The developers wanted to focus on adding gameplay features

Dec 11, 2012 01:41 GMT  ·  By

The Wii U home console from Nintendo initially consisted of just two Wiimotes, a monitor and sticky tape, according to the leader of the team that created the new device.

Katsuya Eguchi, the general manager at the entertainment and development division in charge of Wii U, tells the Iwata Asks segment that, “We used this prototype and two Wii consoles to run simulations for Wii U. EAD isn’t a hardware department, but a ‘handicraft team’ knowledgeable about hardware makes stuff like this.”

He adds, “One of the staff members expressed a desire for a game that would gather Nintendo’s franchises into a single spot and each franchise would have something to do with the others. It was quite a grand concept. But we were like, ‘How do we bring them all together?’ We didn’t take it too seriously.”

Initially, the team working on the Wii U was concerned with the kind of video game experiences that could be played on the new home console rather than on how it would look.

Eguchi says that development moved slowly in order to make sure that each new feature was tested and offered something new to the player.

The version of the Wii U that was launched on all major markets looks sleeks and modern, although some players have complained about the overall sturdiness of the device.

Gamers can pick up the new Nintendo console in Europe, North America and Japan and there have been no big reports of hardware failure.

Some players have reported issues with the big firmware patch that’s required to use online services, which the hardware maker promises to integrate with the hardware before sale, starting with 2013.

Nintendo wants to move 5.5 million units of the new platform before the end of March 31 and plans to also continue launching high-profile titles in the near future.