Nintendo Co. (NTDOY, 7974.OK), hoping to breathe new life into its flagging videogame-hardware franchise, showed off a new generation of the Wii console Tuesday that leans heavily on the appeal of a new tabletlike device for controlling games.
The Japanese company is betting that an additional screen besides a TV monitor will allow its forthcoming Wii U console to redefine how people interact with videogames--much as the original Wii's motion-sensing wands introduced movement for players when it launched in 2006.
Nintendo, which on Tuesday held a high-profile presentation at the annual E3 trade show here, isn't answering such key questions this week as what the new system will cost and when it will go on sale.
Instead, the Japanese gaming giant is focusing on demonstrating games that show how the Wii U's 6.2-inch touch-screen controller, called the GamePad, interacts with television screens.
Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's president, said the touch-screen controller allows a new dynamic to multiplayer games by dispensing with a videogame convention that all action takes place on one screen and each player has the same set of capabilities.
'If you design in a way for people to have different roles within the game, you can change multiplayer games dramatically,' said Mr. Iwata in an interview before the E3 presentation.
In a new Wii U title called 'Nintendo Land,' a player slides his hand over the GamePad to flick shuriken, or throwing stars, at opposing ninjas on the TV screen. In another game, a player takes on the role of a bowman and uses the hand-held monitor to aim arrows at attackers on the TV screen while working in tandem with other players wielding the original Wii controllers as swords to fend off monsters. Another feature allows a player to keep playing a game only on the controller if the TV is in use for something else.
Mr. Iwata also said it would not wait so long before releasing Nintendo's most popular games with the Wii U, a mistake it made with the 3DS. The company already has a Wii U version of its flagship Super Mario Bros. franchise and a new Wii Fit game in the pipeline.
In an attempt to resolve an issue that dogged the Wii, Nintendo plans to aggressively target traditional gamers who shied away from its previous home console because it lacked high-definition graphics and the controllers didn't satisfy the needs for more advanced players.
Reid Schneider, vice president and executive producer of game developer WB Montreal, said it is clear the new controller is designed with hard-core game fans in mind. WB Montreal is developing a Wii U version of the popular Batman Arkham City series. In the game, the Wii U GamePad functions as the computer that Batman wears on his wrist.
Mr. Schneider said the second screen makes a difference in designing games especially in the timing of when a player should look at the TV screen or the controller display.
任天堂(Nintendo Co.)周二高调展示了其新一代Wii游戏机，这款游戏机的吸引力在于它采用了一种类似平板电脑的新型控制器。任天堂目前希望能为其萎靡不振的视频游戏硬件业务注入活力。
Associated PressWii U游戏机6.2英寸的触屏控制器可以与电视屏幕互动。这家日本公司认为，除电视的显示屏之外为游戏机再加一块屏幕的设计，将使其名为Wii U的新款游戏机能够重新定义用户与游戏的互动方式。此举的意义很大程度上类似于任天堂2006年推出Wii“动作感应手柄”所产生的影响。这个手柄让玩家第一次可以通过动作控制游戏。
任天堂周二在一年一度的E3贸易展示会上进行了高调的现场展示。但该公司对一些关键问题并没有给出答案，比如这个新产品的售价和面市时间。
这家日本游戏巨头在展会上主要还是展示了这款Wii U游戏机6.2英寸的触屏控制器如何与电视屏幕互动。任天堂将该控制器命名为GamePad。
任天堂公司总裁岩田聪(Satoru Iwata)说，触屏控制器将为多人游戏带来新的体验，因为它摒弃了视频游戏的传统模式，即所有动作都在一块屏幕上展示，每一个玩家都拥有同一套技能。
岩田聪在E3展示前接受采访时说，如果能让人们在一款游戏里扮演多种角色，那么多人游戏的体验会发生不可思议的改变。
在一款叫做“Nintendo Land”的Wii U 游戏中，体验者可以在控制器的触屏上滑动手指，从而向电视屏幕上的忍者投掷飞镖或是流星。另一款游戏中，玩家可以扮演弓箭手，通过手中的显示屏将弓箭对准电视屏幕上的袭击者，同时还可以与其他玩家一起挥动手中的Wii控制器，也就是挥动手中的“剑”来击退怪兽。如果电视被占用时，玩家还可以在控制器上玩游戏，这是这款游戏机的另一个特色。
任天堂在今年的电子娱乐展览会（简称E3）上发布了被热切期待的新款游戏平板控制器Wii U Gamepad。以下视频介绍了这款新品的设计和功能。岩田聪还说，任天堂不久就会推出其最受欢迎的游戏在Wii U上的版本，不会再犯与推出3DS时同样的错误。任天堂已经开发出了该公司旗舰游戏超级马里奥(Super Mario Bros.)的Wii U版本，同时正在准备一款新版的Wii Fit游戏。
任天堂计划将Wii U的目标消费者定位于那些对其此前推出的家用游戏机已逐渐失去兴趣的传统玩家。后者之所以渐渐远离了任天堂的游戏机，是因为这些游戏机的图像分辨率不够，控制器也不能满足更高级玩家的需求。正是这个问题让Wii渐渐失去人气。
游戏开发商WB Montreal的副总裁兼执行制作人施奈德（Reid Schneider）说，新控制器的设计显然充分照顾到了铁杆游戏迷的需求。WB Montreal正在开发《蝙蝠侠：阿甘之城》(Batman Arkham City)的Wii U版本。Wii U控制器GamePad在这款游戏中充当了蝙蝠侠手腕上佩戴的电脑。
施奈德说，第二块屏幕将对游戏开发带来改变，尤其是在决定玩家何时应看电视屏幕、何时应看控制器屏幕方面。
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