Topic: E3 2012 Press Conferences - Days 2-3: Nintendo Main PC & 3DS PC

[Ian Sane]

Also, this is powerful hardware, the games they show off shouldn't be stuff that could be achieved on gamecube. The only wow game from Nintendo was Pikmin 3.

The Gamecube was the first time I felt like we got games from Nintendo where it looked like they didn't put an effort into impressive graphics (not ALL of them of course).  I think for a lot of Nintendo devs, Dreamcast-ish graphics were as far as they wanted to go.  They appeared to be "trying harder" on prior consoles because they could not yet make graphics exactly like they wanted.  But they found it on the Cube and have stuck with it.  I find that disappointing but I'm not surprised to see it continue on the Wii U.  Though I wonder what the Miis are going to look like on an HDTV.

[UncleBob]

Pedometer wasn't new?
Running the program independent of the TV wasn't new?

And no, he doesn't care about Last of Us (Splinter Cell, perhaps... It's a pretty big franchise).  Just like he doesn't care about Pikmin 3 or ZombiU.  Some things get thrown in to entice Mr. NYT Reader.

Curious - some of the more archive-al posters may have an answer to this... What major "core" new-IP games has Nintendo historically shown off at E3 Press Conferences?

[BeautifulShy]

Just want to remind people that there is a round table later today and a game showcase tomorrow for Nintendo.

[ThePerm]

the idea is that having these slow leaks isn't good enough. Sony has 3 hour boring shows. Maybe Nintendo needs one of those. I saw Pikmin I was happy, ports of games not as much, ZombiU was happy, but it felt like the show wasted my time and didn't address the questions I had last year. It was just like LOST.

Why the **** is Walt so special? Where are the going with this? You can see they aren't prepared and the whole thing was a dog and pony show con. If they sold 100 million wiis and made billions and billions of dollars than there should be enough growth that all this **** is taken care of. Where the **** does the money go?

this was a Jabberwocky presentation.

and yes maxi i do understand the presentation later, but why wait? This is the internet.

[Ian Sane]

Curious - some of the more archive-al posters may have an answer to this... What major "core" new-IP games has Nintendo historically shown off at E3 Press Conferences?

The first Pikmin debuted at E3.  I remember during the N64 years, often new IP by Rare would debut at E3.  It's hard to think of a recent example because it's hard to think of recent examples of new IP aimed at core gamers.  Xenoblade was new IP and NOA has seemingly intentionally sabotaged it so I don't remember if it debuted at E3.

Remember in the old days Spaceworld was a Japanese show so it wasn't like Nintendo debuted Western games there.  E3 was the ideal place to debut games from Western teams like Rare.

[bustin98]

Remember when Metroid Other M was announced at E3 three years ago? Yeah, good times.

[Adrock]

Nintendo only uses E3 to show of their big sellers for the end rest of their current fiscal year which they've done for the last several years and did the same this year.

This is why people shouldn't have been surprised by this conference since it played out the same way all of Nintendo's conferences have gone the last several years.

That's Nintendo World Report's footage of Paper Mario/Mario Kart 3DS from E3 2010. I believe they showed trailers at the actual conference.

Pedometer wasn't new?
Running the program independent of the TV wasn't new?

Running Wii Fit independent of the TV isn't new. Nintendo announce that capability last year. The pedometer is Malibu Stacy with a new hat. The software is largely the same. I think the things I suggested (if possible) would have been difference makers. They would be worthy of spending all that time on.

And no, he doesn't care about Last of Us (Splinter Cell, perhaps... It's a pretty big franchise).  Just like he doesn't care about Pikmin 3 or ZombiU.  Some things get thrown in to entice Mr. NYT Reader.

The point is that people care about those games. Not just gamers, but retailers and investors too. They may not care about the games' content so much as they care about the game's existence and marketability. Otherwise, Nintendo would have had hour long Wii Fit demonstration. Nintendo hasn't done a very good job of appealing to a large part of the market. That affects everyone who attended their presentation.

[Soren]

NintendoScene has the WiiU specs.

http://nintendoscene.com/2012/06/05/wii-u-specs-revealed/

Launches: Holiday 2012
Size: Approximately 1.8 inches high, 10.5 inches deep and 6.8 inches long.
Weight: Approximately 3.41 pounds (1.5 kg).
Appearance: The new console features a compact design that will make it a natural addition to any home entertainment setup.
Wii U GamePad: The Wii U GamePad controller removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world. It incorporates a 6.2-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio LCD touch screen, as well as traditional button controls and two analog sticks. Inputs include a +Control Pad, L/R sticks, L/R stick buttons, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons, ZL/ZR buttons, Power button, HOME button, -/SELECT button, +/START button, and TV CONTROL button. The GamePad also includes motion control (powered by an accelerometer, gyroscope and geomagnetic sensor), a front-facing camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, rumble features, a sensor bar, an included stylus and support for Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality. It is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and weighs approximately 1.1 pounds (500 g).
Other Controllers: The Wii U console is capable of supporting two Wii U GamePads, up to four Wii Remote (or Wii Remote Plus) controllers or Wii U Pro Controllers, and Wii accessories such as the Nunchuk, Classic Controller and Wii Balance Board.
CPU: IBM PowerR-based multi-core processor.
GPU: AMD RadeonTM-based High Definition GPU.
Storage: Wii U uses an internal flash memory. It also supports SD memory cards and external USB storage.
Media: Wii U and Wii optical discs.
Video Output: Supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i. Compatible cables include HDMI, Wii D-Terminal, Wii Component Video, Wii RGB, Wii S-Video Stereo AV and Wii AV.
Audio Output: Uses six-channel PCM linear output via HDMITM connector, or analog output via the AV Multi Out connector.
Networking: Wii U can access the Internet via wireless (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) connection. The console features four USB 2.0 connectors – two in the front and two in the rear – that support Wii LAN Adapters.
Wii Compatibility: Nearly all Wii software and accessories can be used with Wii U.

[Ceric]

...
Networking: Wii U can access the Internet via wireless (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) connection. The console features four USB 2.0 connectors – two in the front and two in the rear – that support Wii LAN Adapters.
...

Can we all say Boo together now. For both USB 2.0, when if you supporting a Harddrive with good speed you really want 3 at least or a real spec like Firewire or eSata, and if you want to stream media or play fighting games you really want a 10/100/1000 Wired lan connection.

Seriously Nintendo, next you going to tell me the system is not DLNA compliant and I'm going to be stuck with my PS3 for another 5 or so years dominating my Home Entertainment system.  At least a WiiU shouldn't be much more then a Harmony remote that it is trying to replace it seems.

In this day and age a Home Console that is just about games isn't going to cut it when I can have a handled that plays game as well if not better that doesn't monopolize my family area.

[fiendcode]

The other problem is the lack of third party exclusives.

Well, you're not going to get a lot of those and you know what? That's okay. Ports of last year's major titles are okay too... so long as they're supplemented by ports of games that are being released in the coming months. That's what was missing. Square Enix announced months ago that Tomb Raider wasn't getting ported to Wii U, but that was before it got delayed. Is it still not coming to Wii U? How hard is it to port the game? I believe Vigil Games said that they ported Darksiders II to the Wii U in 3 weeks. That said, it's almost like 3rd parties are still giving Nintendo the cold shoulder and that's obviously a bad thing.

Yeah, this was the real problem with Nintendo's 3rd party ports.  Arkham City, Mass Effect 3 or Ninja Gaiden 3 are nice, but they're also really old.  Nintendo needed to bring more stuff like Tomb Raider, Black Ops 2, Resident Evil 6, Metal Gear Rising, Bioshock Infinite, Dead Space 3, etc, etc.

[ThePerm]

which brings me to the point of a billions and billions of dollars. How come they only have one Retro studios? They should have 3.

at one point nst could have become as classed as Retro, but they aren't and they couldn't hold on to silicon knights or rare. If Retro doesn't have a game ready then there should be a backup that does.

Idk maybe i've played so much starcraft in my life i look at everything like...i should have more than one barracks. If i have one barracks i have less soldiers on cue, but if i have more than one i can get more soldiers out before the Zerg attack. If i have only one drone than i can only mine so many minerals, but if i have 10 drones i can mine all the minerals before any of the other forces have a chance to mine them. Time is the most valuable resource. Though unlike Nintendo I would make sure there was no competition, if they aren't working for me than they would be stepped on like little zerglings.

 Im sure everyone would be happy with 6 really good exclusive games rather than 20 ports. Also, Sequels. While im most excited about Pikmin 3, its a sequel and so is new super mario bros u. NintendoLand is new, but it looks like another version of Mario Party/Wii sports. Though maybe im doubting NintendoLand. I wont doubt it if it comes with the system like Wii Sports did.

[Adrock]

they couldn't hold on to silicon knights or rare.

They could have. They just didn't want to. I think Silicon Knights is still technically a Nintendo 2nd party. Nintendo and SK just terminated their exclusivity contract.

I agree though. Nintendo should have a greater development presence in North America. Expanding Retro Studios is good place to start.

[NWR_Lindy]

I can pretty much see the writing on the wall.  The fact that no NEW games from major third-parties (Activision, Capcom, Konami, EA, etc.) were shown for Wii U is a huge red flag to me.

Wii U is roughly current-gen technology, so it's getting a lot of ports of current-gen games.  Any big new cross-platform games already in development are being developed to the higher specs of the as-yet-unannounced PS4/Nextbox, and not to Wii U as it's considered current-gen by third parties and is therefore a waste of time for costly new projects.

Wii U is going to be left out in the cold by major third parties, I guarantee it.  It's going to be Wii all over again, with great Nintendo games, hardly any big current third-party titles, and a smattering of good titles from smaller developers (Treasure, Platinum).

[ThePerm]

also, lets think of Nintendo's efforts with how its handled third party exclusives. It never seems to care as much about it as it used to. It used to be Nintendo built companies up like the case with Rare, Retro, and SK. Actually, you could say the same about Capcom, Square, and Konami. It never really built up High Voltage, or Factor 5. It just used them and moved on. If I were them I would support them and lift them up rather than let them die.

That also brings me to SK, who just have gotten ravaged in the wild. Prodigal son needs to come back to daddy. Though then again SK has had issues with every other company they worked with.

[ThePerm]

I can pretty much see the writing on the wall.  The fact that no NEW games from major third-parties (Activision, Capcom, Konami, EA, etc.) were shown for Wii U is a huge red flag to me.

Wii U is roughly current-gen technology, so it's getting a lot of ports of current-gen games.  Any big new cross-platform games already in development are being developed to the higher specs of the as-yet-unannounced PS4/Nextbox, and not to Wii U as it's considered current-gen by third parties and is therefore a waste of time for costly new projects.

Wii U is going to be left out in the cold by major third parties, I guarantee it.  It's going to be Wii all over again, with great Nintendo games, hardly any big current third-party titles, and a smattering of good titles from smaller developers (Treasure, Platinum).

also, i really wouldn't mind another gamecube or n64, not popular, but filled with the type of games I like.  Though if third parties aren't going to bring it than Nintendo is going to have to beef up its second parties to fill the gaps.

though it could be said maybe 3rd parties want to release multi-platform games at the same time because its cheaper that way. You have to advertise twice.

[blodtryck]

This is really bugging me. 24 hours ago I was sure as hell that I'm gonns get a Wii U, now not so much anymore. I expected so many manx more third party titles. Tomb Raider etc etc etc.

Maxbe I just expected too much.

[Chozo Ghost]

It seems some of you don't understand Nintendo.  Nintendo's core audience is, and will always be families and family friendly entertainment.

I think we've all known that for the last 5 or so years. But some of us want the old Nintendo back.

Also, isn't saying that Nintendo's "core" audience is family entertainment a bit oxymoronic? Like "Jumbo Shrimp".

[Luigi Dude]

Nintendo only uses E3 to show of their big sellers for the end rest of their current fiscal year which they've done for the last several years and did the same this year.

This is why people shouldn't have been surprised by this conference since it played out the same way all of Nintendo's conferences have gone the last several years.

That's Nintendo World Report's footage of Paper Mario/Mario Kart 3DS from E3 2010. I believe they showed trailers at the actual conference.

The 3DS was originally planned on being released for holiday 2010.  Paper Mario and Mario Kart could have been originally planned for an early 2011 release date when they were shown at E3 2010.  When the Gamecube version of Twilight Princess was shown at E3 2005, Nintendo planned on that game being a holiday 2005 release.  A few months later though Aonuma ended up going to Miyamoto to tell him development had become a mess and as a result the game ended up being delayed an entire year.  Plus there's Kid Icarus Uprising which Nintendo originally wanted to be out around the 3DS launch, and then Summer 2011, then Fall 2011, before it finally ended up coming out in Spring 2012.

Yeah Nintendo does show games that are sometimes well over a year away but in some of these cases it's because of later development problems that result in huge delays.  Most of the time though Nintendo prefers to only show games that are likely to come out within the current fiscal year.  If Retro's new game isn't looking like it'll be able to be out in the current fiscal year, that's why Nintendo probably choose not to show it.  If it was looking like it was possible to come out in the current fiscal year then Nintendo probably would have shown it.

I think we've all known that for the last 5 or so years. But some of us want the old Nintendo back.

Modern Nintendo is the same as Old Nintendo.  Nintendo has always focused most of their resources on family games that appeal to everyone.  Anyone that says other wise is blinded by nostalgia for a company they made up in their head but never truly existed.

[Chozo Ghost]

And if you want to talk about it, I'm not yet comfortable that the third party support will be all that hot.  Looks better than the Wii but not yet any better than the Cube (which still missed out on a LOT of "every system but Nintendo" releases).

Actually, its looking a lot like the Wii right now. Remember, when the Wii launched it did get a good amount of multiplatform support, but this support was things like RE4 which were last gen titles. So the Wii U is getting Arkham City and Mass Effect 3? Well, yeah that's multiplatform support, but again the PS360 are last gen (relative to the Wii U) consoles.

The question is will that multiplatform support be there when the PS420 hits, or will the Wii U only get PS360 ports until that well runs dry? It all depends on how powerful the system is relative to the competition. If the PS420 is so far ahead in terms of power that it utterly smokes the Wii U, then we're screwed and it will be like the Wii all over again.

PS360 games will still be made for a few more years, so if the Wii U is only powerful enough to receive ports from those systems then there should be a few years of multiplatform support. But eventually, just as PS2/XBOX development came to an end, so too will PS360 development as developers migrate to the 420. Where does that leave the Wii U? As we've seen with the Wii, even a console with overwhelming market share can't overcome this obstacle.

[Adrock]

At the same time, what if 3rd parties don't want to move to PS4/Nextbox? More powerful hardware is only going to drive development costs up again. What if, for the time being, 3rd parties are content supporting PS3/360? They could always just refuse to develop for those newer platforms. 3rd parties hold all the cards here. Sony and Microsoft aren't going to stop allowing 3rd parties to develop for existing platforms and they can't force 3rd parties to develop for newer platforms.

The important thing for Nintendo is to get those ports. I don't know how they can do it; they just need to do it.

[Ian Sane]

The Wii U GamePad controller removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world.

My God, this sentence us just such bullshit marketing speak.  What "traditional barriers"?  How does a second window remove them?  I swear you could start the sentence with "The Wii U GamePad controller removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by..." and add ANYTHING to it.  "The Wii U GamePad controller removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by serving you pickles as you play!"
 
Are detractors blinded by nostalgia or are supporters blinded by fanboyism?  Pick one.  Both have arguments about equal credibility.
 
I think the most likely scenario is that Nintendo has changed over the years because every company does and this particular one did see a new president take over and the Wii was quite unanimiously considered a new strategy by Nintendo.  Supporters state that Nintendo could not survive if they stayed the course, which means that something changed and some people are not happy about it.  Even if they had not stayed the course they would have gradually changed anyway.  They changed from NES to SNES and SNES to N64.  For supporters the change was not such that it negatively affected their experience while for detractors it did.  You're less likely to notice subtle change if it does not impact you in a negative way.  You're still pleased with Nintendo so it is as if nothing has changed.
 
Though if Nintendo has not changed it could just be that those of us fed up with them have just been eaten away by their annoying traits to the point where we can't stand it anymore.

[stevey]

When are all Nintendo's roundtables and after conferences again? I think there were ones tonight and tomorrow at 9PM EST..

[tendoboy1984]

Something is wrong with Nintendo's official E3 site (e3.nintendo.com). I missed their E3 conference, so I went on the site to watch it. But when I clicked the video link, I just got a weird glitched page.

I clicked this:



And got this:




They took the E3 presentation video down? All of the other videos work...

[Chozo Ghost]

Nintendo has definitely changed, because the leadership has changed. Iwata and Reggie are now running the company, when back in the 80s and 90s it was Yamauchi and Howard Lincoln. When the country elects a new president the government of that country changes, maybe the country itself is still the same, but the government and the direction that government is steering things is undeniably different.

You can't say the way Nintendo is being run right now is the way Yamauchi would do it. Maybe Iwata's way is better at least in terms of printing money, and maybe if Yamauchi never stepped down then the company would eventually cease to exist... Maybe. I'm just saying the direction has definitely changed. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is entirely a matter of opinion, but the change of leadership and direction of the company starting around 2004 is an absolute fact and indisputable.

[tendoboy1984]

I just saw the video of "Nintendo Land" (the Wii U's version of Wii Play?) and it looks pretty bland. I thought Nintendo was moving away from casual games?


Sure there are 3rd-party blockbusters like Batman, Mass Effect, Ninja Gaiden, etc. but will 3rd-party developers continually bring these games to the Wii U? Nintendo's examples are all pretty casual-oriented titles, so whatever.


EDIT: Holy crap Zombi U looks amazing! Ubisoft has been a big supporter of Nintendo platforms, but I never thought they'd bring a hardcore shooter to a Nintendo platform.


EDIT: Ok Batman Arham City: Armored Edition looks amazing. I love the new controller features, such as scanning, hacking terminals, etc.


I just wish Nintendo's games would be this ambitious. The 3rd-party developers are out-doing Nintendo on their own system, for once! Where's Retro Studios, Metroid, Star Fox, Eternal Darkness 2, etc.? The presentation overall was decent, but Nintendo did a terrible job showing how the Wii U will bring back the "core gamers".