By Justin Polak
Co-founder Ambassador of the Mushroom Kingdom

Well, it’s been roughly a month after E3 and most of the dust has settled concerning most major announcements. I have had time to rationalize my thoughts and impressions, so I decided to be one of many people who throws their two cents about the Wii U, Nintendo’s successor to the Wii.

This would be the fourth time Nintendo threw a curve ball when it comes to how video games are played. The original Nintendo DS successfully integrated a touch screen in the handheld market, the original Wii popularized motion controls and the 3DS has brought glasses free 3D gaming to the table. Now, the Wii U sports a touch screen in it’s large, but reportedly comfortable controller. The controller will allow players to interact with games by using the controller screen itself and a conventional television. Other features include a microphone, camera and general motion controls.

As much as I like the idea of the controller, I do have a few concerns already. First, how much is the Nintendo going ask consumers for the Wii U? The way I see it is that the 3DS debuted at $250, which was the same price point the original Wii was at when it launched in 2006. I can’t see the Wii U debuting lower than $450–and I’m being generous here.

I’ll admit I’m no analyst, but I can’t ignore that I strongly believe part of the draw of the original Wii was it’s drastically cheap price compared to its competitors at the time. I’m going from memory here, but the Xbox 360 was still over $400 (if you wanted a worthwhile version of the console), and the PlayStation 3 was still $600 at the time of the Wii’s release. The revolutionary motion controls definitely helped move the console towards middle aged households, retirement homes and all sorts of new consumers. I’m not taking that away from the big N.

However, try to look at things from the point of view of new consumer in the video game industry, much like one you would have found around 2006/2007. What’s the first thing most “normal” people look at? The price. You could talk all day why you may think the 360, PS3 or using a gaming PC is better than the Wii, but even if you convince an average consumer that your opinion is valid, the price will always have the final day, especially in today’s economy (I hate saying that for the record).

If the Wii U doesn’t have the same price advantage over its competitor this upcoming generation, Nintendo might find itself in the same awkward place it held during the GameCube days. Even if my price concerns works itself out somehow, will the same consumers that bought the Wii be willing to purchase another console? While it’s more common and acceptable for people to upgrade technological gadgets these days, people may be hard pressed to purchase a Wii U if their original Wii has been an expensive dust collector for a couple of years.

Going back to the topic of the controller, how much will an additional/replacement controller cost? Another major hurdle Nintendo will have to clear with everyone is reasonable pricing for such an elaborate controller. I’m throwing out a random number here, but given today’s prices for more conventional controllers, I can’t see how a normal controller will be under $100. Again, I feel like I am being generous.

I shudder to think how many younger players are going to break these controllers, and what a dent on the wallet it will be to replace them. Nintendo has always been awesome at building durable hardware with great replacement plans, in my experience. However, I don’t see how Nintendo can offer a good replacement deal for such an elaborate set up. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that these controllers are bound to fall apart at the drop of Mario’s hat, but the idea of something like that breaking in my possession is making me sweat. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

As far as the controller’s potential, while I am excited for what the controller can do, I hope that most developers don’t opt to make the controller’s screen a map or inventory management device. By peeking around the internet, I have seen some pretty cool ideas, but they all have come from users on message boards. While some cool ideas were showcased at E3, I am still waiting for something truly groundbreaking to come from the device.

Now, what that revolutionary idea is, I don’t know. What I do know is that while I absolutely loved the original Wii, DS and (currently in the process of falling in love with the) 3DS, I haven’t truly felt like something had truly shattered my perception on what a video game can be. While the touch screen on the DS and the Wii’s motion controls has rewritten the rules and obviously pushed the industry in a different direction, and I have enjoyed those innovations immensely, I haven’t played a video game that made me feel that all games should use motion controls or a touch screen. This is a very hard idea to convey simply because this game of mine doesn’t exist, but maybe the Wii U can finally give me the great unknown that I am looking for.

At the end of the day, I realize that some of my concerns may seem like I am borrowing trouble. I’m not going to mince words: I love Nintendo, and I do want to see them succeed, which I guess is why I have the concerns in the first place.

All photos from nintendo.com.