The president of Nintendo said that although cloud-based video game streaming services like Gaikai or OnLive are getting nearer, home consoles, such as Nintendo Wii, will not become obsolete any time soon. Moreover, even social games on personal computers are unlikely to become a major threat for Nintendo’s Wii and DS/3DS business.

“We do not think that the combination of a game system and dedicated software will last forever. However, we do not believe that hardware dedicated to gaming shall (become obsolete and) perish in a few years. I personally think that kind of scenario is unthinkable,” said Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, in a conversation with industry analysts, reports Gamasutra web-site.

One of the benefits of dedicated console hardware is to enable experience not available on competing solutions. Meanwhile, game streaming services are tailored to provide unified experience across a range of devices; therefore, such services will never rely, for example, on Nintendo’s unique Wiimote controller. In short, consoles will always maintain exclusive experience.

“The reason why we have been making systems dedicated to games is because creating engaging experiences that cannot be available on other devices is the lifeline for the company," added Mr. Iwata.

Nintendo seems to have more ideas regarding unique experience on the next-generation of video game consoles. As a result, there indisputably will be another generation of home consoles from Nintendo and the main questions are “when?” and “what type of experience will they offer?”.

“Should we stop what we are doing, the current business configuration with a video game system and dedicated software could become obsolete. However, as we have been thinking and proposing new ideas one after another, we do not think that it will become obsolete at all,” stated the president of Nintendo.

Interestingly, but Nintendo has no plans for social games, despite of the fact that they are gaining popularity on the PC market and many of their users also utilize Wii and/or DS.

"I have never thought that we will need to launch social games in order to avoid our offers from becoming obsolete,” said Mr. Iwata.

Tags: Nintendo, Wii, DS, 3DS, Gaikai, OnLive