Nintendo Taps ‘Mario’, Adds Tablet Functions for the New ‘Wii U’
Nintendo said on Tuesday that the new Wii U will also see the resurrection of the gaming company's most popular creation, Mario, who again will launch his adventures in the holiday release of the console's hardware upgrade.
Nintendo has earlier announced that its new product will be packed with accessories and features that hopefully would convince owners of the first Wii edition to finally ditch the ageing machine.
The diminutive gaming icon, according to Nintendo, will plumb his way though warped worlds with gamers manipulating his every move using new controllers that company engineers described as more of a tablet.
The company christened the navigating device as 'GamePad' and gamers can simultaneously use two units on a single Wii machine.
Aside from 'Super Mario' that comes preinstalled in the new product, the GamePad for Wii U has been designed to extend the entertainment offerings of the console, the giant game console maker said.
Users will be able to connect their choice of headphone into the controller, which they can then use in chatting, underscoring the Wii's additional social media features.
The controller's built-in microphone and camera will also allow for online video talks when needed, according to Nintendo.
The GamePad also serves as gamers' window extension, a second small screen apart from the main monitor where the main gaming unit will be connected.
The company stressed that Wii U's gaming side, its core feature, was not neglected at all as Nintendo further improved the console's motion-detection technology, a feature that catapulted the first Wii to record-breaking sales when it was launched six years ago.
Back in 2006, Wii lured casual gamers into buying the product yet this time around, Nintendo aims to convince hard-core gamers that the machine also promises mean gaming hours, with the GamePad having a trigger-button on its backside that is intended for owners that wish to play shooting games.
Wii U's fun side has been further enhance with its gaming functions extended into the social media world via the 'Miiverse', another game that will be supplied with new product, which Nintendo said should store shelves in time for the Christmas rush.
The two pre-installed game will be complemented by new and upcoming titles developed by Ubisoft and Warner Bros.
Appearing at the ongoing E3 game expo, Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata said on Tuesday that designers of the new Wii U aim to expand the attraction of the unit, hopefully attracting the attention of both traditional and casual gamers, the latter, which mostly composed of family members, remains as the chief target.
"The device has to win support from within the family. So we have to show the benefits of the Wii device from different angles in order to reach the mother, the father and the children," Iwata told Reuters on Tuesday.
Nintendo has set a sales target of 10.5 million units pushed out by 2013 for the new Wii U, with the side purpose of reclaiming the top post that the company captured in the immediate aftermath of the original Wii release more than half-a-decade ago.
That seat now belongs to Microsoft Xbox 360, which like Sony's PlayStation 3, will not see a replacement anytime soon.