Posted 12 September 2011 - 03:45 AM
I imagine that at least the original sensor bar would still be necessary for everyone playing with Wii remotes, as those are still going to be a regularly used control standard on the system, and rightly so, considering that their potential was nowhere near fully tapped this generation as is. Let alone that of Wii MotionPlus - I'm hoping we'll see a lot more MotionPlus games on the Wii U.
As for pack-ins, more likely than anything classic gaming, I suspect we'll see some more Mii-based Wii Sports type things, along with some branching out in that regard with some other types of Mii-based games, looking at the Battle Mii and Chase Mii tech demos and how Mii gaming has been integrated on the 3DS already through StreetPass. Some online-focused features seem like they'd be a vital pack-in if Nintendo's really going to get fully serious about getting everyone online this next generation. Ideally, you'd want online setup and an account for stats and Mii-based social networking to be one of the first things you'd do when you first load up the system and new users in the household are first introduced to it, much like how when you first start up the 3DS, your first task is to create your system profile Mii and input some data for that.
Any Mii-based pack-in, whether Wii Sports 3/Wii U Sports or some other variety of Mii-based games, should ideally have online play included as a main focus to push everyone to get online after setting the system up and to make sure everyone has at least one online game to get them hooked on some fun Mii-based online gaming with friends and family, perhaps pushing the idea of keeping friends and family connected even over long distances in commercial campaigns, much like with the concept video's video chat. Any of these Mii games could certainly be comfortably adapted to have online modes, and I would think that some sort of StreetPass games-esque online Mii social metagames would act as a great means to get people hooked on going online and social networking, much like with Facebook games. And then things like that could connect with any sort of achievement system and anything perhaps Miitropolis-esque, if we do indeed end up seeing anything like that concept.
Bottom line, now that they're getting serious about online, they should really have as many online features ready to go right out of the box as soon as possible, rather than making us wait for firmware updates for features like we've had to with the Wii and 3DS, and a packed-in encouraging users to do online multiplayer in addition to having the Wii's local fun, emphasizing how they've beefed up our ability to play together from afar now too, rather than just when we're close by. Keeping a pleasant emphasis on that sort of thing through the sort of 'friends and family' angle they also had with the Wii is something that I could see working to get more users online than before, rather than pushing the more intense, "Get online and kick ass!" aggressive focus we tend to see with Sony and Microsoft where online play is concerned. That kind of angle creates a definite barrier to appealing to the mass market, and a much friendlier angle - as thoroughly discussed over in the Miitropolis thread - could undoubtedly do wonders for getting more people online. As it stands, the majority of Netflix streaming users stream through game consoles now, and the majority of those streaming through consoles are doing so through the Wii - there's an audience that goes online there that hasn't be nearly as tapped for online gaming as it could be, and the right approach to regular online communication, social networking, and gaming that isn't just about shooting each other in realistic environments can definitely grow the online audience significantly and lead to even more of an environment for all to enjoy.
)
