E3 2011 - Nintendo Asks, Will You Wii U? - The UpStream

E3 2011 - Nintendo Asks, Will You Wii U?

posted Wednesday Jun 8, 2011 by Jon Wurm

E3 2011 - Nintendo Asks, Will You Wii U?

Coming into E3 this year I knew that Nintendo couldn't afford to wait another year to do something with their next console and it seems they did as well. Before we get into what Wii U is all about I want to mention Nintendo's stage this year. It was actually a 3 tier stage which had a nice 3D effect that wasn't over done. The icing on the cake, though, was how they tailored all the video specifically to conform with the stage. I didn't think I would be awarding Nintendo my 'Best Setup' award this year but they earned it. Sony had some improvements in their design as did Microsoft but Nintendo's made a statement. Congratulations Nintendo.

Getting back on track, I was really impressed with the theoretical implementation of the Wii U controller. Wait, controller? Yes. How can they release a controller before the console? I'm glad you asked. They didn't actually release anything, instead they showed us a cool video and talked about it. We did see a lot more of the controller than we did the Wii U console which was hiding out on a shelf under the TV. A live demo would have made a much more profound statement but Reggie even mentioned the footage about the Wii U games were in 'prototype' form, so they didn't have anything real to show us.

The device itself boasts a hefty 6.2 inch touch screen, there are built in motion controls like a gyroscope that have some interesting gaming applications as well as an accelerometer. I also can't forget about the mic and inward facing camera as well as WiFi. This controller actually includes the inner workings of a full fledged handheld gaming system but it's not intended to be. This is why Nintendo is using WiFi to essentially tether the device to your console and TV.

Check out Nintendo's goal for the Wii U system and its E3 debut by hitting the break.

Nintendo does an awesome job showcasing the Wii U controller's theoretical abilities in the attached video so I'm going to wrap up with their new goal for the Wii U console. Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo Global, took some time on stage to talk about the large report Nintendo has with casual gamers and they want to expand beyond that to include all gamers. He pretty much summed it all up by saying, "Deeper and wider."

They also mentioned that the Wii U controller was designed for the more experienced gamer so this is their first way to showcase how the "Deeper and wider," concept will be implemented. That is how they are hoping that the new platform will break the boundaries between the different gamer segments. I don't know if this hardware alone will be enough for them to really break the barriers, they still might need some more mature, hardcore games under their belt. Either way, Ill be watching to see how the Wii U pans out.

What do you guys think about the Wii U controller? Let us know by leaving your creative responses below.

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