Nintendo exec Reggie Fils-Aime continues to evade questions on new system's performance
Prototypes of the Wii controller and system shown at E3 will not undergo any major alterations, Nintendo’s US boss has said.
Nintendo Of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said the Wii U system’s form factor “is quite near final”.
“Similarly, the form factor of the controller is quite near final,” he added in an interview with Venturebeat.
Nintendo turned heads at this year's E3 by unveiling an ambitions next-generation console that displays TV content on the system’s controller itself.

however, throughout E3, Nintendo execs had dodged questions on the Wii U’s system specifics.

All the company’s execs at the event would onlyexplain the console's horsepower in illustrative terms.
“The point is not about a comparison versus our competitors,” Fils-Aime said.
“What we’ve said is it will be 1080p. Check the box on the best graphics capability. It will have a robust online environment. Check the box. That will not be a disincentive for purchase.
“The specifics of how we get there — we still have a number of months to share more and to show more.
“The reason we showed that visual demonstration with the bird in the garden is just to reinforce that the visual horsepower of this machine is there.”

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...gns-near-final ...

Nintendo has revealed that the Wii U console won't be "drastically different" - that's why the E3 announcement focused on the tablet controller.

But Nintendo top-dog Satoru Iwata admitted he "should have made more effort to explain how [Wii U] works".

"We haven't made any kind of blunder," Iwata told the Evening Standard, referencing a fallen Nintendo stock price and defending against allegations of a confusion-causing presentation.

"But I should have shown a single picture of the new console, then started talking about the controller."

"The console is not drastically different," he added, "and Wii U is about the controller. The console itself will be almost invisible."

Exactly what will be inside the console hasn't been specified. We know it's theoretically capable of matching PS3 and 360 output thanks to a show reel aired at the Nintendo E3 conference (albeit of actual PS3 and 360 code rather than Wii U). How far beyond the ageing PS3 and 360 tech Wii U can go, however, remains to be seen.

Iwata went on to echo what he said to Reuters, and told the Evening Standard that people can't properly appreciate Wii U until they play it.

"They cannot see how this can be a game changer," he said of people reading about but not experiencing Wii U.

"What Wii U will offer is very different," Iwata added. "But I believe we have the strong potential to change the entire format of video games and of entertainment."

Eurogamer has played Wii U, and we tallied with Iwata's argument by declaring that "as soon as you pick that controller up, you understand the genius of Nintendo's idea."

But how will Nintendo demo Wii U to every potential customer? That's what analysts are worried about. Wii, a runaway success, had one universally clear message: motion sensing.

Wii U details are gradually seeping out, however - and Eurogamer cobbled together a list of seven things you don't already know about Nintendo's new console (unless you've read the article already you cheat).

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ally-different ...

THQ's kids, family and casual division boss Martin Good has claimed that he is not perturbed by the Nintendo Wii U's similarities to THQ's own uDraw controller.

"None of this is a surprise," he told CVG in regard to the Wii U's tablet controller and drawing capabilities. " As you know, we thought of it 18 months ago and released it last season."

THQ claims to have shipped 1.7 million units of its drawing-centric, tablet-like peripheral for Wii, and now plans to release Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.

He felt the similarities between uDraw and Wii U could even be to THQ's benefit. "We think we're really on the front for it and well poised to exploit this because we've already been playing with the drawing mechanic and we've got a lot of game designs in the pipe. It's only going to get better with that experience."

Good also claimed that "THQ never really went about being a peripheral manufacturer - that wasn't our intent", but had done so due to perceived market opportunities for drawing-based console games. "The fact is we had to create our own peripherals including for 360 and PS3 to be able to play with that audience."


http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-18-months-ago ...

Opinions of the games industry's top analysts appear to be divided when it comes to Nintendo's latest hardware offering, Wii U.

Piers Harding-Rolls from Screen Digest said the console is a "compelling proposition" and has "strong potential to innovate".

Doug Creutz from Cowen and Company acknowledged Wii U's "promise" but questioned the machine's power. "I'm not sure how revolutionary it will be," he said. According to Creutz, Wii U is "on a par" with PS3 and Xbox 360 rather than "a step up".

Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter applauded the "smart" blend of tablet and console, saying it will be "hard" for others to copy the design. "Nintendo will have a head start for a while," he said, "and it will be interesting to see if they can exploit it."

Jesse Divnich from EEDAR lauded Wii U as "a very original and unique system and a perfect transition for consumers from the Wii". Nintendo shares might have fallen "substantially" after the Wii U announcement, said Divnich, but: "I believe investors are going to get this wrong".

All four analysts have concerns, however. Divnich "truly hopes" there aren't too many PS3 and Xbox 360 games ported to Wii U. "The Wii forced developers to be original and unique," he said. "The Wii became successful because it offered so many differentiating features and software that was different and original from its competitors.

"I'll say it flat out: any core-port over to the Wii U will be minimally successful."
Jesse Divnich, EEDAR
"I'll say it flat out: any core-port over to the Wii U will be minimally successful." Conversion costs may be low, but "no port will reach blockbuster status on the Wii U console" Divnich also questioned the "overlap" between the 3DS and Wii U controller when at home.

Piers Harding-Rolls thinks Wii U may confuse people with its "complex vision". "I don't believe that this proposition is as mainstream as the original Wii," he said, because Wii had a "more simple message". Existing Wii owners may even be confused into thinking the Wii U tablet works with Wii, Harding-Rolls added.

To that end, "consumer education is key" for Nintendo, said Harding-Rolls - but also a "significant challenge and expense". A two-screen, two-device vision puts Wii U on "more directly competitive footing" with Apple and its new AirPlay idea, too, pointed out Harding-Rolls.

Mainstream success concerns Doug Creutz as well. He sees Wii U as "Nintendo's attempt to re-enliven their appeal to the core gamer market". But by doing so, Nintendo may sacrifice a larger slice of the pie. "I don't know that this gets people who are not Nintendo fanboys - granted there are a lot of those - to run out and buy the console if they already have Xbox 360s or PS3s," said Creutz. But he expects Wii U to be "somewhat successful" nonetheless.

"At more than $300, it will almost certainly be too expensive."
Michael Pachter, Wedbush Morgan
And Nintendo has to do something, said Michael Pachter, because it is "falling behind" Xbox 360 with Kinect and PS3 with Move. With Smash Bros. the only Nintendo Wii U game announced, Pachter finds it "hard to know if the launch software will be compelling".

Success also depends on price - currently an unknown. But the analysts are unanimous in their conviction that Nintendo cannot break the $300 barrier.

Creutz said Nintendo "absolutely must price sub-$300 given the Wii U is really a lateral move from current competitor consoles rather than a step up".

At $300, Pachter said Wii U "may" be pricier than future Move or Kinect bundles. "At more than $300," he added, "it will almost certainly be too expensive."

"I don't think the Wii U can go higher than $299," offered Divnich, "it just can't and won't happen. I haven't seen the full specs, but no way it crosses that $299 price point."

Harding-Rolls stated the obvious: "A good price would be one that makes it a mass market proposition while delivering strong profits from launch."

Assuming the price is right, can Wii U not only follow in the footsteps of Wii but also outsell its predecessor?

"I doubt it will be more successful than the Wii... The Wii caught lightning in a bottle."
Doug Creutz, Cowen and Company
Harding-Rolls doesn't think so, but partly because the appetite for consoles themselves will diminish as net-connected tellies, set-top boxes like OnLive and tablets running OnLive take off. "Wii U will inevitably launch into a more competitive market than the Wii," he said, "and therefore at this stage I don't believe it will surpass Wii sales."

Creutz isn't sure anything can beat the early adoption rate of Wii. "The Wii caught lightning in a bottle," he said. "I doubt it will be more successful than the Wii, at least in terms of the initial adoption curve."

"Ask me in three years!" exclaimed Divnich. "The Wii is one of the best selling consoles of all time and it may be too early to make any 'official' prediction on overall sales just quite yet."

Nintendo announced the ...

Nintendo's breakthrough pad uses wide-VGA display, report claims
The gamepad screen at the heart of the Wii U experience displays at a 854x480 resolution, according to new research and estimates.
Entertainment site Golgotron claims the Wii U controller screen displays at the wide-VGA display standard.
The factual basis to this claim is debatable. The resolution size was estimated after hi-res images of the controller were observed.
The controller screen was manually measured at 870 pixels wide – though it was believed that that errors were made in the calculation and a far more likely result is 854 pixels.
“854 x 480 is a very common widescreen resolution, and it’s within 2 per cent of our not-scientific-enough measurement,” the report read.
The Wii U controller demonstrated at E3 will not likely be the final version sent to retailers by the end of 2012.
The console itself displays TV content at 1080p.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...put-at-854x480 ...

Though others will be able to join in using a DS, 3DS or Wii controller
With Nintendo's Wii U still in the early stages of development every aspect is still open to change, but for the time being at least it looks as if each Wii U will only be able to use one new touch-screen controller.
"Our basic premise is that you can use one with a system," Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto told News.com.au. "If we got to an idea of having multiple (controllers) it might be just more convenient for people to use their Nintendo 3DS and have a way to connect that.
"That being said, we are doing research about if someone brings their controller to their friends house and they want to play together on Wii U to whether or not something like that would be possible."
Miyamoto also went on to claim that while the innovations introduced with the likes of Wii and DS have been widely replicated by rivals, the Wii U will be harder to copy.
"It might be more convenient for people if companies did do that because this system is going to make it easier for people to interact with game systems," he added.
"Because of the way we've designed the game system, where the controller is really just that — it does have a screen but it doesn't have a processor inside it.
"All of the processing is happening inside the hardware itself, and then the hardware is sending the information to the controller with incredibly low latency because of the wireless beam we're using. It would be very difficult for the other hardware systems to be able to implement this at this stage."

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/44808/Wii-...one-controller ...

Third-parties in play with Nintendo for Wii U; Yarnton: ‘New console will grow market further’
Nintendo has its eye on an even bigger addressable audience of gamers with its new Wii U home console.
After courting new audiences for so long, the focus is back on a much-desired re-engaging of actual gamers alongside that skillful non-gamer push.
“Wii U pushes the boundary – it gives gamers a much deeper experience, but the control and touchscreen means we can widen the audience even more,” Nintendo UK boss David Yarnton told MCV. “With DS and Wii we expanded the audience; we changed perceptions about gaming.
“What we are now doing is looking to grow that further, but with power and graphics and a new controller, gamers get a deeper experience than ever before.”
And that’s good news for retail, said Yarnton: “We’re still growing the Wii audience. We are doing really good numbers in the UK at the moment – the price drop got people back in stores, and helped retail in a very challenged market.”
Unveiled at E3 this week and due out in 2012, Wii U is a new home console to go under the TV. It features HD graphics, online connectivity and an optical disc drive, keeping physical retail-sold games in the mix.
But the centrepiece is an innovative controller which mixes joypad, touchscreen and streaming technology. Games can be transferred from TV to handset.
Most telling: Nintendo didn’t announce many first-party games for the console, but third-party partners did in their droves. Core games including Batman: Arkham City (Warner), Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft), Darksiders II and Metro (THQ), Aliens (Sega), plus Namco Bandai and Tecmo Koei titles were all confirmed.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/44805/Wii-needed-this ...

Nintendo share prices have continued to decline in the wake of the Wii U announcement earlier this week, diminishing by a further 4.7 per cent yesterday.

This follows a 5.7 per cent drop on the day immediately after the reveal of its new home console, which left Nintendo stock prices at their lowest in five years. While yesterday is yet to close in the US, current figures suggest a further decline of 3 to 4 per cent.

Nintendo itself claims to be flummoxed by its share slump, with CEO Satoru Iwata telling Reuters that "Honestly speaking, the reaction to (Tuesday's) presentation and what I heard from people I met and the mood of the convention did not chime at all with what happened in the stock market.

"It's very strange."

There is historical precedent for this, similar having occurred in the wake of the Wii's initial announcement, with Iwata claiming that in both cases it was a matter of observers not having used the new technology themselves.

"In the end, it is easy to get the mistaken impression that this is just a game console with a tablet. People who came to the presentation and tried it out have understood very well that it opens up a lot of new possibilities. But people who have not tried it will find it hard to believe that this controller will change things."

Multiple analysts have offered different takes on the prospects of the Wii U, although the response has been broadly positive, if cautious. Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management, told the Wall Street Journal that "The product itself is not bad," but Nintendo may have suffered because "market expectations had been far too high... "It is also a reflection of structural issues caused by a transformation within the market."

Meanwhile Panoptic Management Consultants analyst Asif Khan told Industry Gamers that the issue may be that "Put very simply, investors hate uncertainty. With the Wii U announcement, the investing community has no information on release dates, price, components, specs, and even some features seem up in the air."

He added that "I also think that the Wii U controller looks weird to someone who has not had a chance to play with it. Most investors have not had a chance to hold the device and the software demos were limited in their scope.

"This kind of negative response by investors is not shocking, and I have been viewing it as a buying opportunity for myself and clients."

The price of the Wii U has yet to be revealed, although Iwata has suggested it is likely to be in excess of ¥20,000 ($250/£150).

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...re-price-slide ...

Prior to Nintendo's E3 conference, a number of names floated around for the home console which would be unveiled. Project Cafe, of course, was the development codename for the device. A few ideas were suggested for what the final title would be, including the peculiar but interesting concept that the system itself might just be called "Nintendo". Nobody guessed at "Wii U". Nintendo, unlike its gaming rivals, seems to retain the capability to play its cards close to its chest.

By christening the device using the Wii branding, Nintendo returns to a strategy abandoned long ago. This is the first Nintendo home console to be branded as a continuation of its successor since the venerable Super NES.

Actually, had the company decided to give its older fans a grin of recognition by unveiling a platform called the "Super Wii", it might have been a better move. At least then we'd have avoided the confusion that followed in the wake of the Wii U announcement, which left many observers confused about what was actually being unveiled - with the idea that this was a new controller for the Wii rather than a brand new console being a popular misconception.

At this stage, a few days after the conference and with tons of explanatory coverage appearing across the Web, anyone who frequents gaming sites and is still purporting to be confused over this issue is obviously simply being obtuse. Yet we can't dismiss the confusion that was evident across social networks and comment threads during the conference itself. Many perfectly earnest and intelligent people simply didn't get what Nintendo was trying to tell them - and these are people who are into gaming. What's going to happen when Nintendo tries to explain Wii U to its broader audience?

Part of the problem was that the announcement itself was poorly designed and executed. In their haste to show off the flexibility of the controller, the team writing the scripts failed to set out the basis of what they were presenting from the outset, and then proceeded to bounce around between features and concepts like a giddy child at a birthday party. Contrasted with the measured, explanatory tone of the original Wiimote unveiling at TGS many moons ago, this frenetic and unfocused presentation did its subject few favours.

That, however, is a temporary setback at best. It's just one presentation - an important one, of course, but there'll be plenty more public outings for the Wii U and plenty of chances for the company to get its story straight and its explanations rehearsed, focus tested and rehearsed again. The Wii U desperately needed an elevator pitch this week, and Nintendo didn't seem to have one - but I don't doubt that the company is busy thinking of one right now.

What's more worrying, though, is the second source of confusion - the name. Certainly, some of the audience weren't sure if this was an upgrade to the Wii or a whole new console because the presentation was a bit slapdash - but that idea was reinforced and expanded by the fact that the branding is essentially the same as the previous console.

It's easy to see why Nintendo decided to do that, of course. The Wii is the best-selling home console of the generation, and it doesn't want to abandon the value it's built up in the brand. Throwing away the GameCube branding was easy, but dumping "Wii" would be painful, perhaps even wasteful.

Yet there's a problem with this decision making process - and with the thinking behind it. It's perfectly illustrated by something I've experienced personally a couple of times in the past few weeks, buying new software for my 3DS. I'm not sure when it started, but of late, retailers in Japan have started asking "are you sure you have a 3DS?" when you buy a game for the system. I've heard similar reports from the UK and elsewhere.

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