Nintendo took a chance in announcing and demoing Wii U upward of a year or more before its release sometime in 2012. The competition now has insight into what the trailblazing company is up to and will no doubt take a long and hard look at their future plans and tweak accordingly.
By announcing and teasing Wii U so early, Nintendo has left many questions deliberately unanswered. Their own plans for the touch-screen controller are still coming into focus. What we know now could slightly or radically change in twelve months time.
Part of the fun in discussing Wii U is asking questions and speculating on what’s to come. Let’s start with the questions here in part 4 of Wii U Week, and then I’ll tackle speculation and my wish list in the final part.
Online Identity
Nintendo’s Wii falls somewhere between last and dead last when it comes to ranking the online communities within the current generation of gaming consoles. It got off on the wrong foot by not allowing players to select their own unique online persona names or compile game achievements under one account, and fell continually behind from then on while Microsoft and Sony built online communities driven in part by millions of hardcore gamers putting in countless hours on third party games Wii was not capable of running.
Wii U provides Nintendo a chance to wipe the slate clean and build a robust worldwide online community for kids, casual, and hardcore gamers alike. The western market has been waiting for this for many years, and now Nintendo appears to have the tools to get it done. Unfortunately whatever they are planning beyond connecting to the Internet for browsing is firmly planted behind-closed-doors for the time being.
Entertainment Hub
Wii U’s horsepower and 1080p visuals enables to make the console act as an entertainment hub for games, movies, music and more. This is something Wii scratches the surface with via Netflix streaming, a small number of informational channels and game downloads. There’s so much more Nintendo could build in via software on top of the Wii U platform, if they so incline.
Next-Gen Motion Control
It’s now clear that Wii U is designed to carry forward Wii’s controllers that can work in harmony with the new WIi U touch-screen controller. What I’m wondering is if Nintendo will develop a new Wii U motion controller that plays on-par with Sony Move. Maybe they already have and are keeping it under wraps for the time being.
Durability
Wii may be the ugly stepchild when it comes to online gaming in the current generation of consoles, but it’s the King Koopa when it comes to durability. You don’t hear people complaining about their Wii overheating or throwing up a “red ring of death” because it rarely happens.
By upping the horsepower to eclipse Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, as well as introduce a touch-screen tablet controller that does not appear to be kid friendly, Wii U now has two areas of vulnerability that will need addressed by Nintendo and third parties like Power A.
Exclusivity
New Wii U games from Nintendo’s top franchises are a given on Wii U. At minimum I expect a new Mario and/or Zelda game ready for launch, and I expect those games to be bestselling titles.
Third-party developers are already committing ports of Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 games to Wii U. It’s already considered to be a relatively simple process that will leave time for Wii U touch-screen controller exclusive features to be added on top.
The “exclusivity” I’m talking about are one or two third-party developers stepping up and really putting their faith behind Wii U with an exclusive new IP. This may yet happen; we simply don’t know right now.
3D Support
Sony is actively pushing 3D with Playstation 3, and Microsoft is keeping pace by making sure third-party 3D titles are playable on Xbox 360. Noticeably absent from Wii U’s early hardware specs is support for 3D.
Nintendo is not completely adverse to 3D gaming as 3DS’ existence proves. They might be avoiding 3D gaming with glasses at all costs, and would just assume let Sony control that market while they focus in other areas.
Marketing and Pricing
Someone at Nintendo needs to come up with a foolproof marketing plan for Wii U that clearly differentiates it from Wii as a new console, yet still connects it with backwards compatibility for the controllers and games. Right now consumers are a little confused about whether Wii U is a Wii upgrade or something altogether new. The one-letter different name and way-too-similar early console design are only fueling the confusion.
Then there’s the biggest concern of all: price. Nintendo faithful will scoop up Wii U regardless of how deep they have to dig into their bank accounts, and hardcore gamers will give it a serious look if there’s software to support their wants (thus far that’s looking likely).
Casual gamers already enticed by cheap options via Facebook and mobile phones might turn their cheek at a $300-plus new gaming console. Wii sold in crazy numbers because it was affordable and innovative. The innovative angle of Wii U looks to be in the can. Affordability is another matter.
– Dan Bradley
Wii U Week Part 1: Announcement Reaction
Wii U Week Part 2: Hands-On and a New Nickname
Wii U Week Part 3: Third Party Support
Wii U Week Part 4: Questions and Concerns
Wii U Week Part 5: Optimism Prevails
