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I don't believe this is true. I can't remember a single piece of hardware that Nintendo has pushed harder. From launch to selling world-wide in under 4 months? That hasn't happened from the big N.

Were it not for the GBA compatibility feature, I bet the DS wouldn't have been the huge success it is. The games are great, yes, but there are big gaps between them and look at how the PSP is hurting from a situation like that.

By the way, the DS is a success but it hasn't sold as well as the flagship GBA line. Look at the sales figures, the first GBA sold 12 million in the first year (67 million in 4 years), and the DS is well under 7 million for the first year. Both the GBA and the GCN were launched in several markets in a relatively short timeframe.

Furthermore, Nintendo does regard it as experimental (perhaps I emphasized it too much, I'd agree that "just" may not have been the best way to put it) and it goes as far as to call it "Nintendo's Third Pillar" along with the GBA and the GCN. Here's an interesting interview about the new paradigm and an article with Nintendo's president claiming the DS may not be a big seller.

It's also attributed to him at Miyamoto Shrine and Wikiquote. If that quote is a mangled mistranslation of another man's comment, it's not just Slashdotters that are confused.

Not that this is proof of anything, somebody else posted it earlier: http://www.miyamotoshrine.com/theman/quotes/index. shtml

" A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever" - Miyamoto

"The only ones that have been met with shock or disapproval are Zelda II and Wind Waker."

It is important to note that Zelda II wasn't developed by Miyamoto but by another team entirely. He just gave them a general idea and let them run with it. Interestingly, he considers Link to the Past as the real sequal to the first.

As for Wind Waker, it boggles my mind the backlash that games receives. I loved it (not as much as OoT, but still a lot). In fact, you remove the cel shading, OoT and TWW are extremely similar, down to how the attack system works and one uses tools such as the hook shot. To be honest, I loved that fact that I was playing a live cartoon. I can't think of any other game that can make that claim!

Shigeru Miyamoto has a shrine online: http://www.miyamotoshrine.com/ that is QUITE fascinating.

Remakes are best done in the manner of Gus Van Sant or Shigeru Miyamoto: preserve the essential elements of the original while updating the bells & whistles. "Remakes" (and sequels, for that matter) that appropriate the name or concept of the original while ditching the core elements are what give remakes (and sequels...) a bad name.

That being said, I'd like to see (Yet Another) remake of "Elite" for the new millenium. "Freelancer" does not count.