Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime (pictured at bottom) is at it again, discussing things like the DSi and Nintendo as a company, and it's direction. Interested? Then have a sit-down by the ol' Neoseeker campfire, and we'll listen to what Mr. Fils-Aime has to say:

VB: How important is digital downloading to the new Nintendo DSi handheld?

RF-A: It’s a nice added business model but it’s not something that’s going to take over retail game sales. We’ll be able to see the sales growth and plan for it. But I guess similar to home consoles, the consumer will want an experience that’s best delivered through physical goods, simply because of the memory size required. There will always be those opportunities for big, in-depth games on retail products.

About the memory thing, he says they can't disclose how much will be in the new model, mainly because it's best for them to wait as long as possible so they can get as much as possible in there for the lowest price.

Another main topic they touch on is product quality, which is one reason I love to support Nintendo. I don't support everything they say or do, but, to be sure, I don't feel that way about any company as far as I can tell. Here's what he has to say:

VB: You brought up our article on the Xbox 360 defects. How has Nintendo managed to escape the defect problem that Microsoft ran into?

RF-A: Simply put, we take product quality extremely seriously. We test our hardware and software extensively before putting it in the market. We have a very low tolerance for issues. When we do have them, our customer service personnel are extremely good at managing the consumer reactions. In the end, we don’t believe in launching any type of product if it isn’t perfect in our eyes.

VB: And that has turned out to be an advantage in this generation of consoles?

RF-A: It has turned out to be an advantage in this generation and past ones. The consumer perception of our product quality is high. We will only launch our products when they are perfect or nearly perfect.

I know the Xbox 360 thing has been done to death, but still, it does make for a viable comparison. As a gamer, I can't help but feel Microsoft puts money over its customers when it comes down to it, whereas Nintendo, much like EA has said they now do, sees putting people first resulting in good profits. I know the company is doing as well as they are probably largely because of the whole casual gaming thing, but I think this product quality attitude is a significant part of it, too. And on the hardcore vs. casual games topic, he says they believe they've shown now a "plethora of games and genres that can satisfy the most casual to the most core."

Now, while I seem to vaguely recall interviews in the past depicting the opposite, Fils-Aime says Nintendo has always seen themselves as a multimedia company:

VB: Some people have said you’re going after Apple with these new Nintendo DSi features. Is that true?

RF-A: We always viewed ourselves as competing in a larger entertainment space. It’s not just video games but music, movies, and TV. You, as a consumer, have 1,440 minutes in a day. You work, eat, sleep or go to school. All of the time that’s left is what we compete for. That’s always the way we looked at it.

Not out of disrespect or anything, but..when did they ever act on this view? The DSi, as far as I can see, seems to be the first system from Nintendo that is truly a multimedia device.

And about the whole Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars/MadWorld "controversy", Reggie plays it cool:

VB: “The Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars” title coming from Take-Two Interactive for the DS has the anti-violence and anti-drug activists concerned. “Mad World” is coming for the Wii. The argument goes that kids play the DS and the Wii more, so these titles could fall into the hands of kids.

RF-A: The starting proposition is incorrect. We’ve sold almost 80 million DS units worldwide and almost 30 million Wiis. That has a broad demographic range. There are a lot of 18 and older consumers to sell to. The Wii also has parental controls. If you’re a parent of young children, you can set the parental controls so that the mature-rated games won’t play. We want to focus on everything across all of the ratings.

VB: Is it a strategic goal to have more mature titles?

RF-A: Our strategic goal is to have a range of titles and to have the best software available.

VB: You’re in a good spot.

RF-A: That makes us proud. But it also makes us the most paranoid people in the world.