Topic: March to E3 2012 - January Edition

[NWR_Neal]

We get you up to speed on the latest Wii U news and rumors.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/29136

As of today, we've got about 124 days until E3 2012 kicks off. In an effort to help us and you filter all the pre-E3 noise, we’re going to do a round-up going over what we learned in the past month, and what we still want to know. This will likely focus entirely on the Wii U, but if anything else pops up for 3DS or Wii, we’ll include it.

Back in October, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said that the final form of the Wii U will be shown at E3 2012. Around that same time, Tecmo Koei confirmed that Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge will be a launch title. There was also a whole kerfuffle over Wii U possibly using EA’s Origin or Valve’s Steam service to distribute games. Nintendo’s more recent announcements about Nintendo Network seem to nix that possibility, but who knows.

In early January, Nintendo showed Wii U at CES 2012, though it was nothing more than the E3 2011 demos. Around this same time, Nintendo continually reiterated that Wii U will be out between E3 2012 (June) and the end of the year.

We also learned more about the Wii U controller, and how it will contain NFC (Near field communcaton), which is sort of like Skylanders but without a portal. This can be used to make payments without inputting information, or use cards or objects to get extra content. The best part of it is that the NFC technology is already used in different media, meaning this isn’t proprietary.

The system will also allow multiple online profiles, and make use of the Nintendo Network, which is part of the company’s new online initiative that is already seeing success on the 3DS. Judging by Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto’s positive remarks regarding Flipnote (DSi) and Swapnote (3DS), it’s safe to assume a Wii U messaging app is inevitable.

Iwata, Miyamoto, and the apparent system development lead Genyo Takeda (who led design on the Wii, and also directed Punch-Out and StarTropics) all talked vaguely about the system’s possibilities. Nearly everything they said came back around to "uh...sorry, dude. Just wait until E3."

Third parties may or may not have final development kits. We’ve heard rumors going both ways. Regardless, here’s a list of some of the studios we know of that have kits: FarSight Studios, Gaijin Games, Team Ninja, Electronic Arts, Namco Bandai, Sega, Ubisoft, THQ, Codemasters, Warner Bros, Gearbox, Retro Studios, Monolith Soft, Capcom, and more. Third parties have been happy with the system, especially Capcom's Yoshinori Ono, who said the system will feature "never before seen, exciting features for gamers."

Ubisoft is apparently making a Wii U card game, and Project CARS, from the developer of Need for Speed: Shift, is coming to Wii U.

Wii U might be getting a name change, which in this writer’s opinion, might not be a terrible idea.

Did we miss anything major? Let us know!

[BlackNMild2k1]

You covered everything major, but there are lots of little less sourceable rumors in the Rumor Thread which I will try to compile maybe this weekend.

There are rumors from the previous dev kit specs (not the most recent one which supposedly got a nice boost)
controller features (analog triggers)
and rumors about certain games being in development (such as GTAV)

But anyone looking for all the little things can follow the link in my sig and read through till the most recent post in the thread.

[motang]

Uh, 124 days makes it seems longer than it actually is. 

[house3136]

 I know others have stated this, but, if Nintendo does change the name, I think it should be Nintendo U. For me, this gets rid of the Wii badging while still maintaining the (We/You) essence.  This isn’t much different for people who are already aware of Wii U. I’m pretty sure I watched an interview with Reggie Fils-Aime a while back where he explained names like Revolution don’t necessarily translate well across multiple languages and can be difficult to pronounce. In addition to that, I would say words like these are too broad and not definitive.  The word that follows Nintendo “……..” needs to be instantly recognizable as well as individualistic, and describe what the device is (GameCube, PlayStation).

[noname2200]

Uh, 124 days makes it seems longer than it actually is. 

Don't sweat it, I'm sure the world's due to end sometime before that! 

[Chozo Ghost]

I know others have stated this, but, if Nintendo does change the name, I think it should be Nintendo U. For me, this gets rid of the Wii badging while still maintaining the (We/You) essence.  This isn’t much different for people who are already aware of Wii U. I’m pretty sure I watched an interview with Reggie Fils-Aime a while back where he explained names like Revolution don’t necessarily translate well across multiple languages and can be difficult to pronounce. In addition to that, I would say words like these are too broad and not definitive.  The word that follows Nintendo “……..” needs to be instantly recognizable as well as individualistic, and describe what the device is (GameCube, PlayStation).

Nintendo Yuu or Nintendo Yoo

[BlackNMild2k1]

I just found out that I might be going to E3

just waiting on an official confirmation.

and I support Nintendo Wuu

[Adrock]

controller features (analog triggers)

I certainly hope so. I'm crossing my fingers for the digital click as well.

[famicomplicated]

Uh, 124 days makes it seems longer than it actually is. 

Think of it as 17 weeks then it aint too bad...