Wii designer bows balancing board, Nintendo says 2007 a turning point for gaming industry 

HOLLYWOOD, CA Hollywood Today (AFP) – Nintendo on Wednesday kicked off a summit of video game industry elite, vowing to turn everyone into a “gamer” and proclaiming this year a turning point in the industry.

“We see today as a celebration for all of us,” Nintendo of America chief executive Reggie Fils-Aime said during an opening speech at the E3 Media and Business Summit in Santa Monica, California.

“E3 2007 could be seen as a coming out party for the video game industry. A time when video games take their place with movies and television as a staple of entertainment.”

He had a lot to crow about. His rival game platforms have both had troubles; the Sony Playstation III over its price and the Microsoft Xbox experiencing technical difficulties that will cost the company more than a billion dollars in machine repairs.  

Fils-Aime proudly noted that Nintendo is riding a wave of popularity so strong that it has been selling Wii
consoles as fast as it makes them since sales began in November 2006.

Wii is poised to become the top video game console in the world by the end of the year, according to Nintendo.

“I don’t live in a cave; I know some people are saying it’s just a fad,” Fils-Aime said as he showed previews of Wii and Nintendo DS portable game titles to be released in coming months.

“Nintendo is not a fad. It is the future and it is little surprise the developer community is responding accordingly.”

Nintendo unveiled an Uzi-shaped motion-sensing controller dubbed “Zapper” to lure more players into battle games and appeal to hard-core gamers devoted to first-person shooter titles.

“The Wii Zapper holds the same potential to change the nature of first-person shooters as the Wii remote did to other games,” Fils-Aime said.

“What’s even more fun than whack-a-mole? Try zap-a-zombie.”

Fils-Aime also introduced a Wii steering wheel controller for car or truck racing games.

Japanese video game legend Sigeru Miyamoto unveiled a flat pillow-shaped sensory mat he called a “Wii balance board.”

The mat senses users’ balance, steps, weight for dance, exercise and sports games, Miyamoto demonstrated.