Late yesterday Nintendo?s president Satoru Iwata gave a pre-E3 presentation focused entirely on the Wii U. What he revealed is the first details of a machine that is centered around social gaming, be that multiplayer or single-player experiences.
Details about games and hardware specs will come later this week, but Nintendo decided to pre-empt E3 kicking off by presenting some of the the Wii U features it sees as unique.
Typically a new console is launched by showing off a range of games that demonstrate what the hardware can do. That?s not the case for the Wii U, which is clearly another step away from the traditional gaming model, just as the Wii was back in 2006. Where as the Wii?s main focus and selling point was motion control, the Wii U?s focus point is socially-connected gaming, with social aspects included in every aspect of the experience.
Gamepad re-design
Iwata starts by showing off the changes to the Wii U Gamepad, which now has two thumbsticks instead of circle pads. They can also be clicked like a button for an additional layer of functionality. The D-pad and main buttons have changed position slightly to aid comfort, and new grips have been added to the back, again to aid comfort.
Inside the controller Nintendo includes both motion and gyro sensors, which are typical in all devices now, and it would be more surprising not to see them form part of the hardware.
The one new feature confirmed for the Gamepad is the inclusion of an NFC reader/writer. Nintendo intends to use this for allowing content to be read from cards, which could mean cards ship with games. Alternatively, Nintendo is going to start selling a range of cards that carry new content or even unlock full games.
The Second Screen
We learn in the video that the Gamepad can act as a TV remote, fully replacing your existing remote control while also being able to control whether the Wii U console is on or off. It will even carry a TV guide allowing you to choose what to watch without overlaying content on the TV.
Beyond that, Nintendo refers to the touchscreen on the Gamepad as ?The Second Screen.? That encompasses a range of functionality including the promise of being able to view whatever is on your main TV on the Gamepad screen, effectively allowing you to play Wii U games independently of a TV.
That play away from TV feature extends to using the Wii U with other Nintendo hardware. For example, you can use the Gamepad as the display for your Wii Fit. You can also combine the Gamepad with a Wii Remote for unique input, although the example of putting the Gamepad on the floor and using the Wiimote as a golf club isn?t great. It left me asking ?why??
Miiverse and social gaming
The big push for the Wii U is social gaming. Whenever you boot up the Wii U the first thing you will see is the Miiverse and Mii Wara Wara. This ?gathering? is basically a menu interface for games you own (and some you don?t) surrounded by Miis representing your family, friends, and people who are playing the same games as you who happen to be online.
Using the Gamepad it is easy to chat with any of these people either by typing or scribbling messages with the stylus on the touchscreen. These messages get displayed as speech bubbles above your Mii, although I?m sure Nintendo will have an option to private chat.
The interaction goes well beyond just chat, though. You can establish a video link with someone, or post messages a lot like a Twitter feed. Where Nintendo introduce something new is by promising to directly integrate this feature into every game.
Regardless of whether a game has multiplayer features or is single-player focused, Miis will feature. The progress of other people playing the same game will be portrayed by their Mii head. They can leave messages of encouragement or tips on what to do, and it looks as though you?ll be able to view players playing the same area of a game so you can chat with them if you wish. The fact this will feature in single-player games could be as frustrating as it is helpful, and this is certainly something Nintendo has to prove works.
A very poor gaming example
As part of Iwata?s talk he lets us watch what Nintendo feels will be a typical gaming situation. It?s cringe worthy to say the least, and does nothing to show off these social aspects in a good light. However, it could be down to the poor acting (and script) more than the actual social features being demonstrated. You can watch the video below:
Nintendo is clearly focusing on getting gamers help when they need it, and allowing the Wii U community to provide that help. To begin with the social features will be Wii U-focused, but communication through the 3DS, smartphones, tablets, and pretty much any web-connected device is promised in the near future.
Wii U Pro Controller
It is only briefly mentioned, but just like the Wii Nintendo is catering for more intense gameplay by offering a more typical gaming controller. It is called the Wii U Pro Controller and may remind you of another gaming controller offered by Microsoft.
But what about the hardware and games?
It?s clear why Nintendo chose to do a pre-E3 briefing. The social aspects of the Wii U are new and different, and don?t really fit with the traditional console introductions focusing on games and hardware. These sharing and interaction features would no doubt be lost if talked about next to a new Zelda or Mario game, so Nintendo is getting them out of the way first.
The real Wii U introduction begins tomorrow, at which point we need to be convinced the console is an impressive machine in terms of its graphical performance and the games that are joining it at launch.
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