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View Full Version : Gates: "Nintendo is standing still online"



wraggster
January 18th, 2007, 18:10
via cvg (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=155756)

Bill Gates has questioned Nintendo's strategy for Wii, saying "Look at the resolution you get with a controlled experience like that. Say to yourself, how in terms of using a game for a long period of time, what kind of accuracy and capability do you want?

"Look at the classic Nintendo positioning Look at the graphics. Look at Nintendo's execution in terms of online capability... If you want to play online, get an Xbox. We're not standing still," Gates told the San Jose Mercury News.

"Look at what you saw today connecting up the world to the Windows PC. Do you expect Nintendo to rev up a team to create cross-device gaming and tool kits to develop those things? Not very likely."

But according to the MS boss Nintendo "clearly did some things right" in the past, such as teaming up with UK-based developer Rare. "In my household, everybody plays Viva Piņata," he confessed.

Outside of competitor sniping, in the interview Gates also shared his thoughts on the original Xbox, observing that Microsoft's last-gen console was "20 per cent better" that its rivals.

However, he continued saying "It didn't matter. We were a year late, didn't have the best games. We had this bigger box. We did have online. We didn't switch positions on that."

But on the Xbox 360 he says Microsoft's strategy is "working perfectly. We wanted to be the guy with the small box that costs less. We wanted to have the most games. We wanted to play to our software strength, and tools and online.

"We wanted to swap positions with Sony. We wanted to not be a year late, not be a big box, not be a more expensive box. How are we doing on that?"