Lastly for hands on, we looked at a high-definition tech demo of.... Link, who was fighting a giant spider. It’s not part of any announced game (though it could be some unannounced title I suppose) but was more a way to demonstrate how some intricate combat options might be implemented including multiple camera angles and views, lighting control (day/night) which could reveal or hide certain things.
All of this gave me some insight into how the screen on the Wii U controller could be used like a view port that shows you a different set of visual data compared to what you are seeing on the TV. So for example, on the TV screen you’d have the normal or standard vision. Then when you hold up the Wii U screen and look around you might see faint sparkles around vampires....OK, that was a joke, but now that I think about it, it could be something like that. An aura around people who are enemies or the particular person you’re looking for. It could also work when trying to find hidden or secret doors and areas as well.
Overall, the approach is definitely Nintendo. They’re not looking to outdo anyone graphics-wise, nor are they looking to connect all of your entertainment together (though they did mention that there will probably be a continuation of the Wii shop stuff so it could happen). What they’re looking to do is create a platform and tools to give you an interesting game experience. In that sense, they certainly seem to be working very hard and doing very well. I am actually looking forward to seeing what some innovative developers see being possible now with the new controller. If you need some ideas, drop me a line, I’ve got a dozen just from that 30-minute session with hands and eyes on the Wii U and its new controller.
