Okay, first off, let me say that I’m not entirely in the comic Ray’s corner here.  Though I think that Nintendo may be relying a bit too much on “fancy-schmancy” controllers and interactivity gimmicks for their consoles over the last several “generations,” I don’t feel that the Wii U is going to do as poorly as some other have suggested.  Do I think they’re late to the game on HD graphics?  Absolutely.  Do I think they’re going to suffer from yet again leaving any kind of internet community (i.e. PSN or Xbox Live) off their console?  A bit, yeah.  But do I hate on the controllers?  Nope.

On the contrary.  I believe that adding interactivity to the gaming experience is something Nintendo has been leading the charge in and, regardless of whether you get into it and actually mimics the movements you’re supposed to be…uh…mimicking, or you just sit back on the couch and flick your wrist in a lazy imitation, I think there’s an added component that is lacking in the overall “button-pushing interface norm.”  If you want a good example of what adding a little aspect of “realism” can do to a game experience, one need not look much further than the popularity of the now-standard controller trigger and how it is a much-prefered method of input when playing a game that requires you shoot a gun.  My point is, whether Nintendo’s new system will stack up to the other consoles in terms of graphics or social connectivity is irrelevant to me because there’s something awesome about potentially playing a game where the tool your character is using on the screen is replicated 1:1 by the tool you’re actually holding in your hand.  My very first experience with such a gameplay mechanic is easily one of my favorite experiences on the DS; a seldom-mentioned game called Trace Memory.  If you own a DS and have never played this game (or its quasi-cousin Hotel Dusk: Room 515) you should click the linked text and snag a copy of one or both.

All that said, though, I think there will be plenty of missed opportunities, too.  (he said with a bit of sarcasm)  The comic was inspired by the demo of ZombieU I saw in which the player lifts the controller pad and uses the touchscreen as the scope on their rifle rather than the gamescreen zooming the camera into the scope.  I think this sort of thing has the potential to be incredibly immersive…and…inevitably overused.  Either way, it will sell consoles.

–Ray