June 3^rd, 2006 (12:15pm) - In a recent interview with Japanese service Nikkei Business’ Tech On! Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that Nintendo is not working on a next-generation console.

"Nintendo is not working on a next-generation console," said Iwata. "’Next-generation’ implies that the console is an extension of previous installments. We believe that extending our current line will not lead to larger markets, and could possibly even lead to smaller markets."

Iwata followed by saying the current path gaming was taking alienated new users, and that Nintendo is working to bring new users into the market. He said the Wii would appeal to anyone. He cites the DS as an example as to why he is so confident in the Wii.

"When Nintendo opted for the dual screens for the DS, more people were shaking their heads," he said. "Yet the market turned out favorable to the DS. ... I feel that this had led to more people looking upon our new controller favorably."

Iwata said that the controller took getting used to even inside Nintendo.

"Some of our staff disagreed with changing [the current controller set-up]," said Iwata. "Yet after some hands-on time with the prototypes, we knew we had a working formula."

Iwata touched on the Wii remote’s speaker as well, saying "mass appeal" was the reason they decided to include it. He also defended the decision to forego 5.1 surround sound.

"We introduced it fairly recently," he said. "Households sporting 5.1 channel speakers will certainly be able to enjoy realistic sound, yet not all homes have such audio equipment."

Finally, Iwata talked about WiiConnect24, and shed a small amount of light on how the service would work.

"Let’s say your Wii is connected to the Internet in a mode that allows activation on a 24-hour basis," explains Iwata. "This would allow Nintendo to send monthly promotional demos for the DS, during the night, to the Wii consoles in each household. Users would wake up each morning, find the LED lamp on their Wii flashing, and know that Nintendo has sent them something. They would then be able to download the promotional demo from their Wiis to their Nintendo DS’s."