The Wii U Changes Everything

During E3 2011 Nintendo gave a sneak peak at their upcoming console, the Wii U.  The Wii U is slated for a 2012 release and will output 1080p high-definition (HD) video.  This will be the first Nintendo product to output HD, and it will be the next evolution of the console with a controller that has a touch screen.  The primary thing that sets the Wii U apart from other console systems is that games can be played using only the display on the remote.  Can you imagine playing your current console without having the TV on?

Wii U via Digital Trends

When looking at the Wii U the first thing you will notice is that the remote looks a lot like a tablet, only with a smaller display and physical controls.  There has been much debate over the past few years about how much impact tablets and smartphones were making in the gaming industry.  With widely popular devices like the iPad and iPhone and widely popular games like Angry Birds and Infinity Blade, it makes sense that the gaming industry giants are feeling some squeeze from electronic companies like Apple.  After seeing the images of the Wii U controller it became completely apparent that the console as we know it may be exiting the building.  The console system of the future, according to Nintendo, is going to include a tablet remote that needs no TV.  In my humble opinion I think we are seeing a major shift in the console system because much like the iPad, you can carry the device around the house and play games without wires.  Unlike the iPad though, it looks like the Wii U remote will need to be within close proximity of the Wii U base in order to process the game data.  This will still confine the Wii U to inside your home, but maybe the next Wii generation will be completely portable like the iPad.

Madden NFL 12 on iPad 2 via Apple.com

The differences between a gaming console and tablet will really start to blur this fall when Apple releases iOS 5.  The iPad 2 will support mirroring its display via Apple TV.  The Wii U will support displaying games on a TV or only on the Wii U remote display.  When comparing the above two sentences it becomes unclear where the differences are, because both systems are capable of giving similar gaming experiences.  The major differences are the controls and the available games.  Nintendo is obviously seeing the need to offer a different gaming experience that isn’t centered just on the TV, but also offers an intimate experience much like the iPad currently does.

It seems to me that iOS devices and the like have challenged major gaming system companies and the impact being felt by the major gaming companies is real.  If Nintendo weren’t feeling the squeeze from companies like Apple, why would it make a product that resembles an iPad so much?  Who knows, maybe your next console will say “TV optional” on the box.

What are you thoughts, do you think that Nintendo’s Wii U took some design cues from the iPad?  Will the Wii U appeal to gamers?

1Password - Exporting Your Data (In order to obtain paper copies)

I've been using 1Password for about 4 months now, and I can honestly say I really like it.  It is well worth the money, and allows you to have strong passwords easily.  The one thing that scares me about this program is that all of the information is stored digitally, so I decided a paper backup would be a nice thing to have (in addition to backing up via Dropbox).  1Password allows you to export data into several formats, but for this I used the Text File format, and opened the tab delimitated text file in Excel in order to format it nicely and print it.  Here are the steps that you need to take to do this:

1. Open and Unlock 1Password.
2. File > Export All > Text File...



Click Here for a Larger Image

3. After choosing Text File... you have to choose what data you want to export.  You can choose to export ALL data but I would suggest experimenting with this a little.  I use 1Password mainly for website credentials, so I choose to export that information by choosing to export user, website, and password related fields.
4. After 1Password finishes exporting the text file to the location you choose, open the file in spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel.  It should import with the headers on the first row.  You can not delete information you don't want, or adjust the column widths.
5. Print the spreadsheet, again you can play with the page layout in order to get the fit and look you want.
6. Close your spreadsheet program and locate the 1Password text file.  Securely delete the text file.  See the following resources to see how to do this on Mac OS X and Windows.
7. After you finish printing the spreadsheet take the papers and your Master Password and store them in a secure location like a safety deposit box or a safe.

Now you have a secured, paper copy of your password and Master Password (if you write it down on the papers) available in case you need it.  Make sure the location you store the paper(s) is secure, and make sure you update your paper backup periodically as your 1Passsword information changes (To do this repeat the above steps).