Wired.com's interview with Hideki Konno of Nintendo reveals lots of choice bits of information for the upcoming 3D handheld.
On analog control for 3DS:
Wired.com: There’s now an analog slide pad on the device. Is this additional control feature related to the 3-D graphics?
Konno: There is no direct relationship; it’s not that we created the slide pad because the system supports 3-D. But I have been developing console games for a very long time, and I think analog control is necessary. I want to have Mario Kart with analog control. Not only myself, but also Mr. Miyamoto was insisting that our next handheld have analog control.
It was long overdue stuff anyway- left and right, you'll hear DS fans crying out to the gods for an analog stick (that isn't in a hand-cramping PSP position). Shame about the D-pad being in the lower position now- it's gonna be awkward playing old DS games.
About 3DS' Tag Mode:
Wired.com: You mentioned Tag Mode, which will let users exchange game data regardless of what game they’re currently playing. So if I want to trade Nintendogs with someone, it’ll be saved on the hardware, not the cartridge?
Konno: In the hardware, we have the capability that when you first play a game that supports Tag Mode, it will save to a Tag Mode data slot in the hardware system. We are planning to support multiple games at the same time: Mario Kart, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, etc.
Wired.com: And so there must be a menu in the hardware where you can manage the data, delete the data for games you aren’t using anymore …
Konno: Yes, we’ll prepare a Tag Mode Viewer, where if you look at the viewer you’ll be able to see that, for example you were able to connect with 50 people in Nintendogs and got their data, or got 100 people in Animal Crossing.
Like a more glorified version of the DS Download Play service, this. But I wonder what people are going to do with all those save files? Also, 3DS does it on its own without the player's consent? Brr...
About 3DSWare:
Wired.com: When I start thinking about data storage, I start thinking about downloadable games. 3DS will have some sort of downloadable game library, a 3DSWare, right?
Konno: I can’t talk about specifics today, unfortunately, but like WiiWare and DSiWare there should be downloadable content for this platform.
*wiggles eyebrows* Virtual Console, handheld edition. Now.
On 3DS' motion capabilities:
Wired.com: There’s an accelerometer and gyroscope in the 3DS. Does that mean it pretty much does what the Wii MotionPlus does?
Konno: Yes, the same type of motion sensing is possible.
Pretty unenthusiastic answer. If only we knew how it stacks up compared to the Motion Plus.
