Gustav Halling » WiiU thoughts – Nintendos new console

WiiU thoughts – Nintendos new console

Gustav / June 8, 2011 / 52 comments

So WiiU is finally revealed for all of us, even if they only talked about their controller yesterday.

So what is this console, is it a replacement for xbox and ps3? Is Nintendo doing to much at the same time or is it a smart move?

Some comments from my side:

- Its both a controller and console

- It’s not a big step up from consoles as x360 or PS3, it is better hardware wise but when the new xbox and ps4 comes it will be runned down again, wanted to see something much stronger.

- All the Zelda stuff was RENDERED, we havent seen anything play on the console in their show, all “good looking” stuff was rendered. BF3 was from our movies. I dont think the end game results will be significantly better than x360 and PS3. But the extra RAM will help with player limits that are stopping x360/ps3 today in for example BF3.

- No Blu Ray and the console and controller needs to be in the same room.

- Controller is not displaying HD graphics, only on the TV.

- It will come down to the price for me, Nintendo is always overpricing their consoles because they will never loose money, and that controller looks expensive, then you need to add the HD console itself.

I think WiiU will be perfect for families again, as Wii was and I do think it has more use than the Wii because of the extra screen in the controller. However it will be more expensive making it sell much less than before.

They also need the developers to support it, or Nintendo will be making all the games that sell again.
True that EA said that we could publish BF3 on it, but it’s not something we are focusing on atm since the console isnt out until “between 1 april and 31 december”, our focus now is on PC, x360 and PS3!

My guess is for release is holiday 2012, nintendo will show off the console hardware and controller more next E3, otherwise it’s just bad marketing from their side.

So what are your thoughts?

Category: Battlefield 3, Game Industry, Game News / Tags: Battlefield 3, E3 2011, WiiU

http://twitter.com/Evil_Paladin James Keen

I 100% agree and am relieved to hear a dev speak my kind of language. The wiiu isnt for me. Im waiting for the next xbox personally. I was actually kind of let down by nintendo. But then again xbox shoving kinect down my throat like in a porn movie was something I didnt like either. But I prefer my xbox and will over the wiiu. Simply because BF3 will provide the same expierence

The wiiu to me is getting third party support but not enough. I personally like the controller monitor thing BUT thats it. Everything else I heard doesnt impress me. hate to be a downer for people.
- Anonymous
  
  I will the wiiu since it will have different type of games than I can get on my pc. PC is way better than Xbox 720 for a guy that wants shooters, rpgs in the best graphics.
http://twitter.com/BF3PC davespanzer BF3 PC

Thanks for the read, I’ll pass it on to the right people!
hylje

When you’re saying it’s closer to them do you realize it’s currently designed to run games in 1080p natively where as xbox360/ps3 will still be sub/par 720p. Also what IBM stated it has Power7 CPU then it’s certainly nextgen console cpu. GPU still remains mystery but strong rumors have said it is R700 based and might be designed from radeon5xxx series as it has low power/heat going on. Other than that I’d call bull on not being able to compete current gen, more likely to overpass them until we hear facts about the MS/Sony plans. Current games are experiencing sub 30 framerates per second and tearing more and more. Bad engine, optimization or just running the limits on current generation specs? I don’t have answer.

If properly executed and marketed with multiplatform support from publishers like EA it has potential with controller that actually seems to be useful unlike I predicted it to be, succeed and stand aside with next gen consoles to be developed. I’d keep my hat on until we see games with techspecs and release date. Much more wiser on competition by that point.

Disappointment with Wii left me sour and bitter towards Nintendo and DSi didn’t improve it. Unless they let outsiders design online system, change current gen developer mindset towards positive thinking and creativity, drop the friend codes and increase HDD I will pass and focus on other systems. Much as I like the 1st party games and unique feeling Nintendo has managed to create, trying to implement too much in one system ends up hurting your customers and userbase. I

P.S. E3 presentation looked mighty fine, going to double dip BF3 on PC/PS3 first time on my behalf.
- http://www.gustavhalling.com Gustav Halling
  
  Didn’t say it wouldn’t compete with current gen.
  
  But I know how much RAM the WiiU has and I have an idea of how much “we” developers would like to see in the next Xbox and PS4, and they differ a lot.
  
  Still, the WiiU will be the most powerful console out there when it’s released, BY FAR!
  But I wonder for how long…
  Nintendo cant go and compete with MS and Sony i think because they want to keep their console cheaper as with the Wii.
  BUT, I might also be wrong and this is Nintendos real hunt after the hardcore MS and Sony players.
  
  And I agree with the controller, it looks amazing, but I dont see you playing BF3 on it (switching like they did in the rpg they showed) but maybe have the minimap up with chat support etc, that would be awesome!
  
  The future will tell =)
  - hylje
    
    Well at least they got our attention. You are right about the RAM, it might turn into issue and move developer focus to other platforms. For their sake I hope they will listen properly developers such Dice have.
    
    In few weeks we will forget all about WiiU and focus on more important matters like destroying buildings, complain about complaining and knife people in the back
    
    (Sony got really interested on WiiU controller and will probably experiment with Vita + PS3 about same stuff, possible minimaps for Vita etc)
  - Jon Ross
    
    You probably know better than anyone the tough times Microsoft and Sony have had this generation with their high priced machines. Sony in particular has lost boat loads of money – into the billions.
    
    and theyve publicly stated now that they will not be investing as heavily into horsepower next gen as they did with the ps3…
    
    im guessing that the next xbox and the PS4 will NOT throw the wiiu under the table with graphics, and they likely will all be about the same.
    
    which is really the best for us gamers, as the ‘competition’ between companies then just comes down to games.
    - http://www.gustavhalling.com Gustav Halling
      
      The thing id that they(sony) should focus on general known tech as Xbox did,
      just a good CPU and lots of RAM so we can keep more players and vehicles in
      memory. The forced PS3 RAM usage is a big showstopper on multi platform
      games today.
  - http://www.inceptional.com iNCEPTIONAL
    
    “But I wonder for how long…”
    
    For longer than you think I imagine,
    
    Unless you know something I don’t I’d suggest that the next-gen of hardware from Sony and Microsoft will not see the light of day for at least a few more years. I truly believe they can stick to their original 10 year plans with no problems whatsoever.
    
    There is absolutely no need for either of them to bring out next-gen machines any sooner when clearly their current consoles will still remain competitive with both Wii U and in general from both a technical and feature/service standpoint.
    
    The graphics on their current-consoles will easily remain good enough for most people for the foreseeable future and as long as they keep expanding the functionality and services on their consoles, with things like Netflix, Facebook, Bing search, Kinect, 3D support and Move etc then I don’t see the need to bring in new expensive hardware just for the sake of it when they can just keep building on the current hardware and increasing their users of those platforms more and more.
    
    I see most of next-gen actually just being Wii U vs PS3 vs Xbox 360.
http://twitter.com/Rick_Bring Rick Bring

I went in giving Nintendo the benefit of the doubt hoping they could bring me back.The rumors over numerous sites stated it was more powerful than the other 2 consoles.The main reason I wanted Nintendo to be much more powerful was it would kick Sony and Microsoft in the ass to get their next consoles out and give the hardware a boost.Frankly I just think it’s time to move on from the current gen of consoles.I’m sure now developers are finding it much more comfy to develop for these consoles than they did 2 -3 years ago.But with the new Unreal technology and new Frostbite technology I would love developers be able to fully utilize that on console.But I am building a nice PC again for BF3 and ect… so I guess that should hold me over until then.Great read though.
http://twitter.com/Giorgos78GR Giorgos78

so who many could wiiu support? is there any chance to see bfe on wiiu with more than 24 players????????????
e $

Way to slant everything in a negative way and ignore the good aspects.
- http://www.gustavhalling.com Gustav Halling
  
  I did say I am exited about the controller.
  I won’t be exited about the console until I see a good game running on it.
  Using SD card and “usb” devices, disabling internal permanent storage is
  also weak in my mind, wouldn’t be suprised if it is for ppl to buy Nintendo
  licensed H.D.Ds later to have the illusion of a cheaper console.
  
  We devs need storage to run and patch our games properly, something
  Microsoft is being a showstopper on current gen with their x360 without
  harddrive and 4mb title update limits.
  Meaning we can’t patch what we want if needed.
  
  The future will tell what WiiU will give us
  - PNo4
    
    Wii U will be my primary console when its released because of Mario, Zelda, Metroid, if you want me to buy your games (goes to any 3rd party devs), you know where you have to be ;P
    
    *host* Mirrors Edge 2 *host*
  - Anonymous
    
    The fact is that this is no different than what Microsoft did with the Xbox 360.. they are still to this day selling 4gb units which is lower than what the wiiu will have.
Coolwhip

You contradict yourself by first saying Wii U is barely more powerful than PS3, later you say it’s more powerful BY FAR. Which is it?
- http://www.gustavhalling.com Gustav Halling
  
  Didn’t I say that I don’t think games would look much better then on x360
  and ps3? But that it was more powerful.
  
  I think the next gen consoles will be much stronger so we will be
  downgrading towards the WiiU like with the Wii today.
  
  That is what I meant anyway
  - Anonymous
    
    It’s all a matter of how you look at it.. For the next few years you’ll be upgrading over what you can do on the ps3 and xbox 360 and then for a similar amount of time you’ll be down grading. And then Nintendo will release their next system and you’ll be upgrading again. Nintendo isn’t on the same cycle as microsoft and sony anymore..
  - Ruekurei
    
    This is a bit late here and I hope you can respond.
    
    But what about development costs? Won’t that affect which consoles your games go on?
    
    If the new consoles are as powerful as you say, won’t that force you to increase development costs exponentially? How many developers do you think will be able to make high end games like that, and would that be pushed towards making those games because of industry standards and gamers expectations?
- André
  
  The difference will be like what? PS2 to Xbox? Or like Wii to Xbox 360?
Slackass77

Sorry, but did you post this while you were drunk or something? The Zelda demo was clearly real time. Also at first you say the Wii U is behind the 360/PS3, and then you say it is more powerful BY FAR (emphasis yours)

Don’t spread FUD. You’re clearly speaking on issues you aren’t qualified to talk about.
- http://www.gustavhalling.com Gustav Halling
  
  No I’m sorry but you that need to get your facts about the Nintendo E3 press conference.
  
  In the interview given 15 minutes after on Spike with Reggie (you know the NA Nintendo boss) he said that Zelda was rendered and showed how “it could look”.
  Not necessarily that they will do it like that.
  
  Not saying that they have some kind of live demo of Zelda running somewhere but what was shown for us there wasent “live” or “gameplay”, just a rendered scene.
  - Guest
    
    How exactly can you change the camera angle and lighting on a “pre-rendered” demo?
  - Krev
    
    It was a clip of the Zelda tech demo running on proto Wii U hardware. Nintendo had the exact same demo running on the floor.
    You’re stretching the usual definition of ‘renders’ here.
    - Krev
      
      You said we didn’t see anything running on the console in their conference, but since that Zelda demo is running on the console at E3, that’s a factual inaccuracy.
      Killzone PS3 2005 was a render. Zelda was a real time tech demo running on the console. Big difference.
Krev

Why did you claim that the real time Zelda demo was rendered?
- http://www.gustavhalling.com Gustav Halling
  
  Didn’t I say that I don’t think games would look much better then on x360
  and ps3? But that it was more powerful.
  
  I think the next gen consoles will be much stronger so we will be
  downgrading towards the WiiU like with the Wii today.
  
  That is what I meant anyway
Guest

You’re a gameplay designer and you can’t think of ways to integrate the WiiPad into BF3?

>_>
- http://www.gustavhalling.com Gustav Halling
  
  Sure I can, never said anything else
  On Jun 9, 2011 1:32 PM, “Disqus”
  - Guest
    
    “And I agree with the controller, it looks amazing, but I dont see you playing BF3 on it (switching like they did in the rpg they showed) but maybe have the minimap up with chat support etc” — Gustav Halling
    
    I can’t wait for your BF3, and was going to buy it on PC, but I would love to play it most on this new controller. I’m imagining all types of new gameplay options that could be implemented, and I’m really hoping EA decides to give BF3 a good shot on Wiiu.
    
    But please, if this does move to Wiiu, have wii-mote integration, it’s so good.
    
    /dream
Guest

“What’s really going to make it [Wii U] stand out for core gamers is the new controller. It’s touchscreen, it’s elegant and it works seamlessly with the experience. We’ve just had a little bit of time with it and we’ve uncovered new ways of playing Battlefield that I’m really excited about. You can imagine that there are new ways of playing the game from a commander mode or for being able to drive from a different position inside of a vehicle. What I really liked about it was how good it felt in your hands. In addition to that it’s super powerful. It allows you to do a lot of things that no other controller can do.” – EA’s President Frank Gibeau
John

I think if the Wii U makes people happy they should buy it. Definitely a winner for young kids and softcore gaming families. Personally, I wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole.

The controller looks all bulky and unergonomic. It’s clear Nintendo cares more about the screen than having a good controller layout. Plus, when I’m playing first person shooters the last thing I want to do is take my eyes off the TV screen to look down at the controller.

I foresee the Wii U fizzling out quickly like the original Wii. The only thing powering Wii sales is a low price tag so parents will buy it for their young children. There’s a lot of people with kids and that’s what keeps the Wii sales afloat.

I can’t get over how awful the controller is, but at least it’s a step up from motion sensor Wii remote.
- http://www.facebook.com/jaschapman Jason Chapman
  
  The consensus from reviewers at e3 seem to be that the controller was comfortable to hold.
Stalin

It’s very telling that an incredibly versatile and proven (DS) control scheme was greatly expanded upon and just introduced for a home console and the main topic of conversation is horsepower.

A family machine? WTF? Right now the thing has a user base of 0. That user base will be determined by games above all else. This has always been true. The TurboGrafx-16 was a shmup machine because that’s pretty much all they put it on it. It had nothing to do with anything else but the games. You put a bunch of RTS games on it and LO AND BEHOLD IT’S MAGICALLY A STRATEGY CONSOLE NOW!! It’s the amazing transforming console!

Side note of the same topic: where does this Nintendo logic come from? Shit magically changes, rules cease to exist, and goalposts get moved all over the place because it’s Nintendo. Best recent example of this was that game reel with tons of people saying the games looked worse than PS360 — except it was PS360 footage.

It’s like listening to Republicans skirt around every issue and use every dogwhistle term possible instead of just admitting they’re racist shitheads. I’d much rather people and ESPECIALLY developers would just come out and say “I don’t like Nintendo and nothing they do will ever change that”. The honesty would be refreshing and maybe gaming could break up and the Northtendo and Southcore can go their separate ways and we can all move on.

Controller expense: I forget the link, but all the parts end up being something in the neighborhood of $30. R&D I’m sure would bring it up, but I can’t really picture it being as crazy as $100 or something. My guess is $75 at most and it may only use 1 anyway No Four Swords it looks like

I expect half-assed token effort on the part of 3rd parties as usual, and of course, blaming the consumer for their failure as Nintendo sells 30 million copies of Mario Kart. How the Dead Space guys could have seen RE4: Wii edition (5 year old game that sold over 1 million copies, btw) and still manage to fuck that up so spectacularly is truly a testament to how twisted and warped Nintendo logic is in the industry.
- http://twitter.com/cryengine1001 cryengine1001
  
  yeah, you’re a dumbass. democrats are lying murdering scum. lying about global warming, spending trillions we dont have, lying about healthcare.
  - Stalin
    
    Who said I was a democrat? They’re both pretty bad. It’s like asking if I like rapists more than murderers.
http://twitter.com/OwenR82 Rhys Williams

Can you confirm which one is correct?
- http://www.gustavhalling.com Gustav Halling
  
  What I mean is that the graphics will not better by auto, but the HE us much
  better but I think the next ms and Sony console will triumph it
http://www.facebook.com/people/Daniel-Robinson/659531573 Daniel Robinson

Gustav with regards to the RAM situation you’re referring to what’s currently in the devkit you have right? In that case like with the 360/PS3/3DS do you think it’s at all possible that Nintendo could be persuaded to increase it for the final hardware design since that is the one thing that could be changed at this stage of the game. If you do think that they could be persuaded to increase it then get on the horn to your boss and have him moan until they do.

One other teeny tiny thing Nintendo sold the Gamecube at a loss for the first 6-12 months of it’s life so they’re not “always overpricing” just recently
Mark

Du borde ändra sakerna som du säger fel. -.-
Älskar er på DICE men du säger lite fel saker och lite wtf-saker också.
Gör ett bra jobb på Wii U nu för fan, var inte lata som alla andra devs. Och för fan, pusha EA att få ut Mirror’s edge 2!! (Till Wii U också, så slipper jag kanske köpa två konsoller.)
elricvonmelnibone

Is EA happy with you hating a new console? How much Ram do you want? 8 GiB like Crytek whished? Do you know the final specs of the console? Do you know the final specs of Kinect720? Sry, you seem like a consolewar kiddie, hope you where drunk. Anyways, hope you haven´t to do BF 3 on Wii u, ports without heartblood suck, wouldn´t look much better because you will not try. sad industry. Also good to hear that PS3 and XBox360 are outdatet shit, thats what you are implying….
But…
You know what? There are many people outside who would love some good 3rd party (games like) shooters on a new Nintendo Console. It´s up to you to be there with something good, stunning experience, then people will buy it. The people who love the core nintendo franchises buy other games too, thats a bunch you could build up a good and growing base of fans..

Fuck the shit out of Wiiu specswise, let it explode, give it the best console version. Thats only a good ment tip. People all over the internet are scary to hear anything new about the first nintendo hd console, think about ur job as a developer, think what you can do. Make it look better, the hardware will be there. Sorry you can´t tell me, that the final specs are the same of an ol´xbox360. Give it all, or let it be.

greets from a nintendofanboy (we are millions ) from germany

Mike
Totalvr

Gustav, are you really trying to tell people that the Zelda demo was pre-rendered? Because that totally destroys your credibility if so. Its an absolute fact that the demo was real time, that’s proven by the way you could move the camera and switch lighting.
JayJay

Hey Gustav.

Nice blog you have here. Just discovered it. And put it in my favorites.

You mentioned that you “know how much RAM is in it (WiiU).” Can you (are you allowed) to say anything about the hardware profile you have seen? For example… how much does it actually have? And which class of GPU. In other words, any comparable GFX cards out there that could indicate the amount of power that is under the hood?

Or is that something you were told to shut up about?

Looking forward to future blog updates.

JayJay
- http://www.gustavhalling.com Gustav Halling
  
  I can’t comment on it, and it might change also until they release it so you
  will have to wait for Nintendo to disclose it
  Haven’t signed anything about it but its just common sense to not release
  specific info.
NotSoFast

Gustav sorry to shoot ya down here but…

http://gamingbolt.com/sce-executive-ps4-may-not-have-better-graphics-than-the-ps3

The Sony VP of Europe believe the PS4 will not be much stronger than the PS3 and aimed at women

“It’s hard to say right now.I do not think we’ll have a console with a lot better graphics than the PS3 currently offered.I believe the future will be to offer consumers better and more accessible experience .The aim will be to make more people enter the world of video games and try to design titles for women.”

James Armstrong, VP SCEE,

So what are your thoughts on this? I’m not sure what kind of info you think you’re getting but it seems a little fanboyish of you to assume that MS and Sony are going to come in guns blazing all out power next gen when high ranking Sony reps are making statements like this, we have the MS Kinect situation, not to mention the fact that this won’t we a Wii situation at all. The Wii didn’t even have the shaders required to run 360/PS3 games, the Wii U will and therefore scaling games to meet it’s hardware will be possible while it was not with the Wii.
- http://www.gustavhalling.com Gustav Halling
  
  We developers that makes more games than arcade and puzzles needs much more
  ram and a little power.
  
  I dont think neither Sony or MS will release something less powerfull than
  WiiU and ask us to make High Def games for it once again.
  - Anonymous
    
    No doubt they will be more powerful but i think you are totally wrong if you think it will be just like current gen. PS3 is like 30 times more powerful than Wii.. PS4 might be 3 times as powerful as wiiu at the very most. The difference will resemble ps2 to xbox more than it does wii to ps3…
NotSoFast

So Gustav in your opinion, even with Sony reps saying PS4 will be relatively underpowered and aimed at women, and with MS making bank on Kinect, you don’t think MS and Sony will take a more casual approach with hardware next gen? Both of them lost a lot of money last generation. “Aiming a console at women” hardly sounds like a ram heavy console to me.
Busted

Gustav, you have not addressed your claim that the Zelda footage was rendered.

Why as a developer would you make these claims before being properly informed?

The game had a fully customizable camera and lighting was able able to be changed on the fly for E3 patrons to play with.
Anonymous

No way the Zelda demo was rendered, just looks like a smallish room running a nice amount of geometry, with an incredible lighting engine running next DX10 class shaders. That said, it was gorgeous, and didn’t look like it could be pulled off on the PS3 or 360.

I still haven’t read anything that resembles an informed opinion, about what the WiiU could achieve with a 4xxx Radeon being coded to the metal. Tessellation, geometry shaders, OpenCL type physics processing? It’s probably true that most ports will look like, well, ports and not utilize the extra capabilities or power (remember how awful first gen 360 games looked and ran?), but that’s a pretty decent toolset there, but I still haven’t seen an informed opinion on what that stuff could actually mean for high end WiiU games, or if Nintendo is even giving access to any of it.
Pspfanboy

Hey Gustav, Do you mind telling us AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN about the Wii U hardware without getting in trouble? I, as well as many others would really appreciate some info.
FPSFreak

I agree. Everyone was talking about how it’s going to be 50% more powerful than the PS3. I’m not a programmer but that sounds like nothing when you’re talking about 5 years after it was released. Technology advances so fast. And if they are really trying to try and capitalize on the hardcore market, 50% more powerful will not be enough to sway people over. Especially when the inevitable PS4 rolls around.

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