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Miyamoto on Wii U: Dual GamePads possible, not likely soon
Nintendo game designer and producer Shigeru Miyamoto discussed the possibility of allowing players to use a second GamePad controller for Wii U games in a recent interview with IGN, reinforcing the platform's previously announced two-GamePad capabilities. He notes, however, that the added functionality is "not within our objectives in the short-term."
Hackers reverse engineer Wii U GamePad to stream from PC (video)
Thought using the Wii U GamePad as a simple PC controller was a neat trick? Try this on for size: a small team of hackers has figured out how to stream PC games to the tablet-esque controller natively, circumventing its host console. The hack was shown this week at the 30th Chaos Communication Congress, where the group revealed how it reverse engineered the GamePad controller. After weaving a complex tale of dumped firmware, decoded video and buggy streams, the team showed a simple drawing app streaming from a laptop to the Wii U GamePad. Impressive? Sure, but the crowd didn't erupt into applause until they booted up a Gamecube emulated session of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Despite some crashes, the demo appeared to be fairly playable -- though the team warns that the available code is aimed primarily at developers. The group eventually plans to build user-friendly tools for Windows and OSX, as well as an Android port designed to allow users to substitute the Wii U GamePad with their own tablets, streaming from the console to the slate of their choice. It's not quite ready to replace your NVIDIA Shield, but the project is brimming with potential. Check out the presentation's slides at the source link below, or read on for a video of the hack in action (the fun starts about 47 minutes in).
Nintendo now selling 'high-capacity' Wii U GamePad battery
The Wii U GamePad's wireless nature is kind of a figure of speech, what with how often its out-of-the-box battery life requires a charge. Nintendo's high-capacity GamePad battery has jumped shores to offer a solution to the annoyance, as long as you're willing to pay $32 for it. The product listing states the new battery pack "offers up to 8 hours of use," which it compares to the existing GamePad battery's "3-5 hours." Users will need just a screwdriver to install it before they get back to hosting parties with Super Mario 3D World and discovering nightmare-worthy creatures in Pikmin 3.
Nintendo's high-capacity Wii U GamePad battery comes to the US, $32 for 8 hours of playtime
Tired of tethering your Wii U GamePad to a wall socket? You no longer have to: Nintendo has finally made the screen-toting controller's high-capacity battery pack available to US gamers. The 2,550mAh battery first debuted in Japan this summer, promising to boost the device's middling 3-5 hour battery life to almost eight. The upgrade took months to crawl its way west to Europe, and is now available to North American buyers in Nintendo's online store. The price of an extending gaming session? About $32, give or take shipping. We're glad to have it available, but admittedly, we wish it came just a little sooner.
Iwata: Wii U NFC to be used for payments or in-game, prototypes due this year
The Wii U GamePad includes a near-field communication function, but you wouldn't know it if you didn't, say, read obsessively about game consoles on the Internet. At the moment, no Wii U game uses it for anything, not even Skylanders, which ships with its own NFC reader.Speaking to investors, CEO Satoru Iwata discussed potential plans for the tech, none of which have been finalized. Nintendo's ideas for NFC uses split in two directions: Skylanders-style toys and credit card reading."For example, we can create cards and figurines with NFC and design our video games to work in conjunction with them," Iwata said of the first possibility. "Also, an increasing number of arcade games are utilizing IC cards which can read and write data in order to record users' scores and it is possible for Wii U games to connect with them." Nintendo is working with "several" developers on ideas like this, "and, by the end of this year, we will probably be able to show you some output, tell you about some more concrete examples of the possibilities or even let you try out some tangible examples."The other potential use of NFC, as discussed by Nintendo before, is for payment cards. "Technically, it is possible to settle an account by waving an e-money card over the Wii U GamePad," Iwata said. "We are conducting research into this right now as one of this technology's future possibilities." While NFC payments are more prevalent in Japan than elsewhere, there are lots of credit cards in America that can be used by tapping on the card reader. Setting your card down on the GamePad would certainly be more convenient than entering a number.Whatever Nintendo does with the technology, Iwata is adamant that it had better do something. "Since we have made a certain investment in order to install NFC," he said, "we will make efforts to at least receive a return on our investment."
The Cave on Wii U uses GamePad for camera and character switching
The Cave will be Double Fine's first foray on a Nintendo system, believe it or not. At a demo event last week, I spoke with Double Fine's Chris Remo and got our first glimpse at The Cave on Wii U.Above, you can see how the WiiPad plays into the game. It's essentially a glorified character selector and camera controller – by tapping on a character, you'll jump to them; by tapping on a character twice, you can switch the camera focus to them. In The Cave, characters cannot move independently off-screen."So other than that, it pretty much plays like all the other versions," Double Fine's Remo told me. "We did work really hard to ensure that visually everything you're seeing is identical to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, so there's no downscaling, there's nothing going on that is not up to par with the other next-gen systems. There's nothing super wacky going on, but it's a completely full-featured version of the game."The Cave launches on Wii U next year.
FIFA 13 Wii U walks onto the pitch with an instructional video
FIFA 13 Wii U uses the WiiPad for touch-based passing, kicking and tackling, plus real-time manager options like substituting players and changing positions. Also if you take off your shirt and run around screaming after you score a goal, EA sends you a nice email – okay, we made that last one up.
Wii U GamePad: Console gaming with no TV required
The hallmark feature of the Wii U is its tablet controller, the GamePad. It promises to foster some interesting, asymmetrical gameplay innovations, but one of its best features is a bit more obvious. The GamePad's screen is a perfect gaming display, and many Wii U games can be played directly on tablet itself, no television required.Handheld gaming is certainly nothing new, but the ability to play full-fledged console games without hogging the TV is a surprisingly delightful feature we've become addicted to. Once you try it, you may begin to wonder how you lived without it. See a round-up of our own experiences with the feature after break.
Satoru Iwata talks Wii U design, guts a console for context
Nintendo's top dog Satoru Iwata recently sat down with some of his R&D crew to talk about designing the Wii U, and unfortunately, a console was sacrificed in the process. The discussion focuses on what changes they've made this time 'round, including the new multi-core CPU and GPU module, and how they fitted more cooling gear in a body smaller than the Wii as a result. In addition to some nice teardown pics for illustrative purposes, they muse on moving to HD, part testing, case design and how the GamePad is more of a companion than a controller. We don't want to spoil the whole bit, so head to the source link for the full transcript, or check out the gallery below if you just want the visuals.
Nintendo Wii U gamepad not for sale separately in US until games support multiple controllers
Nintendo's Wii U gamepad may be the star of the Wii U show, but it won't be available as a standalone at launch. It will, however, be available when games that function with more than one WiiPad become available, according to Nintendo America CEO and prez Reggie Fils-Aime. "Through the launch window, there are no games that leverage a second controller. And so, during the launch window here in NOA [Nintendo of America] territories, we will not be selling at retail a second gamepad," he told investors during a Q&A this afternoon. "But certainly, when the games come out, we'll be making that accessory available," he added. As for when games will take advantage of a second WiiPad is another question altogether, and one that Nintendo isn't willing to answer just yet. Initially, the Wii U only supported one WiiPad per game, with additional control handled via the Pro controller or Wii remotes. Nintendo changed its tune, though, following public outcry for multiple WiiPad support.
Dual GamePad support won't be coming to Nintendo Wii U until 'well after launch'
Contrary to what we'd heard, it seems as if you and your friends won't be able to enjoy some of that dual GamePad play on Nintendo's upcoming Wii U -- at least not until some time after the novel gaming console launches later "this holiday." During an interview with Gamasutra, Reggie Fils-Aime (Nintendo of America President) said, "Games need to be built that can take advantage of the two GamePad controllers" and that "it's going to be well after launch for those game experiences to come to life." According to Fils-Aine, developers will have to first place all their focus on "asymetric gameplay," before eventually adding support for two GamePads on their titles. Notably, the revelation comes shortly after he himself confirmed the Wii U GamePad won't be featuring any multi-touch capabilities. Not all is lost, however, you'll just have to wait it out a little longer than expected, or make due with one of those Wii remotes you have laying around in the meantime.
Netflix app for the Nintendo Wii U, pictured
Nintendo vowed at E3 to provide Netflix on the Wii U, but tracking down the mythical streaming video beast has proven elusive. Thankfully, Engadget has obtained the first shots illustrating how it will work. While it's a prototype that could easily change between now and the Wii U's holiday release (or whenever the app is available), what we've seen so far makes it clear Netflix will milk that second screen for all it's worth. The GamePad is normally used to browse the movie queue and playback controls without distracting from the video on the TV. Should Junior want to catch up on his favorite flick while you're on a Breaking Bad marathon, the reverse will also work: the video can play on the controller while the TV is at most used to show what's playing, and more likely switched over to your DVR. Questions still remain on deck, like whether or not the video can seamlessly hand off from one screen to the other, but for now it's nice to see that Netflix on the Wii U is more than just a quick-and-dirty port. %Gallery-158079%
Nintendo: two Wii U Gamepads will work on one system (update 2: but at a cost - and now with video)
Nintendo broke a few hearts when it initially said the Wii U would only support one of its unique Gamepads. Much to our delight, the company just said in its live keynote that the final console will support two. As such, it'll be possible to have truly equal two-player games instead of relegating a friend to the old-fashioned Wii remote and Nunchuk. Of course, how much that extra Gamepad will cost we have yet to know -- along with whether or not it'll be possible to have strictly Gamepad-to-Gamepad titles that skip the TV entirely. We expect to find out soon. Update: In a follow-up, Nintendo Japan has posted on Twitter that there's a price to pay if two Gamepads are active. Frame rates drop to about 30 fps if two are active; any games that really want that extra controller won't be quite as glass-smooth. On the upside, it's possible to switch one off with a smooth transition; there won't be a need for theatrics just to switch to a solo game. Update 2: Nintendo has put out a video tour of the Gamepad that you can check out after the break.
Nintendo shows final Wii U Gamepad, TV remote app (update: video)
Looks like Nintendo didn't want to wait for its proper E3 press conference to spill some Wii U details early -- it just used its preview event to show the finished version of the Wii U controller, called the Gamepad, as well as a TV remote app. The Gamepad is decidedly wider than what we saw a year ago, with comfort clearly the top priority in other areas: the analog sticks have been moved further outwards and made clickable, while the back grip has been tweaked in the process. There's also no doubt as to where to interact with NFC gadgets, either, as a dedicated spot below the directional pad will take all your device-to-device taps. As for the remote, it looks to be a straightforward number pad navigator with a programming guide, all steering your TV through infrared. Between this and the Wii U Pro Controller, though, it's clear Nintendo hasn't been sitting still in the past year, and has some home theater ambitions in the process. We're curious as to what Nintendo is saving up for its bigger gala on Tuesday. Update: Join us past the break to view the webstream for yourself!
