Miyamoto: Digital, Physical Distribution Can Co-Exist

Nintendo has embraced the digital distribution of smaller-sized games and software via its Wii Shop channel and DSiWare, but according to Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of flagship Nintendo franchises from Mario to Wii Fit, traditional physical distribution will make up most of the company's business for the foreseeable future. "Entertainment is something that will not just become digital," he told the San Jose Mercury News. "If I look at Wii MotionPlus, this is something that you're not doing via digital distribution. The thing for us is we really don't see the future of video games being merely confined to digital distribution or moving solely or even to a majority of our products being distributed that way." Miyamoto said "he's one of those guys" who downloads all his music from iTunes, but also buys the CD version. "I feel more reassured with that physical media," he said. He did not totally shrug off the importance of digital distribution, noting that it does cut back costs needed for packaging, for instance, and "it creates a lot of opportunity for a lot of different developers." Elsewhere in the interview, he also commented on the new motion-controller plans brewing at Microsoft and Sony -- Natal and the prototype wand at each respective competitor. "We have sold millions of controllers at a good price point. And we have that delivery system [to get them into the hands of the mass market] successfully already implemented. For other companies starting from zero and trying to figure out how to get it out there at a decent price point is a big challenge."