The Wii U Will Have 8GB Internal Memory,1.5GB RAM And Other Fun

[Eric Veteran]

Yeah, you're right. I'm pretty sure that Sony and MS is gonna release a console that's so much more powerful it can run next gen games at slightly better graphics than last gen at 1080...

seriously. Let's just admit that Nintendo isn't doesn't want to be, doesn't need to be, and never will be in the same market segment as MS and Sony, they're doing better in their own market segment than they ever would in direct competition with them. which would also mean they would lose the ability to make money from console #1.

What, exactly, is the new GPU/CPU technology that Sony/Microsoft would be upgrading to? There haven't been any significant advances in graphics or processing. The most they can do is switch the architecture around a bit and incrementally upgrade some of the subsystems.

[~Johnny]

The X360 and PS3 are both very dated in terms of hardware and graphical fidelity. The Wii U will offer slightly better performance than the current generation but won't be close to that of the next generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony, as it won't be able to run most games at 1080p. The difference is that Nintendo is hoping it's new controller with give it an edge, especially amongst children and parents who are Nintendo's primary demographic. Nintendo did incredibly well with the Wii because it offered something different and because each console it sold was profitable, unlike the X360 or PS3. The biggest difference is that the new controller is nowhere near as intuitive or accessible to non-gamers as the Wiimote was; it is also hyping up asymmetric gameplay, which means games are designed to play with multiple players and not individually. It will also likely cause a lot or arguments with children over who gets to play with the controller and who gets a regular Wiimote.

Nintendo is yet again going for the casual / youth market and publishers like Rockstar are already sceptical of releasing mature content. So while it will certainly have some decent and innovative titles, it's not designed to compete with Microsoft or Sony.

Nintendo is specifically aiming for the core market again (in fact, when they launched the Wii, they were aiming largely for the core market as well) - noted by the fact that there weren't any games in their announced line-up aimed specifically for kids or parents, outside of the potentially free Nintendoland game, WiiFit U and Just Dance. The other 20 odd games, like Pikmin 3, New Super Mario Bros, Batman, Mass Effect, ZombiU are designed for core gamers to enjoy, and not especially focusing on any one else. In fact, they're going out of their way to promote "mature" content on their systems.

Also, lets not forget the Wii-remote still exists for use on the WiiU, so there's still accessibility and familiarity there.

[ToneKnee]

Xbox 360 released in 2005 though, and PS3 in 2006. About a 1 year difference between the cards and consoles. Not sure what your point was, aside from correcting the 4 to a 3 as his point still stands...

Also, we as consumers have a right to be concerned with what Nintendo is bringing to the table, as many of us don't want to be stuck with a console that won't see a true multiplatform release due to lacking the sufficient hardware. I fail to see how that's an issue here. Hopefully, what majortom1981 said is true. Won't know until we actually see what the competition is bringing to the table though.

You need to remember that the GPU in the Xbox 360 was actually a generation ahead of the PC version at the time.

[ToneKnee]

Your comment seems contradictory. You are bashing them for only using 50% of the power available but then say it is okay that other consoles do the same thing. The Xbox 360 when it came out didn't use the full power it had, neither did the PS3.

People need to remember that's it not all about power, it's about efficiency. You can easily max out a PS3, 360 with the right software, but making the most out of programming, and doing tricks everywhere can determine the quality of the game.

It's like how the Sony PR put a spin on their developer tools not being good enough to max the PS3 out. Rather than admitting they couldn't make a great API like the 360, they put a PR spin to make people believe that the reason they couldn't make a good API was because the system was too powerful and that it was impossible achieve.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Nintendo is specifically aiming for the core market again (in fact, when they launched the Wii, they were aiming largely for the core market as well) - noted by the fact that there weren't any games in their announced line-up aimed specifically for kids or parents, outside of the potentially free Nintendoland game, WiiFit U and Just Dance.

Firstly, it doesn't matter what Nintendo claims - you even admit that Nintendo claimed the same for the Wii and no-one would argue that the Wii was aimed at the core market. As I stated before, publishers like Rockstar are already sceptical about bringing mature titles to the Wii U, which is understandable given the way Nintendo has shunned many mature titles. The Wii had a few mature titles but they did nothing to change the overall perception of the console. Secondly, you're seriously downplaying the number of casual / family games coming for the Wii U. There's: Lego City Undercover, Pikmin 3, Rabbids Land, Rayman Legends, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Sing, Skylanders Giants, Super Smash Bros., Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Your Shape, etc.

Core gamers tend to focus a lot on graphics and demand more mature games, neither of which Nintendo is catering for. It's not going to be a bad console by any means but it's not going to change the current dynamic.

Also, lets not forget the Wii-remote still exists for use on the WiiU, so there's still accessibility and familiarity there.

True, but Wii sales took a huge dive recently (leading to Nintendo's first annual loss) and the Wii had the lowest attach rate of any of the consoles. It was sold primarily on the novelty of the new control device and that novelty has worn off, helped in part by the fact that Microsoft and Sony both responded with their own control interfaces. Not only that but the console isn't designed for multiple Wii U tablet controllers, unlike the core consoles from Microsoft - that means local multiplayer games will have to use the Wiimote, which isn't suited to core gaming.

The Wii U just strikes me as a rather desperate attempt to market a device based upon a gimmick, an obvious attempt to recreate the success of the Wii. That didn't pay off for the 3DS and I'm doubtful it will for the Wii U. Nintendo just hasn't had any success with the core market since the N64.

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Does anyone else think that using/holding this tablet-controller will be extremely uncomfortable?

[Tarvis123]

Super Smash Bros is a casual game now?

[spacer]

Super Smash Bros is a casual game now?

Wasn't it always? Aren't all Nintendo games casual games?

[Tarvis123]

Wasn't it always? Aren't all Nintendo games casual games?

No? Or my definition of a casual game is apparently different.

My mom and girlfriend love facebook games and iphone games and Wii Sports, but I can't see them spending weeks learning advanced techniques of Super Smash Bros, or spending 40 hours+ to beat a Zelda game.

[dead.cell]

You need to remember that the GPU in the Xbox 360 was actually a generation ahead of the PC version at the time.

I was just pointing out the timeline; I'm not arguing the power of the 360.

[~Johnny]

As I stated before, publishers like Rockstar are already sceptical about bringing mature titles to the Wii U, which is understandable given the way Nintendo has shunned many mature titles. The Wii had a few mature titles but they did nothing to change the overall perception of the console. Secondly, you're seriously downplaying the number of casual / family games coming for the Wii U. There's: Lego City Undercover, Pikmin 3, Rabbids Land, Rayman Legends, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Sing, Skylanders Giants, Super Smash Bros., Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Your Shape, etc.

Calling Pikmin, Rayman Legends, Smash Bros (and to an extent Lego City) as family / casual games is way off mark. Just because they don't have a realistic graphical style - they're all games aimed at core gamers, designed to be complex, deep, and far too difficult for casual or family gamers to get anywhere on.

If we look at the 23 titles Nintendo focused on during their E3 presentation, 14 were suitable for "core" gamers,

Pikmin 3, Rayman Legends, Arkham Asylum, New Super Mario Bros, Mass Effect 3, Assasins Creed 3, Ninja Gaiden 3, Avengers, ZombiU, Darksider, Alien, Tank Tank Tank, Trine 2, Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Whereas for family / casual you have about 6 or 7.

Nintendoland, Sing, WiiFit, Just Dance, Your Shape, Rabbids Land, *possibly* Scribblenaughts.

There's certainly more of a focus on core, and even in those core games you have 8 or 9 "mature" titles, which is still more the family / casual games presented.

Firstly, it doesn't matter what Nintendo claims - you even admit that Nintendo claimed the same for the Wii and no-one would argue that the Wii was aimed at the core market.

FYI, that was at first that Nintendo was more aiming for the core - the Wii market then expanded after launch and they shifted focus - but they now understand how that hurts their overall baseline (in that, those sorts of consumers give far lower attach rates to system -> software sales, usually only buying 2 or 3 games for the system ever), which is why they've stated many times during the actual developement of Wii U they're looking to get gamers in that market back.

It was sold primarily on the novelty of the new control device and that novelty has worn off, helped in part by the fact that Microsoft and Sony both responded with their own control interfaces. Not only that but the console isn't designed for multiple Wii U tablet controllers, unlike the core consoles from Microsoft - that means local multiplayer games will have to use the Wiimote, which isn't suited to core gaming.

Wii Remote is perfectly suited to core gaming. Plenty of FPS games, RTS, RPG, TPS, and sports games play extremely well, and in a lot of cases better on the Wii Remote (FPS & RTS as two prime examples) than with a standard controller. I don't know if you've used one, but outside of possible 2D fighter, the Wii Remote pretty much handles everything very well.

[~Johnny]

Wasn't it always? Aren't all Nintendo games casual games?

The vast majority are core. Mario, Pikmin, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Metroid, Pok?mon, most Kirby games, Excite series, F Zero, Famicom/Advance/Battlion-Wars series, and Fire Emblem games (and the rest) are all core franchises for the majority of their games. The odd spin off might be, but even spin-off's like Mario Kart have large core followings.

Their only real casual series are Animal Crossing, Wii [name] and Brain Age / Training. Most of the casual stuff on the systems come from third parties.

Does anyone else think that using/holding this tablet-controller will be extremely uncomfortable?

Not particularly. It's designed to be easy to hold and comfortable at the back, with a nice ledge and some handgrips. And there's not a single journalist who's complained about it being awkward, so it's looking well.