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[bgassassin]

^ It's "old" herzog. That's what caused the earlier drama.

I'm loving the stuff about Ghost Recon Online, friends list, no friend codes, scheduling matches, and a live "ghost feed" all sound awesome. Hopefully this new online push is real and at the system level will be new and interesting. The idea of using miis for user accounts is a no-brainer. I wonder if Nintendo is going to do their own version of Home like a MiiWorld.

As for social networks, this is where I am more skeptical. Speaking of facebook, the dsi had a feature where you could upload photos directly to facebook. With the 3ds this feature disappeared. I know Nintendo wants the 3ds to be all about 3d stuff like mpo 3d photos but each photo is also saved as a jpeg so why Nintendo removed the facebook upload for 2d versions of user photos is beyond me. I used that feature on the dsi all the time, so much easier than taking out the sd card.

I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt until they truly prove they are making the same mistakes again. I would be more concerned that they are going to over-compensate for past online mistakes than them repeating past mistakes. With the amount of people just wanting something "competent" from Nintendo, they should be seeing at least that from what we keep reading.

Iwata definitely talked up the social aspect. Facebook and Twitter have become to big to ignore right now so I can see them doing something with them although I understand your skepticism. The other part you said makes me wonder about of features of the controller camera. Maybe they could bring back the DSi feature you mention.

Bolded part: Wuhu Island. It just makes so much sense. They could continually add minigames for cash (wave race, Wii sports collection etc etc)

Might make too much sense I guess.

Now we know it won't happen when sense reaches that level. Sections of the Island could have "EA Resorts" or Valve Villa".

 

[Jokeropia]

As far as Carnival Game goes, the publisher stated that it was the third best selling third-party Wii game behind Guitar Hero and Mario & Sonic Olympics back in April 2010.

Wikipedia has it at 1.5 million, so that doesn't seem right.

In any case, it's extremely rare for Wii to get a high profile (big name, big budget) third party core game in the first place, but the few released (I can think of only MH3 and Epic Mickey actually) performed well.

 

[herzogzwei1989]

Just searching google news for anything new on Wii U....

Guillemot Believes Wii U Will Force Next Gen
"We're going to have new machines coming soon."

Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot believes that Nintendo’s announcement of Wii U (and the assumption that it’s going to be out soon) will force Sony and Microsoft to play their ‘next-gen’ hands before long.

“I think it’s sending the message that the new transition is going to happen,” he said in an interview with Gamasutra, referring to the new Wii console, “and we’re going to have new machines coming soon.”

Ubisoft’s chairman and CEO always readies plenty of games for a console’s launch (look at the 3DS for proof) so it’s interesting to hear that he’s confident the other two console manufacturers won’t have much breathing space.

The interview’s interesting, not least because it comments on the development time versus return of titles like Just Dance against Assassin’s Creed…

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/07/19/guillemot-believes-wii-u-will-force-next-gen/comment-page-2/

Also: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...s_Guillemot_Talks_Early_Adoption_Of_Wii_U.php

 

[AceBandage]

Well yeah.
The 720 will probably be shown at E3.

 

[herzogzwei1989]

Well yeah.
The 720 will probably be shown at E3.

Yeah, I believe it's a stong possibility that Xbox3 will be shown at E3 2012.

 

[BurntPork]

Developers know the specs of the dev kits they have (at least, they know the clock speeds and memory).
They don't know the final specs for retail systems and they don't know just exactly all they can do with it yet.
Which is a good sign that the GPU is probably heavily customized.

Also, it's nice to hear Vigil so up on Wii U while being so down on PS3. Not that I don't love my PS3, but this is going to be the first Nintendo system that's basically going to be designed for ease of third party development, which is awesome.

The GPU being heavily customized is a dual-edged sword, as it increases costs significantly and it could mean that they went with a weaker, cheaper GPU to offset those costs. Less customization is how we got the Vita, after all.

I'm not say that that is what Nintendo did; I'm just saying that it's not necessarily a good sign.

 

[watershed]

I'm liking the tone of today's new batch of quotes from Vigil to Miyamoto to The EA guy whose name I can't spell correctly, Riccotello?

It makes it sound like Nintendo is actually reading the industry correctly and positioning their console ahead of the curve in terms of user interface, new control methods, and a flexible online structure.

If its true that graphics will see significant diminished returns and simply be a less important driver in the industry next-gen then Nintendo is probably smart to not go overboard, IF those cost saving measures are carried on to the consumer.

But what worries me is how this will affect multiplatform titles. Outside of graphical differences what if the gap in horsepower between the wii u and Microsoft and Sony's next offering effect other areas of a game like load times, AI, physics, on screen objects, interactivity, etc. Graphical compromises I can handle because really this gen hasn't been 720p much has it? But if wii u games are held back in other respects due to limited hardware that could be an issue. All speculation of course.

 

[AceBandage]

I'm liking the tone of today's new batch of quotes from Vigil to Miyamoto to The EA guy whose name I can't spell correctly, Riccotello?

It makes it sound like Nintendo is actually reading the industry correctly and positioning their console ahead of the curve in terms of user interface, new control methods, and a flexible online structure.

If its true that graphics will see significant diminished returns and simply be a less important driver in the industry next-gen then Nintendo is probably smart to not go overboard, IF those cost saving measures are carried on to the consumer.

But what worries me is how this will affect multiplatform titles. Outside of graphical differences what if the gap in horsepower between the wii u and Microsoft and Sony's next offering effect other areas of a game like load times, AI, physics, on screen objects, interactivity, etc. Graphical compromises I can handle because really this gen hasn't been 720p much has it? But if wii u games are held back in other respects due to limited hardware that could be an issue. All speculation of course.

The biggest differences will be physics, most likely.
It's a huge drain on resources.
You can easily tone down the geometry without a huge loss in visual quality.

 

[bgassassin]

I was looking back over the Endgadget article about Vigil and this point stuck out to me.

Whether or not we can go one step further, that might be driven by what's available on the PC and whether or not that is easy to translate to the Wii U hardware, because there are most likely going to be resolution choices for the PC version of the game. We know some gamers are just going to have more horsepower at their disposal.

Sounds like they'll be doing like what most devs do with have a PC version and a PS360 version. And depending on Wii U's power they will get one of these ported to the console. I think that also explains the "But, in all honesty, if the Wii U turns out to be this ridiculously powerful machine, we will probably make changes to our budget and scope to take advantage of that." part of the article. They just don't see the final hardware being able to do it. Which to me is understandable.

I will say though that this might give us an idea of what the "lazy developer" syndrome that some like to throw out might look like.

 

[specialguy]

If its true that graphics will see significant diminished returns and simply be a less important driver in the industry next-gen

It's not. You dont have to believe me, you will see in time.

 

[Penguin]

Seems like Gamecube games will be offered for download, not surprising, but

NG: I noticed on backwards compatibility at the press conference that the GameCube was missing. Why is this?

AM: You know it’s interesting that you bring up backwards compatibility and Nintendo’s history usually goes back one system. The Wii was compatible with GameCube and Wii U will be compatible with Wii and that’s pretty traditional in launches from Nintendo.

NG: So the Wii U will not support the discs or accessories?

AM: Actually the GameCube discs will not be compatible with Wii U, but a number of the games that were playable on GameCube can be downloaded from WiiWare.

http://www.nintendogal.com/2011/07/19/nintendogal-com-interviews-amber-mccollom-e3-2011/7180/

 

[TheNatural]

Seems like Gamecube games will be offered for download, not surprising, but



http://www.nintendogal.com/2011/07/19/nintendogal-com-interviews-amber-mccollom-e3-2011/7180/

Hmm .. interesting.

 

[AceBandage]

Basically confirming that we'll be able to use an external HDD, since 8GB of internal storage wouldn't really be enough for many GC games.
Also, I REALLY hope they upscale them. Just add a little AA, please.

 

[bgassassin]

Basically confirming that we'll be able to use an external HDD, since 8GB of internal storage wouldn't really be enough for many GC games.
Also, I REALLY hope they upscale them. Just add a little AA, please.

You're asking for too much.

 

[AceBandage]

I know, but still...
I really can't think of many GC games I would buy from DD, though...

 

[NintendoGal]

I will apologize for the dryness of the interview since it somehow got posted here... Not the greatest interviewer and I think I do better when I'm more familiar with the individual in question. :/

 

[BurntPork]

Seems like Gamecube games will be offered for download, not surprising, but



http://www.nintendogal.com/2011/07/19/nintendogal-com-interviews-amber-mccollom-e3-2011/7180/

Damn. I just rebought Wind Waker! lol

Basically confirming that we'll be able to use an external HDD, since 8GB of internal storage wouldn't really be enough for many GC games.
Also, I REALLY hope they upscale them. Just add a little AA, please.

USB 2.0 HDD compatibility was confirmed at E3. It's even on the official spec page.

 

[AceBandage]

Man, Amber says "You know" a LOT.

 

[Truth101]

Man, Amber says "You know" a LOT.

haha, I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed. So annoying... =I

 

[NintendoGal]

Spoiler

You know

I cut many instances of that out, so it would flow better. However, I've noticed that Reggie does the same thing in other interviews I've read.

 

[AceBandage]

Better than saying "Ummm" every sentence, I suppose.

 

[bgassassin]

I know, but still...
I really can't think of many GC games I would buy from DD, though...

I understand. That would be better for someone like me to fill in those gaps. The Skyward Sword talk has made me want to play the Zelda games I missed.

I will apologize for the dryness of the interview since it somehow got posted here... Not the greatest interviewer and I think I do better when I'm more familiar with the individual in question. :/

No need to apologize. You got some new info out of it.

 

[BurntPork]

Spoiler

You know

I cut many instances of that out, so it would flow better. However, I've noticed that Reggie does the same thing in other interviews I've read.

Please understand that Nintendo officials need to all speak in a certain manner. You know, it's not always easy to say a whole lot of words but not mean anything.

Check that box.

You know, this info might even be thread worthy.

 

[Speevy]

Everyone's gonna buy Wind Waker and upscale it.

 

[NintendoGal]

I'm just waiting for the retraction from Nintendo tomorrow morning. This can't be accurate were my thoughts when I was typing this up.

 

[AceBandage]

Everyone's gonna buy Wind Waker and upscale it.

Most of us have already done that via Dolphin.
The only game I can think of that I would buy would be SSBM if they added online.

I'm just waiting for the retraction from Nintendo tomorrow morning. This can't be accurate were my thoughts when I was typing this up.

I don't see why not.
They've been pretty big into the DD for older games, since there's little work involved.

 

[Truth101]

FF:CC patched to support online co-op... Please ;_;

 

[antonz]

FF:CC patched to support online co-op... Please ;_;

SE is too stupid and stuck in development hell on half their titles to actually do something useful

 

[rpmurphy]

Considering that she said that she expects games to be required to support 1080P, I don't think she knows all the details. And that she said downloadable from WiiWare. A huge grain of salt.

 

[watershed]

Yeah she was very nice in her tone but it all sounded like standard pr talk to me. I wouldn't take anything she said as "confirmation". Having select gamecube games to download would be awesome though, especially if they were upscaled and made upad compatible.

 

[Door2Dawn]

I would loove to see starfox adventures in HD

 

[BurntPork]

Considering that she said that she expects games to be required to support 1080P, I don't think she knows all the details. And that she said downloadable from WiiWare. A huge grain of salt.

To be fair, she obviously doesn't understand what it means for a game to run in 1080p, which even Reggie is clueless about. These aren't the people to ask.

When it comes to GCN on VC, however, either she made it up or she just accidentally used the wrong term.

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

I would loove to see starfox adventures in HD

Yeah, seeing it would be great. Playing it on the other hand...

 

[donny2112]

I'm just waiting for the retraction from Nintendo tomorrow morning. This can't be accurate were my thoughts when I was typing this up.

Especially since GameCube games aren't on WiiWare.

 

[Lonely1]

I was looking back over the Endgadget article about Vigil and this point stuck out to me.



Sounds like they'll be doing like what most devs do with have a PC version and a PS360 version. And depending on Wii U's power they will get one of these ported to the console. I think that also explains the "But, in all honesty, if the Wii U turns out to be this ridiculously powerful machine, we will probably make changes to our budget and scope to take advantage of that." part of the article. They just don't see the final hardware being able to do it. Which to me is understandable.

I will say though that this might give us an idea of what the "lazy developer" syndrome that some like to throw out might look like.

Well, Darksiders had no enhancements for PC (aside from Resolution and FPS, obviously). Even AA & AF had to be forced in through drivers hacks.

 

[BurntPork]

Well, Darksiders had no enhancements for PC (aside from Resolution and FPS, obviously). Even AA & AF had to be forced in through drivers hacks.

Would be awesome if it runs in 1080p on Wii U, though, even if nothing else is changed.

 

[bgassassin]

Well, Darksiders had no enhancements for PC (aside from Resolution and FPS, obviously). Even AA & AF had to be forced in through drivers hacks.

Then I wonder what, if any, improvements there are supposed to be this time around. Though he mentioned resolutions in that part as well, so I'd almost get the feeling it's more of the same as what you said from the first one. Makes me wonder what exactly are they doing with the PC that would make it a problem since Wii U is "1080p capable".

Would be awesome if it runs in 1080p on Wii U, though, even if nothing else is changed.

This. 1080p/30 would be nice, but even if it's possible he made it sound like it won't happen if the port comes from the other consoles.

 

[AceBandage]

Then I wonder what, if any, improvements there are supposed to be this time around. Though he mentioned resolutions in that part as well, so I'd almost get the feeling it's more of the same as what you said from the first one. Makes me wonder what exactly are they doing with the PC that would make it a problem since Wii U is "1080p capable".



This. 1080p/30 would be nice, but even if it's possible he made it sound like it won't happen if the port comes from the other consoles.

A resolution enhancement shouldn't be hard.
I think, rather, they were saying THQ wasn't going to let them spend time polishing the game up for the Wii U, since that would be extra money spent.

 

[bgassassin]

A resolution enhancement shouldn't be hard.
I think, rather, they were saying THQ wasn't going to let them spend time polishing the game up for the Wii U, since that would be extra money spent.

I'll go with your view.

And I just realized I said Engadget instead of Eurogamer.

 

[AceBandage]

I'll go with your view.

And I just realized I said Engadget instead of Eurogamer.

Sadly, it's how a lot of third party ports are going to be, and it's also why Nintendo didn't want them to show the games at E3.

 

[bgassassin]

Sadly, it's how a lot of third party ports are going to be, and it's also why Nintendo didn't want them to show the games at E3.

But was it because of direct porting or devs just not having enough time with weaker dev kits? That's probably something we won't truly know.

As for Vigil I can see the newness of the hardware playing a major part in their decision since they clearly have no idea what the final hardware will look like. And as they said it would have to be a "beast" to make them change their minds, which I think it's safe to say so far it won't be.

 

[AceBandage]

But was it because of direct porting or devs just not having enough time? That's probably something we won't truly know.

As for Vigil I can see the newness of the hardware playing a major part in their decision since they clearly have no idea what the final hardware will look like. And as they said it would have to be a "beast" to make them change their minds, which I think it's safe to say so far it won't be.

It's neither.
It's publishers saying it's not worth it.
The PC is a beast compared to consoles, and they didn't do anything special with the original Darksiders.
Why make a game look a lot better for other systems when you can make it once and just put it on a bunch of systems?

 

[bgassassin]

Unless I'm misunderstanding, I was referring to games being shown at E3. (You also beat my edit. )

 

[AceBandage]

Ah, I dunno.
I mean, Ubisoft had a game up and running for display at E3 (Ghost Recon Online).
And apparently, so did Vigil and likely a few other devs.
But Nintendo pulled them back. So, I'd say it's more Nintendo not wanting to give a bad impression on the graphics if they think they can show better.

 

[bgassassin]

Oh yeah I understand that part, but that goes back to my question of whether it was because of direct porting or devs just not having enough time with weaker dev kits?

Which in the end at least gives us some idea of the power since they are already getting PS360-level graphics in a short time on underpowered hardware.

We have Vigil confirming the development direction they are going, but then we have others like Rocksteady giving mixed signals about Arkham City.

But I won't be shocked at the first gen titles being straight ports with added features for the controller.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Most THQ PC ports are crazy terrible

RF:G ran at like 200% speed with some configurations, Saints Row 2 was just awful, Darksiders had no graphical options despite being a seven month late port

 

[TheExplodingHead]

I'm personally not expecting much from Darksiders 2 from a graphics angle on Wii U. On par or slighting better is really all we can hope for. I also have no idea on if they'll even use the tablet for anything novel, seems like there could be some neat dungeon stuff though.

 

[Hiltz]

Wait, what ?

NintendoGal Interview with Amber McCollom, Director of Entertainment & Trend Marketing of Nintendo of America

http://www.nintendogal.com/2011/07/19/nintendogal-com-interviews-amber-mccollom-e3-2011/7180/

NG: I noticed on backwards compatibility at the press conference that the GameCube was missing. Why is this?

AM: You know it’s interesting that you bring up backwards compatibility and Nintendo’s history usually goes back one system. The Wii was compatible with GameCube and Wii U will be compatible with Wii and that’s pretty traditional in launches from Nintendo.

NG: So the Wii U will not support the discs or accessories?

AM: Actually the GameCube discs will not be compatible with Wii U, but a number of the games that were playable on GameCube can be downloaded from WiiWare.

 

[Rush2thestart]

I think having upscaled GCN games is a lock. The VC already upscales N64 games to 480p.

 

[TheExplodingHead]

but a number of the games that were playable on GameCube can be downloaded from WiiWare.

This could be awesome, although I'd much more prefer up-rezed series collections rather than DLing regular ole' GC games. I assume the CC will be required to play these?

And since the Wii U has no HDD in-box...are we then required to shell out for a "Nintendo-qualified HDD" to store bigger stuff on. I'd prefer the Sony approach, where we can use any damn sized external HDD that works.