EA COO Peter Moore backs the Wii U

Newly appointed EA COO Peter Moore has publicly backed Nintendo's vision of the future, the Wii U.

Speaking to IndustryGamers, Moore palmed aside chatter of Wii U being a transitional platform and downplayed the importance of better graphics for the next generation of consoles.

"People will start talking about it being a transitional platform. And I don't think that's going to be the case," said Moore.

"And here's why: the [tablet] controller [is huge]. This is not about specs any more... This is about, as it was with the Wii, is the controller a unique way of enjoying a game experience, regardless of what the graphic fidelity is?"

"Look, you saw Battlefield - how much better could this stuff look at some point? There's a point of diminishing returns... I don't even know if there's anything better than 1080p.

"In the early days of our industry, this stuff was absolutely about how much better the games looked - shinier helmets, greener grass – but I've been around long enough to know that seeing your breath in a football game is a huge deal. But that's no longer the case any more."

Nintendo's job, Moore said, is to "build a better moustrap with regards to the way that we use the controller".

"So I don't know what Xbox and PlayStation's plans for their next platforms are," Moore added, "but it's not going to be hanging on graphic fidelity. I guarantee you that."

What will be "critically important" for Nintendo, Moore believes, is online - an area the Wii left unfulfilled.

"We are relieved, if anything else, that [Nintendo] have made a huge commitment that they have presented to us," said Moore.

"Online certainly was not a factor with the Wii, as you know; although they had capabilities, it just wasn't there at the level that both Xbox Live and PlayStation had.

"But Nintendo totally gets that multi-player, building community, co-op play, having the ability to bring games that are deeper - all of these things are now very important."

What those online capabilities will be, Nintendo is keeping very close to its chest. Moore's understudy, Andrew Wilson, told Eurogamer in July that EA Sports was working closely with Nintendo to figure the online support out.

Peter Moore was recently promoted from president of EA Sports to chief operating officer at EA.