Miyamoto – Wii U is Technically on Par with Xbox 360 and PS3
Nintendo’s new HD console marks company’s first attempt to cater to the more hardcore audience which has been greatly neglected with standard visual capabilities of the original Wii. While no one exactly know the capabilities of Wii U, everyone is hoping Nintendo will finally be able to compete with the likes of Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Speaking to 1up during an interview, Nintendo managing director, Shigeru Miyamoto laid down the challenges company faces with this new console and how they plan to cater to more hardcore audience with it providing more core games experiences blending with the casual games.
I think that there’s certainly been a tendency to draw lines of distinction between the Nintendo platforms of the past and competing platforms, Miyamoto admitted. That differentiation of saying the Nintendo platforms are home to more casual experiences versus some of the other platforms bringing more core experiences.
I think the reason some of those distinctions have come up have been different for each generation, going back and looking at the switch to disc-based media at a time when Nintendo felt it was important to stick with cartridge-based media to ensure load times were shorter despite the greater capacity of disc-based media.
That was the real reason, I think, some of that happened in that era. Then, of course, for Wii, we were developing in standard definition with a unique new motion controller versus the other systems running in high definition with more standard controls.
I think what we’re going to see with Wii U from the HD side — obviously, it will be an HD console with the capabilities that you’d expect from an HD console. You have, additionally, from a media standpoint, media that is capable of producing games that are going to be HD in content.
But on top of that, I think what you’ll find is that the addition of new screens means that developers who are making games for other systems will naturally be able to make them for Wii U, and then on top of that they’ll be able to take advantage of this new gameplay structure to bring new possibilities to their game designs when releasing them on Wii U.
So, I think you’ll find a blend of experiences on this system. Some of them will be based on the motion style of gameplay that we introduced with Wii, while others will be based on more traditional, core-type games.
When asked about whether Wii U with its hardware capabilities has put Nintendo on equal footing with its competitors, he replied:
Yes, we do feel that we’ve reached that,” he said. “Then it’s just a question of how much gamers understand the uniqueness that Nintendo offers.
For us, the ideal is that we’ve been making games for a long time, and we try to create these new styles of play become the future standard for video games. So it becomes then… you need to find the appropriate way to take advantage of new technology while offering it to people at an appropriate price that’s going to make them want to play.
Nintendo has still a long way to go. Will this classy touchscreen controller powered HD console be enough to compete with Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 ? not unless Nintendo announce a long list of hardcore exclusive games.
If this third party games line up is something to go by, they are atleast trying. What’s your opinion on this as a general all round gamer ?
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Wow, congratulations nintendo you are releasing a console on par with the other two as far as graphics go. Shouldn’t that be expected since the other two consoles are five years old or is it just me?
Why don`t you tell us hardware specs. so we can judge!
Nintendo is five years late to the party, or six depending on if you are talking Xbox 360. It’s great that Nintendo is finally going HD and the controller has unique possibilities, but I see this panning out the same as it has with every other console Nintendo has released since the N64. 3rd party support will be there, but will diminish.
Think about it: Nintendo won’t be able to launch below $250. The president has already stated this and that’s on the low end. So I think it’s safe to assume $299 will be the launch price. Sony and Microsoft are in a position to cut the price of their respective systems before the Wii U even launches. And most assuredly, they will do just that.
A huge installed base for both PS3 and 360 ensures that these multiplatform “core” games will see greater sales there than on the Wii U. What we will end up with is Nintendo-exclusive 1st party games on the Wii U, a smattering of third party support but not much exclusive if at all.
Your conclusion is flawed. To say that Nintendo can only compete with a slew of hardcore exclusives is fallacious from the first word of the sentence. The Wii has sold significantly more than the 360 and the PS3; if anything, the questions should be: “Can Nintendo do even better at outselling those companies?” To regain the confidence of hardcore FPS, MMO, and Strategy gamers, I think all they need to do is offer the best version of the best games. If people can get the exclusive Nintendo titles AND the best versions of games like Arkham City and Call of Duty, they’re going to buy the system. Gamers don’t like to feel like they own an inferior version of the game they’re playing.
LOL @ Steve comment about no exclusives..
Wii U already has slated Ninja Gaiden 3 and then a brand new EXCLUSIVE Ninja Gaiden.
Oh did you miss the Assasins Creed EXCLUSIVE all new game?? It sounds like you did..
Tekken exclusive? Musta missed that one too huh?
If I’m not mistaken Ghost Recon is also exclusive with a PC version, which in the console world doesn’t infringe on “exclusive” otherwise you can pretty much say nothing exclusive for xbox, less to the point for PS3.
You sound like a mis-informed sony or ms fanboy.. seriously.. get some facts before you spout B.S.
You do realize MS and Sony are on a 10 year run.. Nintendo made a right turn with the Wii motion controls, sony/ms scrambled to copy.. then Nintendo took a left and sony/ms heads are spinning.
The graphics war is over.. 1080p is a standard for 10 years.. even if you think it’s underpowered Nintendo is and should ALWAYS be on a 5 year cycle.. If you don’t agree then you can’t understand the concept of innovation and what the Wii did for the MASS market. You also don’t leave yourself potentially irrelevant on a 5 year cycle so you CAN take risks and create something like the Wii U controller, dual screen concept..
Now they have to market this like crazy.. the ability to have 100% Wii compatibility from controls to the Wii Fit boards etc is huge.. they can leverage that market into the more core gamer which the Wii U seems a litte more focused towards..
The bottom line is, something for everyone.. and like Brian says, if the Wii U really starts creating games that include core ideas that are executed that can’t be done on other systems.. people will jump ship.. there are already a ton of awesome ideas that developers are really excited about.. we should be too!
Crap-tendo does it again. Releasing 5yr technology! The Wii was a GameCube slim with a $200 controller. Now the Wii U is on par with 5yr PS360. Now again the focus is on the controller. They didn’t even show the console itself or any game demos…just ‘wishfull thinking’ demos. I’ll check it out for real in 10 years when they finally release a Zelda game on it. If the tech is more advaced than the origial Wii…it will take 10yrs for the next Zelda title… Sure hope it plays Netflix; sure enough my kids will want the damn thing.. Sad Nintendo…SAD
I dont like it when they say “on Par with Xbox 360 and PS3″ that means it is a generation behind and as soon as the new xbox and ps launches it will be old again
I’d say WiiU is more powerful than the PS3 and 360 but the problem with that is it comes out next year. When Sony and Microsoft release new consoles this thing will look weak. It’s not smart to be bringing out a new console that is only as powerful as the other two. They should wait until 2013 and bring out a more powerful console. I sure wouldn’t recommend investing any money in a new console now if it’s this weak.
Not once does Myamoto say its on par he simply says yes weve reached that level when asked if they think they have reached equal footing that means yes we have a competative console not yes the WiiU is about on par with ps3/360 ect he doesnt indicate this he just means its a fair game now oh and IBM have said the CPU has same tech as there Watson super computer