CAPCOM PRESIDENT TALKS
December 21, 1999

In talking to mmWire, Capcom President Bill Gardner has made a number of interesting statements in regards to the next-generation of systems.

Regarding the PS2, Gardner was quite skeptical. He thinks the dual console/DVD player setup could be confusing to consumers. He stated: "Most people still can't program their VCR clocks. What if PS2 doesn't have a 'play' button on the front of it? I didn't see one." Is this a comment against consumers, Sony, or both? In either case, the company appears to be a bit skeptical about PS2 development.

"I would argue that if you're a DVD player, then you're a DVD player," added Gardner, "and if you don't have the controls for it, you're not a DVD player. We're not yet in touch with how it will be sold to retailers, will it be sold to people who watch movies or play videogames?" Clearly, Sony's answer to this is likely to be people who do both, with heavier focus on gaming-only consumers than movie-only ones.

On the Dolphin, Gardner wants more information to help gain third-party supporters for it. He stated: "From our perspective, we've got to be a little skeptical on [a Dolphin launch] next September, because unless some information comes quick, we won't have a product ready for them."

Obviously, consumers aren't the only ones who are doubting Nintendo's claims of when the Dolphin will launch. From the looks of it, though, if Nintendo is willing, Capcom would like to have a launch title for Dolphin. Now the ball's in Nintendo's court to deliver on the repeated promise of a 2000 launch.

He also stated that Capcom will continue to support Sega's Dreamcast (Capcom has a lot of titles planned for next year), but that he doesn't believe three consoles can survive. The question now is: which one of the consoles does Capcom think will perish? Unfortunately, we know that question will remain unanswered officially.

Source: Video Game Heaven.com