Miyamoto teases new Zelda Wii title, dishes on Natal

Shigeru Miyamoto hosted an intimate Q&A session at E3, and talked about a new Zelda, gave his thoughts on Microsoft's motion-sensing technology, and discussed how he doesn't want you to leave the house without your DS. A glimpse inside the mind of genius.

By Ben Kuchera

"I wasn't up on stage at the briefing today, so I'm in a very relaxed mood," the man tells the crowd. There is a long silence, as if no one in the room knows what to do next.

At E3, Nintendo hosted a small question-and-answer event with its personal gold mine: Shigeru Miyamoto. This was also one of the rare E3's where Miyamoto didn't take part in Nintendo press conference, so this gave him the chance to explain the games that were announced and talk at length about what he's thinking about. The stern warnings are of out character with Miyamoto's somewhat impish presence—we were all warned that video and photographs were completely prohibited. But we can listen, and one of the things Miyamoto is working on isn't game related at all.

Miyamoto says he'd like to create programs that allow you to download information about different areas around town. So if you go to a shopping center, he explains, you can download a shopping guide. In Japan, there are already a few examples of this in action. While not game-related, this is what has been taking up much of his time. It seems odd, but he speaks about it in an excited voice.

The idea being that gamers should carry their DS systems around with them wherever they go, and getting information about places you visit gives you an excuse to do just that. In Japan students in some schools use the DS system in their day-to-day lives, and give feedback about the class via the portable.

Of course, all of this is in addition to the clutch of games he's working on with Nintendo. In the free moments he has at E3, he's e-mailing the developers and keeping track of the work being done. What's clear is that Miyamoto doesn't allow himself much time for rest, and he's always cranking on something. When talking about Super Mario Galaxy 2, he shares that the game began life as more of a Mario Galaxy 1.5, a sort of remixed version of the game, but the team got carried away creating new content for the game, and thus it was decided to turn the game into a full sequel.

Another bit of news: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will feature four-play multiplayer, stemming from Miyamoto's enjoyment of Zelda: Four Swords. We won't be able to play the multiplayer in the version of the game shown at E3, but it will be there for the final version. There is also a new Zelda for the Wii in the works, but Miyamoto decided to work on development instead of bringing it here. He has one piece of artwork he shows, however, and the inability to take pictures becomes maddening.

The image shows Link in front of a fiery background. There's a ghostly-looking woman with a hat and a crystal pendant looking down sadly at his back. It's a beautiful image, but the only other hint is that it's very possible the game could be only played with Wii MotionPlus. "Of course, that depends on how well Wii Sports Resort sells. I'd like you to think of Zelda when you're playing with some of the swordplay in Wii Sports Resort," Miyamoto said.

His thoughts on Microsoft's motion-sensing technology? At Nintendo they like to tweak the technology and make sure it works in the game and come up with the gameplay ideas... and then show it. He looks down and smiles mischievously as the crowd chuckles softly at this answer. "Implementing technology in a way that feels good and feels natural—we've done that with the MotionPlus," he says. That somewhat contradicts the reveal from the press conference earlier today, and someone asks about how he would use the Vitality Sensor. "I think it's a very unique device that I've been interested in for quite a while."

He talks about movements and buttons and even the Balance Board, ways to control games, and expresses some skepticism of people being able to raise or lower their blood pressure of their own volition. He sees the uses for Yoga training, for instance. "When you sleep at night, are you really relaxed all the way through?" he asks. What about the longer term possibilities? They have a device at Nintendo that tests love. Couples hold each other's hands and then touch the device, and it says how much attraction there is between them. He also played with a robot that you could control by concentrating. So maybe using the Vitality sensor they could create a new Pokemon. Did that make sense to anyone else? Miyamoto doesn't seem to know where his thoughts are going to take him, which makes getting straight answers somewhat problematic, but it's clear the device has his wheels turning.

He lists Wil Wright's SimCity as a game that has influenced him, as well as Japanese comics. The very question of what other games he admires makes him groan and look uncomfortable.

It's amazing how much joy he brings to his work. Watching him, in a room filled with gaming writers, playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii and making little noises of joy or surprise is inspiring; this man loves what he does. He created the game, and he's also completely wrapped up in it, hissing softly when he misses a jump, exclaiming happily when he gets a power up.

"This is why we don't allow photography," Miyamoto joked as he died while playing his creation.