When word first leaked about a new Nintendo console that would sport HD graphics and computing power that might rival and possibly even out perform the Xbox 360 and PS3, the whole industry turned its head in curiosity.
From the fanboys/girls who’d been waiting for this moment patiently for years, to the haters and skeptics who had long since written Nintendo off, interest grew, reaching its peak last week during Nintendo’s E3 press conference.
Now, despite the conference, floor demonstrations, and further details, the fog of Wii U remains. Obviously, few people expected Nintendo to tell all about its new system. And really, the lack of firm information concerning the launch date, price point, and specifics about the hardware, all contribute to the obscurity surrounding Wii U, but are not the origin of it.
The real cause behind both press and gamer uncertainty regarding Nintendo’s direction with this new console lies instead with how the Wii U was presented and the lack of a clear vision to accompany it.
Do I care about the exact specs of the new console? No. It’s going to support HD and be on par with PS3 and Xbox 360—good enough.
Do I care about the Wii U’s price point or how much the controller will cost to replace.? Not really. It’ll be in the ball park of the systems—more expensive than they are under their current price drops, but probably a little less than the others were at launch.
Do I care about the software that’s going to be attached and how much third party support they’ll be? Only slightly. Nintendo has been unusually successful at revamping franchises with each new system, and there’s no reason to feel they won’t continue to do so. And with respect to third party titles, most people already own one of the other two competing platforms, so have the blockbuster titles like Arkham City opened up to a third console isn’t the biggest game changer.
So what do I care about? I care about what Nintendo’s vision is for gaming going forward and how the Wii U fits into that new mode of consuming games.
Will the Ninten-pad work as an updated version of the GBA/Gamecube interface? Will the new console be Internet friendly, providing both simple access to online playability as well as a user friendly web browser? While will having two screens enhance the gaming experience? Why should I be excited to drop a paycheck on one more system that also happens to sport a really strange looking controller?
To a large degree, these are the same questions everyone’s asking right now. But they didn’t need to be. At least not in this way.
The three groups, fanboy/girls, skeptics, and haters are pretty much of the same mind as before the Wii U reveal. Fans are as wet-pantied as ever, “HD Zelda look’s awesome.” Skeptics want to believe but aren’t sold, describing almost every feature with the same phrase, “That could be really interesting.” And haters are as sure as ever that Nintendo is drowning in a sea of change, “Insert Wii U pun here.”
What Nintendo needed to do was show how the tablet controller would expand and enhance modern gaming by showing how all the pieces might, in principle, fit together.
I’m imagining your standard entertainment/family/living room with all the furniture oriented toward the television. How doe does the Wii U fit into this context. How will the new system change it?
Providing answers to these questions wasn’t helped by showcasing how I can play lame board games, throw ninja stars at trees, and put from a sand trap all from the comfort my iPad-clone-gone-wrong of gaming controller.
Either Nintendo has a vision, the bastard child of which was rolled out confusedly last week, or even they have no idea what their creation means for the gaming experience. Neither is reassuring. Neither is inspiring. And whichever is the case, what’s more likely than not is that either Sony or Apple will beat them to the punch by the time Wii U actually releases.