feel like Nintendo has finally reached the starting line when it comes to selling things in the digital world. Our previous efforts in expanding the connection hubs will come to bear fruit in Nintendo eShop.

While the video download service is still a little ways off from the system update this time, I hope Nintendo 3DS owners will look forward to seeing what kinds of videos come in through the SpotPass feature. Once we know more details about when and how the videos will be distributed, Nintendo will be sure to let you know.

Thank you for your time today. Good luck finishing everything up!

Thank you!