New Nintendo Direct looks at Nintendo’s vision for Wii U, including launching Virtual Console and how Miiverse and second-screen gaming features will continue to evolve
23rd January 2013 – Nintendo President Satoru Iwata unleashed Wii U news in an instalment of Nintendo Direct today as he outlined Nintendo’s future plans for the console. Iwata revealed how the Wii U launch line-up will be bolstered by a long list of top game franchises headed for the new console. These are games that long-time players and newcomers alike will love to play, and everyone will be experiencing them in new ways, thanks to the integrated second-screen experiences enabled by the Wii U GamePad controller.
Iwata also detailed a number of enhancements designed to make the Wii U game experience more social, even if people are not playing in the same room. “The fun of video games is not only just playing games, but also sharing experiences together with people – even though they live far away, their skill levels are different or their experience does not happen at the same time,” Iwata said. “We want Wii U to be the system that brings everyone together.”
The latest Japanese hardware sales from Media Create are as follows:
3DS LL – 51,015
3DS – 30,840
PS3 – 19,697
Wii U – 16,654
PSP – 15,343
Vita – 9,036
Wii – 2,199
Xbox 360 – 706
For comparison’s sake, here are the hardware numbers from last week:
3DS LL – 56,377
3DS – 36,284
PS3 – 22,991
Wii U – 20,715
PSP – 17,069
Vita – 11,088
Wii – 1,873
Xbox 360 – 921
The team behind Xenoblade has revealed a new title for Wii U. Monolith Soft is staying true to its RPG roots with what appears to be a new game tentatively called “X” for the console.
A first trailer was shown during today’s Nintendo Direct. We’ll have it here soon.
Two new Zelda games are in the works for Wii U. In addition to a brand new title, Nintendo is remaking The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker on Wii U. According to Satoru Iwata, this is planned for release by the fall.
You’ll be able to play the game on the GamePad or on the TV. Miiverse support is planned.
For the new Zelda, Nintendo will be rethinking the conventions of the series.
