Preliminary Wii U specs emerge

By on Jun 8, 2011 at 8:43 AM
Gaming June 8, 2011

While Nintendo has been quiet when it comes to the specs of its newly announced Wii U gaming console, preliminary details are beginning to emerge from the E3 2011 show. We obviously already know plenty about the Wii U touchscreen controller, which we went hands-on with yesterday, but the console itself is a bit of a mystery. A few of Nintendo’s hardware partners got a little excited, however, and we now have a few pieces of the puzzle. We know the Wii U will support full HD 1080p gaming, and now we also know it will be facilitated by a custom Radeon HD graphics processor from AMD. In addition, IBM will be supplying Nintendo with a 45nm multi-core processor with embedded DRAM for the console.There are also four USB ports on hand, an HDMI port, an S-video port and component jacks, and the console with obviously feature 802.11n Wi-Fi. The rest, for the time being, is still a mystery. In case you missed it, we’ve also included Nintendo’s full press release below.

NINTENDO’S UPCOMING Wii U CONSOLE FEATURES CONTROLLER WITH 6.2-INCH SCREEN

LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2011–At the E3 Expo, Nintendo introduced a new paradigm for video games and home entertainment: Wii U™, a new console that includes a controller with a 6.2-inch screen. Adding a second screen to the living room creates a multitude of new video game experiences while offering families a variety of options to customize their entertainment.

Previously, video games played on a home console have been confined to the TV and offered identical viewpoints to each player in a multiplayer environment. Furthermore, watching TV and playing console games have been completely separate experiences. The new controller removes these boundaries, creating a more dynamic and fluid gaming and entertainment experience. Visitors to the E3 Expo will see firsthand the type of gaming experiences made possible by Wii U and the new controller such as:

  • In single-player games:
    • The new controller can display information on its screen that does not appear on the TV.
    • The information and viewpoint can also change in the new controller based on the orientation of its gyroscope.
  • In multiplayer games:
    • The player using the new controller can have a different experience than those looking at the TV. This will offer a wide variety of competitive and cooperative opportunities.

In addition to the 6.2-inch screen, the new controller also features an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a rumble feature, an inward-facing camera, a microphone and speakers. Adding these features to the Classic Controller™button scheme – two analog Circle Pads, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons – will enable a breadth of game-play experiences while appealing to both casual and dedicated video game players.

Wii U combines motion-sensing game play with the ability to support full HD graphics. Each Wii U console will be partnered with a new controller and can also use up to four additional Wii Remote™ or Wii Remote Plus controllers. The system is also backward compatible and can play all Wii games and use all Wii accessories. The Wii console has sold more than 86 million units globally and greatly expanded the overall audience for video games. Wii U aims to expand that audience even further. Developers worldwide are already working on new games and experiences for the console.

“Wii U redefines the structure of home entertainment by fundamentally changing how the TV, the game console and the Internet function and interact together,” said Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. “The experience enabled by Wii U and the new controller takes players deeper into their games, while reaching out wider than ever before to be inviting to all kinds of gamers.”

Nintendo 3DS™, which lets users see 3D images without the need for special glasses, launched in the United States on March 27 and continues to evolve. Owners will find that their Nintendo 3DS experience is different every time they pick up the system, thanks to new content and updates delivered by Nintendo, by third parties and exchanged between users.

A new system update is now available for the Nintendo 3DS system. Users who connect to a wireless broadband Internet connection and install the system update will instantly gain access to the Nintendo eShop, which contains a variety of games and applications for download using a cash-based system.

Users can browse original 3D software, 3D Classics (select classic video games re-mastered in 3D), classic Game Boy™ and Game Boy Color games, and more than 350 games and applications currently offered for the Nintendo DSiWare™ service. Visitors can also see videos and screen shots for games, plus see how other players rank games.

The system update also provides Nintendo 3DS owners access to free items, including an Internet browser that can show 3D images on sites specifically designed to show 3D images, a download of a re-mastered 3D version of the NES™ classic Excitebike™ game (free until July 7) and Pokédex™ 3D, which lets users discover and view more than 150 Pokémon™ from the Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version games in visually engaging 3D.

Nintendo also announced a huge lineup of upcoming new and fan-favorite franchise games, many of which are playable on the E3 Expo show floor in booth 4922.

  • Nintendo 3DS: Super Mario™, Luigi’s Mansion™ 2, Mario Kart™, Kid Icarus™: Uprising, The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, Star Fox 64™ 3D, Animal Crossing™, Paper Mario™, Picture Lives!, The Rolling Western™.
  • Wii: The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword, Kirby™ Wii, Wii Play™: Motion, Mystery Case Files™: The Malgrave Incident™, Mario Party™ 9, Rhythm Heaven™ and Fortune Street™.
  • Nintendo DS™: Kirby™ Mass Attack, Professor Layton and the Last Specter™, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker™2 and Super Fossil Fighters™.

Nintendo kicked off its E3 Expo Presentation by announcing a number of initiatives to celebrate the 25thanniversary of The Legend of Zelda. A re-mastered 3D version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches for Nintendo 3DS on June 19, while Wii owners will see the arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in the 2011 holiday season. Additionally, Nintendo announced a tour of orchestral concerts featuring music from the beloved franchise. Additional commemorative activities will be announced at a later date.

For the duration of the E3 Expo, Nintendo will provide fans with exclusive videos and Nintendo content on the Nintendo Network. People can visit http://e3.nintendo.com to watch developer interviews, get all the information about new games and see coverage coming directly from the show floor. The same exclusive content also will be streamed through the Nintendo® Channel to Wii owners who have a broadband Internet connection.

For more information about Nintendo, visit http://www.nintendo.com or http://www.facebook.com/nintendo.

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  • Anonymous

    cant wait for this to be released, coming back to nintendo!

  • Anonymous

    That’s very vague. Combine that with the fact that Nintendo lifted video from 360/PS3 versions of the multiplatform games that are coming, and you’ll understand why I’m wary about what the Wii U can do until I actually see it done.

    Here’s hoping they can do big things, though. I like it when everybody’s competing with everybody. There’s more room for interesting projects and new IP.

    • IMLightning

      They did have a demo of video on the console itself that looked much better than the Xbox and PlayStation footage. They probably did the other two consoles’ footage because it would be difficult to show footage of the game that won’t come for a year on the console that won’t come out for a year.

      • Anonymous

        If you’re talking about the animated clips with the birds and the flowers, I saw that. You know what else I saw? Final Fantasy VII’s E3 announcement.

        I’m not falling for that shit again. You show me real, gameplay footage. Anything else is bullshit. If you’re talking about something else, could you link it? I must have missed it.

      • http://www.vgchartz.com SuperChunk

        This is Nintendo, not Sony.

        Their early builds/presentations usually look worse than the final product.

      • Anonymous

        @superchunk1:disqus You make a good point but, as they say: once bitten, twice shy.

      • Nathan Stavarski

        For starters, let me say I went to E3 this year and from my WII-U experience, which consisted of waiting in line for about 2 hours, I can tell you that if this new system has ANY of the graphics processing power at launch that I witnessed, Xbox and PS3 will have some huge competition on their hands.  I watched the bird game close up while waiting in line to play Zelda on WII-U and I noticed a graphics power I have never seen before.  Let me put it this way: a cut-scene from a Xbox360 or PS3 game would be the game play of the WII-U.  The bird game footage online is truly an accurate account of its raw power and after playing Zelda, hands down I will be buying this ASAP.  I was also hesitant about the controller being so big, but it is VERY light and fits in your hands perfectly and comfortably.  It is definitely something that will catch on and with a estimated price (from Analysts, not completely announced) of around $300-400 USD, I will be waiting outside my local game store for this the day its released.

    • http://www.vgchartz.com SuperChunk

      Almost any company has used PC or other devices video in their presentations prior to the launch of the device. This was not “This is X game on WiiU” but more of “XAlmost any company has used PC or other devices video in their
      presentations prior to the launch of the device. This was not “This is X
      game on WiiU” but more of “X games will eventually come to WiiU”.

      Just not an issue. btw, there were two games (tom clancy and aliens) from 3rd parties that were on WiiU hardware. games will eventually come to WiiU”.

      Just not an issue. btw, there were two games (tom clancy and aliens) from 3rd parties that were on WiiU hardware.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7Y43ZBRJOXIIT6HXIDTQX4PEUU Miles

      Well considering that the Zelda HD demo was realtime and was showing off some of which the hardware can do. Its pretty good for my standards from what I saw.

  • Anonymous

    WTF, those are not specs.

  • http://infotainmentempire.blogspot.com Rob

    S-video port? Really? I haven’t heard that phrase/word said in YEARS. I can understand the component but S-Video? I don’t even think any of my monitors or HDTVs have an S-Video jack.

    • http://twitter.com/grahamfluet Graham Fluet

      I think they ment the Nintendo multiAV port instead of S-Video. it’s just the display units are hooked up so (or actually have s-video ports, but only for prototype connivence).

    • Rydo_25

      XBOX didn’t have HDMI on launch. It wasn’t until a year or 2 later.

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  • Anonymous

    It has an s video port and nintendo stole the video from the ps3 /xbox360 titles to show as its own. Both of these spell doom for anyone that wants a higher powered system. It wont be

    • Anonymous

      What are you on about. Of course it’s not only S-Video that’s just so they can account for everyone, it’s been confirmed to have HDMI out, but you didn’t even need that confirmation as you cannot have Full HD 1080p with S-Video. Btw, when companies announce unreleased hardware or software it’s extremely common that they will show a clip from a different source to show people what it might be like, Microsoft and Sony have also done this in the past. You only need to read the specs to realise this is going to be more powerful than the PS3 and 360, which isn’t really much of a feat considering that’s its old hardware.

  • Anonymous

    This thing is going to cost two arms and two legs.  And forget local multiplayer.  Who the hell will want to pay like $300 each for additional controllers?

    • http://www.vgchartz.com SuperChunk

      1. Nintendo came out today and said it shouldn’t be much more than the launch price of Wii. So $250 to $300.

      2. That controller is the same as Wiimote+nunchuk (cost is like $20 to build) plus a LCD/touchscreen. (another $40). It won’t cost more than $60 stand alone. About same as other wireless controllers.

      • Mik8828

        Well I know they have been great about keeping cost cheap. I am stoked about the beefed up specs. To be honest I loved my wii. It was just the graphics that sucked. But they just stopped making games. I am fully behind nintendo but i want to wait till I see some decent games on the shelf. I only have four games that took longer than 15 hours to completely conquer. If they fill the shelves with farm animals and HD monopoly again while putting out a good mario or zelda game once or twice a year I think that will be the end of my faith. I know they are by far the most innovative company. but I am not an eight year old girl. and I want to see these Ideas applied to adult games and I want a new game to be excited about at least every six weeks.

  • http://www.vgchartz.com SuperChunk

    Mine.

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