The more we hear about the Wii U, the more we can’t wait to get one under our TV. So we’re chuffed Nintendo’s president and chief operating officer has just spilled more about the forthcoming console.
So when’s it out? Will it stream movies to the control? Can you use the 3DS with it? And will it get 3D capabilities in the near future? All will be revealed…
Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer, sat down with business mag Forbes to chat Wii U. But don’t worry, we’ve picked through all the guff about sales figures to bring you the details that really matter. So, let’s get straight to the meat of the matter.
1 It’ll be on sale in April 2012
Spring is traditionally launch time for Nintendo, with the 3DS launching on March 25th this year, and it seems next year will be no different. “It will launch after April 1st 2012,” Fils-Aime told Forbes. We’re counting down the days already.
2 It’ll sell along the original Wii
Again, it’s in Nintendo history to have consoles selling contemporaneously. “What I can tell you is when we launched the original Wii, there was an overlap with Gamecube,” said Fils-Aime. “When we launched the original DS there was an overlap with the Gameboy Advance. I actually think maybe that one is more applicable, because Gameboy Advance was a tremendous, tremendous platform in its own right, and yet it sold side by side to the original DS, at least here in the US, for almost two full years.”
He went on to add they can survive side by side for a certain amount of time, but that the backwards compatible Wii U would definitely become the one standalone system.
3 It could stream movies from the console to the controller
He didn’t come out and say it, but when questioned whether the interviewer could stream Netflix to watch on the control, he answered, “theoretically, it’s possible.”
4 But won’t work as a standalone system
If someone else is watching the TV, you’ll still need to keep the console switched on to stream games to it, as the controller is powered by it.
5 It’ll integrate with the 3DS
He said Nintendo is seeing the opportunity for cross-platform playing, and that Smash Brothers could be one of the pioneers to work across both. We’re salivating at the prospect.
6 There’ll be more focus online, with a more open ecosystem
Fils-Aime was keen to admit Nintendo needs to do more online, especially faced with the likes of Xbox Live. “We’ve seen what our competitors have done, and we’ve acknowledged that we need to do more online, starting with the launch of our eShop on Nintendo 3DS, and we’re going to continue to build our online capability. For Wii U, we’re going to take that one step further, and what we’re doing is creating a much more flexible system that will allow the best approaches by independent publishers to come to bear. So instead of a situation where a publisher has their own network and wants that to be the predominant platform, and having arguments with platform holders, we’re going to welcome that. We’re going to welcome that from the best and the brightest of the third party publishers.”
7 It won’t be 3D anytime soon
The reason the 3DS works so well is because of the lack of glasses, but Fils-Aime sees that as a way off for big-screen gaming. “In our view, what’s key to the 3D experience is that there be nothing between you and the machine. So for us, 3D gaming without glasses is a key part of the proposition. Right now the TV’s that offer that… I would argue they’re overpriced.. and a fairly small screen. There may come a time when 3D without glasses becomes appropriate for console, but we don’t see that in the near future.”
Via Forbes
Out 2012 | £TBC | Nintendo
