Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford claims Wii U controller is best input Nintendo has ever made for first-person shooters, other hardcore games.
Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford is a believer in the Wii U's GamePad controller. Speaking to Joystiq, the executive claimed Nintendo has never made a better input for first-person shooter games and other hardcore titles.
"This is the best controller Nintendo's ever made for making [a first-person shooter]," Pitchford said. "This is the best controller Nintendo has ever given us for playing hardcore games."
Pitchford also praised Nintendo for bringing second-screen gaming to the living room with the Wii U. He said Microsoft and Sony are also doing this, but not on the level Nintendo is.
"With the Wii U, [Nintendo] committed themselves to this promise. So the link is direct, fast, and immediate," he said. "Things like SmartGlass and Vita, they appreciate the value of the promise so they're making the promise. But they're not in with such commitment."
The first Gearbox Software game to be available for Wii U is next year's Aliens: Colonial Marines. Pitchford previously claimed that the Wii U version of the game is the best-looking iteration of the sci-fi shooter, topping the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
Pitchford said. "This is the best controller Nintendo has ever given us for playing hardcore games."........... i don't know about that. I tried it myself but it does not have the 1st person element on it. But maybe it would be good for RPG or third person shooter =)
1 Like Well, I'd say not to trust Pitchford. He's a great liar. I'm not against any console, but that man is less trustworthy than a cove of snakes.
Pitchford praises it! wow!!! that means a LOT! Let's see what else Pitchford praised.... uhhh... DukeNukem Forever..... duhhhhh..... and had to plant his agents to counter any negative effects of his major ripoff.....don't worry, they'll act fast
I think Pitchford meant that this was Nintendo's best controller for FPS games not the overall best controller for FPS games. So far I like the Wii U but for $350 I'll hold onto my money, besides I can play half their lineup on the systems I already own.
I would hope the Wii U version looks the best. It's supposedly a next gen system after all. If it didn't look better than 6-7 year old hardware, well, that would be pretty embarrassing.
I wonder if you're able to use the game pad as a regular tablet away from the console. For example, would I be able to bring it along on the train and use it as a regular tablet. If so, that'd be pretty neat. The thumb sticks would suck, but it'd be a cool secondary feature.
1 Like I want to preface my comment with the comment that I will be buying a Wii U, just not on launch day. Personally, I really think Nintendo is headed in the right direction, but what scares me is that it will end up like my Wii, sitting in the box it came in. While adding great graphics to an experience that was unique, as well as some new ways to play, the problem I see is convincing all my friends/family to go and buy one so we can all game online together, that just isn't going to happen. Also, it looks like most of the games require the people to be in the same room (I'm hoping this isn't the case), which is great for the holiday's, but since most of my friends and family now live 500 miles away, it isn't going to happen on a regular basis. Ultimately, I'll snag one when zelda, smash bros, or mario kart are released (maybe mario galaxy), but I'm not that excited for it quite yet.
Oh, and the controller looks awesome, it's about time someone put a screen on a non-handheld console.
Unlike the Wii, the Wii U is actually in a much more favorable position. Although history has shown that typically the most popular and easiest console to develop for gets the best 3rd party support, with the Wii, it came after the 360 and even though the Wii sold like crazy, the 360 sales were still strong enough to have developers choose it over the Wii.
With the Wii U, it's the only next gen console out right now, giving it at least a full year ahead of the next Playstation/XBox, if sales are strong and at least (I would say) 10m units are sold by the time the others release, 3rd party support will basically be solidified and the Wii U will not end up like the Wii, especially since Nintendo does seem more aware of the selling power of their games and probably will not release them at the same time as major 3rd party games on their console.
1 Like I have yet to get my hands on a GamePad but after reading this I want to have it even more now @_@
I always love Randy's enthusiasm, but saying "this is the best Nintendo has ever done for FPS controllers" isn't really saying much...
The Wii U tries to push casual gamers to core games. Until games improve online matchmaking, casual gamers aren't going to have any fun. I wrote an editorial about it: http://www.gamespot.com/users/talkcasual/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-25997553 . Let me know what you think..
1 Like Umm...
From IGN - "The dev kits for PS4 are apparently based on the AMD?s A10 APU series and come with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM, as well as the Blu-ray drive already mentioned and a 256GB hard drive as standard. This is to ensure that the console will be able to run 1080p60 games in 3D."
The link below is the A10 series CPU + GPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113280
This by all means, is only slightly more powerful than the Wii U's rumored IBM power 7 cpu, meaning there will be a difference, just not milestone level.
2 Like Hmmm i look at most of the comments here...... WOW is all i can say.. How many ppl here criticize the Wii about the graphics, control and they still out sold every system they were "competing" with. Then how many ppl here talk so much Shit about it and still went out and bought one.
1 Like @mumfaud That all depends on how you define success. It's been my experience that the Wii for most people is a lot like a treadmill....lots of people have one but few use it. We all played one at a friend's house and had a blast (because we were with friends), then bought one ourselves and quickly discovered it's not nearly as much fun when playing by ourselves.
2 Like @mumfaud But what's the attachment rate? You'll find the software attachment rate for the 360 and PS3 is much greater than the rate for the Wii.
So more consoles were sold, but fewer games were bought for it.
The attachment rate has to be lower because Nintendo sold more consoles than its competitors combined. It's economy of scale.
@rarson The attachment rate takes thats scale into account.
People buy fewer games in general for their Wii than they do for their PS3 or 360. It's just true.
@mumfaud @Dragon_Nexus I would agree with this. I have way more games for my PS3 than the Wii. The most solid games that I had for the Wii were Super Mario Galaxy I and II, but I sold them for PS3 games after I finished them both.
2 Like @Dragon_Nexus @mumfaud I keep hearing this same old story. The attachment rate might not have been as high as PS3, but that does not change the fact that the short(er) attachment I had were not super fun and super entertaining! It is my business whether I find the attachment per dollar is worth it for me.
@Dragon_Nexus ...what you seem to not realize is that the Wii was making Nintendo money right off the bat. They are the only ones who ever made a system that made money at launch. Everyone else lost money to launch a system but not the Wii....just sayin...
@Andrew1073 @mumfaud Which isn't anything to do with the original point. Nintendo makes money from software, not from the hardware...nor the individual user's feeling of happiness.
2 Like The concept I admit is intriguing but I got so burned on the wii that I find it hard as an adult "hardcore" gamer to plop down 300 bucks for this thing.
Especially when the main title that makes me interested in the system comes from ubisoft yet again after red steel got me interested in the wii and was also made by ubisoft.
That and with the next gen consoles from MS and Sony coming out within the next two years I have my worries the wii u is going to rest all it's hopes on it's innovative controller. Just like the wii.
Its just way too similar to the wii situation at this point for me to invest. My wii has sat on the shelf for the past year and a half due to lack of software that really makes me want to pick up back up. The only wii i even play anymore is mario kart when I'm at a buddies place.
Hell the wii hasn't even been as well made as the typical Nintendo hardware of the past. It's the first Nintendo system I've ever owned (and I've owned all the non handheld ones and a few of the portable including the VB) that I actually needed to send in for repair which was to Nintendos credit free of charge.
Thanks but if I'm going to plop down 300 bucks I wonder if it's better spent on a new graphics card or a vita.
9 Like I don't understand why people would criticise what Gearbox has to say. They are a respected developer and have no connection to Nintendo other than porting a game to their console. Their opinion is unbiased.
Also, If the Wii U version of the game is the best looking, then that puts to bed the issue of power. And if the gamepad adds to the experience then surely that is a bonus for gamers. I struggle to understand people's criticisms.
If you add salt to your fries and it tastes better, why moan about it?
8 Like @kavadias1981 Agreed, I believe every innovation, and correct me if I am wrong, by nintendo have all become Industry standards, that nintendo does so well others want a piece of the pie, but still can't stack up.
One recent example would be motion intuitive gaming, Wii got it right, made it simple and easy for anyone to use, and did it very well with their game library, Sony and Microsoft attempted their own versions of such like the Kinect, which now only get used by very simple casual games or dance games.
A little older example of course would be the gameboy, to Sony making the PSP.
I for one am excited to experience this new innovation, and even more so pondering what they may already be working on for a future innovation, or talking about at least.
I wouldn't say "every" innovation, but yeah, many of the basic control paradigms we take for granted were originally pioneered by Nintendo. They've become ridiculously skillful at executing new ideas, really. I doubt Sony or Microsoft could have made the Wii hardware successful.
The caveat to the Wii U is developer support. I don't personally buy Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games, but even if I did, I'd still want some great third-party titles. Nintendo should be going out of their way to teach developers how to use the new controller and demonstrate to them how it can be fun and innovative. [In a sense, the Wii U has a leg up that the Wii didn't have: since the gameplay bears some resemblance to that of the DS, developers already have some experience working with this type of controls.]
And let's not forget, the Wii U still uses Wii controllers, so Nintendo needs to keep working with developers to teach them how to properly turn that data into gameplay. This is something that really frustrates me about the Wii. It doesn't live up to its potential because developers don't bother to learn how to really utilize the controller data effectively. It's pretty easy to make graphics look better if you already know where to start, but it's much harder to effectively turn gyroscope data into decent gaming, especially when all that effort is being spent on a version of the game that won't even compete graphically. I mean, I have no problem with the Wii's graphics, but graphics are what get noticed the most, so motion controls take a back seat.
I think this time around, since the graphical differences will be far more subtle, Nintendo will begin to have an upper hand thanks to this superior control scheme. Developers will be able to focus more on the controls without worrying about making huge graphical compromises. I think we'll see the Wii U attract a lot of the really innovative industry veteran developers.
4 Like @Trouvo @kavadias1981 Don't forget EVERY MODERN GAMING CONTROLLER.
A lot of the PS3 and XBOX fanboys never seem to realize this.
...and just for the record, I respect the hell out of the PS3 and 360. They have really good games and are great systems. I just don't get why anyone should care who buys what system. If you like it, buy it, if you don't, then don't. It's really as simple as that.
I'm buying a Wii U. Probably a few years down the road. lol
2 Like @Trouvo Yes, I do like that Nintendo are often the ones driving the industry forward creatively; whilst the others seem to play catch up. It's not necessarily that Nintendo's ideas are unique. They just somehow manage to make it work and make it popular.
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@deadkingdg I agree. If developers don't do it right, they can turn the relationship between the gamepad and the TV into a chore. It is the same as with the Wii. Can any of us honestly say that flicking the remote was an effective way to barrel roll in DKC:R? It worked for some games, it sucked for others. Luckily, a touch screen is a little easier for devs to work with than those glitchy motion controls. So hopefully they can use the gamepad to genuinely add to our level of control this time around.
For example, I like what ME3 for Wii U is doing. Being able to control your squad simply be touching on a number of locations is fantastic, quick and effective. Zombi U we know about now. I like what Rayman Legends is doing with the controller. I just know that my daughter or wife is going to love interacting with the game whilst I run through it. These are all examples of gameplay that cannot be enjoyed on any other system in this way.
This is why I am excited for this console. Not to touch the screen to make boring menu selections, but to enhance my experiences and control, and hopefully that is what will be the case here. Otherwise you guys can save a space for me on the Wii U hate wagon lol.
1 Like @kavadias1981 @Trouvo @Suikogaiden Yes, well there will always be exceptions, but just tell yourself that the more the screens are appart, the worst it will be. Some developpers will do it right, others will do it wrong. This pattern has been repeated often on Nintendo hardware, lol. Just look at the Wii, there's the developpers getting motion controls right and there's the developpers getting it wrong. Nintendo usually get it right mostly (the waggling in Twilight Princess did annoy me) but there's always a bunch of developpers who seem to miss the part where games are supposed to be fun.
3 Like @Trouvo @kavadias1981 @Suikogaiden Texting and walking, fine. I do it too. There's rarely enough action when I walk for it to be difficult. But I find people who text and drive to be stupid, even if they mastered it.
@Trouvo @deadkingdg @Suikogaiden I don't agree, Deadking. Take a game like The World Ends With You. I found it incredibly difficult to manage both screens simultaneously in a battle, despite how close together they were. Most developers realise that this just isn't an effective way to play a game. So I am sure they won't make that mistake with Wii U. Still, I won't count my chickens yet as some developers have often surprised me with their stupidity lol.
@deadkingdg @kavadias1981 @Suikogaiden Im going to have to say with all the people I see on their phone while driving, walking, biking, or doing whatever else that requires a lot of attention, that the mobile smart phone has already been training people to handle such focus seperation as the screen being in your hands
@kavadias1981 @Suikogaiden Well, with the DS, both screen are so close together that you can still see the main screen when looking at the other one. Try looking at your controller when you play your game on a TV. It's fine in a more strategic game, but I'm having issues with action games. I worked on the development of dual screen game (the controller looks like a PSP), but it was fine since it was a Poker game and the players had their cards on their controller. In play-testing, having to look at two screens did confuse some non-gamers, but gamers didn't have issues with it.
@Suikogaiden lol I know, I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist.
In most cases though, you seem to need to look at one screen or the other; like with the DS. It's not uncharted territory.
1 Like anyone used this controller for more then a 5 min kiosk demo? thing seemed bulky as hell to me, like using the original xbox fat controller... pain in the ass if you ask me. hope your hands don't sweat...
@Kirra87 every single person that I heard of has said its comforable and light. People have said its actually extremely light about the weight of the 360 controller maybe lighter. you can check it out a bestbuy and some gamestops since their getting in demo units.
1 Like Whilst it looked like some theoretical controller for a super race of 3 handed Goldeneye enthusiasts, the N64 had the best controller hands down.
1 Like @Phil-teh-Pirate @kavadias1981 I would have to say the original xbox controller, yes the big bulky one, i hated the small one, my hands cramped with that one....yes i have big hands
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