Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 (E3)

[Skummy]

Yeah, that's the problem with the Wii - it opened a market for "casual" gamers that didn't really exist before, and never really improved on that. The rest of the world's caught up - Kinect, Move, iPhones and iPads, Facebook and even the DS cater to "casual" gamers at least as much, if not more, than the Wii does, and Nintendo no longer have any real say on that market as a whole, which is why they're going to branch into more "gamer"-centric software this time round; assuming there's the third party support.

It's kind of a long-running problem for Nintendo, though - they always have a great couple of initial releases that showcase the new hardware (Wii Sports, especially Bowling, pretty much remains the single most effective use of motion controls. Elsewhere, Super Mario 64 was arguably the best game ever released for the N64, and so on and so forth), and from then on the hardware is kind of pushed aside, and Nintendo focus on their core audience, but get all but ignored by the "mainstream".

That said, there are still a ton of fantastic games available on the Wii, and I'm happy I own one, it's just a shame there isn't the third-party support that the other consoles have. But I'd take a line-up of Kirby's Epic Yarn, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Little King's Story, Paper Mario, No More Heroes 2 and the Virtual Console over practically anything available on PS3 or 360 anyway - and it's not like those two consoles haven't got their fair share of absolute garbage too.

[Momo]

The problem is that unless this has a significant improvement in graphics over the PS3 and the 360, it's not going to mean much. Yeah, graphics aren't everything, but they are a massive part of the reason third party developers didn't really support the Wii.

While that problem is now fixed, we face the problem of consumer support. Will someone who owns either a 360 or a PS3 be tempted to buy this. All the games coming for it are also coming to 360 & PS3. Most of those will be released earlier on the other consoles as well.

Which means to sell this console, there needs to be significant improvement over current gen consoles, and the services they offer (online play, graphics, streaming entertainment, e-shopping). Alternately, Nintendo could offer some killer exclusives, but not just the Mario's and Zelda's of days past. The people that will buy a console for those games, are already buying the console.

In short, people that already have a seventh gen console, don't need the WiiU

[Skummy]

And people who already own a phone don't need an iPhone, and nobody needs an iPad. People still buy them. It's got more to do with marketing than existing ownership.

[Herr Matzat]

Wow, being able to watch a 3D film with 3D glasses in a purpose-built 3D cinema is exactly like being able to play a multi-player game and, without glasses or anything of the sort, seeing a completely different image to what your friend is seeing on the same television.

It´s still just two pictures. Your PS3 still just needs to render two images. It´s still just glasses blocking out one of these images. And you still need glasses on this PSMonitor. Are you stupid?

And glasses free "splitscreen" issent new either. Mercedes and some other companys use it for their navigation, a cupple of years already. N3Ds uses the same idea of directing the light towards a each eye. It´s just not around yet in big TVs (but it will defenetly be at some point.)

Edited June 14, 2011 by Michael Matzat on a Plane

[Colly]

Technology is rubbish really isn't it?

[Sousa]

Yeah, I fucking hate technology, particularly things that were completely unheard of within the span of a brief lifetime. I just thought you guys would like to know this, so I entered these words into this breadbox-sized device (which is exceptionally large for its day) that allows me to communicate instantly across oceans.

[Colly]

Yeah, but thats just a quicker, cheaper, smaller version of sending it across on paper via a ruddy big boat, so whats the fucking point of that?

[Skummy]

As a kid, I was immeasurably happy to have moved on from spending nearly an hour waiting for my Commodore 64 to boot up a knock-off version of Frogger called "Space Frogs" (which, more than 50% of the time, didn't work), to playing Altered Beast on the Master System and a black and white telly (but only when my parents gave me permission), or getting to play The Oregon Trail or The Secret Of Monkey Island at my friend's house - if we could find all the disks.

Now, I'm listening to some idiot claim that 3D multi-player is somehow "not impressive" because it's been done before.

I'm sorry that I've managed to keep an air of wonder, and that I'm not so completely unperturbed by things that I would, only a few short years ago, never have been able to even imagine would be possible. Because, fuck, it's been done before, so who gives a shit?

What would be "impressive" technology Matzat? What do you expect games consoles to be capable of before you'll actually enjoy playing one, because you seem to enjoy bitching about every single one on the market, and the perceived shortcomings of every game available which, half the time, nobody else gives a shit about, far more than you enjoy playing them.

Now somebody fetch me my jetpack blowjob robot.

[9 to 5]

What do you expect games consoles to be capable of before you'll actually enjoy playing one

Being able to run Linux for no fucking reason, I imagine.

[gunnar hendershow]

Hey guys I'm posting from a device the size of my hand at my friend's apartment where there is no internet access. I know people were doing this last week, bur I still think it's hip and current.

[Momo]

And people who already own a phone don't need an iPhone, and nobody needs an iPad. People still buy them. It's got more to do with marketing than existing ownership.

iPhone and iPad both have killer apps on their online stores. So for people that already have a phone, but want an iPhone, there's reason to upgrade.

As I said earlier, if Nintendo really wants this to work, they need to get some exclusives that aren't good old Nintendo favourites. Whether that means they come up with some new IPs that cater to the market they're trying to attract, or whether they pay a 3rd party developer to make a big exclusive for them is anyone's guess, but it's something that needs to be done.

[Herr Matzat]

Some WiiU Hardware.

http://www.inside-games.jp/article/2011/06/14/49714.html

Nice little demo of controler, also gives a nice idea of the grafiks. No more gamecube controlers.

I have not played a new Zelda in forever, this demo makes me want to... =)

Edited June 15, 2011 by Michael Matzat on a Plane

[EWB's Best Poster.]

Yeah, but thats just a quicker, cheaper, smaller version of sending it across on paper via a ruddy big boat, so whats the fucking point of that?

The fact that you responded in 6 minutes not 6 weeks, I would imagine.

[Quom]

To a degree I'm still with Matzat. I get that it's a cheap price and I get it means you don't have to chop up passive glasses. But it's already a technology that can be done on any passive 3D television which generally would be much larger than 24inches. I have a 57inch television. If it was passive 3D instead of stereoscopic you can bet I would be chopping up some glasses rather than buying a whole new television (either that or I would wait for the glasses of Sony's product and hoping they will sync on any passive 3D television).

I mean televisions now are ridiculously cheap for what they are. I have a spare 40 inch LCD that I could stick in my bedroom or give to the kids if I had any. I can't see why I would be buying a 24inch television.

Having said that passive 3D hasn't hit over here yet so it makes sense. But if you have ready access to that tech I can't see the role of this Sony television.

[EWB's Best Poster.]

Most dorm rooms cant fit a 57 inch tv, a 24 one though would fit a little better. Given the age demographic and cost, Id say thats about perfect.

[Quom]

Oh, that's probably the difference. Didn't even think of it.

We don't really do the whole dorm room thing. Over here the share house is a much more likely outcome of uni life. So you would still have a dorm room sized room to yourself if you don't trust your house-mates. Either that or you move somewhere commutable that's cheaper and catch public transport in and work to afford rent. I don't actually know anyone who lived at uni (most people I work with need a degree to get the job they are in, so it's not like I haven't met loads of grads other than myself). Over here it's generally only kids from the country who start off living in dorms until they meet people, or foreign students.

[TCO]

Still a big massive meh on the WiiU from me. Until they show me series of unmissable titles or something revilutionary it can do that my PS3 other than having a silly controller with a screen I'd never really use it'll stay that way.

[Benji]

I wonder if it'll have achievements/trophies. They said they doubt you'd ever see that on Nintendo, but if they're aiming for the dedicated gaming fans then we may well see an opening there.

[Skummy]

I know we're all sick of the topic - but are trophies really that much of a big deal? That it would be considered an incentive to buy a console?

I'm not trying to sound sarcastic - I'm really wondering. I've never paid attention to them, I didn't realise they were seen as a genuine selling point to "hardcore gamers" (read: anyone who plays a first-person shooter).

[gunnar hendershow]

It's no different than RPG folks have to collect every rare item and replay games for a "perfect" playthrough. And a big selling point for RPGs is the amount of extra shit they pack in. A lot of people are perfectionists and, as a result, trophies cater to that market.