With Reggie having quite a lot to say during his DICE keynote, it may be helpful to have a place summarizing his major points.

Reggie Fils-Aime certainly came to the DICE summit swinging. Comfortably and confidently, the Nintendo Executive VP of Sales and Marketing, expounded on Nintendo's drive to reinvigorate games and the gaming industry.

Coasting in on the momentum that the DS' successes have bought the company, Reggie was not shy in singing the praises of a platform that through December had already reached an installed base of over 14.4 million worldwide. Said Reggie, again referencing Nintendo's recent corporate philosophy: "We have a blue-ocean lead over our competitors in terms of market share." Giving a great deal of credit to new breeds of interactive entertainment, Reggie shared that Nintendogs has achieved over four million units in sales worldwide. Utilizing ad campaigns targeting females (including commercial spots during popular talk shows like Oprah and Ellen), the DS has successfully attracted more women than any other platform. Reggie expects the upcoming Brain Age and Big Brain Academy to similarly hit home in an untapped target market: "Imagine your parents playing a video game. Imagine 60-year-olds getting into gaming for the first time."

Then Reggie really let loose some DS ammo. Amidst impressive WiFi Connection usage stats, Nintendo is planning to up the ante on the service with their next WFC-compatible release, the hotly anticipated Metroid Prime Hunters. In an announcement that surprised nearly everyone, Fils-Aime revealed that the shooter's online component would permit VoIP (Voice over IP) chat in its lobbies before and after matches (realizing last year's E3 tech demo DSpeak far more quickly than anyone had expected). Additionally, he revealed that NOA was nearing completion on preparations to launch the DS Download Kiosk service in retail outlets nationwide this March. The service will allow gamers to try out demos of upcoming games months in advance, for free, with content being updated quarterly. Future plans may even include access to the content anywhere there is a wireless network available, even on trains.

Reggie had poignant remarks to make about the current industry's makeup as well, stating that research indicated only 21% of gamers could be considered "hardcore" and that Nintendo would be seeking to expand their software offerings to players of all interest and skill levels. Further citing a study done by Piper Jaffray that found 75% of their high school respondents reporting shrinking interest in videogames, he warned the gathered developers that targeting the same old market of male teens to early adults would ultimately decay the industry. To confront these challenges, Reggie offered five resolutions:

• It's not about horsepower or pretty pictures. It's about entertainment.
• Keep mass in mass market. Reach beyond hardcore. Don't be self limiting.
• Don't alienate new players with high prices or narrow content.
• Innovate or die.
• Create a democracy of ideas for new games, where the focus isn't on the biggest production budgets.

Nintendo, he stated, were committed to wading out into the deep blue waters: "It's all about creating new demand and new opportunities. We are aiming to go beyond the blood-red waters of competition to the blue waters of opportunity. [The key lies in offering] simpler, easier, more approachable types of experiences."

Finally, the outspoken VP had a few choice comments to make regarding the company's elusive next-generation console offering, codenamed Revolution. About the stylized controller, said Fils-Aime: "There really was a lot of thought in what [the controller] looks like. It's really meant to look like a TV remote... it's supposed to be approachable to the non-gamer." Functionally, he exclaimed: "Swing it, chop it, move it any way, and it happens on the screen." He also reassured developers that the system would be easier and cheaper to develop for, providing a very attractive alternative to expensive development on one of the rival machines, the companies for which Fils-Aime never referenced by name.

In conclusion, the Regginator offered one more qualifier for all the points that he had made: "We truly believe that those with the best ideas will prevail. [We'll] let the consumer vote on what's relevant and what's not."