Fils-Aime: Zelda Due Fall; DS Lite To Replace DS

U.S. cable television channel Spike TV has conducted an interview with Nintendo of America’s vice president of sales and marketing Reggie Fils-Aime for the video game show Game Head. Fils-Aime only briefly discussed the Revolution console, confirming again that it will be released this year, and that a definite release date would be revealed during Nintendo’s E3 press conference on May 9th. However, he also indicated that the Shigeru Miyamoto-produced, long-awaited title The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess would not be released until autumn 2006, and would not debut on the previously supposed spring date. Although Fils-Aime did confirm that the game will still be released on the GameCube, an autumn release would presumably put it very close to the launch of the Revolution in North America. This may suggest, as has already been speculated, that the game will be used as a de facto part of the launch line-up, taking advantage of the Revolution’s backwards compatibility. Suggestions that Zelda may add functionality within the game that allow the Revolution controller to function with it were brushed aside without comment by Fils-Aime. Finally, the Nintendo executive indicated that the current model of Nintendo DS would start to be phased out some time between August and September, in favor of the newly revealed DS Lite. Although the new version of the console goes on sale in Japan next month, no Western release date or price has so far been announced, although Fils-Aime’s comments now suggest a release some time in or before summer 2006.