Speaking at yet another investor Q&A session, Nintendo head honcho Satoru Iwata confirmed that the Wii U would not be drawn into another technology race with the upcoming PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 platforms.
"As we will showcase the Wii U at E3 in June this year, the detailed announcements must wait until then, but we are aiming to make a system which shall not be forced into competing with the others where the contenders can fight only with massive developer resources and long development times as their weapons," he said during the session.
The Wii U will seemingly regale in the same strategy enjoyed by the Wii, one that would focus on the controller functionality, rather than the technical achievements for the games.
"Looking at the software for home console systems, there are certainly the software titles for which very rich graphics must be reproduced on HD displays and which demand a large number of developers to spend a very long time to develop. It is one of the truths that a certain number of such software titles must be prepared, or the consumers will not be satisfied. But we do not think that any and all the software must be created in that fashion.
"When you look at Nintendo's software, extraordinary rich graphics, massive gameplay volume and astonishing rendition effects are not necessarily the appealing point. It is, in fact, important for us that our games are appealing in other ways as well."
Essentially, Iwata believes that going to ‘realistic’ will remove that sense of gaming wonder that is enjoyed by much of the gaming community. A ‘photo-realistic’ approach simply ensures the loss of the Wii U’s “appeal.”
"It is not necessary for us to deploy a huge number of people in order to develop such games," he continued, stating that, more than ever, Nintendo is bringing in third parties when it does need to develop more graphically complex titles.
"When we need massive power and have a lack of internal resources, we collaborate with outside resources and pour necessary resources to where they are needed. We are increasing the frequency of working with outside developers where Mr. Miyamoto and our internal developers alone used to develop.
"What's important here is not to narrow down what we can do," he added. "Rather, we have to create the dynamic range of appeals that the consumers can appreciate."
More news on just how powerful the Wii U will be should be coming in June at E3.
[Thanks Eurogamer]
