Nintendo engineers talk Wii

With the Wii set to arrive in stores later this year and a devoted Nintendo fan base thirsty for more information on the console, the publisher has released the first in a three-part series of interviews on its official European Web site. While Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is featured in the interviews, he isn't the one providing the answers. Instead, he's posing the questions to members of Nintendo's own integrated research and development division.

In the first part of the interview, the division's general manager Genyo Takeda mentioned that development on the Wii started right after Nintendo launched the GameCube, but that the company's unique approach to the console didn't become clear until later.

"After speaking with Nintendo's development partners, I became keenly aware of the fact that there is no end to the desire of those who just want more," Takeda said. "Give them one, they ask for two...Then they want 10, 30, 100; their desire growing exponentially. Giving in to this will lead us nowhere in the end."

While Nintendo readily admits it wasn't trying to compete with Microsoft and Sony in raw horsepower when it devised the Wii, research and development group member Kou Shiota stressed that the system is still using cutting-edge technology, particularly in making the chips small and efficient.

"We have utilized the technology in this way so that we could minimize the power consumption of Wii," Shiota said. "If the chip becomes smaller, we can make the size of the console smaller. With a smaller chip and minimized power consumption, Wii can be left on 24 hours a day."

While Shiota admitted being anxious about the direction of the Wii when it was first proposed, he said he eventually became a convert.

"Once the concept of Wii as 'a console where something new happens every day' became clear, we were certain that we had made the right choice," Shiota said. "This concept is made possible by the fact that Wii can stay on for 24 hours a day."

For the full text of the interview, visit Nintendo Europe's official Web site.