Nintendo: Pretty pictures aren't enough

Pretty pictures aren't enough to win the hearts of consumers, according to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.

Speaking with Kotaku, the executive said he is confident in the Wii U value proposition this holiday against newcomers the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

"Systems that generate pretty pictures by themselves aren't selling propositions," Fils-Aime said. "And all you need to do is look at the last generation to see the evidence. And that's true whether you look at the home console space or the handheld space. It's not about the graphics by itself. It's about the entire experience."

Ultimately, consumers buy into a console if they believe in its entire ecosystem; this includes the hardware, the software, and other components, Fils-Aime said.

"I don't think consumers buy hardware just because it's sexy and new," he said. "I think consumers buy hardware because of the experiences they can have on them. That's why, for us, having a strong holiday lineup is so critically important."

Nintendo's Wii U lineup this holiday includes high-profile first-party games like The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD (October 4), Super Mario 3D World (November 22), and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (December 6).

Nintendo announced a Wii U price cut this week. Effective September 20, the 32GB model will drop $50 to $300, while the 8GB version will be phased out. The company will also release a brand-new handheld--the 2DS--in October.