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[Clunker]

What amazes me the most is not that Nintendo fucked up their presentation (it's not the first time it happened and it won't be the last).

What amazes me is that so called gaming enthusiasts can't see how much potential the Wii U controller has even when developers do. The controller is not a pointless gimmick, it really improves gameplay. It eliminates Wii Remote's biggest problem (the lack of buttons that lead to mindless waggle) while retaining its biggest advantage (pointer). With such d-pad position fighting games and 2D platformers will be easier to control and yet two sliders will allow for more traditional control schemes for 3D games to exist. It is supported by most major 3rd party developers and it will have Nintendo 1st party games. It is more powerful than current-gen consoles and it will have online capabilities comparable to them. If it is priced reasonably and has a decent line-up I see it being as successful as Wii and probably even more successful than 3DS in the long term (3DS's 3rd party support is awful and Nintendo clearly don't know what to do with it).

As a guy who's pretty down on the WiiU for right now, I can say that I've heard the "imagine how much potential this controller has!" song and dance a bunch of times before, so its ability to put some people into a dreamlike trance is lost on me.

Once I see more concrete examples of how third-parties are capitalizing on the unique capabilities of the WiiU -- as in actual games that people can play -- and not just talking-heads-on-white-backgrounds giving vaguely positive responses, I'll start believing the hype.

 

[Mr_Brit]

It doesn't matter. It has a gyroscope and an accelerometer, so from the player's perspective nothing changes. You can still aim with subtle movements if you want. And it is even without mentioning that navigating menus through the controller touch screen is much easier than pointing on the TV screen.

Wait, what? I'm pretty sure you can't accurately aim anymore like you could with Wii.

 

[hamchan]

So to those of you ignoring that this is about a stock price reaction.. which really has nothing to do with how your average neo-gaf members feel about the new controller.

Do you think this will be as successful as the Wii from a financial perspective?

It seems like we've all hashed and re-hashed our opinions of how excited we are about the new control scheme.. possibilities, etc.

But what about the Wii buying crowd? Is Nintendo's focus on this new giant controller going to appeal to them?

Will they just ignore the giant controller and still buy the Wii U for Wii Sports 2/Wii Play 2/ Wii Fitness 2/ Wii Dance Game 33 and a 3rd?

When the Wii came out the motion control stuff was really new and unique. People saw the ads with families doing motions like they were hitting a ball, it was actually quite exciting. While the streaming on the Wii U is new and unique, on appearance it isn't. I think the casual audience won't care about the giant screen or the streaming technology. They'll probably look at it and just go "I already have an iPad". Not to mention that the PSVita will be out on the market already and running near PS3 quality graphics. So the element of looking unique is not something the Wii U will have like the Wii did.

 

[nVidiot_Whore]

Wait, what? I'm pretty sure you can't accurately aim anymore like you could with Wii.

Yeah... Sixaxis says hi.

What is miksar going on about?

 

[Iwatas Magic Sports Coat]

all this catering talk.... remember the Gamecube.
Gamecube was a sweet console, quick load times, nicer graphics than PS2 and had games catered to us

then they decided to go ''casual'' with Wii and motion controls

I cannot understand this argument of them trying to cater us back in because the Gamecube was that. A game console with kick ass games.

I feel more confused now trying to understand Nintendo's intent on who they are targeting

Lack of DVD playback, online, modest 3rd party support & the fact that it launched as a purple lunchbox probably didn't help matters though.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Everyone. And they seem to be doing that well, though we'll have to wait for more software reveals to know for sure.



Probably not, but it has the potential to be. Honestly, I think Nintendo will make less per unit sale on this system than they did the Wii, so I'm assuming their overall profit will be less. Also, cost of development will likely go up for Nintendo too.

Everyone, yes. But I feel they're doing it poorly. However, I had zero faith in Nintendo appealing to a broader market with the Wii and yet they did. Still, seeing how most Wii's have ended up it will be interesting to see whether that audience returns or not.

 

[Black-Wind]

Yeah ... I felt that this was a huge failure. :/
They should have SHOWN an image of the console. I DID think it was just a new Wii Controller until I saw the console hidden in the vids. Showing off Miis and a NSMB that don't look the least be different than they do NOW surely didn't help.

They needed GAMES because really, thats the only thing that makes me want a console over another. And no, just saying "SSB4 WILL BE ON WIIU!!!!" Means jack shit to me with out a trailer or demo seeing as anyone would logically expect that. Hell, I was even more pissed that thats the only Nintendo game they brang up in the conf for the WU and they haven't even started making it yet. I mean ... they HAVE to have some teams working on stuff for the release of the console ... and they can't show anything?


Either it was too soon or they just did a crappy job ... or both.

They showed off the controller features well though, it that counts for anything...

 

[robor]

So to those of you ignoring that this is about a stock price reaction.. which really has nothing to do with how your average neo-gaf members feel about the new controller.

Do you think this will be as successful as the Wii from a financial perspective?

It seems like we've all hashed and re-hashed our opinions of how excited we are about the new control scheme.. possibilities, etc.

But what about the Wii buying crowd? Is Nintendo's focus on this new giant controller going to appeal to them?

Will they just ignore the giant controller and still buy the Wii U for Wii Sports 2/Wii Play 2/ Wii Fitness 2/ Wii Dance Game 33 and a 3rd? Will it be sort of a partial reaction? If half of Wii "casuals" buy the Wii-U, will the more "hardcore" gamers make up the rest to make Wii U as successful, or more successful than the Wii?

Here's another question, does the Wii crowd exist anymore?

 

[Boss Doggie]

Same, they should've focused this E3 on Wii and 3DS games, and then announce the console but don't show anything or talk about it. Then next E3 they could've came in like a storm, shown some games and real trailers for it, and have it release that same year in the fall. It would've been received much better and would have tons of hype.

Honestly, I think they'd only mention it in passing had no one did the leak

 

[Vinci]

Everyone, yes. But I feel they're doing it poorly. However, I had zero faith in Nintendo appealing to a broader market with the Wii and yet they did. Still, seeing how most Wii's have ended up it will be interesting to see whether that audience returns or not.

All I can use for a basis is my wife's response. Beyond that, I'm guessing just as much as anyone. But the fact that she thinks even Chase Mii looked like fun and something she'd like to play tells me that there's potential in this idea. And she started talking about how Battle Mii would involve someone spinning in the room near the other players and how funny that would be.

The secret to the Wii's success, IMO, wasn't just that it had motion controls - it's that it brought gaming back as a localized social activity, something that people could enjoy together. And I have a strong feeling that the Wii U will do something similar, even if it's not through the same mechanism.

 

[Krowley]

Do you think this will be as successful as the Wii from a financial perspective?

In short: No. Mostly because they can't sell it as cheaply, and some of the market that bought the wii are going to end up doing all their gaming on smart phones and tablets. Others have bought into Microsoft's new rebranding of xbox as a kinect machine, which is even more casual-focused than the wii. I expect Microsoft's next machine to maintain that focus and take a big chunk of those people.

But I do think it can be very successful, and they do have a chance to win another generation, although probably by a smaller margin.

 

[robor]

The secret to the Wii's success, IMO, wasn't just that it had motion controls - it's that it brought gaming back as a localized social activity, something that people could enjoy together. And I have a strong feeling that the Wii U will do something similar, even if it's not through the same mechanism.

Bingo.

 

[nVidiot_Whore]

Here's another question, does the Wii crowd exist anymore?

Well.. who is buying Kinect?

That's a strange question to answer IMO.. lol.. is it just a bunch of 360 gamers saying "Xbox Pause" in Netflix? Buying Kinect bundles simply because they kind of wanted a 360 slim anyways? Or are these actual "casuals" buying this thing? Are they treating Kinect like Wii 2, or is this a completely different customer base?

Or are these Wii customers, who probably hadn't bought or used a console since they were kids, if ever, moved on from console gaming?

It was always a question with the Wii.. and motion gaming in general.. a "new audience" isn't necessarily a sustainable one. And they do have more competition now.. Move maybe not so much.. but Kinect certainly is.. and it has that "elegant and simple" appeal.. almost moreso than Wii.

Microsoft went the direction of "look Ma, no hands."

Nintendo counters with the largest and most techy standard console controller ever, and backwards compat with old controls.

Very interesting either way.

 

[Fallout-NL]

All I can use for a basis is my wife's response. Beyond that, I'm guessing just as much as anyone. But the fact that she thinks even Chase Mii looked like fun and something she'd like to play tells me that there's potential in this idea. And she started talking about how Battle Mii would involve someone spinning in the room near the other players and how funny that would be.

The secret to the Wii's success, IMO, wasn't just that it had motion controls - it's that it brought gaming back as a localized social activity, something that people could enjoy together. And I have a strong feeling that the Wii U will do something similar, even if it's not through the same mechanism.

True, probably also why Nintendo still hasnt really bothered with too much of an online service.

 

[Gaborn]

It was a pretty clunky reveal, but they have more than a year and another E3 before the thing actually comes out, so they still have another shot. The fact that they recognize that they made some mistakes this year is promising, and they'll actually have games to show next year.

But they really need to hire some people in this thread to help them with their presentation next year, because I've seen some good ideas on how they could've made the same content they showed this year far more exciting just by presenting it better.

Not necessarily. I could see a release around May or so, in plenty of time for kids to get out of school. All we know for sure is it will be after their fiscal year which means after March 31. To be clear you're probably right but I don't think it's a given at all.

 

[aronnov reborn]

They should have called it the Nintendo U. Its more sensible and it would carry a huge power in the press. Wii U sounds like a compromise, just a step forward. But he actually says its not 'drastically different'. Wrong answer, buddy. We want drastically different.

exactly what i was thinking.. we want to get the core gamers back... so here is something not too different then the wii....... YAY!!... :\

*edit* Picked up Top Spin 4 at gamestop at lunch today and the guy working asked me what i thought of E3. He went on to talk about nintendo only releasing an accessory for the Wii... i had to explain to him there was a console.. he didnt believe me.

 

[Vinci]

True, probably also why Nintendo still hasnt really bothered with too much of an online service.

Well yeah, they don't see it as high a priority as those they were investing in. They were very successful, making tons of money. Now, many times companies get so focused on what they're doing (especially if it's successful) that they lose sight of growth. They confuse profit with growth of their market. Nintendo is showing with the Wii U that they haven't forgotten about traditional gamers, that they are still very interested in having people like those on GAF onboard. Why? Because it grows their market and potential profit. It also gives them a flexibility in which they're not so dependent upon their own output to make money.

They'll take online seriously with the Wii U because they have realized its importance in getting GAF folks willing to play ball in their yard.

EDIT: Might be setting my expectations too high, but I have no doubt that their online will at least be competent and I've a strong feeling that it will be very, very good.

 

[robor]

Well.. who is buying Kinect?

That's a strange question to answer IMO.. lol.. is it just a bunch of 360 gamers saying "Xbox Pause" in Netflix? Buying Kinect bundles simply because they kind of wanted a 360 slim anyways? Or are these actual "casuals" buying this thing? Are they treating Kinect like Wii 2, or is this a completely different customer base?

Or are these Wii customers, who probably hadn't bought or used a console since they were kids, if ever, moved on from console gaming?

It was always a question with the Wii.. and motion gaming in general.. a "new audience" isn't necessarily a sustainable one. And they do have more competition now.. Move maybe not so much.. but Kinect certainly is.. and it has that "elegant and simple" appeal.. almost moreso than Wii.

Microsoft went the direction of "look Ma, no hands."

Nintendo counters with the largest and most techy standard console controller ever, and backwards compat with old controls.

Very interesting either way.

Indeed. I'm just wondering if this audience they gained this generation is but a whim and might not make the same transition. Maybe the transition itself turns these Wii customers off?

Though, what Vinci said is quite plausible.

 

[richiek]

Everyone. And they seem to be doing that well, though we'll have to wait for more software reveals to know for sure.

Exactly. Back in 06 & 07, Nintendo had the casual gaming blue ocean market all to themselves, content to let Sony & MS have the smaller hardcore dudebro market. But now with iPhone, iPad and Kinect eating away at Nintendo's market, they're now gravitating back towards the core gamers more while trying to retain its casual audience (something for everybody), while introducing a brand new control interface to try to differentiate themselves from the competition. That's an awful lot for one console to juggle. Time will tell whether the Wii U will be successful in that regard.

 

[miksar]

Wait, what? I'm pretty sure you can't accurately aim anymore like you could with Wii.

The Killer Freaks developers mentioned during the recent roundtable that they are still tweaking controls and you'll most likely be able to adjust them, either making on-screen aim resemble real-life motions 1:1 or making it practically like you are holding a big wii remote. If the sensors inside the controller are responsive enough I don't see any problem here.

 

[Iwatas Magic Sports Coat]

So to those of you ignoring that this is about a stock price reaction.. which really has nothing to do with how your average neo-gaf members feel about the new controller.

Do you think this will be as successful as the Wii from a financial perspective?

It seems like we've all hashed and re-hashed our opinions of how excited we are about the new control scheme.. possibilities, etc.

But what about the Wii buying crowd? Is Nintendo's focus on this new giant controller going to appeal to them?

Will they just ignore the giant controller and still buy the Wii U for Wii Sports 2/Wii Play 2/ Wii Fitness 2/ Wii Dance Game 33 and a 3rd? Will it be sort of a partial reaction? If half of Wii "casuals" buy the Wii-U, will the more "hardcore" gamers make up the rest to make Wii U as successful, or more successful than the Wii?

No, I think it's going to be next to impossible to have another mega hit like the Wii. Especially when you consider that for a ton of Wii customers, their white box is sitting under their TVs never getting used. Those people bought it because Wii Sports was fun & something very different.

Take my sister for example. She's 35 with a 4 and 5 year old. Here is her game library. Wii Sports, Boogie, Super Paper Mario & Epic Mickey (which she's barely played) She's had the console since I guess 2007. 3 purchases in 5 years. The family uses Wii to stream Netflix for the kids. That's it.

I showed her the Wii U videos & explained it to her. I asked her if she's buy it, and she said something along the lines of "Why so it can sit under the TV and never be used." Granted in 3 years she'll have a 7 and 8 year old so things might be different, but for now she is not going to purchase a new system just to stream Netflix in HD. Especially one that WILL cause fights given that only 1 Nintablet can be used per console.

I don't think there is anything that Nintendo can do to win back the people who care enough to call themselves "hardcore" gamers (though in reality are the most casual of them all seeing as how they only play 1 or 2 genres). The zit faced 14 year olds & Frat Dudebros just aren't interested in Nintendo. They think Nintendo is a toy and PS360 isn't (eventhough it is).

 

[magash]

Here's another question, does the Wii crowd exist anymore?

They really do exist. I think Just Dance 1 & 2 selling a combined 12 million units points to that. Hell even the Michael Jackson game has sold more than 2.5 million units. Wii party has also sold more than 5 million units.

All these games are games that the so called Wii crowd love

 

[Plinko]

Wait, what? I'm pretty sure you can't accurately aim anymore like you could with Wii.

I thought the baseball video showed a great example of how this could be done. Crosshairs in the middle of the tablet screen would work fine--big problem, though, would be how fast your arms got tired.

 

[Hex]

What amazes me the most is not that Nintendo fucked up their presentation (it's not the first time it happened and it won't be the last).

What amazes me is that so called gaming enthusiasts can't see how much potential the Wii U controller has even when developers do. The controller is not a pointless gimmick, it really improves gameplay. It eliminates Wii Remote's biggest problem (the lack of buttons that lead to mindless waggle) while retaining its biggest advantage (pointer). With such d-pad position fighting games and 2D platformers will be easier to control and yet two sliders will allow for more traditional control schemes for 3D games to exist. It is supported by most major 3rd party developers and it will have Nintendo 1st party games. It is more powerful than current-gen consoles and it will have online capabilities comparable to them. If it is priced reasonably and has a decent line-up I see it being as successful as Wii and probably even more successful than 3DS in the long term (3DS's 3rd party support is awful and Nintendo clearly don't know what to do with it).

They said the same exact things with the Wiimote.
We see how that went.
It was really not that long ago so it is rather disturbing that it is so easy for people to forget.

 

[Vinci]

I don't think there is anything that Nintendo can do to win back the people who care enough to call themselves "hardcore" gamers (though in reality are the most casual of them all seeing as how they only play 1 or 2 genres). The zit faced 14 year olds & Frat Dudebros just aren't interested in Nintendo. They think Nintendo is a toy and PS360 isn't (eventhough it is).

Of course there is. Applying Nintendo's genius towards the criteria and software that such people enjoy.

They said the same exact things with the Wiimote.
We see how that went.
It was really not that long ago so it is rather disturbing that it is so easy for people to forget.

The Wii Remote failed to deliver on that promise due to the Wii's weak hardware and incompetent online, not because the potential wasn't there. If the Wii U can get the big dogs onboard and developing for it, there's little reason to doubt that its potential will be fully explored by the end of its generation. Hell, it's possible we'll get to see what the Wii Remote should've been given developers use it for local multiplayer purposes.

 

[Terrell]

Wii U sounds like a simple revision, eh?

Was Super NES a "simple revision"?

And more to the point, they had to retain the brand, considering that one of the selling points is that all the previous peripherals still have a place on this new system. You can't drive that point home with a new naming convention.

 

[bj00rn_]

I had my jaw on the floor during the whole presentation - And it wasn't because I was impressed.. It was because my brain was fighting to understand why Nintendo did the presentation in the way they did. Almost bizarrely so. So yeah..

 

[wsippel]

They said the same exact things with the Wiimote.
We see how that went.
It was really not that long ago so it is rather disturbing that it is so easy for people to forget.

What's more disturbing is that you would actually bring up that obviously completely flawed argument in the first place. Wii and WiiU are nothing alike. While the Wiimote was a completely new and radically different input method, the WiiU pad is merely an extension to a tried and true formula. Wrapping your head around that, coming up with useful ideas and implementing those is infinitely easier. And it definitely helps that most developers already use touchscreens every day.

 

[nVidiot_Whore]

Indeed. I'm just wondering if this audience they gained this generation is but a whim and might not make the same transition. Maybe the transition itself turns these Wii customers off?

Yeah pretty much. The idea of buying a new console is an awesome and exciting proposition for your typical "gamer." Is the same idea now exciting for the typical Wii Customer?

Apple did it with the iPhone for instance.. not the same product or market.. but they suddenly had a huge portion of people excited to buy a device that really is a techie gadget that nobody really "needs".. and they've had great success getting people to upgrade yearly or bi-yearly.

They got non-techie's to have the purchasing habits of techies.

I'm not so sure the Wii does that.. because as others have said.. a lot of Wii's have been sitting fairly unused for quite some time.. or are being used for 1 specific purpose. (maybe Netflix, maybe to workout) with little reason to upgrade.

Though, what Vinci said is quite plausible.

I guess. I personally don't buy it.. his anecdotal evidence aside.. I can't see the average consumer thinking that the Wii-U is actually some great social device for the same crowd that the Wii was.

I DO think it has some appeal to children or teenagers though.. especially since they are the ones who generally have to fight for "TV Time." But these kids also have other devices they can play with.. that are probably "more portable" than the Wii-U controller will be.. so the idea of "Well Mommy wants to watch a soap opera now I can switch to controller video!" might not pan out that well.. these same kids have been turning off their consoles and picking up some sort of handheld device anyways.

 

[disappeared]

I guess this thread is as good a place as any to pose this question.

Why has gaming turned into such a controller-oriented industry? Seemingly it's becoming less and less important how substantial a console or game game is, and moreso how it controls (via either Kinect, Wii Remote, Move, Wii U remote, gyroscopic, touch, etc). In the last five years, it appears we now have a giant pissing contest going on as to who can make their control scheme the most intuitive and/or functional. Look at how gimped some games are becoming in the process.

 

[nVidiot_Whore]

Wii U sounds like a simple revision, eh?

Was Super NES a "simple revision"?

And more to the point, they had to retain the brand, considering that one of the selling points is that all the previous peripherals still have a place on this new system. You can't drive that point home with a new naming convention.

Well.. people are questioning the fact that only a single letter was added to the end.. it's not some standard convention people understand.

Basically, Super != U

Although I'm sure it will become very clear that it is a brand new console.. some of what is being discussed is going to become completely moot in a years time.

It might even be moot now.. we are basically discussing the reaction to initial unveiling, and things were explained within hours.

 

[RobertM]

its an add-on?

So...it's just a controller?

Portable controller console lol

fuckin' BONERS!

dual analog & screen, looks sick
so it's just a new controller?

Is that all cafe is, just a controller?

The controller IS the console....interesting.

Yup, it's a controller to complement Wii.

This isn't the new console?

There were quite a few of these types of posts when the Wii U initially was announced, but how can you blame them? If you watch the segment where they introduce the Wii U, they never use the word “console” but rather “system” and “controller”. Then they proceed to show the demo reel, and what do they show? Mii type games, Mario game that could have been easily been a Wii title, the use of balance board, sharpshooter, web browsing, a short glimpse at a new Zelda, and no indication that this is a controller for a new console. Even if you saw the console next to the TV, on a crappy stream it looked almost exactly like the Wii. It’s not until we saw the bird tech demo and 3rd party games that yes, in fact, this is a new console with a new controller which is able to output HD resolution and pretty visuals. So why are people jumping down gaffer’s throat for mistaking Wii U as a peripheral for the Wii and not realizing it’s a new console? It’s not a matter of intelligence, it’s a matter of unintentional sensory deception that made people jump to the wrong conclusions.

Here is the Wii U reveal part:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-nintendo/715585

 

[Nafai1123]

Wii U sounds like a simple revision, eh?

Was Super NES a "simple revision"?

And more to the point, they had to retain the brand, considering that one of the selling points is that all the previous peripherals still have a place on this new system. You can't drive that point home with a new naming convention.

Shoulda called it the Super Wii.

 

[Game-Biz]

I wonder about Iwata sometimes...How can a man so smart makes so many weird decisions for the company.

Then again he's made billions the last several years and I just got another overdraft fee. meh

 

[richiek]

I guess this thread is as good a place as any to pose this question.

Why has gaming turned into such a controller-oriented industry? Seemingly it's becoming less and less important how substantial a console or game game is, and moreso how it controls (via either Kinect, Wii Remote, Move, Wii U remote, gyroscopic, touch, etc). In the last five years, it appears we now have a giant pissing contest going on as to who can make their control scheme the most intuitive and/or functional. Look at how gimped some games are becoming in the process.

It's always been like this:

1985: D-pad is introduced

1991: Shoulder buttons

1995: Analogue stick

1996: Rumble force feedback

2000: Dual analogues

2004: touchpad controls

2006: Motion controls

 

[GoldenEye 007]

showing of Miis playing in New Super Marios Bros., playing checkers on the screen controller and shuffling Miis around on that controller aren't the best ways to tell people that this is a new console

heck, would hurt them to update the Miis to be more rezed up for the Wii U?

Did you stop watching when they showed the bird demo and X360/PS3 footage? How do you explain that?

 

[marc^o^]

Shoulda called it the Super Wii.

I will call it the "U" and skip the wii part.

 

[Eradicate]

So to those of you ignoring that this is about a stock price reaction.. which really has nothing to do with how your average neo-gaf members feel about the new controller.

Do you think this will be as successful as the Wii from a financial perspective?

It seems like we've all hashed and re-hashed our opinions of how excited we are about the new control scheme.. possibilities, etc.

But what about the Wii buying crowd? Is Nintendo's focus on this new giant controller going to appeal to them?

Will they just ignore the giant controller and still buy the Wii U for Wii Sports 2/Wii Play 2/ Wii Fitness 2/ Wii Dance Game 33 and a 3rd? Will it be sort of a partial reaction? If half of Wii "casuals" buy the Wii-U, will the more "hardcore" gamers make up the rest to make Wii U as successful, or more successful than the Wii?

Well, it's so early to say. Individual investors are in a great position now to make a lot of money off of Nintendo now that it this was announced and the giant hedge funds and all overreacted (very, very common in the market when following an individual company or sector). The market moves how it moves, but it's largely determined by these large funds. Someone investing in Nintendo now (or timing it for a little later, say a week or two) will stand to make a lot of money back once the holidays come by, more interest is raised in the console, etc.

Will the Wii U make Nintendo the same amount of money that the Wii did? Again, it's too early to tell. Though I doubt Nintendo would sell for a loss, they will probably try to keep their profits slimmer than with the Wii just so they can establish the console at a more reasonable price.

I mean, a lot of people felt the Wii was outdated a year or two into its life. The Wii U won't have that problem, and it could have some real legs to "last" quite a while and make Nintendo a lot of money.

Who will be the next "big" winner in the next year or so? I'd say Microsoft. Kinect is giving their console some legs, and they can simply utilize somewhat newer technology, bundle a newer Kinect in, and call that their new system, and sell it for whatever and I think people would buy it. I think Sony and Nintendo are more in positions where they have to release new hardware, and that alone will cut into how much money they can make in the next year or two.

EDIT: Also, not to go back into the argument or anything, but developers clearly said "new console" in the 3rd party developer reel. "Wii Successor" was also used in the Tekken image.

 

[Grampa Simpson]

It's always been like this:

1985: D-pad is introduced Nintendo

1991: Shoulder buttons Nintendo

1996: Analogue stick and rumble Nintendo

2000: Dual analogues Sony

2004: touchpad controls Nintendo

2006: Motion controls Nintendo

Would we still be on the Atari stick if it weren't for Nintendo?

 

[Hex]

Wii U sounds like a simple revision, eh?

Was Super NES a "simple revision"?

And more to the point, they had to retain the brand, considering that one of the selling points is that all the previous peripherals still have a place on this new system. You can't drive that point home with a new naming convention.

Say both of those names though.
SUPER Nes.
WOW, it is the NES, but SUPER!

Now we will do the other.

WiiU
Err...it is the Wii but U....sounds kind of like a siren I guess?

 

[disappeared]

It's always been like this:

1985: D-pad is introduced

1991: Shoulder buttons

1995: Analogue stick

1996: Rumble force feedback

2000: Dual analogues

2004: touchpad controls

2006: Motion controls

You didn't see Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft dedicating half their E3 shows to showing off their analog sticks or R and L buttons/bumpers. They were simply advertised features added on, and discussed for maybe a few minutes in interviews and such so the press had a better idea of what the controller could do. Now we're getting entire shows dedicated to this shit. All this controller/controller-less business is turning into a fucking dog and pony show.

 

[nVidiot_Whore]

Why has gaming turned into such a controller-oriented industry?

It hasn't really.. the core of gaming hasn't changed controls much since the N64 era.

The fastest selling game ever, COD : Black Ops, is theoretically fairly controllable using an N64 controller. Just lacking a few buttons really.

And most game development is still focusing on core gaming.

Console manufacturers however have reacted to Nintendo's success with the Wii.. while "core gaming" is growing, and still heavily supported by both MS and Sony (and now Nintendo sort of), anything NEW that brings in NEW customers is exciting for your bottom line and your stock price.

Hence a relative "focus" on PR and whatnot.. and a focus on new investments to try to capture that audience people think Nintendo created with the Wii.

But if you really think about it.. and actually look at what games are getting released in the coming years.. things haven't changed that much since GoldenEye turned every college kid into an FPS fan.

 

[Chaplain]

They said the same exact things with the Wiimote.
We see how that went.

You make an excellent point. To many people have been burned by Nintendo with the Wii (myself included).

Nintendo has to provide support for the Wii U in the following ways if they want to win the hardcore gamer back:

1. AAA 3rd party games for the duration of the console.
2. Online that matches or exceeds Xbox Live (cross chat, achievements, etc.).
3. Multiple Tablets per console.
4. Hardware that is, at a minimum, 3 to 4 times the power of the PS3 & 360
5. DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (2 channel sound will not cut it anymore).
6. New hardcore Nintendo IP's that have a robust online infrastructure.
7. Release HD collections of the best Wii games
8. HD Zelda within 2 years of the consoles launch (not 5+ years).
9. Firmware updates that continue to add new features to the OS.

This is the minimum requirements for Nintendo. Anything less is not acceptable in this day and age.

 

[thehillissilent]

You make an excellent point. To many people have been burned by Nintendo with the Wii (myself included).

Nintendo has to provide support for the Wii U in the following ways if they want to win the hardcore gamer back:

1. AAA 3rd party games for the duration of the console.
2. Online that matches or exceeds Xbox Live (cross chat, achievements, etc.).
3. Multiple Tablets per console.
4. Hardware that is, at a minimum, 3 to 4 times the power of the PS3 & 360
5. DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (2 channel sound will not cut it anymore).
6. New hardcore Nintendo IP's that have a robust online infrastructure.
7. Release HD collections of the best Wii games
8. HD Zelda within 2 years of the consoles launch (not 5+ years).
9. Firmware updates that continue to add new features to the OS.

This is the minimum requirements for Nintendo. Anything less is not acceptable in this day and age.

Sadly, most of these probably won't happen

 

[robor]

Yeah pretty much. The idea of buying a new console is an awesome and exciting proposition for your typical "gamer." Is the same idea now exciting for the typical Wii Customer?

Apple did it with the iPhone for instance.. not the same product or market.. but they suddenly had a huge portion of people excited to buy a device that really is a techie gadget that nobody really "needs".. and they've had great success getting people to upgrade yearly or bi-yearly.

They got non-techie's to have the purchasing habits of techies.

I'm not so sure the Wii does that.. because as others have said.. a lot of Wii's have been sitting fairly unused for quite some time.. or are being used for 1 specific purpose. (maybe Netflix, maybe to workout) with little reason to upgrade.



I guess. I personally don't buy it.. his anecdotal evidence aside.. I can't see the average consumer thinking that the Wii-U is actually some great social device for the same crowd that the Wii was.

I DO think it has some appeal to children or teenagers though.. especially since they are the ones who generally have to fight for "TV Time." But these kids also have other devices they can play with.. that are probably "more portable" than the Wii-U controller will be.. so the idea of "Well Mommy wants to watch a soap opera now I can switch to controller video!" might not pan out that well.. these same kids have been turning off their consoles and picking up some sort of handheld device anyways.

I think the 3DS has evidenced so far that DS users aren't so hot on the next transition. I don't believe the "3" in DS is confusing to them, I just don't think they're interested.

The Wii phenomenon could very well be based on the age old saying "being in the right place at the right time". Does Nintendo even know how it got it's success? Is the WiiU their idea of controlling this current stream of fortune?

I think right now, Nintendo might be stuck in a newfound rut, one of which could see them spending (financially and markedly) years getting out of. This device will certainly appeal to those teen/kid gamers but like you said, the handheld devices are grabbing them too. Maybe if there were a handheld device that could converge the two, they could get a bigger chunk of that audience........


....this is where Sony comes in.

 

[Chaplain]

Sadly, most of these probably won't happen

Then they will have a huge problem on their hands selling the new console to the hardcore.

Gamers do not want to down grade their hardware but upgrade when they buy a new console. Not offering many of those features will be viewed as a downgrade to many gamers.

 

[richiek]

You make an excellent point. To many people have been burned by Nintendo with the Wii (myself included).

Nintendo has to provide support for the Wii U in the following ways if they want to win the hardcore gamer back:

1. AAA 3rd party games for the duration of the console.
2. Online that matches or exceeds Xbox Live (cross chat, achievements, etc.).
3. Multiple Tablets per console.
4. Hardware that is, at a minimum, 3 to 4 times the power of the PS3 & 360
5. DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (2 channel sound will not cut it anymore).
6. New hardcore Nintendo IP's that have a robust online infrastructure.
7. Release HD collections of the best Wii games
8. HD Zelda within 2 years of the consoles launch (not 5+ years).
9. Firmware updates that continue to add new features to the OS.

This is the minimum requirements for Nintendo. Anything less is not acceptable in this day and age.

Since Wii U has HDMI, there'll be surround sound. I hope they include an optical audio port, since I don't have an HDMI receiver.

 

[miksar]

They said the same exact things with the Wiimote.
We see how that went.
It was really not that long ago so it is rather disturbing that it is so easy for people to forget.

And how do you think it went? Some games benefitted from it and some didn't, mostly because Wiimote lacked buttons and second analog. The new controller has everything, and it is easier to get advantage of (for example, transferring the whole interface to the controller is simple, making it pointer-friendly is not, so even developers with zero imagination will be able to do something with it and not resort to waggle).

 

[Chaplain]

I hope they include an optical audio port, since I don't have an HDMI receiver.

I do not see an optical audio port. I hope this is not a sign of things to come.

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

I guess this thread is as good a place as any to pose this question.

Why has gaming turned into such a controller-oriented industry? Seemingly it's becoming less and less important how substantial a console or game game is, and moreso how it controls (via either Kinect, Wii Remote, Move, Wii U remote, gyroscopic, touch, etc). In the last five years, it appears we now have a giant pissing contest going on as to who can make their control scheme the most intuitive and/or functional. Look at how gimped some games are becoming in the process.

Because the fundamental and differentiating trait of videogames is interactivity?

As a post on the last page said, this has always happened in the industry