With close to 90 million units sold since its launch in 2006 the original Nintendo Wii surprised many with its success, although it is since clear that its innovation drew in brand new audiences for the home console market. While the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 targeted core gamers, the Wii welcomed in young and old with uncomplicated motion controls and games which all could enjoy. Now the Wii U has been officially unveiled by Nintendo at the E3 conference it is clear that the second generation of this franchise is well underway, but what can fans expect?
The Wii U gets its quirky name from the fact that Nintendo wants to win back the support of long time gamers while still appealing to its broad Wii-owning user base. Of course the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have fairly odd names in themselves, but many will be glad that the Project Cafe codename attributed to the second Wii during development did not stick it out for the full release.
The hardware inside the original Nintendo Wii was not up to the task of pumping out true high definition visuals, unlike the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which allowed Nintendo to keep the cost of the console down. However, the Wii U will bring HD visuals to the table with Nintendo promising that they will be easily as good as if not better than its two console rivals. At the moment only a few technical demos showing off the power of the Wii U have surfaced, so the graphical fidelity of in-game action on the finished article remains to be seen. However, Nintendo seems confident that it will be enough to satisfy those who are crying out for more visual clout.
While the Wii Remote made the original a novel and immersive console to play, the Wii U will be getting a markedly different controller setup, although backwards compatibility with older remotes seems inevitable at this point. The Wii U controller will have a 6.2 inch touchscreen display, something never seen before in home consoles. It will allow users to view menu screens and additional interactive content on the controller while the main chunk of gameplay takes place on their HDTVs. Motion controls will also be integrated into the controller, along with the ability to keep streaming the game to the small screen so that someone else can use the television while the Wii U player continues their game unhindered.
Pushing the pixels and powering the controller screen will be an unknown multi-core CPU, possibly developed by IBM, along with an AMD GPU which will apparently be modified from one of the firm's Radeon graphics cards. While the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 may not be overwhelmed by the Wii U's power, perhaps because Nintendo will be very conscious of getting the console's price right, there is no way that the hardware will not be able to trade blows with its biggest rivals.
Expect to see Mario and Zelda titles arriving within a few months of the Wii U's launch. A tech demo showcasing the HD visuals of the Wii U was created using a scene from Zelda: Twilight Princess and while the original Wii is getting its own Zelda game later in the year there is enduring support for this franchise and an HD remake of previous titles may be on the cards. Of course the real prize for Nintendo will be its ability to bag support from external game development companies. Hardcore gamers might be willing to ditch their Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 if they can get the next Modern Warfare game in HD on Nintendo's little white box.
There are a few quibbles being levelled at the rumoured Wii U specifications ahead of its launch and they may remain until it is revealed in greater detail. For example, initially it was thought that only one of the new screen-based controllers could be used in conjunction with the console at a time, but Nintendo has since said that two will work simultaneously. Secondly the lack of DVD playback has annoyed some, although as Nintendo has pointed out most people already have a device for achieving this.
The Nintendo Wii U is set to launch in 2012 and bringing HD gaming to the tens of millions who loved the original will definitely cause a shift in the games industry. The fact that a follow up to the Xbox 360 is apparently being prepped for E3 2012 might worry Nintendo, but its dominance of this particular console generation has allowed it to break the cycle and update the hardware early to restore its position as a popular brand amongst those who are passionate about gaming.
The Wii U gets its quirky name from the fact that Nintendo wants to win back the support of long time gamers while still appealing to its broad Wii-owning user base. Of course the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have fairly odd names in themselves, but many will be glad that the Project Cafe codename attributed to the second Wii during development did not stick it out for the full release.
The hardware inside the original Nintendo Wii was not up to the task of pumping out true high definition visuals, unlike the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which allowed Nintendo to keep the cost of the console down. However, the Wii U will bring HD visuals to the table with Nintendo promising that they will be easily as good as if not better than its two console rivals. At the moment only a few technical demos showing off the power of the Wii U have surfaced, so the graphical fidelity of in-game action on the finished article remains to be seen. However, Nintendo seems confident that it will be enough to satisfy those who are crying out for more visual clout.
While the Wii Remote made the original a novel and immersive console to play, the Wii U will be getting a markedly different controller setup, although backwards compatibility with older remotes seems inevitable at this point. The Wii U controller will have a 6.2 inch touchscreen display, something never seen before in home consoles. It will allow users to view menu screens and additional interactive content on the controller while the main chunk of gameplay takes place on their HDTVs. Motion controls will also be integrated into the controller, along with the ability to keep streaming the game to the small screen so that someone else can use the television while the Wii U player continues their game unhindered.
Pushing the pixels and powering the controller screen will be an unknown multi-core CPU, possibly developed by IBM, along with an AMD GPU which will apparently be modified from one of the firm's Radeon graphics cards. While the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 may not be overwhelmed by the Wii U's power, perhaps because Nintendo will be very conscious of getting the console's price right, there is no way that the hardware will not be able to trade blows with its biggest rivals.
Expect to see Mario and Zelda titles arriving within a few months of the Wii U's launch. A tech demo showcasing the HD visuals of the Wii U was created using a scene from Zelda: Twilight Princess and while the original Wii is getting its own Zelda game later in the year there is enduring support for this franchise and an HD remake of previous titles may be on the cards. Of course the real prize for Nintendo will be its ability to bag support from external game development companies. Hardcore gamers might be willing to ditch their Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 if they can get the next Modern Warfare game in HD on Nintendo's little white box.
There are a few quibbles being levelled at the rumoured Wii U specifications ahead of its launch and they may remain until it is revealed in greater detail. For example, initially it was thought that only one of the new screen-based controllers could be used in conjunction with the console at a time, but Nintendo has since said that two will work simultaneously. Secondly the lack of DVD playback has annoyed some, although as Nintendo has pointed out most people already have a device for achieving this.
The Nintendo Wii U is set to launch in 2012 and bringing HD gaming to the tens of millions who loved the original will definitely cause a shift in the games industry. The fact that a follow up to the Xbox 360 is apparently being prepped for E3 2012 might worry Nintendo, but its dominance of this particular console generation has allowed it to break the cycle and update the hardware early to restore its position as a popular brand amongst those who are passionate about gaming.
About the Author:
For some great deals on Wii accessories or to find out more about gaming on smartphones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play check out Expansys.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment