Why core gamers will accept Wii U

Core gamers will accept the Wii U because it has high definition visuals and can be played in a conventional way, Nintendo has said.

That was boss Satoru Iwata's response when asked by a shareholder today whether the hardcore will accept Nintendo's next home console.

"Wii was not accepted by core gamers because they did not want to abandon their preferred control approach," he said, as reported by Andriasang.

"Additionally, Wii did not use HD because HD cost performance at the time was low. Wii U makes it easier to use conventional controls. Also, the Wii U controller is not as big or heavy as it looks."

Some criticised the Wii U's debut after Nintendo chose to showcase tech demos running on the hardware rather than games that will eventually launch.

This led to concern that the Wii U may suffer from a poor launch line-up of games - as the Nintendo 3DS did earlier this year - but Iwata told investors this will not be the case.

The CEO then suggested the eye-catching Zelda HD tech demo showcased at E3 was only possible on the Wii U.

"Regarding Zelda HD, Japanese developers said that it could not be replicated on other machines," Iwata said.

It was made in a relatively short period, so Iwata feels that HD development will not be a problem.

Nintendo's share price hit its lowest value in five years following the unveiling of the Wii U.

"There were high expectations from the new version of the Wii and this fell far short," said analyst Yusuke Tsunoda.

"People had expected to see something more at a big event like the E3, but there wasn't really anything more than what's already reported."

Iwata countered this criticism, saying feedback from those who actually played the Wii U was positive.

"Reactions directly from LA were extremely good," he said. "The majority of the overseas media offered congratulations. The reaction differed greatly between those who covered the product at the show and those who just covered it online. In other words, the point is how Nintendo can convey the value of the product."

Oli Welsh went hands-on at E3 for Eurogamer's Wii U preview.

The console launches some time next year – but not before April.