Initial game concepts for Wii U were developed using a monitor taped to Wii Remotes, it has been revealed.
During the latest Iwata Asks, staff from Nintendo’s Entertainment Analysis and Development Division state that they had created 30 concepts with the device, which was the second Wii U GamePad prototype that they had created.
“It’s very high-tech – a monitor and controllers stuck together by double-sided tape. (laughs)”, comments Takayuki Shimamura.
Beforehand, they had placed an LCD screen on the front of a Wii Zapper.
“We used this prototype and two Wii consoles to run simulations for Wii U,” explained Nintendo EAD boss Katsuya Eguchi. “EAD isn’t a hardware department, but a ‘handicraft team’ knowledgeable about hardware makes stuff like this.
“One of the staff members expressed a desire for a game that would gather Nintendo’s franchises into a single spot and each franchise would have something to do with the others.
“It was quite a grand concept. But we were like, ‘How do we bring them all together?’ We didn’t take it too seriously.”
That concept soon became launch title Nintendo Land, available as pack-in software with the Wii U Premium Pack.
[Thanks Eurogamer]
Nintendo share early Wii U prototypes
