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[abstract alien]

I would buy the tablet for the nintendo exclusives, but would still vastly rather a new console. Paying more and getting everything sounds better to me.

 

[ColdBlooder]

There will never be another PS2. That ship sailed the moment the dev costs rose to where they are now.

The dev cost thing could really play out well for Wii-U

Nintendo is gving the devs a ton of middle ware for free and if the system is easy to develop for... What else would you want? (If you´re not EPIC or insane...)

 

[Triton55]

I asked the question because my sense is that the way Nintendo fans would feel in that scenario is kinda sorta how a lot of PS3/360 only gamers feel about the Wii U now, given that they don't follow Nintendo news everyday like we do. Nintendo really, really does need to impress this E3 to make a dent in common perceptions about their ability to deliver powerful graphics, 3rd party games, online features etc etc.

I would probably still get the controller as an add-on eventually just for first-party games but I would definitely feel very disenchanted and my primary next-gen interest would shift elsewhere.

 

[Jorok Goldblade]

the only way the wii u controller would work as a continuation of the wii would be if it was actually the entire system. it wouldn't really be portable, but more of a glorified tv remote somehow.

this is probably the direction nintendo's leaning on for the following generation, assuming this upcoming one doesn't make them irrelevant.

I'd imagine that's probably in the works for the next generation- make a core gamer tablet that can beam video to a receiver that plugs into the TV, with the actual system being inside the controller and fully portable.

 

[Christberg]

There will never be another PS2. That ship sailed the moment the dev costs rose to where they are now.

Let's not get too carried away here. Everybody knows that level of exclusives won't happen again.

What I mean is a system that gets EVERYTHING, is generally the lead platform for 3rd party stuff, and is close enough in power to its competitors for the differences to not be huge in most cases.

It won't be like this out of the gate, but with some smart marketing and strategic money hats I see this being possible by the end of year 2. Part of that is precisely due to the reasons you mentioned, a lot of variables still yet to shake out though.I don't expect it to 100% happen but I don't think it's totally out of the question either.

 

[abstract alien]

I asked the question because my sense is that the way Nintendo fans would feel in that scenario is kinda sorta how a lot of PS3/360 only gamers feel about the Wii U now, given that they don't follow Nintendo news everyday like we do. Nintendo really, really does need to impress this E3 to make a dent in common perceptions about their ability to deliver powerful graphics, 3rd party games, online features etc etc.

I would probably still get the controller as an add-on eventually just for first-party games but I would definitely feel very disenchanted and my primary next-gen interest would shift elsewhere.

I feel like the only way people will look at them in this regard again is to have the companies deemed to be "graphical powerhouses" tell them they are. People have a perception, and perception is very difficult to change. No amount of mario galaxies or metroid primes at 60fps with crisp graphics will do it. Even if they see it and qualify it as beautiful, the general perception will still be there. Get the leaders to tell everyone nintendo is worthy in that regard, and the sheep will follow. Even if there are better examples of graphical and technical quality, all they need are the heads to lead the asses.

 

[Chet Rippo]

Thought experiment: if the Wii U controller actually was just a new add-on for the Wii, would you still be interested? You would have GCN/Wii graphics for another cycle and probably no 3rd party support but on the other hand still get a rejuvenated line-up of all the first-party games you would expect from a new console without paying the full price of one.

How would you feel? Do you give up on Nintendo all together at this point, or still buy the tablet?

Considering how those usually turn out, the one or two games that use if would have to be pretty damn good to be worth it. Good thing it's not.

 

[SolidSnakex]

What I mean is a system that gets EVERYTHING, is generally the lead platform for 3rd party stuff, and is close enough in power to its competitors for the differences to not be huge in most cases.

It would be a really big deal if Nintendo could convince third party devs to start building their next gen engines for the Wii U. But I really only expect that to happen if the Wii U just takes off like nothing before out the gate or if devs find out that there really isn't much of a gap between the Wii U and the PS4/Next Xbox.

 

[airmangataosenai]

Didn't work out that way for PS3, GameCube, Saturn or N64. In fact, the only time in the history of the industry that this has ever worked was the SNES, and given the 3rd-party support the Genesis/Mega Drive enjoyed, it's roughly debatable.

But we shall see.

It.... didn't? Saturn came out first in every territory and it never benefited from that head-start.

The dev cost thing could really play out well for Wii-U

Nintendo is gving the devs a ton of middle ware for free and if the system is easy to develop for... What else would you want? (If you´re not EPIC or insane...)

The idea of dev costs being driven down by going with older tech didn't pan out well with the Wii, the reason being that they couldn't monetize additional channels to sell their games as their origins as Wii games always lead to lower sales when ported (Japan notwithstanding). In turn this lead to Wii development being much riskier and (Ironically) prohibitively expensive for most devs.

 

[superpickleman]

lol @ the recent drtre discussion. I wonder if this triggered his comment.

Tre and I go way back. A couple of days ago I happened to come upon his YT channel and decided to troll his latest video at the time for old times sake. As expected, he immediately went on the defensive, but not in the way I thought he would:

Apparently he felt that I went there as a representative of GAF to downplay his various contributions to the Wii U news circuit (clearly too numerous to site). From now on, let it be known that anytime a new piece of Wii U news pops up here there's a 99% chance that it came from the source of everything: Dr.Tre.

Spoiler

I know you're reading this Tre... meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow.

 

[?oe?oe]

I've been watching a lot of past interviews lately with Reggie talking about online. We know from developers that Wii U's online is going to be at least on par with 360/PS3's online. What I find interesting is how Reggie talks about how distinctive and different it will be, what consoles have never experienced before. A lot of talk about social activities and how they will have to keep up with social aspects seen in Facebook, phones etc.

I really hope they deliver on that promise. We all the talk on the rumoured memory for the OS, it seems a lot of social aspects would be present. Which gives me some HYPE.

 

[Peru]

I've been watching a lot of past interviews lately with Reggie talking about online. We know from developers that Wii U's online is going to be at least on par with 360/PS3's online.

We don't exactly know that. It'll probably have the same main functionality, but it's a tall order to nail the interface and overall user experience when going from the bare-bones Wii online to this.

 

[Terrell]

It.... didn't? Saturn came out first in every territory and it never benefited from that head-start.

Ugh, I'm tired, forgot that Saturn didn't hit last, I think I meant something else...
But on the topic of that thing, Saturn crashed and burned for being rushed out of the gate with little to NO support because they pushed the launch up too soon for anything from 3rd-parties to be ready, and made a system that was essentially WORSE than the Cell in the PS3 for its time. You can't cock up a console launch quite as badly as they did with the Saturn.

 

[jump_button]

It would be a really big deal if Nintendo could convince third party devs to start building their next gen engines for the Wii U. But I really only expect that to happen if the Wii U just takes off like nothing before out the gate or if devs find out that there really isn't much of a gap between the Wii U and the PS4/Next Xbox.

Dont see why Wii U cant be the ps2 of this next gen maybe weaker (with other coming out later) but if it easy to work on and it got a full year out of the gate before others

Cant see MS showing nextbox if they where they be bigging it up by now and ps4 may just get a nod at the end

 

[z0m3le]

I feel like the only way people will look at them in this regard again is to have the companies deemed to be "graphical powerhouses" tell them they are. People have a perception, and perception is very difficult to change. No amount of mario galaxies or metroid primes at 60fps with crisp graphics will do it. Even if they see it and qualify it as beautiful, the general perception will still be there. Get the leaders to tell everyone nintendo is worthy in that regard, and the sheep will follow. Even if there are better examples of graphical and technical quality, all they need are the heads to lead the asses.

I've had reservations of next generation graphics really blowing us away ever since the Samaritan demo, but now that I've seen UE4, I'm convinced that it won't be blowing anyone away... It would help if the screens were 1080p, but even down sampled, I don't think they look that much better than the best of this gen; in fact the biggest difference is in effects like Tessellation and Lighting, which even the Wii U should be able to do.

What Nintendo needs, is a game that looks better than anything on current gen consoles before the PS4 and Xbox3 launch, if it can cement itself as next gen before the other consoles come out, I think graphics won't be an issue for it, just as PS2's graphics weren't really an issue for it.

We really need more Developers like Gearbox, that is willing to push not only the graphics of the machine but the unique features in the tablet. Casual games could even lead to a small Wii style explosion, and if it keeps up for an entire year, PS4 and XB3 will launch as secondary consoles to a large group of people. Wii's 8.5 games to system tie in ratio proves there are gamers on that system, and I would assume Nintendo will gain ground with the core thanks to modern graphics and a standardized yet unique controller.

 

[Terrell]

We don't exactly know that. It'll probably have the same main functionality, but it's a tall order to nail the interface and overall user experience when going from the bare-bones Wii online to this.

5 years of prep time and studying Sony's moves aren't anything to sneer at.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Dont see why Wii U cant be the ps2 of this next gen maybe weaker (with other coming out later) but if it easy to work on and it got a full year out of the gate before others

Because the PS2 had an insane number of exclusives and the overwhelming majority of games were built for it and then ported to other consoles. I really can't see that happening with the Wii U. Certainly not with Western devs who really want a monster leap over what current consoles are doing. It's possible that the Wii U will receive a large amount of Japanese exclusive games, but that'll also depend on how Sony handles the PS4.

 

[?oe?oe]

We don't exactly know that. It'll probably have the same main functionality, but it's a tall order to nail the interface and overall user experience when going from the bare-bones Wii online to this.

Of course there is a bit of concern, Iwata did say something like how online is handled pretty much by third parties. There wasn't a main 'centre' so to speak. Well that's what I got out of it.

But feedback has been positive.

 

[ColdBlooder]

The idea of dev costs being driven down by going with older tech didn't pan out well with the Wii, the reason being that they couldn't monetize additional channels to sell their games as their origins as Wii games always lead to lower sales when ported (Japan notwithstanding). In turn this lead to Wii development being much riskier and (Ironically) prohibitively expensive for most devs.

The Wii U is not as underpowered as the Wii. If Nintendo found the right middle ground (Strong enough for any multiplat downport), than they made their homework.

Going with the "MORE POWAH!!!!" philosophy would ultimately break them. They have to be sustainable every gen and can´t just throw a monster console out there that costs 399/499/599$ and still sell with an huge loss. They may make a little loss at the beginning but i doubt they are losing as much as sony and microsoft will with their next console.

I really don´t get why there are people that believe that selling at a ton of loss for the sake of a monster console is the way to go. Just because Microsoft is richer than god and can bleed money like no one else, dosen´t mean Nintendo has to follow suit.

 

[Chet Rippo]

5 years of prep time and studying Sony's moves aren't anything to sneer at.

Is Nintendo Batman?

 

[z0m3le]

It would be a really big deal if Nintendo could convince third party devs to start building their next gen engines for the Wii U. But I really only expect that to happen if the Wii U just takes off like nothing before out the gate or if devs find out that there really isn't much of a gap between the Wii U and the PS4/Next Xbox.

I don't know, if Wii had modern shaders for 2006, it would of clearly got multiports, even if it didn't display HD graphics, the main reason devs didn't bring their titles over was because it was simply impossible to port a game to Wii from the HD Twins, they had to be built from the ground up.

If Wii U can be sold out for even half a year, it will probably become the lead platform of next gen, as horsepower isn't really important this coming gen (some PCs won't be as powerful as Wii U, heck the majority of laptops can't even match PS360 in 2012) The only thing important is that the GPU does the same things as the PS4/XB3 and we have already been told by a Developer that Wii U's GPU has "2011/2012 bells and whistles" and there is nothing coming in 2013 that will outdate those graphic features. (tessellation, lighting, ect)

 

[Terrell]

Is Nintendo Batman?

OK, someone needs to make a Mushroom Signal, RIGHT NOW.

 

[jump_button]

Because the PS2 had an insane number of exclusives and the overwhelming majority of games were built for it and then ported to other consoles. I really can't see that happening with the Wii U. Certainly not with Western devs who really want a monster leap over what current consoles are doing. It's possible that the Wii U will receive a large amount of Japanese exclusive games, but that'll also depend on how Sony handles the PS4.

-_- I didnt say that iam talking about devs working on it and at the start <_< geez talk about taking something and running wild

next gen here if they like it or not and they could always port Wii U games to the next twins later

 

[?oe?oe]

The Wii U is not as underpowered as the Wii. If Nintendo found the right middle ground (Strong enough for any multiplat downport), than they made their homework.

As information serves:

Wii - used old tech, old architecture

Wii U - uses old tech, modern architecture

Is this a good way of putting it?

 

[Dreamwriter]

That's not really how Nintendo works. They don't work on one console, then the next, then the next. They have multiple R&D teams constantly experimenting with various technologies. Then when it comes time to design the next console, they pick and choose from the best of the different R&D projects. This is how the 3DS came to be, they've been playing with 3D screens for a long time, they even slapped a 3D screen onto the Gamecube at one point and hacked Luigi's Mansion to be in 3D. The Wii Remote was around before the Gamecube as well, but they couldn't put it into a game console until the technology got better (there was horrible latency in the super-expensive accelerometers of the early 2000's).

So yes, technically Nintendo is working on their next console, but it's highly doubtful anybody knows anything about what will be in it.

O_O Whaaa?? On the console itself as an attachment or...? I need to see/read more about this.

They had a 3D screen attachment for the Gamecube, fit onto the top - when they first showed off the Gamecube, that prototype 3D screen was actually in a display case, but they didn't tell anyone it was 3D until years later The Gamecube was also designed so its GPU can render two different images for left and right eyes. Unfortunately, at the time that LCD tech was uber expensive, so Nintendo shelved the idea. They also tried one of those screens on the GBA SP, but the resolution was just too low for the 3D effect to work very well. And when the Wii was in development, they tried it again with the Wii Sports golf game.

Nintendo really wanted 3D (without glasses) to work, trying it again and again over the years (they had 3D shutter glasses on the Famicom!), and it finally became feasable with the 3DS.

 

[J-Rock]

lol @ the recent drtre discussion. I wonder if this triggered his comment.

Tre and I go way back. A couple of days ago I happened to come upon his YT channel and decided to troll his latest video at the time for old times sake. As expected, he immediately went on the defensive, but not in the way I thought he would:

Apparently he felt that I went there as a representative of GAF to downplay his various contributions to the Wii U news circuit (clearly too numerous to site). From now on, let it be known that anytime a new piece of Wii U news pops up here there's a 99% chance that it came from the source of everything: Dr.Tre.

Spoiler

I know you're reading this Tre... meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow.

I'm sure he is jacking off to this post right now. He loves when people talk about him.

 

[Freezie KO]

I remember being blown away reading about the Luigi's Mansion thing, and then they announced LM2 actually in 3D. Sometimes I think Nintendo sets their mind on something and then does it because they feel like it.

 

[ColdBlooder]

As information serves:

Wii - used old tech, old architecture

Wii U - uses old tech, modern architecture

Is this a good way of putting it?

No

Wii - used last gen tech, old architecture

Wii U - uses new tech, modern architecture

Thats how it is.

The chips in the Wii U are BRAND-SPANKING-NEW so it is new tech and its a modern architecture, wether you like it or not...

Those chips are also custom and its unclear what they are really based on. Maybe some part of it is GCN some other part may be R700... We just don´t know.

But since the chip is new its not old tech!

 

[?oe?oe]

No

Wii - used last gen tech, old architecture

Wii U - uses new tech, modern architecture

Thats how it is.

The chips in the Wii U are BRAND-SPANKING-NEW so it is new tech and its a modern architecture, wether you like it or not...

Those chips are also custom and its unclear what they are really based on. Maybe some part of it is GCN some other part may be R700... We just don´t know.

But since the chip is new its not old tech!

Oh cool, I was under the impression they were using '09 tech.

 

[jump_button]

Oh cool, I was under the impression they were using '09 tech.

 

[ColdBlooder]

Oh cool, I was under the impression they were using '09 tech.

They worked on the chip until january THIS year.

But keep in mind that even if its new tech, it dosen´t mean its insanely fast!

It will be a moderate step up from current gen but Xbox3/PS4 will outperform it.

 

[abstract alien]

Oh cool, I was under the impression they were using '09 tech.

Yep, because consoles were streaming games to their controllers in '09

 

[Ryoku]

Oh cool, I was under the impression they were using '09 tech.

Nah. There's a difference between old/new tech vs power/speed of the tech.
EDIT: Usually, newer tech coincides with faster, more powerful tech. This isn't always the case, though. For example, CRT monitors have 0 response time, whereas LCDs and other forms of display that came out after the CRT have response time (though, usually extremely small and not very noticeable, if at all). It's a case of cost vs performance, honestly.

 

[?oe?oe]

Yep, because consoles were streaming games to their controllers in '09

Haha, you know what I mean!

 

[abstract alien]

Haha, you know what I mean!

Lmao, I gotcha. I always separate power and input devices though, so while the 360/PS3 have some nice horses under the hood, I've always considered them on the opposite end of the spectrum instead of above the Wii since I could play most of those games on a 15 year old controller.

The Wii U just might capture a big chunk of both sides of it though, and give us some balance for once. Nintendo could potentially be outrageous this then with both innovative AND strong tech.

 

[z0m3le]

Haha, you know what I mean!

Sadly the Wii U already has a wrap for being current gen, but in reality the effects in the Bird demo are completely next gen, for instance, there is nothing I saw in the UE4 demo that isn't being shown off in some form from that Bird demo... Hopefully that reassures you some, though make no mistake, Wii U will be no greater than half as powerful as PS4/XB3... That doesn't mean that it will visually suffer anything like that though, it really depends on Developers and that depends on US buying their games and showing them there is a large market on Wii U ready to buy "core" third party content.

 

[?oe?oe]

It's all good. This is why I don't talk tech. I know what I'm talking about in my head haha.

Games should be easier to port down to Wii U, where it was near impossible on Wii, because Wii U is so modern!

 

[ColdBlooder]

It's all good. This is why I don't talk tech. I know what I'm talking about in my head haha.

Games should be easier to port down to Wii U, where it was near impossible on Wii, because Wii U is so modern!

The codeword here is DOWNport. Somehow non Nintendo GAFfers seem to believe we have some insane hardware expectations, like being as powerful as Xbox3. Wich we don´t.

 

[darthdago]

Wrong TT. You are thinking of Tell Tale. The leak came from Travellers Tales (the Lego (insert franchise) studio).

Yeah, I think I got really confused with that two studios...sorry

 

[DCKing]

There will never be another PS2. That ship sailed the moment the dev costs rose to where they are now.

The reason why there won't be any PS2 anymore is because I don't see any console outselling the others combined by three to one. Only then will the Wii U be in the same situation.

I mean, I do see the Wii U outselling the other consoles next gen, but not with the same crazy margin Sony had with the PS2.

 

[abstract alien]

It's all good. This is why I don't talk tech. I know what I'm talking about in my head haha.

Games should be easier to port down to Wii U, where it was near impossible on Wii, because Wii U is so modern!

Well, if MS builds that monster console some are talking about, third parties could really be in a bind. What the hell do you do if you have three different systems, and three different tiers of power. The 360 and PS3 were comparable enough, but if some of the rumors turn out to be true we will be look at some shit like:

720>>>PS4>>Wii U

Not that I believe such a gap will happen this time around between the three, but what the hell do you do if you are a third party and this ludicrous situation turns into reality? That is more crazy than the PS2/GC/Xbox era in terms of gap. I guess just make them for the Wii and up-port.

 

[ColdBlooder]

Well, if MS builds that monster console some are talking about, third parties could really be in a bind. What the hell do you do if you have three different systems, and three different tiers of power. The 360 and PS3 were comparable enough, but if some of the rumors turn out to be true we will be look at some shit like:

720>>>PS4>>Wii U

Not that I believe such a gap will happen this time around between the three, but what the hell do you do if you are a third party and this ludicrous situation turns into reality? That is more crazy than the PS2/GC/Xbox era in terms of gap. I guess just make them for the Wii and up-port.

Could you imagine the PS4 and Wii U being the "HD twins" of next gen? That would be quite unexpected. But good for both Sony and Nintendo.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

is this real?

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

is this real?

I can't not see the E3 Nintendo hype train instead of the stop sign.

 

[Mistle]

is this real?

there's a network watermark in the bottom right, so i'd say no

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

there's a network watermark in the bottom right, so i'd say no

Are you sure???

I think it confirms octagonal gates.

 

[EricDiesel]

Could you imagine the PS4 and Wii U being the "HD twins" of next gen? That would be quite unexpected. But good for both Sony and Nintendo.

I'm hoping this happens. The Wii U would probably be significantly weaker than the PS4, but I'm hoping it's a PS2 > XBox situation where the games undeniably LOOK nicer on the PS4, but can run on both.

 

[shadyspace]

I wonder if we're going to get any character redesigns. I mean, how do you make Mario look noticeably better than his Galaxy model without making him look different?

 

[Alien Bob]

I wonder if we're going to get any character redesigns. I mean, how do you make Mario look noticeably better than his Galaxy model without making him look different?

Mustache physics.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

I wonder if we're going to get any character redesigns. I mean, how do you make Mario look noticeably better than his Galaxy model without making him look different?

You don't and just make the worlds look much better.