Nintendo seeks to shake up gaming again

with Wii U (Update)

16 November 2012, by Derrik J. Lang

Much like the iPad, the curvaceous GamePad

features a touchscreen that can be manipulated
with the simple tap or swipe of a finger, but it's
surrounded by the kinds of buttons, bumpers,
thumbsticks and triggers that are traditionally found
on a modern-day game controller. There's also a
camera, stylus, microphone, headphone jack and
speakers.

While the Wii U can employ its predecessor's

motion-control remotes with a sensor bar that
similarly detects them in front of the TV, the
console's focus on two-screen experiences makes
it feel more like a high-definition, living-room
rendition of the Nintendo DS and 3DS, the
In this Sept. 13, 2012 photo, Reggie Fils-Aime, president Japanese gaming giant's dual-screen hand-held
and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, devices, than the original Wii.
discusses the upcoming Wii U gaming console, in New
York. Much like the iPad, the curvey GamePad features
a touchscreen that can be manipulated with the simple
tap or swipe of a finger, but it's surrounded by the kinds
of buttons, bumpers, thumbsticks and triggers that are
traditionally found on a modern-day game controller. The
gaming console will start at $300 and go on sale in the
U.S. on Sunday, Nov. 18, in time for the holidays, the
company said. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

It can scan zombies, replace a TV remote, open a

window into virtual worlds and shoot ninja stars
across a living room. It's the Wii U GamePad, the
10-by-5-inch touchscreen controller for the
successor to the Wii out Sunday, and if you ask
the brains behind the "Super Mario Bros." about it,
they say it's going to change the way video games
are made and played.

"You can't manufacture buzz," said Nintendo of In this June 7, 2012 publicity file photo provided by
America president Reggie Fils-Aime. "You can't Nintendo, Pete Wentz, left, and guests get an exclusive
preview of Nintendo's Wii U during E3 in Los Angeles.
manufacture word of mouth. All we can do is to
(AP Photo/Nintendo,Todd Williamson)
provide the product and the games to foster some
sparks that hopefully enable that to happen. We
think we have that with Wii U."

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"It's a second screen like a tablet or a cellphone, "Is the GamePad more complex than the Wii
but it's different," said Mark Bolas, professor of Remote was six years ago? Certainly," said Fils-
interactive media at the University of Southern Aime. "On the other hand, I believe consumers will
California. "In addition to providing more easily grasp the GamePad and what we're trying to
information, the GamePad is also a second do with the varied experiences we'll have not only
viewpoint into a virtual world. Nintendo is letting you at launch but over the next number of years in this
turn away from the TV screen to see what's system's life."
happening with the GamePad."

The touchscreen controller can also serve as a

makeshift TV remote control and online video
aggregator for services like Netflix and Amazon
Instant Video. (Nintendo cheekily calls it TVii and
announced Friday that it won't be available until
December.) Some games have the ability to flip-
flop between the TV screen and the GamePad
screen, allowing for non-gaming use of the TV.

In this June 5, 2012 file photo, an attendee plays a video

game using Nintendo's Wii U controller at E3 2012 in Los
Angeles. Nintendo unleashed 23 games for its upcoming
console featuring a touchscreen controller at the In this June 5, 2012 publicity file photo provided by
Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, the gaming Nintendo of America, Katsuya Eguchi, Producer of
industry's annual trade show. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong,Software Development for Nintendo, shows off "Luigi's
File) Ghost Mansion," one of 12 attractions in Nintendo Land,
an upcoming game for the new Wii U home console,
during the Nintendo All-Access Presentation at E3 2012
in Los Angeles. The Wii U GamePad controller makes
There are limitations to the GamePad: it won't work asymmetric gameplay possible by allowing for multiple
experiences in the same game at the same time. (AP
after it's been moved 25 feet away from the Wii U
Photo/Nintendo of America, Vince Bucci, File)
console; it lasts about three to five hours after
charging; and while its touchscreen is intuitive as
those that have come before it, the GamePad is not
quite as simple to use as the Wii controllers that
The abilities of the GamePad are most notably
had everyone bowling in their living rooms.
showcased by Nintendo Co. in the amusement park-

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themed mini-game collection "Nintendo Land," into a gruesome zombie. (AP Photo/Nintendo of America,
which comes with the deluxe edition of the console. Vince Bucci, File)
"Nintendo Land" turns the GamePad into several
different tools, such as the dashboard of a
spaceship or the ultimate advantage in a game of
hide-and-seek. The GamePad acts as a high-tech scanner in
"ZombiU" that can analyze a player's surroundings
In other titles, the controller mostly eliminates the in a version of London overrun by zombies. It
need to pause the action to study a map in order to pumps up the terror by drawing players' attention
figure out where to go next or scour an inventory for away from the horrors lurking around them.
just the right weapon. That can all be achieved
simultaneously on the GamePad screen, which is Will gamers who've grown up with their eyes glued
best illustrated among the launch titles in Ubisoft's to the TV and hands gripped on a controller adapt
survival action game "ZombiU." to glimpsing at another screen? The Wii U edition
of "Call of Duty: Black Ops II," for example, invites
players to customize their arsenal on the fly on the
GamePad, as well as engage in multiplayer
matches without needing to split the TV in half.

Nintendo expects 50 games will be available for the

Wii U by March 2013. There will be 23 games
released alongside the console when it debuts
Sunday, including the platformer "New Super Mario
Bros. U," karaoke game "Sing Party," an "armored
edition" of "Batman: Arkham City" and the Mickey
Mouse adventure "Disney Epic Mickey 2: The
Power of Two."

In this June 5, 2012 publicity file photo provided by

Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of
America's President and Chief Operating Officer, left,
tests out an interactive feature of "ZombiU," an upcoming
Ubisoft game for the Wii U console, during the Nintendo
All-Access Presentation at E3 2012 in Los Angeles.
Using facial recognition, the feature transforms the player

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 to play with two GamePads at once or utilize the
console's near-field communication technology to
interact with other gadgets in the room.

"I think that developers and consumers are ready

for new experiences," said Fils-Aime. "More than
anything else, I think that's what is driving
excitement for Wii U. They've experienced what this
generation has to offer. They're ready for
something new."

More information: www.nintendo.com/wiiu

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights

reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

In this June 5, 2012 file photo, Reggie Fils-Aime,

president and CEO of Nintendo America, Inc., presents
the Wii U as the next-generation game console at the
Nintendo All-Access presentation at E3 2012 in Los
Angeles. It can scan zombies, replace a TV remote, open
a window into virtual worlds and shoot ninja stars across
a living room. It's the Wii U GamePad, the 10-by-5-inch
touchscreen controller for the successor to the Wii out
Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, and if you ask the brains behind
the "Super Mario Bros." about it, they say it's going to
change the way video games are made and played. (AP
Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

"New consoles come along and nobody exploits

their full capabilities for the first two to three years,"
said Warren Spector, creative director at "Epic
Mickey 2" developer Junction Point Studios. "It's
only after you've had two or three projects that you
fully understand what the hardware is capable of
doing. We're going to be experimenting with it
more."

Fils-Aime said he's already envisioning ways that

developers will innovate with future games. He
pointed to some of the console's features that aren't
on display in the launch line-up, such as the ability

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 APA citation: Nintendo seeks to shake up gaming again with Wii U (Update) (2012, November 16)
retrieved 22 October 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2012-11-nintendo-gaming-wii.html

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