Square-Enix's Wada: 360 And PS3 'Over-Engineered'

A new interview with Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada has seen the influential executive emphasis the importance of the handheld market, particularly the Nintendo DS and describe the Xbox 360 and PS3 as “mismatched” to emerging new demographics. Speaking in a new article by the Financial Times, Wada suggested that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were poorly suited to the current market and that handheld consoles would continue to dominate sales this year, as the demographics of consumers fundamentally alters following the success of the Nintendo DS and Wii. Referring to the decision to release Dragon Quest IX only on the Nintendo DS, instead of a Sony format, Wada said: “We chose the Nintendo DS because the widest array of people use it, including people who previously did not play games before.” “There is a new breed of gamers in the market – we have to make games for all kinds of people,” added Wada. “In the old days, we could just focus on the PlayStation or the Game Boy, but the environment has changed completely.” Wada also accused the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 of being over-engineered, saying; ““There are too many specs – and you also need a high-definition TV, a broadband connection and a deep knowledge of gaming – these consoles are mismatched to today’s environment. In a year or two years they will fare better.”