Nintendo’s E3 was perhaps one of the most anticipated amongst the gaming world. The 3DS launch early this year game some a taste of the future of the long established video game company, and the known reveal of the first new console since 2006 caused much excitement. Nintendo would have the most to gain, or lose, coming into this E3, as it has to sell the idea of moving on from the Wii to a market that has never had to experience a chance in consoles before.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Nintendo’s E3 Press Conference.

The Good

The Wii U is revealed.

When word leaked out that Nintendo was working on a new console, the heads of Nintendo came out and confirmed its existence. Questions and rumors started to arise as every major gaming media site claimed to have a source in the inside that knew what Nintendo had up its sleeve. All of the speculation and excitement came to a head when the president of Nintendo of America, Reginald Fils-Aime, announced on stage that the new Nintendo console was named Wii U.

The highlight of the new console, which Nintendo focused on completely, was the controller. The unique design features a 6.2” touch screen with a full complement of buttons, as well as a camera, speakers, and a microphone. The most impressive feature of the new console is that the action going happening on the television can be transferred to the screen on the controller. The screen on the controller also opens up several possibilities to interact with a game like never before, as shown on stage during a montage of concepts.

What may be more impressive is that Nintendo was able to leverage strong third party partners into buying into the tech. John Riccitiello, the CEO of Electronics Arts, took to the stage to tell the audience of the potential of the new Nintendo console. Having strong third party relations have never been Nintendo’s strong suit, something they are looking to change for the future.

Nintendo bolsters the 3DS with a sensational lineup.

To most, the 3DS has a rather lackluster launch lineup, especially from Nintendo’s first party releases. Nintendo took a risk at launching the handheld at a price point that was higher than usual, and so far the system has not sold as well as Nintendo would like. Their answer to drum up excitement for the 3DS is a lineup of Nintendo developed titles that will rain down this holiday season.

Before the year is out, the system will see Mario Kart 3DS, which will feature kart customizing and flight and underwater elements added to the tracks, Mario Bros 3DS, which sees the return of some Mario gameplay favorites like the Tanooki suit and the flag pole to finish of stages, and Star Fox 3DS, which will feature a robust multiplayer experience.

Most Nintendo systems would have to wait years to see an iteration of these titles; Nintendo is going all in this holiday season to get the market excited for the handheld.

Happy birthday Zelda!

Nintendo kicked off the press conference with a live orchestra playing a medley of Zelda music from the series. The Zelda franchise has some of the most memorable tunes in the history of gaming, and Nintendo played off of that nostalgia well.

Gaming industry Shigeru Miyamoto took to the stage to help celebrate the 25 anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series with a bit of fun, interacting with the orchestra while they played some of the series iconic sound effects, the funniest being the opening the chest tune. Miyamoto also announced that the Game Boy Color title Link Awakenings would be available for free on the 3DS eShop that day. Also, Nintendo will be offering a free version of the multiplayer Four Swords as a free download for the DSi this fall. Lastly, Nintendo will be releasing a special edition, gold colored Wii remote when the Wii title Skyward Sword comes out this fall.

It was a nice treatment of one of the most cherished franchises in gaming, and Nintendo does an amazing job in celebrating the past of the company, along with its future.

The Bad

Nintendo looks past the Wii and the market that got them here?

The Wii has been Nintendo’s most successful console since the Super Nintendo. Nintendo was able to build up excitement for their product with a market that has long stepped away from gaming, and used that excitement to sell their brand. Titles like Wii Fit, Wii Play, and Mario Kart have sold hand over fist to this market. The so called “casual” market was locked down by Nintendo since the early days of the Wii, and it has treated Nintendo well.

During the conference, Nintendo put forth a show that was geared to their brand nostalgia, with their 3DS lineup, and to the core gaming market, with touting the third party relationships for the Wii U. Other than talk of the newest Zelda for the Wii, Skyward Sword, the Wii was already an afterthought for Nintendo, even with their new console more than eight months away.

While there are sure to be some Wii games announced during the rest of E3, it is a bold move from Nintendo to cease focusing on the Wii so swiftly, and with another holiday season to go before the Wii U launches sometime in 2012.

The Ugly

More questions, then answers.

While the Wii U was the focus of Nintendo’s press conference, the unveiling of the system left more questions on the table than answers.

A lot of confusion regarding the new controller arose, was it just a peripheral for the current Wii console, or was it the system by itself? Does the system support more than one of these controllers, and can it be taken on the road and played as a handheld like the 3DS?

Nintendo spent their time showing off concepts of what the Wii U, but it did a poor job in explaining some of the key features of the new system. Details about the hardware were left out intentionally so that Nintendo could get everyone to focus on the new controller. The problem with this approach, is while the new controller is an interesting piece of hardware, the masses in attendance were more interesting with how Nintendo would catch up with the competition in terms of power. Would the Wii U be graphically comparable with the PS3 and Xbox 360? Does the system feature a more robust online experience not found on current Nintendo hardware?

It is a dangerous practice to leave so many questions on the table, especially when you have the undivided attention of the gaming world. The next few months will be filled with more rumors at the abilities of the system until Nintendo finally starts to show off some software.

Overall, Nintendo did a great job to get people excited for the 3DS. This holiday season might be one of the strongest software line ups for any handheld as several top shelf Nintendo franchises will make their 3D debut. The Wii U reveal was interesting, but the lack on some of the details of the hardware just led to many more questions than answers. Nintendo had a clean presentation once again, even if some leave scratching their heads.