Confusion over the Wii U is a result of Nintendo's poor attempt at explaining it

It was clear after their E3 conference that Nintendo had done a poor job of defining what exactly their new console, The Wii U, was. Gamers weren’t sure, and neither were their stockholders as Nintendo shares dropped to the lowest in five years due to the poor explanation of what their new console was about.

Now Nintendo faces the problem of not only convincing both the casual and core market to buy their product, but also educating on them on what the Wii U exactly is.

[Emilio_Estevez]

They didn't even give specs! That was my biggest problem. If they announced bad ass specs "the hardcore" may have been on board with it.

[eggbert]

The problem I had was the roundabout way they went on explaining it.

Instead of actually explaining anything, they just continued to call it revolutionary, and referencing how it was deeper and wider.

[MintBerryCrunch]

Reggie calling the console "just a box" really put me off...what does that mean...did the majority of the resources go into the controller or are they afraid that the moment specs hit the net, sites will immediately be comparing them to the PS3/360

[3rdDimension]

That's because the specs aren't final. The Darksiders 2 dev already eluded to that.

[TenkoTAiLS]

When you think about it, when it comes to the way Nintendo is driving on innovation through the way we play games, through the controller. The console is "just a box", sure whats inside is important as it runs the whole thing, but all the innovative stuff is in the controller yea? Just shows people are far to pre-occupied on the whole "who has the best graphics" rubbish instead of thinking about the possiblities of new ways of controlling or immersing ourselves in gameplay.

[-Alpha]

The console isn't ready. Willing to bet that a large part of Nintendo's lack of demoing is a result of them just not having a finalized product

That said, there is a lot of information gained from E3 after their conference. I know what I need to know and what isn't known will surely be revealed in due time

[TheGameFoxJTV]

Duh, there's a reason it isn't coming out for another whole year....

[eagle21]

I'm hardcore and on board after reading more and seeing that Zelda Wii U demo. Yeah, they could have made a better showing but I think they are playing coy. You know why? Here's my thoughts. Wii has been outselling 360 in america and worldwide since it's price cut. I know this system will trump current consoles in specs but that wasn't the point of playing coy about EXACTLY what this system is bringing. They want to reach 100 million+ Wii's (which they will). Just my thoughts.

[Emilio_Estevez]

Very possible. They are prolly just trying to get the most out of Wii sales while they still can.

[Kyur4ThePain]

"I know this system will trump current consoles in specs"
- based on what?

"They want to reach 100 million+ Wii's"
- giving vague and confusing information about a new console is NOT the way to do that.

[HOSe]

your onboard because of a tech demo shown which is based off a game from 2006?

word

[NESpower]

The wii has sold 87 million, saying it will hit 100 million shouldn't piss you sony fans off. It's actually the truth.

[fluffydelusions]

This thing will either be a hit or a miss. The one WiiPad controller limitation is already a big letdown.

[Chinner]

I don't think it's case of being hit or miss.It'll be successful, we just don't know what to what degree.

[Lyle91]

I saw that Zelda tech demo and the controller and I was on board immediately.

[Legion]

You mean the Zelda stage show? It was a video being played with no real interaction between anyone playing. It was all fabricated to show what it MIGHT look like. There was NO video showing any real Nintendo graphics show cased. Hell... almost all of the videos of games were from PS3 and 360 game coverage. Weak!!!

[Lyle91]

It was being rendered in real time. And considering it was only put together for E3, the games that eventually do come out will probably look even better, even considering the loss you'll get from adding actual interaction and a HUD. The bird video was also impressive if you know what to look for.

Since then we've also seen some very early builds of a few games and they all look absolutely amazing for games that are still over a year away.

[Nicolee]

the zelda was running on real time on the machine, ongamespot and other sites they tried and , while the machine is render zelda they could change viewing angle or lightning (but its not playable) but its run on the WiiU in realtime not just a video.

[blackburn10]

I agree. They acted as if it was someone elses console they were pushing. They just keep on going on how great it is and showing the controller with barely a glimpse of the console itself.

They showed us no specs, no actual games, they used 360 and PS3 footage for multiplats, all they had is tech demos and frankly shifting from the big screen to the controller in the same house I am in frankly is not very practical or particularly useful. Why should I play a game on my controller when I have the big TV right there. It's not even portable enough it take it anywhere. Nintendo if you weren't ready to show off your new system properly you should have just waited until you were. BTW I think it's funny that Nintendo fans who attacked us for years telling us that graphics and power are not important are running around waving a tech demo of a game that may not yet exist and WII U console specs in our faces like a flag. Why didn't you wave WII's console specs in our faces too?

[Legion]

From what I could tell it is not portable at all. You see the controller but never actually see the console. You see the BOX beside the TV set that is supposedly connecting the video to the TV. But nothing of the actual system. The BOX was not large enough to have a hard drive nor a disk system. And Nintendo even went so far as to make sure they identified that the system was not meant to be played as a stand alone. Though you can use the controller to view the video source.

[Lyle91]

I saw the system. Just watch any E3 show floor videos, they all have it. Of course it's not big enough to have a hard drive, they Wii U only has flash memory, not a hard drive.

[badkolo]

call it what you want , I call it genius.

They showed us a new controller that to be honest even made me say HELL yeah, i dont care how big it is, it lets me play away from the tv at any time and keep gaming, they said they will go hardcore and multiplat so im happy with that and they didnt show anything about the console which i thought was brilliant.

the shock and awe of everything else was more then enough to keep everyone wanting more info and asking for more questions like spoiled children.

perfect in every way, whats their to be mad at, you didnt get every last juicy detail right when you wanted it(the community as a whole not any one person).

This gives nintendo the needed time and space to make changes and not put thier foot in thier mouth by revealing to much early, what if they want to see if they need to make it more powerful in the allotted time or if something else comes up.

Its not about the console itself, its about the controller, the console sits thier and does nothing so why focus on it, other then knowing what that box has inside(the specs) why should we even care about it, its a square box with a drive and power buttn, youll be playing on your tv and your controller through that box but you wont barely ever touch that box. So holding off on the info on that box(wiiU) and focusing on whats more improtant was a smart move, they gave you some and left some out so you come back for more, thats smart marketing, you cant buy the dam thing anyway for a year or so and im sure you will survive a few more months for more info, its called pulling you in as a customer. smart move overall

[etowntwo]

I agree 100%

That controller is the future for hardcore gaming ....

I just really hope the specs on the console itself are as good as the rumers I was hearing last week

[Sprudling]

Pulling me in? Well it didn't work on me. I'm not as easily swayed by big words and little information as you clearly are. I was actually more optimistic about the new Wii before E3.

To me it seems that Nintendo it just trying too hard to be different. That goes for both the console and the presentation. I'm not saying different is bad, but this time the difference is not something I wanted.

So it's a huge controller with a touchscreen. It's not even multitouch, which is strange considering you're going to have it between both your hands. I'm perfectly capable of imagining what things it can be used for, and all of it is just fluff which doesn't add to the quality of gameplay. I'm talking about myself here, because others surely have other criteria for what quality gameplay is.

As for the rumors about the specs. What Nintendo themselves said was: "Wii U is technically on par with Xbox 360 and PS3". So, most likely better, but from the word of it not a big leap forward.

Source:
http://segmentnext.com/2011...

[SYNTAXeRror]

Yknow, if most ppl paid more close attention, nintendo provided specs, console model, and even a few demos, to myself i think thats reasonable....providing it was leaked a month prior to begin with, and it took me awhile, but i think with enough 3rd party, nintys got a weiner

[D2K]

Nintendo + HD = Win. That is all.

[PS360PCROCKS]

I'm really starting to wonder if these leaks pressured Nintendo to announce this at E3 when they were planning on waiting. (But than again a year ahead announcement is pretty standard) But they had no games, no specs, no price, no release date, only talked about the controller and didn't promise any graphical fidelity outside of "1080P" I mean come on Nintendo, terrible announcement. If I was an uninformed person I would think it was a handheld addition to the Wii.

[badkolo]

by the way everyone, you see how the last 3 posts which are normal good posts all have disagrees, obviosuly we have a issue on n4g where we get one person going bonkers with the disagrees on many posts at once, the same goes for the bubbles, so i would urge for people to look out for that and help your fellow poster out by adding a bubble to them just in case these trolls are bumping us down all in a row, it aint right and together we can help eachother, thanks for listening and i bubbled up the people below me since its obvious someone went on a disagree spree.

[Legion]

I beleive what you are attempting to do is against N4G policy? Bubble down for you. Have a good day. :D

[badkolo]

oh im sorry, didnt mean to break any rules, but the blatent trolling around here gets crazy at times.

[Rikan]

Whoah! This thread is bordering logical game-talk. N4G time!!!!! Pooooweeeerrrrr up! PS3 sucks! I summmon disagreeeesss!!!! Hyyyeeaaahhhh!!!

[gamingisnotacrime]

and by the launch it will be all right

[mamotte]

Are being banned in N4G. Hits in this post proves that.

[TenkoTAiLS]

I have not been following the Vita that much, but according to a lot of articles i have seen popping up as of late, the handheld has only just had its specs "confirmed" at E3. Why did we not see hundreds of "NGP isnt revealing specs it must suck" threads, and "i don't believe those Uncharted NGP videos and pics are real until i see specs" comments.
Just wondering why Sony gets auto-awesomed and Nintendo always gets so heavily scrutinized >.<

[blackburn10]

That is BS.It actually is the other way around. Sony has been divulging facts about the PSV for months now before E3. The only thing we didn't really know much about was the price.All Nintendo did was jump on stage showcase a controller that all thought was the game console claim it was the greatest and show tech demos that may or may not be the same as a real game while showing footage from the PS3 and 360. I should be asking YOU why is everything Nintendo does is always awesome and everything Sony does is scrutinized.

For example Sony gives you 3D it gets shot down and ripped to shreds, Nintendo gives you 3D it get accepted with smiles and kisses even when people say it is bad for children's eyes, gives you motion sickness and nausea. Nintendo gives you remakes of decades old games for the 3DS and it is great but Sony gives you games that are not remakes and are actually new games in the series for the VITA and that is flagged as a screw up.Sony has been showing us superior graphics for years and attacked from all sides because of them. Nintendo shows a TECH DEMO of a game that may not even exist or be made to play at that level and everyone swoons.

Trust me if everything Nintendo did was scrutinized as much as Sony, Nintendo would have been lucky to sell 10 Wii's and 5 3DS at the most.

[TenkoTAiLS]

I don't remember Sony's 3D being "shot-down", and i would say the reason Nintendo's 3D was praised was because you didn't have to wear stupid glasses which is what people have been asking for since 3D became popular again. And the whole "bad for your eyes" thing is and was just a typical press hype up. Certain people may be more sensitive to effects such as that than others, does not mean that it is bad for everyone and anyone who uses the system.

I don't remember seeing any press saying Sony's Vita was a screw-up or its games, which is why i made that comment in the first place. And the reason Nintendo always makes sales and gets praise for its remakes is because the originals and the remakes (most of the time) are of loved games, nostalgic series, and in Zelda 3DS's case, what is voted in many publications as the best game of all time. Why wouldn't you be excited?

And lastly, which kinda shows you either have not been a gamer for long or you don't pay attention to system specs much, Sony has NOT shown superior graphics for years. Until the Wii and the DS, Nintendo's systems were ALWAYS graphically superior to Sony's. The N64 was superior tech to the PS1 it just failed to push what it had due to a lack of storage on its carts, and the Gamecube was superior tech and graphics output wise to the PS2. The PS3 and the PSP were Sony's first really graphically superior systems. And yet now everyone acts like Nintendo has been crap in the graphics department forever, you my good sir being a case in point.

Nintendo has not shown any specs, any real game play, no real info at all outside the controller, and yet it is currently caught in a shite-storm of epic proportions... it is undeserved thus far when the whole thing is still a prototype as stated in the press conference itself.

If they do eventually disclose the information at a later date, and they have not used any of the graphical tech which has been released over the last 6 years, even the cheap stuff that makes the PS3 and Xbox look last gen by comparison, then, and only then, after being given facts by the company themselves, can you feel justified in berating them so.

[nunley33]

I saw the Zelda Wii U demo and was floored at how cool it was. and it wasn't just a video either, it was playable at E3 for anyone and i saw it. It was pretty cool and the tech demos did show off some good power unattainable on current systems. I think more will be revealed at TGS, gamescon, ect.

[MasterCornholio]

I thought it was just a new controller for the Wii until i saw Zelda that is.

[darkphoenixgeeknihil]

I loled when some people accused the wii u of being casual. I think that the touch screen could be very usefull in games like la noire. You could inspect clues combine items cast spells... Think of the possibilities when physics become more important than graphics and instead of working on graphics (which will have reached an awesome level by then)they will concentrate on detail. Imagine pulling grass straws from the ground in the next crysis for no particular reason. Okay i admit that it might not turn out good because of the bureaucracy involved in todays game designing proces but still the possibilities are there. I just hope that the flamers and haters shut up if they dont have a realy good reason.