We've finally entered the year of the Wii U release date. Nintendo has told us that their new console is going to be unleashed upon the world at some stage this year, with a lot of details more than likely to be announced at E3 this June (although Reggie has promised that we'll get Wii U details throughout 2012!).
The "techies" reading this will more than likely know about the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that took place in Las Vegas this week. While traditionally Nintendo has a very small presence (if any) at the show, this year they chose to bring along the Wii U and show off the E3 demos again.
This was great as it allowed higher quality and clearer videos of the Wii U demos to filter out onto the Internet (The Verge has a particularly good walkthrough). My feeling is that the demos look good but the Wii U games themselves need to be innovative.
Nintendo has been spending a lot of time so far talking about how innovative the controller is - and I think it absolutely has the potential to be. The question that we should really be asking is how innovative will the Wii U games be? Now we're used to touch screen controls and motion gaming, what will the next step be? It's up to the developers and, as seen in last year's Ghost Trick, game developers are still producing innovative games for DS, a console that's over five years old.
In my view, innovation has to prove itself to be absolutely essential to your experience (in this case gaming) in order for it to be fully accepted. That's what Nintendo got completely right with the Wii - by including Wii Sports with the console, the motion controls could instantly prove their worth and gamers could begin seeing the possibilities of swinging a sword or playing a first-person shooter naturally with the controller.
That's the demos but what about the Nintendo games? They're only very short prototypes but I didn't feel that there was enough distinction between New Super Mario Bros Mii and New Super Mario Bros Wii. Same goes for Zelda Twilight Princess and the Zelda Wii U demo. Having said that, it does look lovely and Eiji Aonuma has said that Zelda will evolve further and that future Zelda games will use Skyward Sword-style controls.
I think it'll be good to make good use of the controller's screen, but they shouldn't force it.
I think if Game Freak make Pokémon Snap, it could be good on the WiiU (it'd be pretty cool on the 3DS too, either one is awesome by me) as they could use the remote's screen as the viewfinder and the TV will show the full view of the area. And you could move around to point at different areas of what is showing on the TV.
I think board games would be great with the WiiU. Hasbro has made Hasbro family game night on the Wii, but they would probably be better on the WiiU. We've already seen people playing a board game on the screen alone, but they could make board games which utilise both. Imagine Monopoly where you use the controller screen to roll and decide on what you'll do, while the TV shows the whole board, where people are, there stats, etc.
More on the first point, I think using it as a viewfinder for shooting, as we have already seen, is perfect use of the screen.
Also, if they decided to make a WiiU professor layton, they could have the area on the TV, while you pan around and touch things on the controller. And with the puzzles, when you switch to memo, the information could display on the TV, and you can change the TV screen to show the info or hints, etc. while you use the memo on the controller.
Most of the time though, I can see it being used as the menu screen. Such as, if they ever bring Stadium 3 or Colosseum/XD sequel, you select the moves on the controller. Or when playing Zelda, as an easy way to equip items.
But I'm sure Nintendo have already thought of all of this stuff, as they have shown most of it. I had some other ideas, but they escape me at the moment.
P.S. First!
It's true the games will need to be innovative in order to ensure the Wii U is a success, but there's a fine line between 'innovative' and 'gimmicky'- developpers will have to be careful they remain on the correct side of that line to guarantee us an amzing and new gaming experience.
I imagine for developers, developing for the WiiU is a bit like developing for a High Definition DS with added extras.
There was some amazing and innovative games over the DS's life span, and I'm sure the WiiU will get the same treatment.
The controller holds many possibilities alone, but I imagine I speak for many gamers here when I say: I also hope Nintendo (And other Dev's) give us the option to use a Wii 'Mote with a CCPro combo, for a more traditional gaming experience with our new console and new games.
its true that the wii u does need to innovate (the idea about a pokemon snap sequel sounds fantastic) but nintendo really need to focus on the fact that they have made alot of mistakes with the wii and 3ds already, and learn from this. in order for the wii u to prove its worth between the casual and the hardcore, it needs a strong launch line-up with at least 1 or 2 Nintendo favourites in there, it needs to do something different with its on-line infrastructure (copying xbox live wont work) and it needs to market the console not as a gimmicky controller, but as a powerful machine that might surprise you, as a core or casual gamer. Third parties also need to get on board with serious games not carnival games rubbish.
It is true that innovation will play a part if the wii u is to be successful, but these points ive outlined are just as important, if not more.
So when is the WiiU coming out anyway?
Of course Wii U games need to be innovative - I personally feel that that is what sets Nintendo aside from their competitors. We all know that with each Nintendo console, there has been a new game-changing feature, from the humble shoulder button to the pioneering technology of the 3DS's Parallax Barrier screen. Hopefully, Nintendo will take some of their classic series to a new level (fingers crossed, at launch) using the tech being introduced with the console, ie. camera, microphone, gyroscope/accelerometer, touch screen, HD graphics, controller layout more like competitors',etc.
PS. Anyone else hoping for 3D TV compatibility?
Does the Wii U have AR?
P.S. If you are reading this Nintendo, trying to recapture the hardcore with Wii in your console's name and making the console look like the Wii is NOT going to work. Ever.
Why do I have a strong feeling that this will be delayed till next year anyways? It seems too rushed and not enough has been released to make it a 2012 possibilty :/