Recently I was reviewing some of the content from this past E3 as we begin to prepare for the onslaught of 2011. Something caught my attention: Nintendo, entering E3 2010 facing a backlash by the core gamer, slipping sales, and dwindling developer interest, did a complete 180 and captured the attention of the gaming world. The product, the 3DS, was the talk of the show, revitalizing interest in the handheld gaming market (outside of the iDevices).
Could Nintendo do the same with the next Wii? Yes, and the 3DS foretells exactly how this will happen.
The scene: Nintendo’s E3 press conference at LA’s Nokia Theater. Hundreds of international gaming press fill the inside.
The moment: Nintendo, already showcasing new Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, and Kirby games, drops an Apple-like “one more thing” on the audience. For the next 15 minutes, the Nintendo 3DS dropped mouths, widened eyes, and had press members calling their wives (it happened behind me while in line to play with the portable).
It wasn’t just the technology that wowed people, it was the seemingly endless list of core-focused games and supporting publishers that excited us. Glasses-less 3D is a great gimmick, although to see it supported by the likes of Kojima, Inafune, SquareEnix, and Namco suddenly makes it more desirable and plausible. The recent announcements of Megaman Legends 3 and Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright have further made nay-sayers of the portable do double-takes. This, as it seems, is a core gaming device that will have massive developer support for deeper games, moreso than the dwindling DS support. This is complete fan service, and Nintendo is delivering in every way possible.
This is also how Nintendo will approach the Wii 2.
At the next E3 or so, we will begin to hear rumblings of the capabilities of the next Nintendo console. With more attractive (both visually and technically) attempts at motion gaming arriving on the Hi-Def consoles, Nintendo has suddenly lost the innovative push that ushered it into this era.
The next console is rumored to be as innovative, if not more, to the market as the Wii was when it launched. Nintendo, knowing that the “casual” gamer might focus more on short-term purchasing bursts, also knows that it needs to reinvigorate the core gamer for the long-term, consistent purchases. And, there is no better way than to announce several heavy-hitting games, feeding off of the excitement that the 3DS is building.
The scene: Nintendo’s press conference at the Nokia Theater at E3 2011. Hundreds of international gaming press fill the inside, excited about the recent games released for the 3DS and hungry for more.
The moment: Nintendo, having run through a plethora of upcoming 3DS games and a few Wii Vitality Sensor software, drops yet another “one more thing”. For the next 15 minutes, Nintendo leaves mouths agape, not just at the technology found in the Wii 2, but by the growing list of already-confirmed developers and projects for the new console, set to launch in 2012. Resident Evil 6, Super Smash Bros vs Capcom, Pokemon MMO, New Super Mario All Stars 3D, Final Fantasy VII New Mix, Rock Band Live, WiiSports Online.
Yes, this game release list is a bit of a pipe dream, but Nintendo knows that it needs to follow the successful introduction/reveal of the 3DS with a Wii 2 announcement that is just as exciting, just as memorable.
It will always be great games that sell a system, no matter how far behind it may be in public perception or in technology.
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