April 29 2006 - The ‘Hut recently sat down with the runner of our sister site, Dobro’s Rock Barn, and Senior Contributor to the Videogame Hut, Dobro. He was poked and prodded about what he’s really thinking about Nintendo’s next-generation plans.  Here’s what we got out of him…

What do you think of the final name of Nintendo's next-generation system, the Nintendo Wii?

First off, let me just say that I was shocked like everyone else, but then I realized that I needed to let the name sink in. Of course, after that I absorbed it.

I just have certain gripes about it.  Of course, I thought that ‘Xbox 360’ was a convoluted name.

As did many.

But, now I can’t really say [Xbox 360] is the worst name of the Big 3. ‘Wii’ is awkward and unclear.

The way Nintendo is pushing for its two remotes and the "we" aspect (as in me and you) of the gameplay is overkill and takes away from the standard system name.

Do you think that the name is polarizing, in that just the name Wii itself will cause some not to purchase the system, regardless of the software and the benefits of the Virtual Console?

Not to mention, the benefits of the unique controller?

I think people will definitely still buy the system, but many will come out of the purchase with a “gimmick” feeling, and this will disinterest some people.

Hopefully, the caliber of the games will shine through, and in the end the name of the system won’t really matter.

I've heard a lot of people, both industry insiders and consumers, talking about what they see as "Nintendo gimmicks". Do you see this as something that extends to Wii beyond just the name, or do you think it stops there?

Wii itself is still definitely a mystery for me.

Personally, I would like to try the product out and be guaranteed that quality games will be created for it. As of right now, I’m still worried about the “revolutionary” aspects of the system.

This whole “precursor to virtual reality” thing is definitely new and exciting but no one knows what the public reaction will be to such an idea.

So, you do see the Wii controller as a gimmick?

The controller itself makes sense and is very intuitive for FPS's and most definitely RTS-type games, but I just don’t know how I’ll react to a FPS with a remote.

Playing top of the line FPS’s like ‘Halo 2’ set a standard and I really don’t know if I’m ready for a change.

I think the Wii will be gimmicky for some genres but will be perfect for others.  It could maybe even create new genres.

We all know that Nintendo is planning to unveil Wii to the world at their pre-E3 press briefing the morning before the big show starts. With a new Smash. Bros. promised for launch, as well as Metroid Prime 3, and even a new Mario platformer, which Wii game are you most looking forward to as of this moment?

First, let me say that I’m excited about all of these great franchise games coming from Nintendo.

I’m very interested in how they’re going to turn out on the Wii, but am also skeptical about how they’ll actually control.  Personally, I’m most interested in Metroid Prime 3.

We've all heard about the Virtual Console built into the Wii, allowing users to download literally 20 years of classic Nintendo games, and even games from third parties. In fact, hundreds of Sega Genesis classics will be available for download on the new service. Do you see the Virtual Console as a major selling point of the Wii, or just the icing on the cake to the unique gameplay possible through the use of the new controller?

I see the Virtual Console as a brilliant move to bring back veteran gamers who treat their classics like milk and cookies.

The contrast between this "revolutionary" new system and these classics could be too great for this group of gamers to get into the Wii though.

Otherwise, I’m happy with this move by Nintendo and am hoping, (with fingers crossed), that these classics will be put forth at an affordable price.

Everyone's been griping about the price of the new consoles. The Xbox 360 at $400, and the PS3 rumored to hit at least that high. Nintendo, on the other hand, has a made a point of promising that the Wii will cost substantially less than the competition. Rumors persist that it could go as low as $150 when it launches. Others say it could be between $200 and $250. How much would you be willing to pay for Nintendo's version of next-generation gaming?

Nintendo is showing a lot of panache by releasing their system for less.  They are showing that they respect their fans who don’t want to pay excessive prices for a videogame console.  But I also think Nintendo is releasing their product for a smaller amount of green because they’re not sure that everyone will be willing to pay more than the low price.  This shows the great risk Nintendo is taking with their new console and that greatly worries me.

I would pay no more than $200 for the Wii.

The GameCube was the second-most powerful console of the last generation, with PS2 coming in at third and the Xbox headlong into first. Yet, the GameCube became the lowest selling of the three systems, despite being very technologically competitive. Why do you think that is, and what do you think Wii needs to do to change that?

Thats a very interesting fact that most people don't know.

Yes, I’m aware.

Basically, the Nintendo GameCube became a "system for the kiddies" because of an obvious lack of games for mature gamers.  Right away, the GameCube was labeled as a system for the kids with it’s initial color of purple, but was already in danger of this viewpoint because of the cartoonish and childish characters from all the Mario games.

I think that Wii can change this image with games like Red Steel from Ubisoft and other games geared toward mature audiences.

The Wii has the potential for these changes, but breaking from the mold is hard to do.

Jaw-dropping next-generation graphics. Everyone is talking about them. The main selling point of the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 is their incredibly impressive graphics. The Wii will be much less technologically powerful than it's competition, yet it will still be more than twice as powerful as the GameCube. Do you think the lack of high-powered graphics will hurt the Revolution, or do you think that the unique controller and the Virtual Console will make up for that all on their own?

The new consoles from Sony and Microsoft both have amped-up graphics that really dont' add up to that big of a leap from their last systems.

I think the battle between gameplay and graphics has an obvious champion: gameplay.  And this can be applied to Wii.  Nintendo prides itself on gameplay and will stick to it's roots in this case.  I can’t deny that graphics don’t add to the experience so I’m hoping Nintendo is able to present its games in a crisp and clean manner.

In the end, gameplay is what gamers should look for and the Wii should theoretically deliver in a new and interesting way.  Hell, the word "gamer" borrows "game" from gameplay, and we aren't "graphixers" so...you draw your own conclusions.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was first unveiled to the public back at E3 2004. After being playable and having its subtitle penned at last year's E3, it was scheduled to release worldwide last November. It has since been delayed twice, finally being confirmed for fall of this year. Nintendo is very intent on keeping it a GameCube game, and yet they have said that it can be played using the Wii controller. Would you buy Twilight Princess for GameCube if it was also released seperately on the Wii, using the new system's exclusive features, or would you buy the Wii and then buy the Wii version of Twilight Princess? Keep in mind, this is all purely hypothetical…

This new Zelda game is hovering over our heads like a pesky fly that won’t come down and out already.  I’m personally tired and frustrated and it is in danger of being a Wii exclusive title, because as of right now no one knows what will happen with Twilight Princess.

I think what Nintendo is saying is what will probably come to pass and I personally would buy it for GameCube, but not shell out money for a new system that I’m not yet sold on.  The Wii exclusive features are a nice plus, but should not be the reason for any sane gamer to want to buy the Wii.

Thank You for sitting down with us. As always, it's a treat to have you on board at the 'Hut.  After E3, we look forward to sitting down with you again and hearing your reactions to the events that will unfold at E3 2006.

Until next time, gamers… Peace Out.

-SCP