Nintendo’s Wii U may be a market failure, but it continues to be a console that really should not be ignored. While it is undeniable that it does not have a breadth or even depth of content, it is equally undeniable that what it does have is simply top of the line- and it has just enough to be able to outpace both the other two consoles at the moment, at least on the basis of exclusive games.
That’s not all, however. Nintendo’s Executive Vice President Scott Moffitt also thinks that the Wii U Gamepad is the major (and only) innovation of this console cycle, and that that will be proven soon enough as pioneering software for it is released later this year, in the form of Super Mario Maker and Star Fox Zero.
“That’s our real secret sauce. The Gamepad is the only real innovation in this console cycle, it’s the only real new idea or game experience, and with Super Mario Maker, it shows you how magical it is to create levels with that Gamepad. It’s so easy and intuitive,” Moffitt said. “Super Mario Maker and Star Fox Zero will showcase the promise of the Gamepad.”
I can definitely see Super Mario Maker doing it- if only because of the ease of use that the Gamepad will facilitate for an otherwise complex UI. However, Star Fox Zero looks like a game that will suffer from an undue focus on the Gamepad, and a possible shoehorning of it into the experience.
That said, at least Nintendo tried. Moffitt is right, after all- the other two consoles were both simply more powerful versions of their predecessors, not much new was tried with either of them.