The Nintendo Wii U represents the opportunity for one of gaming’s most cherished and iconic companies to adopt modern horsepower–at least until the PS4 and Xbox 720 arrive. We had the opportunity to meet with Nintendo to get hands-on with its much-talked about console–a HD console that utilizes an Apple-white motion-control tablet as an input device.

The presentation and hands-on (and even the video preview footage shown) were exactly that from E3 2011. In fact, the information given was similar. Nintendo still wouldn’t discuss specs in any form other than the Wii U’s 1080p output and backwards compatibility with Wii games; the wireless signal’s range, the type of wireless signal, the number of tablets supported, online capabilities, and first-party launch games were still off the table. In fact, the Big N’s on-site representatives gave us plenty “I don’t know” responses, which made me a bit uneasy as the console is due to hit store shelves between E3 2012 and the end of the year.

But on to the demos.

The demos, er, “experiences” as Nintendo calls them, showcased the variety of play types available with the Wii U technology. Nintendo’s PR team made it clear that these are simply tech demos, not early builds of upcoming games. One was based on the childhood game of tag where four people using standard Wii controllers guided characters who were tasked with tagging the character of the player using the Wii tablet. These presented two very different gameplay types depending on the controller used; Wiimote-wielders race through a series of connected, colored fields in third-person view, while the tablet-holder sees the world from an overhead view that lets you see the players on the map to better avoid their pursuit. This, without question, was the most engaging of the “experiences”; gang-chasing one player down only to have that person become invincible and absolutely Juggernaut-tank opponents after grabbing an invincibility icon. There was a nice amount of nice game of cat and mouse, and more than a little bit fun. Nintendo would be absolutely foolish to not include this as a pack-in title, either as a standalone or part of a Wii Sports-like tech-demo collection.

The other “experiences” consisted of a game that demanded two ground-based players (using Wiimotes) in Samus suits attempt to down a player flying a laser-firing ship (using the tablet). Although the demo itself wasn’t anything special, it did showcase the tablet’s capabilities as you ascended, descended, and swerved by moving the tablet about. There was an also totally out of left-field non-gaming demo that utilized low-resolution real world street video that looked very much like Google Street. It showed that you can spin and rotate the world view around you by physically moving about. Weak demo, cool tech. There was also an absolutely pointless non-interactive Zelda video that featured Link battling a giant armored spider. It was meant to showcase the Wii U’s graphical prowess, but it came off as nothing more than a marketing video. The demo’s lone interesting aspect was the ability to seamlessly switch the video footage from the screen to tablet. It worked extremely well, but I pondered if it would work as effortlessly with an actual game.

So that was the Nintendo Wii U demo. The upcoming system remains clouded by many an unanswered questions, but the system has tons of potential. The Big N rarely drops the ball with first-party titles, so it’ll be up to third-party devs to broaden the system’s scope if it looks to scoop the “core” gamer.

I remain cautiously optimistic.

image courtesy of Popgadget

My 38th birthday rapidly approaches as the calendar flips and heads toward mid-May, and along with the “OMG I’m almost 40!” thoughts floating in the back of my head comes several perplexities. Why does my right knee suddenly need a massage once a week so that it doesn’t stiffen up? Is being single and childless the right life decision?

Sadly,those aren’t the most pertinent questions; these are: Why have I owned nearly 20 video game systems over my lifetime? And why do they continue to occupy valuable apartment space? The answers to questions one and two are quite simplistic, but three and four would require the joint efforts of Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony to create the ultimate gift to gamers: The universal video game console.

The Atari 2600, NES, SNES, Genesis, Turbo Grafx-16, PC Engine Duo-RX, Neo Geo, Dreamcast, PlayStation, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Game Boy Color, Nintendo DS, Xbox, Xbox 360 and more have all graced my home – - many of which at the same time. I’m neither a pack rat or collector despite the fact that across the room from me at this very moment sits a heavily worn box of controllers, cords, and consoles. I simply believe that the best and truest gaming experience comes when playing original carts and discs in their original systems (despite remake gems such as SEGA’s recently re-released Daytona USA). I hate the clutter and, even worse, the idea of acquiring more. That’s where the idea of the universal console comes into play.

In my brightest, happiest fantasies, the universal console would have hardware built by Sony (Blu-ray, region-free), an online component provided by Microsoft, and the marketing promotion and savvy that only Nintendo could execute. The merger isn’t radical as you would think, at least in terms of hardware. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have powerful boxes with a heavy focus on entertainment services (such as Hulu and Netflix), and all three systems have embraced motion controls. Already, the consoles are moving toward center.

Still, detractors will ultimately scream that the perceived lack of competition will stymie innovation. That is patently wrong. DVD and Blu-ray players have universal standards that will allow any movie house to produce flicks for those players; the competition exists in creating the best flicks possible, not the greatest hardware. Still, not everyone agrees with this assessment. Johnathan Boutet of Nerd Blerp believes that the universal console would be bad for the gaming industry.

As cool as the concept for universal system is I feel that it would unravel the very alliance that gamers have with big name companies (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft). If you have one system that can play all games then the space race to have a new system ends. If one company has a universal system then where’s the competition? To have a better system that plays universal titles? No matter how you look at it you can never unite gamers to support one system, making the “universal” aspect of the system obsolete.

I respectfully disagree with Mr. Boutet. The push to update the universal console would come as naturally as optical disc advancement. We’ve moved from CD to DVD to Blu-ray technologies in order to accommodate more data per disc; the same could occur in terms of console’s CPU and GPU power.

Plus, it would kill fanboyism! Have you ever heard of DVD player or Blu-ray player fanboys? “OMG my Blu-rayz betterz n urs, LULZ!” No, because doesn’t exist (at least not in the real world; I wouldn’t discount the ogres that live in the bowels of the internet). Film-watchers have equal access to the same movie players made of roughly the same quality. Sure, some may have better builds than others, but under the hood the technology enables universal interoperability that doesn’t exclude portions of the population that have the “wrong” model. Could you imagine the outcry that would come if say, Iron Man 2, was exclusive to Sony Blu-ray players, making it unplayable in Samsung’s? Or to put it into a real world scenario, remember the heinous Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD race?  Film buffs (wisely) weren’t going to support both formats, so I can’t understand why gamers wish to do so. Simply because we’ve always had competing video game systems doesn’t mean that it’s good for the end user.

Expense is also a huge factor. In order to play all of the great games of this generation (and the next generation), you’re going to spend several hundred dollars on hardware, plus  drop $40 to $60 per game. This hobby ain’t cheap, and an universal console would help keep some greenbacks in you wallet.

The universal console is my pipe dream, but according to Terry Lewis of The Other View, it already exists. And we all have one.

I thought we already had a universal console — it’s called a PC. It plays games most of the consoles have, you have unlimited accessories including endless controller options, which can have rumble features and motion control, mice, keyboards and webcams, plus you have multimedia capabilities (music, videos, and images) including Blu-ray playback, plus it has the best online play that beats even the best the big three have to offer. I say let’s make a big push to bring the PC back to the top as the ultimate gaming machine. PC: The one gaming system that’s truly universal (And should I also mention it plays teh romz??)

I won’t even get into the PC vs. console debate here (well, at least in this article), so I’ll conclude on this: The universal console would be awesome, but I admit i’s unlikely…at least for the next generation or two. The future of the universal console may lie in services such as OnLive that stream games via the internet. One console. Relatively inexpensive.  No clutter.

I can get behind that.

Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are prepping their next generation home video game consoles–but are gamers ready for them? Team 2D-X offers its opinion on whether or not console manufacturers should announce new hardware within the next two years.

Tim Torres, Lead Reviewer
I don’t see Microsoft or Sony making new hardware announcements for another year or two. They’re going to wait to see how Nintendo does with the Wii-U before they get “inspired” and implement tablet controllers and streaming technology into their own machines. Hey, maybe one of them will surprise me and become the new innovative leader, but I don’t see it happening, either. The Move and Kinect proved they’re okay with following in Mario’s footsteps. It makes sense for them to lie in wait and see how Nintendo’s gimmicky gamble pans out.

Further, I can’t imagine they’re chomping at the bit to deal with more launch snafus. How eager are we to suffer them? The 360 and PS3 didn’t have the smoothest of entrances, and I can imagine their successors would only get worse. Will the Red Ring of Death return? Will the PS4 cost $599? Will the launch line-ups embarrass? Will the 720 burn your house down, pour sugar in your gas tank and delete your identity? Who knows, but combining new technology — new proprietary formats, the “cloud,” solid-state storage, what have you — with these guys’ track record makes my stomach flip. Even simpler things will be a gigantic hassle, like the transfer of digital media downloaded from Xbox Live and PlayStation Network over to the new boxes. Hopefully there will be a better solution than re-buying them, which is what Sony has in mind for transferring PSP games you already own to the Vita. I wonder how long it took them to figure out that solution.

Tatjana Vejnovic, Managing Editor
It’s far too early for next-generation hardware to arrive–at least for two out of the three players. Nintendo is running ancient hardware, so it needs to upgrade. Sony and Microsoft? Not so much.

I can understand Microsoft wanting to move forward (seeing as how the average gaming PC is three times as powerful), but there’s no true reason to create new hardware.  And the PS3 is capable of much more than its doing now. Also, you have to consider price. The rumored price point of the WiiU is $450. People are still bitching about the $250 price point on the PS3. In this economy, I’d push a console until I could push no more, then drop a next generation system.

Console owners are notorious for being fanboys who refuse to admit that some consoles may be better than others. Hardware wise, the Playstation 3 is superior to its competition. How many Playstation 3s do you hear about completely overheating and becoming useless? Not very many, really. As an employee of GameStop, for every fifteen defective XBox 360s I take back, I get one defective PS3. I’ve received “defective” PS3s that needed nothing more than a display setting reset. If you look at games like Uncharted 3, and even Mass Effect 2, you notice that although they seem like they’re as good as gaming can get on the PS3, your PS3 does not struggle. It does not overheat while playing Uncharted 3 for ten hours straight (I did that with my 60GB model ), and it does not sound ike a space ship taking off. Mass Effect 2 (admittedly running on an improved engine on the PS3) is faster and smoother.

If the Playstation 3 can legitimately push itself to play Uncharted 3 without dying and making horrific noises, just how far can developers push the Playstation 3? NaughtyDog even said, “Uncharted 3 was almost on two blu-ray discs. We did scale some things down to get it onto one.” On the XBox 360, we have games like L.A. Noire, and RAGE that were 3-discs, but still failed to run properly and smoothly even with the installation (oh man, Battlefield 3 and your 17GB install, I’m looking at you). If the PS3 can do all this, then there must be a beast in there somewhere waiting to be unleashed.

Having both a journalistic and retail point of view on this topic, I say the console makers should wait. This excludes Nintendo, as they need to stop all the smoking and come up with a legitimate idea. Staring at sales reports, these two consoles are still booming in sales, and comping over last year’s numbers with ease. Gamers don’t want to endure starting over and being introduced to something new–not when these consoles are booming like nobody’s business. If Microsoft waited the last time and really took the time with their hardware design, who knows if the red ring would exist in homes today.

Thomas Rivas, Contributor
I don’t think it’s too early for new consoles considering that Nintendo already made the first move with the Wii-U. Kinect is losing steam, Move never really picked up any, and given the rumors a while ago about Microsoft looking to hire folks for console development, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some sort of announcement at E3.

Hardware manufacturers are doing relatively good though because of all the major releases we’ve seen (MW3, Uncharted 3, Gears 3 etc.) and the special edition consoles that have been tied to them, so I don’t think they’ll jump the gun on an announcement. If they mention the idea of an upcoming console, then the few consumers left without one will want to hold off for the next gen and that means less money for them. Black Friday sales have the PS3 at $200 and the 360 in the mid $100 range this year. I can’t imagine them going any lower next year without something new on the horizon.

Eric Guzman, News Editor
Can folks really afford buying a new console any time soon? The economic times aren’t favorable at all; even during such a great gaming year GameStop reported slow sales. Sony stated that the PS3 should have about the same shelf life as the PS2. The PS3 is now on its fifth year. I don’t know if we even need a new console generation as the hardware isn’t really that bad right now. Nintendo had to make the first move because of the Wii’s ancient hardware. The PS3 and 360 don’t need hardware upgrades because the software is so good. Look at how the 360 dashboard has set the standard for consoles, and it continues to evolve. Yes, we can argue that the graphic power of PCs is vastly superior, but we have console games that compete directly with PC graphics. Look at Uncharted 3 for example.

Sean-Paul Adams, Contributor
It’s about that time for the Big 3 to start officially talking about their next systems. Nintendo has already gotten the ball rolling by announcing that Wii-U–I’m not even going to start on how I actually feel about it. And if how this current generation started was any indication, then we’re going to start hearing the rumbles of announcements.

The Wii and PS3 were launched within a little more than a week of each other, while the Xbox 360 had already been stealing the hearts and wallets of gamers (and their parents) for a full year. Sony announced that it wanted to give the PS3 a 10 year lifespan and while that is nice, its going to need something to carry the PS brand while the PS3 is in its elderly stage around that 10 year mark. PS3 was launched at the six year mark of the PS2 and carried Sony as the previous generation faded to the background. Right now the PS3 is at that 6 year mark in its own lifespan.

I reference how Sony has handled its system because Microsoft should follow suit. The Xbox 360 is already 7 years old. While games on it look great on both systems, I don’t think they’re going to look any better than what we’re getting now. Both also have great add-ons right now that extend functionality, but there’s also no way for Sony and MS to build on their respective add-ons without turning their systems in to the shit-show that the SEGA Genesis became all those years ago (hey 32X!). There’s only so much add-on functionality you can add before customers start to question what they’re buying.

I think for systems to show up next year might be a bit too soon in terms of marketing and timing. CES is huge, but what kind of gaming exposure do MS, Sony and Nintendo get there? Probably none, so any big announcements are going to be held for E3. With six months between E3 and the holiday shopping period, there isn’t enough time for any company to get stock up to number that will be acceptable for a system launch. And if they started early, there’s no way someone wouldn’t have let something slip or extrapolated from some vague piece of info. I can’t count how many times I’ve read articles about upcoming tech hardware releases that are FCC filings. There’s no way we’ll see anything next year unless someone bucks the trend and announces their system at CES.

Oh, “the struggling economy” argument holds no weight. None of you were at the disaster called Wal-Mart on Black Friday around 10pm (or later before their sale officially began). People will buy anything at any price as long as they feel they’re getting a deal. And gamers are fiends.

Sony has finally given gamers the much awaited release date for its potentially killer hand held, the PS Vita. Gamers can expect the handheld to hit stores on Febuary 22, 2012 in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Latin America, and Canada.

This date is for both the $249 Wi-Fi only model and the $299 Wi-Fi/AT&T model. The handheld already has the backing of multiple developers and we can expect some killer apps like Street Fighter X Tekken, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Uncharted, a new Resistance, and many more.

The countdown begins. Will you be purchasing one? Let us know in the comments section below.

Today, Sony announced new prices for its PS3 console, which officially reignites the console (and fanboy) war: The 160GB PS3 is now $249, and the 320GB PS3 is now $300 effective immediately.

Sony’s last price drop was in August of 2009 when the 160GB slim debuted. This puts Microsoft under pressure as it hasn’t dropped the price of the Xbox 360 Elite since 2009. Sony’s move will likely cut into the Xbox 360’s upcoming holiday sales as the PS3 is now more affordable than ever. Those searching for a “jack of all trades” console may take a hard look at the PS3, which has excellent exclusives and Blu-ray.

Sony also announced a new Infamous 2 PS3 bundle that will include Infamous 2, a 30-day PlayStation Plus subscription, and the 320GB system for $299.99. The value exceeds the price dramatically.

Does a price drop warrant a purchase? Were you on the fence about purchasing a PS3, and this just pushed you over? Let us know in the comments section below.

Nintendo announced a 3DS price drop that no one saw coming–so soon, at least. Despite selling over 800,000 units in the device’s five month lifespan, Nintendo has pushed the panic button and slashed the MSRP from $250.00 to $170.00. That’s a whopping 32% price drop. The lowered price, which is effective August 12th, was inevitable.

Everyone except for Nintendo knew the 3DS was over priced and lacking serious launch titles. Games like Steel Driver didn’t show off the system’s capabilities. Nor did Nintendo Dogs and Cats and Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs. Nintendo should have had Ocarina of Time ready. Nintendo should have had Star Fox ready. Nintendo should have had Super Mario Bros. ready. Nintendo is known for the strength and quality of its first party titles, and the company completely lost focus and dropped the ball.

Nintendo will never cop to it, but the company likely expected to sell 800,00 in the first month alone. The truth is, like or it not, this is not the same playground it was five years ago. Nintendo can no longer ignore the competition as it did when the PSP arrived on the scene. Android and iOS devices have changed the way people game on the go, how they receive their content, and how much they’re willing to pay for a title. Nintendo has to take this opposition seriously if it want to contend in the portable gaming space.

The Nintendo eShop, the company’s online store, is a step in the right direction as gamers can purchase titles via digital download much like an iPhone or iPad. Still, Nintendo also has to do a better job at marketing the handheld; many people believe the Nintendo 3DS is just a DS with 3D capabilities, which is far from the truth. It’s new hardware, but Nintendo hasn’t made that explicitly clear to the masses. To most, the 3DS is just another in a long line of DS releases. That fact may have helped consumers swallow the $25o price tag.

Fortunately, Nintendo hasn’t forgotten the early adopters. It intends to soften the price cut blow by giving away 20 free downloadable games. 10 free Virtual Console NES games as well as ten free Gameboy Advance games.

The NES games include:

• Donkey Kong Jr.
• Balloon Fight
• Ice Climber
• Super Mario Bros
• The Legend of Zelda
• +5 more un-announced

The GBA games:

• Mario vs. Donkey King
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$
• Metroid Fusion
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit
• Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3
• +5 more un-announced

The price drop, admittedly, is the motivation I needed to pick up the 3DS–plus forthcoming arrival of AAA Nintendo titles.  But Nintendo needs more than just a lowered system price to make an impact. The company needs to mend the damaged relationship with its fans by delivering quality cart and digital releases that make consumers drool and competing platforms swoon.

It’s not too late.

Well, well, well Sony has played the spy game with its new Playstation Vita hardware, keeping release date information under lock-and-key. However, there seems to have been a break in the case. Thanks to a photo of a Blockbuster poster, it would seem that the Playstation Vita’s release date has been outed.

Sony has stated that the system is slated for release in late 2011, with a staggered worldwide rollout. According to this supposedly legit sheet, the PS Vita will debut on October 28th (at least in the UK). Check out the photo below: do you think it’ the real deal?

PS Vita release leaked

[Hat tip: RegHardware]

Pictured: The PS Vita. We sorta kinda weren't supposed to take this photo.

Last week, we got our hands on the PSP’s successor, Sony’s PlayStation Vita, at a Sony’s holiday preview–and it is a sexy piece of machinery. The system sports a beautiful 5-inch OLED multi-touch screen, dual analog sticks, a camera and a touch panel on the back, as well as the usual directional and face buttons (which are now slightly smaller and “clickier” to accommodate all the extra bells and whistles). It’s a fun system to handle. Not that big, not that small, and far lighter than it looks. Also, a Sony rep showed us a cartridge slot built into the top of the device–but he stressed this was an unfinished build.

But hey, what about the games?!

Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Little Big Planet, and Hot Shots Golf were demoed, but it was Sound Shapes that  impressed the most. Graphically, it’s very simple, made up of simple shapes, smooth lines and solid colors, but that beaut of a widescreen display makes it all pop out. A cross between indie darling VVVVVV and rhythm game Frequency, Sound Shapes has you control a wheel covered in suction cups that can defy gravity and bring out the world’s soundtrack layer by layer by interacting with objects in the environment. By hopping on ceilings, collecting objects, and circumnavigating platforms, the little wheel creates the notes that get added to the game’s soundtrack, so you’re creating the music as you play.

By the time a level’s finished, an entire multi-layered track will be playing. Levels are basically songs, which you can create with the game’s level editor, that allows you to lay down platforms, backgrounds, enemies and other objects at any scale easily using the multi-touch front screen and back panel. Users can then upload, download and remix each other’s levels/songs.

Sound shapes is a very promising launch title and one that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Happy Silver Anniversary, Nintendo Entertainment System!

Today marks the 25^th Anniversary of the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) —bringer of Mario, scourge of SEGA, inspiration for both marshmallow-laden breakfast cereals AND cheesy Saturday morning cartoons (with and without Captain Lou Albano).   For kids who grew up in the 80s, Nintendo was the center of our universe; the NES was the sun that lit that universe.

The NES introduced us to Mario, Link, Zelda, Arthur, Bomberman and Lolo. It allowed us to play our favorite movies and TV shows like Batman, The Goonies, Bill and Ted and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It taught us that being persistent meant blowing on your game cartridge until your face turned red and that luck involved beating Solstice by accident rather than grinding through endless rooms with cheat codes.

For me, the NES is the reason why my brother and I talk.

I used to play Super Mario Bros while my infant brother watched, mesmerized. The day I found the warp pipe at the end of the second level was the day he thought I was God. Then he learned to play. He slowly shut me out as he devoted his life to Nintendo, cultivating information from Nintendo Power and learning to draw his favorite Nintendo characters rather than interacting with me.

That was the norm until his kidneys failed. Rather than talk about how the process sucked and the hospitals were incompetent, we played video games. It was the most fun we’d had since I found that warp pipe. The day he put himself on the last donor list within driving distance was the day we played New Super Mario Bros., and while he initially screamed at me because he was frustrated with the lack of progress, he did offer to go back through the game and collect stuff as an apology. It was a great apology – especially given our previous relationship with Mario.

Nintendo’s come a long way in those 25 years and shows no signs of slowing down. For the sake of my brother and me, I hope it never does.

Got any Nintendo stories to share? Tell us in the comments below!