The Nintendo Wii left some gamers disappointed with the lack of HD support. The Nintendo Wii U was supposed to correct that, and Nintendo even developed the console to support 1080p output. Sadly, however, it looks like all -but-a few launch titles will only go up to 720p.
The latest casualty is Nintendo's mascot, Mario.
Nintendo's old message on the New Super Mario Bros. U site read:
"Experience Mario like never before... in full 1080p HD."
The website now reads:
"Experience Mario like never before... in high definition, only on the Wii U console!"
From the looks of it, Nintendo is downgrading New Super Mario Bros. U down to 720p, which has been the resolution the game has been previously shown off at.
New Super Mario Bros. U will release on November 18, the same day that the Nintendo Wii U launches in the United States. The latest Super Mario game will be a side-scrolling platformer, and have all the usual Mario elements such as getting to Princess Peach's castle, and some changes, such as new power-up abilities.
The Nintendo Wii U will launch with 22 other games, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Assassin's Creed 3, and Pikmin 3. (Correction***) Both the 2D platformer Toki Tori and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 should be running in 1080p.
The Nintendo Wii U's North American release date is set at November 18, and pre-orders are already selling out. Nintendo's latest console will come in two versions: an 8GB model for $249.99, and a 32GB model for $349.99.
Let's hope future games take advantage of 1080p, as the technology is old, and Nintendo really has no excuse for not including it in their games - especially one as high profile as Super Mario.
Watch New Super Mario Bros. U running at 720p: