Nintendo's E3 2011 Conference Live Blog

Wii, 3DS

It's been five years since the Wii launched, and Nintendo's finally ready to step into the HD world. The 3DS is ready for software and the company's newest home console is just minutes away from being revealed. Keep refreshing the page for our live blog of Nintendo's E3 2011 conference. It's going to be a big one.

1:30am: The audience is settling. Trivia questions are playing on the big screen. Not long to wait now. A, B, C or D? ...Nope, wrong. It was B.

1:35am: Live orchestra is playing Zelda music in front of a montage of Zelda games. Awesome. We're working through all of them, right from the start. It is the 25th anniversary after all! New footage of Skyward Sword shows characters riding on flying winged creatures through the clouds.

1:40am: Shigeru Miyamoto has taken the stage. It's bringing back memories. Bill Trinen is translating for him. Last year was Mario's 25th. This year it's Zelda. One of the songs they played today was the theme of Skyward Sword. Music is important in the games. He asks the orchestra to play classic musical cues like solving a puzzle, opening a chest, or the fairy fountain tune. It's great live. There's a little miscommunication, but Miyamoto gets a second run of the item get sound.

To celebrate the anniversary, there'll be a Zelda game for every Nintendo system. Link's Awakening is available today on the eShop. Next weekend, Ocarina of Time 3D will launch around the world. Frame rate is improved, graphics have been improved. In September, for DSi, there'll be a free Four Swords co-operative game. Free Zelda! And Skyward Sword will arrive this holiday season for Wii. There'll be a special Triforce themed gold Wii remote released to celebrate. He calls it the most satisfying Zelda game of the series.

1:47am: Zelda symphony concerts will be played in each region around the world to commemorate the 25th Anniversary. That's awesome. Ocarina of Time 3D official soundtrack will be made available free as a gift to the first users that register the game with Club Nintendo. There'll also be a second CD based on the live concerts. Over two hundred staff have worked on the franchise over the years. He brings up staff on stage to celebrate him, including producer Eiji Aonuma.

1:51am: Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's global president, takes the stage. When they launched Wii and DS, they aimed to expand the gaming audience. Today, there have been significant changes to who plays games, and how they play. Still issues with how consoles are addressed - either 'hardcore' and 'casual'. Aiming to create a console that is equally satisfying for everyone.

New console will offer deeper and wider content. Deeper for hardcore players, and wider for players new to video games. For Nintendo, the goal of innovation is to serve every player, even though each person brings their own gaming history and appetite to the table. Won't be out until next year, 2012.

1:55am: Favourite franchises moving to 3D. Mario Kart, Star Fox (they included "do a barrel roll!"), Mario platformer (raccoon suit), Kid Icarus, and, yes, Luigi's Mansion! Luigi's Mansion!

1:57am: Reggie Fils-Aime is back. "We hear you. You want what you've always wanted, but you also want something new. Is it possible to deliver something for everyone? That's what they're aiming for with the new console, and also for 3DS."

Mario Kart. Coins on the track. Paragliding. Underwater sections. Customise your kart. Looks fun. Entirely new, arrives this holiday season.

2:01am: Star Fox 64 3D is back. Use buttons for traditional control, or use turning or tilt if you like. Group play uses faces and voices of your opponents. If you destroy them, it will take a picture and show it to you. Arrives in the United States in September.

Super Mario 3D. Looks like a portable Super Mario Galaxy. Top down sections, 2D, lots of variety, Raccoon suit. Comes out before the end of 2011. Gorgeous.

Kid Icarus Uprising. Voice acting has been added, could be worse. Battle other players in three on three arena death matches. There will also be card fights, using augmented reality cards. Arrives in 2011 too.

2:06am: Luigi's back in Luigi's Mansion 2 for 3DS. Egyptian room with mummies. Looks awesome! An entirely new game, with great use of 3D and several new mansions.

2:09am: Third party trailer reel time. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics, Ace Combat 3D, Tetris, Cave Story, Resident Evil: Revelations, Driver: Renegade, Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions, Tekken 3D, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D. Software update has ushered in a new era of digital downloads.

Virtual console, game demos and trailers for 3DS, classic console titles. Free copy of Excitebike in 3D. Enhanced Pokedex is available - only sixteen creatures registered at the start. Collect the rest from friends, SpotPass or by scanning AR markers. Use the markers to take photos with you and the Pokemon in the real world, then save to an SD card and upload it on your PC. 3DS means social, connection and redefines interaction.

2:15am: New name for a system. Announces Wii U. Enjoy it together, but tailor made for you. Unique. Unifying. Utopian. Controller revealed - it has the screen long rumoured.

Trailer time. Screen is multi-purpose. Switch channels on TV and the image jumps to the screen. It's a touch screen. Camera. Stylus. Works by itself, or with the TV. Put it on the ground and use the Wii remote to play golf. Shows the ball on the ground. Weigh yourself with Wii Fit Balance Board and controller. Throwing stars by flicking off the touch screen.

HD ZELDA! Gohma drops in from the ceiling of a temple. Coming 2012. Item management on the screen.

Controller has two circle pads, D-pad, two sets of triggers, rumble, accelerometers, touch screen, gyroscope, microphone, inward-facing camera. Not designed to be a portable gaming machine. Images displayed are generated by Wii U and sent without latency. HD Zelda looks gorgeous. Gorgeous. Can play without the controller screen, using only the controller, or both screens.

Web browsing. Video chat, even while watching a TV show. Miyamoto comes up to talk about the possibilities.

2:26am: Kid Icarus developer Sakurai was discussing which platform his next game should be. Smash Bros. for both Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Works together on both platforms. This is a product for the future.

2:28am: Today's Wii U games. Bold assertion to claim it will change the way you play games. Tangible proof here today. Eight new experiences - not actual games. Example video. HD bird flaps through a Japanese temple. Flowers blossom. Picks one up in its beak and drops it into the lake. Koi fish swim around.

More experiences (not actual games). New Super Mario Bros. Mii. Watch the action on either screen. Another game: pirate arrows shoot at you unless you move the controller around to block. Next, Chase Mii is multiplayer. New controller has birds-eye view of the people trying to catch you, while Wii Remotes are split-screen on the TV. Spaceship demo, with two Wiimotes on screen and one person with a controller. These are prototypes, not actual games at this point.

LEGO City Stories is an actual game for Wii U. New open-world game for Wii U and 3DS. Developer reel. Peter Moore (EA Sports), CEO Vicarious Visions, Danny Bilson (THQ), Yves Guillemot (Ubisoft), Martin Tremblay, Jeremiah Slackza, Ken Levine (Irrational Games), Warren Spector (Disney), Frank Gibeau (EA Games). Darksiders II at launch, Tekken, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin's Creed, Ghost Recon Online. Arkham City!

Trailer time. Darksiders II looks badass. Dirt from Codemasters brings realistic racing. Aliens: Colonial Marines is creepy and hardcore, very Dead Space-ish. Ghost Recon Online - an actual shooter on a Nintendo console! Metro Last Light - dark and underground. Tekken, with stylus-based character modifications. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge has blood everywhere! Darksiders II will be a launch title for the Wii U.

2:40am: Reggie and Iwata are summing up the day. EA CEO John Riccitiello joins them on stage. Never been with Nintendo at E3 conferences before. Wii U speaks directly to players of EA. Brilliant HD and new gameplay opportunity. Madden footage, with clear HUD on the TV, and the instructions and plays on the controller. Seems to be hinting at Battlefield 3 on a Nintendo console. Open online functionality, new content, leaderboards.

2:42am: Reggie concludes. Asks us to think about DS, Wii, 3DS and Wii U and what they represent together. Each unique, but a common pedigree of innovation. Two screens and touchscreen of DS changed gaming. Motion control of Wii changed gaming. Glasses-free 3D changes gaming. Now, Wii U opens a second window to your gaming world.

2:45am: It's over. Logos on the screen hint at Kirby games, Rhythm Heaven, another Mario Party game.

Reader Comments:

Posted by magozar 08/06/2011 2:53am

That controller is massive. I'm thinking it might be a bit heavy for long play sessions.

Posted by nshady 08/06/2011 3:21am

Depends what type of game you're playing.

Posted by magozar 08/06/2011 3:31am

We'll have to wait and see, what games are actually released with the system, and hopefully the graphics are as good as that bird movie, rather than the gameplay footage that has been shown so far.

Posted by insanopointless 08/06/2011 3:59am

Awesome line up by Nintendo. They've turned the no games thing around for 3DS - focused on games coming this year. Luigi's Mansion is a really pleasant surprise. Mario Kart too, StarFox. Gonna be a hectic summer.

WiiU looks cool, and some really clever marketing by them. You barely saw the console at all - sitting in the background looking much like a Wii anyway. Getting Riccitello out to go on about the open online and HD graphics - things that Nintendo kinda lost hardcore trust over - is a real smart move.

Controller does look big, but some of the shit you could do is really cool. It is basically like having a giant DS, which isn't a bad thing at all.

The moment they showed that Zelda quasi-footage-animated-demo-thing, I absolutely lost my shit. I jumped up and started throwin' shit on the ground I was so pumped. Smash Bros announcement is awesome too, though I don't doubt that'll take a while to surface. The whole time Kid Icarus was showing, I was thinking, 'Sakurai should be working on Smash Bros, damnit!'

Announcements like Arkham City, Assassin's Creed and that are great as well. Good job Nintendo, I suppose you've won me over again.

Posted by nshady 08/06/2011 4:02am

Arkham City and Assassin's Creed are massive gets.

Posted by admeister 08/06/2011 4:03am

Even so, they're not really going to encourage people to buy the Wii U. Those games are already on the PS3 and 360, and will be out before the Wii U version.

I really like the idea of the Wii U controller, but we need to see much more of the actual console and its games. It seems like Nintendo are pretty much ready to leave the original Wii behind, except for the Skyward Sword plugging.

Pros:
- The Wii U controller is pretty cool.
- Luigi's Mansion 2 is awesome.
- Announcement of a new Smash Bros game is fantastic.
- Announcement that the Smash Bros game will have both 3DS and Wii U features is cool.
- Hardcore, violent third party games like Ninja Gaiden 3 coming to the Wii U.
- Free Zelda: Four Swords, yay.

Cons:
- We still need more 3DS games, all but one of the games shown has already been announced!
- Nintendo need to stop being inconsistent with showing the capabilities of the Wii U. The tech demo was a far cry from the actual gameplay videos we were shown.
- Nintendo seem to have an allergy to analog sticks. Circle pads aren't quite the same.

Posted by nshady 08/06/2011 4:12am

The 3DS games are five huge franchises coming this year though. Needs more third party support, sure, but there's plenty on its way. Animal Crossing, Kid Icarus, Luigi's Mansion, Mario Kart, Paper Mario, Star Fox, Super Mario, OoT, FIFA, Heroes of Ruin, MGS: Snake Eater, two Resident Evils, Tetris and more.

Tech demos are about the control and not the visuals. It's 1080p compatible multicore processors, so it'll hardly be a slouch. Not sure about how the circle pads will go. Actual analog sticks might be weird when you're holding such a large tablet.

Posted by insanopointless 08/06/2011 4:14am

Yeah that's what I was thinking about. How well it would handle shooters and that. I'm sure it will work fine - Nintendo always sort their controllers out pretty well.

I'll always have at least two of the systems though, I guess, so preference will be on a game by game basis.

As far as not showing off the graphics - yeah, it's a shame. But they can't really display anything that's not already getting made. If they get Battlefield on it, you know it'll look good.

Posted by admeister 08/06/2011 4:15am

When were multicore processors or 1080p compatibility confirmed?

Posted by nshady 08/06/2011 4:36am

In my press kit. Trust me, it's legit. I put it in the Wii U announcement article: http://www.slicedgaming.com/news/nintendo-reveals-wii-u-11572.html

Other news - rechargeable controller, four USB ports, plug in external hard drive (win! no proprietary format, thanks microsoft).

Posted by zen 08/06/2011 7:36am

this looks like the more active topic, so reposting here:

console looks nice - like an updated wii.
completely unsure about the controller. looks awkward to use : http://vimeo.com/24784728
they should have done like the dreamcast and made the controller its own little games machine, instead of just a streamed to device. might have cannablised the ds sales a small bit, but its pretty much an upszied gba with touch screen anyways.
i think i will wait and see how this console does before buying it

dont know what use the camera will be in a controller - you wont be able to hold it up to your face as you play. the ONLY thing i can think of it doing is doing custom mii's as already proposed. if so, its a huge waste of money - make the controller cheaper without it nintendo, and use one of your usb poprts for an add on camera like the other consoles. it makes more sense to have it centralized.

edit - must be a resistive touchscreen as you use a stylus - anyone can confirm that? any word on pricing for the console and controllers bought separately?
edit - hmmm checkign the nintendo gallery for the controller itself, there are pics of using a finger with the touchscreen. might be a good resistive? can be flipped vertically to be used tablet style which is kind of cool. also, dual z buttons - no nunchuk so c & z?
edit - http://e3.nintendo.com/hw/#/gallery/playstyle, no tv required - does this mean ALL games can be streamed and viewed on this tiny screen? also, no more wii bar, is that correct?

Other news - rechargeable controller, four USB ports, plug in external hard drive (win! no proprietary format, thanks microsoft).

this is what the nintendo site says - The console will have internal flash memory, as well as the option to expand its memory using either an SD memory card or an external USB hard disk drive.
how do you know its not in a proprietary format? once you plug in a store bought usb hdd it mgiht format it into a propietary format. wbfs which is used on hdd's could be used.

Posted by nshady 08/06/2011 12:18pm

As opposed to Microsoft's specific shaped ones forcing you to buy their brand. You could buy any USB drive you want.

Posted by zen 08/06/2011 12:58pm

oh ok - now i undertsand what you meant. by format, i thought you meant filesystem.

Posted by Predator 08/06/2011 1:12pm

Seems quite good and innovative on initial impressions, but any idea of the price? If it's too much more than the Wii, it's hard to justify with a 360 and PS3.. especially if many of the 3rd party games are available on the other systems. This will make it difficult to pull away more "hardcore" gamers if they own another system already.

Was there any mention of 3D capabilities? didn't seem to be unless I missed it.. all the other consoles seem to be going that route in some limited fashion.

Lets hope Nintendo can really go to town developing some mindblowing titles ready for release to set it's own market.. not like the Wii launch where everybody had to wait 6+ months for the big name titles they were promised (other than Zelda).  That will only hurt the long-term potential.

I like the fact you can use existing controllers, that is a good thing, especially considering the excessive $60+ for controllers for the other systems.

The screen working independently if the main TV has something else on has some potential, might work well as a general Internet device, reading email, casual games, chatting to friends, etc. I wonder how the streaming works.. if it's wireless N or bluetooth say, there is always the possibility of dropouts, or intereference. Sounds good in theory, but wireless gaming has always been a bit hit and miss. How long will the big controller screen last on batteries, how long to charge, etc? lots of questions there.

I thought for the optical storage it was running a special bluray system? bit like gamecube and it's semi-CD standard. It is interesting they haven't gone for download only, but I guess 6gb+ for most titles is still excessive to man out there. Not quite sure what an exernal hard drive would be useful for? maybe a few saves and things. With the PS3, while it allows any USB device, it's not often you use it.

Posted by insanopointless 08/06/2011 1:24pm

Zen, I like the idea of the camera on certain games. If you see their Starfox demo for 3DS, your opponents faces show up when they're on your tail or kill you or something.

Posted by admeister 08/06/2011 1:50pm

Yeah, the multiplayer in Starfox looks really good! Apparently it shows a live feed of your opponent's face as you play, using the 3DS's inward facing camera.

Zelda HD demo: http://au.ign.com/videos/2011/06/07/e3-2011-wii-u-zelda-hd-demo

Posted by zen 08/06/2011 3:28pm

how hard will that be to do with THIS controller though? the 3ds tilts towards you during play in a natural fashion - this controller wont be held facing your face most likely.
also, i just realised - no mention on other media playback, like dvd or bluray. i think nintendo has again missed the boat on this console - to be a true contender it would need to become the entertainment hub the others are or are becoming.