I recently found this version of Iwata asks on Nintendo's website. So I figured I should post it here. This article talks about the Remakes of Ocarina of Time and Star Fox that are going to be featured on the 3DS.

Iwata: This time, you are remaking two Nintendo 64 games, Star Fox 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and we will release them for the Nintendo 3DS system.

Miyamoto: That's right.

Iwata: Why these two? Why now? What were the thoughts behind this, Miyamoto-san?

Miyamoto: Well, there were several reasons. One major reason was that, at the time, we'd barely gotten the games to move in terms of the polygon counts or wire frame processing.

Iwata: Yes, you couldn't do more than that back then.

Miyamoto: I felt that I wanted to aim higher.

Iwata: You mean you'd always wanted to remake them some day?

Miyamoto: I had, yes. But, you know, timing's a difficult thing. We couldn't re-release them too soon. So, well… How many years has it been since then?

Iwata: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time came out in 1998, so about thirteen years.

Miyamoto: Right. After about that much time has passed, there's a new generation, and, naturally, today's elementary and middle-schoolers don't know a thing about Ocarina of Time. The people who played on the Nintendo 64 system in grade school are already in their mid-twenties. So I thought it was probably okay to remake them now. That was one reason.

Iwata: I see.

Miyamoto: But, well… If I had to say, that's the part I can discuss calmly in conversation. The biggest reason for me personally was that I myself wanted to see the majestic scenery of Hyrule in stereoscopic 3D (laughs).

Iwata: Aha… Of all the things you've created so far, you wanted to see Hyrule's scenery in particular.

Miyamoto: Right. In all honesty, wanting to get that sense of really "being there", in 3D, was a very big factor behind this.

Iwata: You know, that's… I can really see that (laughs).

Miyamoto: Can you? (laughs)

Iwata: I found the idea that you'd remake Star Fox 64 very easy to understand. I could imagine it right away: if you put that game on the Nintendo 3DS hardware, with that new 3D depth, the gameplay itself would really come to life. But I did wonder why you'd chosen Ocarina of Time.

Miyamoto: Yes, that's true; what you've just said about Star Fox 64 was a big reason. In that game, the more you understand the depth and distance, the easier it is to play. I don't mean that it gets easier to clear. It just feels much better when you're shooting at floating objects, or passing through things, or picking up items.

Iwata: Yes, it really does. Going through the hoops is like that, clearly.

Miyamoto: It's as though it has actual, physical benefits.

Iwata: And that does make things more fun to play. On the other hand, with Ocarina of Time, there's that sense of being there that you mentioned.

Miyamoto: That's right, I'm really happy with that sense of presence. Then, in terms of what felt great to make, I really like how it works when you switch between items in the Nintendo 3DS version of Ocarina of Time.

Iwata: You do, hmm?

Miyamoto: Something I always say to the people working in the development forefront is that the history of The Legend of Zelda series is a history of interfaces.

Iwata: Yes.

Miyamoto: In other words, one of the series' big themes is how to express operations that use a lot of items simply and without stress.

Iwata: One of the greatest things about playing The Legend of Zelda games is that by learning only a few things first, before you know it, you're naturally able to do all sorts of things.

Miyamoto: That's right. In the Nintendo 64 Ocarina of Time, we made it so that three of the C Buttons on the controller could each be assigned to an item.

Iwata: Right, right.

Miyamoto: In the Nintendo 3DS version of Ocarina of Time, we've set up a really nice system: while you use the AB and XY Buttons, there is also a special buttons inside the touch screen as well so you can use them to switch between items right away. You can't really get a sense of it just by me telling you…

Iwata: (laughs)

Miyamoto: That includes switching maps and menus; it's very pleasant to use. They feel good when we are making them.

Iwata: In other words, you began this remake because you wanted to see Hyrule in 3D, and because you wanted to improve the quality of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. As you actually worked on it, though, you also made big improvements in ease of play.

Miyamoto: That's it.