Nintendo's President chats about the costs of developing for the 3D enhanced handheld.
In a recent investors meeting, Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata talked about the upcoming Nintendo 3DS, the successor to the Nintendo DS. When talking about the system's development and if there were any differences between it and traditional development, Iwata explained that it all depends on how developers are planning on using the system's features. Iwata elaborated that while developers can just make a game in 3D, "If you try to make something that's not in a 3D world into 3D, you'll probably have some cost. However, I don't really feel that there's any substance to that. Naturally, you won't make a game interesting by just making the visuals 3D."
Satoru Iwata then explains further that, "It's when you offer an interactive experience in the 3D visuals as part of a set with something that is interesting that you first have value as entertainment."
When concluding the topic, Iwata explained that development can keep costs down during the trial and error phase through good management, such as keeping teams small during the experimental phase, then grown once the team is properly trained.
Iwata was then asked about the possibility of the 3D affecting gamer's health, he assured that the 3D can be turned off. "While the 3D image is a special feature of the 3DS, we won't force the player to use the 3D functionality. By making it so that the player can at all times play with [the 3D feature] off, we believe we can comply with those who have difficulty with the 3D view or those who are worried about their childs' eyes."
Finally, the Nintendo CEO was asked about the possibility of software prices rising for the 3DS. He explained that third-party developers are free to decide on pricing, though concrete pricing details haven't been elaborated on yet.