Topic: Wii U - e3 is over... now what?

[Chozo Ghost]

It would be nice if they didn't just release GC games as is, but re-tooled them perhaps to allow for HD graphics, online play, Wii U controller support, etc.

I think that would be nice if they did that, but I seriously doubt they will because they didn't do that with any games on the Wii's VC so its doubtful they will on the Wii U's VC either. Games like Hogan's Alley on the NES have support for the Zapper stripped out, so you can only play it with the NES controller mode which sucks... they could have very easily retooled games like that so that the wiimote would serve like the zapper, but they didn't. But they could have...

[TJ Spyke]

Hogan's Alley hasn't been released on the VC. Isn't the only Zap Gun game that is on the VC Operation Wolf, I know they only let you play that by using the d-pad (which obviously is a terrible way to play a light gun game).

[MorbidGod]

http://www.n-europe.com/news.php?nid=15926

Speaking to VideoGamer, Jay Fitzloff said that Darksiders II would be no more than a port of the 360/PS3 build. However, examining the Wii U hardware itself, Vigil seems to think that current kits are already surpassing Xbox 360 and PS3 hardware.
 

"We're not trying to bump up or bump down, but we reached it, and it wasn't hard. Once we got it up and running it was like 'cool, there it is. We're still waiting on that final hardware and architecture, and help from Nintendo to figure that out. Right now, it looks like it's more than the 360 or PlayStation 3, but there's still a question mark about how much you can squeeze out of it. You know how it is, a new system, tricks get learned as the lifespan goes along, so this is where we're starting, and it looks good."

Fitzloff also stated that Vigil are in regular contact with Nintendo seeking consultation about how best to work with the hardware.
Meanwhile, the game's director Marvin Donald has spoken to Eurogamer about Wii U. He reiterated that Darksiders II would be very much on the same level technically as the 360/PS3 versions, but went on to indicate that Wii U developer kits may still not be finalised. Donald mused that "if the Wii U turns out to be this ridiculously powerful machine", then Vigil would seek to take advantage of it in the future.

Certainly a good sign. Last gen I remember wishing that miraculously the Wii would look comparable to the PS360. Hopefully when final kits come out the U will be totally comparable the PS4/720, but even if it isn't what more do we need besides space?

 
I think the Wii U will be just as powerful as the PS4 and Xbox 1080 (I like that name beter then 720). Because if they ar released in 2012 2013 then the hardware has to be in similar place that the Wii U is in right now. And people seem to get caught up on the AMD you being an oldr on -- but every you since then has been based on th one the Wii U is based on. Basically, they can hav their own custom GPU that fits Nintendos needs.

[Ian Sane]

It would be nice if they didn't just release GC games as is, but re-tooled them perhaps to allow for HD graphics, online play, Wii U controller support, etc.

I don't want to give Nintendo the idea.  They tend to like re-releasing old content as a replacement for new content.  Do you want the Wii U to be like the 3DS is now where enhanced N64 ports are the biggest releases?  Hell, Nintendo could do HD re-releases of Wii games as well but they will go nuts with that ****.  Something like the VC is cheap and largely inoffensive and usually not used to fill release gaps.  Nintendo used the NPC games to make up for a lack of content on the Wii.

[Adrock]

I find Sony far more guilty of this than Nintendo. They're even "remastering" PSP games.

I didn't think Nintendo went overboard with NPC. Certainly, they could have taken the NPC line much further and rereleased Wind Waker and Super Mario Sunshine. I know you're anti-motion controls, but I think it could have made them better games.

[Chozo Ghost]

I don't want to give Nintendo the idea.  They tend to like re-releasing old content as a replacement for new content.  Do you want the Wii U to be like the 3DS is now where enhanced N64 ports are the biggest releases?  Hell, Nintendo could do HD re-releases of Wii games as well but they will go nuts with that ****.  Something like the VC is cheap and largely inoffensive and usually not used to fill release gaps.  Nintendo used the NPC games to make up for a lack of content on the Wii.

Well, GC games coming to the Wii U's VC is a fact so its either going to happen one of two ways: 1) They release the GC games as they are (or shoehorn them in by stripping out features to make them fit), or 2) The GC games are reworked with better graphics, additional features, perhaps additional content, etc.

So which of those two ways would you prefer?  Is it better to rebuy your old GC games with nothing new added and nothing changed and if anything things being removed? Or is it better to get a superior version of those games with better graphics and perhaps other things which help justify buying it over again? Personally, I think the latter is better.

[TJ Spyke]

Well, it's speculation, not fact. I do hope Nintendo does release GameCube games on a Wii U Virtual Console.

[Ian Sane]

So which of those two ways would you prefer?  Is it better to rebuy your old GC games with nothing new added and nothing changed and if anything things being removed? Or is it better to get a superior version of those games with better graphics and perhaps other things which help justify buying it over again? Personally, I think the latter is better.

I think having the exact Gamecube version with no changes for a low price would be ideal.  That fits with the design of the VC.  The fact that they give you the exact same old game and don't try to "improve" it allows for the game to come out as close as possible to how it was originally intended.  That's the appeal of the VC vs. getting some SNES-to-GBA port with a bunch of dumb voices added in.

And if they can't do the straight ports because they don't have the right controller or enough storage or whatever then they shouldn't bother.  Any problem that would prohibit a straight GC VC release is a stupid avoidable problem that shouldn't be there in the first place.  Even Crystal Chronicles connectivity SHOULD be possible if Nintendo pulled their head out of their ass and allowed for multiple screen controllers.

[Kytim89]

So which of those two ways would you prefer?  Is it better to rebuy your old GC games with nothing new added and nothing changed and if anything things being removed? Or is it better to get a superior version of those games with better graphics and perhaps other things which help justify buying it over again? Personally, I think the latter is better.

I think having the exact Gamecube version with no changes for a low price would be ideal.  That fits with the design of the VC.  The fact that they give you the exact same old game and don't try to "improve" it allows for the game to come out as close as possible to how it was originally intended.  That's the appeal of the VC vs. getting some SNES-to-GBA port with a bunch of dumb voices added in.

And if they can't do the straight ports because they don't have the right controller or enough storage or whatever then they shouldn't bother.  Any problem that would prohibit a straight GC VC release is a stupid avoidable problem that shouldn't be there in the first place.  Even Crystal Chronicles connectivity SHOULD be possible if Nintendo pulled their head out of their ass and allowed for multiple screen controllers.

Certain Gamecube games like Eternal Darkness would benefit from from an HD overhaul. However, I would prefer the games to be DLC for the Wii U and not physical copies. Also, a Gamecube classic controller would be nice as well.

[Ceric]

Most the space is assets anyway.  With the Hardware boost Nintendo should be able to use more complex compression on some of those to shrink the size.

[Chozo Ghost]

The fact that they give you the exact same old game and don't try to "improve" it allows for the game to come out as close as possible to how it was originally intended.

But what if the same game designers are involved in the retooling as were involved in the original GC version? Like say its a Miyamoto game like Super Mario Sunshine or Pikmin or whatever. Who knows more about how the original was intended than him since he was the one behind the original in the first place? Obviously, the Wii U is going to be a far more capable system than the GC was, so a lot more stuff is going to be possible that wasn't possible on the GC. There's more RAM and so on to work with, and its online capable, and so on.

I guess its a lot like the original Star Wars movies. George Lucas retooled them in 1997 and then again in 2003 (I think) and using computers he was able to add in things like a scene where Jabba talks briefly with Han which wasn't possible with late 1970s technology, but it was possible with late 1990s technology. You can't say that's not how it was originally intended because the scene was recorded and was meant to be in the movie, but it just wasn't possible to make it happen at the time. And of course, no one knows better how it was supposed to be intended than Lucas himself.

[broodwars]

I'm somewhere inbetween on the issue of the games needing to be 100% faithful on the VC.  On the one hand, we have things like Perfect Dark on the 360 XBLA, which has minor tweaks and a modest graphical facelift that make the game a lot more playable than it originally was (along with also adding online multiplayer).  Would you really want to play a 100% faithful VC port that had all the slowdown and non-optimized controls the original game had?  On the flipside, I really appreciate that the version of Chrono Trigger on the VC is 100% the original SNES version.  It has the original translation, several audio and visual effects that were removed for the later versions, and that stupid bonus ending that ret-cons Chrono Cross into continuity isn't present.

I suppose I'm in favor of these games getting minor overhauls if it's in the service of making the game better or more relevant to modern gaming, but not major overhauls in content.  I suppose that's why I generally like the Star Wars Special Editions: aside from a few changes that rub me the wrong way, most of the alterations were to make the movie more visually relevant to then-modern audiences.

[NWR_insanolord]

If they're going to put Wind Waker on the Wii U, it would be a huge waste not to optimize it for HD. Those Dolphin screens are jaw-dropping, and that's without any kind of changes beyond outputting at a higher resolution.

[Mop it up]

Would you really want to play a 100% faithful VC port that had all the slowdown and non-optimized controls the original game had?

To be fair, due to the nature of Perfect Dark's programming, it would not have slowdown if it were running on the Wii VC. As for controls, I prefer the N64's setup over any two-stick controller, but I would definitely want pointer control. I think if Nintendo still owned Rare, they would have allowed them to release the Perfect Dark enhanced port on WiiWare. But I guess that doesn't really matter now.

[Kytim89]

Would you really want to play a 100% faithful VC port that had all the slowdown and non-optimized controls the original game had?

To be fair, due to the nature of Perfect Dark's programming, it would not have slowdown if it were running on the Wii VC. As for controls, I prefer the N64's setup over any two-stick controller, but I would definitely want pointer control. I think if Nintendo still owned Rare, they would have allowed them to release the Perfect Dark enhanced port on WiiWare. But I guess that doesn't really matter now.

Amen., Mop.
 
What would be nice is if Nintendo offered the option to buy the standard Gamecube titles in their original form or retooled versions with HD graphics. This way everyone can be satisfied in their own way. I say $15 for the standard games and $20 for the upgraded version.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Nintendo's WiiU to join Acer's Cloud!?
after Acer acquires iGware to add to it's upcoming Cloud service
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/cloud-service-iGware-Jim-Wong-Nintendo-Acer-Cloud-Technology,13112.html

Reuters reports that the world's second largest PC maker, Acer Inc., plans to purchase Silicon Valley-based cloud computing firm iGware for $320 million in cash and stock. Acer will also shell out an additional $75 million performance-based payout to iGware as part of the deal. This acquisition will reportedly be the fifth-largest Taiwanese buyout of a U.S. company ever, trailing behind Acer's acquisition of Gateway for $761.5 million back in 2007.
[...]
Although its simple website doesn't reveal anything about what goes on under its roof, iGware provides cloud software and infrastructure tools that support more than 100 million consumer devices worldwide, including Nintendo game consoles. Acer is expected to integrate iGware into its cloud software and platform as Acer Cloud Technology Co. after completion of the deal by late September. An actual Acer Cloud product is slated to launch sometime during 2012.

But because Nintendo is one of iGware's major clients, both parties are supposedly in talks over a potential cooperation after the acquisition. Nintendo is supposedly in favor of the deal and plans to shell out a $20-30 million service fee to Acer every year after the deal is signed. Yet some analysts aren't thrilled with the acquisition or Acer's potential involvement with the Japanese gaming company.

"Acer is wasting its money. It's spending almost $400 million on a small software company," said Vincent Chen of Yuanta Securities. "Why does it need a client like Nintendo, which doesn't have a cloud or data center? Acer has been wanting to do online gaming and server business, but it doesn't have a clear vision in the cloud business."

I'm still not 100% sure what cloud gaming is, but I'm all for Nintendo getting into new technology while it's still new.
Cloud saving is always welcome though, especially if we get an account based online system.

[ThePerm]

lol whoever asks why anyone does anything with Nintendo is a short sighted nitwit. Nintendo is a multi billion dollar company.

[SixthAngel]

"Why does it need a client like Nintendo, which doesn't have a cloud or data center?"


The article is pretty hilarious because it doesn't seem to have any idea about the videogame industry and that they regularly release new hardware that requires all kinds of different things , like could computing.  They talk about how this is a bad deal and then in a quick blurb at the end say that Acer wants to get into online gaming and now has a contract with the biggest company in videogames.


Confirmation on cloud stuff  apparently.  How does the cloud stuff actually work?  Does it prevent cheating and that kind of thing by keeping stuff saved in the cloud?

edited: misread the article, the small company is iGware despite immediately mentioning Nintendo after.

[Chozo Ghost]

That comment just goes to show that no matter how successful Nintendo becomes no one will ever treat it seriously or give it the respect it is due...

[SixthAngel]

That comment just goes to show that no matter how successful Nintendo becomes no one will ever treat it seriously or give it the respect it is due...

Nintendo, the Rodney Dangerfield of gaming? Hey everbody with a WiiU, we're all gonna get laid!

[broodwars]

Confirmation on cloud stuff  apparently.  How does the cloud stuff actually work?  Does it prevent cheating and that kind of thing by keeping stuff saved in the cloud?

Yeah, Cloud-based saving is on the PS3, and honestly I don't understand the draw of it.  What it does is allow you to backup your save data to a central server.  When you need it, you can recall the information and download it to your system.  Neat in theory, but not very practical in execution.  Save files aren't the data that take up all the space on my PS3, so it's not like I ever really have a reason to delete it.

[TJ Spyke]

I think the only use I could get out of it is if my system broke down or something, all my game saves would be stored in the cloud for me and makes it easier to get the data when my system is fixed.

[broodwars]

I think the only use I could get out of it is if my system broke down or something, all my game saves would be stored in the cloud for me and makes it easier to get the data when my system is fixed.

True, that would be useful if you had an HDD hardware failure.  Otherwise, at least with the PS3 you can just pull out the HDD and backup the saves via external HDD.  I doubt Nintendo will do that because I don't see Nintendo wanting you to disassemble your Wii U, so that is a valid reason I guess.

[NWR_insanolord]

The thing has four USB ports and an SD card slot, I'm sure there will be some way to make backup copies of save data.

[TJ Spyke]

Not if Nintendo chooses to restrict it. There were multiple games on Wii (retail and digital) that they prevented you from copying to a SD card for one reason or another.