We've gotten our hands on Nintendo's new Wii enhanced
controller/doohickey, the Wii U. We're still not entirely sure how to
classify it yet, but we've definitely developed a few early impressions.
Read on as two of our editors sound off from the E3 Expo 2011 show
floor.
David Wolinsky, Contributing Editor: So, for a moment, let's put aside the whole "is it a console or a controller?" confusion and cut right to the quick: What are your first impressions of Nintendo's Wii U? What potential do you see in it? Is your core aching all these hours later?
Ryan Scott, Executive Editor: I've been describing the Wii U to people as "an iPad with buttons." I think the concept of this touchscreen tablet controller (or... whatever) is pretty cool, but we just have no idea what they're going to do with it. A lot of the "games" we saw were glorified tech demos and trailers -- understandable at such an early stage, of course, but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions. What did you think?
David Wolinsky, Contributing Editor: So, for a moment, let's put aside the whole "is it a console or a controller?" confusion and cut right to the quick: What are your first impressions of Nintendo's Wii U? What potential do you see in it? Is your core aching all these hours later?
Ryan Scott, Executive Editor: I've been describing the Wii U to people as "an iPad with buttons." I think the concept of this touchscreen tablet controller (or... whatever) is pretty cool, but we just have no idea what they're going to do with it. A lot of the "games" we saw were glorified tech demos and trailers -- understandable at such an early stage, of course, but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions. What did you think?
David Wolinsky: I don't know what to think! I'm so mystified by Nintendo's new device and its applications that it seems unfair to render judgment upon it. I don't think Nintendo was being coy in its press conference yesterday, but it sure did gloss over a lot of fundamental facts. I think this didn't irk you as much as it did me, but I was repeatedly told essentially "you're doing it wrong" by the Nintendo staffers. I wasn't standing in the correct posture. I wasn't moving correctly with the device. Maybe this isn't as much an issue to today's younger gamers, but to folks who grew up with non-motion controllers, I suspect they'll encounter the same initial hurdle of just getting used to it. Speaking of, the first demo we tried was Battle Mii, a sort of Metroid deathmatch where two players are on the ground and the Wii U user is in a giant ship. First and foremost, did you have fun trying out the Wii U on it?
Ryan Scott: It took a bit of getting used to, and I don't think I had quite the same level of problems you did (although turning from side to side using the Wii U's built-in accelerometer was mildly annoying) -- but I had fun with it. I think it worked really well; I certainly liked the Wii U portion of Battle Mii more than I liked the Wii-mote portion. And, I should mention, I totally killed you on both sides of this game. How did you feel after you finished playing it?
David Wolinsky: Hey, I know what side my bread is buttered on: I have to let the boss win! Seriously though, despite the initial awkwardness, I gotta say, I am optimistic about the Wii U's future. The Wii-mote has felt unnatural from the very beginning, but this basically transforms your TV into the DS' top screen. I didn't use the Wii U long enough to get used to its controls, but I can tell that after a couple of hours with it, that won't really be an issue. I didn't have an "aha!" moment like the first time I swung my racket in Wii Sports, but it's cool. The real question, in my view, is whether Nintendo makes good on the device's many applications shown at the press conference yesterday. This is a company that's historically backed out of a lot of promises (Wii Vitality Sensor, where are you?) and dropped support for things very quickly. Remember the Game Boy Micro? How about the Game Boy Printer? And do you care that the Wii U will supposedly double as a video phone?
Ryan Scott: No, that's what the Internet is for, if you're into that sort of thing. Do you care that Nintendo didn't firmly clarify whether this thing would prompt a new HD Wii system? Or whether we'll actually have a functional multiplayer gaming network to play Nintendo games on? The lack of talk about these two things really disappointed me.
David Wolinsky: Yeah, I noticed they didn't clarify those things either, and that's quite damning. I really had high hopes for Nintendo to reaffirm its position as being both innovative and savvy this week, but this doesn't quite cut it. They mentioned games like Batman: Arkham City and Darksiders II would be hitting the Wii U, but how? Do we need to buy another console to play those games? Arkham City comes out in a few months, and the Wii U isn't dropping until next year. Why would people want to wait that long, and buy an entire new console to play a year-old game? I don't get it, and I sorely want to. What do you make of the new system being able to keep pace with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3? Won't Nintendo just be another step behind when Sony and Microsoft's new machines are announced?
Ryan Scott: Well, some solid answers about the technology would help me make that call. And the supposed parity with other platforms software-wise is nice in theory, but I think the bottom line is that publishers won't be able to support it, because once again, they're likely to have to go out of their way to make a Wii U version of a game, as opposed to a relatively low-maintenance port. The cynic in me doesn't see it lasting, but I sure do want to be wrong.
David Wolinsky: Same here. This might just be some stopgap, or some great experiment, or just some holdover until Nintendo announces its true next system. Then again, we have so little information in the scheme of things that it's tough to say what exactly the Wii U has in store. It has potential... but for what?