Organizers of the 2011 Game Developers Conference has announced that Nintendo President Satoru Iwata will return to the show and keynote the festivities this March (Satoru Iwata first came to GDC in 2005 with the then-titled Nintendo “Revolution”). The 25th show, being held in San Francisco from February 28th through March 4th, will kick off its quarter-century conference with Iwata’s presentation: “Video Games Turn 25: A Historical Perspective and Vision for the Future.”
“We are honored and pleased to welcome Mr. Iwata back to the keynote stage for our 25th conference,” said Meggan Scavio, GDC director. “Nintendo continues to innovate and captivate developers and gamers alike, and we’re looking forward to their unique insights into both the history and future of the game business.”
Iwata also followed up on a warning issued at the Nintendo World 2011 showcase last week: that prolonged 3D play could be harmful to the eyes, especially for children. The President reiterated (in an interview with the Japanese branch of the Wall Street Journal) that the warning was just that, a warning, meant as potential hazard avoidance should any lawsuits result of the technology. More details on the 3DS, especially concerning its Western release date and price, are expected on the 19th of this month.
Well there is a vid floating around the internet where Reggie says that all 3D technology has the same kind of warnings like the 3DS has, so they shouldn’t be the only ones to be focusing on potential eye damage. Well there are warnings for all games and consoles to not play for extended hours as it could harm your eyes, so there is nothing new. Just blowing things out of proportion by family rights groups and Fox.
The GDC conference will be interesting this year. I expect his keynote to be about the history of how Nintendo evolved in console and handheld gaming.
I can’t wait for the 19th to see the launch date and pricing for the 3DS in the States and Europe. I watched the live streams of the second and third day of Nintendo World, which were amazing. If you need links to information about the stuff that was at Nintendo World, I will be more than willing to send them to you.