Reggie: third-party games “look dramatically better” on Wii U

Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime reckons third-party games like Call of Duty “look dramatically better” on Wii U.

In an interview with CNN Fils-Aime said the Wii U specifications are “more graphically intensive” than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Here's a transcript of the interview, below.

CNN: In terms of specs, the Wii is pretty much on par with the Xbox 360 and the PS3. But we know Sony and Microsoft are set to release new consoles next year. Aren't you worried about the timing and that the Wii U will be a generation behind your rivals?

Reggie Fils-Aime: Well first off I have to correct you. The specs are quite different than the competitive systems, much more graphically intensive. If you do a side by side comparison you would actually see third-party games like Call of Duty look dramatically better on our system.

In terms of what competition's going to do in the future, we'll see. We know based on our own development this two screen gaming experience really is the next innovation consumers are gravitating to.

It's selling extremely well here in the Americas. Already stocks are quote low in the marketplace. We're rapidly replenishing. So for us, certainly the consumer is deciding the innovation is well worth the investment.

Already gamers have questioned Fils-Aime's comments, which contradict Digital Foundry's analysis of the graphical prowess of the Wii U.

In Richard Leadbetter's recently-published Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Wii U Face-off he wrote:

“The Wii U version matches the look of the Xbox 360 game and thus gives it an edge visually over the PlayStation 3 release, but unfortunately it comes up well short in terms of performance - an aspect that is all-important to the playability of a COD title.

“The frame-rate variance is such that the PS3 game feels generally smoother, while the 360 release feels like an entirely different game in the more demanding levels. Bearing in mind the commonalities in hardware design between Wii U and Xbox 360, we can't help but feel somewhat disappointed that Black Ops 2 under-performs so noticeably.”

Meanwhile, Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari, has expressed his doubts about the Wii U, out in the UK this Friday.

In a piece on Nintendo in the New York Times Bushnell said he was “baffled” by the Wii U.

“I don't think it's going to be a big success,” he said. Then, commenting on video game consoles in general, he added: “These things will continue to sputter along, but I really don't think they'll be of major import ever again.

“It feels like the end of an era to me.”