October 13th, 2012

This is a transparent Wii U — and was the Wii U supposed to come out a lot earlier?

15 Comments
Transparent Wii U

The latest edition of Iwata Asks has discussed the hardware of the Wii U, and showcased the above photo of the Wii U with its internals for the whole world to see (just like they did with the 3DS XL). What’s interesting to me, however, is that Iwata said he “never imagined” the Wii would have a six-year hardware cycle. This ties in with something Michael Ancel of Ubisoft said in a recent interview:

…we thought Wii U would come out a lot earlier. We worked very closely with Nintendo [on Wii U] early on, giving them feedback on the various prototypes.

So it sounds like Nintendo had planned to release the system at least a year ago. I wonder if there an ultra-specific reason the plans didn’t come together. Maybe it was just Murphy’s Law at work. Either way, there’s more photos of the Wii U’s internals after the break.

  • Marty

    notice how the buttons black? its just transparent for example.

    • Marty

      Also it just sounds like Mr Ancel opinion and nothing else.

  • ScionVyse

    Hmm, the hardware looks good, but I find the lack of an Ethernet port disturbing. I know the wireless runs the gambit of b/g/n, but A solid wire will always be faster and more reliable. I haven’t seen the Iwata asks so it could still be a prototype without a port added yet, but I would imaging that should be standard by this point.

    • Barakuda

      I think the Wii either port adapter will work on the Wiiu. Those connected through the usb port on the Wii. My friend from Gamestop said that’s What he heard. And they are not Very expensive.

    • Barakuda

      Ethernet port.

    • ScionVyse

      Oh that’s how it’ll work? I didn’t know the Wii had a special adapter for that. Still kinda strange they didn’t just put the ethernet port right in the system rather than have people buy an adapter for it.

    • http://www.facebook.com/AlexAtkinUK Alexander Atkin

      Why is it strange?

      Nintendo are all about cost and adding an ethernet port costs more than not having one.

      The device, like the Wii, is being promoted for the living room and most people get really picky about a tangle of wires around the TV. Its only a select few of us who would prefer wired and so for those we get the USB adapter, simple.

      To be honest, unless I encounter lag problems I will use my Wii U on wireless.

  • Ninpalk

    I think they mean they planned on making a new system a lot sooner, not Wii U in general. I don’t think Wii U was supposed to come out a year ago necessarily because it is compatible with 3DS and they wanted the launches seperated if that makes sense.

  • http://www.facebook.com/8xBIT Thomas Reifenberg

    I guess it is still called Wii because it looks exactly like the other one. They should have went with a different shape like from going NES to SNES. All the other Nintendo consoles are easily identifiable. If the Wii U sits next to the Wii, they will look almost the same.

    • http://www.facebook.com/8xBIT Thomas Reifenberg

      I hate the external CD drive look.

    • HumanShield

      I dont disagree that the styling is pretty bland, but who has space under their tv for a monstrosity like the original PS3? Ive got consoles stacking up in my unit and quickly running out of space for anything else. At least with this, I can put it next to the tv and it wont look like a giant piece of whirring plastic.

  • http://colorslive.com/details/523368 Despy Pie

    OHMYGASH the wii u is nude! looks sexy.

  • DoSomeLearning

    Using WiFi makes no difference to having an ethernet port. Yes Wifi can receive background interference on 2.4ghz (so going up to 5.8ghz would be helpful, although unlikely) but the data transfer rates remain the same, if wired or wireless. Wired may be able to access 10/100/1000 depending on your network, but your internet connection will only every top out at 100mb if you are lucky, most people barely get 20mb where I live. Having full speed over ethernet wont help if the connection is only 10-20% of whats available anyway. It’ll just mean theres less chance of the wireless network dropping off randomly.

    • http://www.facebook.com/isaac.weseloh Isaac Weseloh

      ever heard of google fiber? anyone near kansas city can have low priced 1gb/s internet. I wish it existed where i live, internet is freakin expensive!

  • HumanShield

    Im just glad this page doesnt have the trawl of fanboys talking sh*t about the console. Just because their parents bought them an xbox or ps3 they cant see past the possibilities of enjoying games on other systems. I for one am buying a Wii U at launch. I will equally buy a ps4 and xbox 720/durango. Although with those other consoles I will likely wait a few months for the prices to drop. I personally dont like missing out on games if they only come out on one console, and with the Wii U’s potential for online gaming I can see a lot of devs making mmo’s/rpgs for it. I am seriously getting sick of hearing about Steam though. When they release a fully fledged hardware package and O/S then ill consider it, until then, its basically just a fancy gui for a marketplace.