People frequently accuse Nintendo of being naive. With Apple offering an increasingly significant challenge in the handheld space -- maybe even a threat to the home console with the iPad -- it's not unwarranted. But it's clear from listening to Shigeru Miyamoto speak -- not just at E3 2012, but always -- that he is deeply concerned with how and why people play. It matters to him.
The system was born of a desire to create a system that's "the first screen that people go to when they enter the living room," says Miyamoto. That's an incredible ambition: changing the focus of the family room from the TV to the Wii U.
"Families in the same room, currently distracted by their personal devices, will be enjoying games truly together," promised Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime. The Wii U, he said, will be a relief from "technologies that push us away from the personal contact that we desire."
It's not an attack on Apple, as it's likely to be perceived. Japan has long had engrossing mobile experiences. It's even, in a sense, a statement against Nintendo and Sony's handhelds, too. What the company really does seem to want is to bring forward new forms of play that bring people together.
Miyamoto even said that the concept for the Wii U was born just a year after the last system's launch (that would make it 2007, right around when the iPhone was born.) It's a short leap from the DS to the Wii U, but it's clear Nintendo has high hopes for that leap. It's a pity we didn't see more of that innovation on stage at its E3 presentation.
The company gave a lot of screen time to two important partners -- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Ubisoft, both of which have some important games (Scribblenauts Unlimited and Just Dance 4, both for the Wii U, respectively), but this bridge-building came at the expense of the clear, compelling thesis for new forms of interactivity that Nintendo could have delivered.
So, too, did concentrating on Nintendo Land -- a theme-park style, next generation iteration of the Wii Play mini game collection concept. It's not terribly original thinking, though it'll sell well and be fun. While it does show that the company is firmly planting its stake in the ground for interaction between families and friends, it didn't show that the company is making a true leap forward. Neither, of course, did New Super Mario Bros. U. Wii Fit U, surprisingly, came closest, thanks to its controller-only play and social interaction features.
All the same, by all but ignoring the Nintendo 3DS in this presentation and splitting it into its own separate software showcase tomorrow, the company made it clear that Wii U is its total priority for E3, and for its future.
And there's an important question. For all the time spent with Ubisoft and WB, how will Nintendo and its partners deliver on its hope to provide "new and engrossing game experiences for every type of player", per Reggie? This is where the company has continuously stumbled. Yes, getting this gen's games ported to the system will be a brief help... But will that help last? Can Mass Effect 3 on Wii U really matter?
If the Gamecube taught us anything, porting existing third-party core games is no strategy. The realities of the game business also mean that unless Nintendo shells out with marketing spend or development support, publishers will quickly abandon efforts to differentiate ports, as WB is doing with Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition.
And when the next generation (Microsoft's Durango, PlayStation 4) launches, they'll forget about the Wii U altogether -- if the Wii's fate is any indication. While the original Wii is an underrated system for third-party games, the truth of the matter is that the majority of publishers weren't able to make a success of the system. It's possible to do so (ask Ubisoft) but it requires inventiveness, proper targeting, and time for experimentation.
Still, as executives from third parties came onto the stage to lavish praise on the new system -- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's Martin Tremblay said "it's a wonderful time in the state of the industry to have a wonderful new platform," while Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot said the Wii U is an "important innovation" that makes "social gaming simple and welcoming" -- that offers a glimmer of hope.
But with stretched resources and competing markets to push into (social, mobile, core), it is, as ever, a tall order to support Nintendo -- when the reality of its unassailable position as a first party that delivers hit after hit is considered. Can things really change?
Yes, Nintendo could be considered naive. But even with a disappointing showing, I'm left thinking: couldn't naivete be a good thing? Microsoft's press conference was entirely cynical and widely panned, thanks to a ham-fisted strategy toward connectivity and integration (with a strong corporate stench) and a feast of predictable games aimed at a narrow slice of the video game audience.
Meanwhile, Sony promised an enticing new way to interact with fiction and games with WonderBook, yet it quickly fell apart. It seems all the effort had been spent on securing J.K. Rowling's name; the demo was terrible looking, and shows that the deficiencies of trying to marry two very different forms of media are still very much in effect. Beyond, The Last of Us, and God of War: Ascension saved Sony's bacon.
The truth is that Nintendo is not simply naive -- it's idealistic. But Nintendo could still fall into that Sony trap. While it can flawlessly execute Mario concepts and minigame collections, the moments of surprise were too few at this conference to make the Wii U feel like a sure bet. And that's what the conference should have done. It should have delivered more new and exciting first party games, more original and unexpected third-party games, point-blank.
Yes, I'll admit, I love Nintendo, expect to love Mario, and am well aware that in time the system will be laden with franchise games I love. And they will have Nintendo's traditional attention to detail and enthusiasm for the true creation of fun. But all of the usual complaints about Nintendo are still easily to hand. It's time for the company to show, not tell, that it has come up with something new.
Nintendo idealistic, naive? Bah. They have marketing and PR departments like every company, and they lie/bend-the-truth like every company. How many times has Iwata said WiiU was going to be for core gamers and casuals? This console is aimed 100% at cost conscious families looking for a toy for their children. Which, btw, is not a bad thing. I'm just stating that fact to highly the cynical nature of Nintendo by trying to sell such a device to an older, more core demo.
"How many times has Iwata said WiiU was going to be for core gamers and casuals? This console is aimed 100% at cost conscious families looking for a toy for their children. Which, btw, is not a bad thing. I'm just stating that fact to highly the cynical nature of Nintendo by trying to sell such a device to an older, more core demo. "
You base this statement on which games shown? On ZombiU, Mass Effect3, Arkham Asylum, Assassin's Creed or on Darksiders II?
...on the entire conference, not any single game. It is completely obvious that the system is built for elementary/junior high kids (like the 3ds), and it will be inexpensive (for a new console that is).
If I am wrong, then great. I want this to be a killer system with something for everyone, but there is zero evidence that it is or will be.
It will be interesting to see how the share prices do tomorrow.
You think the system is for "elementary/junior high kids (like the 3ds)" because you think it will be "inexpensive "? So I guess your favorite company is Sony, their consoles are never "inexpensive" and because of this they are not for "elementary/junior high kids (like the 3ds)".
I guess I am an elementary/junior high kid then, I chose the 3DS over the Vita and when I browse my collection I find all those Kiddie games, the 3DS can offer: Metal Gear Solid, Ridge Racer, Dead or Alive, Ace Combat or Shinobi for example.
My favorite companies are the ones that make me money, so no Sony isn't on that list. In fact, right now Sony is on my shit list after having finally dumped it from my meager portfolio.
& I have no personal experience of either 3ds or vita games. I see the 3ds as being targeted at that demographic because that is who Nintendo markets the system towards.
& I wasn't trying to be insulting, not in the least. I spent a lot of time playing iOS games, and I'll bet the best 3ds games are richer and deeper than anything I've played on my ipad. so no offense intended.
Wii not mad at U yet... I think some more needs to be said about the games coming, both the remade games and the new ones. In do time things will be revealed.
So what... Zelda, 3d Mario, and Metriod where not present. Why tease us now when you can blow us away later.
All I need to know is when it comes out and what price it will be. As long as Nintendo is Nintendo, those games will be there.
"So what... Zelda, 3d Mario, and Metriod where not present. Why tease us now when you can blow us away later."
The first thing that came to mind: Luigi's Mansion.
And that's not to say that I disliked the GCN or it was a failure, but its beginnings really did hurt it. We got some great stuff across its life (Metroid Prime, RE4, among others), but it wasn't ever the "core gamer's console". I really see the Wii U in a similar boat.
For all this talk of "hardcore" gamers wanting these kinds of experiences and games, they sure don't put their money where their mouth is. Nintendo looked at what sold on the Wii and have expanded on that with the Wii U. That is what you witnessed today at this presser.
I miss a look at show's often used term asymmetrical gameplay in your article. I don't know, if the concept will work, but it is surely a new and innovative idea, that can only be realised by the GamePad.
During the presentation, I found Sing and the Nintendo Land Minigames showed some possibilities for new types of gameplay, that weren't possible before.
I think Smart Glass and increased support for Vita cross play make the Wii U's offering a tougher sell. Hopefully they can avoid the initial lackluster sales the 3DS had by keeping the cost low this time.
I think SmartGlass is a quick and dirty attempt to incorporate a 2nd screen without any idea how to use it, it's what Sony's Sixaxis controller was to the Wiimote and the Vita crossplay isn't challenging anyone, because almost nobody can use it, the Vita Install base is likely being topped by Wii-Us install base on the launch day of the Wii-U.
Is Nintendo snubbing E3? They didn't bring out a single big gun for the show. I want to buy the Wii U, but I'm looking for a good reason, and I didn't find it here.
@ Sean Kiley - I think that Nintendo is just holding back as well as giving 3rd party companies, like Ubisoft, a chance to shine on the Wii U. Plus, the people from Nintendo did say that there would be more news to come, especially for the 3DS. Having said that, Pikmin 3 is pretty good news to me, in my opinion, and that's one of the games that some people have been waiting for quite a long time. I'll admit that Nintendo should have left that one for last, but it was still good news, in my opinion. Also, even if Nintendo doesn't announce something like a new Zelda game, based on past experience with Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Kid Icarus Uprising, I think that it is best if Nintendo don't announce certain titles until they are close to be launched. Sure, the two aforementioned games were worth the wait, but I wouldn't be surprised that there were many people disappointed that those games weren't available on the launch days of their respective consoles as they were expected to be released on those days. Sometimes, it is best to wait and see and be patient about it.
Well, remember that unlike other hardware manufacturers, Nintendo have 3 conferences this year, so maybe they don't want to show everything at the first conference then have nothing to say for the next two ones ? Hopefully this is not just wishful thinking.
We know one of the conferences is devoted to 3DS hardware. Seems they're really doing good with that console, despite the harsh concurrence coming from mobile gaming, they managed to keep a good userbase. I don't think it will sell as much as the DS, but it certainly be successful.
Did I miss a previous announcement or was this the 1st time they officially confirmed that the WiiU wasn't limited to just one screen controller per system? This was the first I'd heard it but since it wasn't mentioned at all in the article I was wondering if it was just me.
To be honest, that's the only thing that was giving me pause regarding purchasing the new machine. I like the concept of a screen in the controller but having only 1 per machine would have been too limiting.
Personally I feel it's a workable compromise between 4 and 1. Remember when the thing was first announced and everyone exploded with ideas for uses for 4 of them? Then the parade was rained on and everyone assumed only 1 would be available per unit. Having 2 available still gives devs flexibility and I'm sure it'll lead to some neat concepts once people have had time to play with it. So no, 2 isn't optimal, but it's not bad either and it leaves room for future expansion.
And I don't think compromising on the tech would have been the proper solution at all as we've had GBA/DS connectivity before and Sega had the VMUs before so to compromise on the power in the thing wouldn't be a leap forward at all. This is a leap as opposed to more of the exact same and it's what's needed for the console at this point in time, IMO.
Technically The Wii U is capable to streaming to 2 screens from the get go. They streamed between the HD TV and the HD controller at the same time, so the problem will not be if it can support 2 screens but if it will support 3. or 4 My conclusion on the matter is that if you want to stream to a second controller locally, the TV option will be canceled out.
I think this is like the initial announcement that Wii could use two WiiMotes at the same time. -> Almost no game ever did that. It wasn't what the system was designed for.
The WiiU is for asymmetric gaming. it's not asymmetry if everyone uses the same controller.
This is the key WiiU feature that either Nintendo doesn't know how to explain, or consumers don't know how to accept.
New Super Mario Bros U will be a launch game according to Iwata's twitter via Nintendo America - I don't know why they didn't specify that out loud.
That means that the Wii U will launch with a proof-of-concept game (Nintendo Land, likely included with the system) and a new 2D Mario game (which has sold fantastically) with Wii Fit U likely hitting the launch window as well.
Nintendo's teams, Retro Studios, HAL Labs, Game Freak, and way more showed nothing for the Wii U, so I imagine the first year after launch we'll see some of those games out as well.
Their launch is going to be phenomenal, easily selling out. The following year will probably be a little light while other dev teams figure out what they're doing with it (similar to the 3DS launch). From there - who knows. But I'm excited.
I'm a big of Nintendo, (I even work with a french press site about Nintendo) but this Wii U. Damn, it's hard to be excited. During the show i was like... well, ok, then ?
Nintendo relies on this statement :
"Families in the same room, currently distracted by their personal devices, will be enjoying games truly together,[...]The Wii U, will be a relief from "technologies that push us away from the personal contact that we desire."
I can hardly see why the Wii U would be "the savior". Yes, it brings a fifth player, but what if in your home you're the only one to play. It won't change anything. The wii U is just another device "that push us away from the personal contact". The personal contact comes from personal contact and not a device whatever it is.
Wii U won't be day one for me; as was 3DS that i did not buy (still waiting for the new version with two stick included)
as I feared Wii U will be flooded with old game portage in contrary to fresh I.P, that's a shame...
And then there's stuff that isn't 100% new IP but still not exactly sequels (ZombiU, Aliens: Colonial Marines, etc.) so it isn't like the WiiU is launching exclusively with the tried and true. Looking at it altogether I think it's shaping up to be a reasonably varied launch as far as tone goes between the available games.
Are people only getting their info from this article? Because I've been bouncing around looking at coverage elsewhere and there was a good amount fo positives regarding the presser but to read some of these comments you'd think Nintendo didn't do anything beyond announce a new Mario game...
Ardney: I think the problem is that while there was more interesting stuff out there (the new Platinum title is one of the high points of the show for me), Nintendo seemed to be actively avoiding offering up the interesting news during their press conference. Their E3 presence as a whole isn't bad, but I think the article is a perfectly fair reaction to the presentation itself.
People are naive if they think a second stick will ever actually be embedded. I thought the Circle Pad Pro being GameStop exclusive would have given you the message - it's a peripheral that nobody will use mandatorily.
I was disappointed because I wanted to see some piece of software to be excited about. I guess they had different intentions for their presentation just like Microsoft. I feel like Nintendo sacrificed their show in order to please 3rd party partners. No freaking ports should be getting conference time! That's asinine and I don't understand why Nintendo would showcase that crap. The lack of Iwata on stage makes me thing this was mostly an NoA effort and it's becoming increasingly apparent we should just ignore NoA. They're terrible.
The social features of Wii U still look to be the slickest yet as far as tying them into games and actually being something I would use. The core functions of the controller are swell as well. I just expected to have a better from the software since Wii releases dried up nearly 2 years ago.
Their stated goal was to be "the first screen that people go to when they enter the living room". I'd like to see more, because right now that title is taken by my TV/PS3 combo. For them to be serious about this, they'd need to provide at least some of the following:
- A fast boot sequence (?)
- A fast browser (?)
- Streaming video services (partial check)
- Streaming media from your local network (?)
- DVD / Blu-Ray video playback (nope)
- USB / Local Data video playback (?)
- Streaming audio services (?)
- Universal TV Control (check)
- Games (duh)
- Social Integration / a reason to turn it on for less than a minute (check?)
PS3 covers some of those, but not nearly all. But if the Wii U was even incrementally faster at booting up Netflix and still played streaming media from my other sources, I would gladly use it over the PS3 powerhog with it's clumsy interface and slow loads.
I am not sure what folks wanted out of the Wii U except for maybe a new IP like a WiiSports.
And that is fair enough. They should show something new gamey IP along with the favorite big franchises.
Still Pikmin 3 slid into that slot for me. The last one came out in 2003 or so. And after seeing all the dark violent shooters on the other platforms it was refreshing to see Nintendo open up with Pikmin.
Of course I hope that folks know that Pikmin 3 likely started as a Wii game.
And overall I don't expect Wii U to be much more than a first party machine.
@ Bob Johnson - Pikmin 3 may have started out as originally for the Wii, but from the looks of the graphics and from the way that the Wii U Gamepad was used in the game, the game has definitely being completely enhanced (if not, redone) for the Wii U. Pikmin 3 as well as Dragonquest X are definitely on my list of games to get for the Wii U.
Ehh, I 'm not sure the social features will go over too well. I mean, people already have Facebook or Twitter or Tumblr, even Diaspora and Google+. With most of those already connected into hundreds of different devices, why would you even need this? I mean, how many people these days don't use some form of social service already?
They're not trying to replace facebook. Explain how facebook, twitter, or anything out there replaces what nintendo showed and you might have a point but none of that is integrated in the way it is in Wii U.
Replacing Facebook, G+, etc. is not the point, it's a fact, that video games are competing with social networks, not on the level of the games played there, but on the level of the time spent there. Every minute somebody spent on Facebook, etc. he doesn't spent with his console, so it is a logical step to integrate a social network into the console, because every minute they spent with the social network of their console the don't spent on Facebook.
I think Nintendo has a lot of great games for WiiU. They just don't know how to do a press conference with the dazzling punch of the other companies.
Patrick Klepek tweeted "Guys, we're about to see Nintendo games in HD. GUYS." But Nintendo NEVER capitalized on this obvious angle. They didn't for example, introduce every new game with "for the first time, you can play Mario in HD." They've finally made a next gen machine, but they refuse to promote it as a next gen machine.
(one might argue there's no reason to celebrate being late to the HD party. but. I'm definitely more excited by the games they showed now that I've discovered them outside of the press conference).
(...further: my first reaction to ZombiU was "ugh. it looks like Red Steel. another rushed cash in.". but when I saw the ZombiU demo on GameTrailers, I was thrilled and started emailing my friends, babbling about what they could do with a game like that. And when I found the ZombiU details page on nintendo's website, i emailed them all back because it looks like all my ideas are already listed features. soo. wtf happened during the press conference?)
I think presentation was the real fail, not the games
@ Warren Blyth - Fair enough, and to add to what you just said, I'll admit that Nintendo should have announced Pikmin 3 for last. By the way, unless I'm mistaken, Nintendo will be doing more conferences and announcements during E3 and one of those conferences will be dedicated to 3DS on Wednesday, so it is possible that they may be holding back on some things (if not on a lot of things).
Nintendo did hype the HD graphics, but only during the Pikmin part of the presentation. I think that was enough though. Why would they need to specifically mention "HD!" for every game they showed when it was already shown how HD graphics improved the experience from prior games?
@Zachary : i just think Nintendo mascots in glorious HD detail is a fanboy pleasing feature, and i'm surprised they aren't capitalizing much more. They claim to want to the hardcore gamers back, but they aren't promoting anything in the way hardcore gamers are used to. (I'm curious if this means they don't actually care about them. or if it means they don't know how to talk to them.)
(apparently the Zelda demo, last year, is as far they want to go? I missed the Pikmin3 HD you mention).
It think it's also interesting the big Mario WiiU launch game won't be rugged HD textures and detail. It just seems like the previous clean designs with less jaggies.
Somewhere in all these comments, someone points out that Nintendo looked at sales of New Super Mario bros, and saw it did much better than mario galaxy. so they built towards their audience. I get the sense their press conference still wasn't geared towards the hard core gamer/critic. they're trying to quietly appease them, while still focusing their presser on mainstream news outlets.
They could have announced NintendoLand with an air of mystery. Could have promoted it as 12 launch games with beloved mascot, and a big CGI sizzle trailer. let fanboys babble throughout E3, wondering if they're opening a theme park, or pulling off an impossible launch lineup.
instead they blew their whole wad by explaining it was basically just wiiSports, and painfully demoing the luigi Ghost Vs. game in detail.
this makes more sense from a mass market news outlet sense. they want CNN to understand what NintendoLand is.
@jeferson: I think it's kind of weird how all three chose to start with their strongest game this year, and then mostly went down hill. Makes me curious if they all consult the same breed of analyst.
The only reason I bought a PS3 this generation was so that I could play some of the core games not available on Wii.
Now that they are finally able to bring some and may be all core games over to the WiiU---I can (hopefully) get my Nintendo fix and those other multiplatform games that I longed for at the time I purchased my PS3.
Only thing I am concerned about are 1. How much? 2. When?
Yes, exactly the questions not answered by Nintendo. Probably still doing market research in what the sweet spot will be. Releasing it near Christmas would be most beneficial to the demographic that will buy it the most.
I'm sure MS and Sony will do their best to spoil the party when it is finally announced.
Love to say I'm impressed by the Wii U but at the moment I'm not overwhelmed by getting it day one.
You base this statement on which games shown? On ZombiU, Mass Effect3, Arkham Asylum, Assassin's Creed or on Darksiders II?
If I am wrong, then great. I want this to be a killer system with something for everyone, but there is zero evidence that it is or will be.
It will be interesting to see how the share prices do tomorrow.
I guess I am an elementary/junior high kid then, I chose the 3DS over the Vita and when I browse my collection I find all those Kiddie games, the 3DS can offer: Metal Gear Solid, Ridge Racer, Dead or Alive, Ace Combat or Shinobi for example.
& I have no personal experience of either 3ds or vita games. I see the 3ds as being targeted at that demographic because that is who Nintendo markets the system towards.
& I wasn't trying to be insulting, not in the least. I spent a lot of time playing iOS games, and I'll bet the best 3ds games are richer and deeper than anything I've played on my ipad. so no offense intended.
So what... Zelda, 3d Mario, and Metriod where not present. Why tease us now when you can blow us away later.
All I need to know is when it comes out and what price it will be. As long as Nintendo is Nintendo, those games will be there.
The first thing that came to mind: Luigi's Mansion.
And that's not to say that I disliked the GCN or it was a failure, but its beginnings really did hurt it. We got some great stuff across its life (Metroid Prime, RE4, among others), but it wasn't ever the "core gamer's console". I really see the Wii U in a similar boat.
Why would Nintendo announce a new 3D Mario when 2D Mario outsold 3D Mario 2:1?
Why would they announce a new Metroid when the last two sold less than a Million each?
http://gamasutra.com/view/news/169301/Nintendo_reveals_lifetime_sa les_for_numero
us_DS_3DS_Wii_games.php
For all this talk of "hardcore" gamers wanting these kinds of experiences and games, they sure don't put their money where their mouth is. Nintendo looked at what sold on the Wii and have expanded on that with the Wii U. That is what you witnessed today at this presser.
The console is sure to see these franchises over time.
They aren't going to announce every title coming out over the next 5 years day one.
During the presentation, I found Sing and the Nintendo Land Minigames showed some possibilities for new types of gameplay, that weren't possible before.
We know one of the conferences is devoted to 3DS hardware. Seems they're really doing good with that console, despite the harsh concurrence coming from mobile gaming, they managed to keep a good userbase. I don't think it will sell as much as the DS, but it certainly be successful.
To be honest, that's the only thing that was giving me pause regarding purchasing the new machine. I like the concept of a screen in the controller but having only 1 per machine would have been too limiting.
And I don't think compromising on the tech would have been the proper solution at all as we've had GBA/DS connectivity before and Sega had the VMUs before so to compromise on the power in the thing wouldn't be a leap forward at all. This is a leap as opposed to more of the exact same and it's what's needed for the console at this point in time, IMO.
The WiiU is for asymmetric gaming. it's not asymmetry if everyone uses the same controller.
This is the key WiiU feature that either Nintendo doesn't know how to explain, or consumers don't know how to accept.
They did, was it in the e3 show?
That means that the Wii U will launch with a proof-of-concept game (Nintendo Land, likely included with the system) and a new 2D Mario game (which has sold fantastically) with Wii Fit U likely hitting the launch window as well.
Nintendo's teams, Retro Studios, HAL Labs, Game Freak, and way more showed nothing for the Wii U, so I imagine the first year after launch we'll see some of those games out as well.
Their launch is going to be phenomenal, easily selling out. The following year will probably be a little light while other dev teams figure out what they're doing with it (similar to the 3DS launch). From there - who knows. But I'm excited.
Nintendo relies on this statement :
"Families in the same room, currently distracted by their personal devices, will be enjoying games truly together,[...]The Wii U, will be a relief from "technologies that push us away from the personal contact that we desire."
I can hardly see why the Wii U would be "the savior". Yes, it brings a fifth player, but what if in your home you're the only one to play. It won't change anything. The wii U is just another device "that push us away from the personal contact". The personal contact comes from personal contact and not a device whatever it is.
Wii U won't be day one for me; as was 3DS that i did not buy (still waiting for the new version with two stick included)
as I feared Wii U will be flooded with old game portage in contrary to fresh I.P, that's a shame...
ii_U_launch.php
And then there's stuff that isn't 100% new IP but still not exactly sequels (ZombiU, Aliens: Colonial Marines, etc.) so it isn't like the WiiU is launching exclusively with the tried and true. Looking at it altogether I think it's shaping up to be a reasonably varied launch as far as tone goes between the available games.
Are people only getting their info from this article? Because I've been bouncing around looking at coverage elsewhere and there was a good amount fo positives regarding the presser but to read some of these comments you'd think Nintendo didn't do anything beyond announce a new Mario game...
The social features of Wii U still look to be the slickest yet as far as tying them into games and actually being something I would use. The core functions of the controller are swell as well. I just expected to have a better from the software since Wii releases dried up nearly 2 years ago.
- A fast boot sequence (?)
- A fast browser (?)
- Streaming video services (partial check)
- Streaming media from your local network (?)
- DVD / Blu-Ray video playback (nope)
- USB / Local Data video playback (?)
- Streaming audio services (?)
- Universal TV Control (check)
- Games (duh)
- Social Integration / a reason to turn it on for less than a minute (check?)
PS3 covers some of those, but not nearly all. But if the Wii U was even incrementally faster at booting up Netflix and still played streaming media from my other sources, I would gladly use it over the PS3 powerhog with it's clumsy interface and slow loads.
I am not sure what folks wanted out of the Wii U except for maybe a new IP like a WiiSports.
And that is fair enough. They should show something new gamey IP along with the favorite big franchises.
Still Pikmin 3 slid into that slot for me. The last one came out in 2003 or so. And after seeing all the dark violent shooters on the other platforms it was refreshing to see Nintendo open up with Pikmin.
Of course I hope that folks know that Pikmin 3 likely started as a Wii game.
And overall I don't expect Wii U to be much more than a first party machine.
They're not trying to replace facebook. Explain how facebook, twitter, or anything out there replaces what nintendo showed and you might have a point but none of that is integrated in the way it is in Wii U.
Replacing Facebook, G+, etc. is not the point, it's a fact, that video games are competing with social networks, not on the level of the games played there, but on the level of the time spent there. Every minute somebody spent on Facebook, etc. he doesn't spent with his console, so it is a logical step to integrate a social network into the console, because every minute they spent with the social network of their console the don't spent on Facebook.
Patrick Klepek tweeted "Guys, we're about to see Nintendo games in HD. GUYS." But Nintendo NEVER capitalized on this obvious angle. They didn't for example, introduce every new game with "for the first time, you can play Mario in HD." They've finally made a next gen machine, but they refuse to promote it as a next gen machine.
(one might argue there's no reason to celebrate being late to the HD party. but. I'm definitely more excited by the games they showed now that I've discovered them outside of the press conference).
(...further: my first reaction to ZombiU was "ugh. it looks like Red Steel. another rushed cash in.". but when I saw the ZombiU demo on GameTrailers, I was thrilled and started emailing my friends, babbling about what they could do with a game like that. And when I found the ZombiU details page on nintendo's website, i emailed them all back because it looks like all my ideas are already listed features. soo. wtf happened during the press conference?)
I think presentation was the real fail, not the games
(apparently the Zelda demo, last year, is as far they want to go? I missed the Pikmin3 HD you mention).
It think it's also interesting the big Mario WiiU launch game won't be rugged HD textures and detail. It just seems like the previous clean designs with less jaggies.
Somewhere in all these comments, someone points out that Nintendo looked at sales of New Super Mario bros, and saw it did much better than mario galaxy. so they built towards their audience. I get the sense their press conference still wasn't geared towards the hard core gamer/critic. they're trying to quietly appease them, while still focusing their presser on mainstream news outlets.
They could have announced NintendoLand with an air of mystery. Could have promoted it as 12 launch games with beloved mascot, and a big CGI sizzle trailer. let fanboys babble throughout E3, wondering if they're opening a theme park, or pulling off an impossible launch lineup.
instead they blew their whole wad by explaining it was basically just wiiSports, and painfully demoing the luigi Ghost Vs. game in detail.
this makes more sense from a mass market news outlet sense. they want CNN to understand what NintendoLand is.
@jeferson: I think it's kind of weird how all three chose to start with their strongest game this year, and then mostly went down hill. Makes me curious if they all consult the same breed of analyst.
Now that they are finally able to bring some and may be all core games over to the WiiU---I can (hopefully) get my Nintendo fix and those other multiplatform games that I longed for at the time I purchased my PS3.
Only thing I am concerned about are 1. How much? 2. When?
I'm sure MS and Sony will do their best to spoil the party when it is finally announced.
Love to say I'm impressed by the Wii U but at the moment I'm not overwhelmed by getting it day one.