Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Nintendo E3 2011 Press Conference: Meet the show stealer, the Wii U

Ryan Fleming
By
nintendo-3e-2011-conference
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo show highlights:

  • The Legend of Zelda celebrates its 25th anniversary, and Nintendo has big plans to celebrate.
  • Several big franchises are heading to the 3DS, including Mario Kart, Star Fox, Super Mario, Kid Icarus and Luigi’s Mansion.
  • But by far the biggest announcement was that of Nintendo’s new console, the Wii U.

Heading into E3, all eyes were on Nintendo. Sony had the Vita on the way, Microsoft had big plans with the Xbox Live, but Nintendo was the company rumored to have the ultimate video game trump card—a new console. All the best games and all the most interesting partnerships cannot come close to capturing the imagination of gamers in the same way that a console can, and Nintendo know it.

So over the weeks leading up, small leaks have been getting out. Maybe it was called “Project Café”, or maybe it was called “Wii 2”. There was something unusual about the controller, although nothing was confirmed. But we all knew it was coming, and Nintendo knew we knew.

Recommended Videos

But before Nintendo would get to the console, it had a few other announcements to handle.

Related

Zelda

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series, and Nintendo is not one to let a milestone go unmarked.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be out later this year in time for the holidays. At the same time, a special gold-colored Wii remote will also be released to commemorate it. No official release date was given, but it will be this year, barring unforeseen delays. Like those that plagued it earlier this year. And last year. And the year before.

But to celebrate the actual anniversary, there will be multiple Zelda titles released this year—or more accurately, re-released. The first of these titles comes today in conjunction with the recently activated Nintendo e-store. The classic game The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, is now available to download.

Nintendo E3 2011 conference Zelda
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for the 3DS will be out next week, and in September, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, the multiplayer game, will be re-released as a digital download for free.

There will also be two CDs released, the first is a collection of the Ocarina of Time music, and it will be available for free, to the first people that register their copies of the 3DS game. Exact numbers regarding availability weren’t given, but it will be while supplies last.

3DS

Next came the 3DS pitch. The 3DS is a system suffering from a distinct lack of content, and Nintendo knows it. To make up for that, several new titles from best-selling franchises are heading to the Wii. Six titles were announced in total:

Mario Kart (Working Title)- The classic racing series returns with customizable carts, and new racing tricks, including underwater racing and paragliding.

3DS StarFox64Star Fox 64 3D– A remake of the original with updated graphics that include 3D, as well as a multiplayer challenge mode that allows you to shoot down your friends. It is due this September.

Super Mario (Working Title)- Not really much of a shock to hear that a Mario game is heading to a Nintendo device, but it is now official. More details to come soon.

Kid Icarus: Uprising– A game long in development, originally announced last year.

Luigi’s Mansion– The last of the new first-party title announced.

There were also several third party titles announced, including: Ace Combat 3D (Working Title), FIFA Soccer 12, Heroes of Ruin, Mario & Sonic: At the Olympic Games, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Resident Evil: Revelations, Resident Evil: Mercenaries and Tetris.

A new Podex was also announced, as was a free-to-download version of the classic Excitebike game. The 3DS is just beginning to be where it was promised to be, with the e-Store and Web browser now fully functional.

Introducing the Wii U

And then came the real thing, the announcement of the new console. Sort of. The technical details on the Wii U are still a bit under wraps. Nothing was mentioned about its power during the press event, and subsequent press releases are vague on it except to say that it contains an “IBM Power-based multi-core microprocessor.” From what has been leaked and what we saw, it will be at least on par with the PS3 and Xbox 360, and possibly more powerful. The real draw though, is the controller.

The Wii U controller is a device in and of itself. It contains a 6.2” touchscreen that is something of a marvel. When you are playing a game on the Wii U, you can switch the display from a TV to the controller. The console will synch with the controller and stream the display to your now handheld device. It won’t actually host the game itself, it simply acts as a new handheld display.

nintendo-wii-u-controller
Image used with permission by copyright holder

But besides the display possibilities, the controller will add a layer to gaming. Upcoming games will take advantage of the display to give you a look at an inventory or health for example, but it can do much more. One example showed a baseball game, where you use the controller to line up your pitch, then to catch a hit ball, you track it with your controller and “catch it”. Another example used the controller to hold ninja stars, which your game character then threw as you swiped your hand over the controller display.

When it is not being used as a game controller, the device can itself play some simple games, but Nintendo was quick to emphasize that the controller is not a handheld unit.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo was vague on many of the details, but they also claimed that the Wii U and its controller would work together and select games with the 3DS. The current nunchuck controllers will also be compatible after a fashion, but again, details are vague, and the word “prototype” was repeatedly used to describe the hardware.

For more check out Nintendo Wii U: What you need to know.

Welcome to the Big Leagues, Nintendo

For all the pomp and circumstance of the controller, one of the most exciting features of the Wii U was that games that were once denied to the Wii, will now be heading to Nintendo fans, and cross-platform titles will be able to run at the maximum potential. Several such titles were announced, including: Darksiders 2, the Assassin’s Creed series, Batman: Arkham City, Ghost Recon Online, Dirt, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Metro: Last Light, Ninja Gaiden: Razors Edge and a new Tekken game.

Conclusion

Nintendo was fairly conservative in the actual presentation today, and its press conference was by far the most subdued in terms of spectacle. But what they lacked in presentation, they more than made up for in substance.

The Wii U will be the most talked about subject from this year’s E3 without question. The details on the new console are still light, and holiday of next year is probably a realistic release window—which would mean that next year’s E3 might see the things like pricing and get to the real technical details. There are also questions about what kind of online presence it will have, as Nintendo has never fully embraced the online side of its systems in the same way that Microsft and Sony have.

But for now, none of that matters, as Nintendo has once again thrown down the gauntlet and may have again changed the game.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Ryan Fleming
Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
Nintendo confirms that it won’t be part of E3 2023
Pikmin and Bulborb in Pikmin 4.

Nintendo has confirmed reports that it won't be participating in E3 2023, meaning the gaming trade show will be missing one of its key vendors when it returns in-person this June.
"We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans," a Nintendo spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. "Since this year’s E3 show didn’t fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA [Entertainment Software Association] and E3."
After taking 2020 and 2022 off and being digital-only in 2021, this year was supposed to mark the grand return of E3, which was once a dominant game industry trade show that attracted every big video game company. Although Sony hasn't participated since 2019, it still came as a shock in January when IGN reported that both Nintendo and Microsoft would not be attending E3 this year as well. It appears that the report is true, as Microsoft has not confirmed any E3-related events outside of its independently run Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase.
Nintendo skipping E3 2023 not only takes away a vendor that dominated the show floor in previous years, but also raises questions about whether or not the company will hold an exciting Nintendo Direct around then. While Nintendo typically holds a big showcase with lots of first-party game announcements around June every year, in 2022 it only held a third-party driven Partner Showcase in June. Now that we know it won't be at E3 2023, we're left to wonder when exactly then next big Nintendo Direct will be. 
E3 2023 will take place between June 13 and June 16, but don't expect Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft to have a big presence there.

Read more
Here’s what E3 2023 could look like without Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft
Playstation character wall at E3 2018

Let's start with the good news: E3 2023 will be held in its in-person format once again after three long years of digital events necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this time with ReedPop at the helm. The bad news is that Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo -- gaming's "Big 3" -- may not show up at the industry’s biggest convention this summer.

This is according to a report from IGN citing multiple sources, who claimd the companies won’t be a part of the show or make appearances on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center in any way. Their absence from this year’s E3, especially Nintendo’s, may come as a shock to the gaming community, but it's not such a surprise when looking at the past few iterations of E3. Even before the pandemic locked everyone down in 2020, Sony and Xbox had been hosting their own E3-style livestreams, so it was more likely they would do it again this year anyway. Nintendo, on the other hand, managed to show off its upcoming games via Nintendo Direct streams and at its booth, console kiosks and all.

Read more
Summer Game Fest returns just before E3 2023 next June
The official artwork confirming Summer Game Fest's return on June 8, 2023.

Geoff Keighley has confirmed when Summer Game Fest will return in June 2023. It will begin with a live kickoff show on June 8, 2023, placing Keighley's game announcement alternative less than a week before E3's grand (intended) 2023 return.
Unlike past years, Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff 2023 will feature a live audience, like Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards. It will take place in the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park, with tickets going on sale in early 2023. It will still be livestreamed across platforms like YouTube and Twitch, though. It's currently unknown who's participating, how long Summer Game Fest will run afterward, or if it will feature a Summer Game Fest Play Days-like element for fans. Still, Keighley says all of that info will be revealed ahead of the event next year, teasing what people can expect. 
"In keeping with tradition, we'll have tons of exciting announcements from the developers that are pushing the games industry forward, and will once again highlight other publisher digital events, demos, and more surprises to be announced in the coming months," Keighley says in a press release. 
That June 8 start date, and the other Summer Game Fest events likely to follow, put Keighley's show just ahead of E3 2023. The ESA and ReedPop plan to bring E3 back between June 13 and June 16, 2023. With five days of lead time on E3, Summer Game Fest can coexist with the long-running gaming conference and encompass the plethora of publisher showcases that tend to precede E3.
Geoff Keighley made it clear that he wants Summer Game Fest and E3 to coexist for a while. "We've had extensive conversations with ReedPop about E3," he said in an interview with Epic Games Store. "I think it'll kind of fit together and flow kind of from what we're doing into what they're doing and stuff. E3, to me, is this kind of master brand that represents gaming news in June."
With the start date of Summer Game Fest confirmed, the coexistence of these two summer gaming events is a reality. Summer Game Fest returns on June 8, 2023.

Read more