Wii U Is as Powerful as the Xbox 360

The Nintendo Wii U is the first next-generation console to be launched, but according to one leader of Microsoft, the hardware of the device does not offer more power than the Xbox 360.

Phil Spencer, who is leading the Microsoft Studios division, has told Games Industry that, “I think their Pro Controller makes a lot of sense with the platform they’ve built. They are building a platform that is effectively a 360 when you think of graphical capability.”

He added, “Now they are really making an on-ramp for the back catalog of games that are on 360. It is easy for those games to move over the Wii U. They’ve moved the buttons around, and they’ve made a controller that feels familiar for 360 gamers, so I get why they are putting those pieces together.”

It’s not clear whether Nintendo actually has plans to get titles from the past few years, offered on Sony and Microsoft devices, and bring them to the Wii U or the company will only try and get ports for future titles that are also arriving on other platforms.

Phil Spencer also commented on the launch line-up for the Wii U, saying that he liked the idea behind Ubisoft’s ZombiU, but that he was disappointed by the fact that Nintendo did not show a Zelda or a Metroid game for its new device.

The executive also declared that Sony managed to impress with the new God of War: Ascension but added that Microsoft managed to “win” E3 2012 by showing a new Gears of War, more about Halo 4 and by introducing Smartglass.

Analysts are widely expecting to see both Sony and Microsoft officially reveal the Xbox 720 and the PlayStation 4 before the end of the year, with actual launch dates linked to late 2013.