Wii U playable at CES in January?

[Dog-amoto]

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/121/1215100p1.html

 

Good news if true...

 

Nintendo's Wii U may make an appearance at CES. According to a new report from CNET, the console will be presented by Nintendo at the show in playable form.

 

CNET writes that "Nintendo is bringing the Wii U to CES" and that they'll be providing "hands-on [time] with the tablet-console hybrid. Nintendo has historically skipped over CES, but it's great to hear the company will have a presence there in 2012."

 

While Wii U was revealed at E3 2011, Nintendo said recently that the system's "final form" is coming at E3 2012. A reveal at CES in January would move that timeline up five months, as E3 takes place in June.

 

Previously, rumors also suggested that the next-generation Xbox could be revealed at CES. As we previously reported, though, that probably won't happen.

[Burny]

"Nintendo of America, working with the 2012 International CES management, will offer demos of the upcoming Wii U console to members of the media who did not see the system at the 2011 E3 Expo. However, Nintendo will not have a booth at CES, nor does it plan to include any games, experiences or information beyond what was available at the 2011 E3 Expo. Production and development efforts remain on track for the Wii U launch, which will take place between the start of the 2012 E3 Expo in June, and the end of 2012."

 

Source.

 

That's that. I'm not expecting much info before E3, if any at all.

[LostOverThere]

So, in essence, there's nothing that we haven't seen before. Not surprising. I guess they'll do a media blowout at E3 2012.

[darkjak]

So, in essence, there's nothing that we haven't seen before. Not surprising. I guess they'll do a media blowout at E3 2012.

 

I think it's strange for Nintendo to reveal a new system and then be completely quiet about it for a full year.

Either they'll give us a fair share of info soon, or I'm certain they've almost completely redone the console.

[Grazza]

I think it's strange for Nintendo to reveal a new system and then be completely quiet about it for a full year.

Either they'll give us a fair share of info soon, or I'm certain they've almost completely redone the console.

 

I suspect you might be onto something, darkjak. In particular, it was odd that Eiji Aonuma said Zelda would stick with motion controls, when the next console doesn't have them as a main feature.

 

Then again, if this new display is just so people can play the demos that were at E3, I suppose it will have to be basically the same machine.

[LostOverThere]

While I suspect the consoles features itself will remain the same, I'd imagine the console and controller will look vastly different.

[Agent Gibbs]

I still think Nintendo need to do something to differentiate it from the Wii, either a straight name change or as @LostOverThere said and a radical redsign (not finishing it in white) to help show its a different console, we don't want another 3DS is just a DS situation again

[D_prOdigy]

The name is fine. Differentiation is a task for marketing. They've pretty much achieved the right tone with 3DS now.

 

I can't really think of a compelling reason to change the look of the console, either. I imagine the controller will get some tweaking. 'Apparently' the analogue sliders are now clickable, so who knows if that means they're any deeper or not.

[Agent Gibbs]

The name is fine. Differentiation is a task for marketing. They've pretty much achieved the right tone with 3DS now.

 

I can't really think of a compelling reason to change the look of the console, either. I imagine the controller will get some tweaking. 'Apparently' the analogue sliders are now clickable, so who knows if that means they're any deeper or not.

 

I'd like the main console to resemble a NES or SNES more than a Wii, its original backseat confused the media far too much. If the have learned from the 3DS marketing then great crack on.

 

clickable sticks? wonder if they will be more like the vita's? we do need some news soon though even a tiny titbit its been far too long, unless they plan a shock "err year welcome E3 were finished it will be on sale worldwide next month"

[Burny]

The console is too far out for them to reveal new things at this stage. With a release sometime in the second half of 2012, probably even in autumn or winter, next E3 is more than early enough to release specific information.

[Agent Gibbs]

The console is too far out for them to reveal new things at this stage. With a release sometime in the second half of 2012, probably even in autumn or winter, next E3 is more than early enough to release specific information.

 

Its not early enough for me

[darkjak]

The console is too far out for them to reveal new things at this stage. With a release sometime in the second half of 2012, probably even in autumn or winter, next E3 is more than early enough to release specific information.

 

Then one might wonder why they revealed anything at all this year.

[david.dakota]

The name is fine. Differentiation is a task for marketing. They've pretty much achieved the right tone with 3DS now.

 

But a marketing team should be involved from day one - with name, design, philosophy. Its not good business practice to hand the marketing team a product and say 'go sell it'.

 

To the general consumer its just not clear what WiiU is: a new console? A remodelled console? A controller add-on? People on internet forums get it, people walking into Comet wanting to buy little Joey a Wii, less so. Generally, you'll have seconds - not minutes or hours - to sell a product to consumers. If they don't get it, they'll walk to something that is easier to understand. I totally buy the argument that the name and design theme is a difficult sell.

 

I can't really think of a compelling reason to change the look of the console, either. I imagine the controller will get some tweaking. 'Apparently' the analogue sliders are now clickable, so who knows if that means they're any deeper or not.

 

I can. It's shit. Its uninspired, it lacks an innovative look. It simply looks like a remodelled Wii and doesn't look new.

 

 

Compare it to this. No contest - and whoever made this was unpaid by Nintendo.

 

Edited December 31, 2011 by david.dakota

[Fused King]

At the end of the day, I couldn't give two fucks about what it looks like as long as I can play a Smash Bros. game in HD WITH Professor Layton!

[killer kirby]

Then one might wonder why they revealed anything at all this year.

 

Pressure from shareholders, I think Iwata has realized after that he should and just like Nintendo, do their own shit, fuck what others think and do what they do best.

[Beverage]

At the end of the day, I couldn't give two fucks about what it looks like as long as I can play a Smash Bros. game in HD WITH Professor Layton!

 

You fuckin beat me to it, you really did mate.

Last thing we need is some sort of futuristic looking paperbin/vagina that isn't as satisfying as it looks.

 

As for the general public, I'm sure they'll see a Wii**U** WITH the new controller and underfuckinstand. There're also the sales team for any reaaaally slow ones.

[darkjak]

As for the general public, I'm sure they'll see a Wii**U** WITH the new controller and underfuckinstand. There're also the sales team for any reaaaally slow ones.

People have learned that the DSi is just a DS with a digital camera and capacity for DLC. And then they were confused and thought that the 3DS was a similar upgrade.

 

So perhaps people have gathered that if Nintendo stick a letter before the name of an old console, it's a new console, if they stick it afterwards it's an upgrade. Hence they'll think the Wii U is an upgrade.

 

Also, "Wii" has nearly zero cred among "gamers" (I quote because many gamers do like the Wii, I'm mainly referring to the people whom buy CoD every single year, claiming it's cool because it's realistic when in fact it isn't).

 

I watched E3 this year with about 30 other gamedev students (nerds who live and breath games every day) and half of them just didn't understand what Nintendo were showing. Most people thought it was just a peripheral. And noone liked the name.

Edited December 31, 2011 by darkjak

[Burny]

Then one might wonder why they revealed anything at all this year.

Not much to wonder about. Nintendo didn't have much to show at E3 as far as the Wii is concerned, because their teams are clearly either occupied with 3DS projects or in the transition from the Wii to the WiiU, which means there were no new big Wii games. On top of that, the console's most prominent feature was leaked a couple of weeks before E3. If Nintendo hadn't done an official reveal themselves, even the last bit of surprise would've been spoiled by a bunch of talkative devs.

 

Compare it to this. No contest - and whoever made this was unpaid by Nintendo.

 

And it shows. Whoever designed this, created a convenient, vertically placed disc-drive and not much else. With the drive in the center and the slot's proportions suggesting that the console is only slightly larger than the drive itself, they made sure that there is no room for anything that needs cooling on either side of the drive.

 

If consoles sold by looks, the PS2 would have been a still birth. As such there is nothing about the WiiU's design, that's in any way offensive enough to have a lasting effect on it's reception:

 

 

If its greatest crime is its similarity to the Wii, then that's nothing to worry about. After all, it's called WiiU. A choice of name that's far too "stupid" to not have been deliberately chosen by Nintendo's marketing for a purpose.

Edited January 1, 2012 by Burny

[Fused King]

I like pictures in which Iwata-san smiles

[wiinner]

Been waiting for a Nintendo game with HD graphics for long, so don't really care how it looks, just what it can do, I guess the same goes for 99% of gamers, cant really imagine anyone saying....hey, this console looks ugly, I wont buy it even though it has the best titles in the market.

[Fierce_LiNk]

The look of a console isn't that important. It's great that the Wii looks very clean and sleek, as long as it doesn't look a complete mess, it's fine.

 

The controller, on the other hand, is very important. Since the SNES, Nintendo have put a lot of effort into the design, look and feel of the controllers. You insert a game disc into a console, which takes a matter of seconds. You're constantly interacting with the controller...it's much more important. Hence why Nintendo spent so little time (if any) showing off the console, and more on the controller.

[darksnowman]

Gametrailers will be speaking with Reggie, just like at E3, so hopefully that will yield something more than the usual question dodging and marketing speak.

[D_prOdigy]

I think Nintendo will be not so adverse to dripping Wii U information now we're in 2012, but expect cock-teases from Reggie - perhaps about third party support - at best.

 

Nintendo's Q3 investor briefing, on the hand, is a different story. 25th(ish) off the top of my head.

[Debug Mode]

Bit late to the party but it seems the point of david.dakota's post seems to have completely gone over peoples heads..

 

The point is the pitfall of keeping a product too similar in name and form factor. You all saw what happened with the 3DS shortly after launch and I can tell you now, it's still happening, I see it all the time in my local HMV with kids and their parents not being in the know. And that's just because of the name!

 

With the WiiU we have the problem of pretty much the same name and the same look of the console (well, it could change admittedly). You may argue that "OH BUT SCREEN CONTROLLER GIVES AWAY IT IS A NEW SYSTEM", but isn't that what we all said about 3D on the 3DS? And take into account the fact how peripheral heavy the Wii was. You had the wii-motes, then the motion plus, then them bundled into one shell, third party offerings and drawing tablets. If I was the average consumer, I wouldn't know all this and just assume it's an add-on.

 

David Dakota is right, it's a lot more effective to have marketing work alongside the development of the console rather than to be handed it and told "sell them". I had a good laugh at the people slagging off the picture he posted as well. The point wasn't making a good looking console, but making it look a lot different from the Wii.

[Mike]

Totally agree with everything Debug Mode said.