Wii U is good but not great, says game designer Peter Molyneux

By: Muhammad Qasim Hassan

  |   December 4th, 2012   |  

Uncategorized

The video game designer and game programmer Peter Molyneux feels that Nintendo’s latest console is good, but still leaves plenty to be desired.

Wii U is without any doubt a very different console to say the least. Never before has a system been as much about its controller as Wii U.

Of course, innovation is something that has always set the Japan-based company apart from its rivals and even now, there are a lot of good things being said about the unique tablet-influenced controller, GamePad, which is the heart and soul of Nintendo’s new console.

Molyneux, who is known for his candid opinions, bluntly stated during an interview with GamesIndustry International that Wii U is good, but not great.

Elaborating on his feelings about the new console, he said that while the GamePad changes the way games are played, the dual-screen gaming leaves players slightly confused as to whether they should be staring at the big television screen of if they should be giving more attention to the small screen on the device in their hands.

According to him, the level of competition has shot up so high in today’s market that a new hardware needs to be great in every aspect to have a really solid chance of attracting consumers and finding success.

“I find holding the device in my hand – looking up at the screen, and looking down at the device – slightly confusing as a consumer. It’s good, but it’s not great. And we really need these new pieces of hardware to be great in today’s world, because the competition isn’t just consoles anymore. The competition is everything, all the technology.”

The famed Black and White designer went on to add that it is not only essential for Nintendo, but also a must for Sony and Microsoft to make their high-end consoles as impressive as tablets in terms of technology.

Wii U, in his opinion, fell short of doing that, which he feels will take its toll on the overall success of the console.

Despite stating that Nintendo’s latest console hardware is not great, Molyneux believes that the company has managed to surprise the analysts in the past and is very much capable of doing it once again.

Recalling the time when Nintendo launched Wii, he noted that the console had gone on sell somewhere around 60-70 million copies in contrast to what majority of the analysts believed, with its motion controller becoming not only a huge hit among gamers, but also setting new standards for its rivals, which reacted with a Kinect and Move controller.

From time to time, Nintendo has proved that it understands the consumer very well and therefore designs its products in accordance to their desires. Keeping this in mind, it seems a bit too early to start judging Wii U or the appeal of the experience that it offers.