I hate to sound like a tool, but I was typing up an entry for my blog about the nature of the Wii U and I really just felt that I needed to discuss it with a bunch of people- I mean, since we rarely talk about a console in specific before its release, I figured this would be a nice opportunity. So let's do this, huh.

Okay, so I've pretty much established how much I love Nintendo, right? I own a Wii and buy releases for it regularly. It's the underdog of videogaming right now, though- working with a weak system and relying on motion controls to be accessible to a large audience. The only hardcore gaming titles you really see on the Wii are made by Nintendo- which is why I don't understand NOA's refusal to localize games that actually do appeal to that market- they're only hurting their reputation with the hardcore audience they have. BUT that's not what's important, right now.

The Wii U is Nintendo's answer to their lackluster performance in the console war- and it's a risky move. To release an HD console towards the end (or at least the second half) of the console life of such superior machines as the 360 and PS3 is again putting them behind everyone else, if Microsoft and Sony should decide to release new consoles. However, Nintendo likes to do things first, and that's very evident with this new console.

Nintendo isn't stupid. If they built a console that ran on practically the same graphics but added motion controls to it, and then sold just as many consoles as it's superior competitors, they can't be. They are aware of what gamers are looking for, but they're also aware of what the public is thinking. Part of the Wii's success was its ability to cater to a much more casual audience- anyone could play a Wii and enjoy it. The Wii is a household name, but it is not a gamer's console. The Wii U, to succeed as the Wii did, needs to be both a casual and hardcore gamer's console. Fortunately, Nintendo as sown the seeds for just that. With the introduction of its controller, the Wii U has caught everyone's eye... in a fantastic way.

I'll get to the point- the controller for the Wii U is a tablet. It streams games, but it can also act as an independent device- a collection of tabletop games, a drawing pad, a browsing tool, an image sharing tool, a communication tool, and it can even interact with individual devices like the balance board. Rumors have been spreading about Nintendo bringing ebooks to this device- and since it does have its own memory, one can assume the storage of data is possible. Essentially, we are dealing with a cheap version of a tablet that works in sync with the console as a home device. But there is no doubt that it will also work as an independent piece of the the puzzle, too.

Nintendo allowed an individual to download data from the Wii to the Wii Remote, so there is no reason why one couldn't do that with the Wii U controller. If the device is as portable as it appears to be, though, one could take their controller with game data or otherwise to someone's house and share it there. Its attractive possibilities surpass the realm of gaming and become more of what the Wii was an attempt at- a home device, something that everyone can use.

And that is a little bit different than what Sony and Microsoft give their players. There's are more traditional gaming devices- with DVD and blu-ray support, and good internet connectivity and downloads, with a healthy online community. Nintendo has yet to really create an online community, however, but their store has been fairly successful. Graphics have never been their focus- though again, that seems to be changing with the Wii U.

My opinion of this system is already very high- if only because it will unify a number of tasks that a console doesn't usually perform- and that its competitors cannot currently offer. But again, the Wii U must succeed in the areas that Nintendo has failed in the last generation, while also offering these new tricks. So the Wii U may be the most pivotal console release Nintendo has made in the history of their company... and there is a part of me that believes the company is smart enough to think this through.

But what do you all think...?

Stories of Limbo

 

You're playing with a tablet. That's like playing Mario Kart being displayed on the TV while steering with your Galaxy tab. It hurts your wrists. And it really is pointless. And the WiiU's tablet won't do as much as a Galaxy/Eee Pad.


I'm staying away from the console, unless something magical comes out. I'll be happy with a Vita, handheld-edness be damned.

Edit: oh snap. I get it. That's why Nintendo supported Skylanders! They could employ the same tech in each WiiU controller, and we'd no longer need memory on each console nor any memory cards! The tablet would be like your own personal Skylander figure! Except it's HUGE, UGLY AND EVEN LESS PORTABLE THAN A SKYLANDER.

Yeah, my opinion hasn't changed.


*above post may contain speculation

 

If it still has an 8 way gate on the analog sticks it is worthless to me.

 

I actually like that 8 way gate. It makes it easier to move directly forward. I tend to slide my 360 sticks to the side a bit too much.


Control wise, I am very excited for the tablet controller, or at least the possibility of what can be done with the controller. Consoles can finally get RTS and simulation games which were previously only possible on the PC because of the keyboard layout (more buttons). As for the performance of the hardware, it looks quite good. I was impressed with the Bird/Garden technical demo from E3. It showed off some great lighting and shaders. Looked noticeably better than what we have been getting this gen, and was rendering on two different screens at the same time.

I am worried for the system though, partly because the promise of the system seems so great. Given third parties relationship with the Wii, it is entirely possible that developers outside of Nintendo will just plain fuck this up. For example, for me the Wii U would be the perfect system to make a TIE Fighter sequel for. As much as I want that to happen, I think third party relationships with Nintendo are just too horrible to make it happen. LucasArts somehow spent the entire Wii lifetime NOT making a Wii specific lightsaber game. As horrible as a publisher LucasArts is these days, its just insanity that they and Nintendo did not get together to make that happen.

With other developers just seem unwilling to develop on Nintendo's consoles. Nintendo gave the reins to 3rd parties at the 3DS launch to release titles free of any big Nintendo franchise to compete with, and they still failed to capitalize on that opportunity.

In order to be successful, I think Nintendo seriously has to start money-hatting developers of BIG games. We're talking getting exclusives (or at least timed exclusives) from franchises such as GTA, Call of Duty, etc. I really would like to see 3rd parties jump on board this time with some effort, rather than just delivering lazy halfhearted ports.

 

I think that Nintendo has pretty much stated that this console is an effort to repair third party relations, but again, they hinder their supporters with the tablet- though not nearly as much as they did with the Wii Remote. If third parties start to feel obligated to create interaction with the tablet, they may feel it is a burden and stray from the console. It's not really as drastic as the Wii Remote's motion tech, but it could be something that Nintendo should keep an eye out for. I agree with Gigatron, though, the console definitely needs some attractive third party games to keep it alive during the lull of Nintendo development times. However, the 3DS third party support has been pretty nice so far, barring the long dev times, so we'll have to see how it goes.

The launch titles for this game are going to be key.

I mean, I think it really depends on what you want from your gaming system. The Wii U is a console that attempts to connect your TV, internet, and "tablet," and make them interact with one another. However, it also has the ability to play some really impressive games. But again, Nintendo needs to make sure their online community and connectivity are improved drastically.

Oh, and Bradders, the controller utilizes Nintendo's compact Slider Pad, like on the 3DS. Probably to keep it light in shape so that it can be stored and moved from place to place with ease. Make of that what you will- but the Slider Pad is pretty fantastic, IMO.

 

Remember the days when Nintendo could do no wrong?

When the DS Lite was being bought by EVERYONE and their grandparents for brain training? Where the Wii was being heralded by mass media as the savior of obese people all over the world?

Who knew that in a few short years it could all turn around so much, where people actively question the validity of Nintys next console?

Hmm. Well, a lot of us actually. A combination of shovelware and iOS has really hurt Nintendo. Unless this is a blinder from the starting block I can see this console going the way of the Dreamcast, ie short lived.

 

I don't really think of Nintendo consoles as a gaming platform anymore, just £200 that I have to pay every 5 years to keep up with thier games.

I'd like that to change, but it isn't going to happen without a significant quantity of great games that aren't available or better elsewhere.

 

Im really looking forward to it and I am sure there will be a hugh ammount of great games to go with it. But the sad part is that even watching youtube trailers and so on ppl still bitch about the same thing over and over and over all the time. The constant bickering about the graphic is really getting tiredsome.

I think this will be a hit and the tech zelda trailer looks amazing.

 

Hardware is irrelevant, but certainly a neat idea. The fact that it's backwards compatible is a win. Now I just need to see the first party offerings.

 

Why do you believe the hardware is irrelevant?

 

The thing I care most about is the software, and what developers are capable of producing. Discussing things like the tablet controller, which certainly has interesting potential, or the capability of the system matters little to me; in the end, I care about what I can play and not what I play it on. Wii U doesn't need to have all the bells and whistles as long as it has genuinely interesting software on it; since to me, that's what makes a Nintendo console worth buying.

 

Fair enough.

I think that the Wii U has potential to go under, but I doubt Nintendo will as a company. The 3DS sales have surpassed even the Gamecube's numbers, so there's that. Again, it is about Nintendo's third party support- which it does seem to be getting from quite a few companies- but the content must be good, as well. Killer Freaks from Outer Space looks to be a very Left For Dead-ish romp, and Ghost Recon for the system seems to have a lot of potential. Darksiders II as a launch title is interesting, as is Ninja Gaiden III. There is the signs of Pikmin 3 as a launch, but Nintendo does need a stronger title character for launch, in my opinion. No doubt we'll hear more about this when E3 comes around, but it is an important thing for Nintendo to launch with a set of games that represents them just as much as their third party supporters.

Of course, the announcement of Smash Bros. Wii U is also exciting, and I am more than sure it will make an appearance at E3, if Nintendo wants to prove their worth.

 

I'm just going to point out that the 3DS beating the GameCube's sales isn't exactly an achievement by any means. For starters, GameCube wasn't anything special. Of all the consoles Nintendo has put out, that was the one with the least gimmicks, so it got beat by PS2 for graphics and Xbox for better online capabilities, with little to offer its buyers. The 3DS, though, has the advantage of having the 3D gimmick (which is one of those things that you buy thinking its going to be the best thing in the world, then you get bored of it 5 minutes later), the advantage of there being no competitors at its release (the Vita only just came out, and the PSP was long gone) and having backwards compatibility with the DS.

I'm not knocking the 3DS, all I'm saying is that it had a hell of a head start over the Gamecube. Which is only showing that the hardware gimmick really is something that really helps Nintendo. Obviously, given my stance as to the tablet controller, you can tell that doesn't bode too well for me.

Still, Smash Bros WiiU might tide me over, I mean I bought the Wii to play Brawl, I bought the 3DS solely to play Ridge Racer 3D, so it's not like I have anything against buying a console solely for one game.  

 

The Gamecube was more powerful/could produce better graphics than the PS2 (although the Xbox had them both beat). What the PS2 had over the Gamecube was the ability to play DVD movies, and massive third party support from being on the market so much earlier than the other two systems. And that is kinda what Nintendo is trying to do this time; launch early, and reap the benefits of being the only next-gen console around.

 

I agree. The analog sticks on the PS3 and 360 tend to get more loose over time, but even before that it's hard to go in precisely the direction you want.

Personally, while the Zelda franchise has its ups and downs, the only reasons I need to justify getting a Wii U is that Nintendo is making games for it. Nintendo is still one of, if not THE best game developers out there. Yes, they milk their franchises, but the only one I really feel is stale is Zelda. Ok, Skyward Sword wasn't stale, it just had other issues. But as much flak from "hardcore gamers" as the wii gets, Nintendo provided us with more stellar titles on that system then any other developer on any other platform, while also developing some amazing portable titles for the DS and 3DS.

Ideally, the Wii U could be a platform where all developers would release on par versions of any big title on other platforms. OR, I would love to see Nintendo get out of the console market and make games for other platforms. I don't think either of those are going to happen, though, since I would guess within a year or two of the Wii U's life we will see far superior systems from Sony and MS. So that's sort of a downer for the Wii U, but I will still get it for Nintendo's franchises.

So yeah, the ultimate argument I can give for the Wii U is that I'm buying it becuase I know franchises that I know and love and have grown to still be fun will be released on it.

 

But even thought it's next gen for THEM technology-wise, it's current gen to everyone else because they're just catching up.

So, they'd still be catching up by having a system that's just NOW able to play current games, putting PS3 and X360 still ahead of them.

Tablet or not, I don't want to shell out for a system that's going to be playing the same stuff I am now, plus Mario, with a weird controller.

With that though, I'm not closed off to it. The full specs and capabilities haven't been released, so there's still a lot left to it that could sell me.

 

Nintendo is the best for a reason, they innovate. Gamecube was a pretty generic console, and it failed. The Wii isn't much of an upgrade power wise from the Gamecube, but Nintendo made it innovative. It is beating out the 360 and PS3, and Microsoft are still playing catch up with Move and Kinect.

DS had the two screens and touch screens, it beats out the PSP. 3DS has 3D gaming and tons of SpotPass features, it is beating out the Vita in the Vita's opening week in Japan.

Nintendo dominates for a reason. In Nintendo we trust.

 

I'm not interested in the Wii U at all. I like Nintendo's handhelds but their other consoles suck for me. I don't like the gimmicky stuff they introduce for casual gamers that they call innovation.

 

Issue a NORMAL controller, and then we'll talk.














.

 

This. I'm sorry, but I'm so used to using a regular controller that using a tablet to play games just doesn't feel right with me. I guess I'm old-fashioned that way.