Nintendo Wii U

[MrJibbles]

Nikkei newspaper in Japan confirmed today what has long been rumored, that Nintendo's Project Café console would utilize a controller equipped with a touch screen panel and built in camera.

The new controller will include a six-inch touch screen which the newspaper says will allow tablet-like functionality. The device can also be used a portable game system. It will run on a rechargeable battery.

The camera will allow for games that will let players create avatars of themselves, similar to the 3DS Mii creator.

Nikkei (which is sort of like the Japanese version of the Wall Street Journal) referred to the console only as the "Wii's successor," and says the console was developed as a response to the growth of the tablet and smartphone market. Apparently, Nintendo's hope is that a controller that works as a self-sufficient handheld system will appeal to casual gamers. The console is slated for release in the "latter half of 2012."

http://www.1up.com/news/Project-Cafe-Confirmed

[Kurtis]

I dont like it when there's spelling mistakes or missing words in news reports

[J. Edgar]

The Wii U looks promising

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2X09hX3D8g

[MrJibbles]

[MrJibbles]

It's the dawn of a new Nintendo generation. After five years of pursuing a "blue ocean strategy," the Big N is shifting to a new console, one that rivals (and potentially exceeds) consoles currently in stores. After months of having IGN's Nintendo team tracking down sources and bringing you a comprehensive picture of Wii's successor, I've finally had the chance to use the new controller and play demos on the system.

In short, Nintendo's gamble works. The controller is the best of both worlds, mixing traditional button inputs with the advantage of having an interface unlike anything we've seen from a home console.

THE CONTROLLER BASICS

What we've been reporting and suspected is true. The primary controller for Nintendo's next console is tablet based, featuring a 6.2 inch touch screen. This new device also features a very standard array of buttons, including a d-pad, four face buttons, four shoulder triggers, a power button and a camera.

One of the more interesting alterations to conventional design is the system features two analog sliders at the top of the controller rather than traditional sticks. Don't make the mistake of thinking these sliders are like the 3DS "circle pad." The texture and top shape of the sliders are much more akin to Wii's nunchuk, meaning the grip and precision of movement are much better.

The tablet itself appears large, but is actually quite comfortable to grip. The two sliders both being located at the top of the tablet make holding it considerably easier. A staggered configuration would only have worked with a much smaller design. Nintendo was also smart in making the new controller extremely light for its size, resulting in something that might look strange but is not as burdensome as it would seem.

The other major design element is a horizontal "grip" that runs underneath the tablet. The grip, however, is mostly there to house two of the system's triggers, with the remaining two being on the shoulder of the main body of the device.

More important is the fact that the new console is backwards compatible with Wii controllers. Nintendo's demos suggested it is very intent on utilizing its current generation remotes - without alteration - alongside the new tablet. In fact while the number of Wii remotes changed between mini-games, I only ever used one tablet controller.

THE TECH DEMOS

In addition to a few mini-games and one major franchise cinematic, Nintendo's presentation to me included a couple sequences designed to show off the power of the system and the innovative applications of the controller. The first, simply called "HD Experience," featured a hawk soaring through a traditional Japanese setting including cherry blossom trees and a temple. Graphically the scene was far better than Wii, of course, but I wasn't impressed at all with the quality of the textures or aesthetic design. For something that was supposed to demonstrate the power of the system, this particularly sequence failed to impress. One noteworthy element was that the tablet controller was replicating the visuals on the TV on its smaller screen, and moving the tablet would cause the camera behind the hawk to move, allowing the player to see more of the landscape.

The rough shape of this demo is no cause for concern, however. At the end of my time with the new system, Nintendo played an interactive cinematic that put all my fears to rest. The difference in quality between that sequence and this was light years apart, making me wonder why I watched the hawk video in the first place.

The second major tech demonstration featured live footage of Japan, with a camera moving down a crowded street, hovering above vehicles. Like the hawk demo, the tablet was also featuring the footage shown on the television. But as I moved the new controller, I was able to see more of the city around me, without altering what was being shown on the larger screen. I could move the tablet upward to see the sky, or downward to see the street moving under me. Even more impressive, I could start to rotate the controller or "aim" it behind me to see where I had been. Pressing a button would also flip the portable display behind me, allowing me to see backwards similar to a rearview mirror. The potential for racing games with this sort of technology is truly impressive.

CHASING AND BATTLING MIIS

I played two Mii mini-games on the new console. In a word, they are both fantastic. In concept, execution, scope and entertainment, they are leaps and bounds beyond what you experienced on Wii. I realize we all had fun with tennis and sword fighting, but Chase Mii and Battle Mii are very, very much capable of selling people on the capabilities of the new system. Most important of all, the concepts are easy to learn, but with some added settings and levels down the line, I'd very much like to see these as some sort of final product.

Click here to read more on Chase Mii.

Click here to read more on Battle Mii.

FIGHTING PIRATES WITH RHYTHM

It's no secret that I have absolutely no rhythm. I can't get one step right in Dance Dance Revolution. When Nintendo told me I'd be trying a music-based game, I cringed. Yet blocking airborne plungers with my shield in sync with a beat in the background turned out to be a rather painless experience. By far the most quirky demo I saw, Pirate Horde was fairly addicting, and the developers of the demo weren't afraid to step up the difficulty in relatively short order. This wasn't my favorite game, but it was strong.

Click here to read more on Shield Pose.

THE NEXT GENERATION OF ZELDA

To be honest, I didn't think Nintendo would be daring enough to show off any sort of Zelda HD demo, despite the fact that the franchise is clearly the one that would benefit the most from a vastly more powerful system. This was based off of the Twilight Princess era Zelda characters, not Skyward Sword, so those of you expecting Wii's last major game to jump ship, this demo wasn't proof of that.

I wasn't able to control Link, but the battle between him and Gohma that I saw was breathtaking nonetheless. Between changing the lighting, camera controls and even the tablet's display, this demo above all the others proved how Nintendo franchises might benefit from increased power. This was gorgeous stuff.

Click here to read more on Nintendo's HD Zelda demo.

That covers everything I had a chance to see during Nintendo's hands-on tour of the new system. At the time of my meeting, no details were given for much else about the system's capabilities. I didn't even see the design of the new console. Still, my time with the new controller opened my eyes to a new way of gaming. It's remarkable that simply adding an extra screen can truly change how games are played. It will be utterly fascinating to see how Nintendo and other developers take advantage of this innovative twist.

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/117/1173582p1.html

[Guest haze-e]

Wii U To Have Significant 3rd Party Support

6/07/11 10:08AM PDT

Assasins Creed, Batman Arkham City, New Tekken, Darksiders 2, Ghost Recon, EA Sports will all be on the new Wii U.

Nintendo going in!

[mp*]

Just caught up with the info

Went in.

[Guest Klitschko]

Any e3 nintendo vids?

[Kurtis]

The Wii U looks promising

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2X09hX3D8g

just seen this elsewhere.

wont lie when i first heard about the controller i thought it was sh*t, like wtf would i need a touch screen controller

and it still does seem kinda pointless, but the alternate views like when aiming, playing golf, batchin the baseball etc, that ninja star thing was pretty cool

its still kinda pointless IMO, ill wait to see what the developers come with

[Creed Diskenth]

How is it pointless

you can go toilet and play games full games

lie in bed playing the full version of the game on the controller

its sick

[Kurtis]

just seems like its not really needed, and im gettin its gonna be quite expensive, alternate views are nice, bt other than that it aint really saying much

can you play full wii u games on it or mini games?

how long will the battery last?

[Lenny]

I'm pretty sure Nintendo know what they're doing brah

[Guest Esquilax]

THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT SEGA

[The King]

Dreamcast was f*ck*ng sick

[Kurtis]

reminded me I need to cop that

[Lenny]

Dreamcast was f*ck*ng sick

Very underrated

Phantasy Star Online, Shenmue, Powerstone etc

Fack

[Skola]

cant lie that was innovative

[Greens]

Used to bang out Soul Calibur & Power Stone back in halls.

[Guest Esquilax]

It doesn't matter how sick it was it was, it got completely murked by PS2

Shoved them right out of the market

No one is infallible, as PS3 have proven

You can still make a great console and it phail, as was evidenced by Dreamcast

Great name as well

[Lenny]

Different situations brah

Sega were trying to come back from the huge failure that was the Saturn and they never really recovered. People lost faith

If anything the shitness of the Saturn and the success of the PSX deaded Sega from early

[Lucarelli]

Dreamcast >>>>>>>

My favorite console of all time

[Lenny]

Boot discs >

I had quite a few copied games for my Dreamcast in the end

They tried to be innovative with the memory card but that was shite

[Faisal]

I quite like this idea of a DS-like structure between the controller and the TV.

Would've been better if you could connect more than one controller though.

[Mr. Gayle]

Boot discs >

I had quite a few copied games for my Dreamcast in the end

They tried to be innovative with the memory card but that was shite

Was so easy to get copied games for it. I had pure

When DC come out, we prob realised there is no need for arcades now cos consoles will take over

[Heero Yuy]

Dreamcast wasn't underated when you compared it to the PS2.

Was innovative though

/

The Wii U looks very promising, may definitely considering copping it it lives up to the hear say, hype etc