Nintendo's "Quality of Life" System Not Coming Soon

Nintendo's mysterious Quality of Life product initiative, which was first announced in January 2014, has not yet materialized and it looks like it won't anytime soon. The English translation of Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima's briefing with investors was published today, providing some new info on the matter.

While Nintendo still sees health and wellness as an area of potential growth, the Quality of Life product is not yet ready for market, and it won't be during Nintendo's current fiscal year.

"We do not feel that we are currently at a stage where we can commercialize a product that deals with sleep and fatigue," he said. "So we are not planning to launch any products in this area in the fiscal year ending in March 2016. However, we do believe there is potential in the QOL sector, so we will continue to consider further development in this area."

In October 2014, Nintendo revealed that one element of Nintendo's Quality of Life initiative would be the fatigue and sleep deprivation sensor that Kimishima mentioned in his comments.

"Inside the QOL Sensor is a non-contact radio frequency sensor, which measures such things as the movements of your body, breathing and heartbeat, all without physically touching your body," then-president Satoru Iwata explained at the time.

Data gathered from this device would be used to help people understand their sleep habits better and improve their quality of sleep. It would also provide advice on how they can have a better night's sleep.

This isn't the first time Nintendo has experimented with health and wellness. It also did so with the Vitality Sensor for Wii, though the device never materialized.

As for what areas Nintendo is pursuing in the near future, the company will look to grow its licensing deals because fewer and and fewer young people today are getting introduced to Nintendo's characters and brands through games, Kimishima said.