Nintendo has announced the Wii U, a new home console with a companion controller that can switch gaming from the TV onto its 6.2in touchscreen.
The controller amounts to a reinvention of the Wii. Nintendo said it would change the way people played games when it appeared in 2012. The controller rather than its console was the focus of Nintendo’s press conference at the E3 video game trade show on Tuesday.
Nintendo had said in April that it would show “a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo”, which led analysts to believe a new console would be unveiled.
But Nintendo showed just the controller instead – it also has a camera, microphone, gyroscope and accelerometer, along with standard controls, although the company stressed it was not designed as a standalone portable gaming machine.
Nintendo demonstrated how video being watched on the device could be thrown onto a TV screen, while a game on the TV could be moved to the controller’s screen if someone else in the room wanted to watch regular television.
The controller also works independently from the console. For a player standing on the Wii balance board, its screen showed health and fitness statistics.
A golf game was demonstrated where the Wii U was placed on the floor and its screen showed the ball on its tee, a player could then swing with the Wiimote to drive the ball down the golf course on the TV screen.
The screen can also be drawn on and used as a sighting scope for zooming in and firing at targets on the TV screen.
Nintendo also showed a demonstration of the high-definition graphics capabilities of the new console but did not go into detail about its specifications.
Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, said the new platform would offer deeper experiences and wider appeal to gamers and would let everybody see games in a different way.
“The goal of innovation is to serve every player,” he said, “I believe our new platform represents a major step in achieving our goal.”
On the 3DS handheld console, Nintendo announced five key franchises were moving into 3D this year with Mario Kart and Super Mario shipping before the end of the year, along with Kid Icarus: Uprising. Starfox, a combat fighter game was shown where players were able to see the live faces of friends playing the game with them through the 3DS’s camera. That arrives in the US in September but no date was given for the release of the fifth franchise – Luigi’s Mansion 2.
A system update this week will unlock 10 game trailers and a virtual console service allowing access to classic titles, including a free version of Excitebike. Pokedex 3D will be available through the eShop on the DS – a free game that allows Pokemon characters to be superimposed on a screen from the 3DS’s camera.
The press conference began with a full orchestra and choir on stage to provide the backing for a video of one of Nintendo’s greatest hits, The Legend of Zelda, on its 25th anniversary, before its creator Shigeru Miyamoto appeared on stage.
After playing the theme from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the orchestra was asked by him to play the short musical responses to getting items and earning rewards.
There will be a Zelda game for each of Nintendo’s platforms this year with the main Skyward Sword appearing for the Wii in time for the holiday season. There will be a special gold Wiimote launched to go with the game.
