The following information comes from Satoru Iwata...
- Nintendo knew as early as 2007 that they wanted the Wii U to have a screen
- At first, the screen was separate from the controller and was placed on a table
- the screen was also smaller
"Considering how expensive screens were then, it did not make sense to have this big-sized LCD. We would not have been able to come up with a reasonable price point. … We had not decided when we were going to launch the new console [at that point], but we knew we needed to be flexible."
- the team also debated on whether the Wii U would be a new console, portable or both
"During the roundtable discussions there were such arguments about should we make it capable of being a standalone system or should we make it work only with the [base console] system. We came to the conclusion that this controller is only going to show the images generated and processed by this hardware unit – and sent from the hardware unit wirelessly. That means sharper graphics. A battery couldn't do that."
- Iwata says life isn't over for the Wii just yet
"When we consider the people who are first to purchase Wii U and the people who are going to purchase the Wii, I don't think there will be a great overlap between the two. I believe that those who are waiting to purchase the Wii now are the so-called 'late adopters' and the people waiting to purchase the Wii U are early adopters. So for the time after the Wii U [arrives in stores], I believe both systems will be on the market for some time."
- showing the Wii U so early to third parties came with risks, but Nintendo was aware that leaks could happen
- Nintendo wanted to make sure third parties put their AAA teams on the Wii U
"In the U.S., people are very attracted by the sports and the shooter games - and the quality of those graphics are very important. As a result, it was not necessarily the case to have the software [for the Wii] developed by the top developers of the software companies. And, as a result of that, Wii software was not able to succeed to the extent that third parties wanted [it] to. For this time around, we are able to expect the top [developers] for the top third parties to make games for the Wii U."
- Iwata believes that top-tier Wii U games may be priced higher than $50, but there will still be content at the $50 level
"I think there is already some indication that the [current pricing] trend is going to stay here. When you consider some of the most popular franchise – such as Call of Duty or Madden - the publishers can afford to affix a rather expensive price tag on that because the franchise has a premium value. On the other hand, … without an established franchise, they cannot afford to keep that expensive price tag. I believe there will be a wider price range."
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- Nintendo knew as early as 2007 that they wanted the Wii U to have a screen
- At first, the screen was separate from the controller and was placed on a table
- the screen was also smaller
"Considering how expensive screens were then, it did not make sense to have this big-sized LCD. We would not have been able to come up with a reasonable price point. … We had not decided when we were going to launch the new console [at that point], but we knew we needed to be flexible."
- the team also debated on whether the Wii U would be a new console, portable or both
"During the roundtable discussions there were such arguments about should we make it capable of being a standalone system or should we make it work only with the [base console] system. We came to the conclusion that this controller is only going to show the images generated and processed by this hardware unit – and sent from the hardware unit wirelessly. That means sharper graphics. A battery couldn't do that."
- Iwata says life isn't over for the Wii just yet
"When we consider the people who are first to purchase Wii U and the people who are going to purchase the Wii, I don't think there will be a great overlap between the two. I believe that those who are waiting to purchase the Wii now are the so-called 'late adopters' and the people waiting to purchase the Wii U are early adopters. So for the time after the Wii U [arrives in stores], I believe both systems will be on the market for some time."
- showing the Wii U so early to third parties came with risks, but Nintendo was aware that leaks could happen
- Nintendo wanted to make sure third parties put their AAA teams on the Wii U
"In the U.S., people are very attracted by the sports and the shooter games - and the quality of those graphics are very important. As a result, it was not necessarily the case to have the software [for the Wii] developed by the top developers of the software companies. And, as a result of that, Wii software was not able to succeed to the extent that third parties wanted [it] to. For this time around, we are able to expect the top [developers] for the top third parties to make games for the Wii U."
- Iwata believes that top-tier Wii U games may be priced higher than $50, but there will still be content at the $50 level
"I think there is already some indication that the [current pricing] trend is going to stay here. When you consider some of the most popular franchise – such as Call of Duty or Madden - the publishers can afford to affix a rather expensive price tag on that because the franchise has a premium value. On the other hand, … without an established franchise, they cannot afford to keep that expensive price tag. I believe there will be a wider price range."
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