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[RedSwirl]

With the Wii U, he said, Nintendo will get multiplatform games from key publishers.
"With the Wii U's graphics capability, processing power, and HD-output, we'll get those games. That's a huge competitive advantage versus where we were with the Wii."

But how will Nintendo do this?
"Well, the proposition for a third-party publisher or independent developer is pretty simple," Fils-Aime explained. "We need to show them that the install base is there for them to sell a quantity of games that represents a profitable proposition.

"What we're sharing with these publishers and developers is how first-party games will drive an install base, and how, from a marketing standpoint, we'll reach the type of consumers that they want to create content for.

"Then we have to deliver on it. What will help us are games like Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition, Assassin's Creed 3, Mass Effect 3 and Zombi U."[/I]

The bolded is precisely what Nintendo needs to be trying to do. The problem is actually figuring out how to do that.

 

[aeroslash]

No it doesn't. In contrast to what Nintendo SHOWED at E3, it's not unreasonable at all to think that those two systems are more powerful than WiiU.

Nintendo isn't stupid...Reggie can spin it all he wants but he knows what the core gamers wanted to see, and with the exception of Pikmin 3 (which although looked good, was hardly an example of the systems "power"), all the stuff they showed was casual geared and really didn't look like anything the current Wii couldn't do.

Yeah sure...lighting, mapping, shading and polygon counts are nowhere what wii can do. Have you seen the lighting and the normal mapping in zombiU? Or the lighting and polygon count of AC3? Come on...Wii U is deceiving as far as graphics go, but it is not Wii...¬¬

 

[RedSwirl]

Also, who else thought of Rogue Squadron 2 when Reggie mentioned launch Gamecube games?

Anyway, he's at least right that the most powerful console is almost never in first place.

 

[dragonfart28]

No it doesn't. In contrast to what Nintendo SHOWED at E3, it's not unreasonable at all to think that those two systems are more powerful than WiiU.

That's my point. The general public will not have the same nerd rage that GAF has because they won't expect the system to be drastically different from existing consoles.

In essence, the graphic horsepower isn't what will determine Wii U's success and he's completely correct in asserting that if it was, the difference in visual fidelity would have to be pretty stark.

That is the challenge that Microsoft and Sony need to overcome as it's their M.O. to be these graphical beasts. They need to live up to that PR at an affordable price.

 

[B.O.O.M]

"Second. Our competitors can say what they want about some super long cycle, but let's see what their behaviours are.

This gen is living proof generations are lasting longer and longer, it's you Nintendo which has faltered on that.

Bingo!

Both MS and Sony have been supporting their systems and they will continue to do so into year 2013 as well. It was Nintendo who dropped the ball with wii support way before the wiiu launch.

His reaction is quite entertaining tbh

 

[evilromero]

Naive as always Nintendo....they are going to end up with same problems thr Wii had, they wont have Elder Scrolls because it will be generation ahead on PS4, 720.

Yeah. By the time the install base is healthy on the Wii U, the next generation of systems will be out (2013/2014). It will be the Wii situation all over again for third parties.

 

[Lyude77]

The wii u will not be uncontested...it will be competing with the 360 and PS3.

You don't know how far next gen will jump nor do you know the price of any of the new systems. And if you want to argue price as a major factor then you have to look at the 360/PS3 vs the Wii-U when the Wii-U's price is revealed.

The reasons why the Wii dropped off were plenty, and you're only stated one of them and ignoring the rest that would be counter-intuitive to the near-sighted point you're trying to make. And if Nintendo 3ds was the reason the Wii dropped off, then Nintendo is in worse condition than you think...considering they've already whored out their 2 biggest IPs and relinquished an unprecedented and historical price drop with a year of its existence. If that was Nintendo dropping everything and concentrating solely on one platform, then...

That's not correct. 3D Mario is like Nintendo's 5th biggest IP (Mario 3D Land is a 3D Mario,). Mario Kart is second or third, depending on how casual IPs are treated. Ranking goes - NSMB, MK, Pokemon, Smash Bros., 3D Mario, Zelda, etc. I didn't even include stuff like Brain Training/Wii series. If Nintendo releases NSMB2 and Pokemon and they're still in the same situation, then you can say Nintendo has a serious problem with the 3DS. Until then, their situation is okay, even if it could be better.

Reggie was kinda iffy in this interview. Igniting 8 year old power comparisons isn't a great idea...We'll see if he's right about third parties. Also, I wonder if he mentioned Skyrim for a reason...

 

[gamergirly]

Yeah. By the time the install base is healthy on the Wii U, the next generation of systems will be out (2013/2014). It will be the Wii situation all over again for third parties.

If you're gonna use that argument, you can say the same thing about Wii Next being released in the middle of PS4/720 life cycles. The more I think about Sony slipping into 2014 the more it seems like 2014 will be 2 years after Wii U and too late

 

[Coolwhip]

reggie is completely right imo. screw power, give me fun and fresh games.

 

[Poyunch]

Power is fun to developers which in turn is fun for consumers. I'm totally okay with the Wii U as just another first-party machine but Nintendo's trying to push the Wii U as a the main TV box and they've already failed on the gaming side with this attitude. If more powerful consoles do come, the Wii U will just become a complimentary system to the PS4/720.

 

[Onemic]

....But the gamecube wasn't the most powerful console last gen, the xbox was :/

 

[ViewtifulJC]

I heard someone tell me F-Zero GX in it's current GC form couldn't run on the Xbox.

 

[Poyunch]

I heard someone tell me F-Zero GX in it's current GC form couldn't run on the Xbox.

It couldn't. The Xbox doesn't play minidiscs.

Spoiler

;p

 

[Xun]

reggie is completely right imo. screw power, give me fun and fresh games.

So having power in a system stops fun and fresh games from being created? I am now enlightened.

Spoiler

The same thing was said for the Wii and mine is gathering dust as we speak.

 

[Forsaken82]

Nintendo either doesn't have a clue about what core gaming is all about, or they just don't give a fuck anymore.

Nintendo trying to tap the 360/PS3 core demographics isn't what core gaming is about? Oh wait, it must all be about bleeding edge hardware right? Is that what Core gaming is about in your mind?

 

[Glorified G]

reggie is completely right imo. screw power, give me fun and fresh games.

You know it's possible to have both, right?

 

[Pociask]

Nintendo never advertised the Wii as being directly competitive. They never made that claim. They recognized from the start it would never get the games the HD system would get

First, the Wii launched with Call of Duty 3, Madden, and Need for Speed.

Second, Nintendo ALSO claimed that third-party developers would flock to the system to create unique new experiences, and take advantage of the pre-existing development tools already built for the Gamecube. And it wasn't crazy sounding! I'm sure many people remember LucasArts grinning for example when asked about a light saber game.

Look, I love Nintendo games, but we don't need to pretend that Nintendo management are some kind of prescient geniuses. "Because Nintendo says so" is not a reason to believe they're going to get strong third-party support. E3 was time to put up or shut up. They showed an Ubisoft zombie game, a Traveller's Tale Lego game, an Ubisoft Rayman game, an Ubisoft Just Dance game, a Scribblenauts sequel, and two late ports. Without getting to the merits of those titles, you can be the judge if that's a strong showing of third-party support.

 

[AzaK]

If the more specialized CPU with GPGPU claim is true, though, it is different from what most devs are used to developing on the 360/PS3.

I agree to some extent. However games looked just on par even though the non GPGPU hardware and rest of the machines specs should be better than current gen. Something is off.

Also, that's no excuse for Nintendo's titles to have no AA bad framerates and generally middling appearance. In a year since they trotted out stuff like Zelda and the bird demo, could they make Pikmin look stunning?

 

[Chaplain]

I agree to some extent. However games looked just on par even though the non GPGPU hardware and rest of the machines specs should be better than current gen. Something is off.

The Ubisoft rep at the E3 Nintendo booth said AC 3 was a direct port that does not take advantage of the extra ram or the new GPU. So, I assume most 3rd party games are going to be direct ports and that is why they do not look any better on the Wii U (for the first generation of games).

 

[kami_sama]

So having power in a system stops fun and fresh games from being created? I am now enlightened.

Spoiler

The same thing was said for the Wii and mine is gathering dust as we speak.

That-s another issue altogether. The Wii had too many droughts. If there had been a constant stream of titles, I'm sure you would have played it a LOT more.

 

[Fox318]

....But the gamecube wasn't the most powerful console last gen, the xbox was :/

Gamecube technically had a better GPU.

 

[Kelegacy]

You know it's possible to have both, right?

Not if it's a Nintendo console apparently.

Yeah, the "I would rather have this awesome thing than this awesome thing" is oldhat. Why not want both awesome things? I like the looks of cake but I also like to eat it. Call me greedy I guess.

 

[Partition]

still throwing back to the gc, eh, reggie, eh?

Well it hold true today, the PS3 is relatively in last place this generation too

 

[Hazanko]

reggie is completely right imo. screw power, give me fun and fresh games.

Why release a WiiU then? Could play many games on the Wii that are fun.

 

[Justin Timberlake]

Meanwhile, Fils-Aime took issue with the suggestion that Nintendo lost its hardcore gaming audience with the casual-focused Wii U.

"You know, I really chafe at that comment," he said. "Define the hardcore. I know people who are playing Smash Bros. Brawl competitively today. They're playing hours on that game. People are playing hours on New Super Mario Bros.

Yup.

Definitely not buying a Wii U.

Fuck you Nintendo.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

No I'm absolutely not kidding, and actually baffled some people are saying there's barely a difference.

They were similar enough that the top tier games on both systems looked better than most games on either system.

He admitted lack of third party stuff like Skyrim hindered the Wii. Okay, so how is, this, going to be any different next gen? TES6 will probably not be able to run a WiiU so aren't they doing the same, thing to themselves again?

From hardware features to raw power to controller to presumably userbase, Wii U is in a better position than Wii to get multiplatform action alongside the more powerful machines.

I am actually interested to see how successful the headstart will be for them. Sony blitzed everyone with the PS2, Microsoft couldn't do shit with the 360, and now it's Nintendo's turn.

X360 is an example of how the headstart can be a big deal even if that first year isn't so hot. Imagine how behind they'd be if they'd launched the year after Wii and PS3?

 

[Coolwhip]

Why release a WiiU then? Could play many games on the Wii that are fun.

The controller interests me. And Wii U will make use of my HD tv. So win win.

 

[Doc Holliday]

The Wii U is looking worse and worse with each passing day.

Funny thing is most of the negativity comes from shit Nintendo themselves say.

 

[FieryBalrog]

I know people who are playing Smash Bros. Brawl competitively today.

No, Reggie, you don't.

Brawl is a PERFECT example of how much you hate your own hardcore audience and competitive gaming.

 

[jmdajr]

the combative Fils-Aime began. "First, it's not about power. If it was about power, then the GameCube would have been the number one system in its generation

Well I guess I don't have to read the rest.

 

[Pseudo_Sam]

So having power in a system stops fun and fresh games from being created? I am now enlightened.

Spoiler

The same thing was said for the Wii and mine is gathering dust as we speak.

I would argue the Wii had the best platform-exclusive games this gen (3rd party in bold):

Battalion Wars 2
Blast Works
Boom Blox
A Boy and his Blob
Endless Ocean 1/2
Epic Mickey
Excite Truck/ExciteBots
Excitebike: World Rally
House of the Dead Return
Epic Yarn
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
LostWinds
Skyward Sword
Little King's Story
MadWorld
Mario Kart
Mario Strikers Charged
Mercury Meltdown Revolution
Muramasa
Metroid Prime 3
NSMB
No More Heroes 1/2
Pandora's Tower
Punch-Out!!
Red Steel 2
Sin and Punishment: Star Successor
Sonic Colors
Galaxy 1/2
Brawl
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Trauma Team
Rune Factory Frontier
WarioWare
Xenoblade Chronicles
Zack & Wiki

I think it's fair to say the reason the 3rd-party games here were exclusive were because A) They required the use of the Wii's unique controls, or B) Porting them to 360 or PS3 was prohibitively expensive. Like it or not, creating high-definition graphics for more powerful consoles is objectively more expensive and time consuming than developing non-HD graphics. One also can't deny the general attitude surrounding the consoles - the PS3 and 360 are seen as "hardcore" and thus there is an implicit pressure for developers to develop games that cater to a specific audience on those platforms. There are exceptions, as always, but the Wii got some of the weirdest, craziest, most unorthodox experiences this gen, and that was a direct result of development costs being lower.

 

[FieryBalrog]

I would argue the Wii had the best platform-exclusive games this gen (3rd party in bold):

Yeah, it wasn't because of those bolded titles, that's for sure.

Also, while games like Skyrim and Mass Effect weren't exclusive, they were available everywhere BUT the Wii.

 

[Justin Timberlake]

I would argue the Wii had the best platform-exclusive games this gen (3rd party in bold):

Dude, be honest. You just listed Excitebike: World Rally and Rune Factory ffs.

Come on son.

I fear for the Wii U's library if they plan to pursue the same model as the Wii...if the Wii's catalog is the best they could do in a generation they clearly won, I fear for them in a generation which I doubt they will.

 

[Majine]

"Three comments," the combative Fils-Aime began. "First, it's not about power. If it was about power, then the GameCube would have been the number one system in its generation and the Wii wouldn't have been the number one system in this last generation. It is not about power. It is about fun, it is about the experience.

It's not about fun, it's about winning. Also, if it's about power, wouldn't it be the Xbox?

 

[The Boat]

Dude, be honest. You just listed Excitebike: World Rally and Rune Factory ffs.

Come on son.

I rolled my eyes so hard I'm afraid I might've damaged them.

 

[Pseudo_Sam]

Yeah, it wasn't because of those bolded titles, that's for sure.

Also, while games like Skyrim and Mass Effect weren't exclusive, they were available everywhere BUT the Wii.

Oh please. This is of course a purely subjective argument, but Little King's Story, A Boy and His Blob, and Muramasa are some of the best games I've played. Boom Blox is up there. I only listed games that got generally positive reception from the press.

The point was that a console having higher graphical capabilities can prohibit certain types of games from being developed. It's a matter of development costs and consumer expectations. And you're right, it goes the other way too: games that require better graphical output that can't be run on the Wii were a big problem.

EDIT: Excitebike rules yo, don't hate

 

[cws]

Yup.

Definitely not buying a Wii U.

Fuck you Nintendo.

Cry me a river.

I mean really....?

 

[Justin Timberlake]

Cry me a river.

I mean really....?

Yes, really.

Why would I buy a system when they are so intent on making games that I have no interest in? Its clear to me that they are completely out of touch with their critics...he just listed Brawl as his bastion of competitive gaming ffs.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

reggie is completely right imo. screw power, give me fun and fresh games.

It only makes sense that creative people would be interested in working on platforms that give them more to work with.

I wouldn't exactly call Nintendo's lineup for the Wii U 'fresh'.

 

[Coolwhip]

It only makes sense that creative people would be interested in working on platforms that give them more to work with.

I wouldn't exactly call Nintendo's lineup for the Wii U 'fresh'.

Zombi U is a great example of a fresh game imo. I agree the current line up isn't exactly mind blowing though. But creative people can do more interesting things with the Wii U than with just more horsepower. I expect barely any new gameplay at all with the new xbox or ps tbh.

 

[Eteric Rice]

He makes some valid points, but doesn't note what they will do for those 3rd party games when the other consoles jump ahead next year. The Wii U will get the CoD game in, say, 2014, but will it just be a less-featured, worse looking port?

Going to depend on how flexible the third party engines are, and the feature set on the Wii U. If the Wii U has a decent feature set, we might just get ports that are scaled down in terms of textures and effects, but not overly diminished at the core.

Unfortunately these are things we don't know atm.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Yes, really.

Why would I buy a system when they are so intent on making games that I have no interest in? Its clear to me that they are completely out of touch with their critiques...he just listed Brawl as his bastion of competitive gaming ffs.

Brawl sold more than Melee, sold far more than any other fighting game this generation by a fair margin, and from what seem to be in-system statistics there's always a ton of people playing Brawl.

Hate to say it, but a niche subculture of people who go insane over tripping, go round in circles about banning characters, have 'councils', and constantly hack the game to make it 'right' probably don't amount to a hill of beans compared to the actual success of Brawl.

 

[anotherVegan]

The _only_ thing that'll make the WiiU a success is really great Nintendo software - But where is it? Where's the new 3d Mario? Where's Zelda? Where's Wave Race? Where's Metroid? What is Retro working on? It'll come down to software and price. Ship some good shit you get nowhere else at a reasonable price and the WiiU will sell great, otherwise people will just buy a 360 or a PS3 this holiday.

It's coming. These things take time to develop. The Zelda team just finished Skyward Sword. Games like this typically take a few years to develop. Just be patient.

 

[SMT]

Your only argument is the GameCube? One failure, and you're still bitter about it? Move on!
Make your fans happy and not just the grannies looking for bathroom scales!

 

[Justin Timberlake]

Brawl sold more than Melee, sold far more than any other fighting game this generation by a fair margin, and from what seem to be in-system statistics there's always a ton of people playing Brawl.

Hate to say it, but a niche subculture of people who go insane over tripping, go round in circles about banning characters, have 'councils', and constantly hack the game to make it 'right' probably don't amount to a hill of beans compared to the actual success of Brawl.

I mean, OK. Ignoring the fact that you're directly comparing the gamecube and Wii's install bases...

I don't care how many grandmas buy a game. I won't buy it if its not good.

I'm not talking about what Nintendo should do financially. If last gen's hardware sales are any indication (barring the last few years), maybe giving the Wii a proper successor is a good business decision. But...I don't care. Nintendo's interests no longer line up with mine.

(which is crazy, because I own a NES, SNES, N64, GC, Wii, GB, GBA, GBASP, DS, and soon a 3DS. 30-50 games on each, except the Wii. Its not hard to make me buy a Nintendo system)

 

[DKHustlin]

The only mistake nintendo is making is chasing hardcore gamers but with nintendo land andnsmbwii it looks like they are still making good stuff. I just hope they realize they need to ditch hardcore experiences early on and focus on making fun unique games like they did ob Wii. they're trying to win people over wei have already decided against then or are looking for any reason to not buy. like the guy crying about brawl above

 

[Zombie James]

Release specs and everyone will stop speculating. Simple as that.

 

[dankir]

but there where no games like re4 on the wii?

Except RE4 with motion controls!

It took two gamecubes duct tapped together to do that!

 

[UraMallas]

You know what? I LOVED the GCN. I think it's the second best Nintendo console behind SNES, and even though it had inferior sequels, like SMS and WW, they were still great to play:

My second favorite system as well. Good taste.

 

[Raptomex]

Click link for full story:

Nintendo hits back at Wii U power concern

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-06-14-nintendo-hits-back-at-wii-u-power-concern

"Three comments," the combative Fils-Aime began. "First, it's not about power. If it was about power, then the GameCube would have been the number one system in its generation and the Wii wouldn't have been the number one system in this last generation. It is not about power. It is about fun, it is about the experience.

"Second. Our competitors can say what they want about some super long cycle, but let's see what their behaviours are.

"Thirdly, the way development works is that the longer developers work with a system, the better they can tune performance. Case in point: Look at the very first GameCube games, and compare them to a game like Resident Evil 4. It was graphically beautiful, and demonstrably more advanced than the first GameCube games.

"The same was true for Wii. A great example is Super Mario Galaxy 2. The graphics are just beautiful. And look at the motion control we were able to achieve in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword."

He added: "The longer developers work on a system the more they tune it, the more they push the system, the more they learn tricks to really optimise performance. I share this because what you see here at E3 are games that represent a relatively short amount of development time. Imagine what we'll see two years from now when developers have been working with Wii U longer and learn how to push everything out of the system.

"Our competitors will do what they want. From our perspective, this is the right time to launch a new piece of hardware. And, the fun, the capabilities, and the experiences that we're offering today with a second screen are demonstrably better than what can be done today on other platforms."

Fils-Aime's comments tally with those of developers Eurogamer has spoken to anonymously ahead of the Wii U's launch. We've been told Wii U versions of multiplatform games will at best look as good as their PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 counterparts, but games built from the ground up for Wii U will show it to be graphically capable.

Meanwhile, Fils-Aime took issue with the suggestion that Nintendo lost its hardcore gaming audience with the casual-focused Wii U.
"You know, I really chafe at that comment," he said. "Define the hardcore. I know people who are playing Smash Bros. Brawl competitively today. They're playing hours on that game. People are playing hours on New Super Mario Bros.

"What I'll tell you is that with the Wii we did not have the benefit of multiplatform games from key publishers. I didn't have The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I didn't have the best of the Call of Duty games. That's what I missed."

With the Wii U, he said, Nintendo will get multiplatform games from key publishers.
"With the Wii U's graphics capability, processing power, and HD-output, we'll get those games. That's a huge competitive advantage versus where we were with the Wii."

But how will Nintendo do this?
"Well, the proposition for a third-party publisher or independent developer is pretty simple," Fils-Aime explained. "We need to show them that the install base is there for them to sell a quantity of games that represents a profitable proposition.

"What we're sharing with these publishers and developers is how first-party games will drive an install base, and how, from a marketing standpoint, we'll reach the type of consumers that they want to create content for.

"Then we have to deliver on it. What will help us are games like Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition, Assassin's Creed 3, Mass Effect 3 and Zombi U."

The Nintendo conference wasn't that impressive, however, that statement alone is exactly why I'm getting a Wii U day one. It's Nintendo and I know we'll see a Zelda and Smash Bros at some point.