Wii u, new nintendo console

Technology and Gaming
#1

https://e3.nintendo.com/hw/#/video/HW_demo
The console has been announced. The new remote is a 6.1 inch touchscreen with the normal buttons along the sides, plus all 4 shoulder buttons, a gyroscope and an accelerometer, camera, mic, and stereo speakers and stylus. Plus the TV. It has a ton of other features, including access to surfing the internet, a Nintendo store that appears to work like Steam, and is backwards compatible with all Wii accessories. Graphics are finally HD, but still not up to par with Xbox 360 and PS3. Upcoming confirmed titles:

A zelda game,
A super smash brothers game that also plays on and syncs with the 3DS
a new super mario brothers game
Tom Clancy Ghost Recon
Assassins Creed
Dirt
Aliens
Metro Last Night
Tekken
Darksiders II (!)
Ninja Gaiden 3 (!!)
Battlefield 3 (!!!)
and more that I can’t remember right now.

EAs CEO came onstage and endorsed it, the first time they have for a Nintendo console.

There’s more, add your info and I’ll update this as I remember/see more.

EDIT: more info in no particular order

Remote: Used in whatever fashon game designers want it to be. Besides the obvious uses, such as an inventory screen for the new zelda game, it can be used for other innovative things, such as the ability to expand the game world all around you. So the TV screen is the main view, but then you can aim the handheld screen to your left and see what is to your left. Or, in Wii golf, it is used as the tee, so you set it on the ground and the ball appears on it and you swing over it. It also provides the possibility for asymetrical gameplay, such as in chase Mii, where one player runs on the handheld, and the other players thry to catch him on the big screen. Just imagine what they could do with a new Mario party. It has an IR sensor, but Nintendo officials said that might not make it to the final release. Video is streamed wirelessly to the controller, so as Orpheon said below this might keep price down since the controller requires less tech. Its also interesting because that means the console is rendering 2 different screens at once, meaning there might be more graphics power in it than we think. Also, note that they had 5 people playing in Chase Mii, which is interesting.

Console: The console is not finished. Nintendo was probably running their tech demos on reference hardware at E3. A mouse was seen on the screen of the Japanese Garden demo, and the games lineup movie are the 360 and PS3 versions of the games, which I am surprised Nintendo would admit so openly. But the console is still a year away, so this can be forgiven I think.

Japanese Garden tech demo: A prescripted scene rendered realtime on the TV with a camera controlled view rendered on the controller. Shows the power of the console. The shader effects are good, but the console doesn’t handle a lot of geometry well at this point, aka there are a lot of jaggies.

The name Wii U is refering the the fact that it is still a console for everyone (Wii) but it also can be relevent to every individual (You).

Discuss

#2

I’m not much of a console guy, but I’m pretty impressed with nintendo’s console so far. Its a nice attempt at getting back into the hardcore market, but I personally would have perferred if they pushed the hardware a little harder. Right now its on par with the other two as far as graphics handling, that means they’re a generation behind once again. The other two are nearing the end of their lifespan, Sony’s got a little longer before it needs a new console, but the 360 is showing its age, and reports are out that some developers may already have it. At least they will have about a year or more before the next Xbox makes its debut, and once again they will be behind. I really give nintendo credit for tapping a market that was never tapped before with the Wii, and being on top of the market as far as sales are concerned, but I really want to see nintendo to get back on top of the Hardcore market after the Gamecube and the Wii.

Also, whose in charge of naming things at Nintendo? Couldn’t they at least have localized the name for the western world? I would have preferred “Nintendo Cafe” or “Wii Stream” or even “Wii II” to “Wii U” And also, since I’m not a console guy and don’t follow such things, does “Wii” actually mean something in Japanese or any language for that matter?

#3

Wii is not a Japanese word it’s just a different way of spelling we, that’s why it was used. And Wii U is like saying We You they just like using pronouns :retard: . I don’t see why so many people think it’s a Japanese word.

#4

Where’d you hear that?

#5

Because its a ridiculously stupid name and they’re looking for a reason that Nintendo would come up with such idiocy.

Console looks pretty good though, I’ll await some review when it comes out.

#6

Fr-from the press conference :fffuuu: .

#7

Interesting looking console…as a matter of course, I’ll have to get one for the newest Zelda. However, I’ll wager it’ll be pretty attractive in and of itself. Why?
1 - The new controller. Lots of cool ways that touch screen could be used.
2 - It’s HD now, and from the tech demos it looks pretty impressive. 360 sales have actually gone up lately since people own HDTVs and want to make use of it. Now Wii owners can get a Wii U and play the kind of games they like in HD.
3 - Price. Since the controller is “dumb” - no processor, just relays info - and the console’s tech is not top of the line, I’ll bet the price point will be pretty nice for most people, especially in light of the economy. PS3-priced consoles wouldn’t sell too well nowadays, methinks.

Just my 2 cents.

#8

I typed “Wiiu” in Google translate, it detected the word as polish and meant “wiiu”.

#9

Seeing what they’ve managed to do with MGS 3-d control scheme, this indeed looks pretty promising:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn4yJJnz0Z4

#10

I forgot this thread was here :smiley: .

Anyway new info on it.

You buy the console which comes with one controller and that’s the only controller you can have. There will not be controllers for sale separately.

#11

I’m yet to be convinced, yeah the graphics are definitely better, but at the end of the day is it really bringing anything new? It wouldn’t appeal to me more as a hardcore gamer, that new pad is every bit as bad looking as the original wii pad for decent gaming, if not worse. But I’m probably just an old fart.

#12

I know imitating the Dreamcast isn’t exactly new, but its certainly the most innovative thing I saw at E3. Xbox is still going on about Kinect, desperately trying to make it do something, the PS3 is still desperately trying to distinguish itself from the Wii, and Nintendo is able to stand back from it all, win the battle, and now move on to owning the rest of the market while Sony and Microsoft continue to squabble amongst themselves.

If Nintendo can now produce a console of the same graphical quality as the 360 and the PS3, maintain the existing Wii market share, and start producing some epic games, I see them emerging massively on top of the console market, regardless of however many more Halo games are brought out. They’ll get back on board with the cross-console titles, maybe even see some re-releases as the independent devs get back on board, and then mop up the competition with some ingenius new designs for the consoles.

I don’t think Nintendo need to do more new things; they’ve done that, and they did it so well. Regardless of how you see the Wii, you can’t deny that it won the latest console generation. It became a household name, established itself in every child’s house, and while it may not have had the longevity it needed to continually outpace the 360 and PS3, its certainly had the impact it needs to now continue to dominate with a new console. The Wii was a low-priced gamble, now they can follow it up with a full commitment to the old style of gaming, thus owning both the newly established market, and the older, more traditional genres.

And that only leaves Microsoft and Sony stretched between the two, still fighting for the scraps from Nintendo’s table as they struggle to make the Kinect and the Move worth anyone’s time.

#13

just how fucking big is that nintendo cock up your ass, damn.

#14

how they gonna market the WiiU?
“WiiUWiiUWiiUWiiUWiiU” hey, it sounds like an emergency vehicle’s siren :smiley:

#15

First post edited with more information

#16

:fffuuu: Oi, stop nicking my jokes!! :stuck_out_tongue:

Anyway, I think that the Wii U could be really good, but it depends on how Nintendo push it. I like the idea of being able to run stuff like Arkham City in 1080p on a Nintendo console, it’s nice having games with the same name having the same experience on a Sony and a Nintendo console. Or, more to the point, Nintendo not being overloaded with sh*tty ports and/or de/remakes.

It clearly won’t be able to run next-gen games, but having a Nintendo console that’s more powerful than either MS or Sony’s consoles could help get more families into (proper) gaming. This could be good for families like my friend’s, who were not into games, but got a Wii and then discovered there was a huge gap in quality between some of the shovelware and stuff like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. In about 3 years they’ve gone from being non-gamers (as a whole, aside from my friend), to having all 3 major consoles and playing proper multiplayer games.

#17


Instantly thought of this when the name was said.

#18

Guys bear in mind that when they say it can run games in 1080p they mean it has the potential to do so. It will probably be akin to how the 360 and PS3 “can run games in 1080p”. I’m betting they want to keep the hardware comparable to current gen consoles hardware to keep a competitive price point.

Anyways I hope catching up with current gen hardware helps Nintendo boost their infamously bad 3rd party support.

#19

So, next stop, Xbox 720 and PS4 in 2015?

But that’s kinda worrying though:
https://www.itproportal.com/2011/06/08/nintendo-wii-u-gets-thumbs-down-markets/

#20

Edit: Ninja’d

https://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1174333p1.html

Apparently nintendo’s stock fell to its lowest price in 5 years upon the reveal of the Wii U. One Japanese analyst seems to think that its because the public was expecting something more from the conference that wasn’t already known. I’m not totally sure thats the reason. It might be that many of the investers don’t agree with nintendo going after the hardcore market. They made a lot more money in the casual market than they ever did competiting with Sony and Microsoft.

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