WiiU

My speech was about the potential for growth of social gaming. I am pretty sure it was taped and posted on gamerlive.tv

The Wii U comment was in response to a question about the potential for the Wii U.

I believe (and please feel free to disagree) that a large portion of the Wii audience comprised casual gamers--those who bought one or two games a year the first two years, then put the Wii aside--and that those casual gamers moved on to another platform. The "other" platform may have been Facebook games, smart phone games, tablet games, or one of the other consoles, but once they moved on, they are not likely to come back.

At the same time, I believe (again, please feel free to disagree) that the growth of smart phones and tablets has attracted many potential dedicated handheld game customers, and these people also are unlikely to come back to either 3DS or PS Vita.

Summing this up, I think the addressable market for the Wii U is around half of the market for the Wii, and I think Microsoft and Sony will compete for a portion of that market if the Wii U is priced too high. I think that the dedicated handheld market is permanently impacted by smart phones and tablets, and think that Nintendo's addressable market is probably also half of its former market.

Nintendo is in disarray because they waited too long to launch the Wii U. I know that this sounds like (and is) sour grapes because they didn't launch the Wii HD in 2009 or 2010 as I "predicted". They should have, and because they didn't, the decline in Wii and DS hardware and software sales drove them into generating LOSSES. For those of you who aren't financial analysts, losses mean that the company is worth less than it was before. Nintendo stock has dropped by over 80% in the last few years, and the market has appreciated over the same period. I'm paid to advise investors, and none have made a profit owning Nintendo stock. I don't think that many will make a profit over the next few years, because I don't think Nintendo's strategy will return them to profitability.

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Wii U

 Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said Wii U will not have Blu-ray or DVD playback capability because people already have Blu-ray/DVD playback equipment at home, and it also reduces costs of the console.

 Game Watch reported that Wii U is using the last generation Radeon GPU similar to R770 found in Radeon 4890. However it is still more advance than PS3 and Xbox 360, such as the ability to support DirectX 10.1

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IGN- The Wii U Controller Needs Analog Sticks and Triggers

More stick, less nub, please!

The Wii U controller is, in some ways, more of a traditional controller than the Wii Remote. Its button layout is similar to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 controllers, and Nintendo's own GameCube controller. The biggest difference from other contemporary controllers, besides the giant touch screen, is that the Wii U controller replaces dual analog sticks with dual circle pads, and analog triggers with regular buttons.

If you want to feel what Nintendo's Wii U controller is using instead of analog sticks (like the stick found on the Wii Nunchuk), you don't have to wait for the Wii U to hit stores. Just pick up any old 3DS right now and check out the circle pad on the upper left side. This slider functions on a basic level as an analog input -- the further you push it in a direction, the stronger the effect is. 
The thing is, analog sticks work much better than circle pads. There's less friction and they are more sensitive to slight tilting movements that are so essential for tracking and popping tiny heads in the distance. Most people have been using analog sticks since the Nintendo 64, and so far the Wii Remote's pointer functionality is the only thing that's been an acceptable replacement for a stick on consoles (PC gamers have the all-powerful mouse).

This lack of analog sticks on the Wii U controller is especially unusual since Nintendo popularized the analog stick themselves, deeming it the only way to control Mario in 3D space. The purpose of the circle pad on the 3DS is, ostensibly, to save space. It's unclear why the sticks fell out of style on the Wii U controller, since there's plenty of space for sticks -- the thing is massive. 


The rear triggers on the Wii U controller are simplified buttons, unlike the sensitive analog triggers you would use to gradually accelerate in any modern driving game on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Again, the 3DS shares similarly lacks analog triggers if you want to check it out. This seems like less of a big deal, but the loss of the standard analog controls altogether may dissuade gamers from playing multiplatform games on the Wii U. It's hard to imagine the various advantages of the controller outweighing basic loss of functionality that even the GameCube controller had a decade ago.

The Wii U controller is still a prototype, and if Nintendo is truly serious about wooing the biggest third party developers, you can count on those porting existing games like Aliens: Colonial Marines to make a fuss about the lack of analog controls. 


http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1175666p1.html

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E3,Wii U

 ESA announced that 46,800 game industry professionals, investor analysts and retailers attended E3 2011, the figure is higher than 45,600 from 2010 and 41,000 from 2009.

Codemasters announced its online portal has been compromised by hackers, a breach on June 3rd resulted in customer names, addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, encrypted passwords and order history being compromised.

Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase said that he would be interested in making Final Fantasy VII-2, and it would have to be a really big budget title.

Nintendo revealed that the LCD display in the Wii U controller would be 854 x 480 pixels.

Nintendo mentioned that Wii games running on Wii U will not be upscaled, they will look the same as in Wii.

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Rumour: Achievements system mentioned for Wii U

The publication who has been live blogging Nintendo's third-party Roundtable mentioned that a 'Ghost Feed' feature would allow players to view friends who are online via the Wii U controller screen.

To quote the blog: "Ghost Feed Allows you track what's going on with your friends - achievements, activities, etc."

This isn't a confirmation of an achievement-type system for Wii U, it's possible that Ghost Recon Online could have its own form of achievement system.

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Tekken Hybrid,Minna no Golf 5 [Hot Shots Golf 5]

Sony announced that Minna no Golf 5 [Hot Shots Golf 5] will receive an update in the summer to support stereoscopic 3D and PS Move compatibility.

 Bandai Namco revealed in Famitsu that Tekken Hybrid will also be heading to PS3 in additional to Wii U, the game is a HD remake of Tekken Tag Tournament.

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Nintendo revealed that Wii U will not be backward compatible with GameCube games, which explains the lack of GC controller ports on the Wii U. If you want to play GameCube games you will need to keep your Wii or GameCube.

IBM announced they will provide Nintendo's Wii U a new Power-based CPU, which will be produced using 45nm technology. AMD also announced that they will supply Wii U a custom Radeon HD GPU.

 Nintendo mentioned that the Wii U touch screen controller will only come bundled with the system and it will not sold on its own.

 Satoru Iwata mentioned to Nekkei that the price of Wii U will be higher than Wii, and after the Wii U is launched, the company will continue to develop for Wii as he does not expect Wii to immediately phase out.

 Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned in Famitsu that he plans to release the next Pikmin title for Wii U. The game was original heading to Wii, but the project has been moved to Wii U due to the system supports HD graphics.

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Nintendo Wii U E3 Videos

Here are some Nintendo Wii U E3 videos for you so enjoy.

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E3 2011: Hands-on with the Nintendo Wii U Hardware

Project Cafe no more, Nintendo's next console is Wii U and as predicted, it features powerful new graphics processors and a brand new controller that sports a 6.2-inch touch screen. Though the system is in its early stages, we were able to get our hands on the Wii U and get a sense of the hardware and experiences we can expect to see next year.

While the console was present and viewable through a plexiglass cutaway panel, Nintendo wanted all eyes on the new controller, and with good reason.

The Wii U controller is likely to draw comparison to the Dreamcast controller, but the touch-enabled display is no gimmick. Nintendo isn't providing details about the integrated display, but so far we know that it is a single-touch touchscreen LCD with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Though Nintendo didn't specify whether or not the controller boasts "HD" resolutions, it is clear that they haven't taken a similar approach to the Wii U as they have with the DS line, which features fairly low-res displays. The integrated display on the WIi U controller is crisp and clean, with no visible lines of resolution. The displays are bright and vibrant, though the units I used had a cool blue color temperature.

The controller is partnered with the Wii U console, and despite previous reports to the contrary, cannot be used as a standalone device. The controller communicates with the Wii U using Bluetooth and RF technology, in the same way that the Wiimote does with the Wii. How exactly the video is processed and delivered remains unclear; however, there was no discernible lag between video being displayed on TV demo stations and the video being presented on the Wii U controller. 

The touch display is also pretty responsive, whether you're using a simple tap of the finger or the included stylus. As concept demos at Nintendo's press conference showed, the display also tracks finger or stylus movements across the surface, making swiping gestures and pen-style sketching pretty effective. 

As for the tangible controls built along the edges and base of the controller, the controls felt surprisingly familiar. Though separated by the display, the dual analogs, d-pad, action buttons, shoulder buttons, and rear-mounted triggers were intuitively placed and easy to reach. The grips on the bottom allow you to get a firm grasp, but don't impede your ability to hold the controller vertically or casually along the edge.

Much to my dismay, there were no demos involving the built-in camera or the system's video conferencing functionality, but Nintendo's promotional videos suggest that the picture quality is improved over those used in the 3DS.

Then, of course, there are the internal sensors, which include a gyroscope and an accelerometer. Though the idea of tilting a controller to control in-gamer characters and features is fairly intuitive, using the gyroscope to control in-game perspective by holding up the controller and looking around was more difficult.

In one demo, Battle Mii, the gyroscope-based perspective controls are used along with the dual analogs to move a hovering craft, which at first can be quite cumbersome, but with practice the precision gyroscope becomes almost like second nature.

For a controller as large as the Wii U's, weight becomes a concern, but it actually felt comfortable to hold. Unfortunately, Nintendo has not specified what the approximate weight will be, and unfortunately, since the prototype controller was wired into a demo station, it was likely lacking a battery pack. Since, however, Nintendo will be using a rechargeable battery pack instead of AA or AAA batteries, they'll have more flexibility in terms of weight distribution.

Then, of course, there's the mystery of the console itself. Like I mentioned, the unit was hidden from close inspection by a special compartment, but from that limited vantage I was still able to get a sense of its design and scale. Though it has rounded edges and variations in the front interface, the Wii U is comparable to the original Wii in terms of size and aesthetic design.

Many of the console's technical specifications are still a mystery, but so far we know that the system has HDMI, S-Video and composite video output, with support for 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i resolutions, which present media localized on the system's flash memory, external SD cards, or USB thumbtacks. As IGN's sources had originally indicated, Nintendo has confirmed that the system will be based on IBM Power-based multi-core CPU, though they have not discussed the GPU architecture.

All of the software on display were either limited mini-games or just tech demos, so the true graphical prowess of the system is likely to be revealed closer to launch. It was still clear from what was there, however, that the Wii U is packing some decent power under the hood.

There are certainly some lingering questions about the Wii U's performance, how the controller works, and what other applications the system is capable of.

Nintendo says the system can support up to four Wii Remotes at once, but the company has not specified how many of the Wii U controllers could be paired at once. In all of the demos presented at E3, as well as all of the publicity photos and videos, only one controller is being used. Could this mean that the system can only power on Wii U controller at once? Are there limitations in terms of the specific pairings of graphics quality and controller gameplay mechanics that can be used?

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New Super Mario Bros. Mii

 Nintendo announced New Super Mario Bros. Mii for Wii U, in the game the Miis will be playable along with Mario and Luigi. This is potentially a launch title for Wii U.

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Wii U

Nintendo revealed the Wii successor at the E3 press conference, it is called Wii U, it will come with a 6.2" touchscreen controller. The Wii U is fully backward compatible with Wii, all Wii accessories and controllers are also compatible with Wii U. You will no longer need to tie the console with the TV, you can play the game on the screen of the controller, as well as using the Wii Remote or the Balance Board in conjunction with the Wii U controller to play motion sensitive games.

The Wii U Controller will include a microphone, gyroscope, dual analog sticks, two shoulder triggers, front camera and a stylus. SatoruIwata stresses that Wii U is not a handheld, because it is not portable outside. Some other features of the Wii U include video chatting, use the controller as a drawing board, or use it to interact with TV screen, like aiming at certain objects on screen.

Nintendo announced a list of hard core games will be hitting Wii U, including Batman: Arkham City, Assassin's Creed, Dirt, Ghost Recon Online, Tekken, Metro Last Light, Aliens Colonial Marines, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge and Darksiders II. EA also announced a strengthened partnership with Nintendo to bring its game lineup to Wii U.

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