I have nothing to do with the last few pages of meltdowns lol
I am in the CAMP of "Be Kind of our Messengers"
As long as we stop attacking those who are kind enough to give us the bad news, I don't mind the letdowns with Nintendo we should all be use to it by now. But Nintendo has a very emotional connection to most fans I can see why most threads on GAF go nuts.
they really have to learn not to support some of this company's decision's instead of attacking a poor developer being honest about his experiences with early hardware.
but asking NeoGAF to chill out about anything is well...
But a lot of this comes down to the assumption that if Nintendo made a uber/moderately-powerful console...it would be a financial blockbuster. Which isn't a clinched argument either. In fact if you're a CEO looking across the spectrum of what's happened since the HD consoles launched (skyrocketing production costs, less focus on gameplay, costs to recoup, risks involved in new ip, risks to entire studis), you might as a conservative CEO come to the conclusion that a huge HW bump isn't ideal for your company long term. That a slight advantage (miniscule performance bumps in practice) over comp is a honest price for a honest service coupled with a new play idea. I think the assertion that a 5-10x power jump would be great for Nintendo, is a fallacy. Just as the power bump in HD consoles in terms of evolving gameplay and ideas, has really gotten us nowhere except prettier pictures. It has not improved performance across the board, we wait longer for loading screens and screen transitions than ever, which is my "true next gen" estimate.
And the "horsepower appetite" is something I think we need to seriously re-examine as gamers and dev's. As it pertains to pictures and IQ, we're far enough that we can focus more on gameplay, art and performance over tech. People who clamor for "real next-gen" have some explaining to do as to how that pertains to what the experience, craft and gameplay will gain from a huge jump in visuals. And what we gain from a market and development burden as well in that environment. So I'm more than willing to except a slight advantage over the 360/PS3, if Nintendo is willing to aggressively pursue features/online/exclusives/third parties and change their thinking as a company to make these things a pillar of their business...not just if it's good for Nintendo, but if not fuck you. They need to make a console that supports everybody, and specs are only a part of that equation probably the smallest and easiest part.
This argument is exactly what people said about the Wii leading up to it's launch. And yes, the Wii experienced unparalleled success for the first half of it's life, but that "power isn't important" philosophy also caused the Wii to miss out on 3rd party support and contributed to the unprecedented decline the the Wii is experiencing in the second half of its life.
I've never been a huge power player. I've always been of the mind that whatever Nintendo does this time, it really just needs to make fostering quality and consistent 3rd party support a top priority. I just don't see how that's going to happen with a console that's allegedly only on par with the PS360. Seriously, what incentive would 3rd parties have to bring games to the Wii U?
Also, it should be plain obvious at this point in the gen that increases in technology do more than make "pretty pictures."
1. the first rumor suggested wii U power from developers is 50% more powerful than PS360
2. then the range changed, from 2X to 5X, all these clarifications come from "industry insiders"
3. final dev kits out, hinted that WiiU's is more powerful than expected
4. Iwata specifically said wiiU is not going to be cheap, be reminded that they haven't decided whether to sell it at loss. (meaning it is not cheap not because Nintendo wants to make money on it but actually it is an "expensive" machine)
All of these kinds of information/comments are from industry. Why just one person with old version of dev kit can cause such big reactions in this thread? Actually I think ppl in this thread are ppl with better knowledge of current status of wiiU.
The issue is 4-5X current gen doesnt break the bank. Thats doable with 4-5 year old technology. If they cut corners and settle for a me too console in 2012 they deserve to fail.
But a 4-5x performance jump will still be miniscule in practice for most ports, and probably disastrous for any PS4/720 ports. I'm personally hoping for a solid 2-8x performance bump over the entire chipset, as well as in-game performance. Enabling dev's to bump resolution, framerate and loading to desired results. That would satisfy me.
Personally I'll buy a multiplat on PC before Wii U, so I'm mostly interested in the console exclusives or Nintendo IP's anyway, full disclosure.
This argument is exactly what people said about the Wii leading up to it's launch. And yes, the Wii experienced unparalleled success for the first half of it's life, but that "power isn't important" philosophy also caused the Wii to miss out on 3rd party support and contributed to the unprecedented decline the the Wii is experiencing in the second half of its life.
I've never been a huge power player. I've always been of the mind that whatever Nintendo does this time, it really just needs to make fostering quality and consistent 3rd party support a top priority. I just don't see how that's going to happen with a console that's allegedly only on par with the PS360. Seriously, what incentive would 3rd parties have to bring games to the Wii U?
Also, it should be plain obvious at this point in the gen that increases in technology do more than make "pretty pictures."
That's pretty much my entire point. We shouldn't be very concerned at this point to make pretty pictures, but instead to increase performance, loading, OS integration, and features into a more converged environment. So in essence, if that extra 2x-5x over the 360 went solely to those types of increases...I would be thrilled. How about you?
That's the way any gamer worth his salt would put his chips toward. A faster, more streamlined experience across the board. Graphics/Quality Visuals should always be secondary to interactivity and how we interact with the OS, features and game.
This argument is exactly what people said about the Wii leading up to it's launch. And yes, the Wii experienced unparalleled success for the first half of it's life, but that "power isn't important" philosophy also caused the Wii to miss out on 3rd party support and contributed to the unprecedented decline the the Wii is experiencing in the second half of its life.
I just want to point out that the wii did very well for 5 of the last 6 years years it's been on the market, not 3 out of 6. I say this like once every other day now but the wii faded in 2011 because nintendo stopped supporting it, not because it stopped getting the 3rd party support it never had to begin with.
I love the fuck out of the idea of a Wii U several times more capable than the PS3 or 360, but I wonder if it's the best thing for Nintendo.
I'm going to try and for the chain of logic that one could use to come to the conclusion that a Wii U less than twice as capable as the PS3 or 360 would be in the best interests of Nintendo.
The first thought is that for Nintendo, this is a big jump. at least 8x as capable as the Wii. It's going to output to HD sets at 720 and or 1080p. Nintendo as a company of developers is going to be challenged with the new toys that they're going to have to develop software for.
The second thought is that a 5x jump over the 360 (yes, using Nx as a indication of capability is inherently flawed) would likely push MS and Sony to iterate their consoles. This is either a good or bad thing.
Uber console that forces Sony and MS to iterate:
1) Sony and Microsoft spend money to do this. MS can blow cash all decade and not really care. This has no advantage to Nintendo. Sony trying the same and possibly collapsing isn't good for Nintendo either. It's bad for Japan. Sony haters love it though.
2) The Wii U only ends up being the new hotness for a year until MS comes out with blistering ad campaign showing off Kinect 2.0.
3) All the engineering problems associated with a high power console in a small case. They wouldn't want the Wii U to be known for it's Blue Light of Doom.
4) Increased costs to manufacture (once most of the engineering costs have been smoothed over) make it harder for them to sell at an affordable price, and hampers their ability to lower the price at will.
5) Increased development costs. This is a counter-intuitive problem. Intuitively the faster the console, the less art and engineering optimization needs to be done. The reality is that someone will set the bar high, and then anyone that doesn't meet that bar will be ignored. Development costs go up.
Wii U is 50%-100% more capable that the PS3 or 360, and Sony and MS don't iterate:
1) Sony and MS don't spend the money on a new generation so soon. Nil effect on MS. Short term positive for Sony. They get to percolate longer.
2) The Wii U stays the New Hotness for a longer period of time without MS stealing the spotlight with a new console.
3) Fewer engineering problems.
4) Cheaper to manufacture - can debut at $300 instead of $400 and that includes the spiffy tablet screen. Debuts at a price that's still held by the PS3 and 360 in one iteration or another.
5) Reasonable to port to for 3rd parties. Don't expect an abundance of exclusives though. Expect that Wii U versions will have better shadows and/or lighting than the PS360 counterparts, or better load times due to more RAM, or better and/or more stable frame rates. Things that take relatively few engineering hours to add to the game.
If this is the plan, then Nintendo will be pushing like hell for this to be the new family console. They will want to put it into 30mil american homes with new gamers under 10 years old, and will want it to be the console that replaces the Wii in homes that have grown up with it. If what they do will allow Sony and MS to put off their new consoles for a few more years, maybe that will be the best strategy for Nintendo.
I'm not actually advocating this, I'm just trying to run with the logic that would be needed to go in this direction. I've also not done any sort of proofreading, so awkward sentences and flat contradictions are sort of expected.
EDIT: I started writing this last page. I may be retreading what is now old ground.
I just want to point out that the wii did very well for 5 of the last 6 years years it's been on the market, not 3 out of 6. I say this like once every other day now but the wii faded in 2011 because nintendo stopped supporting it, not because it stopped getting the 3rd party support it never had to begin with.
True, but I think there are a lot of gamers who bought into the Wii thinking it was going to get much better 3rd Party support than it did, and are probably going to be a lot more skeptical this time around. I also think a sizeable portion of the Wii's audience aren't guaranteed to come back. Last E3 Nintendo seemed to communicate that they realized this, and made it clear that gamers were going to be more of a priority with their next system. I don't see how they're going to do that with more this-gen hardware.
The fact that people are so skeptical of Nintendo succeeding going into next gen despite being the indisputable market leader this gen is a testament to the long-term effects of their strategy with the Wii.
Again, that's if we're taking Arkam's info as 100% accurate and up-to-date. I hope it isn't...
Eh, be fair. Arkam may be an insider source but he hasn't been dispensing information in a very thoughtful way, mainly because he's refused to engage in any kind of discussion from the very beginning. lherre told us time and time again to temper our expectations and we didn't get all up in arms about that.
Sure, he's not going about it like lherre, but the issue I have is the vitriol people seemed to have towards him. He wasn't coming in saying "Wii U Sux Loozerz!" he just said what he knoew like someone who wasn't impressed. Then there was the meltdown people had by those who actually, honestly thought that what he said actually did mean it's basically a repackaged 360. I found that strange because I would have thought the previous 18,000 posts would have convinced people that it's going to be better than that by a noticeable amount.
Only way I'd be excited for a repackaged 360 with a tablet is if it was <$250. Then it's back to PC+Nintendo gaming for me!
That's the part for me that makes zero sense for me in relation to numerous other dev statements. We've heard plenty of rumors on power ranging from an overclocked 360 to 5x but never to the point where porting would be at all difficult.
I think if Wii U was a repackaged 360, I may not bother with it and wait for the 720. It would significantly deflate my interest in it, even though I'm not normally a "Graphics whore". After years of 360/ps3 games I'm ready for something better/smoother/stronger.
True, but I think there are a lot of gamers who bought into the Wii thinking it was going to get much better 3rd Party support than it did, and are probably going to be a lot more skeptical this time around. I also think a sizeable portion of the Wii's audience aren't guaranteed to come back. Last E3 Nintendo seemed to communicate that they realized this, and made it clear that gamers were going to be more of a priority with their next system. I don't see how they're going to do that with more this-gen hardware.
The fact that people are so skeptical of Nintendo succeeding going into next gen despite being the indisputable market leader this gen is a testament to the long-term effects of their strategy with the Wii.
Again, that's if we're taking Arkam's info as 100% accurate and up-to-date. I hope it isn't...
Yeah, I'm not saying the Wii's lack of power didn't put a sour taste in some people's mouths. It's a hurdle they'll have to overcome for sure. Personally though, I believe the casual market is much more important than the hardcore market, and the casual market requires a hook to entice purchases, not necessarily high end graphics (though they certainly help)
Earlier in the thread I was insisting on keeping my expectations low...well I'm right back to that strategy. It makes sense for the Wii U to be around Xbox 360 level of power. Also, having the main ram be quite slow makes sense if they put in healthy chunks of extremely fast ram on chip. So between Xbox 360 and 50% faster is what I'm expecting...anything more powerful is just gravy.
Yeah, I'm not saying the Wii's lack of power didn't put a sour taste in some people's mouths. It's a hurdle they'll have to overcome for sure. Personally though, I believe the casual market is much more important than the hardcore market, and the casual market requires a hook to entice purchases, not necessarily high end graphics (though they certainly help)
Agreed but I really think that Apple owns a lot of mindshare with that market now. Will a tablet controller that looks like a toy really be able to be marketted against an iPad? Nintendo need the core gamer to generate buzz and buy units carte blanche.
It would not surprise me if WiiU did turn out to be very similar in performance to PS360. If so. I'm expected the majority of games to be 720P @ 30fps. Simple Mii type games will probably run at 1080P @ 60fps.
Multiplatform games on next gen systems on WiiU will be seriously gimped to get them to fit with reduced textures, lower resolutions and lower framerates.
Sure, he's not going about it like lherre, but the issue I have is the vitriol people seemed to have towards him. He wasn't coming in saying "Wii U Sux Loozerz!" he just said what he knoew like someone who wasn't impressed. Then there was the meltdown people had by those who actually, honestly thought that what he said actually did mean it's basically a repackaged 360. I found that strange because I would have thought the previous 18,000 posts would have convinced people that it's going to be better than that by a noticeable amount.
I think if Wii U was a repackaged 360, I may not bother with it and wait for the 720. It would significantly deflate my interest in it, even though I'm not normally a "Graphics whore". After years of 360/ps3 games I'm ready for something better/smoother/stronger.
Well considering I'm a PC gamer that loves nintendo games, I know it'll all work out for me one way or another. I already know I want a Wii U, more or less regardless of what it's packing, as long as price is proportional to value.
I just want to point out that the wii did very well for 5 of the last 6 years years it's been on the market, not 3 out of 6. I say this like once every other day now but the wii faded in 2011 because nintendo stopped supporting it, not because it stopped getting the 3rd party support it never had to begin with.
It would not surprise me if WiiU did turn out to be very similar in performance to PS360. If so. I'm expected the majority of games to be 720P @ 30fps. Simple Mii type games will probably run at 1080P @ 60fps.
Multiplatform games on next gen systems on WiiU will be seriously gimped to get them to fit with reduced textures, lower resolutions and lower framerates.
I would be utterly shocked and horrified if it was. Unless in the last while Nintendo have decided that Wii U needs to ship for less than the cost of a mouldy sandwich there is no way in hell it'll be PS60 level.
Well considering I'm a PC gamer that loves nintendo games, I know it'll all work out for me one way or another. I already know I want a Wii U, more or less regardless of what it's packing, as long as price is proportional to value.
Ahh, you're all set then. I pretty much gave up PC gaming about 5 years ago, and have been one of the disgruntled Wii owners watching everyone else get the kick arse multi-plats. I only want to buy 1 console next gen and while I'm a Nintendo boy at heart, a white 360 would be a bitter pill to swallow.
I would be utterly shocked and horrified if it was. Unless in the last while Nintendo have decided that Wii U needs to ship for less than the cost of a mouldy sandwich there is no way in hell it'll be PS60 level.
Agreed but I really think that Apple owns a lot of mindshare with that market now. Will a tablet controller that looks like a toy really be able to be marketted against an iPad? Nintendo need the core gamer to generate buzz and buy units carte blanche.
Change "Apple" to "Kinect" and you've pretty much got what I'm thinking. Kinect has been a major success for MS when it comes to hooking the casual market, and its success is only going to grow because its "You are the controller" concept is still relatively fresh. Not so much tablets at this point. Don't get me wrong, I see great potential in the upad for gameplay; but I don't see it having the same "Oh wow I've never seen anything like that!" appeal that the wiimote and Kinect have.
And with ~360 tech it'll be competing directly against consoles that have been out for 7 years, have well-established user bases ensuring they'll get all of the same 3rd party games at comparable fidelity, casual friendly gimmicks of their own, and will be even cheaper by the time Wii U launches. And lets not forget that MS has the 720 right around the corner. Considering all of this I just don't see how launching a repackaged 360 is in any way a smart long-term decision.
the idea behind the wii remote was to take something people were familiar with (a tv remote), and do something they would also be familiar with doing (at least the motions of bowling, playing tennis, swinging a sword, etc).
the tablet is now something people are pretty familiar with, and i think nintendo's plan is to do try something similar. there are a lot of good ideas present in the reveal trailer they had last e3. you can do a lot of it on an actual tablet, but if they work it into 'yeah but it does more because it's connected to the teevee' then it could be a success.
plus, udraw's been popular for the wii two years running, so they might actually be on to something.
as far as power goes, i think last gen with ds and psp and wii vs everything else, it became very clear that it's not the main decision-maker for the general public.
the idea behind the wii remote was to take something people were familiar with (a tv remote), and do something they would also be familiar with doing (at least the motions of bowling, playing tennis, swinging a sword, etc).
the tablet is now something people are pretty familiar with, and i think nintendo's plan is to do try something similar. there are a lot of good ideas present in the reveal trailer they had last e3. you can do a lot of it on an actual tablet, but if they work it into 'yeah but it does more because it's connected to the teevee' then it could be a success.
plus, udraw's been popular for the wii two years running, so they might actually be on to something.
Not saying the form of the wiimote didn't have its appeal, but it was definitely the motion controls that were the main draw. It was the big "something new." Take the motion controls out and I fairly certain casuals wouldn't have cared that it looked like a tv remote.
The upad doesn't have a similar hook. Gaming on tablets is common now. Heck, there are now tablets out that can connect to the television, so that won't be a fresh concept either. Granted, Nintendo is of course going to take it to the next level, but because it's something that's by and large been seen before, I don't see the upad being the huge draw that the wiimote was.
as far as power goes, i think last gen with ds and psp and wii vs everything else, it became very clear that it's not the main decision-maker for the general public.
Yeah that is an absolute cetainty but it's also clear that Nintendo can't support a platform by itself, they need third parties on board for the long haul. At least this time even if it's an underpowered system they will have them at the start since they are pulling the trigger first but reliving the kind of start the Wii had will be harder to pull off imo.
saying that the RAM is "quite slow" is a bit confusing, as the RAM in X360 and PS3 is also "quite slow" by current standards.
correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the Zelda demo where he was fighting the giant spider in 1080p real-time? if so, that is well beyond what X360 and PS3 are capable of.
saying that the RAM is "quite slow" is a bit confusing, as the RAM in X360 and PS3 is also "quite slow" by current standards.
correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the Zelda demo where he was fighting the giant spider in 1080p real-time? if so, that is well beyond what X360 and PS3 are capable of.
I predict nintendo going for a "refinement" generation rather than a the "disruption" tactics they employed this gen. I point to the 3DS as strong evidence towards the idea. Both the DS and Wii were major disruptors in their respective markets. Both introduced wild new innovations and historically poorly explored ideas to shake things up. And in that they found massive success.
The 3DS in comparison does relatively little to "shake up" the handheld world. 3D was meant to be a hook for sure, but under the hood, the 3DS handily surpassed the previous gen's competition (PSP) without going so far as its newest competitor, the Vita. In doing so, the 3DS has begun getting games that in the past went to the PSP rather than the DS while still maintaining price competitive (it is at the moment anyway). They may have lost some market share to Apple and the mobile market, but they certainly haven't lost all or even an overwhelming majority of it, and what numbers they did lose is being supplemented by the PSP market they previously did not have access to.
I think (hope) they're planning something similar for the Wii U. Noticeably surpass the current gen but don't get carried away lest they suffer an inflated hardware price. Introduce a hook that is still appealing to many of the casuals out there and, most importantly, differentiates the console from its competition, but simultaneously court 3rd parties and enable the possibility of content previously lacking on the Wii. Tablets aren't revolutionary by any means, but they are the new hotness and will be for a few years. They can capitalize on the allure of tablets, drawing in casuals who are familiar and at ease with the tech into buying it for their families. iPads are cool and all but they're tough to share communally. The Wii U provides a portal to using tablets that the entire family can take turns sharing. At the same time, because the casual appeal of the Wii U is going to be diminished compared to the Wii, supplement the loss of consumers with previously uninterested hardcore gamers that are drawn by the HD graphics and 3rd party ports.
If the Wii U is significantly cheaper than its next gen rivals AND it has a good chunk of that casual appeal that Kinect and the original wii had, casuals adoption rates will be much higher than the more expensive alternatives. Once it gets into homes, family members that are gamers will realize 3rd party ports are coming to the console with full HD graphics that still LOOK GOOD but are inferior to the 720/PS4 counterparts. This will be in stark contrast to the Wii where the gamers weren't ever there at all to begin with. Having access to those coveted 3rd party games, many will simply stick with the Wii U rather than upgrade to much pricier consoles that have the exact same games.
I sure have and look how that turned out. That bird has two feet, a beak and one wing out of the coop. It was pie in the sky magic at the right time. Now we live in a world where phones and tablets and Facebook have exploded and MANY people are happy to game there. The Wii has plummetted over the last couple of years because the casual market was fickle and unsustainable against the iOS onslaught, and the hardware/market of the Wii compared to the competition just wasn't worth the effort. Gamers also got to experience HD for the first time and are now used to it - and they'll want more. As gamers are wanting better looking games, a 360 level won't cut it if Nintendo wants to get that market back again, which is what they've said numerous times.
Now I'm not saying Nintendo aren't whack and prone to doing insane shit, so we may very well get the Nintendo 360Station that sees Nintendo on another meteoric rise, but I would be absolutely shocked because everything we've heard from devs, and everything Nintendo have said (About getting core gamers back) would suggest otherwise.
I have some my hat and some seasoning ready if it turns out otherwise.
correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the Zelda demo where he was fighting the giant spider in 1080p real-time? if so, that is well beyond what X360 and PS3 are capable of.
I sure have and look how that turned out. That bird has two feet, a beak and one wing out of the coop. It was pie in the sky magic at the right time. Now we live in a world where phones and tablets and Facebook have exploded and MANY people are happy to game there. The Wii has plummetted over the last couple of years because the casual market was fickle and unsustainable against the iOS onslaught, and the hardware/market of the Wii compared to the competition just wasn't worth the effort. Gamers also got to experience HD for the first time and are now used to it - and they'll want more. As gamers are wanting better looking games, a 360 level won't cut it if Nintendo wants to get that market back again, which is what they've said numerous times.
Now I'm not saying Nintendo aren't whack and prone to doing insane shit, so we may very well get the Nintendo 360Station that sees Nintendo on another meteoric rise, but I would be absolutely shocked because everything we've heard from devs, and everything Nintendo have said (About getting core gamers back) would suggest otherwise.
I have some my hat and some seasoning ready if it turns out otherwise.
Nintendo is willing to go real cheap, you really should not be shocked or horrified. Wii died off pretty well from lack of supoprt, otherwise, its the single best selling console this generation so far.
I sure have and look how that turned out. That bird has two feet, a beak and one wing out of the coop. It was pie in the sky magic at the right time. Now we live in a world where phones and tablets and Facebook have exploded and MANY people are happy to game there. The Wii has plummetted over the last couple of years because the casual market was fickle and unsustainable against the iOS onslaught, and the hardware/market of the Wii compared to the competition just wasn't worth the effort. Gamers also got to experience HD for the first time and are now used to it - and they'll want more. As gamers are wanting better looking games, a 360 level won't cut it if Nintendo wants to get that market back again, which is what they've said numerous times.
i don't know about that. since 2009, nintendo hasn't done much to try and push a new idea that the 'casual' market might like. if those people were done gaming on the wii, just dance 3 wouldn't have sold 4 million on the console in two months, and udraw or skylanders wouldn't have been the successes that they were.
I don't think it's the exact same situation. The Wii was an extension of Nintendo's original idea for the Gamecube to last 10 years, and was essentially an upgraded Gamecube. The Wii U is being designed from the ground up, and I think it would be kind of difficult for it to have technology on part with a 7 year old system.
Also, Wii was arguably 2001 tech in 2006 (5 year difference) while the Wii U would have a 7 year difference since the xbox360. So just by that it would be a 1.4x worse situation.
I don't think it's the exact same situation. The Wii was an extension of Nintendo's original idea for the Gamecube to last 10 years, and was essentially an upgraded Gamecube. The Wii U is being designed from the ground up, and I think it would be kind of difficult for it to have technology on part with a 7 year old system.
Also, Wii was arguably 2001 tech in 2006 (5 year difference) while the Wii U would have a 7 year difference since the xbox360. So just by that it would be a 1.4x worse situation.
It's probably only expensive because of the franken controller. That's stacked with features Miyamoto wanted for some crazy concept I'm sure. Crazy Japanese.
I don't think it's the exact same situation. The Wii was an extension of Nintendo's original idea for the Gamecube to last 10 years, and was essentially an upgraded Gamecube. The Wii U is being designed from the ground up, and I think it would be kind of difficult for it to have technology on part with a 7 year old system.
Also, Wii was arguably 2001 tech in 2006 (5 year difference) while the Wii U would have a 7 year difference since the xbox360. So just by that it would be a 1.4x worse situation.
What defines a console is not the other consoles, but the evolution compared to its past ips iterations. The wost thing with the wii wasn't that it wasn't HD, but that it was perceived as the same graphical gen than its predecessor.
The WiiU will be the first real graphical update in Nintendo games since 2001 so it will obviously be more exciting for people, regardless of what other consoles will do comparativly.
I don't think it's the exact same situation. The Wii was an extension of Nintendo's original idea for the Gamecube to last 10 years, and was essentially an upgraded Gamecube. The Wii U is being designed from the ground up, and I think it would be kind of difficult for it to have technology on part with a 7 year old system.
Also, Wii was arguably 2001 tech in 2006 (5 year difference) while the Wii U would have a 7 year difference since the xbox360. So just by that it would be a 1.4x worse situation.
Perhaps they are going to expand upon some of the news we heard at the investor meeting and we'll get a few more granular details. This may be Iwata's way to replace his traditional GDC keynote, by doing it on tape 2 weeks before.
Iwata's going to come on with the Troll face on, and say that he is Arkam, then say he can't believe that he could derail a thread for days as an unknown developer.
Seriously though, Arkam isn't even a software engineer and we've spent more time talking about him than the Wii U itself. Whether he means to or not, the lack of other info has led us into a frenzy over vague unfounded and mixed statements from an unknown gaming industry personnel.
Hopefully Iwata restates that Wii U will be the strongest system when launched (I believe Reggie said something along these lines, along with multiple developers)
The absolute minimum this console could produce is a lot closer to 50% faster, than 10% slower than 360.
It's pretty easy to interpret Nintendo's marketing strategy when listening to Iwata. This was true for DS and Wii when he spoke of widening the gaming market and taking the focus off of system power etc (also blue ocean strategy, disruptive innovation)..
It's also fairly easy to see what Nintendo are doing with their home platform by looking at the general trend of their newest portable.
What Nintendo are trying to pull off with the Wii U is a PS2-like system. A system that attracts the core gamer as well as the casual gamer. They've expanded the market (and will continue to do that) but now they want a larger slice of the entire gaming market population. This can only be done in one way: Compelling Software
Nintendo will use hardware innovations to create new kinds of compelling software but it's also third party support that they need.
During the GameCube generation they missed out on GTA which was a huge plus for the PS2.
During the Wii generation they missed out on COD4 (on time) and every other major HD title, and that was a huge hit for Nintendo.
Nintendo need a strategy (which includes hardware power) to ensure they get as much support as possible and the market for those games actively migrate to Nintendo.
Obviously it'll be exclusive content that drives sales but it doesn't all have to be exclusive games...
Imagine a Call of Duty title with 1080p support, solid 60FPS, higher resolution textures etc with text/voice/video chat capabilities and OS level communities features along with a new way to control killstreaks? Or even just the ability to play a full experience CoD in bed?
Now imagine all third party games being like this on Wii U, definitive versions, some will probably have exclusive game modes etc.. When we haven't seen a major advance in hardcore games graphics or gameplay since 2006 in the console space.
There will be a large market of people wanting that upgrade and I'm sure Nintendo want to get as many of them as possible before Microsoft or Sony launch their systems.
You are talking about a company that made the circle pad pro, talked about a vitality sensor and once had a press conference focused on pacman. It's not easy to predict Nintendo.
