Speaking with Eurogamer, EA vice president Andrew Wilson went on to explain that the Nintendo console can do “anything” that the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 can. The comments come in the wake of EA receiving new development kits for the console, allowing the company to further understand the Wii U’s inner workings. Speaking about this process, Wilson stated:
The EA vice president continued, explaining that the Wii U presents a unique opportunity to the company’s development teams, thanks largely to the console’s ability to utilize two screens. It’s this challenge that Mr. Wilson believes his development teams are “looking forward to.”
He also attempted to answer direct comparisons between the existing consoles and the Wii successor, explaining that while the Wii U was able to replicate Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 graphics, he expected the console eventually surpass this level. Given the early stage of EA’s development into the unit, it was hard to accurately describe how powerful the console potentially is.
Mr. Wilson also explained that several of EA’s staff are in discussion with Nintendo over the new console’s online infrastructure, working with them to help ensure that it is up to standard with EA’s expectations:
In Game Rant’s opinion, this is an important development. The Nintendo Wii online capabilities were criticized by users for lacking the integration of its counterparts: Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. If Nintendo can deliver a service that rivals these then the Wii U will be able to deliver the sort of games that its users deserve. Features such as online leagues and the popular ‘Ultimate Team’ would enhance the Wii U version of the game greatly and bring it in line with other consoles.
EA has yet to confirm which of its games will make it to the Wii U launch lineup, though Wilson let slip that the company’s popular FIFA franchise is likely to feature in some form. Whether this will be a version of the upcoming FIFA 12 iteration or possibly FIFA 13 is unclear but Wilson underlined that development on the Wii U version of the game had yet to get underway:
The Nintendo Wii U is expected to be released in early 2012. No news on pricing or availability have been announced at the present time.
Source: Eurogamer
