E3 2011 Preview: Wii U
Since its 2006 release, the Nintendo Wii has redefined what we've come to think of as console gaming. With its all-inclusive approach, the humble little console-ette has dominated the highly competitive console market, outselling both PS3 and Xbox by more than 30 million units. Next year, Nintendo hopes to continue its hard-won hardware sovereignty with the release of a next-gen game machine called the Wii U. We had some hands-on time with the Wii U at this year's E3 and the verdict is that the sexy new controller outshines the console, even with the hardware's nifty new tech additions.
Then again, part of the problem could be presentation. In the VIP game stations on the show floor, the Wii U's were stuffed into tiny, darkened niches under flat screen TVs and presenters didn't point them out or start by discussing their new features. When we asked though, presenters told us the new machine—which looks much like its predecessor but with soft, rounded corners—can (deep breath here) accommodate up to four Wii Remote or Wii Remote Plus controllers as well as the Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro, Wii Balance Board and Nunchuk, can support various resolutions including 480p, 480i, 720p, 1080i and 1080p, is backward compatible with all Wii games and accessories, and can play 12 centimeter HD optical discs. Whew.
Before letting us absorb all that, they thrust the new Wii U controller into our hands which without doubt, has more than the usual number of bells and whistles. The large, iPad-shaped controller rethinks the way we use console controllers and—Nintendo hopes—will also change the way we think about interactive entertainment. Nintendo's stated goal is to “remove the boundary between games and TV” and its strategy for doing that starts with providing gamers with an additional screen. Information on this 6.2 inch controller screen can display the same information as the television or display something entirely different. Gamers can use both screens to better share their gaming experiences with friends and game makers can use them to devise new virtual experiences.
While the term “virtual reality” conjures up images of big, clunky helmets and abortive experiments in entertainment like the Walt Disney Company's DisneyQuest, the Wii U may eventually come to represent a more sophisticated incarnation of this dated concept. In addition to the second screen and all the standard Wii buttons and triggers, the Wii U controller contains a motion-sensor, rumble feature, accelerometer, gyroscope, camera, mic, speakers, stylus and sensor strip. At the show, a prototype game called Shield Pose demonstrated how all these can be put to good use and how the Wii U might be used to extend the gaming experience beyond the limits of the television screen.
In Shield Pose, players use the controller as a shield to block arrows shot at them from a cartoon pirate ship. This is done by holding the controller horizontally and moving it front, overhead or to left and right in time with various rhythmic audio prompts. Aside from literally using the controller as a shield, when we moved it in a circle around, down and above us, the screen reflected the movement by displaying a seamless, 360 degree virtual environment. This simple demo made clear the technology's potential to add untold depth to the interactive experience.
After Shield Pose, we moved on to another game prototype, a simple, competitive shape drawing game called Measure Up. In it, two players are given a directive, say to “draw a line 1.5 inches long” and then do their best to complete it. This prototype while, not especially interesting, did show off the Wii U controller's touch screen/stylus functionality and the third prototype, Battle Mii, showed the way the Wii U controller might deepen multiplayer gameplay.
In it, three players on two teams take each other on in a closed arena—two of them on foot and one in a flying space craft. The two foot soldiers use the Wii remote/nunchuck combo while the flying player uses the Wii U controller with triggers to fire, controller tilt to turn the camera and thumbsticks to speed up, slow down, rise, fall and turn. Admittedly, the flying controls were a little ungainly at first, but after playing for longer than ten minutes, could easily be mastered. In addition to these three prototypes, Nintendo also showed New Super Mario Bros. Mii which allows gamers to play the classic game using their very own Miis, and the Zelda HD Experience which, though non-interactive, showed how the Wii U controller might be used to further enhance a visually rich action-adventure game.
In the half hour we spent with the Wii U, we were impressed enough to want one, and in a moment of weakness, to consider slipping one into our bags when the presenters' backs were turned. The new console, and especially the new controller, make plain that Nintendo's as creative and ambitious as ever and intends, come 2012, to change the way we game. More than that, it intends to fundamentally alter the way we interact with one another and to revolutionize the way we think about entertainment. It remains to be seen whether they will, but it's looking hopeful so far.
