News
Upcoming Wii U Console Features Controller with 6.2-inch Screen
LOS ANGELES-- 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 25th anniversary 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.