Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/04/microsoft_and_nintendo_squabble_over_console_offerings/
Microsoft claims Wii U is Nintendo's play for Xbox 360 gamers
Ninty, natch, disagrees
Posted in Hardware, 4th July 2012 11:27 GMT
Watch Now : Virtual Machine Movement with Hyper-V
Microsoft and Nintendo continue to squabble over the capabilities of their respective consoles. While Microsoft says the Wii U is no better than the Xbox 360 in terms of visual power, Ninty claims you'll barely notice a difference between its forthcoming console and any other next-gen gaming hardware.
Nintendo is "building a platform that is effectively a 360 [1] when you think of graphical capability", said Microsoft Studio's Phil Spencer in an interview with GamesIndustry International.
The fact Nintendo plans to release a Pro Controller in addition to its Wii U tablet accessory feels to Spencer like Nintendo is seeking to win over current Xbox gamers.
"Makes a lot of sense," he said. "They've moved the buttons around, and they've made a controller that feels familiar for 360 gamers, so I get why they are putting those pieces together."
Nintendo had already plunged the knife in last month when Satoru Iwata claimed Microsoft's SmartGlass [2] only offers "a small facet of what the Wii U is capable of".
Sony joined the fight too claiming Wii U couldn't match the "special things" capable with a PS3 and Vita [3] combo.
This week, Nintendo's honcho gave assurances that the difference in graphics between the Wii U and either of Sony and Microsoft's next-gen offerings will be far less dramatic than that between the Wii and current-gen consoles.
"There will be fewer and fewer differentiators in graphics," said Iwata, promising shareholders [4] that the Wii U will not be left out of multi-platform releases as frequently as its predecessor.
"The Wii U will not have such a big difference as the Wii had in comparison to how, on other platforms, developers could expect very different graphic capabilities of generating HD-applicable high-resolution graphics."
You can read our first impressions of Wii U [5] here on Reg Hardware. ®
Links
- http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-07-03-microsoft-sees-xbox-becoming-entertainment-platform-for-everyone-on-the-planet
- http://www.reghardware.com/2012/06/06/microsoft_unveils_fresh_xbox_features/
- http://www.reghardware.com/2012/06/19/sony_slams_nintendo_wii_u_functionality/
- http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/stock/meeting/120628qa/03.html
- http://www.reghardware.com/2012/06/08/hands_on_with_nintendo_wii_u/