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“To tell the truth,” Iwata says, “I expected them to come up with stuff like this last year. So in my mind they’re later than expected.”

He pauses, then opens his arms outstretched, with a huge grin on his face.

“I’d like to say to them, ‘Welcome to the motion-control world!’

“We are happy that it is now becoming an industry standard. However, we still have no idea about when their products will be available, or how much they will cost, or what sort of software they will be used with.

“So, I am not in a position to judge whether they are a threat or not. And they should bear in mind that over the next year Nintendo will not be standing still. We’re always at work on something new. I am actually looking forward to engaging in that sort of competition, because it gives our whole industry the chance to expand the gaming population.”

Our meeting closes with a personal demonstration of Iwata’s latest new thing: the Wii Vitality Sensor, which he first revealed the day before to an astonished E3 audience. Nintendo employees were no less surprised: this was something that Iwata had been keeping under wraps, even editing the explanatory video himself on the plane over from Japan.

Wii Vitality, which is expected to ship next year, is a small electronic thimble that sits on the end of a forefinger. It uses light sensors to measure the flow of blood, extrapolating information about the internal workings of their bodies. It is a natural complement to Nintendo’s existing health-oriented products such as Wii Fit and Brain Training.

“This is me in the office last Friday,” Iwata says, pointing at the video. “I’m checking my relaxation levels. This can also sense whether you’re breathing in or out by the blood flow.”

A visual representation of a human silhouette fills slowly with blue water to chest level to show that Iwata is slightly stressed. “I’m thinking of E3,” he laughs.

The sound of a metronome appears on screen, with breathing exercises.

“Now look,” he says, “how my relaxation level has changed.” The human silhouette is now slightly more full, of greener water.

This is what I find interesting,” Iwata says. “The idea of making something that is invisible, visible is fascinating.”

With that, our time is up. I make myself invisible.

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