Iwata: I just want to confirm in retrospect how on earth we were able to do something so drastic. I’m sure other companies have thought of using a one-handed controller. Such devices have definitely been released by peripheral makers. But it’s not so easy for a hardware maker to, in a sense, turn their back on the past and race in an entirely different direction. Why do you think we’ve been able to do this?
Ashida: …Isn’t it because we’re Nintendo?
Iwata: That’s not an answer! (laughs)
All: (laughter)
Takeda: To rephrase Mr Ashida’s answer, Nintendo is a company where you are praised for doing something different from everyone else. In this company, when an individual wants to do something different, everyone else lends their support to help them overcome any hurdles. I think this is how we made the challenge of Wii a possibility.
Iwata: That’s true. Wii’s one-handed controller is not the great idea of a single person, but a fantastic fusion of ideas from all kinds of people. Looking back, I think that it was destined to turn out this way. We’ve seen that the sequence of events leading up to this moment unfolded in a truly unimaginable fashion.

From this page in a series of transcripts (and translations, I presume) of a roundtable discussion between Nintendo execs/engineers (full series begins here. I really enjoyed it, especially all the subtle and not-so-subtle digs at Sony and Microsoft’s consoles.

[Kottke]

Foot Found at Dump Not Bigfoot.
Foot Also Not:

• The Tooth Fairy
• Chupacabra
• Galactus, Destroyer of Worlds
• John Gotti
• Lock Ness Monster
• The Holy Grail

Foot is:

• A skinned bear foot. SPOOKY!!!!

I guess anytime you find something strange in a -sylvania you have to assume the worst. I’m just relieved our long national nightmare is finally over.