Don't let the fact that Crytek isn't making games for the Wii U sway you into thinking that Nintendo's new system is sub-par to the current consoles. In fact, Crytek's CEO Cevat Yerli feels just the opposite about Nintendo's next-gen console.
"My opinion of the Wii U is very high," Yerli told CVG. "It's just that we didn't have a business case unfortunately that justifies us making a game for it."
Many have assumed this is because CryEngine 3 doesn't run on the Wii U, or that maybe the new console isn't as powerful as the Xbox 360 or PS3. That's simply not the case, and as Yerli teases, a game that uses the CryEngine 3 is actually in development for the Wii U. That game will be announced at a later date.
"It doesn't mean that CryEngine 3 doesn't run on Wii U – it actually runs beautifully," Yerli assured gamers. "In fact, there actually is a game in development from a respected developer that we will be announcing. I've seen the game running and it looks really great."
Yerli didn't go so far as to say the Wii U is more powerful than the Xbox 360 or PS3, but he did say its hardware is "minimum on par with the current generation".
"From my perspective I do not understand the public's concerns that the Wii U is weaker than PS3 and 360," he said. "That I cannot see. From my perspective the Wii U is minimum as powerful as Xbox 360."
Is just "minimum as powerful" enough to warrant gamers to go out and purchase a Wii U? For a console that's considered next-gen, I know I would like to see something more than just on par with what we already have.
Then again, that's never really been Nintendo's style. The company has already said they aren't competing with the Xbox or PlayStation and instead looking to create a "dynamic range of appeals that the consumers can appreciate." That new appeal is the unique GamePad tablet controller which offers gamers a second screen to interact with while playing games.
Nintendo has chosen to focus on innovating the gaming experience, similar to their approach with the Wii. The Wii wasn't particularly pretty to look at, but it offered a genuinely fun, new way to play games and that proved to be very successful. It revolutionized the industry and sold very well which proved that innovation will always sell, regardless of power.
With that being said, I had the opportunity to see Assassin's Creed 3 on the Wii U at E3 and it looked fantastic. It definitely looked on par with today's Xbox and PlayStatation graphics, if not slightly better. Now how will it compare to the Xbox 720 or PS4?
Well, if respected developer John Carmack is right then we really shouldn't expect a giant leap in graphics with next-gen consoles. This was emphasized today with Sony claiming they aren't ready to showcase any PlayStation 4 hardware until the new console demonstrates a "significant leap" from today's standards.
Maybe the Wii U will be just fine. The tablet controller could be a great selling point for the Wii U, but it has to be affordable. Nintendo has yet to release an actual price for the Wii U, but I think anything over $300 will cause the system to be a major flop.
[CVG]
