Nintendo has finally introduced its much anticipated Wii game console, dubbed Wii U, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) convention in Los Angeles.
The Wii U console features a new controller with a 6.2 inch touchscreen, a front-facing camera; dual analog controls, buttons, and triggers; a stylus, an accelerometer, a microphone, and a gyroscope. The controller allows direct interaction between the touchscreen and the television. It allows one to play games on it and also video chat even without the television but it is not a portable gaming device since it only gets images streamed wirelessly by the console.
According to Engadget, the Wii U is going HD and is capable of delivering 1080 video over HDMI. Its proprietary disc format can hold up to 25GB of data and the graphics will be supported by custom AMD Radeon HD GPU. David Wang, corporate vice-president of AMD's Silicon Engineering said, "We're proud to provide our leading-edge HD multimedia graphics engine to power the new entertainment features of the console. Nintendo is a highly-valued customer and we look forward to the launch in 2012."
The Wii U is backward-compatible with Nintendo Wii games and Wii controllers and some games allow the use of both controllers. The company said the console will be released between April to December in 2012.
Nintendo hopes the console will be a game changer, literally, in the world of gaming. Pres. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Global President said that with the new console, the company envisions a system that will please both hardcore and casual gamers. Reggie Fils- Aime, President of Nintendo America announced titles in development for Wii U to include: Lego City Stories, Batman: Arkham City, Tom Clancey's Ghost Recon, Tekken, Ninja Gaiden 3, Dirt, Assassin's Creed game, Aliens Colonial Marines, Razor's Edge, Darksiders II, and Metro Last Light.
The reaction to the new console unveiled by Nintendo is mixed, with some gamers posting negative comments about the size of the controller, saying it looks unwieldy and appears more like a tablet or a DS than a controller.
The most telling reaction to the new console is evident in the drop of Nintendo shares by almost six per cent on the Tokyo stock exchange, just a day after its unveiling. Shuji Hosoi, an analyst at Daiwa Securities Co., said in an interview with the Associated Press that there is uncertainty the new Wii U console will sell, considering it is facing stiff competition from other devices like tablets, specifically the iPad, and also smartphones.
However, it must be noted that Nintendo Wii is still the top-selling home video game console with worldwide sales of 86.01 million units as of March 31, 2011, compared to only 55 million units of Xbox 360 (June 2011) and 50 million of Sony PlayStation 3 (March 2011). And besides, hardcore gamers still prefer playing their games at home with big screens that can support high quality graphics and sound. One commenter on Yahoo, named Mjredder, says that investors may be mistaken about the new Wii U console:
"Most investors aren't gamers, so how could they understand the appeal of the new system anyway? As for competing with smartphones? HEY IDIOTS, I want to play games on my 42" television, not some 3-4" or even 10" screen! Mobile games are for quick stupid games like Angry Birds or Bejeweled. I'm not trying to play the next Zelda on an iPad screen; I want it BIGGER! Give me a console any day over any of the other "mobile gaming" options out there."
Let us know what you think about the new Nintendo Wii U by adding a comment below. We'd love to hear from you.
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The Wii U console features a new controller with a 6.2 inch touchscreen, a front-facing camera; dual analog controls, buttons, and triggers; a stylus, an accelerometer, a microphone, and a gyroscope. The controller allows direct interaction between the touchscreen and the television. It allows one to play games on it and also video chat even without the television but it is not a portable gaming device since it only gets images streamed wirelessly by the console.
According to Engadget, the Wii U is going HD and is capable of delivering 1080 video over HDMI. Its proprietary disc format can hold up to 25GB of data and the graphics will be supported by custom AMD Radeon HD GPU. David Wang, corporate vice-president of AMD's Silicon Engineering said, "We're proud to provide our leading-edge HD multimedia graphics engine to power the new entertainment features of the console. Nintendo is a highly-valued customer and we look forward to the launch in 2012."
The Wii U is backward-compatible with Nintendo Wii games and Wii controllers and some games allow the use of both controllers. The company said the console will be released between April to December in 2012.
Nintendo hopes the console will be a game changer, literally, in the world of gaming. Pres. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Global President said that with the new console, the company envisions a system that will please both hardcore and casual gamers. Reggie Fils- Aime, President of Nintendo America announced titles in development for Wii U to include: Lego City Stories, Batman: Arkham City, Tom Clancey's Ghost Recon, Tekken, Ninja Gaiden 3, Dirt, Assassin's Creed game, Aliens Colonial Marines, Razor's Edge, Darksiders II, and Metro Last Light.
The reaction to the new console unveiled by Nintendo is mixed, with some gamers posting negative comments about the size of the controller, saying it looks unwieldy and appears more like a tablet or a DS than a controller.
The most telling reaction to the new console is evident in the drop of Nintendo shares by almost six per cent on the Tokyo stock exchange, just a day after its unveiling. Shuji Hosoi, an analyst at Daiwa Securities Co., said in an interview with the Associated Press that there is uncertainty the new Wii U console will sell, considering it is facing stiff competition from other devices like tablets, specifically the iPad, and also smartphones.
However, it must be noted that Nintendo Wii is still the top-selling home video game console with worldwide sales of 86.01 million units as of March 31, 2011, compared to only 55 million units of Xbox 360 (June 2011) and 50 million of Sony PlayStation 3 (March 2011). And besides, hardcore gamers still prefer playing their games at home with big screens that can support high quality graphics and sound. One commenter on Yahoo, named Mjredder, says that investors may be mistaken about the new Wii U console:
"Most investors aren't gamers, so how could they understand the appeal of the new system anyway? As for competing with smartphones? HEY IDIOTS, I want to play games on my 42" television, not some 3-4" or even 10" screen! Mobile games are for quick stupid games like Angry Birds or Bejeweled. I'm not trying to play the next Zelda on an iPad screen; I want it BIGGER! Give me a console any day over any of the other "mobile gaming" options out there."
Let us know what you think about the new Nintendo Wii U by adding a comment below. We'd love to hear from you.
Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter and be the first to know when we publish new posts. Get it now!
that conroller will weigh heavier with every hour of gameplay
ReplyDeleteoooops! i meant "controller"...
ReplyDelete