Expect More Pokémon “Surprises” On Both Nintendo DS And 3DS

Pokémon fans should expect more surprises across both the Nintendo DS and 3DS, according to The Pokémon Company’s president, Tsunekazu Ishihara, who appeared in an interview with Famitsu magazine this week, partially translated by 1UP.

Ishihara says that, aside from Pokémon Rumble Blast (October release in the U.S.) and Pokédex 3D (out on the 3DS eShop), there are just as many Pokémon “surprises” planned for the second half of this year as there were in the first half. According to Ishihara, the idea behind Pokédex 3D was an attempt to get people playing Pokémon Black/White on the 3DS.

Developing for the Nintendo 3DS isn’t easy, Ishihara says, because it has so many different features that it results in a lot of ideas. Pokédex 3D came about as an endeavour to create the “ultimate Pokédex” when the Nintendo 3DS concept first arose. While not as many people have downloaded the free app as Ishihara would like, the people that have downloaded it are happy with it. Going forward, he’d like to expand Pokédex 3D to include information on Pokémon across all the series’ regions.

Speaking further on the subject of Nintendo 3DS development, Ishihara reveals that the 3DS features two CPUs — one devoted to the game and one for network communication functionality. Taking full advantage of both these CPUs and their ability to work independently without bogging down the other will be the key to developing for the 3DS.

“I don’t think every Nintendo DS user has immediately upgraded to the 3DS, so while we’d like to keep DS gamers close in our minds, we also want to show people how much the world of Pokémon can be expanded with the 3DS’s feature set,” he stated.