MediaFile

EA: We love Wii U

Liana B. Baker

Oct 6, 2011 18:28 EDT

Back in June, everyone was talking about the Wii U, Nintendo’s first video game console with high-definition graphics unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles.

Since then, no one’s heard much more about Wii U, which has a tablet screen for a controller and can be used in conjunction with Wii remotes. Nintendo must be hunkering down to put the finishing touches on it before it hits stores sometime next year.

But Peter Moore, the video game industry veteran who was promoted to be Electronic Arts’ chief operating officer in August, told Reuters this week that everything appears to be on track with the Wii U, at least from his perspective working for a publisher making games for it.

“There are no indications that there’s anything that feels like it’s off target,” Moore said. Nintendo’s stock has taken a beating in recent months and its share price is approaching its low for the year.

Moore said he will be visiting Nintendo’s hometown of Kyoto next week to check on how the console is shaping up.

“From our perspective right now, specs are a big deal,” he said, adding that during his trip, he will looking to find out more about the gadget’s graphic and computer processing units, its price and when it might be shipped.

Moore, who has experience launching consoles from his days at Microsoft, says Nintendo was smart to incorporate a tablet into the console with the Wii U.

E3: Strauss Zelnick dishes on Wii U, Zynga and why foie gras tastes better than chewing gum

Liana B. Baker

Jun 9, 2011 02:39 EDT

Take-Two Interactive occupies a massive booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where it’s showing off its new games and serving beer at the elaborate sports bar it constructed on the show floor.  Under its CEO, Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two has been showing renewed financial health in recent quarters. In February, it posted its first profitable year in nearly a decade without a new release of its blockbuster video game franchise “Grand Theft Auto.”  Zelnick sat down with Reuters for an in depth chat touching on everything from Nintendo’s new console to Zynga’s business model, and the difference between foie gras and chewing gum.

Reuters: Are publishers on board more than ever before with Nintendo on the Wii U?

Zelnick: Well, It’s hard to know, right? At E3, there’s always a great deal of enthusiasm, as there should be. It remains to be seen what the releases schedules look like. We do think it’s pretty interesting. What they are doing with one display in your hands and the other display that’s wireless in front of you and the ability to have them work independently as well as together, creates a lot of interesting creative opportunities and that’s what we’re looking for. We’ll see how our creative teams feel but right now it looks pretty interesting.

Reuters: Will the touchscreen appeal to the mass market?

Zelnick: It all depends on the execution. You can take that product and execute a kid’s game that’s simple or take that product and do something that’s very complex. It remains to be seen. And that was what was exciting about the Wii. We supported the Wii in the beginning. If you recall, we did “Carnival Games” for the Wii and we also did “Manhunt 2” for the Wii, so we did do an adults-focused title. As it turns out, the Wii turned out being more interesting from a family and kids point of view. It remains to be seen how the Wii U plays out but obviously it’s interesting. We support it. We love all our children equally and we support everyone.

Reuters: You launched a new franchise recently, “L.A. Noire” and a year ago you launched another entirely new franchise, “Red Dead Redempion.” How hard is it to launch new intellectual property in this landscape?

Tech wrap: Nintendo debuts Wii U

Lars Paronen

Jun 7, 2011 16:34 EDT

Nintendo took the wraps off a high-definition version of its hit Wii, with a 6.2-inch touchscreen-equipped controller that the leading videogame hardware maker hopes will appeal to a more hardcore audience. Early reviews of the Wii U were mixed, with analysts saying the device stopped short of being game-changing. But some liked the innovation in the controller, a device slightly larger than Apple’s iPhone and whose touchscreen, video-call capability and extra functions may appeal to gamers who play longer and more intensely.

The new device will go on sale between April and December 2012, the company told reporters in LA without saying how much it would cost.

Data storage firm EMC offered to replace millions of potentially compromised “SecurID” electronic keys after hackers used data stolen from its RSA security division to break into Lockheed Martin’s network. RSA, which makes the SecurID keys, said in a letter published on its website that it had confirmed information taken from it in March was used in the attack on Lockheed Martin.

Sony unveiled the pricing of its new PlayStation Vita handheld gaming device at a flashy LA event and immediately ran into criticism the gadget was too expensive. It will go on sale for $249, or $299 for a 3G mobile version, in time for year-end holidays, Sony’s No.2 executive Kazuo Hirai told reporters. Hirai drew some groans from the audience of several thousand when he said Sony would work with AT&T as the exclusive carrier for the Vita.

A blogger sued for defamation over comments posted on an Internet message board is not entitled to the same protections as a journalist, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled. The court said that blogger Shellee Hale’s criticism of a software company on a porn industry bulletin board was not covered by the New Jersey press shield law, which protects members of the news media from revealing their confidential sources.

Retailers are betting tech-savvy teens will urge their parents to splurge on tablet computers as the new school year nears, writes Dhanya Skariachan. Students are using more technology in the classroom at the same time as a large expansion of tablet offerings, according to Ryan Vero, OfficeMax’s chief merchandising officer. Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee has already told students they will have to buy or lease an iPad by next fall.

“The year will be the first year where there is a broad set of competitive products out in the marketplace,” Vero said. “Everybody is pretty bullish about the potential for that product.”