One of the many worries developers have about next-gen consoles is the learning curve required to take full advantage of the system. With the PS3 and Xbox 360, developers have had time to fully learn the ins-and-outs of each console to really get the most out of them. Of course, that all changes when a new console arrives.
Then again, if the next-gen Xbox or PlayStation are like the Wii U, then developing for them might not be as difficult as some are making it out to be.
In an interview with Nintendo Gamer, Team Ninja's Fumihiko Yasuda and Yosuke Hayashi gave some insight on developing for the brand new Wii U, claiming its "very easy to develop for".
"We're finding it very similar to develop for the Wii U as for Xbox 360 and PS3," they added.
That's great news from an industry standpoint. According to them, Nintendo is continuing to make changes with the Wii U's hardware based off developer feedback.
"They've asked us what we would want from the hardware, and when we give them feedback we can see that they're definitely listening to it and making changes," said Hayashi. "The hardware is still constantly changing."
Team Ninja released Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the DS, so the Wii U's touch screen feature is a welcomed addition to the new console.
"The Wii U's touch control is like the Nintendo DS's," Yasuda added. "We released a Ninja Gaiden game, Dragon Sword, on DS, so we want to introduce some elements from that into the Wii U version [of Ninja Gaiden 3]."
These comments further emphasize Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono's earlier statements that the Wii U's hardware has "advanced since E3".
With recent reports that the WIi U will feature new NFC technology and rumors that the console is twice as powerful as the Xbox 360, the Wii U has made quite a jump from when it was first revealed. It looks like Nintendo is doing everything it can to ensure the success of the Wii U, including revamping and simplifying the entire online purchasing process.
Nintendo recently announced plans to release the Wii U by the end of 2012.
