E3 2011 News

I'm very confused here. Is it a controller / console all in one associated with the Wii? It's nice to see some of the popular tittles joining this Wii U. On a side note, somehow I really liked the drawing feature. I'm not an artist myself, but I'm already speculating on what amazing things people will come up with. Another spec question I have will be what storage device will the games use? Discs? Stream? Something new?

Overall, I don't know if it's the major spoilers we've recieved months prior E3, but it really affected the experience of E3 massively. For instance, if Sony's biggest announcement was the PS Vita? Why announce it months prior E3. Don't get me wrong, I believe the price is amazing, and I am looking forward to the Handheld battle between Nintendo and Sony. But the element of surprise wasn't there except for the price. But as far as games are concerned, it felt completely empty.

http://press.nintendo.com/E32011/
User: E32011
Pass: nintendo

Nomad said:

I'm very confused here. Is it a controller / console all in one associated with the Wii? It's nice to see some of the popular tittles joining this Wii U.

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Not many details to clear up that confusion but... it's more like the Wii U is a new console, the controller for it is what we saw, and that controller is backwards compatible with Wii games.

Looks pretty cool. I dig it. I could see where the controller screen could come in handy with inventories/maps in games.

Nomad said:

I'm very confused here. Is it a controller / console all in one associated with the Wii? It's nice to see some of the popular tittles joining this Wii U.

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They showed off the controller. Here's how the console will look:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1173549p1.html

dwarfkicker said:

They showed off the controller. Here's how the console will look:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1173549p1.html

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Yeah, I noticed the console next to the TV on the video introduction. But I was under the impression that it was some "slim" version of the Wii and such. Overall Nintendo got me interested.

I honestly believe there is no hope for the new Devil May Cry game. A shame as I loved that series (except for the crappy DMC2).

http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/06/07/e3-2011-devil-may-cry-trailer

And sadly, Ninja Gaiden 3 seems to be throwing one too many nods God of War's way with all the QTEs (there's sooooooo many). Bummer.

no pikmin 3 this year?

Nomad said:

On a side note, somehow I really liked the drawing feature. I'm not an artist myself, but I'm already speculating on what amazing things people will come up with. Another spec question I have will be what storage device will the games use? Discs? Stream? Something new?

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It's certainly cool that it empowers artist-type folks, though it definitely isn't a big draw for me ( ). And it uses a proprietary disc format.

Nomad said:

Overall, I don't know if it's the major spoilers we've recieved months prior E3, but it really affected the experience of E3 massively. For instance, if Sony's biggest announcement was the PS Vita? Why announce it months prior E3. Don't get me wrong, I believe the price is amazing, and I am looking forward to the Handheld battle between Nintendo and Sony. But the element of surprise wasn't there except for the price. But as far as games are concerned, it felt completely empty.

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It's true that the PSVita was the only thing I really looked forward to in Sony's conference (unlike you I don't own a PS3 though ), and that we didn't learn much about it aside from the price. Same goes for the Wii U to a lesser extent. Fewer leaks would make for far more amazing reveals, but in today's world that has become very, very difficult to achieve.

Dar Klink said:

http://press.nintendo.com/E32011/

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Thanks man!

Aphasia said:

I could see where the controller screen could come in handy with inventories/maps in games.

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That and more. Playing and chatting with your buddies, each in their home, sounds like the future to me. Same for the TV to controller display switching concept, I'm really sold on that one. Didn't expect it and I love the idea. And the thing doesn't look too bad either. Complex tech but sober looks.

Nomad said:

Overall Nintendo got me interested.

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Yeah, I'll say, they know how to put a show. The Wii U is very promising to me right now. Somehow the controller actually looks good, though I'll only be completely reassured after I hear univocal hands-on praise. The only real worry I have is that it won't be powerful enough to stand up to the next systems by Sony & MS, but with a 2012 release date and no definite specs announced I hope they'll put together something really solid. Backward compatibility with all the Wii accessories is a great move too, a sign of respect for the consumers who put hundreds of dollars in Wiimotes and Balance Boards and all that. Building on the previous gen instead of ditching it. Same goes for the backward compatibility with Wii titles themselves.

The 3rd party games announced were cool too, though logical with a system on par with the others in terms of power. Still, I respect Riccitiello for his approach and what he's doing with EA in general. I wish more CEOs were like him. Lego GTA ("LEGO City Stories") was cute; not a fan of LEGO games (never played one) but I hear they're good, so maybe that'll be the opportunity to try one. The Zelda anniversary stuff was neat. I hope I can get that OST bonus thingie since I preordered the OoT 3D version (I missed out on a free t-shirt for not registering my 3DS). Free DSi Four Swords is neat too for what it is. Looking forward to Skyward Sword on the new system. And I'll play Link's Awakening on the 3DS tonight to celebrate. Haven't touched it in a decade, and I never played the color version.

Great show all in all, even if I'd have liked more software announcements. Guess they can only show so much stuff in one event. That being said I liked the 3DS stuff they showed off (STAR FOOOOOOOOX ), especially the new Mario title. Looks great, lots of new mechanics all dressed up in SMB3 retro garb. It's like Super Mario 64 3. Just great. Luigi's Mansion 2 looked cute, but I hope it's longer than the original. New Smash Bros for both the 3DS and the Wii U is cool for fans of course, but I never played any title in the series (I know, shoot me).

Truder said:

no pikmin 3 this year?

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Does this help? No? Sorry man. Although there's still the TGS waiting (and Nintendo's usual conference on the side). Maybe they're keeping it in store for then. Don't lose hope!

I just hope that the newfangled controller doesn't cost an arm and a leg, meaning I don't have to shell out a bomb just to get 4 controllers.

zrexe said:

I just hope that the newfangled controller doesn't cost an arm and a leg, meaning I don't have to shell out a bomb just to get 4 controllers.

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I could easily see it costing $79 or $89 a piece.

Aazealh said:

It's certainly cool that it empowers artist-type folks, though it definitely isn't a big draw for me (

). And it uses a proprietary disc format.

That and more. Playing and chatting with your buddies, each in their home, sounds like the future to me. Same for the TV to controller display switching concept, I'm really sold on that one. Didn't expect it and I love the idea. And the thing doesn't look too bad either. Complex tech but sober looks.

Yeah, I'll say, they know how to put a show. The Wii U is very promising to me right now. Somehow the controller actually looks good, though I'll only be completely reassured after I hear univocal hands-on praise. The only real worry I have is that it won't be powerful enough to stand up to the next systems by Sony & MS, but with a 2012 release date and no definite specs announced I hope they'll put together something really solid. Backward compatibility with all the Wii accessories is a great move too, a sign of respect for the consumers who put hundreds of dollars in Wiimotes and Balance Boards and all that. Building on the previous gen instead of ditching it. Same goes for the backward compatibility with Wii titles themselves.

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All the features and functionality of the controller sound awesome, but I'm not sold on the ergonomics. I'm curious to know how comfortable it is to hold for long periods of time. It might not end up being a big deal, I just wish it was more curvy instead of a pad.



More like this! But with twice as many prongs. Also I hadn't heard of the drawing possibilities. That sounds awesome.

And I'm very surprised (pleasantly) with the Vita pricing. Looks like they're learning a thing or two.

Truder said:

no pikmin 3 this year?

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Not this year, but apparently it is still being developed, just not for the Wii anymore. It's coming for the Wii U: http://www.shacknews.com/article/68797/pikmin-wii-u-in-works

[quote author=Shigeru Miyamoto]
"I really did want to release Pikmin this year in celebration of that 10th anniversary," Miyamoto told the audience. "But as we've been working on the Wii U hardware, and I've been looking at those beautiful HD graphics ... I've been getting more and more of a feeling that I want to see Pikmin on that hardware. I think it's the perfect system for Pikmin."[/quote]

Nintendo also quietly dropped word on a new Kirby game for DS. And it's an RTS (what?) http://www.shacknews.com/article/68789/kirby-mass-attack-side-scrolling

Wii U looks kind of interesting, but even after watching all of Nintendo's conference I still don't know much about it (full specs and pricing please!). It looks like they have lots of 3rd party support this go around, something that Nintendo has been sorely lacking for awhile. I'm just glad Nintendo are finally moving on to HD gaming. The Wii looks absolutely horrendous through my HDTV. I'm going to try to hold off on getting hyped up over Wii U until we get more information.

I'm most looking forward to "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception". I watched this three times or more already. I haven't been this excited about a video game since I was a child, and Super Mario Bros 3 was coming out. I'm so glad the multiplayer beta starts this month. I'm going to be glued to my ps3 for two weeks straight.

If anyone has ever seen Kung-Pow, they might be able to imagine my laughter when I heard this thing was going to be called "Wii U"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JElywbkSbY

Judging by the comments, I guess I wasn't the only one.

Viral Harvest said:

If anyone has ever seen Kung-Pow, they might be able to imagine my laughter when I heard this thing was going to be called "Wii U"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JElywbkSbY

Judging by the comments, I guess I wasn't the only one.

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You win Betty!

Just saw some Ace Combat 3D screens. Doesn't look too bad, but I want a video (and a release date)!

Aphasia said:

All the features and functionality of the controller sound awesome, but I'm not sold on the ergonomics. I'm curious to know how comfortable it is to hold for long periods of time. It might not end up being a big deal, I just wish it was more curvy instead of a pad.

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Well I'm sure they'll have time to do extensive testing and refining before release, but I'm not too worried about it in the first place, since Nintendo rarely fails in that department. From my experience, too curvy can be a bother as well. As long as it's comfortable to hold for a long period of time I'll be good, and from the feedback I've read, it's very light and comfortable to use. The system really seems to hold all its promises so far. Color me excited.

Aphasia said:

And I'm very surprised (pleasantly) with the Vita pricing. Looks like they're learning a thing or two.

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What I'm afraid of is that they'll end up fucking themselves up if they lose too much on each device sold. Still, speaking purely as a consumer, what's not to love about aggressive price policies?

Walter said:

Not this year, but apparently it is still being developed, just not for the Wii anymore. It's coming for the Wii U: http://www.shacknews.com/article/68797/pikmin-wii-u-in-works

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Wii U launch title maybe? TGS announcement, I called it!

Walter said:

Nintendo also quietly dropped word on a new Kirby game for DS. And it's an RTS (what?) http://www.shacknews.com/article/68789/kirby-mass-attack-side-scrolling

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"Side-scrolling real-time strategy" uh? Ok I guess... Not sure it's really an RTS (the concept reminds me more of Mario vs Donkey Kong) but this certainly picks my curiosity.

Kakkoii_Guts said:

Wii U looks kind of interesting, but even after watching all of Nintendo's conference I still don't know much about it (full specs and pricing please!).

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That's definitely on purpose. The system is launching next year, announcing all the specs would be stupid IMHO. I'm hoping they pack as much power into it as possible, so that it can hold its ground in the years to come when MS and Sony refresh their own offering (as I don't believe they'll really wait until 2015 to release something).

Viral Harvest said:

If anyone has ever seen Kung-Pow, they might be able to imagine my laughter when I heard this thing was going to be called "Wii U"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JElywbkSbY

Judging by the comments, I guess I wasn't the only one.

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"It beats you up, while you play it!"

People laughed at the Wii. People are laughing at the Wii U. Can we just move along?

Yet another Kirby game coming that Nintendo didn't mention in their conference. This one's for Wii, and looks like it's much more similar to older Kirby games than Epic Yarn: http://www.giantbomb.com/e3-2011-kirby-wii-trailer/17-4296/

Walter said:

People laughed at the Wii. People are laughing at the Wii U. Can we just move along?

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Tell that to Nintendo before they release the Wii NR. This is their problem. =)


As for the Wii U itself, I'm sold on it because it addresses one of the major concerns I had with Nintendo's next system, which was: what about the legions of dissatisfied Wii owners that would be left behind and not exactly clamoring to invest in Nintendo again right away, no matter how powerful their new system was? That's what makes this so smart, because instead of completely starting over or trying to extend the life of the Wii with an add on, they're doing the best of both worlds and changing out the foundation of the Wii brand for a much stronger one. It's a massive boost to the existing Wii lineup of products. So, instead of alienating the network Nintendo built with the Wii they can reinvigorate it and give them natural incentive to reinvest, counteracting the backlash a wholly different system and set of proprietary accessories might have incurred from existing Wii owners (again, that's a big market to leave twisting in the wind, especially if you're trying to sell them something new). At the same time, it gives the people that want to play all the top tier third party games a reason to buy Nintendo again. Basically, they're trying to win back hardcore gamers without losing all the ones they brought in: win/win. So, while the kid in me was hoping for a modern day Super Nintendo, they've done something much smarter by creating a Super Wii. It makes good on the Wii, what it should have been had that been possible for Nintendo at the time, instead of leaving it in the lurch.

Now, that was the positive spin, on the other hand one could say congratulations to Nintendo for releasing a Wii60 capable of playing current gen games six years after the fact. Also, like Aaz pointed out, the real danger here is that it'll be right back in the lurch again if Sony or Microsoft announce a new system next year.

All this makes me wonder how powerful the Wii U is going to be, or, looking at it like I did before, if Nintendo considers this the final evolution of the Wii rather than their "next generation" system. Or, by that token, if Nintendo is further redefining system generations as we know them.

Griffith said:

Tell that to Nintendo before they release the Wii NR. This is their problem. =)

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It's not really a problem at all, it's just a name. And I just don't see the point in complaining it. It feels like misdirected angst, to me.

Also, like Aaz pointed out, the real danger here is that it'll be right back in the lurch again if Sony or Microsoft announce a new system next year.

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It may seem that way, but I believe there's still a large window of opportunity here for Nintendo to integrate itself with the current console scene, maybe even dominate it given the Wii U's controller, before the hammer falls on the next console generation.

Let's say MS or Sony announce their next big system at E3 2012. The Wii U will be ready to go to market soon afterward, with devs having had their kits for about a year at that point. And even if Sony or MS launch their next console the following year in 2013, it'll be a solid year or two before third parties start jumping ship to work on the next big thing. But given hardware capabilities right now, it's more likely that there will be a much longer bleeding period than the 5-year-upgrade track this industry has been used to until this decade.

A conservative estimate by me is that the Wii U will be a viable console for third party devs for at least 3 years, possibly more, until Sony or MS hardware makes a huge leap. And even after that point, there's the lingering promise of all Nintendo's first party games, which, let's be honest, are what truly propped the Wii up to where it is now.

All this makes me wonder how powerful the Wii U is going to be, or, looking at it like I did before, if Nintendo considers this the final evolution of the Wii rather than their "next generation" system. Or, by that token, if Nintendo is further redefining system generations as we know them.

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That's the impression I got with this reveal. They didn't even showcase the actual console -- just the controller and its capabilities. They weren't touting the specs, they were touting the new control methods. And somewhere in the middle of all that, they basically said, "And oh yeah, btw, our games will be in 1080p."

Speaking of HD, check out this video for a glimpse at a prototype Zelda in HD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arHNcSMXaBk

yeah the HD Zelda game got me excited of the possibilities.. but then i remembered the Zelda Teaser that came out to be Wind Waker. xD

here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF00oTRVwHc

(not that i didnt love wind waker)

Truder said:

yeah the HD Zelda game got me excited of the possibilities.. but then i remembered the Zelda Teaser that came out to be Wind Waker. xD

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Well, yeah. That was clearly a proof-of-concept demonstration for the GameCube. And honestly, in its own way Wind Waker looks quite a bit better than that... Anyway, I don't expect this to be a 1:1 representation of the next Zelda game. In fact, it was described as "inspired by Twilight Princess," so clearly it's not going to look this way. But it sure does look pretty in 1080p.

Walter said:

It's not really a problem at all, it's just a name. And I just don't see the point in complaining it. It feels like misdirected angst, to me.

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Yeah, there's no point in really complaing about it, it's a successful brand and Nintendo would be insane to drop it. But, it's also a funny name and so people are naturally going to make fun of it, and not nessesrially to complain. Same for the Vita. It's similarly misplaced angst if that's bothersome; Nintendo's been laughing at Wii jokes all the way to the bank.

Walter said:

It may seem that way, but I believe there's still a large window of opportunity here for Nintendo to integrate itself with the current console scene, maybe even dominate it given the Wii U's controller, before the hammer falls on the next console generation.

Let's say MS or Sony announce their next big system at E3 2012. The Wii U will be ready to go to market soon afterward, with devs having had their kits for about a year at that point. And even if Sony or MS launch their next console the following year in 2013, it'll be a solid year or two before third parties start jumping ship to work on the next big thing. But given hardware capabilities right now, it's more likely that there will be a much longer bleeding period than the 5-year-upgrade track this industry has been used to until this decade.

A conservative estimate by me is that the Wii U will be a viable console for third party devs for at least 3 years, possibly more, until Sony or MS hardware makes a huge leap.

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Then it's an even more brilliant stroke on Nintendo's part. My only doubt is that developers don't necessarily need to catch up to that advanced technology for the perception to exist that Nintendo's releasing a soon to be obsolete console, scaring off the very consumers their targeting. That can be easily remedied though if Nintendo simply has the goods on Wii U and the other shoe never drops. From what you're saying, they'll have plenty of time to convince doubters.

Walter said:

And even after that point, there's the lingering promise of all Nintendo's first party games, which, let's be honest, are what truly propped the Wii up to where it is now.

That's the impression I got with this reveal. They didn't even showcase the actual console -- just the controller and its capabilities. They weren't touting the specs, they were touting the new control methods. And somewhere in the middle of all that, they basically said, "And oh yeah, btw, our games will be in 1080p."

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That's cool of them to do for show, and they really can't boast too much about being the last to offer features now taken for granted anyway, just as long as that conservative approach is gone. Nintendo's been innovating on a weak foundation out of necessity, and as impressive as it is to see what they can do with one hand tied behind their back, it's also frustrating and I want to see them take care of business on the home front from the ground up; kickin' ass, takin' names, and makin' games. Looks like that's what they're doing.

Walter said:

Speaking of HD, check out the video associated with this article for a glimpse at a prototype Zelda in HD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arHNcSMXaBk

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Badass.

Considering that Zelda tech demo is completely rendered with real-time lighting, I'm pretty excited about the console's capabilities. I hope we get some specs soon.