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NWR Interactive => TalkBack => Topic started by: NWR_DrewMG on June 06, 2012, 04:53:36 PM

Title: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: NWR_DrewMG on June 06, 2012, 04:53:36 PM

Unlike its granddaddy, the Wii U is meant to lay down on the job.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/30594

The Wii U is designed exclusively for horizontal placement. In an interview with Kotaku, Nintendo creative lead Shigeru Miyamoto noted that one of the reasons they have been showing the system horizontally was so people would be clear it wasn't a Wii, which was traditionally shown standing vertically. Miyamoto indicated they could create a stand, but gave no sign that such a thing was in the works.

In addition, Miyamoto stressed that the face of the console shouldn't be the hardware itself, but rather the Wii U GamePad. "So just like a set top box is non-descript and tucked away, our feeling was that the Wii U hardware was something that could be tucked away and out of sight."

Miyamoto compared the Wii U to the Kinect in this respect, stating "So, for example, with even something like Kinect you can have your hardware put away and out of sight and you can wave at the TV and maybe the game will come on or something. Similarly with Wii U, when we [considered] ‘What is the face of Wii U going to be?', for us the face of Wii U really isn't the console box itself. It's the controller; it's the Wii U GamePad."

Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: supergtt on June 06, 2012, 04:54:48 PM
we'll they sure as **** have done well in tucking it out of sight. the public at large doesn't know about it or they think it is an addon for the wii.
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: Adrock on June 06, 2012, 05:02:02 PM
From Kotaku:
Quote
"I guess we could make a stand," Nintendo's senior game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, told me yesterday, laughing, "I think maybe it was because we didn't want people to think it was a Wii."
Then, make it not look so much like the Wii. I don't understand why this is such a difficult concept to grasp...
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: nickmitch on June 06, 2012, 05:17:14 PM
If you don't want people to think it's a Wii, then put a big orange racing stripe on it. Make it stand out in my living room, so that when people come over, they say, "WTF is that?!" If they see the controller, I'll have to explain to them how it's not a Wii attachment.
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: Ian Sane on June 06, 2012, 05:44:00 PM
Quote from: Adrock on June 06, 2012, 05:02:02 PM
From Kotaku:
Quote
"I guess we could make a stand," Nintendo's senior game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, told me yesterday, laughing, "I think maybe it was because we didn't want people to think it was a Wii."
Then, make it not look so much like the Wii. I don't understand why this is such a difficult concept to grasp...

This is Nintendo in a nutshell.  Do they literally live in a cave?  Are they so sheltered in their own world that no one suggested this obvious idea until now?  The two Gamepads thing was the same scenario.  Like, no one at Nintendo thought of this until last year when everyone said "hey, why can't I use more than one of those?"

Though his answer about making it not look like a Wii could be him pulling an answer out of his ass.  It might be horizontal only arbitrarily.  They might not have a real reason to do that.  But "I don't know, it just is" would make him sound like an idiot and unfortunately the answer he did give made the whole company sound like idiots.

Just make it ANY COLOUR OTHER THAN WHITE OR BLACK and the problem is solved.  Nintendo needs an "obvious answer consultant".
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: TJ Spyke on June 06, 2012, 06:38:41 PM
They said last year at E3 they were working on a way to have two GamePad's work. And it doesn't really look too much like a Wii.
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: Adrock on June 06, 2012, 06:51:19 PM
Quote from: TJ Spyke on June 06, 2012, 06:38:41 PM
They said last year at E3 they were working on a way to have two GamePad's work. And it doesn't really look too much like a Wii.
You're a gamer who posts on a Nintendo message board. Ask a 40 year old mom the difference and watch her face contort into a look of sheer confusion.
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: Serbis on June 06, 2012, 07:09:39 PM
They shoulda just made it have a totally different look. Along with that stupid name too... Wii U... -.-


At least could have called it the N-Joy. It's actually an English word, and it stands for Happiness and could be Nintendo Joy. Double entendres make the best names for products. Wii was this, but it sounded horrendous. If Nintendo intends to truly shed the Casual persona it has with the Wii. It should do this... but it's futile.
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: supergtt on June 06, 2012, 07:14:05 PM
@ian

obvious answer consultant? I think I can handle that job...

Hey, nintendo! I'm 65k a year and I'll save you 10s of millions of disappointed fans and angry comments. It's a steal at twice the price!
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: the asylum on June 06, 2012, 07:38:54 PM
Quote
Unlike its granddaddy, the Wii U is meant to lay down on the job.

Wouldn't the Wii U's granddaddy be the Gamecube?
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: Mop it up on June 06, 2012, 07:52:16 PM
But the current Wii is horizontal so now all the late adapters will be confused!
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: HaloEliteLEGEND on June 06, 2012, 08:20:11 PM
Putting it sideways...
Saves space, and looks less ridiculous.


I like this better than it upright.
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: tonoxtono on June 06, 2012, 08:33:19 PM
What they should do is make it bigger so it can house a HDD and make the console and the Gamepad orange.
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: Alexofxen on June 07, 2012, 01:45:06 PM
Yes because making the Gamecube bright colors worked wonders for it.  Nearly everyone I know (including several children) preferred the black version to my trusty purple lunch box and it was probably a safe bet for Nintendo to not even release the Orange color in the states (although seeing as how that was my fav color at the time I would've snapped that up).  Now the Red Wii, that was a looker and it can tie into the Mario appeal (similar to how the only odd colored Xbox 360s are tie ins to a game franchise like Halo or Gears... and even then they only went so far as to be silver). 

As for calling it the N-Joy?  That is far to similar to the N-Gauge don't you think;).
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: Ceric on June 07, 2012, 02:04:39 PM
On the Color thing.  I wish the allow for snap on and off shells.  Especially for the Gamepad.
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: ThePerm on June 07, 2012, 02:14:07 PM
orange stripes sound fashionable.
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: TJ Spyke on June 07, 2012, 05:54:34 PM
Quote from: Alexofxen on June 07, 2012, 01:45:06 PM
(similar to how the only odd colored Xbox 360s are tie ins to a game franchise like Halo or Gears... and even then they only went so far as to be silver). 

They made a yellow Xbox 360 around the time of The Simpsons Movie (though I don't think they sold it, you had to enter a contest to win one).
Title: Re: Wii U Designed For Horizontal Placement
Post by: Chozo Ghost on June 07, 2012, 07:05:44 PM
The real reason they are making it horizontal only is because this way they don't have to include a stand which helps them save a little bit of money.

Miyamoto's explanation that they "didn't want it to look like the Wii" is a joke and it would be laughable, except for the fact he might actually be serious... which makes it more sad than funny.