First Impressions: Nintendo’s Wii U Pre-E3 Announcement: What do “U” think?
Yep, its official. I will definitely will be purchasing Nintendo’s Wii U on day one when it releases. I was initially worried about the Wii U system after watching its sub par announcement at E3 2011, but with the conclusion of their pre E3 announcement, I definitely want one now. The prerecorded video showed Nintendo’s Global President, Satoru Iwata, highlighting some of the Wii U’s features as well as the concept behind the system.
Mr. Iwata did a great job of explaining the concepts and philosophy behind the Wii U, and the direction Nintendo will likely follow in the coming years. He expressed his concern for creating a console that is unique, and will help people unite both socially and through gaming. If you have paid any attention to Nintendo over the past year, then you have probably seen new tablet style controller, which they are calling the ”Wii U GamePad”. It is no surprise then that most of the concepts discussed in the announcement video rely heavily on the GamePad and its impressive list of features. So far we have learned that it features, motion/gyro sensors, front and rear facing cameras, NFC reader/writer, a TV button (which turns your controller into a TV remote), as well as a 6.2 in touch enabled screen. Little has been said of the actual console so far and the hardware information is still under wraps until Nintendo’s official E3 announcement on June 5th at 9:00am Pacific Time. To view the conference click here. If you’d like to watch the presentation given by Mr. Iwata, you can VIEW THE ENTIRE VIDEO HERE.
The online functionality of the system was briefly mentioned with the introduction of “Miiverse”. This home screen is very interesting and should always be an excellent source of entertainment due to its ability to show you not only your friends, but those playing the same game, and those individuals who also speak the same language and are in the same country as you. Social interaction during gaming has become increasingly important over the last few years, Nintendo appears to have embraced this change by adding features like Miiverse and message boards into its newest system. Check out this semi creepy video above highlighting many of these features and plenty more.
Nintendo has done a good job so far of cleaning up the mess they created with the initial introduction of the Wii U at E3 2011, unfortunately most of our questions will be answered at the official press conference on June 5th at 9:00 am Pacific Time. What do you think of the Wii U? Is it doomed to failure? Will Nintendo gather the third-party support it needs to remain competitive in diverse market? Let us know what you think.
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