This Holiday Season: Nintendo's Wii U

     Due to the Ultimate Blog Challenge that I'm involved in, I decided to do things a little differently this week. Starting yesterday, I began a tech week here at Under the Fold. This means that for the next six days I'll be looking at the latest news stories and developments around the tech world. Depending how this theme approach goes I may start incorporating it more often into my posts. Today I'm going to talk about the first next-gen console to hit consumers this holiday season, the Wii U.

     Nintendo is once again the first to come to the market with a next-gen system, having previously beaten both Sony and Microsoft with the launch of the Wii back in 2006. By releasing a new system ahead of their competitors Nintendo has the advantage of early innovation to present to consumers, a position they used well in their positioning of the Wii. The company has gotten into the pattern of focusing on their hardware improvements in the past decade to promote their products, rather than heavily advertise their software library. It's a strategy that's worked well for Nintendo in the past, particularly because their target audience has steadily shifted from the hardcore gamer to a more family friendly consumer. A shift that Nintendo is looking to rectify with the release of the Wii U.

The controller can be used to interact with the game on screen in a number of different ways.

     According to Nintendo's Charlie Scibetta the Wii U is a system that's targeted at gamers in all ranges. He has acknowledged that the new console is difficult to understand because of the revolutionary controller and it's more complex design. Scibetta went on to say that the Wii U can be a console for the hardcore gamers because the system will be able to do things no other console is able to. He also made reference to the amount of third party support the system is receiving from developers. A few of the third-party games that are planed for the console include Mass Effect 3, Assassin's Creed 3, Arkham City, Call of Duty and Ghost Recon. This isn't including first-party games such as the expected New Super Mario Bros. U, Pikmin 3, a new Mario Kart and the next installment in the Super Smash Bros. series. In addition to this library the Wii U will also be backwards compatible with most Wii games.

     Even with the promise of an improved game lineup and high definition graphics, the focus of the new system is the Wii U GamePad. The controller uses traditional input methods (analog sticks, buttons and a directional pad) in conjunction with a touch screen. The image on the screen is going to be different depending on whether the game is being played individually or in a multi-player setting. Nintendo has also shown that if the TV is turned off or the channel is changed then the GamePad will resume the game on its touchscreen for uninterrupted play. The GamePad will also compliment games by providing alternative functionality, such as a tee for golfing games. Julianne Pepitone from CNN recently spent some time with the Wii U and wrote about some of the key features of the new system here.

Nintendo's Wii U GamePad controller. It will support NFC technology for a number of new functions.

     As impressive as the GamePad sounds, it's important to remember that the system will support more traditional controllers as well and the player is not bound to using the new hardware. Nintendo is taking more care with the launch of their upcoming system by focusing on what the consumer wants. They have released a statement to the press claiming that they will not overprice the new system (a problem they had with the release of the 3DS which was originally priced at $270). The company has also said that any online functionality that the Wii U performs will be free. Some gamers are wary of the new system because of a concern that it doesn't have enough power to run third-party games that are going to be developed for Sony and Microsoft's next systems. For an in-depth look at this concern read the full story here.

     Nintendo has a lot of work to do if they are going to reclaim the hardcore gamer. While the Wii did have its Zeldas and Marios, it left a lot to be desired for a loyal fan base. If the company hopes to compete with Microsoft and Sony when they release their next-gen consoles they need to ensure they garner third-party support while at the same time improving their online portal. Nintendo will take the lead this holiday season but their ability to retain it in the years to come may be much too limited.