Nintendo Shoots Itself In the Right Foot To Save The Left Foot

[TheViper]

Tom's, for the love of gaming please stop writing about console gaming if you don't understand it. If you're incapable of grasping what the Wii U is and what it and developers can do with it, leave the subject alone. You're only making yourself and your media outlet look bad.

By the way, I'm part of that video game media and fully understand the concept right away.

 

[accolite]

I read your article but you missed a point!

You can still use the Wii controllers on the new Wii U!

 

[eklipz330]

u've been misinformed. each wii U can only take one of those tablet controllers, and it is likely to be bundled with the console itself. all the onlder wii controllers will work seamlessly with the wii u

do ur research

 

[Guest]

Complaints about Nintendo's new system are not surprising. People like you were singing the same song when the Wii was announced. Wrong then, wrong now.

Is the extra screen and HD capabilities intended to recapture the hardcore, yes! Is it modeled after a tablet, or aiming for anything iPad like, No! Such a suggestion gives the iPad way to much credit; the design/function is clearly inspired by the DS.

Could they have just made the DS compatible? Sure, but making the extra screen an integral, built-in, part of the system is important. Both in ensuring the proper games are made for it and that proper branding is possible. Look and feel aspects are important as well.

Most predicted Nintendo’s downfall long time ago, repeatedly, out of sheer ignorance. As if you clowns know more about a market largely molded by Nintendo themselves, than Nintendo does. Where do you stand on the mobile games killing Nintendo’s portable business idea? No doubt at the same place you did when the first PSP was announced. You will find that Nintendo is very resourceful when they need to be.

 

[CaedenV]

OK, a few things.
1: Wii U supports Wii controllers, the screen controller is an extension, and most games will likely not use it, or use it with limited functionality. I like the idea of it being an extension of the screen instead of a controller, like in the clip of golf during the demo. I think that will end up being the primary use.
2: The reason they do not talk about the hardware specs is because they do not know what they will put in it yet, at least nothing final. Remember back in the pre-console war days when it was rumored that the Xbox was a shell, and the screen was actually tied to a G5 Mac under the table because they couldn't fit the hardware in the 'small' box yet? This is similar. The box you see is merely a box, the actual console at this point in the game is much larger and hidden behind the curtain.
3: We wont buy it, not because it is too expensive, nor due to lack of innovation in hardware. We will not buy it because we all bought the wii, and the only fun we had with it was with the games that came with it. We are not going to buy a box that plays wii sports, and Netflix... and not even all that well on the Netflix end. We will wait for a real console to come out that will not be collecting dust a year after we buy the thing.

 

[bobusboy]

"Someone get some Ibuprofen"

You take Acetaminophen for a fever not Ibuprofen......

 

[f-14]

don't care consoles suck here's to Llano killing consoles FOREVER!

 

[Guest]

There are many ways to use this handy additional screen. For example, developer can use it to make an online game that can transform this screen into virtual keyboard that in my opinion will help online gamer a lot when it comes to chatting. Developer can do alot with the additional screen, and in my opinion it's not that complicated because the only difference wii u controller had with any existing competitor's controller is the screen, other than that everything is similar, the buttons layout is similar comparing to xbox or ps3.

 

[JOSHSKORN]

Unless it has mind control, I'm not interested.

 

[dormantreign]

This is how i sum it up...Screw the numb chucks....screw waving my limbs around..I just want to play Zelda in 1080p...simple as that. "Zelda...1080p" that controller looks interesting to me, despite some of the negative reviews i've been reading.

 

[Marco925]

20/0 would be like SUPER SUPER SUPER Impossible sight.... I have 20/10 sight and that means i see twice as clear as 20/20

20/0 vision

 

[NuclearShadow]

You know that is a awfully good point about the controller, it simply doesn't seem to be kid friendly wish is a shame really. Plus with the possible cost of a extra one I certainly would not let a small child play with it.

 

[upgrade_1977]

I dont play consoles only pc. Bought a wii for my wife and she played it about a week and its been sitting a year and a half on the entertainment center. I wish that some of these ideas would make it to the pc. Kinect was originally suposed to come to pc also, but microsoft decided only to release it on the xbox360. Luckily i can use 360 controller works on my pc. If only console manufacturers would focus more on the pc, they could make a lot of money making interfaces and controllers and not have to worry about red rings of deaths, downed networks, stolen information, or worry about making 3rd or 4th gen consoles. They could also make a lot of money just selling pre-built pc's and selling software. My dream world is a world in which pc rules as a gaming machine and everyone can play together.

 

[alidan]

[citation][nom]abel2[/nom]Amen. That thing is fugly. There is no way it can compete with a console that sits in it's place to be played. It looks like a portable gaming unit that has to have a mother unit to be played. I mean where are we looking here? At the fancy huge display in my hands or at my tv or both? And I'm not sure how many people are actually buying into this tablet craze. I believe it is a fad that will soon die off because who really wants another device to carry around which finds its place somewhere between a smart phone and a laptop. I use my phone to make calls, I use my laptop to do work. I would use an iPad as a... I wouldn't use an iPad.[/citation]
i want you to look at a game like zelda, where swiching items means you ahve to pause the game, this tablet makes it so you never have to pause to do that crap again.
or think of a pc game you cant imagine playing without a keyboard because of all the hotkeys. well here you go, its probably possible to play an mmo with this control pad alone

there are uses, and good ones too. that justify the tablet built in.
[citation][nom]cknobman[/nom]Actually I thought you were quite nice in the way you chose your words.Personally I feel the Wii U is a POS. With no online ecosystem to back up their console there is very little they can do to win too many PS3 or Xbox 360 users anyways. Also if your going to go after "hardcore" gamers and try and get some PS3 and Xbox 360 users its a pretty stupid move to use a 4 year old graphics chip (yes when the Wii U is release in 2012 the r700 architecture will be approximately 4 years old) that does not even support the latest version of direct x. Sorry Nintendo unless some major changes take place the Wii U will be even a bigger failure than the 3DS is shaping up to be.[/citation]
3ds isnt a failure, wait till games come out for it.
i dont play online on the 360, because i wont pay for live, and the ps3, thats mostly for the exclusives. i would honeslty play more games on the wiiu than either of those two if how the online works is how im hearing (more like a pc than ps3 or 360)
[citation][nom]LolsSector[/nom]You should keep in mind that the new Wii U still supports the old controllers. For me, the only thing that would maybe get me to buy a Wii U is the graphics update. (I actually love some of the old casual Wii games...) The new controller isn't really the main reason why i would buy it.What i don't really understand about Nintendos E3 announcements is why they are holding back info on the hardware specs. If you want to get developpers on board now (so you have something to show when the release day comes), why not put the word out there that you have a console that is up there with PS3 and XBox360, maybe even slightly better and still mostly compatible hardware wise with at least one of them.As a developper, that would be the news i'd expect to hear, to see that it does not need a lot of work to release games that are developped for PS3 and 360 now on the new platform and that you just need to invest some extra time to use the possibilities of that new tablet controller somehow.[/citation]
because hardware specs probably arent final. like going 3 core or quad core, or using the 4XXX or the 5XXX line of gpu, possibly even a 6XXX but 5XXX would be more powerful and cheaper. things like that are why they haven't released hard numbers, when the specs are finalized, they will most likely start mass production and we will get the stats.
[citation][nom]negadeath[/nom]As usual they can do no right. It was a mistake to go after the casual market, it's a mistake to go after the normal market, and so on. A few points need to be made:-The Wii remote has not been abandoned, they work with the new system. As mentioned in the article the system will not support four of the new controllers, right now it looks like 2 at best. What are players 3 and 4 going to use? Wii remotes.-Only one game has been shown and it's early as hell. The writer acknowledges he has no hands-on experience. The hardware is still being finalized. Isn't it a bit early for the doom and gloom? There's going to be another E3 before this thing launches, by then we'll have all the details and see actual software.-This isn't a tablet. Tablets are portable and don't have many buttons, if any. Tablets generate their content with internal hardware. This is a controller with a screen that streams video from the console. It has analog inputs and buttons in a classic layout to go along with the touchscreen. It does not have the hardware to work independently. Right now they estimate it won't even work outside the room the console is in. Yes it's a fatty but hands-on reports also indicate it's more comfy and lighter than it looks. Also it has time for further comfort tweaking.-Early reports indicate it will have a good deal more ram and a gpu a couple generations more advanced than the 360/PS3. That means that if a 3rd party game is ported (and if they don't butcher it) the system should have the definitive console version (actual non-upscaled 1080p, more AA, less slowdown, etc). It also should be a lot closer power-wise to the 720/PS4 when they launch than the Wii was to 360/PS3..in theory. Again way too early to tell.-It takes imagination to think up new gameplay concepts to go with new inputs. Someone who only plays Duty Calls:Current Day Skirmish 12 may lack that, for which I sympathize. An early mockup of a Ghost Recon game had an interactive map on the controllers screen that the player can use to plan out strategies along with voice chat. So imagine that while your main screen is still up on the TV you can plot out squad waypoints and enemy positions on the touchscreen with your finger, all of which would appear on your squad mates map. Not all that useful when compared to a mouse and keyboard setup but it would be when compared to a controller. For in-house party games it allows for asymmetrical multiplayer. An ubisoft game has an example of one player playing like it's an RTS with the touchscreen and the other playing like it's an FPS. The RTS player sets up enemies and ambushes and the FPS player has to fight through them (sorta like the Commander mode in BF2/2142).-In the same sentence the writer both admonishes it for dropping the retirement home players and goes on to mention they aren't buying games. So what should they do then? You do realize the Wii was their first casual console right?-Kinect is less clumsy than a tablet. Bwah? Have you even used the kinect? The whole argument against motion gaming was that it is LESS accurate than a controller. The "table" has buttons. Did you ever use a tablet and bemoan the fact that you couldn't wave your hands in the air to make it work?This could turn out to be a complete disaster. It could also turn out the other way. It's FAR too early to write them off.[/citation]

i was planning to write all that, THANK YOU for saving me that trouble, i want to go on to say that ubisoft only had 3 months to work on the game you are talking about, and it looks as good as s first generation 360 game... thats only 3 MONTHS of work and its at 360 level, cant wait to see where it is in about a year more of dev time minimum.
[citation][nom]kinggraves[/nom]Alright, I made sure to read all of your article.So, you don't seem to have gotten any personal usage of the device and are basing your opinion off the information pulled from "colleagues" combined with your own initial assumptions. You then go into how the controller will be uncomfortable, even though the people who actually tried it out said it's actually not clumsy at all for such a large device. You also state how it will alienate people using the current WiiMote, even though the WiiMote will likely be compatible with this device. You then follow by disproving the worth of your own opinion saying how it's a great idea to toss the Wii crowd and move in another direction. Afterwards you question the gaming market knowledge of one of the oldest console hardware developers still operating, who just got done with an incredibly successful system that created an entirely new demographic. Next you claim that developers aren't sure what to do with it because they have no idea what's inside, then point out that not a single developer thinks it can succeed, despite the fact that they aren't even sure yet what they can make with it and wouldn't have a clue yet whether or not it will succeed. Your conclusion is the most intelligent part of this piece, as it states the obvious fact that no one would buy a Wii at the moment when they could wait for the next generation.You're right, first impressions are really spot on, this is exactly what we've all come to expect from your pieces before even reading it. Most readers likely assumed you had written it just by reading the title.I think the controller looks gimmicky, but I thought the same about DS and Wii, and they made their investments back on those. I think that only Nintendo will fully utilize it, but that's more a fault of unimaginative developers who just want to make one game and port it to as many things as possible. Companies like EA and Activision do not LIKE having to deal with extra factors, they want everyone with the same controller with the same buttons so they can program and bug test less. It isn't as if Nintendo can't release a classic controller for this system as well though.BTW for those still complaining about Nintendo's limited networks, read some other articles and realize that by next year, people may not be so eager to put their credit cards and info onto accounts just to game.[/citation]

the fact is that most developers who arent the madden team, or other sport game, or actovision dev are excited about the concept of the new screen, and some even have said in interview that people who arent devs are coming up with ideas that are great. if the devs can t thing of something when normal people can they should get the @#$& out of gaming.

i realy want to know who he talked to...

[citation][nom]bobusboy[/nom]"Someone get some Ibuprofen"You take Acetaminophen for a fever not Ibuprofen......[/citation]
both work, i have a 500 bottle next to me

 

[demonhorde665]

[citation][nom]kingnoobe[/nom]Even if this flops doesn't mean nintendo is gonna bite the dust.. He wouldn't be the first time they had something flop, just to come back with something even better then the rest. Though I personally think if they were going for the hardcore crowd, and trying to get more devs on board.. They should've kept it simple, and just went with better hardware then their competitors have. They also might've got a lot more dev's on board with that.[/citation]
not necessarily true. nintendo has never ahd a total flop product , even when they ahda past product flop , it still did well enough to break even at a point.

now look at sega , their 12 bit master system total flop ,
16 bit genesis , a sucess , it helped them not only break even but also recoupe loses fromteh 12 bit system before it , adn mada slight profit and it evern covered msot their lsoses with teh 32 x and sega cd
32x -flop
sega cd- flop


sega saturn - biggest flop , this console alone is what eventually killed sega

sega dreamcast Most sucessful sega console (in sales) , considered better than even the genesis by many gamers . it sucess however could not begin to cover the money sega lost on thier preivous system (sega saturn) the losses from the saturn where just to much
sega folded and sold thier ahrdware manufacturigna ssetsa dn became just a software developer .


my point being is if nintendo looses enough money on this sytem it coudl very well hurt the m still years down the line much like teh sega saturn losses were still affecting sega well into th life span of the dreamcast. though i suppose nintendo stil has thier hand held games to fall back on . but if they screw uop in that arena or sony's new ahnd held captures the market , nintendo might find them selves in serious trouble if thier console alos takes a dive.

 

[Guest]

The controller could make for some interesting gameplay. Imagine playing an RPG, and using the tablet to do spells, use items for characters. It could make for some intense real-time battles. Of course I'm sure there are many other ways that the tablet can be used, so for now I'm optimistic.

 

[Guest]

This is just bad journalism. Journalist Carrie Bradshaw wanna be's.
I don't understand how do you think that it can be okey to call yourself an objective market seller consultant by just being only a TH writer.
I think that you have a role/job role crisis - you should try and focus on writing, and NOT predicting the future of gaming or products or whatever - NOBODY wants to read your predictions. Readers have their own knowledge base and brains, so let them decide on their own.
I think that you can comment what you liked or didn't like, but you can't:
- 1st you're not competent to comment on marketing and selling
- 2nd it is impossible that you can have a better idea of their vision-marketing/development/sales strategy since you never saw it and since Nintendo surely invested a lot money into market research, focus groups and so on..
A multimillion company probably knows better what they're doing than you do.
- 3rd if you don't see it doesn't mean that it's not there (or in other words I don't understand were did you get the idea that by just pure "being" on E3 makes you an objective observer..)

 

[irtehyar]

As someone who just read an article where a guy shot off his finger with a shotgun to remove a wart, I was disappointed in the content of this article.

 

[torque79]

I finally thought of an idea of how the new lcd touchscreen could be useful... Since all consoles now support Netflix, I could see it having a really nice interface for controlling netflix, including movie posters etc after the menu selections. So far that's all I can come up with. I don't understand any potential at all for games using it.

 

[eyemaster]

They should have kept the controlers, improve them a little bit and make a kick ass console. But nooo, they decided to think outside the box and into the 'what's hip' box instead, ending up with a tablet that looks like it's made by Fisher Price.