Miyamoto says no Dolphin software is in advanced development and a one-year lead time is needed

In a recent interview with Japanese magazine Dengeki Nintendo 64, game designer Shigeru Miyamoto shed some more light on Nintendo's next-generation console. Evidently Nintendo's EAD studios aren't quite as far along the development cycle of Dolphin software as previously thought, which suggests that the console simply cannot make its intended 2000 release date.

"At this time, no titles are specifically in development - just the planning and preparation stages," said Miyamoto. "If the preparations are completed, a game can be completed in one year."

Talking to 64 Dream, Miyamoto said "Now, a number of companies are researching the basic structures of the Dolphin and, based on those results, are giving us feedback about the hardware. We're still at that level."

Experimentation is key and ambitions high. All of this will hopefully amount for great, meticulously designed Dolphin software. But these type of games - especially for a new console - don't come quickly. "We're using the latest in computer chips for Dolphin, so we're still not really sure if it will work or not," Miyamoto told 64 Dream. "We're told that, in theory, it all works, but we want to see it for ourselves."

Considering the fact that Zelda Gaiden, a game that's built upon an existing engine, is scheduled for release more than one year after it was started, it seems highly unlikely that first-generation Dolphin software will be able to meet such a strict deadline. And even if Miyamoto and team could pull off such a feat, does that mean Dolphin is to launch in Japan with only one or two titles? Lack of software proved to be fatal for Nintendo 64 in its homeland.

Dengeki magazine, expressing similar concerns, asked Miyamoto if the console would have at least five titles ready for launch. Miyamoto said, "No, I think about three is sufficient. If titles come out regularly after that it should be okay."

Miyamoto also offered an example of the console's power. "With the Dolphin, you could hook up four controllers, split the screen into four sections and have everybody play a different game. That's the power of this CPU. Playing a number of games at once is possible."

The bottom line, said Miyamoto, is that, "The meaning of new hardware is being able to do things you weren't able to do before." Mario 64 did exactly that. It also launched, with Nintendo 64, more than a year after schedule.


Courtesy of IGN.com