Nintendo Wii U

[Isiolia]

If I'm not mistaken it is supposed to be compatible with external HDD's as well?

True, though they haven't mentioned if there will be technical gotchas with that. The 360 can only use 16GB on USB HDD, for example. It's also a cost thing, aesthetics...the standard expectation would probably be an SD card as it doesn't seem very Nintendo to figure on the "everyone" demographic to go stick a USB HDD next to the console.

Either way, point is still that standard storage will likely be too small for much in the way of games or DLC - reportedly 8GB, but I don't know that Nintendo has confirmed/finalized it.

[Aevis]

Wii U worldwide release by the year-end season: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/0...80P0CI20120126

(Reuters) - Nintendo will launch a successor to its Wii game console in the U.S. and other key markets in time for the crucial year-end shopping season later this year, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told reporters on Thursday.
He said the WiiU would be launched in the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan for the year-end season.

[6souls]

http://images.eurogamer.net/2012/art...work_1.jpg.jpg

Nintendo has pulled the curtain back on the Wii U's online functions, announcing its new Nintendo Network.

This is different than the much-maligned Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection that governs previous Nintendo hardware, and is designed to cover both the 3DS and Wii U. Indeed we've seen it in action already in Mario Kart 7's online functions.

"Unlike Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which has been focused upon specific functionalities and concepts, we are aiming to establish a platform where various services available through the network for our consumers shall be connected via Nintendo Network service so that the company can make comprehensive proposals to consumers," Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata said.

"For example, competitions and communication among users, as well as the sales of digital content, will be covered within the Nintendo Network."

Nintendo Network includes a number of features Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers will be familiar with, including add-on content sales, the digital distribution of boxed games and, in the case of Wii U, the introduction of personal accounts.

The personal account system is designed to help gamers share the same Wii U. "With this, for example, the ease of using a video game system when the hardware is shared by multiple family members, which has been a challenge we needed to tackle, shall be improved, and we will also be able to construct and offer the system by combining a variety of different services and content," Iwata said.

"Whether it's our first-party titles or third parties' titles, for a number of games, we will actively attempt to achieve compatibility so that our consumers can enjoy our online services that we will deploy under the name of the Nintendo Network."

On the digital distribution of boxed games: "This concept was built into the design of the Nintendo 3DS, and we already have the necessary infrastructure," Iwata explained.

"We will prepare the same infrastructure for the Wii U. However, we have not decided the concrete timing of when we will start it. The decision must be made by taking into consideration such factors as the relationship with the wholesalers and retailers, and the best way to be embraced by consumers, as well as the environment surrounding the market and consumers, such as the required memory capacity on consumers' SD memory cards.

"However, as an option for the future, the significance of this business field will increase."

On the DLC side, Japanese 3DS game Tobidasu Pricla Kiradeco Revolution is the first for which gamers can buy add-on content for a boxed game. Final Fantasy spin-off Theatre Rhythm is the first game to sell music as DLC.

"While we are on this subject," Iwata added, "when we discuss anything relating to add-on content, our remarks are very often reported by the media by their attaching such modifiers or notes as 'the ones used for social games.'

"Please note that Nintendo, as a software maker, does not plan to deploy businesses where our consumers cannot know in advance which item will appear as the result of their payment and they have to repeat the payments and, before they know it, they end up spending a huge amount of money in order to obtain the items they originally wanted to purchase.

"As a software maker, Nintendo believes that its packaged software should be sold to our consumers in a form so that the consumers will know in advance that they can enjoy playing the software they purchased just as it is.

"We believe that our consumers will be able to feel more secure if we offer our add-on content as an additional structure in which those who love the game will be able to enjoy it in a deeper way for a prolonged play time."

Nintendo Network uses the NFC (Near Field Communication) function in the tablet controller to enable micropayments.

This will let Wii U owners create cards and figurines that can electronically read and write data via non-contact NFC - a bit like Activision's Skylanders toy and video game sets.

Meanwhile, Iwata said Nintendo will ensure the Wii U will shine at launch, set for Christmas 2012, and avoid the mistakes made with the launch of the 3DS, which was criticised for a lack of compelling games.

"The company is aiming to firmly complete the development of the entire system and prepare sufficient software so that the Wii U will be at its best at the time of the launch," Iwata said.

"Needless to say, we have learned a bitter lesson from the launch of the Nintendo 3DS."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...d-3ds-revealed

[Ratatapa]

Was univitable i guess gay

[miokomioko]

More than one Japanese video game company publicly admitting they fucked up big time? Topsy turvy.

[SephYuyX]

So if the Wii U will be at it's best for release date.. anyone would translate that to mean it will atleast have a Mario and Zelda title (and some sort of Sports/Fit game). Either theyre keeping the makings of these games real quiet and theyll be awesome, or theyll rush out a game in the last few months, or just port over Galaxy2 and Skyward Sword.

Maybe Pikman, Kid Icarus, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, Metroid,

[vrumpt]

They could actually have third party titles this time around too. Remember EA and Ubisoft are both behind Nintendo last we heard, so maybe Assassins Creed 3? Actually Mass Effect 2 and 3 would be pretty cool on the Wii U. You could have the dialogue wheel on the controller part. I could see it working out.

[6souls]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6...0666636c_z.jpg

According to a post on Eurogamer, Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata suggested during an investor Q&A session that the company may seek to generate more revenue on “old” titles through paid DLC.

I know, I know—this is a SHOCKING IDEA (that Nintendo’s competition has been doing successfully for years). The post offers Iwata’s explanations of this craaaazy concept of charging a small fee for extra content in popular games.

“Up until now, once consumers who had bought a game got tired of it, they would never play it and it would never draw public attention again. Even if the game had the sales potential to other new consumers, they rarely actually bought it because the consumers who already had bought it would never talk about it again and the game would be considered an old one.

“Having said that, what if we could provide add-on content through the network? […] this is the idea of supplying new stages to Super Mario users who want to play the game more but have completed the game and lost interest in the existing stages.”

Iwata explains that the company “anticipate[s] that Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 will bring in substantial profit in the next fiscal year and the year after that.” It stands to reason that this profit would come from digital sales of extra content.

Finally, Nintendo is getting their act together online.

Of course, this also flies in the face of statements made only a short while ago by American Nintendo boss, Reggie Fils-Aime, who said that the company would probably not ever charge users for extra content on first-party games. Seems like it takes a massive financial shitstorm to change minds, huh?

http://www.insidegamingdaily.com/201...-dlc-and-more/
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...io-3d-land-dlc
http://www.insidegamingdaily.com/201...dlc-and-wii-u/

[vrumpt]

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