Owen Good

• View Profile
• Email
• Facebook
• Twitter
• RSS

A week ago, Chris Scullion of Nintendo Gamer and Official Nintendo Magazine ripped FIFA 13‘s Wii version chin-to-groin, for being basically indistinct from FIFA 12 other than roster and uniform updates. Everyone knows the Wii is a dead console walking, but that does not excuse a major publisher palming off last year’s release like it’s something new this year.

Most folks go “Sim sports on the Wii?” and shrug, but Go Nintendo’s constituency is, well, Nintendo consumers and they take this seriously. They hounded EA Sports for an explanation and didn’t get one. Go Nintendo was told by an EA Sports rep that FIFA 13 has “the same great gameplay” as FIFA 12 and the studio porting it over “felt it was important to continue to offer fans the opportunity to play an authentic football experience on Wii.”

It’s a cynical, passive admission they recycled last year’s game under a new banner. It also harms the larger cause of sports video games, a segment EA Sports dominates, when a label this visible recycles a product this important. Sports video games across all publishers confront a unique insult—that they’re nothing more than updates of uniforms and rosters. That slur is angering to any who care about sports video games, whether they make one or play one.

So, I don’t care if the Wii’s AAA-title life support is certain to be shut off once the Wii U arrives in November, and all we’ll see is shovelware until Nintendo files the console’s official death certificate. FIFA 13 on the Wii is a basically dishonest product—it’s just FIFA 12 cloaked in new menus, sold as a new release. Not only does it harm both brands—major brands, too—it damages the overall legitimacy of annual sports video game releases, regardless of label. It would have been more of a favor to those who love sports video games if EA Sports had simply chosen not to release FIFA 13 on the Wii.

EA dodges accusations of FIFA 12/13 Wii being the same game [Go Nintendo]

The small tablet that comes with Nintendo’s Wii U, used as a game controller or to change the TV station and watch videos, is the most obvious distinguishing feature of the new game console.

But in an interview, Nintendo North American President Reggie Fils-Aime said he believes the Miiverse, the game console’s social network, will be the unexpected hit.

“I think that it will pleasantly surprise people,” he said. “As the network grows and the installed base grows, it will prove to be a true killer application for the system, and I say this loving what we have done with Nintendo TVii and loving all the games. Until you try it and experience it, you may not totally understand it.”

At the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash., Fils-Aime sat down with AllThingsD to talk about the company’s first game console to come out in six years. Nintendo finally announced two weeks ago that it will go on sale in the U.S. on Nov. 18, after originally unveiling it more than a year ago. The basic package will cost $300, and a more deluxe version will cost $350.

Fils-Aime said the big change with this console compared to the original Wii is that it provides more reasons for everyone in the family to use it, whether it’s to monitor sports scores on the GamePad, search for shows on Hulu or Amazon’s video services, or even to play games. “I compete against time on the PC, time watching TV, and time spent on social networks,” he said. “I already compete with all that stuff, and now you can do it in a new and engaging way.”

Specifically, Fils-Aime called attention to the Miiverse because he said there are no other social networks that are specifically built around gaming. Facebook is first a social network with games running on top of the platform, and other platforms, like Apple’s iPhone and iPad, have a Game Center, where game players can go to see high scores or interact with friends. Microsoft’s Xbox also allows players to become friends and chat about their game accomplishments, but Fils-Aime maintains the Miiverse is “a key differentiator compared to other companies in our space.”

The Nintendo Miiverse will appear on the start-up screen as a virtual hang-out, where avatars walk around a virtual “plaza.” Game players will be able to post their thoughts in “speech bubbles” that appear over their heads with text or drawings — sort of like status updates on Twitter or Facebook. The Miiverse at launch will be accessible only through the Wii U, but eventually it will be available using any Web-enabled device.

“People have to leave the current paradigm behind to understand what we are trying to do. Miiverse is going to be embedded right on the game platform, so literally some of the activity will be able to happen immediately as people experience it,” he said.

Nintendo is also investing heavily to integrate social experiences built into TVii, which allows users to access their TV guide from the GamePad and to control their set-top box using infrared technology. It also allows them to connect to other video apps, like Hulu and Amazon, or to a TiVo if they have one.

The GamePad will serve as a resource where consumers can look up additional information about what they are watching, which is commonly done today on phones or laptops. In additional, Nintendo will provide a timeline of screenshots based on what you are currently watching on TV. In a demonstration, Zach Fountain, who heads up TVii for Nintendo, showed me how a snapshot of a touchdown appears moments after it happened during a live game, or how scenes from “Modern Family” propagate the timeline as they happen, with the key moments selected by content curators. Users can comment on the moments, and then share the comments to Twitter or Facebook if they choose.

The service will take a lot of work behind the scenes since content curators will have to identify the bigger moments, write captions and create the polls.

Nintendo is closely collaborating with a company called i.TV to pull it off. Some technology will be used to make the process more automatic, but it will also take a lot of human interaction since it will be supported 24 hours a day.

The equivalent undertaking would be if Facebook were to hire content creators to write and post pictures to users’ walls based on their activities or interests. Fils-Aime said i.TV will be managing the TVii timeline, while Nintendo will be using both internal and external resources to monitor the Miiverse. The Miiverse and TVii are free to anyone who buys a console.

Because of the chatting capabilities across the whole system, Nintendo will be offering strict parental controls, so that parents can dictate how much they want their children to see. If children do have access to the Miiverse, “we’ll be leveraging technology, the community and our own reviewers to determine what’s appropriate for the masses,” Fils-Aime said. “What Miiverse is doing is quite different from anything else that’s being done, especially with the ability to hand draw messages and things of that nature.”

Nintendo has not said how many Wii U’s it expects to sell, but it is forecasting 10 million units combined for both the original Wii and the Wii U this year. Already, retailers have sold out of the limited quantities made available for preorders, but more will be available on launch day. “We are looking to max out production as quickly as possible,” he said.

Every gamer should buy Nintendo’s next console. Here’s why.

Nintendo doesn’t have it easy these days. Mobile phones and tablets continue to peck away at its handheld consoles while the Wii, now nearly six years old, struggles to find new buyers among fierce competition from Microsoft and Sony.

As if that weren’t enough, Nintendo is now paying for its negligence towards the gaming industry. The new controller has been met with skepticism, and the claims of better third-party support this time out have been met with shrugs.  We’ve heard this song and dance before.

It’s all seems very doom and gloom. Yet, in spite of this, I’m going to line up to buy a Wii U at launch – and if “gamer” is a label you’re happy to claim, you should too. Here’s why.

Enough Power To Please

The Internet’s popular opinion about the Wii U’s hardware is woefully miss-informed.  I’ve read countless forum posts and website comments that firmly state the Wii U is just a minor upgrade to the Wii and no better than the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. That’s nonsense.

We don’t know exactly what is in the Wii U yet, but we do know it’s a relatively new PowerPC processor paired with 2GB of RAM and a custom AMD Radeon GPU, most likely derived from the company’s Evergreen architecture. For comparison, the Xbox 360 uses a graphics chip similar to AMD’s Fudo architecture – which is five years older. Given the separation in architectures it would not be surprising if the raw power of the Wii U is three or four times that of an Xbox 360.

We don’t need to rely on speculation, however. Nintendo has constantly demonstrated games running at 1080p, something current consoles aren’t capable of (they render games at a lower resolution and up-scale to 1080p).

It’s likely that the new consoles from Microsoft and Sony will be quicker, but that’s okay. What’s important is that Nintendo will finally have hardware that can do justice to the beautiful art found in its first-party titles.

An Excellent Launch Lineup

The Wii U hits store shelves on November 18^th with an impressive selection of games — 23 will be available on launch day, and 51 titles in total are planned for the “launch window” that runs through March.  Several of these are brand-new games that are launching exclusively for the Wii U. I’m personally looking forward to New Super Mario Bros. U, ZombiU and even Epic Mickey 2 (which will be released on all systems, but offer Wii U-specific features on the GamePad). These titles alone put the launch line-ups of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to shame. I’m also looking forward to Rayman Legends, though it now looks like it may not make the November 18 release.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Nintendo is also launching with a generous selection of third-party titles including Assassin’s Creed III, Darksiders II, Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Mass Effect 3. Most of these have been released, or will be released for other platforms, but their inclusion on the Wii U helps to beef up the console’s appeal. And that goes double for me.

I haven’t played several new console games because my Xbox 360 went kaput (for the third time) and was no longer covered under warranty. I couldn’t find any reason why I should waste money replacing it when the Wii U was already announced and capable of playing the same games. My excitement might be less if Microsoft made reliable hardware.

Nintendo Can Take Over My Living Room

Nintendo TVii came out of nowhere. There was little to hint at its existence and then – boom! Nintendo drops the bomb just a few months before release.

TVii put the Wii U over the top for me. Since my Xbox 360 died, I’ve been using a Roku for my streaming needs. It works fine and I’d recommend it to anyone, but it’s terribly simple. Scrolling through Netflix titles can take some time, and there’s not much customization available. It works. And that’s all it does.

The new controller must have given the guys at Logitech a heart-attack. It’s taken them years to squeeze small touchscreens into their line of Harmony remotes. Then here comes Nintendo, tromping in with 6.2 touchscreen display that connects directly with streaming services (via the Wii U, of course), and can even be used to purchase new content.

Television via console is now Nintendo’s game to lose. As long as the processor isn’t too slow, as long as the touchscreen isn’t unresponsive, as long as the software works right – it’ll be great. And inexpensive, too, because there’s no need for an additional subscription to access content you’ve already paid for. That’s a lesson Microsoft should learn.

Backwards Compatibility

Buying a new console is often bitter-sweet. Yay, it’s a new console… but now I have to buy all new peripherals and games. Ah, hell.

The Wii U doesn’t ask so much from buyers. Most Wii accessories are compatible with it, as are most Wii games. Even software and save data downloaded to the Wii will be transferable to the Wii U. In a sense, the new console is more of an upgrade than an entirely new product. It adds new capabilities but also retains the functionality found in the old system.

Nintendo is not abandoning its family-friendly position. And that position is partially based on price. Asking a family to replace an old console with a new one – and three new controllers, plus any peripherals – is always a tall order. I’m happy I’m not going to have to re-purchase controllers when the next Mario Kart game comes out.

Yes, The Price Is Right

Nintendo’s premium Wii U, which is the one you want, retails for $349. There have been the usual complaints, but they’re only valid if you think coin is traded as freely in real life as it was in the last Mario game.

This entirely new console, which is more powerful than any other on the market today and comes with a 6.2” touchscreen controller, costs less at launch than either the Xbox 360 or PS3 did (by a huge margin in the case of the PS3). Even now it’s only $100 more (in premium guise) than the current mid-range Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 bundle. This seems like a damn good deal. I seriously doubt that Nintendo is making any per-unit profit at this price.

And let’s not forget that the Wii U is compatible with old controllers, which means current Wii owners don’t have to pay anything extra for additional peripherals. The new Pro controller, which is tailored towards third-party games, is the only exception — but hopefully it will be sold at a price similar to the current Classic controller, which is $20.

Conclusion

Will the new console reverse Nintendo’s fortunes? That’s impossible to know. Its competitors have yet to reveal themselves, and long-term success depends on far more than a console’s capabilities at launch.

Then again, speculation about profit margins won’t make the Wii U more or less enjoyable. It is a game console. It should play games well, and it should have good games to play. The Wii U promises better gaming than any other console, and Nintendo has thrown in a tasty bonus with TVii. That’s more than enough to get me in line. What about U?

Updated to fix a typo.

Examiner.com is the inside source for everything local. We are powered by Examiners, the largest pool of passionate contributors in the world.

Examiners provide unique and original content to enhance life in your local city wherever that may be. Examiners come from all walks of life and contribute original content to entertain, inform, and inspire.

(Credit:
Nintendo)

Nintendo’s
Wii U is following in its predecessors’ footsteps with region-locking.

A company representative reportedly told famed Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu recently that the
Wii U won’t allow gamers to play titles imported from other regions. The news was published today by posters on gaming forums NeoGaf. Nintendo then appeared to confirm its Famitsu statement to CVG.

Region-locking is common in the gaming space. The restriction stops gamers from playing titles available in other regions on their respective devices. Nintendo’s Wii, along with all of its predecessors dating back to the Nintendo Entertainment System, are region-locked. Microsoft and Sony allow publishers to decide whether their titles should be region-locked or not.

Region-locking is one of the more annoying limitations placed on gamers. And many gamers, including this reporter, would like to see it abolished from the industry. Too bad that doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon.

Nintendo is launching its Wii U on November 18 in the U.S. The console will come in two flavors — a basic set for $299 and a deluxe set for $349.

Examiner.com is the inside source for everything local. We are powered by Examiners, the largest pool of passionate contributors in the world.

Examiners provide unique and original content to enhance life in your local city wherever that may be. Examiners come from all walks of life and contribute original content to entertain, inform, and inspire.

While Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners can currently enjoy bruising knuckles in Namco Bandai’s Tekken Tag Tournament 2, prospective Wii U purchasers can look forward to getting their GamePad-loving hands on the latest quirky brawler as well when the game launches for Nintendo’s new system later this year, complete with new features and options entirely unique to the Wii U.

Tekken game director Katsuhiro Harada-san made sure to reiterate during our roundtable session that the core gameplay experience from the 360 and PS3 version of the game–characters, stages, etc.—would all be present and accounted for in the Wii U edition. In action, you’d be hard pressed to tell the three versions apart based solely on graphics and presentation. However, Namco was able to collaborate with Nintendo to deliver Wii U-specific options to give the game its own identity as well.

• REVIEW: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Review

On the hardware side, the Wii U’s gamepad obviously offers a unique opportunity for players, primarily because it allows users to play the game entirely on the controller’s screen, freeing up the television for other family members to catch up on reruns of Newhart or whatever kids watch these days. When you are using the TV, the gamepad screen contains slots that you can program to correspond to specific attacks so you don’t have to put in the full button combination if you don’t want. This basically lets you create combos by tapping the various moves. There are obvious logistical disadvantages to using these quick moves since you have to glance down to see which one you want (unless you memorize their placement and where each falls on the screen), but it can also help more novice players pull off big combos than they maybe would have otherwise, lowering the barrier to entry, which is especially appreciated given Tekken’s slightly less button mashing-friendly combat design.

In terms of actual content, Namco has incorporated quite a bit of Nintendo fandom into the game. First, there’s the Wii U exclusive Mushroom Battle mode, which not only features character growing/shrinking mushrooms and energizing stars, but also includes a remixed version of the Super Mario Bros. themesong and the energy star theme whenever a character picks it up. The sound effects of the pickups are also here. There are also classic outfits that various characters can wear. Namco has yet to confirm all of the Nintendo characters included in the game, but during my session, I saw Mario, Luigi, Samus, Zelda, and Fox.

To be honest, it was super bizarre seeing a bear dressed like Mario and a regular dude with a fox tail, but given how kooky the Tekken universe is, they definitely fit right in. Then again, playing as a giant Samus (picking up multiple mushrooms grows you beyond the top of the screen) and beating up on a miniature sized panda is something that my brain just couldn’t fully comprehend; this probably explains why the other people who had gathered around to watch me play were cracking up behind me.

One of TTT2’s biggest new features is the World Tekken Federation, the online service that tracks all of your in-game progress and serves as the online hub for all things Tekken, is still a question mark with regards to the Wii U edition. Harada-san said that while the team would like to ensure all equity across versions, the team realizes that the 360 and PS3 attract a much different audience than the Wii U, so the expectations will shift accordingly. Still, Harada and company reiterated that they have approached the Wii U with an eye towards tailoring the experience to the console’s strengths, and from what I saw, this definitely seems to be the case.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition will be available November 18, 2012.

The iPhone 5 isn’t the only gadget that’s racking up massive preorders, preorders of Nintendo’s new Wii U console are already sold out at online retailers across the United States.

The Wii U will launch in the U.S. on Nov. 18, 2012 but lots of online retailers are already taking preoders for the console. Or, at least they were.

As first reported by IGN, most major retailers have already sold out of the Wii U. Nintendo is offering the console in two packages, a Basic bundle for $299.99 and a Deluxe bundle for $349.99. The Deluxe bundle includes a game, more storage and additional accessories — so it’s clearly the better bargain.

Best Buy, Toys R Us, Sears, Walmart and GameStop have already sold out of the Deluxe bundles. At the time of this writing, only Best Buy and GameStop have the Basic bundle available. Amazon.com isn’t offering the console for preorder at this time, however a number of its sellers are offering the device on preorder at a hefty $200 premium.

Without knowing how many consoles Nintendo is offering retailers for preorder, it’s impossible to know what this means for the early success of the console. After all, Nintendo has been known to keep inventory artificially scarce to increase demand.

Still, the fact that the console is already broadly sold out online is a good sign for the console — even if it’s only in perception.

We got to spend some hands-on time with the Wii U at the launch event in New York last week and couldn’t help but be impressed by what Nintendo has put together.

The concept of the Wii U game pad, which includes a tablet-like touch screen, offers up some really interesting game possibilities. Moreover, the new Nintendo TVii could be the big differentiator that sets Nintendo apart from the other players in the media player and connected device space.

Nintendo hit a real sweet spot with the original Wii. It managed to create a device that was used — and loved — by causal gamers. With the Wii U, Nintendo is betting that family’s will be willing to upgrade to the new hardware, while also hoping to bring some of the more hardcore gamers back into the fray.

Nintendo needs the Wii U to be a success. The company has company reported its first ever annual loss back in April and its 3DS console hasn’t met earlier expectations.

The fact that the device is already selling out — two months ahead of its release — at least shows that there are lots and lots of customers that still love Nintendo. That’s a good thing.

What do you think of the Wii U? Are you interested in pre-ordering one before its release? Let us know in the comments.

This article originally appeared on Mashable.com.

MyHotElectronics.com is taking preorders on various Nintendo Wii U products. The Wii U itself will be released on November 18, along with select games and accessories.

(PRWEB) September 17, 2012

The upcoming Nintendo Wii U console is quickly becoming one of the most highly anticipated tech products for the holiday season, and MyHotElectronics.com is taking preorders for various consoles, games and accessories for the system. The console and various accessories and games will be released November 18.

Nintendo Wii U Features –

The innovative Wii U console features a television unit that attaches to an HDTV, like most consoles, but it is also paired with a controller that sports a 6.2 inch screen with HD graphics, that allows the consumer to play a game in hand and out of the room.

From a traditional standpoint, playing a game on a television set and playing the game on a handheld screen have been completely different gameplay experiences. With the new controller, the difference has been taken out, and the gameplay is a fluid and solid experience. The controller has an advantage for gameplay in various forms. For single player games, the controller can show information about the game that is not shown on the television and the information and viewpoint can be changed based on the orientation of the gyroscope. With the multiplayer games, particularly in a cooperative format, the person with the controller has a different viewpoint, thus creating unique competitive and cooperative opportunities.

As mentioned earlier, the controller features a accelerometer and a gyroscope, a camera that faces inward, speakers, and a microphone. The console itself can support the traditional Wii nunchuks, the classic controller, the classic controller plus, and the Wii balance board.

From a technical standpoint, the Wii U console features 4 USB 2.0 connector slots, an IBM power-based multi-core microprocessor, internal memory and the ability to expand the memory via an SD flash card or a USB external hard-disk drive.

Nintendo Wii U Games –

The Nintendo Wii U will have many games that will be available at the time of launch, as well as games that will be released later in the year. Some of the games that will be released at launch include –

Ninja Gaiden 3 – The game has been redesigned for the Wii U to work to the console’s strengths and enhancements. In the Wii U version, new weapons and Ninpo types will be introduced, along with a new character progression system, a new battle system and more.

Nintendo Land- Nintendo Land is a virtual theme park that is based on classic and popular Nintendo game worlds. In the multiplayer mode, 5 players can play with or against each other, depending on the attraction. The experience changes based on whether the game is being watched on the screen or on the controller.

Darksiders II – The game features unique DRC functionality that will allow for gamers to unlock inventory and abilities.

Nintendo Wii U Games Scheduled For Later This Year

• Assassin’s Creed III – Having the Wii U controller will allow for better recognition of enemies with a larger, more comprehensive overhead map. When the fights begin, the user can change their weapons on the fly without stopping game action.
• Madden NFL 13- The Wii U controller for users to call hot routes, adjust defensive assignments, call audibles, change personnel packages and make substitutions with the use of the Wii U touchscreen on the gamepad.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II- The Call of Duty: Black Ops II version for the Wii U features many enhancements that will give the gamer a completely new idea of the series. The game uses Wii U’s second-screen viewing enhancement with the Wii U gamepad screen. With the Wii Touchscreen, gamers can drr multiplayer maps, call-in score streaks and have the ability to choose loadouts.

MyHotElectronics also has various deals on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation Vita, and Nintendo 3DS games and systems. The store has the new Kindle Fire HD available for preorder in the 32GB and 64GB versions, as well as Apple products including iPods, iPads and iPhones at low prices.

For more information, please visit MyHotElectronics.com.

About My Hot Electronics -

My Hot Electronics is a leading online e-commerce provider of electronics which range from tablets, PCs and cameras to video games, DVDs, Blu-Ray Discs, appliances, lawn and garden products and more.

The store also carries the top brands in electronics and apparel including, Nike, Adidas, Apple, Sony, Samsung, Microsoft, EA Sports, and many more. The company recently began its initial expansion into clothing and jewelry and will continue to expand over the next several months.

The store recently launched an online grocery store service to further the growth of its brand. The service will allow for food items to be delivered in bulk, such as meats, breads, breakfast items, and more.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebmyhotelectronics/nintendowiiu/prweb9907822.htm