NINTENDO'S NEW Wii U HOME GAME PLAYER BRINGS DIY 3D VIRTUAL WORLD GAMES INTO THE LIVING ROOM, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING

Body-enveloping 3-D virtual environments come to everyone's living room with Nintendo's new Wii U controller.

Living room entertainment just got one step closer to having a true three-dimensional virtual environment: Nintendo's new Wii U tablet remote control scans a virtual world in 360 degrees as the user moves it in orbit around his or her body. The brand new technology opens exciting possibilities for not just gaming, but for the exploding tablet market.

The video below that we were able to obtain from the E3 press booth shows a prototype game where one player with the Wii U assumes a starship, which hunts two players on the ground controlled by the standard Wii remote control.

 

Just like how the Wii remote become the intellectual epicenter for the next generation ofmotion-controlled consoles, Wii U will likely set the standard for multiple screen and 3-D experiences. Games are now interactive in all 360 degrees. In the video below of a different game, the user jerks the Wii U in all directions to block arrows that are being shot from all sides.

 

The new technology opens up a few intriguing possibilities:

• Augmented reality for virtual Reality: During the announcement, the Wii U acted as a sniper scope for a first-person shooter, giving it the feeling of the actual two-lens experience of a real sniper. The Wii U technology could just as easily overlay statistics or trivia during a movie (as will soon be done at sports events) or act as infrared goggles during a sci-fi first person shooter. Additionally, the agonizingly slow process of menu-switching could come to an end as we know it thanks to the Wii U's ability to handle all logistics on a separate screen. So far, the wildest multiple screen possibilities that TV networks could come up with was TV everywhere, which has given the Wii U a lot of unclaimed creative territory to grab.
• Individual and cooperative experiences: In the game demoed above, the player controlling the spaceship with the Wii U was a competitor, but she could just have easily been a teammate, perhaps a navigator with X-ray vision, someone looking out for flanking enemies from the sides, or a helicopter pilot scanning for a fleeing criminal from a bird's-eye view while her partner chases the criminal through an urban neighborhood.
• Tablets become an identity wallet: As tablets begin to store more personal data and preferences, its logical that TVs, movie screens, and retailers will build devices that are sensitive to the stored tastes of each user. A Wii system at a friend's house would, in the future, automatically recognize personal button configurations and download save points from the cloud (cloud-based game saving is being offered by Xbox). Personal tablets would become as ubiquitous as wallets once were, only now they'll interact with electronics, expedite shopping and theme park experiences, and be used as a more reasonably sized augmented reality lens. 

In other words, with Nintendo's new interactive tablet technology, screens are no longer just for consuming, but augmenting the world around us.

COMMENTARY:  Coming in 2012, Nintendo's Wii U console will deliver "deeper game experiences" that aim to offer "something for everyone."  A variety of new controls will be made available by that crazy new controller with a 6.2-inch touchscreen embedded in it. Most importantly, you'll no longer be tied to a TV to enjoy your home consoling action -- the Wii U controller can handle your gaming session when the television is needed for other purposes, while a built-in front-facing cam will let you video chat from anywhere too.

You won't have to use the 6.2-inch behemoth if you don't want too -- the Wii U will be compatible with all current-gen accessories and software. Yes, your expansive Wii collection will play on the U version of the console as well. We've also seen some decidedly high-def visuals from Nintendo showing off the Wii U's graphical prowess. See video of the unveiling after the break!

Here's Nintendo press release:

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.

"Wii U redefines the structure of home entertainment by fundamentally changing how the TV, the game console and the Internet function and interact together"

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." 

I know of people who play Nintendo's Wii game player console that have pulled their shoulders with that popular game playing device.  The Wii U will probably result in permanent damage.

Courtesy of an article dated June 7, 2011 appearing in Fast Company

Comments

[VJack163]

Thanks for sharing this precious information about the new gaming console.