Nintendo’s Press Conference kicked off E3 2011 this morning, beginning with a live orchestra playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword‘s theme song. Shigeru Miyamoto had a little fun with the orchestra, playing sound clips that identify key moments in Legend of Zelda games.
Among the Nintendo E3 2011 Press Conference news highlights:
Nintendo looks to satisfy both casual and hardcore gamers with their new Nintendo system, titled Wii U. Nintendo’s goal seeks to “Serve Every Player” with this new home console system. The Wii U is estimated for a 2012 release. The most unique feature of the Wii U is using it to interact seemlessly with the portable screen and home TV as well as providing unique viewpoints in a game for different players. This will undoubtedly bring many new gameplay experiences, only limited by a game designer’s vision.
Wii U features include:
- 6.2 inch touch screen
- Microphone and speakers
- Video chat using internal camera
- Player can continue playing game when TV is switched on
- Backward compatible with Wii and its accessories (including Wii Balance Board)
- Wii U is not a portable system, but the Wii U console transmits to Wii U wireless controller
- Games can use two screens at once, with Wii U working as an interface or for inventory, or for using items with the game’s main TV screen display.
- Eight Wii U game samples are being showcased at E3 2011. Conceptual/prototype games shown include a Super Mario game that allows you to play in-game as your Mii, “Shield Pose,” “Chase Mii,” and a Metroid shooter. All these games are samples, but several specific Wii U games were revealed.
LEGO City Stories is a confirmed Wii U game (as well as for 3DS). Nintendo’s Smash Bros. game was announced under development for the 3DS and Wii U, and will be include incorporate play across both platforms. Many other game titles were confirmed that will interest the core gamers, which may have not traditionally been on the Nintendo platform. Batman Arkham City, Darksiders II, DiRT, Aliens Colonial Marines, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online, Tekken, Ninja Gaiden 3, and EA Sports games were also confirmed for Wii U. EA announced plans to bring many of its game experiences to the Wii U as well.
The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary games lineup announced:
The Legend of Zelda – Link’s Awakening (Virtual Console Game Boy Color on Nintendo eShop) – available today
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3DS launches next week (worldwide)
The Legend of Zelda Four Swords (in September via DSiWare – free download)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be available for Nintendo Wii in Holiday 2011 (with special edition gold Wii Remote plus)
The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony concerts will be held around various regions around the world. Starting in Fall 2011. Specific dates to be announced. Two soundtrack CDs will be released as well.
Reggie Fils-Aime introduced five key Nintendo 3DS games, which are being showcased at E3:
MarioKart 3D - Holiday 2011
Starfox 64 3D – September 2011
Super Mario 3DS – estimated 2011
Kid Icarus Uprising 3DS – estimated 2011
Luigi’s Mansion 2 3DS – (release date not announced)
See pictures from the Nintendo E3 2011 Press Conference below (or here in fullscreen)
For more details on these announcements, including more specifics on the Wii U, see Nintendo’s press release below or visit e3.nintendo.com.
GamingBits will be covering E3 2011 throughout this week. Keep a lookout for our E3 news here and follow GamingBits on Twitter.
Press release:
Nintendo’s Upcoming Wii U Console Features Controller with 6.2-inch Screen
Nintendo 3DS Continues its Evolution with Mario Kart, Super Mario and the Nintendo eShop as Nintendo Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)– 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.
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.”
Nintendo 3DS™, which lets users see 3D images without the need for special glasses, launched in the United States on March 27 and continues to evolve. Owners will find that their Nintendo 3DS experience is different every time they pick up the system, thanks to new content and updates delivered by Nintendo, by third parties and exchanged between users.
A new system update is now available for the Nintendo 3DS system. Users who connect to a wireless broadband Internet connection and install the system update will instantly gain access to the Nintendo eShop, which contains a variety of games and applications for download using a cash-based system.
Users can browse original 3D software, 3D Classics (select classic video games re-mastered in 3D), classic Game Boy™ and Game Boy Color games, and more than 350 games and applications currently offered for the Nintendo DSiWare™ service. Visitors can also see videos and screen shots for games, plus see how other players rank games.
The system update also provides Nintendo 3DS owners access to free items, including an Internet browser that can show 3D images on sites specifically designed to show 3D images, a download of a re-mastered 3D version of the NES™ classicExcitebike™ game (free until July 7) and Pokédex™ 3D, which lets users discover and view more than 150 Pokémon™ from thePokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version games in visually engaging 3D.
Nintendo also announced a huge lineup of upcoming new and fan-favorite franchise games, many of which are playable on the E3 Expo show floor in booth 4922.
- Nintendo 3DS: Super Mario™, Luigi’s Mansion™ 2, Mario Kart™, Kid Icarus™: Uprising, The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, Star Fox 64™ 3D, Animal Crossing™, Paper Mario™, Picture Lives!, The Rolling Western™.
- Wii: The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword, Kirby™ Wii, Wii Play™: Motion, Mystery Case Files™: The Malgrave Incident™, Mario Party™ 9, Rhythm Heaven™ and Fortune Street™.
- Nintendo DS™: Kirby™ Mass Attack, Professor Layton and the Last Specter™, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker™ 2 andSuper Fossil Fighters™.
Nintendo kicked off its E3 Expo Presentation by announcing a number of initiatives to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. A re-mastered 3D version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches for Nintendo 3DS on June 19, while Wii owners will see the arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in the 2011 holiday season. Additionally, Nintendo announced a tour of orchestral concerts featuring music from the beloved franchise. Additional commemorative activities will be announced at a later date.
For the duration of the E3 Expo, Nintendo will provide fans with exclusive videos and Nintendo content on the Nintendo Network. People can visit http://e3.nintendo.com to watch developer interviews, get all the information about new games and see coverage coming directly from the show floor. The same exclusive content also will be streamed through the Nintendo® Channel to Wii owners who have a broadband Internet connection.
For more information about Nintendo, visit http://www.nintendo.com or http://www.facebook.com/nintendo.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.
