The president of Nintendo on Friday shrugged off the new iPad tablet computer from Apple as delivering "no surprises" and displayed as little enthusiasm for 3-D technology and high-definition upgrades for games.
"It was a bigger iPod Touch," Satoru Iwata said of the much anticipated device unveiled Wednesday by Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs.
Iwata denied speculation in the Japanese media that Nintendo Co. might be working on a DS game console equipped with a motion sensor similar to the wand used with its hit Wii home console, or a Wii upgraded for high-definition TVs.
"I question whether those features would be enough to get people to buy new machines," he said of the DS. Nintendo engineers are developing new machines, he said, without giving details.
Iwata also doesn't expect 3-D video-gaming to catch on, although he welcomed 3-D movies like James Cameron's megahit "Avatar."
"I have doubts whether people will be wearing glasses to play games at home. How is that going to look to other people?" he asked at a Tokyo hotel.
Sony Corp. and other technology companies are making big investments in 3-D TVs, expecting it to boost sales growth in the next few years.
Kyoto-based Nintendo, the maker of "Pokemon" and "Super Mario" games, would also have to look into the possible health effects of longtime 3-D gaming, sessions for which are likely to last longer than a two-hour film, Iwata said.
Nintendo has scored success by making games easier to play for the elderly, women and newcomers. Iwata repeated that his company will continue along that track because there is still potential for growth in Japan, the U.S. and Europe.
