What do you think about the Wii U?

[forrestcupp]

Nintendo just unveiled (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/06/touch-screen-controller-wiiu-unveiled-coming-in-2012.ars) their new console coming out next spring.

This video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkC6z5pCLAk) shows the unveiling at E3. It looks pretty amazing. I didn't know what I'd think about that big of a controller, but the things they show look pretty cool. I'll bet it would be pretty darned expensive to have two of those controllers, though. Good thing you can still use the old Wii controllers, too.

[blueturtl]

Looks like Nintendo is growing up. There was a time no blood would be allowed on their platform.
Not so anymore:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3mtC_TxlJ8

Personally I skipped the PS3/XBox/Wii generation of machines, so the Wii U looks mighty interesting. Now they've gone HD, but you can still keep the weird controllers and cute games AS WELL as have the the more hardcore stuff. Sony and Microsoft are gonna have a tough time fighting this one.

[forrestcupp]

Looks like Nintendo is growing up. There was a time no blood would be allowed on their platform.
Not so anymore:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3mtC_TxlJ8

Awesome! To all the people who said Nintendo would never have good graphics, "Up yers." :D

I'm probably going to have to get one of these.

[Merk42]

Looks like Nintendo is growing up. There was a time no blood would be allowed on their platform.The early 16-bit era? That was looooong ago.

[Majorix]

Personally I don't prefer Nintendo consoles. Actually I don't like anything that would make me dependent on a large screen, all those cables and controllers.

As a *really* happy Sony PSP user I am eagerly waiting for PSP2 aka NGP :)

[HoKaze]

I was watching Nintendo's e3 presentation live over the internet and have to say that their show (especially in comparison with Sony and Microsoft's lacklustre performances) was a treat to watch. Plenty of good knew in general and the Wii U itself...
I think that like with the Wii, 3DS and DS before it this is one of those things which will truly have an impact. Like the aforementioned systems it seems a little strange at first but if the presentation, Nintendo's history and what I've seen from bloggers who got a hands-on experience with it...it has massive potential.

I foresee the new controller being expensive and thus many casual multiplayer games will probably have setups where games only require one Wii U controller and everyone else uses wiimotes in an all vs one scenario. There's a lot of uses for the Wii U controller and the third party developers seem sincerely impressed by it.
Even if we ignore the possibilities of the controller, the console itself isn't anything to sneeze at. It appears to be similar size and shape to the Wii (although curvier and shinier), yet boasts HD, some sort of extremely low-latency connection with the controller, claims to better online support, has the backing of many third parties and is likely to still be cheaper than the 360 or PS3 were at their launches.

I have a feeling that even if a game doesn't make use of the screen, accelerometers, microphone, gyroscope, screen, built-in toaster, fold-out sunbed, etc of the controller, the layout of the controller and analog sliders should provide a pretty good feel in the hands despite the size and should be pretty good for classic games.
Of course, it's still far too early to tell and much like with Nintendo's previous big innovations this is something that will either make it big or flop. They've made some pretty big claims and are essentially seeking to do what many see as impossible: unify the "hardcore", the casuals, the fans and their family into one console that caters to all, whilst also meeting your needs as an individual.

Good luck with all that Nintendo. If they can pull this off...I think we're going to see some serious domination followed with Sony and Microsoft being forced into following once again. Should be interesting to see how this turns out...

[Dustin2128]

Looks pretty cool, skimmed through the video. Saw another article on it showing some new zelda game with at least PS3 level graphics. I can't wait!

[Bandit]

Just hope this means they will also release some good games for the current Wii.

[dniMretsaM]

LOOKS AMAZING! From the screen on the controller to the USB storage, it's pretty sweet. Two things I hope: There will be a way to get the HBC (or anything similar the hackers can come up with. And the ToS will be WAY less restrictive/invading than they are on the 3DS.

[forrestcupp]

I was watching Nintendo's e3 presentation live over the internet and have to say that their show (especially in comparison with Sony and Microsoft's lacklustre performances) was a treat to watch.Cool. I didn't know you could do that. I'll have to remember that for next time.


Saw another article on it showing some new zelda game with at least PS3 level graphics. I can't wait!That Zelda game is an enhanced version of Twilight Princess to show off the console's capabilities. Since this is coming out next spring, I hope they make Skyward Sword to work on Wii U, too.

I'm pretty stoked that this console will be backward compatible with Wii games including Wii Fit.

[Dustin2128]

Cool. I didn't know you could do that. I'll have to remember that for next time.

That Zelda game is an enhanced version of Twilight Princess to show off the console's capabilities. Since this is coming out next spring, I hope they make Skyward Sword to work on Wii U, too.

I'm pretty stoked that this console will be backward compatible with Wii games including Wii Fit.
Here's to hoping that they'll make an enhanced ocarina of time too.

[IWantFroyo]

Personally I don't prefer Nintendo consoles. Actually I don't like anything that would make me dependent on a large screen, all those cables and controllers.

As a *really* happy Sony PSP user I am eagerly waiting for PSP2 aka NGP :)

Agreed. I'm sticking with the XBox 360 for the TV, and I'll probably get the NGP for handheld gaming. Those little analog controls on the Wii U look a bit clumsy.

[Legendary_Bibo]

Motion controllers are a gimmick, and they're not that great. Most people who bought Wiis loved them for a while, but got bored/sick of the motion controls. This thing looks less annoying, although putting it on the ground for some games is a bad idea.

A lot of these games they're showcasing are a few years old on this generation, and I noticed that the graphics are a little bit worse than on the 360/PS3.

The controller looks like one of those Leap Frog things.

It doesn't have a hard drive?!

Overall I find it unimpressive. Falling behind is not innovating Nintendo! Also stop it with the stupid gimmicky controllers, why fix what isn't broken?!

[IWantFroyo]

Did they actually make a new TV-attached console? It mainly looked like it was just syncing with the old Wii.

[Legendary_Bibo]

Did they actually make a new TV-attached console? It mainly looked like it was just syncing with the old Wii.

Yep, it's in one of the links.

[Superkoop]

Motion controllers are a gimmick, and they're not that great.

+1
I don't have much time, money, or patience to play many video games anymore, however I still play over at friend's and stuff. However, I have played enough wii to know that none of the games have actually kept me wanting to play for longer than 30 minutes... I would try, but they just weren't that thrilling. They have the neat factor, however in the end the mini game format most of these games have doesn't hook anyone. Perhaps if they can get some more games with more intense story and gameplay then perhaps, but as it is I doubt that will happen.
This is great for some players, but I'm not sure how much this little screen will add to the actual value over a regular wii. But we'll see, hopefully I'm wrong. :D

[HoKaze]

Since this is coming out next spring, I hope they make Skyward Sword to work on Wii U, too.
If I understand the details correctly, the Wii U should be backwards-compatible with all wii games and hardware so Skyward Sword will work on it. If you meant releasing versions for both the Wii and Wii U (like what happened with Twilight Princess) then I doubt that'll happen, although it's a possibility.
Nintendo are doing quite a bit to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Zelda. With OoT 3DS, Skyward Sword, Link's Awakening appearing on the 3DS' virtual console, orchestras to be playing Zelda music at concerts around the world, a free downloadable Four Swords game for the 3DS in the future, golden triforce wiimote and some soundtrack CDs in the works...you'd think a game series staying strong for 25 years as other companies and their games have died out was a big thing or something ;)

[Legendary_Bibo]

If I understand the details correctly, the Wii U should be backwards-compatible with all wii games and hardware so Skyward Sword will work on it. If you meant releasing versions for both the Wii and Wii U (like what happened with Twilight Princess) then I doubt that'll happen, although it's a possibility.
Nintendo are doing quite a bit to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Zelda. With OoT 3DS, Skyward Sword, Link's Awakening appearing on the 3DS' virtual console, orchestras to be playing Zelda music at concerts around the world, a free downloadable Four Swords game for the 3DS in the future, golden triforce wiimote and some soundtrack CDs in the works...you'd think a game series staying strong for 25 years as other companies and their games have died out was a big thing or something ;)

I just thought they'd have new ideas by now.

[forrestcupp]

If I understand the details correctly, the Wii U should be backwards-compatible with all wii games and hardware so Skyward Sword will work on it. If you meant releasing versions for both the Wii and Wii U (like what happened with Twilight Princess) then I doubt that'll happen, although it's a possibility.
It's backward compatible, but it doesn't upscale the games. Wii games on the Wii U will look just like Wii games on a Wii. Skyward Sword is such a huge thing that they really need to release a high def, upscaled Wii U version. They don't even have to change the control setup since the Wii U will be able to use Wiimotes and MotionPlus.

I'll bet they'll do it for the same reasons they released a Wii version of TP after it had been developed primarily for the GameCube.

[HoKaze]

It's backward compatible, but it doesn't upscale the games. Wii games on the Wii U will look just like Wii games on a Wii. Skyward Sword is such a huge thing that they really need to release a high def, upscaled Wii U version. They don't even have to change the control setup since the Wii U will be able to use Wiimotes and MotionPlus.

I'll bet they'll do it for the same reasons they released a Wii version of TP after it had been developed primarily for the GameCube.
I'm aware of that but I'm still doubtful. It seems a lot of effort considering the gap between the release of Skyward Sword and the Wii U, not to mention that I'm not too sure the game will benefit that much from any better rendering the Wii U can do. Unless they were developing with HD (and thus the Wii U) as the end result in mind, the upscaled version won't be that much different and certainly won't make full use of the power of the newer system. I'd imagine that at this stage going back and overhauling all the models, textures, etc would really not be worth.

Of course, if they have looked this far ahead (and considering that this is a company that has been in business in some form or another for well over a century...) then by all means you are quite likely correct.

[forrestcupp]

I'm aware of that but I'm still doubtful. It seems a lot of effort considering the gap between the release of Skyward Sword and the Wii U, not to mention that I'm not too sure the game will benefit that much from any better rendering the Wii U can do. Unless they were developing with HD (and thus the Wii U) as the end result in mind, the upscaled version won't be that much different and certainly won't make full use of the power of the newer system. I'd imagine that at this stage going back and overhauling all the models, textures, etc would really not be worth.
Textures are one thing, but it's possible to render models at higher resolutions pretty easily. Plus it wouldn't be that hard to take advantage of the Wii U's superior built-in hardware lighting and shading.

I think they could easily port it to HD in a way that would make a huge difference, even though they may not take full advantage of the new controls. The reason I say this is because of how quickly they put out an HD port of a boss scene of Twilight Princess to show at E3. Did you see how much more amazing it looked? If they can quickly do that with an old game, I'm sure they can tweak a game that's still in development to take advantage of Wii U's HD, especially if they think it's going to make them more money.

We'll have to wait and see.

[TheeSaga]

Personally when I was watching the announcement live I felt like I didn't know what Nintendo had actually presented, and neither did a lot of people. I'm not impressed, and even though I'm a shooter/blood type of gamer, I can't imagine playing any shooting game with the WiiU, it just looks silly. It was a good effort, but not well executed in my opinion.

[Linye]

Wii U
http://static.arstechnica.com/2011/06/07/wii-u-deck.png

[Quadunit404]

I'll get it. I have all the current-gen consoles, so why not?

And it's nice to see the late Gunpei Yokoi's "Lateral use of withered technology" ideology starting to be phased out. It had worked many times in the past, but now, in a world where HD is the de facto standard and people are demanding power out of their everything (cars, computers, immobile objects, planes, video game consoles) it's not going to do so well much longer. It's too bad, really, because back in the '80s and '90s it worked so well.

[ELD]

I also think motion controllers are a gimmick, the only one i feel that has real potention is Kinect since it has many other uses including pc (Linux and Windows support!).

Does anyone know if the new Wii will include dvd playback? Was shocking that the Wii didn't!

[rich52x]

It looks flipping amazing

Cannot wait for the new smash bros. especially

But I'm assuming extra controllers to play with friends locally wont be the same as the one included, because they look like they'd be very expensive to buy separately. What with the twin cameras, 6" touch screen etc.

I'm also hoping there's a better online/multiplayer implementation, the Wii's online multilayer with friends that required the exchange of multiple codes was just impossible.

[del_diablo]

I still think Reggie(the nintendo CEO) did a really good job at ruining parts of the PR presentation.
Oh well, at the least Miyamoto overshaded him.

[forrestcupp]

But I'm assuming extra controllers to play with friends locally wont be the same as the one included, because they look like they'd be very expensive to buy separately. What with the twin cameras, 6" touch screen etc.

Yeah. I'm betting that they're going to expect each player to bring their own controller for multiplayer frag fests, and that all party-style multiplayer games will use the regular Wii Remote maybe with the option to share the new controller for added features.

[Quadunit404]

Oh hey guys, Nintendo used PS3/360 footage when they revealed the WiiU. (http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1174313p1.html)

This isn't surprising to me since six months before the Xbox 360 launched, game footage was streamed off of two Mac G5 workstations... yep, you read that right.

[forrestcupp]

Oh hey guys, Nintendo used PS3/360 footage when they revealed the WiiU. (http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1174313p1.html)

This isn't surprising to me since six months before the Xbox 360 launched, game footage was streamed off of two Mac G5 workstations... yep, you read that right.

Wow! Very disappointing. I wonder what they ran the Zelda scenes off of.

[Macskeeball]

This isn't surprising to me since six months before the Xbox 360 launched, game footage was streamed off of two Mac G5 workstations... yep, you read that right.

They used PowerMac G5s because it used the PowerPC architecture, just like the final 360 console (not to mention the PS3 and the Wii). Specifically, it used the IBM PPC 970.

[Legendary_Bibo]

Wow! Very disappointing. I wonder what they ran the Zelda scenes off of.

The PS3

[Thalarse]

I don't know about the gameplay (i do enjoy playing on my wii, though), but i can't wait to see what you can do with one of these new controllers and cwiid! Perhaps a monitorless computer with motion and touchscreen ui built into the controller. Or using this new device to control a telepresence robot or UAV... hee

Assuming the new controller uses bluetooth like the old wiimotes do.

[forrestcupp]

Well, it's true that some of the footage for the current 3rd party games was actually PS3 and 360 footage. But the encouraging thing is that they actually did have some original working demos. This article by PCMag (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386536,00.asp) talks about their hands on experience. It looks like the Twilight Princess demo was really being run on the Wii U hardware.

I'm sure they still have a ways to go before they get their hardware specs hammered down, but at least it wasn't all fake.

[luceerose]

I notice they're not saying anything about Metroid yet.
The Metroid developers were pretty much the first to get their hands on the prototype equipment for the new Wii. That was quite a while ago, now.
Looking forward to hearing something on that front.

As for Zelda, to the best of my knowledge, Nintendo was giving out working prototypes of the 1080p hardware to developers before Skyward Sword was in the works, so it's probable that Skyward Sword was actually developed for the Wii-U, at least graphically anyway, the real question is how far along in development the controls were at the time. So the design for the new control scheme may not be up to scratch, but you could almost bet that the Wii release of Skyward Sword is actually a down-scaled version.

My number 1 concern is regarding the Virtual Console. I'm quite sure I'm not the only person that's spent literally hundreds of dollars on the VC games that I would like to see transferred to (or shared with) the new console.

I will have to wait for the answer to this Virtual Console question before I purchase, because the answer will dictate which version of the console I buy (EU, Jap, US).
I live in Australia, we get EU consoles, but I love the NTSC ones, I own both a EU Wii & a Jap Wii. For the next-gen I was planning on purchasing US version, but as I said, this will all depend on what happens with the Virtual Console.
Since my only US games are Gamecube and all my Wii games are EU & Jap, maybe it wouldn't hurt for me to go Jap with the Wii-U. I guess we'll see.

Also, extraneous to my aforementioned dilemma, I'll also have to wait for a Black one.

[HoKaze]

Hmm, being able to transfer your WiiWare and Virtual Console stuff over to the Wii U is pretty important. Should be interesting to see what sort of small downloadable games we see to make use of the new system. I'm doubtful that there'll be any massive changes to the VC as the 3DS is probably the main focus there for the moment at least.
If they were to add any new consoles to the VC though, I wonder what they could add?

[DirtyPC]

I like the concept, but think about it. The Wii's bigest selling point was its family orientation. I somehow don't think my 3 year old cousin will be able to use it.