Wii U Predictions

OK, now that the hype is over (well almost over), I thought that It would be time for me to share my predictions of the successor to the Wii, the Wii U. Like with my other prediction posts, I will state the things that we know about this already and add my predictions to it as well. So let's get to it:

Games

(before I start with this, I would like to point out that the above is the official box art for Wii U games). So as far as games are concerned, we already know that some big named games will mark their debut for the first time on a Nintendo platform (Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed and Batman Arkham to name a few) and we also know that a number of big, third party companies are showing their support for the new console (WB Games, UbiSoft, SEGA etc.). The Achievement system has been questionable with the 3DS showing stuff similar to that, but basing this on various sources, I think that Nintendo, being the company that they are, will allow developers to lay back and have the Achievement system as optional, not mandatory (unlike Microsoft and Sony) which is good in some way as many of Nintendo's top developers are refusing to include achievements in their games anyway. Additionally, the console will also show HD graphics that (according to Nintendo) will be superior to other platforms. That's all I can say on that.

Online Functionality

So as Nintendo are slowly entering the 8th generation of gaming, many gamers want to know how their online system will work in future. As demonstrated on the 3DS, Nintendo Network is a brand new unified, network system that handles online gaming, social interaction and so on and so forth. I'm pleased that they are removing the Friend code system as that has become annoying with many people, and are replacing that with user profiles instead, which is great. They've also set up the Nintendo eShop which replaces the other online shops and works as a unified online shop to buy DLC for games, Digital versions of retail games, various apps from both Nintendo and third party companies (including YouTube), videos (which has started out as short videos seen on the app Nintendo Video and based on popularity, then appear in the shop), virtual console games (which will now include Gamecube games) and many others. This Miiverse thing looks interesting as it supposedly will serve as a social interaction to assist others in various games. While social interaction seems to be the key element in the Wii U, I expect that many third party companies will take into account of the new stuff.

Controllers

With the addition of using the Wii Remote Plus, Nunchuk and Balance Board, we also get two additional controllers and potentially the 3DS in some way. The first of the new ones is the Wii U GamePad (shown above) which is a very unique and innovative controller that with the addition of the usual input buttons (A, B, X, Y, L, R, ZL, ZR and D-pad buttons along with two analog sticks with buttons underneath them and the Start, Select, Home and power buttons), it also includes a built in touch screen that can be used in the games to show alternative functionality (such as choosing a weapon in Assassin's Creed or selecting a gadget in Batman Arkham) and can also be used to play games simultaneously with other players, but can use the controller for a different purpose to everyone else (such as assisting the other players in games like Rayman Legends). It can also be used to continue playing the game if someone else wants to do something else on the TV and has an embedded TV remote control as well. It's got a built in camera and mic that can be used for video chat and social interaction, and it also has a vibration feature, volume control for the controller and TV, an inferred transceiver along with Bluetooth and NFC for connectivity with the console, an accelerometer and gyroscope for motion control and possibly the most requested and needed feature, a built in rechargeable battery which was something that many gamers wanted in the original Wii, but never got so well done Nintendo with that. In addition to this and the Wii controllers, a Wii U GamePad Pro is also being made and will be used for more the hardcore market than anything else. I do predict that over time, existing Wii controllers that are compatible with the Wii U, will have a built in rechargeable battery to make it more Eco friendly and convenient for players so that we don't have to go into a shop every week to buy more batteries or relay on rechargeable batteries that will break at some point during its lifespan. Whether this will be similar to the PS3 and PSV's cross play is at this time, questionable, but as long as they don't copy each other, we should be fine.

Console

While there has been little to no detail on the console itself, what we do know is that it will have Miiverse as it's menu system with the GamePad used as the navigation for the menu. So what about the physical console itself? Well judging by the photos I've seen, it will be only slightly bigger, rounder, smoother and wider than the Wii. The ports on the back are the same as with the Wii, the only acceptation being the HDMI port is added alongside the AV ports. I won't go into too much detail of the technical specs, but just be aware that it will be a powerful piece of kit. Like with the 3DS and other recent consoles, players will be able to use SD cards and USB hard and flash drives to store their game and console data, rather than sticking with a fixed amount of storage, like with the Wii (even though the SD card can be used on that console anyway but very restricted to what kinds that you can use). As far as discs are concerned, it'll probably be a disc that's similar to the Xbox 360's in which it can support both AV and HDMI. I'm thinking that it'll not be a stand up console like before, but we'll see about that. I'm guessing that it will use the same sort of sensor bar that the Wii used to connect with its controllers. Other than that, as long as we don't get a messed up cable system like with the Wii, we should be OK.

That's really all I can say about it for now. While we're still yet to get a release date and a full list of launch titles, I expect nothing more, than a good start to the 8th generation of home consoles (even if we still need to wait a bit for Sony and Microsoft to announce their successors to the Xbox 360 and PS3).