Well, no doubt Nintendo are trying to hit a sweet spot, between making the current gen consoles obsolete, thus forcing Sony and MS to bring out new machines, and having a console with enough power so that if the competition does bring out those machines anyway, the Wii U itself does not become obsolete.

With all the hysteria about console wars online right now, it is difficult to predict who will do what, but it is hard to see why Sony and MS would launch their next gen machines now. They can more easily keep in touch with the Wii U by adding more ram and, in the case of the Xbox, a higher capacity disc drive, to their current consoles.

Only time will tell, but we can be sure, whatever the competition do, the Wii U will be relevant for some time to come.

Well, this story is a little old. Even so, you would expect teething problems with new tech, it's par for the course.

I don't buy the idea that, even if this is true, it is causing serious problems for developers. As we saw at E3 a controller with a wired connection works fine, that is all the devs need. Anything they can do on a wired connection should work with the new streaming connection Nintendo are developing.

Whatever the reality of the situation, Nintendo are unlikely to launch a new console that they are unsure of. Of the big three console makers, they have the better track record for reliable hardware.

Well, as I understand it, no specific hardware is actually needed within the console for 3D support, though I am sure that chips designed for this job would help considerably. It is mainly a matter of processing power and the means of display. I believe the Gamecube and Wii both supported 3D, of sorts, so whether or not it is implemented is largely up to publishers. Simple, two-colour 3D with glasses that just have coloured lenses to filter each image is relatively easy. High quality, full-colour, 3D is unlikely until there are significant number who take up 3D T.V.'s.

Blimey! This game is utterly mad, in an impressive kind of way, and a strong possibility for the Wii U, according to Capcom;




Not sure if it is my kind of thing, but it certainly pulls out all the stops. Talk about over the top.

I really don't understand why you seem determined to disagree with me, I'm not saying anything controversial or irrational.

It changes your points because:

A: A console with the same amount of current top of the range PCs is impossible, and if it weren't it would make the Wii U obsolete if just for the cool kid factor.

Of course it is not impossible, they are both computers, just in different forms. Unlikely it maybe, but I didn't claim it was likely, I said even if the "next-gen" consoles were as powerful as a current high end P.C. for the sake of making the point.

As for the "cool factor", that didn't make the Wii obsolete, some gamers branded it as a kiddies and grannies machine very early in it's life, but it did okay for an "uncool" machine.

Just as many games are currently made for the Xbox and upgraded to a P.C. and, to an extent, the other way around, it would be the same for any powerful "next-gen" console and the Wii U.

B: No, no we wouldn't. A PS3, which is considered to be amazing graphics can be bought for $299 last time I check, where as a top of the range PC costs well over $1000

Of course price is a factor, who said it wasn't? And a console of the same power as a top end P.C would also be very expensive. Price obviously overrides the lust for "jaw-dropping" graphics in many gamers minds. This point actually supports what I was saying, thanks.

As far as I can see we only disagree on what is "cool" or "jaw-dropping", and that is completely subjective, so I don't see this discussion getting any further from here.

So show me, I'm prepared to be astounded.

Don't forget, I'm talking about comparing both at a resolution of 1080p, what most modern T.V.'s are capable of, as console players tend to use T.V.'s, and this thread is about consoles. I'm just using high-end P.C.'s as a measure of what "next-gen" consoles might be like.

I'm perfectly prepared to accept that you find the differences "jaw-dropping", fine, I don't, but does that change the points I made? A: That even a "next-gen" console which was as good as, or better than, a current high-end P.C. will not make the Wii U obsolete, and B: If gamers were really that "moved" by such things then we would all be playing on P.C.'s, not consoles.

The Wii U is very likely to hold it's own with "Next-gen" consoles, regardless of their power-ups.

No, the comparison was specifically to show the quality of P.C. graphics over console graphics.

This is more like it though a little older;

It looks good when the video is stopped and the differences are pointed out, but how many would find this compelling enough, in gameplay, to buy a new machine? It certainly does not make the less powerful machine obsolete, as many "next-gen" evangelists are claiming would happen to the Wii U. I doubt the differences between the PS4 and the Wii U, at least graphically, would be much greater then the differences shown here.

No that was not the comparison at all, it was of a street scene, i think it was in a game. Anyway, I didn't say they looked the same, I said the differences were not "jaw-dropping".

Well, that was kind of the point. Both were running at 1080p and the differences were not jaw-dropping, in any way. Of course that was just graphics.

I keep looking for the site that did this, but I' sorry, it eludes me. It wasn't a dream, I promise.

I've been thinking about why Nintendo are being so secretive about the Wii U?

Sure, not all the specs will be finalised, but, with the latest version of the dev kits already out, they must have a damn good idea of what the machine is capable of? I have also been somewhat taken aback by the number of big-name devs who give verbal support to the wii U, but tend to end their comments with something like; "we'll have to wait and see if the machine and market for the Wii U suits our needs".

It is almost as if they are all singing from the same hymn-book, as though they agreed to say this kind of thing. Maybe it's my over-active imagination, or the conspiracy theorist lurking inside me, just below the surface, but I'm becoming more and more convinced that Nintendo are hiding the true power and support of the Wii U in order to create a massive splash when it is launched. Perhaps they want to catch the competition off guard?

This article is what started me down this road;
http://www.nintendoj...s/wii-u-wii-who


Then again, I might be just indulging in wishful thinking.

I particularly like the user created mock-ups of what games might look like using the second screen.

But the Dreamcast was more powerful than everything else at its time and easy to develop for, yet nobody flocked to it.

Even in the early PS2 days the Dreamcast could hold its own graphically, because the PS2 was so awkward the write for it took them years to really push it past what you could do on Dreamcast very easily.

Developers flock to the console they think consumers will buy, plain and simple.



Hang on, are you saying you think the Wii U online services are BETTER than Playstation or Xbox? Because I highly doubt it plus its all guess work right now anyway, as we do not know what it will have at all.

However based on how much they bragged about how brilliant the 3DS would be online and how they under-delivered, I'm not holding my breath.

It depends what you mean by "better"? I know this sounds like a cop-out, but different people want different things. what I see with the Wii U is that Nintendo are trying to make a console that can be used pretty much as you want. A "universal machine". With earlier consoles they made the mistake of controlling what could be done with them very tightly, it seems that they have reversed that policy, to some extent. In that developers and publishers will be able to create their own networks, run the way they want. Hopefully all this will be accessed by a single Nintendo user account and eshop. Not the unified network of Xbox live by any means, so not as good for some, but it will allow different approaches to be tried out all at the same time.

The way I look at it is, to compare the PS3 and Xbox with high-end P.C.'s. I saw a comparison not long ago, possibly at IGN, and they had to slow the clips down to point out the differences, even then, I was less than astounded. I doubt the "next-gen" consoles will be much more powerful than a current top of the range P.C., and I don't see a stampede of gamers from current consoles to P.C.'s, so, though the differences will be hyped to the heavens, in reality, I doubt they will be Earth-shaking.

No doubt Ninty will come up with some surprises.

I have only heard one criticism of the "feel" of the controls from someone who has actually used the new controller, so I doubt Nintendo are worried about this. Far better to allow and encourage players to customise the look of it, than to try and please everyone with the "perfect" hardware.

I can see stickers and such being applied to the flat controller, quite liberally, and perhaps different shaped and coloured "caps" for the circle pads. I could imagine rubber, domed caps fitting over the circle pads to give a feel more like thumbsticks.

In theory the Wii U could stream one multi-player image - like the multi-player screens we all know that show four different views on the T.V. Each controller, which we now know can save some data, could use a software filter to only display it's specific quarter of that multi-player screen. This would, almost certainly result in lower resolution and stretch the processing power of the machine, but could be a way of using upto four of the new controllers.

From videos of the Mii-hunt demo, we can see that the machines is certainly capable of displaying at least six different views of one game. Although none were full-screen.

Apparently the wii U can use more than one new constroller;

Quote: "Let me correct something that is a misconception," (Matt) Ryan began. "We said that the Wii U system will come with one Wii U controller, but we haven't said that you can only use one Wii U controller. The fact is that if the developer makes a game or an experience that uses more than one, then anything is possible."

Continue reading on Examiner.com Nintendo talks upcoming Wii games, Friday launches, Wii U, anniversaries, & more - Canada Canada Nintendo | Examiner.com http://www.examiner....e#ixzz1UdkCJiNs

And it has some ability to save data that can be taken to a friends and used on their Wii U.

Quote: "Okay, so that I can elaborate on. The Wii U is not a portable handheld device you're going to take with you in transit or into a proximity away from the Wii U console, but you can take content from your console, put it on your Wii U controller, take it with you somewhere else, and be able to upload it.  That technology is possible."


Continue reading on Examiner.com Nintendo talks upcoming Wii games, Friday launches, Wii U, anniversaries, & more - Canada Canada Nintendo | Examiner.com http://www.examiner....e#ixzz1UdoM2eg6

As for the appearance of the new controller, with it being so flat, I think it is only a matter of time before customising kits of stickers, giving different "themes" are made by a third party. I'm going for flames on black!

The PS4 and Xbox720 won't really be that much more advanced than the Wii U in terms of graphics. After all, 1080p is the absolute highest detail that the human eye can recognize, so if the Wii U already has next-gen graphics (by comparison to the PS3/Xbox360) then the only thing that the PS4/Xbox720 can do is get equal with the Wii U. And I'm not really expecting the PS4/Xbox720 until 2014 at the earliest.

I agree, I think a lot of people, including some journalists, are indulging in wishful thinking about the "next-gen".

The way I see it is if you compare games on a top end P.C. to say the Xbox, then you can see a real difference, both in graphics and A.I., the way the games responds, but then bring that to a 1080p T.V. display and the difference, in graphics is still noticeable, but not jaw-dropping and not that many will notice an improved in-game A.I. When you consider that most gamers are now playing games at 720p at 30-60 frames per second, and either don't know or don't care. Then it seems that such differences are important only to a few. Mostly game engine developers, P.C. gamers and journalists, let's face it if these differences were really important to console gamers, we would all be playing on P.C.'s.

And that is with top-end components, how much would consoles that could do this cost? Add in to this that the Wii u is already somewhat more powerful than the Xbox and PS3 and the cost for return in "next-gen, super-monster-console power", doesn't seem to add up does it?

Fanboys, and journo's, try to play it down, but Sony, and now EA, have both said that the "next-gen" is not likely to be a "big leap" in power from this. I see no reason to disbelieve them.

I'd like Nintendo to make a wireless Nunuchuck with it's own motionplus in it. Apart from this, a small redesign of the button layout on the Wiimote; replace the + pad with a circle-pad, maybe put the + pad on the Nunchuck, and put the four action buttons back in a diamond formation. I don't think they are likely to change the actual size and shape of the Wiimote or Nunchuck, they have too many attachments which would be made useless by that. I doubt Ninty would risk pissing off all those who bought such gadgets...like my Nyko sure-shot and Mariocart steering wheels.

Sony have been pushing the PS3 and Vita combo, but it is not the same as the Wii U.

The PS3 can stream a game to the Vita over PSN using a feature called "remote play". Excellent though this is for owners of both devices, it is not the same thing as the Wii U.

Using "remote play" in the same room as your PS3 will, in theory, allow you to control the game with the Vita, including using that devices touch screen and gyros, and watch the game on your T.V. I'm assuming that Sony have solved any latency issues, since the connection is online and not bluetooth, if not this claim would come back to slap them in the face.

So far, so good, but we do not know if the Vita can show a different display to that on the main screen, as the Wii U can and more importantly developers will not be able to create games knowing that every PS3 owner will also have a Vita, but they know every Wii U owner will have their second screen and controls.

Then there is the price. We don't know how much a Wii u will cost, but I'm betting it ill be less than a PS3 and a Vita.

So they are not the same thing.

I think the market for "mature-themed" third party games on the Wii U will have to be actively built and aggressively so. Third party devs sitting back with a "wait and see" attitude simply undermine the chances of that market developing at all. They are hoping others will take the risks for them and that they can step in later if the market proves itself viable on the Wii U.

The level of "prejudice" about Nintendo, that so many see it as making "kiddies" machines, is so all-pervasive that it has become self-fulfilling.

But Nintendo still has the advantage, if they can hold out and persist with developing this market, or encouraging third parties too. They have the young gamers already, so when many of those young gamers want to move on to "mature" games they can stay with the Wii U instead of having to move to another console. This is not a short-term strategy, but it is a massive advantage that can be exploited with patience and effort.

Oh bugger! I really like the look of this game too. Oh well, we can hope...

The online services look to be very flexible, apparently unifying other publishers own networks with a single Nintendo account, though that is just what I think I can gather from the bits we have been told so far.

We have seen that Nintendo are working hard to bring in third party devs. I think the Machine will survive without huge third party support, but we want more than survival don't we? Only time will tell on the actual level of support.

It's still early days yet, I'm sure we will get some announcements at the Tokyo show and more after that.

Sony have been showing their desperation lately, by specifically trying to negate uniqueness of the new Wii U controller. Their remote-play service looks good, for owners of both the PS3 and Vita, but it is not the same thing, by a long-shot.

I think, at least in discussions of whether the Wii U will be a success or not, too much focus is given to the new controller. Yes the second screen is an exciting idea, but that is hardly the greatest danger the Wii U holds for Sony, or Microsoft for that matter.

While it is natural, from a gaming point of view, to focus on the new controller of the Wii U, I think most commentators have missed a more important point about this new console.

Think about this; by far the vast majority of gamers cut their gaming teeth on a Nintendo machine, the Wii has become known, somewhat disparagingly, as a “grannies and kiddies” machine, and the Wii U looks set continue to attract those younger and family gamers. All well and good, but then we must ask a very important question; why do so many of those kids leave Nintendo and move to Sony or MS consoles?

Quite simply, because when they wanted to move on to, what they see as, the more mature, "cool", HD games they had little choice, but to go to other machines. Until now.

With the announcement of the Wii U, those gamers now have the choice to stay with Nintendo to play mature AAA HD games and all of Nintendo’s exclusive content, including it’s, still massively popular, back-catalogue.

It is safe to say, when it comes to the popularity of exclusive content, Nintendo lead the field by a long, long way. Add to this massive draw, all the same multi-platform games that other consoles have, plus an undefinable "brand-loyalty".

Looked at from this point of view and, regardless of the new controller, Nintendo look like they might have another machine which has every chance to dominate the industry again.

Ninty would love to "steal" gamers from other consoles, but that is well nigh impossible. I believe that they are aiming, mainly, at keeping their core market and adding the market of young and also "casual" gamers who want to move on to "mature" AAA games.

Sony should forget these silly "spoiler" PR exercises and focus more on attracting younger and casual gamers.

Do you drive? I don't find it particularly difficult to look around and in mirrors, constantly switching my attention from one place to another. This is very natural way of doing things, do you look down at your keyboard when typing and back up at the screen to read what you have written every few words? Low-level multi-tasking, like this, is part of living. You might as well say that you are not sure you can walk and chew gum at the same time...

If there is a steady supply of mature games for the Wii U, it cannot help, but gather gamers who like such titles.

Why would they go for the Wii U, rather than a Playstation or Xbox?

This is Nintendo's huge advantage, one that the Wii U is set to exploit very well. By far the majority of gamers, "hardcore" or not cut their gaming teeth on a Nintendo machine. Although Nintendo did, at one time, have "hardcore" titles, and some might say they still do, they have also always had the market for children and families sown up tight. The fact that they are known as the "kindergarten" of gaming is a massive strength, not a weakness.

That will continue with the Wii U. We can see many of the features are aimed at parents who want to buy for the family, the ability to play and watch T.V. at the same time is a big one, the touchscreen controller - an interface almost everyone is familiar with, if only through their phones, the design, clearly made not to scare off non-gamers, add to that the Nintendo's rep and already existing user base, massive extended by the Wii, and they will continue to dominate that sector of the market.

Why is that important in bringing mature gamers to the Wii U? Before, all those gamers who grew up playing on a Nintendo machine and wanted to move on to more "mature" titles, had no choice, but to move to a Playstation or Xbox, now they can stay with a manufacturer that they grew with; Nintendo. This is the huge advantage Nintendo have and are now on the verge of exploiting.