Crytek "Impressed" With Wii U Hardware Specs

Crytek's Nottingham team is really excited about Nintendo's Wii U console, claims Avni Yerli.

So will it play Crysis? That's the question we're asking now that Crytek founder Avni Yerli has confessed his love for the Nintendo Wii U's specs. That's right: he's actually excited over the hardware list, calling it "very good." That's excellent news from a development team whose notorious for bringing PC systems to their knees.

"It's a challenge for designers, but once thought through it can add value, and that's what ultimately important," he told GamesIndustry in an interview. "Our guys in Nottingham, they are very happy with their tests on the dev kits and they're excited about it."

Excited, he says. Over a Nintendo console.

Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to share that same excitement with the two main game streaming services, OnLive and Gaikai. He does acknowledge that they offer good services -- Gaikai even has a Crysis 2 streaming demo up and running on its website - but big changes will likely not take place unless both offer specially developed custom software.

"It's maybe that the concept has come before we were ready for it as an industry, so we're just trying to throw things at it right now and I'm not sure if that's going to make people money," he said. "And whether or not the consumer needs it."

He also talked about the definition of AAA software, that it doesn't necessarily mean big-budget, hardcore console games like shooters, but rather the number of people paying and playing the game. He pointed to Minecraft as a perfect example, but also indicated that people still want good visuals in all forms of media, even casual titles. He mused that Crytek may have "spoilt things slightly" by showing high end graphics all the time.

"CryEngine's rendering is part of it, but actually the tools are how we get things looking so good because they're so quick to work with," he admitted. "And that applies to little casual games as much as it does to high end games."

So does that mean we'll see Crysis / Crysis 2 on the Wii U? Sounds like a possibility, but keep your finger crossed anyway, consle gamers. Until then, check out the full Crytek interview by heading here.