Wii U Speculation Thread The Third: Casting Dreams in The Castle of Miyamoto

something to keep in mind is whether or not nintendo actually increased the performance of their console by a significant amount.

i think it's reasonable to suspect the 3ds was originally launching in 2010, and the wii u was launching in 2011. then everything got pushed back 4-6 months, shoving the wii u into a middle-of-the-year 2012 release (with the same specs).

now it's more likely that the console will not release at the end of june, but towards the later end of the year. with an extra year to futz around, they might have just kept everything the same while they focused on getting things like the tablet working and games finalized.

tl;dr the wii u might be a system that was meant to be comparable to the ps3/360 in 2011, released one year later.

That still wouldn't make sense, though.
Nintendo knows that they can't survive off of 360./PS3 scraps for third party support.
 
That still wouldn't make sense, though.
Nintendo knows that they can't survive off of 360./PS3 scraps for third party support.

maybe the idea was the jump would be so early that microsoft and sony would have to adjust their plans in two years to suit nintendo's market, and not the other way around.
 
It'll only be less powerful when taking specs based on numbers on a piece of paper for a few things.
In practice, no single part of it will be less powerful.

How do you know?
I'm thinking it will similar to 3DS situation, its games render fewer polys than Wii, but because the use of advanced textures and shadows it looks better than Wii games (it's easy see it in MH3)
 
That still wouldn't make sense, though.
Nintendo knows that they can't survive off of 360./PS3 scraps for third party support.

Exactly. Development will start on the PS4/720 and all the big games will be showcased there (Maybe with downports to 360/PS3). If the Wii U is considered the same as a PS3/360 downport, it will again be a second class citizen and Nintendo would not have learned a single thing in the last 3 generations regarding 3rd parties.
 
Exactly. Development will start on the PS4/720 and all the big games will be showcased there (Maybe with downports to 360/PS3). If the Wii U is considered the same as a PS3/360 downport, it will fade into obscurity and Nintendo would not have learned a single thing in the last 3 generations regarding 3rd parties.

Sadly I think thats gonna happen anyways. I think they are gonna do what they think is enough for 3rd parties then stick their head in the sand.

Even the 3rd parties who are happy to try and work with Nintendo still get held back and limited because Nintendo designs a case and says work within the parameters this case will allow.
 
Sadly I think thats gonna happen anyways. I think they are gonna do what they think is enough for 3rd parties then stick their head in the sand.

Even the 3rd parties who are happy to try and work with Nintendo still get held back and limited because Nintendo designs a case and says work within the parameters this case will allow.

Absolutely. Unless Nintendo makes a system that's top of the line, "hardcorez to teh max" 3rd parties will always be unhappy. They're just not creative/confident enough to think that a control scheme is enough to sell their software.
 
Is it unreasonable for Nintendo (or anyone) to expect 3rd parties to optimize for their platform? Sometimes I think yes, other times no...

Both are being stubborn, although Nintendo on its part has always been needlessly callous.
 
Absolutely. Unless Nintendo makes a system that's top of the line, "hardcorez to teh max" 3rd parties will always be unhappy. They're just not creative/confident enough to think that a control scheme is enough to sell their software.

I think an issue is though the inflexability of Nintendo. They design a console case 2 years before launch and they are done. Sure Temco says they are working all the time tweaking stuff etc but there is only so much you can do with the limitations in place of a console case designed a year or more earlier.

You might tweak a GPU clock 50mhz one way or another etc but you arent going to be able to radically change much so while Nintendo may be more willing to listen this time they still restrict potential
 
We can only hope 3rd parties has some (good) new IPs at launch. So they can capitalise on launch sales and hopefully build a good brand.
 
Absolutely. Unless Nintendo makes a system that's top of the line, "hardcorez to teh max" 3rd parties will always be unhappy. They're just not creative/confident enough to think that a control scheme is enough to sell their software.

nah, Gamecube was top of the line system, and third parties manage to find excuses to bypass the system.
 
We can only hope 3rd parties has some (good) new IPs at launch. So they can capitalise on launch sales and hopefully build a good brand.

I'd like to believe that, but I feel like any IPs we get won't have much heart in them.

As in they will be rather generic.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if Wii U ends being inferior to PS3/360 in some hardware aspects, some source indicate it's on par with current, and other say it's slightly superior. Nintendo is probably making use of modern techniques to cover up the lack of hardware power, but in practice it's inferior in raw numbers.

The only thing I could think of is maybe the CPU. I cant imagine it being the ram or GPU.
 
"We are very interested to develop for the Nintendo Gamecube, but only if we can find a compelling way to make use of the unique handle".

01SVC.gif


Anyone ever see something like that actually said? (about the GC)
 
Didn't the GC receive around the same amount of third party support as the Xbox?

sports franchises dropped pretty fast, as well as a lot of m-rated titles. remember, the gamecube was the kiddy console, back when people used kiddy to describe things instead of casual.
 
sports franchises dropped pretty fast, as well as a lot of m-rated titles. remember, the gamecube was the kiddy console, back when people used kiddy to describe things instead of casual.

I wonder what it'll be in this upcoming generation. My money's on "Eastern."
 
Nintendo always finds a way to alienate developers. Gamecube had the Mini DVDs

I could phrase that another way: developers always found an excuse to eschew Nintendo's platform.

All platforms, regardless of manufacturer, have their own issues.. but somehow, in some way, Sony's and Microsoft's issues are always magically forgiveable. $599? RROD? Anemic sales for the first few years? Tunnelvisioned audience? All magically forgiveable.

Nintendo is not without blame, but there's a pattern, and it stinks.
 
Genuine question, does anyone actually buy Nintendo consoles specifically for the 3rd party games? For me, Nintendo systems have always been about the Nintendo games. Any good 3rd party stuff that may be offered was always a nice extra, but not the deal maker/breaker.
 
there should be another thread made for the people with negativity and doubt called: "Wii U Flip-Floppers Thread of whining and complaining"
 
Genuine question, does anyone actually buy Nintendo consoles specifically for the 3rd party games? For me, Nintendo systems have always been about the Nintendo games. Any good 3rd party stuff that may be offered was always a nice extra, but not the deal maker/breaker.

The way I see it is that I can never have anything perfect in life. ;)

If Sony and MS would follow through with their bold ten year cycle, none of this would be something to get upset over. Of course, MS and Sony never pass up a dick-waving competition, so...
 
Xbox got GTA, so ¿no?

Yeah, i'm not saying that it received all of those games but I do remember a lot of them ended up on the GC. All of the Splinter Cell's, the SSX games, CoD, MoH, Timesplitters etc. It's probably the best third party support on consoles that they've received since the SNES.
 
November is realistically a shitty time to launch but Nintendo isnt going to care cause they will go with the logic that only the hardcore will rush out right away anyways.

99% of what the Wii U will have to offer will be on identical machines at much lower prices.
 
I could phrase that another way: developers always found an excuse to eschew Nintendo's platform.

All platforms, regardless of manufacturer, have their own issues.. but somehow, in some way, Sony's and Microsoft's issues are always magically forgiveable. $599? RROD? Anemic sales for the first few years? Tunnelvisioned audience? All magically forgiveable.

Nintendo is not without blame, but there's a pattern, and it stinks.

The only reason I'm not optimistic about third parties on Wii U is because they saw the Wii break sales records and sell faster than any console before and basically sat on their hands. I remember that third parties once upon a time would support the market leader, even if it wasn't the most powerful thing out at the time (PS2), or if it was difficult to program for (PS2) or if it was so weak it had trouble running games from the previous generation (PS1). they never tried to outright veto the market's decision.

But then this generation rolls around and the market changes and rather than adapt, they essentially invent new economic buzzwords and in the case of Japan, essentially try to force the popularity of a then unpopular console (PS3). New reasons were made post hoc about motion controls being weird or dem gamers be casuals or children or grandmas, and then much later the notion that they would have to develop two versions of a game to support the Wii. Business methods that worked and made common sense in every generation before were suddenly thrown out the window, PR departments started sounding like Gamefaqs users, etc.

It was all very depressing to watch.
 
so on the remote impossibility that the WiiU is on the same level of 360/PS3 (or weaker)

what would be the best thing for Nintendo fans to do at this point?

A) We don't buy Nintendo consoles for 3rd Parties so we just shut up and take it as always

B) We have online petitions (yeah those always work)

C) Sit out buying a Nintendo console for a generation

---

Regardless of what fans choose to do, it won't change the hardware or Nintendo's choices.

There needs to come a day when everyone walks away from buying a Nintendo home console for them to care about what fans are demanding.

Even if the WiiU is really weaker in power compared to current gen I don't see fans walking away in large enough numbers to make a difference
 
so on the remote impossibility that the WiiU is on the same level of 360/PS3 (or weaker)

what would be the best thing for Nintendo fans to do at this point?

A) We don't buy Nintendo consoles for 3rd Parties so we just shut up and take it as always

B) We have online petitions (yeah those always work)

C) Sit out buying a Nintendo console for a generation

---

Regardless of what fans choose to do, it won't change the hardware or Nintendo's choices.

There needs to come a day when everyone walks away from buying a Nintendo home console for them to care about what fans are demanding.

Even if the WiiU is really weaker in power compared to current gen I don't see fans walking away in large enough numbers to make a difference

Completely depends on the games announced, as is always the case.
 
so on the remote impossibility that the WiiU is on the same level of 360/PS3 (or weaker)

what would be the best thing for Nintendo fans to do at this point?

A) We don't buy Nintendo consoles for 3rd Parties so we just shut up and take it as always

B) We have online petitions (yeah those always work)

C) Sit out buying a Nintendo console for a generation

---

Regardless of what fans choose to do, it won't change the hardware or Nintendo's choices.

There needs to come a day when everyone walks away from buying a Nintendo home console for them to care about what fans are demanding.

Even if the WiiU is really weaker in power compared to current gen I don't see fans walking away in large enough numbers to make a difference

Buy Wii U. Buy/Upgrade PC. Done.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if Wii U ends being inferior to PS3/360 in some hardware aspects, some source indicate it's on par with current, and other say it's slightly superior. Nintendo is probably making use of modern techniques to cover up the lack of hardware power, but in practice it's inferior in raw numbers.

Quoted for truth.

Remember when Nintendo announced "6 - 12 million polygons per second" for Gamecube?.

Playstation 2 and xbox fans had a riot stating the Gamecube must be far inferior but in the end Nitnendo's number was a low ball real world game estimate, whereas Sony and MS talked about figures twenty times as large, yet were never hit in game.
 
I think an issue is though the inflexability of Nintendo. They design a console case 2 years before launch and they are done. Sure Temco says they are working all the time tweaking stuff etc but there is only so much you can do with the limitations in place of a console case designed a year or more earlier.

You might tweak a GPU clock 50mhz one way or another etc but you arent going to be able to radically change much so while Nintendo may be more willing to listen this time they still restrict potential

Thing is, we don't know how flexible they are being. IIRC we have not seen an official picture of the case since E3, so things might have changed a bit if it was required. That said, I don't know enough (anything) about system and case design to know if what it was at E3 is enough for a PS3/360 "killer" or not.

Remember they don't have a PSU in there, and they don't have a hard drive. The former is a benefit over the PS3, and the latter is a benefit over PS3 and 360.
 
so on the remote impossibility that the WiiU is on the same level of 360/PS3 (or weaker)

what would be the best thing for Nintendo fans to do at this point?

A) We don't buy Nintendo consoles for 3rd Parties so we just shut up and take it as always

B) We have online petitions (yeah those always work)

C) Sit out buying a Nintendo console for a generation

---

Regardless of what fans choose to do, it won't change the hardware or Nintendo's choices.

There needs to come a day when everyone walks away from buying a Nintendo home console for them to care about what fans are demanding.

Even if the WiiU is really weaker in power compared to current gen I don't see fans walking away in large enough numbers to make a difference

Probably will do the same thing I did this gen. Buy Wii U and Nextbox or PS4.
 
so on the remote impossibility that the WiiU is on the same level of 360/PS3 (or weaker)

what would be the best thing for Nintendo fans to do at this point?

A) We don't buy Nintendo consoles for 3rd Parties so we just shut up and take it as always

B) We have online petitions (yeah those always work)

C) Sit out buying a Nintendo console for a generation

---

Regardless of what fans choose to do, it won't change the hardware or Nintendo's choices.

There needs to come a day when everyone walks away from buying a Nintendo home console for them to care about what fans are demanding.

Even if the WiiU is really weaker in power compared to current gen I don't see fans walking away in large enough numbers to make a difference

This is where I'm almost sitting. After this generation of appallingly shitty 3rd party support, and my desire for 1 (ONE) console next generation, I have to chose wisely. I love Metroid and Zelda and that's what I usually buy Nintendo systems for. However, if I don't feel that they have upped the ante enough, nor secured great 3rd party support I may just have to go with a different system and just borrow/rent for those couple of games. I feel let down over the Wii, so it has to change this generation for me.

Also, you're probably right that fans won't walk away in sufficient numbers although Nintendo did suffer this generation the last couple of years which I think was partly due to the lack of all the great 3rd party games - a lot of Wii gamers were two console gamers. The casual gamers are fickle as buggery and will give up on you as soon as you're not the next big thing. It's the core fans that hang in there, buy day one and evangelisise your system.
 
I don't get why people think that Nintendo re-entering an arms race is the best thing for anyone...
Why is it so bad for a company to be different? I just don't get it.
If you're so hung up on the third party games, you have two systems that are exactly the same already.
 
I don't get why people think that Nintendo re-entering an arms race is the best thing for anyone...
Why is it so bad for a company to be different? I just don't get it.
If you're so hung up on the third party games, you have two systems that are exactly the same already.

Not engaging in the arms-race is one thing, but if this highly unlikely rumor is true, it would be embarrassing to say the least.
 
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