Update on Wii U, almost one week post-E3

So the dust is starting to settle, the emotions of the moment are beginning to subside, and people are starting to take an honest and objective assessment of Nintendo's main E3 presentation and the potential fate of the Wii U. Opinions, as you might imagine, are still mixed. There's a little less "the sky is falling on Nintendo" than there was last week, but those voices are still out there. On the other hand there are people who are convinced the Wii U will be even bigger than the Wii. And then, there are all those voices in the middle. Folks who are weighing the good news and bad news and still just aren't sure what the future will hold.

The philosopher in me is quick to applaud them, as they are acknowledging reality: we just don't have enough info to predict the future. Too many unknowns.

But in the days since E3, some more information has come to light:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is coming to Wii U. Now, some might argue that the COD craze is already dying down and ultimately this revelation will not be as important as folks imagine. They might be right. On the other hand, a COD game that uses the Gamepad in creative ways could be a big draw to the portion of the gaming community Nintendo has been unable to successfully court in the past few years.

2. Activision has even more content coming to Wii U. What it is, who knows (although their website suggests Transformers Prime might be one title, and Skylander Giants has been confirmed). But it's coming.

3. Regarding on-line: The friending system will not use friend codes as they exist today on Nintendo systems. That having been said, the level of interaction one can have with someone on-line through Nintendo Network and Miiverse will differ between those tagged as friends and those not tagged.

4. It's already been reported that the USB port on the system will allow for expandable storage via USB harddrives. The question many have asked is, how will that effect eShop titles (specifically, will there still be harsh filesize restrictions as with WiiWare). Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has said on the matter, "The main message we've communicated is that it's got USB ports so you can keep adding storage to your heart's content." This suggests to me that there won't be such intense restrictions on filesizes. Yay.

5. Rumor: NintendoLand will be packaged with the Wii U.

6. Rumor: Wii U news will pick up big time in September.

7. Saving the biggest for last here--Rumors about pricing. Two sources for this. One is a Best Buy kiosk supposedly including the MSRP, the other a tip sent in to GoNintendo. Both are suggesting that the Wii U will be sold initially for $300. This is a bit lower than some (including Josh) were expecting. I personally think this is a great price. But only time will tell if this rumor is true.

Of course, this still isn't enough to predict the future. But it is interesting.


My body is ready.

 - Nic


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