Wii U: Vision of the Future

I like to sit back, and watch things grow and expand. I use to write quite a bit for a web site, GuiltyGaming.com if anyone ever seen it (I'd be surprised if you did), but now I just like to sit back and watch. I believe Sony is an imitator, they perfect what others start (or try to). The PS Vita is actually a really great handheld, I like the idea of the touch buttons on the back. Really good idea.

Microsoft innovates with software. Look at Xbox Live. Thats a mixture of software and networking innovation. Thats what Microsoft does! Even looking at Xbox Kinect, sure thats hardware but the software behind it and the innovative thought that went into it is purely amazing.

Nintendo, now, they are the mixture of Sony and Microsoft. They have the ability to make great hardware -- NES, SNES, N64, GCN, and Wii. Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, DS and 3DS. All of these, regardless of commercial success (most of them were) can be described to be amazing hardware. The design is clearly going more modern, which is not a bad thing at all. And both the N64 and GCN were powerhouses on their own right. The Wii, obviously, wasn't. Nor the DS. But the 3DS, although not more powerful then the Vita, can produce amazing visuals, and I am sure the Wii U will be the same.

And I think, when we talk innovation, Nintendo is king. They are able to think of things no one else does. Or use an age old idea for new concepts. Shoulder buttons. Rumble feature. Joystick on a controller. Duel screen technology. Motion control. 3D (it pains me to put that on there, because they haven't really done anything NEW here from what I seen).

Now my friends, we come to the pinnacle of Nintendo's innovations, putting them all together and using them for new, refreshed idea's. Shoulder buttons, joysticks, duel screens, motion control ( I assume 3D is omitted, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that added in at E3). But these innovations are going to be used differently. Where duel screens on the DS/3DS are exclusive to one player per console, it limits what that screen can do. A developer can have one player on one screen and the other player on the second screen. No, one player, two screens. Here, we can have one console, two players, each with two screens or -- even better, one console, two screens and two players. This way we can have true a-symmetrical game play where one player is somewhere doing something and the other something else. Hell, with the power of the Wii U, we could have two players playing two entirely different levels on one console. Imagine that. Why wouldn't it be possible (I realize there could be technical limitations, but we do know the Wii U can generate different images on both screens -- so it's possible).

All of this adds up to an amazing gaming machine. But that's not the future, thats not the vision of Wii U. The idea behind it is this is a device connecting families with video chat, even when you're watching TV. Comcast, Microsoft and countless other companies have tried and are trying to do this. I believe most will fail, or have failed. Nintendo, however, won't.

The problem with the Wii was it was focused on casual games. People didn't purchase them, and didn't use the Wii all that much. The problem was Nintendo was thinking like a gamer, and trying to make their new audience think like one too. Then Apple came along, and showed them a new light. The App Store. You can make simple, fun games and release theme digitally. It's cheaper for you, people will pay for them, and you get rich in the process. This is how Nintendo will draw in the casual crowd. With their App Store. You like Hulu? Netflix? Wii have it for U. You want to see your grand kids in FL? Oh wait, doesn't my little darling have a Wii U? I heard it has a video camera. Lets get one so we can talk to them and SEE them. We can do this even though we have a TV show in the back ground, unlike the other options.

See where I am going with this? Have two entirely different ecosystems. One for the hardcore -- actual games you buy -- and one for the casual -- apps you download. And they better charge a fee for their Nintendo Network, it better be affordable, and their service better rock. If you have to wait years on a 12 Mbps connection Nintendo is screwed. They better have servers to back this service up, which is why I and millions others will be willing to PAY FOR IT.

This is the future of not just gaming and Nintendo, but the world. If Nintendo can get the casual audiance to buy into the Wii U at any point -- when it's $349.99 or when the price gets cheaper -- then they will successfully change everything. Nintendo can succeed where Comcast will fail with Video Chat. Comcast you are limited to Skype. Sure, anyone can have a web cam (but anyone can do that now). The idea of talking in your living room with Xfinity Skype though, is limited with Xfinity customers only. And you have to have cable. This, you have to have the Internet and the Wii U. Pretty easy, and anyone can do it (almost anyone, Internet is still limited in some area's).

I am excited, I don't know about you. Nintendo has to play their cards right. They missed a big opportunity last year, and they better not make the same mistake this year. They need a clear vision, they need a clear goal, and they need to cater TO BOTH THE CASUAL AND HARDCORE like I have described here. What is awesome, though, is it appears they probably will do this.

Which rocks, if they do.