E3 2012 - OMG L337 BBQ

[Aldurin]

Dat accent . . . I feel slightly more optimistic about the Wii U now, which brings me out of "Nintendo dropped out of the console race" and up to "Eh, sure, Nintendo . . . sure."

[Bells]

i'm still pouring salt on it... my mind is still fresh from the Wii days of Nintendo. What they offered Vs what we got...

I'll say that giving the selling Bulletpoints PRE-E3 was a nice move, at least makes it LOOK like they will focus on Games and Actual demonstration on stage instead of Awkward trailers and demonstrations on stage... if they can pull that one off i'll be pleased.

Nintendo is the Hardware show this year, so Sony and Microsoft are headbutting their way to the Software battle then...

[Kyanbu The Legend]

I'm looking forward to seeing more info about that new Sonic Project that Sega has planned for the WiiU.

[Locke cole]

I like the idea of Miiverse. Looks like they're trying their hand at an answer to XBL and PSN.

Also, the Game Pad having proper sticks that click down is nice, and the Wii U Pro Controller makes me think that multiplatform games are going to come far more easily to the Wii U than they did to the Wii.

[Solid Snake]

Weirdly, for the first time in several years, I'm really looking forward to this year's E3.

I think the lower expectations is actually helping me come to terms with things. In the past I've gotten my hopes up with such ludicrous notions as an FFVII remake or major game announcements that would change the paradigm of things. And, in the past, I've been fairly desperate for Sony to come out swinging to justify my investment in the PS3.

This year...I'm kind of satisfied with things? Grateful that the PS4 and the X720 appear to be on the backburner as I (apparently, in the minority) still think that this gen consoles has some life left in 'em, but if an X720 or a PS4 announcement comes out of nowhere, I won't be shocked.

I think the one thing that I am on pins and needles about is The Last Guardian. Aside from that, though, I'm pretty content with things. In a strange sense I think the failure of the Kinect and the Move has added to my complacency -- last year I felt way too much a ruckus was being made about motion control, and this year it just feels like that misguided hype may have died down.

Not really interested in the Wii U, though. I think Nintendo's going to be a victim of poor timing, with hype for the X720 / PS4 building not long after its release. And several of the new Wii U shenanigans feels like stuff the X360 and the PS3 already do, and quite possibly do better.

I mean yes, it's good for Nintendo to finally recognize that online gaming exists, and I do anticipate the Wii U will be more attractive to hardcore gamers than the Wii. But I think the problem Nintendo faces is pretty much summed up by my parents, the classic casual gamers who got roped into gaming for the first time with the Wii party games. They don't even know the Wii U exists. And most of its new innovations aren't geared towards convincing them to make the upgrade.

It's like Nintendo's caught in some weird middle ground where it's trying to simultaneously maintain its casual base while expanding into the hardcore market dominated by Microsoft and Sony, but the risk is that it will lose on both fronts.

The Wii U lineup will be quite telling. If it includes a lot of multiplatform games that are also coming out for the PS3 or X360 (or, in the worst case scenario for Nintendo, that have already been released on the PS3 or X360), I can't see anyone justifying the additional purchase even if the game technically looks prettier on the Wii U. The key for Nintendo is not only to spark third party developer interest but also to rope those third party developers into developing games that can only run exclusively on the Wii U or that requires additional hardware on the scope of the X720 or the PS4. If Nintendo essentially forces Sony and Microsoft to go into a period where there's a dearth of quality PS3 / X360 titles because everyone's going Wii U or waiting for Sony and Microsoft's next gen efforts, Nintendo can then reap the rewards during that period when only the Wii U is active.

[Bells]

'i'm still curious about the price point though... i mean, those Tablet-Controllers cannot be very cheap.... i'm thinki, what... 250 for console, and at least 120 per controller?

[Solid Snake]

Originally Posted by Bells

'i'm still curious about the price point though... i mean, those Tablet-Controllers cannot be very cheap.... i'm thinki, what... 250 for console, and at least 120 per controller?

Yeah, the price-point may also deter casuals.

Despite my identity as a hardcore gamer I can't help but feel as if Nintendo may actually be making its big mistake in trying to appeal to me as opposed to trying to appeal to the new casual base they essentially discovered out of nowhere with the Wii.

I actually really enjoyed how Wii redefined gaming as a whole, as bringing my grandparents and parents and other casuals into the loop has lessened the stigma associated with the activity. I actually wouldn't have minded one bit if Nintendo left me to Microsoft and Sony's whims and tried to compete for my family instead. It'll be interesting to see whether and to what extent Nintendo reaches out to casuals over the next few days and in the next several months.

[Locke cole]

The Wii U Pro Controller makes me think that third-party interest will be sparked much more easily in companies that would otherwise be scared off by the new controller.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

All shall be revealed this week. It gonna be rough for big N but right now ports are the only way to get third party devs on board.

Who knows this could be Big Ns last stand from the looks of it. The WiiU will need to boast processing power far beyond PS3/360 combined or some how get a choke hold on games if they're going to compete with PS4 and the next gen X-Box.

[Locke cole]

Whenever those come out.

And I was under the impression that Ninty did well for themselves with the Wii, despite not actively getting into the battle for supremacy, as it were.