Wii U : when hardware goes into development hell
As we know, the Wii U is the result of a long engineering and refining process by its secretive R&D labs. But, according to our source, it seems that the final architecture has been rushed through the door, with undesirable consequences. Nintendos low cost policy, which has so far allowed the company to surf the tech wave in a distinctively offbeat way, all the while maintaining incredibly high margins, could be about to backfire.
Tethered so far
So far, the Wii U controllers main chipset - that manages the devices essential functions, including streaming and wireless seems inadequate. This chip, described by our source as maybe a tad too cheap, has been the sources of many headaches in recent weeks. So far,the wireless functions simply do not work at all . There have been so far three different prototypes, and a fourth iteration is expected by select developers at the end of the month.
Developers on the brink
So far, developers are working with a tethered controller: each one is fitted with a small black box with a tethered connection to the main unit. And even then, it still doesnt work properly. Many developers are feeling lost, their progress impeded by a distinct lack of visibility, their working days paced by the quasi-daily software updates. In those conditions, many feel unable to properly exploit the systems most innovative and promising features, those very features they havent been able to test properly so far.
What about the schedule ?
Ten months before the tentative release date developers are still expecting a June 2012 release the fact that Nintendo engineers are still struggling to make this supposedly final architecture function properly is worrisome at best. Could Nintendo have to make radical last-minute changes, and if so, what would be the cost? This unexpected development runs contrary to Nintendos reputation for carefully weighing all tech options long before any announcement. Inside the company, there have been talks of a delayed release, with September as a new tentative date. Being three months off-schedule doesnt seem such a big issue, when compared to a home consoles life cycle. But this is not 2006 anymore. The industry is undergoing a radical mutation, and there is a growing amount of rumors positioning Microsofts next system to be unveiled during the 2012 E3 conference, and a relase in short order. If that was to happen, the Wii U would only enjoy a few months of optimal run alongside the Xbox 360, which would essentially moot the much-touted ease with which developers can port 360 code for the Wii U. To succeed in its incredibly audacious endeavour, Nintendo will have to walk a very tight rope.
