At its E3 2011 press conference moments ago, Nintendo revealed the name of it's next home console. The device will be called the Nintendo Wii U. It will be available "next year."
According to Nintendo head Saturo Iwata, the idea of the new console is to make a game platform that is equally satisfying to both hardcore and casual players. Iwata boiled it down to two words: "Deeper and Wider."
Nintendo also revealed the Wii U's new controller, with built in screen, which seems like the system's most innovative feature.It's backwards compatible, and compatible with other Nintendo devices like the Balance Board. Contains a touch-screen, microphone, gyroscope, and backwards facing camera.
The Wii U controller features a 6.2-inch HD screen, the new controller also features an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a rumble feature, an inward-facing camera, a microphone and speakers These features are in addition to the Classic Controller button scheme – two analog Circle Pads, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons.
Nintendo says the innovative controller will "enable a breadth of game-play experiences while appealing to both casual and dedicated video game players." Each Wii U console will be partnered with a new controller and can also use up to four additional Wii Remote or Wii Remote Plus controllers.
"It was not designed to be a portable video game system," according to Iwata. "The images on the controller are generated by WiiU and transmitted wirelessly," Iwata explains. Although WiiU can be used without a TV, with the monitor built into the controller.
"It's a new structure for home entertainment," Iwata said.
Check out the Wii U and it's controller below:
Oh, but that's not all. In fact, if you'd like the official details straight from the horse's mouth, simply read below for the Nintendo E3 2011 press release in its entirety, including tech specifications, more controller details, and games not announced during the conference:
At the E3 Expo, Nintendo introduced a new paradigm for video games and home entertainment: Wii U™, a new console that includes a controller with a 6.2-inch screen. Adding a second screen to the living room creates a multitude of new video game experiences while offering families a variety of options to customize their entertainment.
Previously, video games played on a home console have been confined to the TV and offered identical viewpoints to each player in a multiplayer environment. Furthermore, watching TV and playing console games have been completely separate experiences. The new controller removes these boundaries, creating a more dynamic and fluid gaming and entertainment experience. Visitors to the E3 Expo will see firsthand the type of gaming experiences made possible by Wii U and the new controller such as:
In single-player games:
- The new controller can display information on its screen that does not appear on the TV.
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The information and viewpoint can also change in the new controller based on the orientation of its gyroscope.
In multiplayer games:
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The player using the new controller can have a different experience than those looking at the TV. This will offer a wide variety of competitive and cooperative opportunities.
In addition to the 6.2-inch screen, the new controller also features an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a rumble feature, an inward-facing camera, a microphone and speakers. Adding these features to the Classic Controller™ button scheme – two analog Circle Pads, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons – will enable a breadth of game-play experiences while appealing to both casual and dedicated video game players.
Wii U combines motion-sensing game play with the ability to support full HD graphics. Each Wii U console will be partnered with a new controller and can also use up to four additional Wii Remote™ or Wii Remote Plus controllers. The system is also backward compatible and can play all Wii games and use all Wii accessories. The Wii console has sold more than 86 million units globally and greatly expanded the overall audience for video games. Wii U aims to expand that audience even further. Developers worldwide are already working on new games and experiences for the console.
“Wii U redefines the structure of home entertainment by fundamentally changing how the TV, the game console and the Internet function and interact together,” said Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. “The experience enabled by Wii U and the new controller takes players deeper into their games, while reaching out wider than ever before to be inviting to all kinds of gamers.”
Nintendo 3DS™, which lets users see 3D images without the need for special glasses, launched in the United States on March 27 and continues to evolve. Owners will find that their Nintendo 3DS experience is different every time they pick up the system, thanks to new content and updates delivered by Nintendo, by third parties and exchanged between users.
A new system update is now available for the Nintendo 3DS system. Users who connect to a wireless broadband Internet connection and install the system update will instantly gain access to the Nintendo eShop, which contains a variety of games and applications for download using a cash-based system.
Users can browse original 3D software, 3D Classics (select classic video games re-mastered in 3D), classic Game Boy™ and Game Boy Color games, and more than 350 games and applications currently offered for the Nintendo DSiWare™ service. Visitors can also see videos and screen shots for games, plus see how other players rank games.
The system update also provides Nintendo 3DS owners access to free items, including an Internet browser that can show 3D images on sites specifically designed to show 3D images, a download of a re-mastered 3D version of the NES™ classic Excitebike™ game (free until July 7) and Pokédex™ 3D, which lets users discover and view more than 150 Pokémon™ from the Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version games in visually engaging 3D.
Nintendo also announced a huge lineup of upcoming new and fan-favorite franchise games, many of which are playable on the E3 Expo show floor in booth 4922.
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Nintendo 3DS: Super Mario™, Luigi’s Mansion™ 2, Mario Kart™, Kid Icarus™: Uprising, The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, Star Fox 64™ 3D, Animal Crossing™, Paper Mario™, Picture Lives!, The Rolling Western™.
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Wii: The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword, Kirby™ Wii, Wii Play™: Motion, Mystery Case Files™: The Malgrave Incident™, Mario Party™ 9, Rhythm Heaven™ and Fortune Street™.
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Nintendo DS™: Kirby™ Mass Attack, Professor Layton and the Last Specter™, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker™ 2 and Super Fossil Fighters™.
Nintendo kicked off its E3 Expo Presentation by announcing a number of initiatives to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. A re-mastered 3D version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches for Nintendo 3DS on June 19, while Wii owners will see the arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in the 2011 holiday season. Additionally, Nintendo announced a tour of orchestral concerts featuring music from the beloved franchise. Additional commemorative activities will be announced at a later date.
For the duration of the E3 Expo, Nintendo will provide fans with exclusive videos and Nintendo content on the Nintendo Network. People can visit http://e3.nintendo.com to watch developer interviews, get all the information about new games and see coverage coming directly from the show floor. The same exclusive content also will be streamed through the Nintendo® Channel to Wii owners who have a broadband Internet connection.
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Limit007
that screen on the pad is annoying
why cant i just look at the tv
TTKafika
idc what u guys think, i honestly see a lot of potential for this system. it just needs to fix a couple of things that the wii did wrong
-get a smoother "friends list" for easier games and parties
-have a classic controller option in games, it appeals to a wider audience and lets face it, not everyone wants to point at what they shoot at
-make the menu more clean, format it better
things i like about what i see are
-the camera, allowing for facechat and etc. (gonna be awesome)
-the touch screen (as dumb as it is) but it does get rid of having to open the menu. (imagine fallout or TES but not having to hotkey items! just tap and its there!)
-better graphics. well everyone likes those.
the one thing they would have to do is MAKE IT EASY FOR GAME COMPANIES TO MAKE A GAME FOR IT! the selection on the wii was terrible
Miraste
is that new controler what the psp should�ve done with the PS3? hope nintendo can do it better than SONY did
zero137
I'll be the first to say i like wiiu more then the Wii I felt that the Wii was a cheap gimmick but the gun play games were fun I like the DS remote on wiiu but the analog stick placement needs to change but I'm not sold yet I wanna see where they take this and whut type of disc format if their smart which I think their are and go with blu ray
qnzkyat96
i personally think the wii u is a stupid idea. the fact that most games on this new system will require an old wiimote and the new controller is a dumb idea. Wow, 1080p, nintendo-your really late.
generalbob67
I think its a great idea granted at first I was more than a little bit mad with the tablet, then I started paying a little more attention and realized, holy crap, this might actually work. Granted the thing looks big, but if its light it really shouldn't matter, look at the opportunities for the screen, it allows you to keep playing the game without having to pull up the pause menu whenever you need to change anything, which, especially in online shooter games, would save me the frustration of getting shot in the back while I'm switching my weapons. One of the biggest things for me overall though, is the fact that you can move games from the TV onto the controller, granted smaller, could be slightly more aggravating, but less aggravating than having to turn over the TV for this reason or that, so with all the extra third party developers hopping on board, I would categorize this in the win column.
kingn8link
Articles don't do it justice. Watch the demo video and see for yourself if you're sold or not.
http://wii.ign.com/articles/ 117/1173582p1.html
I'm sold.
Shockwave1972
then after its been out for four years, sony and microsoft will come out with pip-boy like devices with a similar purpose.
ZandZB
If people were to actually look at Nintendo's website, they'd see all the answers they were looking for. CHECK NINTENDO PEOPLE.
Dehnyen
Nintendo wins? Seriously? This has nothing to do with preferring any sort of system. I have a PS3 and a 360 and I've been rooting for Nintendo for years now. They just keep disappointing me, personally. So, this system is going to have the graphic capability of stuff thats been out five years or so now? Well awesome. And that huge controller, meh. Maybe Im just too old school. I don't need an Ipad size controller just to view my inventory. Who cares?
At the same time, I respect them for being innovative. I understand things change but I guess this type of change just doesnt impress me. You can only play Mario Kart so many ways before it just gets old. Not impressed, but I hope it does well.
mvanish
I am a little disappointed with this, but hey an ipad Wiimote with triggers isn't a bad idea.
cygnus710
Couldn't help but think of Kung Pow Enter the Fist when they mentioned Wii-U. Can't they think of a better name?
mttmercado
ok, i do think its cool how we can use both screens, like the small screen will be the weapons/ items so the tv can be all game all the time
i REQUIRE rechargability, its nonsense if this takes batteries
the main reason i will buy this if anything is super smash bros, that game had earned my respect, lets see what nintendo does, i belive
themuse617
i hear its going to be like 450!!! for that kind of money they could have given us my ida whic is much better and more innovative than a stupid lcd screen on the controller ,they didnt even make it 3d ,they could have at least made the screen an autostereoscopic 3d screen like on the 3ds ,so in that gold game demo that they showed ,they could have had a 3d golf tee with a 3d golf ball comming up out of the floor in 3d that would have been cool ,and they could have put 2 cameras in the controller also ,so then it could do 3d video chat with the 3d screen and 2 cameras in the controller ,i cant believe they didnt make use use of the 3d head tracking in this console,even MS is doing it in their kinect games,but it was nintendos own wiimote infrared technology that was 1st used to demo the idea on you tube by johnny chung lee,that demo is so cool,nintendo is usually much more innovative than this i must say that i expected much much more from them,buy then again after the sky sword let down last year i shouldnt have been too surprised, i cant believe no body liked my VR AR glasses idea over this ,it could have been pulled off easily and cheap ,certainly not more than the projected 450$ msrp of this POS ,the 3ds has 2 screens ,sure only 1 is 3d but its size is bigger than you would need for a pait of 3d VR/AR glasses even if you cut it in half the 2 screens would be bigger than you would need for a pair of VR/AR glasses ,and the 3ds has 2 cameras and it only retails for 250$ ,and it has motion control in it as well ,no reason they couldnt have made a system with VR glasses that have 2 out facing cameras for augmented reality features and a gyro and motion sensors on it for the same price they plan on charging for this ,sure curved dome shaped 3d lcd screens would most likely cost a bit more but like i said the 3ds has 2 screens and 3 cameras and motion control and it only costs 250 ,they want to charge 450 for this thing ,VR AR glasses would have been truly innovative ,and its what people have been waiting for for years
mazariamonti
nintendo wins this year, because they finally got the graphics capabilities of an xbox 360, while adding a giant controller in the process, i would not say that nintendo did the best this year if all they did was catch up with microsoft, not even sony, and in the next year or two, microsoft or sony, probably microsoft, will release a new console that is much more powerful than the competitors,and then the other one will catch up, and nintendo will be left in the dust with it's 2006 360 graphics and a giant three pound controller, yep, nintendo definately won out big this time
camaro72toy
They said it would be a new console, all I see is a controller pad, where's the new console at?
wolfman2010
Ok. I don't get what all the fuss is about... I thought they've shown something interesting. It's not exciting me really, but it had me tilting my head and scratching it as I ponder what to make of it.
For the record: Nintendo decided to focus solely on the controller BECAUSE that is what stands out the most regarding the new WiiU. The console they didn't focus on because the specs have already been stated, and aren't really important as of yet. Here's a little breakdown:
Pros:
- Touch screen gaming, TV not required, push for tablet gaming
- Lots of 3rd party backing
- Backwards compatible with most Wii games
- HD GRAPHICS!
Cons:
- No games this year, just tech demos (and no skyward sword :( )
- Not a very good explanation regarding the system
One other thing to mention: This is NOT a mobile device. It's wireless with the console only. Overall, I can really only say, I don't hate this. I just don't know what to make of it. I feel like I'm approaching Halo 3 for the first time again. (FYI, not a fan of Halo).
Show me more Nintendo, I shan't pass judgement over ye yet.
DamionTheDevilOfTheWind
its basically a giant ds
AngelsandDemons
It reminds me of an Etch a sketch...just paint that sucker red....
meleeftw
Rofl what is this Nintendo gimmick console going to cost $499, +$199 for each additional controller?
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