Nintendo Direct Pre-E3 2012 Summary. Wii U Gamepad Revisions, MiiVerse and the Concept of Together Better

Satoru Iwata fronted the Nintendo Direct Pre-E3 2012 presentation in which he discussed some of the core concepts of the Wii U, showed off the new redesigned Wii U Gamepad, as well as detailed the new MiiVerse which better connects you to your family, friends and other gamers in the world. Their new social interaction feature set was discussed, as well as the TV remote control functionality, video chat, plus lots of promises for their E3 Press Conference for Tuesday.

To watch the entire show in full, you can catch it below via Nintendo’s YouTube. If you’d rather head straight to the details and nitty-gritty, check below –

Standing in front of their company motto of “Creating Something Unique”, Iwata began by discussing the legacy of Nintendo gamepads, referring back to the NES (Famicon), before moving onto discuss some more conceptual thoughts behind the system and what he hopes it to achieve. During their initial meetings in 2008 over what their next home console might be, the idea of ‘Alone Together’ came to light, with reference to the book by Sherry Turkle which discusses the way that while people may be gathered together in the same room, they are not truly connected since they’re all using various devices in their own worlds.

“New technology makes life easier, but what does it mean for the nature of human relationships?”

Discussing how the Wii U controller has now become the Wii U Gamepad, there was the confirmation that proper sticks have been added to the controller (leaked earlier by a tweet), as well as the slight redesign in terms of the button layout both on the front and back to maximise comfort. The NFC reader/writer is on the left of the controller and allows it to communicate both ways with cards and figures. The Gamepad will also function as a TV remote for your Cable television, letting you perform all the standard functions, even when the Wii U is off.

The promise of what two screens can offer to the gamer is one of the most interesting aspects of Nintendo’s new system, since while gamers will be familiar with the technology from the DS and 3DS, the Wii U controller is independent and therefore more dynamic, as you’ll be able to use a stylus as well as your fingers to use the Gamepad in new and unprecedented ways. It will have both a motion sensor and a gyroscope, but we’ll have to wait to see the true power of the console on Tuesday. Iwata also stated that it’s the first console to be able to have a gamepad which displays images from the console with no delay. The Wii U will support the Wii Remote, Nunchuk and Balance board, not only for backwards compatibility, but to add familiarity and experiences for new games also.

A new more conventional gaming controller called the Wii U Pro Controller was revealed, more information can be found in this article. It’ll be used for more hardcore gaming situations, and especially for cross-platform games seen on other systems.

The Wii U is all about connecting not only people in the same living room, but also living room to living room in a compelling way, and to demonstrate how these new features are all integrated, Iwata showed a video, presenting a number of scenarios on how the new Miiverse and Nintendo Network integration could help in a common gaming situation of being stuck at a boss. The ‘gamer’ used the multitasking ability to ask other gamers for friends, which involved use of a ‘wall’ and comments, as well as a video chat with another gamer. There was also cross platform integration shown, relating to how these messages could be viewed on a mobile device (confirmed to be available in a post launch update).

The new Wii U menu was then shown, giving us a good idea of the first thing you’ll see when the system powers up. Taking the familiar Mii Plaza to the next level, this new home screen will display friends, family and other gamers as their Mii characters in a large space congregating around various games. At a glance this will let you know what people are up to, and which games are most popular, even if you don’t own said title. The Wii U Gamepad will have familiar lists for applications and games, where as the TV will have tiles. Given the name MiiVerse, this feature can be activated during gameplay to allow communication with other gamers from simple text messages, to more elaborate handwritten notes and doodles, and even the ability to post screenshots of your game. For full details, check out this post. You’ll also be able to transmit user generated game content via this system. While it can be used as a separate application, it can also be integrated directly into gameplay, with an example shown of Mario where multiple gamers have failed at the same spot, popping up messages on the screen to offer help and advice, or just to troll (Dark Souls anyone!).

The Wii U Gamepad was described as a ‘Social Window’, linking player to player and living room to living room. Even when they’re not playing at the same time, players can compete with others online via the MiiVerse, though not many details were given, and still no sign of an achievements system. The social integration will be later available via your PC, 3DS and other web-enabled devices at a later date.

In 2006, Nintendo discussed their three conceptual pillars for the Wii, and they believe the Wii U continues them –

• Relationship Between Family and the Game
• The Game Machine and the TV
• The TV and the Internet

The Wii U Gamepad was also shown as a Video Chat device, and even has an Internet browser. Relating back to their videos last E3, you can shoot content from the Gamepad to the TV, and even present web pages via a curtain animation for added effect. Miyamoto previously stated that ‘A great idea solves multiple problems at the same time’ and Iwata believes that the Wii U Gamepad does this, not only my solving the problem of being alone together, but also sharing smiles, laughs, and empathy, all while at home or when connected to other homes of friends.

Six years ago, the Wii introduced a new form of together, and the Wii U is set to continue this focus with Together Better, as even during solo play, the MiiVerse can connect you with friends, family and others who are playing the same game, even with no one else in the room.

The Wii U remains true to the promise of Creating Something Unique. Iwata promised lots of more news for both the Wii U and 3DS at their E3 Press Conference on Tuesday, with concrete examples of video game experiences you’ve never had before.

Be sure to bookmark this page, or follow us on twitter @PushStarMedia to make sure you’re being kept up to date. Things kick off tomorrow with many of the high profile press conferences, including Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft and Sony.