Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Q: Bill Gates said recently that he thinks Nintendo will be more of a niche player in the future, with Sony and Microsoft battling for the number one spot. What do you think of that characterization?

Iwata: Talking about the definition of the niche, or niche market, I really have the completely opposite opinion. The people the other companies are targeting are very limited to those who are high-tech oriented, and core game players. They cannot expand beyond that population. We are trying to capture the widest possible audience all around the world. (He cited the example of Nintendogs, a new virtual pet game for the Nintendo DS handheld machine that has taken off in Japan.) In other words, we are trying to capture the people who are even beyond the gaming population. So for that kind of company, we don’t think the term “niche” is appropriate.

RIP Satoru Iwata.

Hours ago, Nintendo released the 1989 Japanese title Mother to the Wii U Virtual Console as Earthbound: Beginnings, localized in English for the first time ever. Until now, the only exposure to the Mother series English audiences have had was 1995’s North American release of the critically acclaimed Mother 2, released as Earthbound.

The Virtual Console was the biggest selling point for the Wii for me, and it continues to be for the Wii U. My latest Wii U purchases include Super Metroid, Donkey Kong 64, and Paper Mario. The release of Earthbound: Beginnings is certainly interesting and a direct message to the hardcore/loyalist/older audience.

Paired with Super Smash Bros. and accidental Amiibo announcements, as well as the reboot of the Nintendo World Championship, Nintendo seems to be drawing a lot of eyes as E3 nears.

[EDIT: After browsing the Nintendo eShop, it appears Wii games are not considered Virtual Console titles. I’ve removed Metroid Prime Trilogy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 from my list of recent Virtual Console purchases. That doesn’t change the fact that my most recent purchases have been legacy titles. Thanks to @AlexandreSitbon for encouraging my research.]

On June 9th, 2015, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller, a man who has spent half of his life at Apple Inc., joined Daring Fireball’s John Gruber on stage for a live episode of The Talk Show.

Here’s a bit from Marco Arment:

This meant a lot for both John and podcasting. Apple sent an executive to be interviewed on a podcast, and one of the highlights of John Gruber’s career as a writer didn’t involve writing at all.

To quote Marco further, “I’d listen to their podcast.” It will be remembered.

I’ve been playing a lot more Mario Kart 8 lately and recently played through Moo Moo Meadows. My wife loves this course. It is simple and old, recently made beautiful. Maybe it’s the lighting, but I get a similar vibe from Moo Moo Meadows as I do Wild Woods. Call me crazy, but I’m doubling down on the direction of the next 3D Mario.

Today, Capcom announced plans for a new Mega Man animated series.

Capcom-Unity:

Dentsu handpicked Man Of Action Entertainment, creators of Ben 10 and Generator Rex, to create, write and executive produce the all-new **Mega Man **animated series.  Disney/Marvel’s Academy Award®-winning feature Big Hero 6 utilized the characters and team created by Man of Action, the bi-coastal creative studio and writers’ collective formed by creators and acclaimed comic book writers Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle.  Marvel called upon Man of Action to produce and write Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers Assemble for their successful launches on Disney XD.  The new **Mega Man **series has a target air date of 2017, coinciding with the franchise’s 30th anniversary.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to introduce an all-new Mega Man to loyal fans and kids,” said Kinoshita, commenting on the deal.  “Having a celebrated character from Japan reimagined by Man Of Action is the ideal project for Dentsu Entertainment USA.”

I’m trepidatious.

The original Mega Man sprite epitomizes not only onscreen character design, but humanized robot design. A user controlled robot with the face of a boy; a face begging for life. And so, he blinks.

He recycles programmed movements when he jumps or takes damage. Nothing more. Nothing less. He doesn’t pretend to become tired or irritated at the player. Why would he? He is a killing machine, awaiting commands from his user.

That’s why, during the nearly perfect Super Smash Bros. Mega Man trailer, the magic of Mega Man breaks down between 0:44 and 0:47. He stops. He breathes. He shows emotion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmCVzjGVFy4

It’s not that I worry about the new Mega Man animated series. I will always have the original Mega Man sprite. It’s that I hope that Man Of Action Entertainment will be able to pull off not only a loveable character, but a loveable robot.

Hats off to Baymax. Let that be the seed for the return of the Blue Bomber.