Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently used the company’s annual financial results briefing to discuss the platform holder’s strategy going forward.

In an investor Q&A session he covered a wide range of topics, including hardware price cuts, upcoming first party Wii titles and the company’s online strategy.

“Of course, I have never said that cutting the suggested retail price is not in the cards,” he said when questioned about the performance of the DS in the domestic market. “However, price cuts in one country can certainly affect other countries. For example, when you say that we should cut the price in Japan due to the current domestic market situation, once the suggested retail price is cut in Japan, people outside Japan will anticipate the same around the world.”

Iwata said that in the past each country “could decide its own price policy in the videogame market,” but that “price policy has become a global subject in the recent years. So, any price policy must be considered with the aim to maximise our global business.

“Also, while the price cut is said to surely increase demand, it must be clear from a variety of analysis so far that the effect cannot last very long. Accordingly, if we really do enact a price cut, it must be exactly when it can maximise the business. At least for now, I have no specific ideas about the price cut at all.”

Addressing flagging Wii sales in Japan, Iwata said that new Nintendo titles set for release later in the year had the potential to boost hardware sales.

“The reason why I said today that April, May and June sales of Wii will not reach last year's results but that the situation will change from summer this year was because the company has been preparing for several titles to be launched toward the end of this year that can drive the market.”

Iwata wouldn’t elaborate on the nature of the titles, but he was surely referring to the “key” Nintendo properties the company has told retailers such as GameStop to “reserve [shelf] space" for later in the year.

Speaking about Nintendo’s online strategy, Iwata said that he believes it will be a few years yet before the demise of traditional packaged software, although he acknowledged the growing popularity of online shopping.

“Already today, a number of people are aware of and appreciate the convenience of online shopping. Accordingly, Nintendo must be making efforts to provide them with the new mode of shopping. Simultaneously, however, I do not believe the competitive edge that packaged software has today will easily be taken up anytime soon.”