Reuters: Nintendo is Stealing E3

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2006-05-11 11:52pm

Reuters wrote: LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) new Wii video game console, considered the underdog in the console wars because it lacks the high-definition graphics and multimedia features of its rivals, is stealing the show at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show.

The wait to try out the Wii at E3 pushed past four hours on Thursday afternoon, while the wait for hands-on time with Sony Corp.'s (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) PlayStation 3 was barely 30 minutes. Both consoles will hit the market later this year, though the Wii is expected to cost much less than rival consoles.

The Wii (pronounced "we") uses a motion-sensor enabled controller that looks like a TV remote and allows users to direct action on the screen by wielding it like a sword or swinging it like a baseball bat, tennis racket or golf club.

"It's basically a whole different thing from anything I've seen before," said Josef Faulkner, who had been waiting in line for three hours to get his hands on Wii. He still had an hour to go. "This is definitely the biggest thing here."

Faulkner and other attendees agreed that the unique controller is what is drawing people to the Wii.

Unlike other next-generation consoles, Wii doesn't sport high-definition graphics or make any promises of being a multimedia entertainment hub, but it promises a unique, fun experience new to video games.

And while the company insists that Wii is not a direct competitor to powerful new game consoles like the upcoming Playstation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Xbox 360, there is no doubt that it has stolen much of other consoles' thunder.

"You have to play (Wii) in order to understand what it is," said Don James, Nintendo's executive vice president of operations. James said the company knew that lots of people would be drawn to Wii, but he was surprised by the sheer numbers. He said that after 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time (22:00 GMT) they had to stop allowing people into the line because there was no way they would be able to see the console before the convention center closed three hours later.

"I didn't think the line was going to go around the whole convention center," said James.

The enduring image of the show might end up being the enormous line, which snakes completely around Nintendo's floor space. A security guard estimated that 1,500 to 2,000 people have been in the line at any given time.

Matt Rogers and Steve Bollinger said they waited almost three hours to get their hands on Wii, even though they lined up as soon as the convention center doors opened. After exiting the booth, they said the wait was definitely worth it.

"Nintendo really nailed it," said Rogers.

"They really worked hard to put fun games in this booth," said Bollinger. "Now I know the next thing I'm getting."

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-05-11 11:55pm

Good for Nintendo.

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2006-05-12 12:14am

Hah, on the first day Reuters walked up to the guy right in front of me that I had been talking to and interviewed him while he was playing with the Wii right before me.

I went through the line twice- once during the Media Early Access hours (45 minute line, media only), and once this morning. I rushed as soon as the door opened and only waited 2 hours to get inside; we played 8-player Tetris DS the entire time. Of course, once I got inside it was another 1.5 hours till I got to play Zelda: Twilight Princess

Nintendo BLATANTLY won. After I left Nintendo, I had to go to an interview, but had ten minutes to kill. I walked over to Sony's booth, waited behind ONE PERSON, and tried out a WIP of Madden 2007, which sucked on the PS3 (the Wii version on the other hand was absolutely awesome, I loved it, something I never thought I'd say about a Madden game, as I hate sports games).

Then I walked to the next booth to a completely unattended PS3 station and started playing the next-gen Sonic The Hedgehog game on the PS3.

No lines. Period.

The shortest line I waited for in Nintendo's place had two people (for a Bomberman Mini-game!), and that was after it took two hours to get in the room!

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-05-12 12:21am

Ouch, now I'm starting to feel bad for Sony and Microsoft...

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2006-05-12 12:31am

Praxis wrote:[snip]

So... now that you've used the system, can you tell us how Vympel was right about the stupid, sucky, unintuitive control scheme?

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2006-05-12 12:34am

Microsoft and Sony have had a couple good games shown, but the sheer volume of stuff that Nintendo has shown off is just shocking.

Overall, I think this is the best E3 ever.

Utsanomiko · Post by **Utsanomiko** » 2006-05-12 12:50am

Master of Ossus wrote:
Praxis wrote:[snip]
So... now that you've used the system, can you tell us how Vympel was right about the stupid, sucky, unintuitive control scheme?

No, because by using 3D hand movements as the primary movement control instead of a 2-axis joystick, Nintendo has doomed itself to making a handful of minigames, Mario, and Duck-Hunt. No other games can be played using the Nintendo remote because games are played using game pads and mice.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-05-12 01:06am

Hey Praxis, dumb question:

What size is the Wii remote, exactly? Are you able to give an estimate to its dimensions? My own mental estimations based on footage are a bit wonky.

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2006-05-12 01:06am

Hey Praxis, dumb question:

What size is the Wii remote, exactly? Are you able to give an estimate to its dimensions? My own mental estimations based on footage are a bit wonky.

It's actually smaller than you might think. Fit in my hand perfectly.
I'll post videos later. Sadly, Windows Media only for now, as that's all I have available as far as converting vids on my laptop.

Master of Ossus wrote:
Praxis wrote:[snip]
So... now that you've used the system, can you tell us how Vympel was right about the stupid, sucky, unintuitive control scheme?

Vympel has no idea what he was talking about. My first game I played was Madden 2007; I haven't played Madden since the Sega Genesis and I hated it. Last sports game I enjoyed was Tecmo bowl. I told the Nintendo rep this.

I was playing the game like a pro within five minutes.

I played the PS3 version shortly after and absolutely hated it (I hate sports games with regular controllers- that's just me).

I picked up Sonic Wild Fire and Excite Truck and it was perfect. Took ZERO time for me to get the controls down.

Metroid Prime 3 was the only game with a real learning curve. After I played Metroid Prime I walked over to Red Steel and had no problems.

Red Steels controls I must say were very buggy. No other game was, even IGN complained about it. It was hard to turn. Shooting was fine, other than the turning, but using the sword to block was a tad difficult. But I ripped through the shooting segments and swordfighting with no problem anyways.

There was virtually no learning curve except for the most complex games (Red Steel and Metroid Prime, basicly). The most unintuitive thing about Metroid Prime was, quite simply, that the A button was shoot and B trigger was jump- I kept hitting the trigger to shoot and jumping. No complaints about the controls.

However, none of the FPS out there were mouse-style FPS; you fired by pointing on the screen while walking around.

Racing games, sports games, etc were spectacular.

Loner · Post by **Loner** » 2006-05-12 01:08am

Praxis wrote:
Utsanomiko wrote:
Master of Ossus wrote: So... now that you've used the system, can you tell us how Vympel was right about the stupid, sucky, unintuitive control scheme?
No, because by using 3D hand movements as the primary movement control instead of a 2-axis joystick, Nintendo has doomed itself to making a handful of minigames, Mario, and Duck-Hunt. No other games can be played using the Nintendo remote because games are played using game pads and mice.
After playing Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime, Mario, and Red Steel, I can tell you that you are positively and DEFINITELY absolutely wrong.

I think he was being sarcastic.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-05-12 01:15am

Of course he was being sarcastic.

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2006-05-12 01:21am

Loner wrote:
Praxis wrote:
Utsanomiko wrote: No, because by using 3D hand movements as the primary movement control instead of a 2-axis joystick, Nintendo has doomed itself to making a handful of minigames, Mario, and Duck-Hunt. No other games can be played using the Nintendo remote because games are played using game pads and mice.
After playing Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime, Mario, and Red Steel, I can tell you that you are positively and DEFINITELY absolutely wrong.
I think he was being sarcastic.

ROFL, wow, I was posting in a hurry as I've got twenty IM convos going on, I re-read it. Blatant sarcasm. I'm a moron

Post by **Dalton** » 2006-05-12 01:22am

*giggles insanely*

So Praxis, how much ass does the new Zelda game kick?

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2006-05-12 01:23am

Best game of the show. Period. Undisputed. Awesomeness incarnate.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2006-05-12 01:23am

On a serious note, is the cord that connects the nunchaku (sp?) and the remote itself long enough? From the videos, if you're having to do things with both hands, it seems to me as if the short cord could restrict one's freedom of movement. On the other hand, of course, if the cord were too long then it would be easy to catch it on things or get tangled up in it, which is obviously something to avoid.

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2006-05-12 01:24am

Good question- I never thought about it, because not once did I ever find it too short or reach the end of it, so I'd assume it's long enough

Temjin · Post by **Temjin** » 2006-05-12 01:34am

In the FPS's, how was turning and strafing handled?

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2006-05-12 01:38am

Temjin wrote:In the FPS's, how was turning and strafing handled?

Movement with the nunchuck controller, looking with actual movement of the main controller. For Red Steel, anyway.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-05-12 01:39am

Praxis wrote:
Hey Praxis, dumb question:

What size is the Wii remote, exactly? Are you able to give an estimate to its dimensions? My own mental estimations based on footage are a bit wonky.
It's actually smaller than you might think. Fit in my hand perfectly.
I'll post videos later. Sadly, Windows Media only for now, as that's all I have available as far as converting vids on my laptop.

I'm asking because I honestly have no idea of an impression to its size. If anything, the general impression is that it's quite small, but I can't judge by peoples' relative hand sizes. So if you have any idea as to its actual dimensions, that would be nice.

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2006-05-12 01:54am

Temjin wrote:In the FPS's, how was turning and strafing handled?

Not like I expected (I was expecting a gyro-mouse setup).

In Metroid Prime and Red Steel, you point at the screen and a crosshair shows where on the screen you are pointing. Move the crosshair past the edge of the screen and it turns in that direction.

Metroid Prime turned quickly, but the turning in Red Steel was horribly slow and buggy. Very accurate however. Although the controller is so ridiculously accurate sometimes I wished I could steady my hand in Red Steel (your shots are big enough in Metroid Prime that you don't need to be too precise, plus you can lock on if you're pointing directly at the enemy by pressing C).

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-05-12 01:59am

Yeah, IGN seemed to report that Red Steel's controll was still pretty rough and sloppy.

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2006-05-12 02:22am

Oh yeah, I don't have any exact numbers for you, sorry

you might be able to find the dimensions on google.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-05-12 02:28am

That's okay, I still love you.

Oh, I think I know how to do this: Do you remember how big the crosspad is on the Wiimote in relation to that of either the GameCube (which is smaller) or the SNES/N64 (which is larger)?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-05-12 02:44am

*gasp* Holy crap, this is kind of even further OT, but I've seriously never seen this mentioned until right now.

I was looking at the large six-view image of the Wii remote over at the Wiki, and for the very first time I noticed the model prefex number on the bottom side, where the accessory socket is.

The Wii remote is: "RVL-003"

The continuation of a tradition...

Chris OFarrell · Post by **Chris OFarrell** » 2006-05-12 03:01am

Damnt, I think I'm actualy getting interested in a console for the first time in about 6 years.

I mean I have a PS2 I don't use and I've had a couple of X-Box's, both brought for HALO and HALO 2. And I'll probably buy a 360 pack God help me for HALO 3 (yes I just like the Universe that much)....

But this console is actualy making me WANT to buy one for all its games...

I mean I hate Sports games, havn't played one in years. But if Praxis who also hates them was going insane on Madden after five minutes..