The Problems Facing The WiiU: Part One

Last month, Nintendo unveiled their latest home console at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011. Called the WiiU, it will boast a new controller with its very own touch-screen, and therefore allow players to add a new dynamic of dual screen gameplay and more simply continue playing when the TV is turned over too. Add to that a camera, the return of the classic analogue sticks and new HD graphics and the games company are on to a surefire winner- right...? Perhaps not. Despite the glamorous unveiling it recieved at E3, laden with a wealth of big name franchises that would seemingly bring new instalments at launch, before a release date has even been set there are noticable dilemmas that Nintendo will face when they market the console in 2012.
WHICH GENERATION?- The Wii has had roughly the correct lifespan for an average console, first released six years back and now reaching the end of its time with a considerable lack of major new titles (not unlike the state of the PlayStation 2 shortly before the PS3 was introduced). That said, Nintendo made an elementary error: they released the Wii before the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, making its simplistic visuals seem shoddy in comparison to the hi-def Call of Dutys, Uncharteds and Halos that awaited gamers on the other two consoles. Once again, the company seem to have rushed their reveal of their new console so that its innovations and quirks seem revolutionary rather than waiting for Microsoft and Sony to announce their new hardware and coming off as lacklustre in comparison. With the other two gaming goliaths rumoured to be revealing the '720' and 'PS4' at E3 2012, history may be about to repeat itself, and it may go up to debate as to whether Nintendo have in fact released the last console of this generation, a stunning send-off for an age of true video gaming advancements, or the first console of the next generation, a neat showcase of potential that ultimately paled in comparison to its groundbreaking successors.
DEVOLUTION- When Nintendo unveiled their last home console at E3 2005, they initially dubbed it the Nintendo Revolution. And, at the time, they did so with justification- the idea of using a remote as a motion-based controller, capable of reproducing your gestures on screen with 1:1 accuracy, was an utterly new and thrilling one to us, the likes of which had never been conceptualised before. Much as I would love to have said the same of the WiiU, so far what we've seen- while impressive- has been nothing more than a slight expansion on previous game controllers, only with the added gimmicks of tilt-based control and an extra screen. Worst of all, the aforementioned motion wizardry that made the Wii such a smash hit (even if claims of 1:1 were misplaced until the MotionPlus arrived) appears to have been all but removed. You'll be able to use Wii remotes with the console, but how much their sensory capabilities come into play remains to be seen, and the initial signs aren't promising. If anything, many fans of the Wii may see this as a step back, and that the developers have stuck with a very similar name for the console to its predecessor adds to the feeling that it's more devolution than revolution this time around...