News: E311 | The New Nintendo: Wii U - Touch Screen Confirmed Page 1

E311 | The New Nintendo: Wii U - Touch Screen Confirmed

08.06.2011

E311 | The New Nintendo: Wii U - Touch Screen Confirmed on Nintendo gaming news, videos and discussion

Nintendo have finally unveiled the successor to the Wii during the E3 presentation today. Introducing the Wii U.

Continuing the company's line of innovating peripherals, the new platform is set to expand the Wii philosophy by embracing Nintendo's current Wii Remote, balance board with a new touchpad controller.

Image for E311 | The New Nintendo: Wii U - Touch Screen Confirmed

The tablet-esque design boasts a 6.2 inch touchscreen in the centre that lets you control the action on screen (or view a separate inventory screen). It also allows you to literally take away the experience - annoying Family member craving an episode of EastEnders on the living room TV? Not a problem. Simply switch to the controller and play on the Wii U controller.

The controller also includes an inward facing camera, gyro/motion controls, rumble, speakers and a microphone.

All Wii remote accessories can be used with the new platform in conjunction with the new controller. For example place the controller on the ground for a "new view" in Wii Sports Golf for example, or as a scope on the Wii Zapper.

There are three approaches for the new Wii U controller:

Using the Wii U controller without a TV.

Using the Wii U controller without the touchscreen

Using both the touchscreen and TV in tandem (much like the 3DS/DS)

Despite the portable nature and shared characteristics with Nintendo's own DS family, Iwata is adamant that the new Wii U is not intended to be a portable console.

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PMD 07.06.2011#1

Well, it's definitely interesting. I'm not sold on the controller, which seems to be the main focus. I'll have to get some impressions on how comfortable that thing is.

To clarify how the thing works, the WiiU console will still be on, but it will stream the signal to the controller rather than to the TV. So I don't think you will be able to use the controller without the new console.

( Edited 07.06.2011 18:22 by PMD )

Lynk 07.06.2011#2

What happened to getting back to hardcore? Seems more like an expensive Wii peripheral than a new console.

And the console itself looks like a Wii redesign.

Coupled with a few games the other consoles are going to have a year beforehand, and not even a peep of any Nintendo games (or Retro) except for an up-ressed Twilight Princess.

They didn't "bring it" like I assumed they would...

Add me on anything. I'm always looking for new friends/opponents/town visitors/chances to appear more popular than I actually am.

TAG 07.06.2011#3

I was really skeptical at first, but the more I think about it the more I think that it could lead to some really exciting ideas. I just bought a used copy of Pokemon stadium for N64 not too long ago. On that game, your Pokemon's moves are mapped to the C-buttons. So if you memorize them, you can keep them hidden from your opponents. But only if you memorize them. On the WiiU, you would not have to; the moves would be on your controller.

I'm happy to see the graphics will be nice and in HD. I hope the internet support is good. They suggest it is, but did not do much to back it up. Oh, and the 3rd party support seems fantastic for once. Smilie

I'm worried about the price of controllers, though. Also, if some games require standard Wii controllers, along with zappers and nunchuks and what have you, the casual gamer could get confused. What happens if they buy a new game but find out it requires a Wii controller, which they don't have? That will be frustrating.

Also, the name is lame. I'll get past that, though. I think this will be worth it.

*edit*

PMD said:
To clarify how the thing works, the WiiU console will still be on, but it will stream the signal to the controller rather than to the TV. So I don't think you will be able to use the controller without the new console.

That's how I understood it works.

( Edited 07.06.2011 18:28 by TAG )

TAG: That American Guy

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18

Darkflame 07.06.2011#4

-sigh-
oh well, at least the rumours helped break the bad news softly.
As I suspected, nothing done that couldnt be done on the 3DS, and for the price we lose having the wonderfull wiimote/nunchuck as standard.

( Edited 07.06.2011 18:27 by Darkflame )

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GreythaGreat 07.06.2011#5

Dear God in Heaven. Why the Wii U?

This doesn't sound promising for the "hardcore" gamer. I do not think they should associate anything with Wii anymore...

"Do a Barrel Roll!"

Birdo Is A Tranny 07.06.2011#6

Multiformat aside games aside, this is a total disappointment for me.

They say they're aiming for the hardcore market again but all this screams is casual.

The presentation was good considering with what they were working for it.

( Edited 07.06.2011 18:48 by Birdo Is A Tranny )

Azuardo 07.06.2011#7

The games shown were casual. None of those 3rd party games interest me. I was hoping for Nintendo to show some big names like Star Fox, Metroid, Pikmin, and show them all making use of incredible online play. Got nothing. Name is shit.

NintendoStanley 07.06.2011#8

i am not sure what to make of this. Part of me thinks it is pretty cool and could work well the other part is like Meh is that it.

Also do you think it is gamecube compatible as there seems to be a flap on the left side of the console that could hide the ports. I would love to play games like f-zero ToS and gotcha force on the wii u controller

Flapper!

Lynk 07.06.2011#9

Still stuck with Wii Remotes and Sensor Bars. Motion Controls haven't died yet ��

Add me on anything. I'm always looking for new friends/opponents/town visitors/chances to appear more popular than I actually am.

Sonic_13 07.06.2011#10

Darkflame said:
the price we lose having the wonderfull wiimote/nunchuck as standard.[\quote]But they are still the standard.
Lynk said:
What happened to getting back to hardcore?
That's what they did. What isn't hardcore about it to you? The 1080p resolution? The half-dozen FPS games shown?
Lynk said:
They didn't "bring it" like I assumed they would...
It's because the system isn't launching soon. We still have to wait 1.5 years. Next year's E3 is when we'll see all the games.
Azuardo said:
The games shown were casual. None of those 3rd party games interest me.
Nintendo only showed tech demos, no games. The system is also 1.5 years away from release.

xxThe_Dice_manxx 08.06.2011#11

Greetings

No surpises for me here, they showed very little of what this machine can do.

The screen on the pad is bigger then I expected tho, but his will be amazing playing Mario Kart, with the TV as a spectator screen and players on thier pads.

You will notice that the pad has a 2 cameras one facing away, this can be used to implement this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

The possiblities for this pad are endless.

Azuardo 08.06.2011#12

According to Nintendo's own info, you can only connect ONE of these Wii U controllers to the console at any one time.

wtf is this shit? Nintendo are off their heads.

Wii U console and controller prototypes aren't quite final.

( Edited 08.06.2011 00:42 by Azuardo )

meeto_0 08.06.2011#13

Darkflame said:
-sigh-
oh well, at least the rumours helped break the bad news softly.
As I suspected, nothing done that couldnt be done on the 3DS, and for the price we lose having the wonderfull wiimote/nunchuck as standard.

Can you stop going on about the 3ds. It would never have worked with the 3ds. A console worth £200 paired with a handheld worth £200 means not one single game outside of nintendo would even bother attempting this. The 3DS doesnt have the screen size or resolution to stream HD games.

Only when a peripheral is bundled with the console will it get mainstream use. Even Motion plus has few games supporting it.

meeto_0 08.06.2011#14

Best bit:
Zelda tech demo, (which wasnt twilight upscaled) it was new property done with the twilight art style.

What I liked:

Streaming to the new controller.

Seeing a part of the game others can not.

Drawing input (imagines Jet Set Radio with custom graffiti tags, Mario Paint, new line rider, max and the magic marker, customising characters in RPGs, Sport games.)

Playing small games solely on the device (as shown in demo)

Web browsing

HATED

Lack of multi touch

Lack of first party demos

THe wii remote not being worked on, revised

( Edited 08.06.2011 01:04 by meeto_0 )

Sonic_13 08.06.2011#15

Azuardo said:
According to Nintendo's own info, you can only connect ONE of these Wii U controllers to the console at any one time.

Where did you read that, because on Nintendo's official specs page for WiiU it says no such thing.

Azuardo 08.06.2011#16

Sonic_13 said:
Azuardo said:
According to Nintendo's own info, you can only connect ONE of these Wii U controllers to the console at any one time.
Where did you read that, because on Nintendo's official specs page for WiiU it says no such thing.

Ton of people on Neogaf are saying it, although I cannot find any direct quotes. Hopefully there is a miscommunication here. Will try to find out.

xxThe_Dice_manxx 08.06.2011#17

Greetings

I havent seen any information to confirm your suggestion that you can only connect one of these tablet pads to the new console at any one time.

There is no reason why you wouldnt be able to connect say 4 (being the norm) at once.

Bandwidth is not an issue, as a standard wireless router can easily handle 4 connections and upward, the same with bluetooth.

Its the price of the tablets which could be an issue, I dont think many will splash out on 3 extra if they are say 50 pounds each.

Although visiting friends with thier own would be able to hook up no problem.

Azuardo 08.06.2011#18

Here's one quote from Eguchi:

Katsuya Eguchi, who is working on a five-player Wii U prototype here, doesn't make it sound like that'll be a requirement. In fact, it may not even happen at all.

"We're considering our options with maybe two screens," Eguchi told Kotaku, who said he considers multiple New Controller games to be "an interesting idea." That would mean games that used two new Wii U controllers. Eguchi's five-player prototype, here at E3, has one person using a new controller and four other people using Wii Remote-Nunchuck combos.

While Eguchi didn't explain why Nintendo isn't looking into four-new-controller gaming, it's possible that the Wii U couldn't output to four screens at once (plus a TV). It's also simply possible that Nintendo would find that configuration too pricey for its customers. Nintendo hasn't said what the new controller will cost. But Eguchi answered my question about whether gamers should be concerned about the controller's price by saying that "I do understand that if the price is too high that would be an obstacle."

So what they're saying is they're only thinking about games that utilise two Wii U controllers. At the moment, they're kind of relying on one Wii U pad, and the others with Wii remotes/nunchuks.

It's entirely possible that it'd be hard for the system to stream content to say 4 pads at once. Maybe if they reduced graphics being streamed to the pads, or somehow made them output nothing, they could still be used as controllers, but then there'd be not much point in paying over the odds for those things.

Add in the images of how multiplayer works on Wii U:
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2011/02/playstyle/img/04.jpg
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2011/02/playstyle/img/06.jpg

And it's kind of worrying.

Okay, the fact that Eguchi says they are looking into games that work with more than one Wii U pad suggests that the console probably can stream to more than one of them at once. But at the moment, it's a little concerning to see how they are portraying how multiplayer games work. Are we going to have to buy Wii Motion Plus controllers as well?

( Edited 08.06.2011 02:22 by Azuardo )

Edit this post:

Here's one quote from Eguchi:

[quote]Katsuya Eguchi, who is working on a five-player Wii U prototype here, doesn't make it sound like that'll be a requirement. In fact, it may not even happen at all.
[b]
"We're considering our options with maybe two screens," Eguchi told Kotaku, who said he considers multiple New Controller games to be "an interesting idea." That would mean games that used two new Wii U controllers. Eguchi's five-player prototype, here at E3, has one person using a new controller and four other people using Wii Remote-Nunchuck combos.
[/b]
While Eguchi didn't explain why Nintendo isn't looking into four-new-controller gaming, it's possible that the Wii U couldn't output to four screens at once (plus a TV). It's also simply possible that Nintendo would find that configuration too pricey for its customers. Nintendo hasn't said what the new controller will cost. But Eguchi answered my question about whether gamers should be concerned about the controller's price by saying that "I do understand that if the price is too high that would be an obstacle."[/quote]

So what they're saying is they're only[i] thinking[/i] about games that utilise [b]two[/b] Wii U controllers. At the moment, they're kind of relying on one Wii U pad, and the others with Wii remotes/nunchuks.

Add in the images of how multiplayer works on Wii U:
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2011/02/playstyle/img/04.jpg
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2011/02/playstyle/img/06.jpg

And it's kind of worrying.