August 26, 2004 - An Open Invitation To Nintendo

By Rico - In an article by Chris Mallon of The Motley Fool, Bill Gates is quoted in a German news magazine as saying "If [former Nintendo President] Hiroshi Yamauchi calls, he will be directly transferred to me." The article goes on to point out the obvious fact that a Microsoft/Nintendo duo would be a formidable foe in the console wars but also slaps the reader back to reality that Nintendo is not for sale and a takeover by an American company, especially Microsoft, would be a cultural disgrace. An interesting nugget is found towards the end of the article that mentions patent rights Nintendo has on key on-line gaming technology, including voice communications, which LIVE could be violating. Bill's M.O. in these kinds of legal matters typically involves eliminating the problem ie: buying Nintendo. We'll have to see if anything comes of these patent issues in the near future. Until then, remember the mantra... "it's good to play together."