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| Why Wii U is true Next Gen; or at least has a chance of providing a true next gen experience | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 23 2011, 10:06 PM (673 Views) | |
| SuperTrainStationH | Nov 23 2011, 10:06 PM Post #1 |
East Unova Resident
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When Wii U was shown in prototype form at E3 2011, its announced game selection and the only tech demo of it producing intensive HD visuals lead to an impression that the Wii U is "underpowered" for what should be an 8th gen system, and that it only brings Nintendo's technology to parity with 7th gen HD consoles that will have already been on the market for six and seven years by the time Wii U hits shelves, and has little to set it apart aside from a gimmicky touch screen controller. Obsolete? Old technology? Gimmicky? I have a feeling that if Sony or Microsoft announced a gaming enhanced, internet connected, HD, streaming tablet with motion controls, built in speakers, and a built in webcam, that’s also capable of operating completely independently of the television, and serves no purpose other than to enhance the home console gaming experience, it would be regarded without question as a cutting edge product worthy of the 8th Generation of gaming consoles. Nintendo’s not only bringing out exactly that with their new Tablet Controller, but they’re releasing it not as a costly perhipheral, or an additional accessory, but shipping it as the standard issue, de-facto controller for their 8th Generation console that essentially every single Wii U game can be expected to use to some extent or another. Even if based on its E3 2011 showing, Wii U doesn’t blow away today’s console in terms of graphics, it has been described by developers as being more powerful than HD systems currently available. While it likely won’t be the most powerful 8th gen system in the end, is that really all that matters in delivering an experience worthy of the emerging generation? In the last few generations in consoles and portable systems, we’ve seen repeatedly that providing an appealing experience worthy of the times is not reliant solely on having the best graphics technically possible, or the most “advanced” technology. To demonstrate as dramatic an improvement in graphics as we saw from the 5th to the 6th generation, or from 6th to the 7th generation, the incoming 8th Generation systems will have little choice but to be enormously expensive and risky for developers and for consumers. A 600 dollar PS3 caused a tidal wave of backlash in 06, and that was BEFORE the economic crisis, and the PS3 was an obvious upgrade over 6th gen hardware. If a New Xbox doesn’t launch in 2012, the 360 will have been a current-gen system for SEVEN FULL YEARS. Whereas in the previous generations, new consoles were available to replace the old ones in as few as just four years. Something has to change, and Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft are re-evaluating their strategy with their console business. The 8th generation experience will be about creating seamless, larger, contiguous game worlds, while also making gaming more accessible by linking the console gaming experience to every aspect of the user’s digital life, and that means smartphones, tablets, portable gaming consoles, the Cloud, and simply removing the TV from the equation entirely. More polished graphics and more “advanced” hardware will be coincidental to these advances, but not define it. I think the 8th generation will be the first where the way we relate to gaming is going to be the main attraction and not just upgrading the graphics. In that sense if Nintendo gets their act together with their online service, Wii U will be better equipped to deliver an experience worthy of the 8th generation than what might be gleaned from its limited showing at E3 2011. Wii U still has a lot to prove of course, and that proof won't come until everyday gamers get their hands on it, but to count it out as low tech or gimmicky based on the modest prototype demonstration of this year's E3 is a premature judgment. Edited by SuperTrainStationH, Nov 23 2011, 10:13 PM.
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| lol_pc | Nov 24 2011, 02:03 PM Post #2 |
\m/ (>_<) \m/
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First off, let me just say that I love the Wii and i'll be getting the Wii U on release. But what bothers me about the Wii U is that they hinted at E3 that there would be more for the hardcore fans, but my question is, why bother buying a Wii U for the hardcore games when they've either already been released or will be released for the PS3 and 360? And as far as the hardware specs themselves, i'm far from impressed, they're basing a next gen console on relatively old technology (2008 for the graphics chipset), which in the end is just gonna be a problem for them if they want to hold on to the core audience, since the next PS and Xbox are probably gonna have much newer tech. And no, just because it's Sony or Microsoft, crappy tech is crappy tech, no matter who makes it. And if I remember correctly I don't recall core gamers being that excited for Kinect or Move. And yes, it comes down to horse power in new consoles, i'm not a graphics whore by any means, but in the long run if Nintendos tech is behind Microsofts and Sonys, it's gonna cost them dearly, because at that point developers don't want to develop for it when they have to scale down their games so much. Nintendo need to look at the long run, they have to start building consoles to last just like in the old days, you look at the PS3 and the 360, they might have some years on them now, but they still perform quite well. The controller excites me, I see possibilities with the tablet controller, but from a hardware point of view i'm pretty disappointed. |
 Fin moron do Taazokaan fen kod zeim ul  | |
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| SuperTrainStationH | Nov 24 2011, 03:40 PM Post #3 |
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East Unova Resident
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I really don't believe spec sheet comparisons are going to define Wii U's ability to compete, even less so than with the PS2, DS, and Wii, which were themselves significantly less powerful than the competition and still dominated at retail for the bulk of their lifespans by providing diverse game selection and novel experiences. I have absolutely no expectation that the Wii U will just be a port machine for already released PS3 and 360 games. If Nintendo wanted that, they could have easily released the "Wii HD" gamers had been begging for since 2007 with a traditional controller and ran the regular Wii as a low budget option for the casuals. I expect Wii U to be as different in its game selection and gameplay possibilities from current and future competing home consoles as the DS was from the PSP, and the 3DS will be from the PS Vita. If Nintendo just wanted to sell the Wii U to provide a Nintendo branded analogous experience to the 360 and PS3, they could have easily done so without spending millions dollars in R&D resources and millions more in marketing just to pitch this New Controller that they otherwise could do without. And that's without factoring in that "hardware generations" as we've traditionally known them are going through a paradigm shift which we aren't yet sure what the end result will be. Edited by SuperTrainStationH, Nov 24 2011, 03:44 PM.
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| lol_pc | Nov 24 2011, 04:57 PM Post #4 |
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Nope, but pair the spec sheet with low third-party support and you got a recipe for disaster. I'm not saying that the Wii U is gonna flop, but given that the Wii wasn't exactly the best platform for third-party devs (The GameCube wasn't the best in that area either) i'd imagine that big name third-party devs won't approach it with open arms, just by the shear fact that many of the big name third-party games on Wii were complete failures in the sales department. Because you have to keep in mind that it's not only the next Xbox or PS that the Wii U has to keep up with in terms of graphics, it also has to be reasonably looking compared to the PC, and with tech from 2008, that's not gonna last for long. I'm not a graphics whore, but if I have to choose, of course i'll pick the best looking version. Sony and Microsoft also have a couple of things up their sleeves. For starters Microsoft have the software side of things completely locked down, the structure of the 360 OS is extremely similar to Windows (For obvious reasons) which means that porting games from PC to 360 is done with relative ease, and this I expect to be on their next console aswell. Sony has a very loyal fanbase which is definetly a major booster, they also have a lot of new franchises from this generation to carry over to the next. Now Nintendo also has a loyal fanbase, but I think a lot of their fans have grown skeptical because of the Wii, now the Wii was a good console and had a lot of good games, but it wasn't anything Nintendo promised it to be, it took them years to get some of their core franchises on the Wii, and third-party support was subpar to say the least. Nintendos first-party titles like Mario and Zelda are amazing, but they struggle to come up with new hardcore franchises. I love Nintendo, but I feel like they promise way too much and deliver very little, and I think they're gonna have a really tough time taking back the hardcore audience when Sony and Microsoft got such a tight grip on them. Edited by lol_pc, Nov 24 2011, 05:00 PM.
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Fin moron do Taazokaan fen kod zeim ul | |
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| appletsauce | Nov 24 2011, 05:46 PM Post #5 |
3DS
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From what I've seen of Nintendo's past systems, I think they're capable of doing more with less. And even though the PSP had nicer-looking graphics, the DS was a lot of fun and always had unique, fun little quirky games for it, in addition to 30+ hour RPGs. Nintendo also at least has polish to their games. No need to worry about massive slowdown, jerky frame rates, and game-breaking bugs. And if anyone could think of something inventive and fun to do with a tablet controller, I'm sure Nintendo would be the one to do it. The bottom touch screen added a whole new style of gameplay that was very fun to me. And I'm thinking history will repeat itself with the tablet controller. Also, I wouldn't mind having a console version of a DS, but with newer games and types of games of course. Bringing the DS experience to the big screen would be awesome. If it's nothing more than that, I'll be happy with the Wii-U. |
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| Narrasand436 | Nov 24 2011, 06:40 PM Post #6 |
Closets
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Yes Wii U is considered next gen but is it Nintendo's latest big home console which will be the system that will be compared to the new Microsoft and Sony consoles in the upcoming years? No and that is why I couldn't care less about it since all Nintendo is doing is giving us HD Graphics which we have seen already for the past 7 years so there is nothing new there not to mention the overall design is ugly. If you want to buy a paperweight for at least 250$ that can play with your Wii be my guest I want to see how quickly this thing gets a price drop.
Edited by Narrasand436, Nov 24 2011, 06:43 PM.
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| lol_pc | Nov 24 2011, 06:47 PM Post #7 |
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@appletsauce That's not the problem i'm seeing, the biggest problem for Nintendo is to make a viable platform capable of competing against Sony and Microsoft, both of which have a solid grip on the hardcore market. Mario and Zelda alone will not get the Wii U success amongst the hardcore audience, Nintendo needs new exclusives in order to win over the market. Nintendo might've made a ton of money on the Wii alone, but Sony and Microsoft made up for that by having a large attachment rate per console. I'm sorry if I seem a little less enthusiastic about the Wii U, but I just feel that Nintendo lost their touch with the hardcore market with the Wii. |
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Fin moron do Taazokaan fen kod zeim ul | |
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| SuperTrainStationH | Nov 24 2011, 09:35 PM Post #8 |
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East Unova Resident
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Nothing new. Except all the stuff I talked about in the opening post. Also, the Wii and Wii U are different systems entirely, you seem to be referring to it as some sort of add on for the Wii. |
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| Andsy | Nov 25 2011, 03:16 AM Post #9 |
Hurf n' Durf Inc.
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Nintendo have gotta dig deep and pull something special out of the box. I swore off buying another Nintendo console at launch with the Wii, but then I got dragged into the 3DS malarky by the wifey. I'd like to think I've learnt my lesson now. Until I see some BIG improvements with the 3DS, I'm not touching the Wii-U. Nintendo managed to mess this up even more than Sony messing up the PSP... |
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VSigma100: If I've learned anything on here it's that Andsy is a crazy bastard. LOL. | |
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| hooflung128 | Nov 28 2011, 10:02 PM Post #10 |
Level 7
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I think at this point in the smash up technology culture that consoles, tablets, phones and handhelds are migrating to you will see that "modern" platform will mean something much different. You really have the Wii and 360 to thank for that, although the PSX is probably the first to really tout what I am about to say. It is all in the online and user experience. Right now the 360 and the PS3 are good enough for console gamers in regards to graphics. The 'next gen' will not bring much more than an iterative graphical update. You'll get true 1080p 60fps or at the very least 720p interally rendered with ultra-sharp textures that output to 1080p. The PS3 and 360 could probably do that now if more low level tweaks could be made and a little more ram put into the right spots in hardware. Wii U won't be much more than either in terms of the PS3 although, without a doubt, you'll find it to have at least 720p, 60fps with great textures. Their online and tablet interface will be what makes the Wii U push forward. Hardware aside, the Sony and 360 already have these things in some barbaric fashion. With Sony's Vita they already 'could' integrate that with the PS3/4 like the Wii U. Heck even at the Vita's price point its already a bargain compared to a Wii U with a 2nd tablet. So yes. I think you could easily qualify the Wii U next-gen. But I think it will be for all the new ways of thinking not the old ways. But it has to be as good or better than what we have now. And the tablet may very well do that. All manufacturers are going to have to cater to the new generation of gamer expectations. And I don't think 'graphics' are that important. In my opinion at least. |
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