Nintendo Wii U: Zelda Tech Demo

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. But that might not be enough — so we’ll lay on the pressure too — and you should let us, and Nintendo, know about your concerns in the comments below.

(Source: IGN)

In a wide-ranging interview with Kotaku regarding the new Wii U console, one of Nintendo’s chief game designers, Katsuya Eguchi, confirmed that the system’s proprietary disc format will hold 25 Gigabytes of data. That squares with our own reporting from before E3 and puts Nintendo in a good place to run games that fill up a single-layer 25GB Blu-Ray disc, the format used by current console king of large game discs, the PlayStation 3.

Eguchi declined to comment on our report, from the same people who told us about the 25GB, that the system’s internal flash memory is 8GB. Earlier today, a Nintendo rep explained that the new console will support external USB drives, for added storage capacity.

We’ll have tons more about Wii U, including a lot of insights from Eguchi about what makes this console special for Nintendo, in the coming days.

(Source: Kotaku)

Nintendo Used 360, PS3 & PC Game Footage In Its Wii U Demo Reel

Our long Mario Party drought is over! The last game in Nintendo’sMario Party series, Mario Party 8, was released in 2007. And the latest entry, Mario Party 9was revealed today at the E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles.

The Wii game currently doesn’t have a release date, and it’s unclear whether Nintendo’s Nd Cube, which developed Wii Party, will be crafting the game or not.

(Source: Kotaku)

 Ubisoft and Nintendo revealed today that the Assassin’s Creed series will be coming to the new Wii U console. Sadly, Ubisoft played coy on just which game that would be, so it could be an all-new game, or it could just be a port!

(Source: Gizmodo)

During a developer roundtable at E3 2011, Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of such classic Nintendo franchises as Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda), showed off a few stages of Super Mario 3DS that were not available to demo on the show floor. In the middle of the demonstration, we were all a little puzzled when he began to talk about Zelda’s 25th anniversary. But soon it became very clear as to the cause of this sudden shift in subject. 

In honor of this Zelda milestone, it was revealed to us that a special level dedicated to the franchise has been included in Mario 3DS. Naturally, this level is from a top-down perspective, and features a floor pattern straight out of A Link to the Past. You’ll also see a few other throwbacks a well, such as moving spikes and torches that Mario must light using a fire flower power-up. When the torches are lit, the classic puzzle-solving music plays as your way forward is unlocked. 

The top-down perspective also allows for some cool moments using the Nintendo portable’s 3D effect. Down pound a music note box and Mario will be propelled forward, straight toward the player’s face. There are also pillars of flame that come towards the player and should look amazing as they pop out of the screen in 3D. 

Of course, this isn’t the first time Mario Easter eggs have found their way into a Zelda game. The most notable occurrence is in Link’s Awakening (which is now available for purchase on the 3DS via the Nintendo e-shop), which features goombas and koopas in a handful of side-scrolling areas included in the game. There is also a chain chomp that Link befriends and uses to gobble up enemies. And, of course, there are the Mario character portraits that can be seen through the windows in the castle courtyard in the original Ocarina of Time. 

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Zelda fan, and I can assure you that this Mario 3DS level is a fitting homage to Miyamoto-san’s other love child. It seamlessly blends the two worlds together. What’s exciting is that there’s even more to this level than was shown. There was a certain area that was purposefully avoided because Miyamoto-san declared that, “What’s in there… is a secret.” I can only assume a Zelda-themed mini-boss or some other surprise throwback lies beyond that door, but I guess we’ll all just have to wait until Super Mario 3DS releases later this year. 

What we need know about the Nintendo Wii U so far

Hands on with the Nintendo Wii U

Nintendo has introduced the world to the Wii’s touchy new big brother: the Wii U.

The Japanese gaming giant on Tuesday unveiled the Wii video game console’s successor, which will broadcast high-definition video and feature a touchscreen controller that can detect motion and interact with what appears on a television display.

“Up until now, home console games had to occupy the TV screen in order to be played,” said Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. “The new controller for Wii U, with its 6.2-inch screen built in, means you won’t need to give up your gameplay when someone else comes in the room and wants to watch a TV program.”

The white touchscreen controller, reminiscent of Apple Inc.’s iPad and other tablet computers, can broadcast standard-definition video but also features a directional pad, microphone, dual analog sticks, speakers, two pairs of shoulder buttons and a front-facing camera, which can be used to make video calls.

The console itself will use proprietary high-definition optical discs, 1080p HDMI output and internal memory that can be upgraded with USB and SD technology. No other technical specifications were provided.

The prototype controller was demonstrated during the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the gaming industry’s annual convention, in several ways: displaying a player’s inventory in a “Legend of Zelda” game, offering an alternative way to play a chasing game, being used as a shield from incoming attacks in a first-person shooter game and showing the image of a teed-up golf ball on the ground before it was struck to a putting green depicted on a TV.

The controller was also shown being used to browse the Internet both on a TV and the controller. Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president, noted that the touchscreen controller is not meant to be a portable gaming device and that the system is dubbed the Wii U because its “unique, unifying and maybe even utopian.”

Nintendo said the Wii U will be released between April and December next year and will be backward-compatible with Wii games and controllers.

“Smash Brothers,” “Darksiders II,” “Batman: Arkham City,” “Tekken,” “Assassin’s Creed” and “Metro: Last Light” were among the titles announced that would be released for the system.

The price for Wii U was not revealed.

The unveiling of the Wii U comes after two years of slumping sales for Nintendo’s Wii, which remains the overall top-selling home video game console against Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3. Those consoles already feature high-definition graphics and added motion-sensing capabilities similar to the Wii last year with their respective Kinect and Move camera systems.