What the Wii U needs is a kick in the pants

Making the Wii U Relevant

I’m a big Nintendo fan. Always have been, always will be, and those of you who have read this blog regularly know. But with their latest console—the Wii U—they’ve blown a head start and have already been counted as out of the race by many technology pundits. The Nintendo 3DS started out is the same way, but with a price cut and release of some highly-anticipated games, it’s taken off. The main difference here, however, is that the 3DS never really had any competition (the Vita is a joke). The Wii U can go the way of the 3DS instead of the GameCube (great titles, but not very many customers to enjoy them)—but it’s up to Nintendo to make that decision. Nintendo needs to make some things happen at E3, and beyond.

What Nintendo needs to do for E3:

Bring out the first party heavy hitters—but not Mario
Let me get this out of the way first: no more Mario. We’ve sen a ton of him throughout 2011 and 2012, and Nintendo has plenty of other franchises it can pull from to excite fans and the media. Give us some more information—and release dates— for Yoshi’s Yarn, the next Smash, and the next Kirby. Best of all, throw us all for a loop: let’s see F-Zero.
Many current console owners would be appeased by some new demos to play; we’re impatient, and Nintendo owes us. We bought the console early, and have been let down by no major releases since launch. It’s now April. I think that Nintendo should let us download the first few minutes of Wind Waker HD and give us a glimpse of what Yoshi’s yarn can look like.

“Hardcore” fans need to be addressed, if only because we’re the loudest and can make or break a system’s popularity. We know that Nintendo scored on Bayonetta 2. But what’s it look like? What’s the story? What is the gameplay like, especially for those of us that haven’t played the first one? We’ve gotta see that in action. Nintendo has to deliver on this, and tell us when it will be available—hopefully Summer 2014. Metroid is Nintendo’s first-party hardcore experience, and we’ll all be happy to see a return to Prime shape in Samus’ house. Letting us fly her ship between planets, chase down the Galactic Federation or rival bounty hunter, and switch between first and third person modes I think will be the future for this franchise. I think. Samus should have a voice—Nintendo should have at least one character that isn’t an empty shell—but she need to be written and portrayed well. She doesn’t have to say much. Retro, I think, could handle this balance well.

2. We Need Retro
Arguably, the strongest thing Nintendo has up its sleeve is whatever Retro Studios is working on. Widely and deservedly acclaimed for the Metroid Prime series as well as the Donkey Kong Country Returns reboot, anything they touch is essentially gold. Rumors have their new project to be one of two franchises: Metroid or Star Fox. Though I’m a huge Metroid fan and greatly revere what the team has done in reviving that series, it’s Star Fox that needs the revival treatment. It’s been 8 years since the last installment—interestingly, the same length of time between Super Metroid and Retro-developed Metroid Prime. Also note that both franchises skipped a Nintendo home console. It’s time for Star Fox to get its due. I don’t know what angle Retro can approach the game from, but I know that everyone believes that they know what they’re doing.

3. Third Parties
We need to know that certain third party titles are coming to the platform. We know that Nintendo has never been strong in this regard, but it would certainly be nice to see. Let’s have Nintendo fighting for us in the background: where’s the Mass Effect Trilogy? Where’s Bayonetta 1? Even going back on some last-gen classics would do well with those of us who only one one console—Nintendo’s.

Nintendo is going to have a lot of competition at E3, and new hardware will be all of the buzz. Only top-notch software is going to allow Nintendo to steal the limelight, and boy do they need it.

Long term, the Wii U needs a number things to happen: drop the basic set or include Nintendo Land with it, introduce a serious marketing campaign, and partner up. The basic set is confusing, a poor value, and useless. Make the deluxe available in white or black. I personally wanted a white console, but didn’t want to get ripped off. Additionally, include Nintendo Land with all hardware sold. Nintendo Land helps players to ‘get it’. Nintendo needs as many people to ‘get it’ as possible. I’ve barely seen any ads for the Wii U. Make it clear that this is new, badass, and is a gaming machine. The precious few ads I’ve seen haven’t done that. This is where Nintendo needs to be willing to break the bank: no console sales, no revenue. It takes spending money to make money, and Nintendo has the dough. They just need to direct it in the right way. Lastly, as I’ve said in previous posts, Nintendo’s history is it’s greatest strength. Partner up to allow us to experience this history in new ways. The best example of this is Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Wii U Edition.

If all of this happens (and I hope to God it will), then no one will worry about Nintendo; they’ll be the talk of the town and the industry’s darling. But more than virtually every company (but Apple), Nintendo’s fate is in it7
s own hands.

The Sideways State of Screens

In the late 90′s and early 2000s, DVDs took off. DVDs, the successor to the CD in the same physical dimensions and capable of holding many more gigabytes of data, soon became commonplace and expected. Every computer started shipping with a DVD-rom drive. At the same time, operating systems started to support DVD playback. To match this, computer monitors started shipping in widescreen to support video at native dimensions. Today, every laptop, desktop, and external monitor is in landscape orientation.

And it’s absolutely terrible.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that 98% of what anyone and everyone does on a screen consists of two things: reading and writing. I watch movies and TV shows on my laptop fairly often, but it nowhere near matches the time that I’m working with documents, reading, or writing. And for working with documents and reading, a taller screen is far, far better.

Look at the iPhone. All models up to the iPhone 5 had a 3.5 diagonal screen. The 5 increased this to a 4 inch screen by adding rows of pixels at the top and bottom. This means more content on screen and less scrolling down lists. I honestly think that computer screens should be re-worked in that way to significantly boost productivity and reduce scrolling.

At my office, I have access to a perfectly square screen, and I absolutely love it.

Here’s what’s available on my widescreen 13.3-inch MacBook:

This is a view that I and many others are accustomed to on their laptop screens.

Compare that to the use of the square external screen in iTunes:

Notice the big difference on usable space: there’s more vertical space, and no horizontal space sacrificed.

That added space is real. That’s useful. That’s awesome. I use iTunes constantly—not just every once in a while. There are 10 more useful rows of content there, and no need to scroll (notice the lack of scrollbar, compared to the first photo). iTunes isn’t the only application that benefits here. Word Processors, browsers, anything that requires you to scroll (which, I’ll bet, is 95%+ of the applications you use) benefits.

I lament that computer manufacturers moved away from screens with a 1:1 or smaller ratio. I would personally love either a 1:1 screen or something akin to 9:16 that rotated depending on the kind of content that was shown, not unlike our current phones.

I say write all of this to say, if you’re in the market for an external screen, or you get the opportunity to work on a square screen, don’t be afraid. It is conducive to a more productive environment, and allows you to see a lot more of content that you work with all the time, as opposed to video sometimes. Your scrolling hand will thank you.

How do you use items in Zelda Wii U?

With the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker coming to the Wii U in HD, people all over the world are jumping for joy. Nintendo also announced that development for the next Zelda is underway (surprise!). But how would it work on the Wii U? With Skyward Sword controlled by the Wii Remote, everything made sense. Swing the Wii Remote as your sword. Use it like a whip for the whip. Hold it like a bow and arrow when using said weapon. Throw or roll bombs. It was Zelda perfected.

But with the Wii U and the GamePad, one seems to be taking a step back in control in some respects. You can’t swing around the GamePad and have that work as a sword or hold it up to shoot a bow and arrow. You can use it for something like the Beetle or slingshot that simply requires aim, but not necessarily pull back on a bow. So, what to do? Let’s look at it item by item:

Menu Items: To select items, a radial dial similar to the one used in the TVii remote would closely approximate the fantastic radial dials used to select items in Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword.

Swordplay/Bug Net: Maybe the right stick can control swordplay, but that still won’t offer the 5 directional options that Skyward Sword offered. Using the right stick wouldn’t be very immersive, however. It seems like the best recourse would be to allow the touchscreen to serve for swordplay. This would allow players to run and swing the sword like what was possible in Twilight Princess (and sorely missing in Skyward Sword).

The Beetle: Easy—use the GamePad Gyro to steer and aim it. We could also get a first-person beetle perspective.

Boomerang: Alas, there’s little use for the boomerang in a world with the Beetle, Slingshots, and Arrows.

Bow and Arrow/Slingshot: Aim with the GamePad, knock an arrow with the right stick, just as it is in Nintendo Land.

Gust Bellows: I don’t think that this would work too well. Touchscreen maybe.

Whip: This is tricky. I think tapping on the touchscreen is the best bet for this.

Clawshots: Easy. Aim with the gyro or the control stick (ugh)

Bombs: I don’t see how one could do something other than simply throwing them like what was available in every Zelda other than Skyward Sword (where you could roll). Rolling would have to be accomplished through the use of another action button (like in Wind Waker).

I have no doubt that the team at Nintendo has already thought about this and is already well on the way to do wonderful things. I can’t wait to see what’s in store. Who knows, maybe we’ll see some of this in Wind Waker U!

How to make The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker U Set Sail

Yesterday, Nintendo released a bombshell of information in their latest Nintendo Direct. In my mind, the best news that we heard was the announcement of a new Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker remastered for HD. Wind Waker was my first Zelda game, and the one closest to my heart. I called my brother to tell him the news, and he claimed that it was too good to be true before jumping for joy at my insisting that it was true. Now, there are a number of things that can go either really well or quite terribly for the remake. Below are my thoughts for a good remake and a perfect update.

A Promo Shot of Wind Waker HD

A Good Wind Waker:

A good Wind Waker is going to have the updated visuals that we’ve already seen. It’s going to have a triumphant return of the same great tunes. The ocean will have a bit more wildlife. We’re going to be able to play the game on just the GamePad. It’s going to give us a full map on the GamePad when playing on the TV. It’s going to let us take pictures in-game and post them on Miiverse. Everyone will love it, and everyone will buy it.

How to make a fantastic Wind Waker:

Most importantly, orchestrate the soundtrack. Update the tunes tastefully. They’re all wonderful, but put some more oomph behind them. We already have a perfectly great Wind Waker soundtrack available on the original, so feel free to add a little bit more to the game musically. Give voices to everyone but Link. Given that the entire game pertains to islands and sea travel, include a modified version of Twilight Princess’ fishing (and then make it funner, like the option to fish for rupees). Add Skyward Sword’s fantastic stamina system (I don’t see how the series managed to work so well without it).

There are also a number of things that they can do to enhance the art style. Firstly: make the ocean a little bit clearer; let us see to the ocean floor (depending on the depths). Let’s see coral reefs and wildlife and fish—but in the spirit of Wind Waker’s art style. (One example of this is sailing in the Sand Sea in Wind waker: cartoony and cell shaded, yet gorgeous and adding depth and beauty to the game). Regarding the visual direction: enhance it, but don’t over do it. Make the rocks on Windfall rocky, don’t just add color and detail to the flat surface. And looking at the characters, let’s see some fabric and depth and layer to their clothes, not the painted on look that the GameCube used. Skyward Sword did a great job of this. Looking at the photo above, it looks a bit “painted on”.

Additionally, Wind Waker was never truly finished—there were two dungeons that should have been included that weren’t due to time constraints. Give us those dungeons, and allow the “Triforce Hunt” to become the opportunity to look for new items, like the aforementioned fishing rod or rupees. This rewards those who have already played through the game and know where those Triforce pieces are, while allowing the main quest to stay true to its original vision. At the very least, reverse the two: give us the dungeons, but make them optional. This would be a disappointment though.

One thing that would make my day: make the bombs work as they do in Skyward Sword: don’t let them light until after they’ve left Link’s hands! Oh, and let us refill our bomb bag from bomb flowers. Seriously, that was the best thing in the entire game.

Nintendo has really done Zelda fans a huge favor by remaking Wind Waker. They have the opportunity to make it good or to make it great. Hopefully they’ll put the work in and make it spectacular.

The GameCube Controller

One of the greatest controllers ever built.

When the Nintendo GameCube was announced back in 200, everyone was very excited. It was one of Nintendo’s most traditional consoles, and had a number of stellar games. As as with all games, you interact with them through the controller: and the GameCube has one of the best ones.

While Xbox and Playstation controllers had a standard A-B-X-Y layout, the GameCube controller has an asymmetrical layout that it more comfortable for the thumb: a large green A center circular button, slightly lower, circular B button, and two bean-shaped buttons to the right and above the A button. Odd as it may seem, it was a very comfortable layout—especially the low travel time between buttons and the proximity of the Y button to the A button.

The C-Stick p, primarily used to control the camera in 3D space, was smaller in nature that the thumb stick on the upper-left of the controller. Both were octagonal as opposed to circular. On the lower-left, there is the familiar D-pad, but too small to be used as more than simply another set of buttons rather than a main way to play games. Neither the C-stick or the Control Stick could be depressed as another button.

The triggers (oh the triggers!) were analog; and is still the only Nintendo controller to have them. Above the right trigger is the Z button; oddly enough, there was no equivalent above the left trigger.

With the inclusion of GameCube ports on the Wii, the GameCube controller got more time in the sun than most controllers, lasting through 2 full generations (though Nintendo took off the GameCube backwards-compatibility with the release of the black Wii in 2010). Everyone is familiar with GameCube controllers. They’re comfortable. Familiar. Traditional. When the Wii came out, everyone clutched on to them, especially for games like Smash Bros. Unfortunately, Nintendo also kind of shot themselves in the foot with it too: Wii U owners aren’t happy that their venerable controllers are finally being laid to rest. The biggest complaint I get when people come over to play is “It doesn’t support GameCube games?”

The GameCube controller was good to all of us. We’ll never forget Smash Bros. with it, or Metroid Prime, or Resident Evil 4. Rest well, Cube controller.

🔱 The iPhone 5

It’s been about two weeks since I purchased my iPhone 5. And I absolutely love it.

My previous phone was the iPhone 4. As is the case with most updates to Apple’s products, changes from version A-B aren’t very great, but increase noticeably from version A-C, more so from A-D, and only bears a slight resemblance from version A-E. Given that I was only making a two-generational leap, the differences were notable.

The first thing that immediately struck me was the weight. It’s the lightest iPhone yet. It’s almost too light. The first time you pick it up coming from a 4 or 4S (the second-heaviest and heaviest, respectively), your hand will scream in protest. Since i recently got my iPhone 4 fixed, I’ve been handling it on and off and I’m always taken aback at how heavy and dense it feels. Equally surprising is the thinness. Looking horizontally at the iPhone 4 chassis, it’s split into three parts: top glass layer (face), metal antenna, lower glass layer (back). The iPhone 5 removes the bottom layer of glass, stretches the metal antenna around the sides over the back (leaving small glass panes at the top and bottom), then reduces the height of the top glass layer. It’s beautiful and sturdy. At worst. Only a small pane at the top and bottom can now shatter (the phone signals have to get out somewhere) and dents and scratches will appear on the back. Thankfully this isn’t the soft metal that was infamous on the iPods of old.

The front of the iPhone looks a lot better to me. At first glance, it’s hard to see the difference (other than the longer screen). The front facing camera has moved above the earpiece, which looks much better. Unfortunately for white iPhone 5′s, the proximity sensor is still colored black and located to the left of the piece. This detracts from the facial symmetry. Apple has also waxed poetic about the chamfered edges on the corners of the iPhone. It really does soften up the feel and intimidation factor of the phone. The edge reflects nicely on the white iPhone, and I think it enhances the look of the device.

One thing that has thrown me off is the movement of the headphone jack from the upper left to the lower left of the phone. Despite this, I believe that it makes the phone look a lot better. I would hAe preferred that Apple move the sleep-wake button to the other side as it was on earlier models of the iPod touch. This makes for a more comfortable grip for right handed users when pressing the button. (On a similar note, I also think that the volume should switch sides for easier thumb usage.) you lucky lefties.

The iPhone 5 bucks the trend of every iPhone, iPod, and iPad before it by introducing the Lightning port. And boy do I love it. While I lament the fact that I have a plethora of 30-pin cables all over the place that are now rendered moot, I love the reversibility and sturdiness of the connector. It saves enough space in the phone such that Apple could make a bigger battery, bigger speaker, and include 4G LTE. This new Lightning connector is truly Apple’s style in elegance and simplicity. They offer two converter cables that will work for virtually all of the accessories that you’ll throw at it.

The camera is a fantastic over the 4. Richer colors, more detail, better in low light, but most importantly—faster. The time it takes to go from lock screen to taking the first shot has probably been reduced by two-thirds. It’s near instantaneous. The upgrade from 720p HD to 1080p HD is equally nice. The front-facing camera has also become 720p HD, which is a welcome change.

The first time you use 4G LTE, your head will explode. It’s so much faster than what most people are used to, you’ll show your friends and start downloading a bunch of movies. Do so with the knowledge that you still have a data plan. I’ve switched to using Verizon, and their network coverage on LTE is phenomenal. However, the inability to do voice and data is obnoxious to me, as is their byzantine multi-call process. If your someone who makes a lot of calls and group calls, I would recommend AT&T for better call management alone.

While I’ve had Siri available on my iPad, the use-case for needing Siri on my iPad is slim. On the iPhone, however, it’s fantastic, especially while driving. She’s only dropped the ball for me 3 times (out of 100 by now, probably). Every once in a while, I will get a really odd answer for dictation, but most of the time it’s spot on. Once you get used to saying aloud punctuation, it’s very handy (e.g. Text mom hey comma do I need to pick Winston up from school question mark” to get “Hey, do I need to pick up Winston from school?).

A quick note about Apple Maps

The Internet has been all in a tizzy about the Apple’s maps. I ran some tests and had it navigate me to a number of locations, including from my house to my Uncle’s in Jacksonville. It was flawless. Additionally, it sits and continues to update visually on the lock screen, which is wonderful. Turn-by-Turn is exceptionally handy, and should have been here years ago. If it’s really a big deal to you, Google Maps is available on the iPhone, as well as other alternatives. Remember, Apple Maps will only get better the more you use it and report issues. The only awkward thing that happened to me was when it routed me to take a side road around. A roundabout. But remember, no mapping is perfect, and to also use common road sense.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The vibrating motor is different from the AT&T iPhone 4. It’s definitely not as loud, which is a welcome change.
• The buttons feel great. Apple knows how to make lasting buttons.
• While light, the phone feels sturdy. There’s little to no flex.
• The white and silver looks better, in my eyes. Ideally, Apple could increase their options to nc,due a “White and Slate” and “Black and Silver” (my ideal iPhone 5)

Without a doubt, the iPhone is a luxury item. But it’s a luxury item made available to the masses and a competitive and value-laden package. Keeping in mind the strong third party market, availability on all major and some minor US carriers and the nearly one-million apps on the App Store, you really can’t go wrong with the iPhone 5. I heartily give it my full recommendation.

Why the consumer excitement over the Wii U is lacking

I really want a Wii U. I can’t wait for one. As a nerd, I love new tech hardware. As someone who plays video games, i love it when a new console is released. As a Nintendo geek, I love new Nintendo consoles. But unfortunately, Nintendo isn’t pushing the right buttons with consumers. Here’s why.

1. The Wii U hasn’t been differentiated enough from the Wii. Yes, they’ve mentioned a ton about the GamePad. But the name itself, “Wii U”, doesn’t indicate a clear sense of succession like “PlayStation 2″ or “Xbox 360″ does to its predecessors. Thus, people initially see it as a peripheral, and get shocked that it starts at $299.

2. They’re marketing it wrong. Leading up to launch, Nintendo told us how they wanted to cater to the hardcore market. And in pushing Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Mass Effect III, and Assassin’s Creed III to us, they’ve indicated some interest. But I haven’t seen commercials for COD on Wii U. I haven’t seen commercials for ACIII. I’ve seen commercials for New Super Mario Bros. U though. Nintendo needs to push the hardcore titles AS WELL AS their own.

When I introduced my dad to the Wii U last Friday (he should have already known, if the marketers were doing their part!), he indicated that household interest for it would be low because Nintendo “was for kids”. He explicitly said that my 12 year old brother “was getting too old for Mario”. Nintendo needs to break the idea that their systems are for kids and that one would grow out of their systems. One of the ways they can do that is either: A) create some hardcore IPs that really cater to the older male crowd, or B) repurpose or bring back old IPs that cater to more mature gamers. Where’s Star Fox? Where’s F-Zero? Where’s a Metroid that can stand up to Super Metroid and Metroid Prime? We’ve had enough Pikmin and Mario and Animal Crossing. And don’t dumb it down, either.

3. The system lacks focus and future-proofing. It seems that Nintendo put everything that would fit into the GamePad in it. Why the hell does it have NFC? I can’t do anything with that. A resistive touch screen? This isn’t 2005; You can’t do that anymore. USB 2.0 ports? Gimme a break. While I like the options that the Wii U presents me as a gamer and consumer, some things (like NFC) need to be dropped, and others (like adding a headphone jack on the Pro Controller) need to be added. A Nintendo-native voice chat solution would be nice too. Enough internal power to run 2 GamePads would be nice.

But Nintendo did do other things right, like releasing a Pro Controller, giving the GamePad twin sticks, and making the Wii U backwards compatible in every way. The problem is that for every good thing they did, they made another baffling decision. Sometimes, it’s what you don’t do.

4. The most damning part of it all: I haven’t been able to play one yet. I’ve poured over videos, visited Best Buy a dozen times, and stopped at GameStop, but I still haven’t been able to play one. The Best Buy here? No playable demos. Consumers are illogical and dumb, by and large. They’ve got to pick it up and play it to be convinced. Yet, all I can do is hold a GamePad and watch a video. Why they don’t just stick in Nintendo Land, I don’t know. But I know that if they did, I’d have to wait in line to play one.

Overall, I think Nintendo will be somewhat successful with the Wii U. Some third-Party content will be lacking. But at the current trajectory, I don’t think that the Wii U won’t have the lasting legacy of the 360. And coming off of the consumer success of the Wii, that’s where Nintendo needs to be.

What the Wii U Needs to be Successful

You all may have noticed that I’ve been writing about Nintendo a lot. Well, I’ve been logging like 6 hours a day on the Wii since I got GoldenEye and the Metroid Prime Trilogy, so gimme a break.

I mentioned earlier about the state of Nintendo now and my hopes for its revival. Well, I want to be a bit more specific and outline 5 things that I think Nintendo needs to do in order to make the Wii U truly successful.

1. Robust Online Support

If they fix this, this will be reason enough to get one. The online support for the Wii was lackluster at best. Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, in my mind, is on par with maybe the Dreamcast’s support. It’s not even comparable to Xbox Live. Thankfully, they’re getting rid of friend codes; but the service needs to be fast, fluid, and seamless to add friends in order for it to really take off. It’s 2012. The Internet is everywhere. Nintendo needs to leverage the interconnectedness of our world to their advantage. Oh, and we want achievements too. The Metroid Prime series gives a great example of how these can work in-game. Let’s see how the Nintendo Network will fare.

2. Ship with the Pro Controller

Pack-Ins can really make or break a system. WiiSports are really what caused the Wii to take off, and Super Mario World did the same for the SNES. The Wii originally shipped with a Wiimote and Nunchuk, and that really got people on board to the configurability of the system’s control power. I believe that the Wii U should ship with both a GamePad and a Pro controller. While this is slightly redundant and may drive up costs a bit, it ensures that every player is exposed to one. While this undermines the GamePad, it also reinforces Nintendo’s devotion to hardcore gamers—which is one of the main foci of the Wii U.

3. Get all major games cross-platform (and add in some exclusivity)

No matter what else happens, it really comes down to the games. That’s what sets Nintendo apart. But it also sets them apart in a bad way. Heard of Skyrim? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3? Wii U needs those games. If you look at the top 20 games on Wii, seventeen of them are first party titles. One of them is Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, which is a stretch. The other two? Just Dance and Just Dance 2 by Ubisoft. That’s ridiculous. Of those 18, Mario is in 8 of them. Great for Nintendo, bad for everyone else who develops games for the system.

The Xbox 360 and PS3, on the other hand, have a much more varied list amongst first and third party titles. Call of Duty is a regular occurrence. Wii U needs to have Call of Duty. And it needs to be as good or better that the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. They can add in some extra value by putting in some Nintendo-franchise exclusivity. An example:

SoulCalibur II was an excellent fighting game released for Xbox, PS2, and GameCube. It got an average of 91% for reviews. What was the best-selling version? The GameCube version, because it had Link from The Legend of Zelda. Give us more like that Nintendo, and we’ll reward you with our hard-earned money.

Now the Wii U does have some standard games coming, like Madden NFL ’13. But it’s also getting some games late, like Batman: Arkham City [Armored Edition], Ninja Gaiden III [Razor's Edge], and Darksiders II. But while it’s understandable that we’ll be getting these late, we can’t always be on the back burner. We need them on time and well-executed.

4. Bring back classic Nintendo series

If you look at the character roster in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, half in the game don’t even have a game on Wii: Star Fox, F-Zero, Ice Climber, EarthBound, Pikmin, Kid Icarus. I’ll add in Metal Gear because, well, he needs a good Nintendo game for a modern console. I’ve  played games from most of the aforementioned list, and they’re great fun. Now, bring them back. Series like Ice Climbers and Kid Icarus are understandable for not having a game made since the NES days. Series like Star Fox and F-Zero have no such excuse. Bring them back in full force. I promise, we’ll buy them. (I, for one, want to play an F-Zero game. I was too young to play the GameCube one from ’03).

5. Integrate well with our existing devices

iPads. iPhones. App Stores. Web Browsers. These items are a huge part of our daily lives. As Nintendo faces increased competition for our attention from these devices, it needs to have a very real and physical (ha!) presence on these devices. Give us apps to log in and check the status of our towns in Animal Crossing, or real-life happenings in the world of Zelda. By giving us these, you increase your mindshare amongst your users. And that’s exactly what they need. Thankfully, it looks like they already have something planned in this space. It just needs to be good.

Problem Solved. [Kinda]

A couple of days ago, I wrote “The Sad State of Nintendo Gaming“. That article was prompted by my frustrations in playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 on the Xbox 360 with my cousins and siblings (that’s the eloquent way of saying that I got absolutely decimated on a repeated basis). At the end of the article, I had this to say:

“But with that, I’d like them to be able to stick with their standard dual-analog format with the Pro Controller, and I could simply use a Wii Remote and Nunchuk combo…

Let me end this post with my look at my dream console: A Nintendo-branded console in full HD console with a modern wireless communication network between consoles that get full ports of killer games on other consoles. And one that does so while providing innovation, customizability, and backwards-compatibility. Is that too hard to ask?”

Well, the day when that happens won’t be here for a while. But the day when GoldenEye 007 for the Wii comes out has already come and gone. I did some research on the best FPS on the Wii, and GoldenEye reigned victorious. I picked up a copy yesterday, and am already a big fan. And the best part? The game’s controls are bring-your-own-controller-and-customize-it-to-your-hearts-content. Wii Remote + Nunchuck, Wii Zapper, Classic Controller Pro, GameCube controller… eat your heart out. Seriously. I’ve been tinkering with the precise controls constantly.

On a slightly related note, I found the limited-edition Metroid Prime Trilogy in GameStop today. It was swiftly picked up along with GoldenEye. Trilogy uses the Wiimote + Nunchuck combination that I love so much for first-person shooters; I believe that it has the perfect control scheme. Prime Trilogy really takes all of the thinking out of navigating with Samus. If I can extend that to Bond… I’ll be invincible (well, as invincible as I can be without Super Missiles…).

It helps that GoldenEye has an excellent multi-player mode; that means that I can invite some friends over next year and take care of ‘em with ease, whether they’re dual-analog or not. Unfortunately, the Wii U won’t have support for GameCube controllers (which makes sense; it did come out in 2001); the Cube controller was one of the most comfortable and well-designed ever—especially with the asymmetric ABXY layout. Fortunately, the Wii U Pro Controller  looks to fix some of the shortcomings of the ‘Cube controller (no Z equivalent on the left side, no select button, small C-Stick nub)—and it will be wireless.

Get ready. Oddjob’s gunning for you.

The iPhone 5 is here

…and it’s called the iPhone 4S. People. C’mon. Few things irritate me more than when people ask me when the iPhone 5 will come out. I [maybe a bit flippantly] reply that “It’s here now; pick it up at any place that sells iPhones.”

It’s important to note that with the iPod and Mac lines, Apple does not append the name with the generation number for its devices (e.g. the iPod nano 5). It simply refers to these machines in official documentation as the product name with the generation number in parentheses (e.g. iPod nano (5th generation)). It’s simply the iPhone line and the iPad 2 that break this pattern. And we all know that Apple is a company of pattern.

People’s confusion stems mostly due to Apple’s iPhone naming system. The original iPhone was simply “iPhone”. But when the second generation came out, it was called the iPhone 3G. This was because this was the first iPhone that had 3G networking; everyone knew that it wasn’t the third iPhone. The third phone was called the iPhone 3GS. Easy to remember, and it had the “3″ in it too. Enter the iPhone 4: one of the few Apple products that has its generation number in its official title (along with the iPad 2). Now, before the Apple enthusiasts caught on to Apple’s tick-tock strategy, there were a number of debates on the Apple enthusiast corner of the Internet over whether the next iPhone would be named “iPhone 5″ or “iPhone 4S”. Apple proved that the 4S camp guessed right.

When the iPhone 3GS came out in 2009, it started a tick-tock pattern for Apple. An overhaul of a product would come out, and then Apple would refine and perfect it next generation and append the name accordingly. This was also apparent in Mac OS X with Snow Leopard succeeding Leopard  in 2009 and Mountain Lion succeeding Lion in 2012.

But for some reason, people stopped making sense. “Oh, the iPhone 5 didn’t come out this year, they released the 4S. So I guess it’ll come out next year!” That makes no sense. Apple just released the “iPhone 5″ with a different name. Don’t be a lemming. Call the next iPhone simply “The next iPhone” or “iPhone 6th generation”. Because you know what? No one outside of the top people at Apple know what it’ll be called, so let’s not assume. But we know it won’t be the iPhone 5.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I’ll reward you by reading the previous 427 words with this:

Look, the iPhone (5th generation)!