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Wii U News
by Published on October 11th, 2012 23:39- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo's top dog Satoru Iwata recently sat down with some of his R&D crew to talk about designing theWii U, and unfortunately, a console was sacrificed in the process. The discussion focuses on what changes they've made this time 'round, including the new multi-core CPU and GPU module, and how they fitted more cooling gear in a body smaller than the Wii as a result. In addition to some niceteardown pics for illustrative purposes, they muse on moving to HD, part testing, case design and how the GamePad is more of a companion than a controller. We don't want to spoil the whole bit, so head to the source link for the full transcript, or check out the gallery below if you just want the visuals.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/11/s...-wii-u-design/ ...by Published on October 10th, 2012 23:34- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo has told CVG that it won't downwardly revise its global Wii Ushipping forecast, following reports from Japan suggesting that a factory fire has hit production.
Just over a month ahead of the launch of the new console, it has emerged that a fire broke out at an unnamed Wii U system assembly factory in Japan.David Gibson, an analyst for the Australian bank Macquarie in Tokyo, said his company has downgraded Wii U's shipping forecast by one million units (falling to 7.3 million worldwide at launch) due to the accident.
In a Tweet to his followers, Gibson said that Nintendo will revise its revenue forecast on October 24.
However, Nintendo has issued a statement to CVG explaining: "As of now, we see no impacts on our Wii U console production scheme".
A halt in production of Wii U units would have been devastating news for Nintendo. CVG sources have claimed that the firm is already facing some supply constraints for the console, with retailersselling out of allocated stock due to strong early demand.
Nintendo has confirmed a Wii U release date of November 18 in the US, and a Wii U release date of November 30 in Europe. The company has set the US Wii U price at $299 for the basic model, while the UK Wii U price starts at £230.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-factory-fire/ ...by Published on October 9th, 2012 23:45- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime believes Nintendo TVii will serve as a "better mousetrap" for consumers than existing online TV services.
According to the platform holder, the built-inWii U service will let users to find, watch and engage with TV content "in entirely new ways".They'll be able to use the Wii U GamePad to browse and search for programming from sources they're subscribed to, including cable and satellite channels, video-on-demand services and recorded TiVo shows.
The Wii U GamePad can also function as an infrared TV control, a second, 6.2-inch TV screen, and play home to a programming guide. The service will be available in the US and Canada at launch for users with a wireless broadband internet connection.
Fils-Aime told The Seattle Times: "The way that I would say it is Nintendo TV is certainly going to be something that every member of the family picks up and engages in at least once a day."
Asked if he thinks Nintendo has designed a superior TV offering for a family, the executive responded: "We think we have. In terms of a way to find what you want, to actually watch it on the big screen or on the small screen and then to be socially engaged on it, yeah, we do think we've created a better mousetrap.
"If the consumer just wants to add VOD [video on demand] to their TV, there are a lot of different ways to do that. I think the value we bring is by providing the consumer a better way to find all of that content.
"And here's the example: if you have Amazon video services ... for you to find what's on there, what's hot, what's trending, is pretty tough. Now say you've got Amazon plus Netflix plus Hulu Plus and you're trying to figure out what it is you're trying to watch - that's what Nintendo TV really solves.
"Based on the way you watch TV -- which is based on shows, based on the actors, based on the genres, based on what your friends are watching -- we solve that equation by letting you search that way across all of your entertainment. For us, we think that's the big idea."
Fils-Aime also said he expects plenty of users to engage with each other about content they're watching using Twitter, Facebook and Wii U's embedded social networking service, Miiverse, all of which "is possible through Nintendo TV". Last week he predicted that Miiverse will be "a true killer application for the system".
Nintendo has confirmed a Wii U release date of November 18 in the US, and a Wii U release date of November 30 in Europe. The company has set the US Wii U price at $299 for the basic model, while the UK Wii U price starts at £230.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...rap-for-users/ ...by Published on October 9th, 2012 22:44- Categories:
- Wii U News
Warner Interactive’s Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition is to be a Wii U launch day game.
The title had previously been penciled in for the console’s “launch window”. It will now release alongside the console itself on November 30th.
It’s developed not by Rocksteady but instead by Warner Bros Games Montreal. It offers fundamentally the same experience as the Xbox, PS3 and PC version, although several alterations have been made to make use of the Wii U GamePad.
Also included in the SKU is all of the DLC available on other platforms as well as new suits and tech offering additional in-game powers
“Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition harnesses the power of the Wii U system and the Wii U GamePad with features that allow fans to further immerse themselves in the role of Batman like never before,” Warner Interactive president Martin Tremblay stated.
“WB Games Montréal evolved the incredible hit game by Rocksteady into a truly unique experience on Wii U.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/batma...-title/0104205 ...by Published on October 3rd, 2012 10:35- Categories:
- Wii U News
Chasing Aurora developer Martin Pichlmair says that Nintendo is working hard to make the Wii U eShop friendly and open for independent developers.
"I cannot talk about the new eShop in detail. What I do know is that Nintendo is doing everything to make this console much more open, social and indie-friendly than the Wii ever was," he told the Official Nintendo Magazine.
"There are people at Nintendo who know where innovative games come from. And if you look at the launch lineup you can clearly see that those people have had a say in it. At the same time, the Wii U with its various controller configurations calls for experimental games of all kinds and Nintendo is always eager to have games make good use of its console's innovations," Pichlmair added.
The games on the Wii U eShop augment the system's impressive launch day line-up of 23 titles.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...endly-than-wii ...by Published on October 3rd, 2012 10:33- Categories:
- Wii U News
Social network is a "paradigm shift" that consumers need to experience to fully understand
Nintendo
nintendo-europe.com
Ninetndo's Reggie Fils-Aime has pointed to the Wii U's social networking function, MiiVerse, as the console's killer app.
MiiVerse will appear on the Wii U's home-screen. Friends in your social network will be represented as their Mii avatars, with bubbles displaying their updates, messages and even pictures in real-time. Eventually, it will be accessible from any mobile device.
"As the network grows and the installed base grows, it will prove to be a true killer application for the system, and I say this loving what we have done with Nintendo TVii and loving all the games," Fils-Aime told AllThingsD.
"Until you try it and experience it, you may not totally understand it."
According to Fils-Aime, MiiVerse will be a "key differentiator" for Nintendo against its competitors in the gaming market. Facebook is a social network first and foremost, mobile platforms have Game Centers, and Xbox Live has a limited set of social features, but MiiVerse is the first social network to be constructed around gaming.
"People have to leave the current paradigm behind to understand what we are trying to do. Miiverse is going to be embedded right on the game platform, so literally some of the activity will be able to happen immediately as people experience it."
The Wii U goes on sale worldwide in November this year, with the cheapest version selling for $299 (£250 / ¥26,250). Nintendo has forecast 10 million unit sales by the end of the year, and retailers have already used up their pre-order allocations. However, Fils-Aime does not want a repeat of the supply shortages in the Wii's early days.
"We are looking to max out production as quickly as possible," he said.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-us-killer-app
...by Published on September 27th, 2012 00:44- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo of America boss also expects the original Wii to continue to sell millions
Nintendo of America
Meeting consumer demand and managing unit allocation is critical to any hardware launch, and it was something Nintendo had to grapple with during the Wii's launch. Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime believes that his company has a handle on things to proceed with a smooth launch for the new Wii U this holiday.
Speaking to Forbes, Fils-Aime commented, "We've learned a lot of lessons from the launch of the DS, the launch of Wii and the launch of 3DS. And our supply chain is solid. My job is to work with retailers, work with other business partners to create demand for the product, and have the consumer get excited. And I think we're well on the way to doing that."
He continued, "My expectation is that we will do a phenomenal job helping the consumer understand the benefits of Wii U, and that our retailers will do a wonderful job of merchandising the product and getting it into consumers' hands. We want to satisfy all of the demand that's out there. That's our goal."
The excitement certainly appears to be there, as specialty retailers like GameStop are dealing with huge demand. GameStop recently halted pre-orders due to "overwhelming demand." Its PowerUp Rewards members who ordered the Wii U had to be placed on a waiting list. Of course, if the supply chain is as solid as Nintendo says, it could be asked why GameStop is being made to halt additional pre-orders. Exact numbers on how many have been pre-ordered have not been made public yet.
As for the original Wii, Fils-Aime fully believes that the old console has plenty of life left in it. He compared it to the PlayStation 2 and thinks that "millions" of potential sales are out there.
"The broad marketing for the Wii is not going to change. The Wii is focused against today the late adopter, the consumer who is spending $149 or less to have a gaming experience. And we believe -not only in the U.S. but through all of the Americas- there's still millions of these types of consumers available," Fils-Aime remarked. "So it's a sizable opportunity. But that's a different consumer than who is going to look at the Wii U and get excited by the latest graphical capabilities, all of the services that are included, and new types of games. We see these as two different market opportunities."
Fils-Aime praised Sony for its strategy to prolong the sales curve for PS2, and he anticipates Nintendo doing the same thing with the Wii.
"You know, PlayStation has done a phenomenal job driving sales on what is a [twelve] year-old machine. They've done a phenomenal job, and they have been able to address different marketing over time, to build an incredibly large install base. We believe that the Wii system, similarly, will keep selling for quite some time," he said. "They're going to be different addressable markets, not only from a US perspective but from a global perspective… [but we'll] hopefully continue to drive sales at a historic rate."
For more on the Wii U's upcoming launch and Nintendo's opinion on pricing, please read our own interview with Reggie Fils-Aime here.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...id-says-reggie
...by Published on September 27th, 2012 00:42- Categories:
- Wii U News
Digital Foundry on console build costs and the decisions facing the platform holders this holiday season.
The Q4 debut for Nintendo Wii U signals the coming of the next-gen consoles and the final hurrah for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 - before the debut of their replacements next year, at least. Is it a time to maximise userbase, slashing prices and recouping the investment through software sales? Or alternatively, should the platform holders play it safe and keep prices high? Initial indicators seem to suggest that it's the latter strategy that is being pursued, provoking some level of controversy within the industry.
It's Nintendo's pricing on Wii U that has surprised many, with the 8GB pack coming in at £249/$299 while the 32GB premium version with Nintendo Land pack-in weighs in at £299/$349 (note that UK prices include 20 per cent VAT, whereas US prices lack sales tax). As launch prices go, this isn't bad in comparison to the precedents set by previous console releases, and Nintendo will point to its innovative tablet controller and exclusive games to set it apart from the competition.
However, it's safe to say that the Wii U isn't a typical launch - at its core, the guts of the unit itself has far more in common with current-gen consoles than Nintendo would probably care to admit, improved by various measures in some regards, but noticeably weaker elsewhere. There's also the fact that a lot of the launch software will already be available on consoles that cost significantly less.
"Wii U benefits from a more modern GPU and a useful memory boost, but it's a machine built to a budget and the price-point is around £50 higher than we expected."
To a great degree, price-points are defined by BOM - the Bill of Materials. On the plus side, Wii U benefits from a significantly more modern graphics core, equated by many with an entry-level enthusiast GPU a couple of generations old, provided by AMD. Our sources tell us that the hardware is rich in features compared to the Xenos core within the Xbox 360 (also supplied by AMD) but somewhat lacking in sheer horsepower: still a useful upgrade overall though. However, on the flipside, the tri-core IBM "Espresso" CPU is an acknowledged weakness compared to the current-gen consoles - the processors consisting of revised, upgraded versions of the Wii's Broadway architecture, in itself an overclocked version of the main core at the heart of the ancient GameCube. Nintendo clearly hoped that tripling up on cores, upping clock speed and adding useful features such as out of order execution would do the trick, but key developers are saying otherwise: GPU-heavy games get a boost, but CPU-dependent titles are challenging to bring over to the new platform. Debate still rages over the extent to which Wii U is a next-gen console at all, and whether its pricing fits accordingly.
The overall conclusion one can draw from the core components here is that Nintendo hasn't really paid so much attention to competitive forces, targeting a spec that can be mass-produced relatively cheaply. Areas where we know Nintendo easily outperforms Xbox 360 come to down commodity items such as RAM and flash storage: these are upgrades that won't significantly affect the bottom line. We also know that the silicon is manufactured in the 40-45nm range, giving the platform holder significant leeway to cut costs going forward in the medium to longer term (next-gen consoles will all be fabricated in the region of 28nm next year).
Wii U is a console built to a budget, its silicon almost certainly produced at the same 45nm process as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. While some may argue its premium comes from its tablet controller, even the build cost there is very modest indeed.
Of course, Nintendo's key point of differentiation is the tablet controller - which obviously adds to the bill of materials, but once again we see a piece of technology built to a price. In a world where Chinese no-name manufacturers can develop capacitive 7-inch touchscreen Android tablets with ARM processors, 8GB of flash storage and 512MB/1GB of RAM priced at £50-£60, Nintendo's resistive screen tablet produced in the millions would clearly be significantly cheaper to mass-manufacture - even factoring in the latency free AV transmission tech.
Bearing in mind the challenge Nintendo faces in competing against Microsoft and Sony - with a significant amount of its launch titles already out on the rival platforms - the pricing on the Nintendo console does look a touch on the expensive side, and I expected price-points closer to the original Wii - £180/$250 was instrumental in Nintendo's success back in 2006. Up against the £149/$249 4GB Xbox 360 (where prices fluctuate downwards significantly) there is the sense that Nintendo could well be repeating the mistake it made with 3DS. However, this time I suspect there is more leeway for the platform holder to cut costs if it has to.
"Sony's strategy in bringing a newer, cheaper PS3 to market at much the same price as its higher quality ...by Published on September 27th, 2012 00:11- Categories:
- Wii U News
To celebrate the first ever public showing of Wii U in the UK, Nintendo Life, a world-leading Nintendo-focused website, will be giving attendees the exclusive chance to win a Wii U console at this week's Eurogamer Expo in London.
Involved with the Eurogamer Expo for the first time as a media partner, the Nintendo Life team will also be present on the show floor for the duration of the expo, meeting with readers and fellow Nintendo fans as well as giving them the chance to win some on-the-spot ‘StreetPass’ prizes.
Located within the Chill Out and Cosplay area, the ‘Nintendo Life StreetPass Zone’ will provide a prime location for 3DS gamers to meet up and receive some well-earned StreetPass hits.
“We’re keen to meet and engage with our own readers and other Nintendo fans in the UK who perhaps haven’t yet discovered our site yet,” said Nintendo Life Operations Director Darren Calvert. “As well as giving away a Wii U console we’ll also be organising a selection of mini-events throughout the four days of the Expo, which will include prizes such as £100 worth of Nintendo eShop vouchers and a selection of Wii games.”
Eurogamer Expo attendees can find out how to enter the ‘Win a Wii U’ competition on our page in the official show guide, or take a flyer from the Nintendo Life team on the show floor.
The winner of the Wii U Basic 8GB (White) will be announced during October on Nintendo Life and sent to the winner on, or shortly after, November 30th 2012. ...by Published on September 26th, 2012 23:38- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo is unleashing the largest launch-day video game lineup in its history for its new Wii U™ home console. When Wii U launches in the Americas on Nov. 18, 23 games from Nintendo and its third-party publishing partners will be ready to play as well. These include Nintendo-published games like Nintendo Land™, New Super Mario Bros.™ U, SiNG PARTY™ and NINJA GAIDEN™ 3: Razor's Edge, as well as third-party powerhouses like ZombiU™ from Ubisoft, Call of Duty®: Black Ops II from Activision Publishing, Inc., Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two from Disney Interactive, EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 13 from Electronic Arts and Scribblenauts™ Unlimited from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
"We're making sure that Wii U owners will have great games to play from the moment they open the box, and that a steady stream of fun new games is always on the way," said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's president and COO. "We have something for everyone, from new franchises to creative new approaches to familiar favorites."
The high-definition Wii U system is available in two versions in the Americas, and each comes with a touch-screen Wii U GamePad controller. The Basic Set will be offered in white at a suggested retail price of $299.99 in the United States, while the Deluxe Set, which includes higher storage capacity, additional accessories and Nintendo Land, will be offered in black at a suggested retail price of $349.99 in the United States.
Wii U owners who connect their systems to the Internet also unlock a vast array of features to enhance their gaming, social and entertainment experiences. This includes features such as Nintendo eShop, which allows users to buy and download games directly to their systems, and Miiverse™, an online gaming community that lets players interact in new ways and share playing tips. Wii U owners in the United States and Canada will also have access to Nintendo TVii, which lets users access multiple sources of entertainment through a convenient GamePad interface.
Below is a list of upcoming Wii U games for launch day and beyond.
505 Games
Funky Barn - Launch Window*
2K Sports
NBA 2K13 - Launch Window
Activision Publishing, Inc.
Call of Duty®: Black Ops II - Nov. 18
Skylanders Giants™ - Nov. 18
TRANSFORMERS PRIME™ - Nov. 18
Wipeout 3 - Nov. 18
007™ Legends - Launch Window
Cabela's® Dangerous Hunts 2013 - Launch Window
Rapala® Pro Bass Fishing - Launch Window
Broken Rules
Chasing Aurora - November
Pwnee Studios
Cloudberry Kingdom - November
D3Publisher
Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game - Launch Window
Ben 10 Omniverse™ - Launch Window
Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade - Launch Window
Disney Interactive
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two - Nov. 18
Electronic Arts
EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 13 - Nov. 18
Madden NFL 13 - November
Mass Effect™ 3 - Launch Window
Frozenbyte
Trine 2™: Director's Cut - November
Gaijin Games
Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien - January
WayForward
Mighty Switch Force HD - November
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT™ 2 Wii U Edition - Nov. 18
TANK! TANK! TANK!™ - November
Nintendo
New Super Mario Bros. U - Nov. 18
NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor's Edge - Nov. 18
Nintendo Land - Nov. 18
SiNG PARTY - Nov. 18
Game & Wario™ - Launch Window
LEGO® City: Undercover - Launch Window
Pikmin™ 3 - Launch Window
Wii Fit™ U - Launch Window
The Wonderful 101™ - Launch Window
SEGA
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™ - Nov. 18
Aliens: Colonial Marines™ - Launch Window
Shin'en
Nano Assault Neo - November
Tecmo Koei America Corporation
WARRIORS OROCHI® 3 Hyper - Nov. 18
THQ
Darksiders® II - Nov. 18
JEOPARDY! ® - Launch Window
Wheel of Fortune® - Launch Window
Tomorrow Corporation
Little Inferno - November
Two Tribes
Toki Tori 2 - November
Ubisoft
Assassin's Creed® III - Nov. 18
ESPN Sports Connection™ - Nov. 18
Just Dance® 4 - Nov. 18
Rabbids® Land - Nov. 18
Your Shape®: Fitness Evolved 2013 - Nov. 18
ZombiU™ - Nov. 18
Marvel Avengers™: Battle for Earth - Launch Window
Rayman Legends® - Launch Window
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Scribblenauts™ Unlimited - Nov. 18
Game Party Champions - Nov. 18
Batman: Arkham City™ Armored Edition - Nov. 18
- Launch window is defined as the period beginning Nov. 18, 2012, and ending March 31, 2013.
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