Nintendo Unveils Wii U Controller, new 3DS Titles
Dubbed Project Cafe for the last several months, Nintendo has finally taken the wraps off of its new home console, the Wii U.
A recent E3 tradition, Nintendo once again held its press conference early on the first (official) day of E3 2011. Last year we were wowed by new hardware with the announcement of the 3DS, and this year was no different.
Nintendo has officially taken the wraps off of the Wii U (pronounced We You), its new home console that will hit store shelves in 2012. The Wii U is a two-part system, with one component attached to your HDTV, and a tablet-like device that seems to be the focal point of the console (Nintendo didn't up much for details on the TV connected component). The TV component streams content to the tablet, no wires required.
The tablet portion has a 6.2-inch touchscreen, along with dual joysticks, four trigger buttons and your usual D-pad and A-B-X-Y layout. There's also a microphone, accelerometer, front-facing camera, speakers, and a gyroscope.
The real beauty of the Wii U is how you play. The tablet acts as a standard controller, allowing you to use the buttons and the touchscreen for input. Thanks to backwards compatibility you can play Wii games using the new tablet controller while your friends are using regular Wii Remotes. In some cases this can be a genuine advantage as the tablet's screen can give you an extra vantage point or other additional information. The Wii U can even play games when someone is using the TV for something else, as whatever WAS happening on the TV can be shifted to the tablet display.
As for content, Nintendo showed off what it calls "concepts", meaning they are just for demoing/showing off the Wii U and will likely not be released for sale. They did promise that Super Smash Bros would be coming to both the Wii U and the 3DS, and there is going to be some sort of cross-platform interaction. Third-party titles seem to be a strong point for Nintendo this time around, as versions of Tekken, Darksiders II, Dirt, Ghost Recon, Batman: Arkham City, Metro: Last Light, and Ninja Gaiden 3 will be coming to the platform in 2012. EA pledged that it would be bringing plenty of games to the platform as well, including a possible Battlefield 3 appearance.
The Wii U was definitely the star he of the show, but the 3DS wasn't left out in the cold. Nintendo showed off five new 3DS games, including Mario Kart, Kid Icarus, StarFox 64 3D, Luigi's Mansion 2, and a new Super Mario title. The latter looks more like Mario 64 than the side-scrolling Mario we've been seeing lately.
Let us know what you think of the new tablet controller in the comments section.
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Dumb.
Does the controller seem over sized to anyone else? I mean I haven't used it or anything, just a first impression of course.
If it can play BF3, then is a win. I looks interesting. I would like more specs and demos, though
The controller does seem over sized but it all depends on how the game developpers use it.
I can see it as being great for games like Mario Party, where every person has one of those to play, especially for mini games, or any game with an item inventory for you to pick from, or for you to solve puzzles / unlock doors / require additional user input etc.
Secondary display AND touch functionnality is a first in the tv console department, now let's see how they use it!
Weird... I'm definitely going to wait on this one just like I waited for the Wii and see if the market proves its popularity. No point jumping in and getting it if there are no games or nobody buys it.
ummm... why would you want to look at a little tablet screen instead of your 60" plasma? I just don't understand the concept of how this could be implemented. I have to see someone's idea that makes it useful.
Another problem is when the buttons starts to wear out. I usually buy 3 controllers a year because the thumb pads wear out quickly. If this thing costs a fortune its gonna be a problem for me XD
ummm... why would you want to look at a little tablet screen instead of your 60" plasma? I just don't understand the concept of how this could be implemented. I have to see someone's idea that makes it useful.
Useful as a method to deter teh screen haxxors
It seems rather clunky to be honest, but the idea of somestimes playing in a different room than where the console is or while allowing other members of my family to use the tv does seem useful.
Is there any word on what media the WU uses, non-standard, or standard (like microsoft and sony)?
ummm... why would you want to look at a little tablet screen instead of your 60" plasma? I just don't understand the concept of how this could be implemented. I have to see someone's idea that makes it useful.
ign has first hand impressions of the controller functionality and concept, and they're very positive. One major point they made is despite immediate impressions that the controller is bulky and awkward, it's actually surprisingly light and ergonomic in the hands. Just by looking at the images I find this hard to believe, but then again I haven't used it. The Wii U is also backwards compatible with all Wii peripherals (Wiimote), and can play all games dating back to the GameCube straight off the disk.
...and FINALLY, 1080p native gaming resolution on a console. 50GB blu-ray discs for game media.
http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1173582p1.html
All that for a controller? How long are the batteries going to last? Dumb idea....
...and these aren't official specs from Nintendo, but these are some supposedly leaked hardware specs for the Wii U console:
Graphics: Custom AMD RV770 Chip “WOLF” @ 766Mhz on 32nm process 1398 Gflops
CPU: Custom IBM Power 6 Chip “FOX” on 32nm process
4 cores, each two way SMT-capable and clocked at 3.5 GHz
175.9 GFLOPS theoretical peak performance (single-precision)
87.6 GFLOPS theoretical peak performance (double-precision)
Memory: 512 MB XDR2 DRAM main memory
+ 1024 GDDR5 video memory
+ 16 MB eDRAM
Storage: 2.5-inch SATA hard drive with 250 GB / 320 GB capacity
Expanded storage via SD and SDHC card memory (up to 64 GB)
Media: Custom Blu-ray Disc, up to 50 GB
Compatible with 7 cm Nintendo GameCube Game Disc and 12 cm Wii Optical Disc
Display: Video output formats
Composite video: 480i, 576i (PAL)
S-Video: 480i, 576i (PAL)
RGB SCART: 480i, 576i (PAL)
Component (YPBPR): 480i, 576i (PAL), 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
D-Terminal: 480i (D1), 480p (D2), 720p (D4), 1080i (D3), 1080p (D5)
HDMI: 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Pretty impressive, and slightly higher performance then the previous rumored specs. If this is true then the Wii U will be significantly more powerful then either the Xbox360 or PS3. Although in typical Nintendo fashion, it's still underpowered by modern 2012 PC standards. The upcoming Sony/Microsoft consoles will no doubt outperform this.
http://www.guru3d.com/news/wii-2-p [...] fications/
I don't know that I like the name..........
I don't know. You will probably get one of the screen controllers with the system. I'm thinking additional controllers will cost $100 minimum - ouch! It sounds like they will make more conventional controllers. Nintendo has some cool ideas, but on the other hand, what are the specs of this system? Will it surpass the 360 and PS3? I feel like they are just getting caught up and in a couple years the truly next gen systems will be released. The Wii U will be outdated quick. Sounds like a gimmick to sell a bunch of systems. I'll wait a few years for them to drop the price and release a black version of the console. They should have different colors out the door. Although the white is kind of nostalgic.
The concept I think is sound if you really think about it. In multi-player games each person will have their own screen to work off of and the big screen would then be split...or even an over arching camera view going to special angles for big moves in a game (headshot in BF3, passing another player in Mario Kart) Could be a very cinematic thing for the TV and POV for the controller. Awesome if they do it right.
One thing Nintendo has always had is revolutionary controllers and I think this new one will not disappoint either. I remember looking at each new controller generation and wondering how it would work and Nintendo has always come through.
According to leaked hardware info, the WiiU has more horsepower then the 360/PS3. Honestly, I can't see WiiU going past 399.99. 250-300 for the console box and 100 for the controller. Add in some freebie game and it will sell. Nintendo always aims for a much bigger marketing window then M$ and Sony. They have a lot of appeal for "casual" gamers and family oriented softwares. Add in 1st party software like Zelda, SSB, Super Mario in 1080p and the "hardcore" gamer base won't be able to look away. I personally think it is a very good window frame. They pretty much juiced the Wii audience and with the release of 3DS for multi platform communication technology, they have a chance to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
Even if Sony and M$ release a new beefy console in 2014, the WiiU will have a bigger library, much lower price point, and casual appeal. Think about it, what can Sony and M$ come out with? The majority of consumers have recently filled their living rooms with a 1080p HDTV, think they will drop another $1000+ for a better TV in 2014? People will, but not the majority.
When people asked why Nintendo didn't release a Wii HD in 2009, the response was, "We will, when the majority of households are ready for it." Now they are.
this is the best dumb game console i've ever heard of.
Seriously, the cost will be astronomical considering the big N never loses money on hardware and the thing appears to be as hefty as the current offerings by sony and m$. never mind each of those controllers will probably be around 80-100 bucks each if current trends are any suggestion (wireless controllers generally cost about 50 bucks with no touchscreen capability)
and how are you going to use that tablet as a wii-mote for old games? imagine playing baseball with that thing, more like cricket lol.
in any case, i'm interested in how this plays out. If it's got the games to back it up i might be in.
Super Smash... that would be interesting. Only time will tell. meh. technology gets outdated so quickly nowadays, it's nice to see something new anyhow....
Battlefield in Toontown!!!
if it's backward compatible with wii then how am I going to play tennis with this big controller? I just can't see swinging this like a wii mote.
Your current wii mote will most likely work with the new unit.
Looks like a Wii and a DS got a little too friendly and had a love child. How will motion sensitive stuff work? You try to swing that like a wii mote, and you'll make more broken electronics than you can shake a stick at.
suweet this thing has a 4890 so that means we will need graphics cards that are 10-20 times more powerful than the 4890. Consoles always get better treatment because of the homogeneous system specs. So if this thing supports the dx11 features and costs around $300 then im down to buy one.
oh and i forgot to mention that it will probably have games that look like the Samaritan demo (unreal 3 tech demo) if the 4890 (dx11 ) gpu is true.
Looks like a Wii and a DS got a little too friendly and had a love child. How will motion sensitive stuff work? You try to swing that like a wii mote, and you'll make more broken electronics than you can shake a stick at.
For all of you that are still in the dark..... here nintendo e3 web page that explains alot of the questions here about the wii u in terms of gameplay, controls, ect.
http://e3.nintendo.com/
For you, the the old wiimotes will work on this system. So no need to swing that controller.
oh and i forgot to mention that it will probably have games that look like the Samaritan demo (unreal 3 tech demo) if the 4890 (dx11 ) gpu is true.
First, where did you hear 4890 from? All the leaks I've seen point to the rv770 @766 MHz, or somewhere around the performance of an HD4870.
Second, the rv770 isn't DX11 compatible, it's a DX10 GPU.
Third, the Samaritan Demo ran on Tri SLI GTX580's, and was DX11. So no, it wouldn't be capable of running "Samaritan Demo" type graphics...
Guys, you won't be swinging that controller for a golf club.....you'll be using the backwards compatible wii controller.
i actualy realy likes it i hope the prise arent to extreme, beside i hope the pc world get some cool stuff from this when they hack the controler.
Hmmm... It could finally make controlling a FPS on consoles "precise". Envision moving with the left thumbstick (rear trigger(s) to fire) and using the touch screen with one finger for aiming (controller to TV input, if possible) Just a thought...
It just looks like a bigger version of the NDS but with motion control