Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed details of a new gift-giving feature for the Wii that will allow users to send Virtual Console games to each other online as presents. In the same address, Iwata also confirmed plans to launch the Wii console in China next year.
The gift-giving feature was described as a new function of the existing Shopping Channel, with users able to purchase a game as a gift, which when accepted by the recipient automatically launches the Shopping Channel to download it.
There was no indication that the service would only be for the Christmas period, which will presumably allow future Wii Ware titles to also be sent as gifts once they begin to become available early next year.
"We think this will be a breakthrough in encouraging customers to spread news of fun games word of mouth," Iwata said. "We also hope to spur more users to connect their Wiis to the Internet.”
In the same
Associated Press report, Iwata also ruled out any possibility of an imminent price cut for the Wii, the possibility of which had
already been denied by Nintendo of America senior vice president of marketing George Harrison.
Iwata also spoke briefly of plans to launch the Wii in China next year, indicating that a launch any earlier would be impossible due to stock issues and the need to create games better suited to local tastes. "We barely have enough Wiis to meet global demand this year. But next year, we can bring the Wii to China," said Iwata.
