Peter Molyneux says the Wii U is good, but not great

The co-founder of 22 Cans and game design veteran Peter Molyneux told Games Industry International that he believes the Wii U is a good — but not great — console.

In his interview, he said that Nintendo's latest console offering falls short of the tech in today's tablet devices and he isn't sure if the Wii U has actually matched devices like the Kindle Fire and iPad.

"I think the Wii U is good, but I don't feel it's great," Molyneux said. "I've played the experience, I've played Nintendo Land, I've played ZombiU, and they're good. I find holding the device in my hand — looking up at the screen and looking down at the device — slightly confusing as a consumer. It's good, but it's not great. And we really need these new pieces of hardware to be great in today's world, because the competition is not just consoles anymore. The competition is everything, all the technology.

"They need to match that in my mind, and exceed it. And I'm not sure the Wii U really did that."

"When you're holding a Kindle Fire or an iPad in your hand, it's just amazing technology. It really is. It's expensive, but it's amazing technology. And people like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft need to match that. They need to match that in my mind, and exceed it. And I'm not sure the Wii U really did that."

The Curiosity and Populous developer said that while the Wii U is not a great console, he still has "enduring faith" in Nintendo and respects the company for having the foresight to persevere with the Wii even when the industry was "laughing and giggling about how stupid the Wii was, what a stupid name it was and who would want motion control."

The Wii U is now available in North America, Europe and Australia. It releases in Japan on Dec. 8.