Exactly.

Will people pay $60 to have half of the game, a watered down version of the 360/PS3/PC? Or will it be the same?

If it's different it's better for you to invest in a better GPU instead of buying the Wii U; and pay the same $60 for a PC version of a game. We'll only see a big change in 2013 or later, when Sony and MS announce their new stuff.

Possibility of 1080p.

But actually, just a few of the 360 and PS3 titles use 1080p. The majority still is at 720p or even less...

I think it would be a huge mistep to support HD and not provide full 1080P support. Whether developers use the full 1080P capabilities would be up to them. But if Nintendo can equal Sony and M$ on the hardware level, the added possibilities with the new controller can make this something special. Well, if the developers actually make good use of the hard ware.

No it's not: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/07/this-is-what-the-wii-u-looks-like/

I like the look of it. I am cautiously optimistic about this system.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/07/smash-bros-annouced-for-wii-u-and-3ds/


*orgasm*


Now I have to get one. Well, I was going to get one for the inevitable Zelda anyway.

Let's put things clear:

Wii U can output at 1080p.

HD=720p

Full HD=1080p

Both 360 and PS3 can output at 1080p, but they don't have enough power to run the games at 1080p so the majority of them is still at 720p or less. I don't think the Wii U will be that different from the other two consoles...

Agreed.

I agree. It might support 1080p, but I imagine most will only run at 720p in order to get a better framerate. If the hardware supports it though it'd be possible for less demanding games to run at 1080p.

One could hope that Nintendo are making use of the advances in CPU and GPU tech and Wii U will be able to run more demanding games in full HD than Sony and M$. Wouldn't that just be the kick to the teeth. Not only do we offer more control options, but it looks prettier too.

Well, put yourself in their shoes.

You are a game hardware and software developer who built up a reputation in the mid-to-late eighties and early nineties. That said, your focus has mainly been on family-friendly games with a wide appeal. The intended family-friendliness was initially less noticeable because your first flagship console could only render different shades of brown.

In the meantime, communities of a certain type of gamer have developed. People in these communities tend to be older, and have a marked preference for mature themes and complex gameplay. They are also attracted by platforms with advanced hardware, because this hardware could in theory be used to simulate more complex game worlds (while in practice it has been used to produce more advanced graphical effects).

During the mid-to-late nineties you tried to appeal to this demomgraphic; a handful of these mature gamers did grow up on your products when they were children. However, other platforms more successfully appealed to this demographic. You were continually labelled as "kiddie" and kept falling behind your competitors. Having poor third-party support did not help either.

Eventually you said to yourself "fuck this". You decided to focus on the family market more explicitly. Modern established gamers didn't need you any more you figured. They were already being served by other consoles and by PCs. You decided to attempt to market to a broader market which was distinct from this existing gaming audience.

Your effort had mixed results. You managed to outsell your competitors, technically because you were marketing to a different audience than they were which just happened to be bigger. However, the community of "mature" gamers that called you kiddie before would. Just. Not. Leave. You. Alone. Many of them still felt entitled to holding you to their standards. Having poor third-party support did not help either.

And now you're at E3. A convention that appeals all but exclusively to the high-maintenance gamer who you've been trying to avoid and who won't let you go.

Wouldn't you want to deliver a big eff 'U' to everyone? :P

P.S. I do not have any real plans on buying Nintendo's new console. And I do not own a Wii.

Well colour me dissapointed with Ninty, the new Wii U controller was a nice touch, but I really thought we had a powerful new console hiding in the background just waiting in the wings for a surprise announcement. It didn't happen. Ninty are just aiming for more of the same casual crowd. There is nothing hardcore about the Wii U.

The developers conferences I've seen ( EA and UBI ) showed some great games, and were very good except for any mention of Kinnect or PS move, both loser products in my opinion.

Some great stuff games wise en route though - Rage, Skyrim, Amalur, Mass Effect 3 etc.

But Wii U, Kinnect and PS move are totally for the lose.

Another thing I'm surprised about is PSP2, which when you convert the dollar price to UK sterling works out at £153.45. However, Shopt.net have it listed today at £229.99. Seeing as the PSP2 also wants you to buy into a new memory card format, and will not run your old PSP game discs I would say it's an instant lose.

All hardware needs to be cheap to achieve the mass sales pickup the companies need.

When will they learn ?

E3 2011 overall wickedly good for games, piss poor for hardware.

Except that the hardware is capable of outputting at 1080p, just like Xbox and PS3 and due to the capabilities of the controller is probably more powerful. Really the platform has the ability to serve both markets equally well. And it is getting early 'hardcore game' support from the 3rd parties, if the 3rd party preview reel was anything to go by. Whether the developers make use of the new controllers functions to differentiate the Wii U versions of those titles from the Ps3 and 360 counter parts remains to be seen how ever.

Sony last night was lame. I'm boderline on getting a PS3 sometime soon and they did nothing to influence that either way. Uncharted looked nice, but it doesn't sell me a system.

Nintendo this morning was cool. I've been done with Nintendo games for a long time now, so 3rd parties is what would sway me. Seems like they are just going for 360/PS3/PC ports with some added features on the controller screen which isn't really that big a deal to me (and doesn't replace mouse aim and tweaks). If there are real exclusives for my kind of gaming though it could be very persuasive.

One thing that could be awesome for me personally is if the WiiU has enhanced graphics and companies take advantage of that, which could then also bleed over into the PC versions having better graphics as well.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/07/wii-u-games/ http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/07/ubisoft-developing-hardcore-fps-exclusively-for-wii-u-four-ot/

I have my fingers crossed that Wii U will be able to outgun PS3 and 360 in the graphics department. I would assume the console will need more power to be able to stream graphics to the controller in real time and maybe that power could in turn be used to output a game at full HD to the tv in situations where the controllers screen isn't in use.

Really Ninty is trying to capture two markets with this console. If they get the 3rd party support to win over the 'hardcore' crowd, this could be very successful.

Either way, I will probably end up getting one at some point, if only to have access to the 1st party titles. I still find Zelda, Mario and Metroid to be fun game series.

People have been saying that the tech demos don't look quite as good as PS360 games but this doesn't worry me. Nintendo don't usually seem to be that good at pushing their hardware at first and these are just tech demos. Compare Nintendo's current 3DS games with the MGS and RE games Konami and Capcom are making.

Also, I hope they don't do another Metroid: Other M... I love the 2D Metroid games and I loved Metroid Prime but... Team Ninja can fuck off.