Wii U first impressions!

[Julius Seeker]

I managed to get my first name and initial as a Nintendo Network ID, that has me happy! =)

Anyway, the gamepad itself is about the size of a Gamegear, although with a much larger screen size, and it is considerably lighter.

Going into the eShop, it is already PACKED with games and other software, it looks like everything you can buy at retail you can also download from Nintendo Network to either your flash memory or harddrive; So Mass Effect, Fifa, Mario, Assassin's Creed 3, Batman Arkham City: Armoured Edition, etc... There are also some cheaper games available like Trine 2: Director's Cut.

Miiverse has a Communities section, a friends section, and a followers section - so it is a bit like Facebook and Twitter; but with the content surrounding gaming.

TV controls can all be done with the Gamepad, change channels, watch movies, volume controls, and since the screen on the gamepad is independent of the TV itself, even such things as TV Input. Through TVii, You can track your TV-watching status on Miiverse if you want, post comments about the show, or specific scenes in the show, etc... This same sort of interface applies to gaming as well.

The Miiverse is a fairly clever marketing technique, and good games should get a lot more exposure as a result of this.

The Deluxe Edition of the Console comes with a free copy of Nintendo Land, which right now is the most popular game on the system; Mario is a close number 2, ZombiU comes in third, with Call of Duty Black Ops 2 in 4th.

The whole club Nintendo thing is much smoother when you're purchasing games online - you can sync up your club Nintendo account to your Nintendo Network account.

Also, games you purchase anywhere can be registered for free cash on the Nintendo eShop at a rate of about 10%, so buying a $50 game will get you $5.00 of eShop money.

Many of the OS features, like Miiverse can be accessed at any time.

Oh yeah, the Gamepad can be charged using a 3DS charger.

[M'k'n'zy]

Im defidently enjoying mine so far my Nintendo Network id is Mknzy99 so add me!

[Julius Seeker]

Added, I'll pop up as JamesA.

I just want to note that 3DS charger is actually slightly too small.

Nintendoland is the perfect introduction to Wii U, there are 12 games in one based on popular Nintendo franchises, and some cult favourites. The games have multiple modes in each, and you build up a theme park by winning cooins and such throughout. The Zelda one is really fun with multtiplayer co-op, and I really like Balloon Trip and Pikmin for single player. I still have to try half the games out. Pikmin is the best gamepad only game.

Anyway, you win coins as you progress, which can be used to improve your staging area. The staging area is one big plaza set up in the middle of all the locations. It has a bustling theme park feel.

[Flip]

Nice to hear the pad is light. Granted, i'll probably never get one, but my first thought was at how big and clunky it looked. I still think it has to be slightly uncomfortable though? Your hands are way further apart than any game controller ever, which is different and maybe awkward? Also, since it isnt ergonomically designed to fir your palms does that bother you after a while?

[kali o.]

Is it my age?

Doesn't seem like there was very much "hype" in the launch of this new system. I mean, highly unlikely I would buy one, but lord knows I love trolling the shit outta fanboys (yes, I remain immature). Wii U kinda arrived with a bit of a fizzle...I completely wasn't aware of it.

It's either not very anticipated, I am getting old or it's just a byproduct of Nintendo being the only new system from the big three.

[Eric]

I tried one of these at a local Gamestop, I actually found switching back and forth between the gamepad and the TV really annoying lol.

[Anarky]

I tried one of these at a local Gamestop, I actually found switching back and forth between the gamepad and the TV really annoying lol.

We're getting old.

[Shrinweck]

I tried one of these at a local Gamestop, I actually found switching back and forth between the gamepad and the TV really annoying lol.

This would likely be my problem with it. I have no problems with handhelds and my monitor being so close to me but a TV that's 5+ feet away really fucks with me sometimes and having to switch between the two of them seems problematic. Penny Arcade Gabe's idea to use the Wii U as a dungeon master tool still seems really awesome to me though.

Unless they actually perfect this virtual reality stuff and make it incredibly affordable I can't see getting excited for a peripheral ever again. This is a short sighted comment, I know.

[Zeus]

Nice to hear the pad is light. Granted, i'll probably never get one, but my first thought was at how big and clunky it looked. I still think it has to be slightly uncomfortable though? Your hands are way further apart than any game controller ever, which is different and maybe awkward? Also, since it isnt ergonomically designed to fir your palms does that bother you after a while?

It's amazingly comfortable and honestly feels like the 360 controller in your hands. All the buttons are there and in the exact same place to be used by the same figures other than the fact the right stick is above the buttons instead of vice versa. The fact that your hands are 6" further apart becomes unnoticable after about 2 minutes unless you're lookin' down to use the screen. Any issue you find with your hands being "far apart" is quite honestly in your head

It's shocking how light it is. It honestly feels like it's an empty shell and is probably lighter than a 360 controller with batteries in it even with its rechargable battery.

[Zeus]

Is it my age?

Doesn't seem like there was very much "hype" in the launch of this new system. I mean, highly unlikely I would buy one, but lord knows I love trolling the shit outta fanboys (yes, I remain immature). Wii U kinda arrived with a bit of a fizzle...I completely wasn't aware of it.

It's either not very anticipated, I am getting old or it's just a byproduct of Nintendo being the only new system from the big three.

It's probably a little of all of those. But i think the major issue is it doesn't feel like there's a need for a "new gen". Games still look fantastic and there are no other technical issues right now. Why spend extra money on a system when you have a great system (or two or three) that already meets all your needs?

Nintendo needed to join the HD world, the Wii was completely outdated. Do you have any reason to pay for the PS4 or Nextbox? The industry wants it because they're in this ridiculous mindset that innovation in games can only come from new technologies (heaven forbid they use their current tools they spent the last 6-7 years developing to make games cheaper leading to more innovation and experimentation). But the consumer market just doesn't seem to have an appetite for it because they've been given no reason to want a new gen....yet. We'll see after E3 2013

[Zeus]

I tried one of these at a local Gamestop, I actually found switching back and forth between the gamepad and the TV really annoying lol.

This would likely be my problem with it. I have no problems with handhelds and my monitor being so close to me but a TV that's 5+ feet away really fucks with me sometimes and having to switch between the two of them seems problematic. Penny Arcade Gabe's idea to use the Wii U as a dungeon master tool still seems really awesome to me though.

Unless they actually perfect this virtual reality stuff and make it incredibly affordable I can't see getting excited for a peripheral ever again. This is a short sighted comment, I know.

Remember one thing: any annoyance switching back and forth is a design issue. Do you think that having a map for CoD down there instead of hitting a button like you do on the PS3 is annoying? Hit the same button on the Gamepad and pull it up on screen instead of lookin' down on the Gamepad.

There is ZERO functional difference between the Gamepad and a PS3/Xbox 360 controller, it's all in the design. Activision knew it had to shut up the CoD kids who despise any change so they designed it that way. ZombieU and The Wonderful 101? They're designed in a more gimmicky way. You'll have legit reasons to dislike the way the Gamepad is used there. But none of those reasons are related to functionality of the hardware

[SineSwiper]

Oh look, I don't need to start a new thread.

I'll just leave this right here:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/27/ ... -last-week

[Eric]

It would be an industry upset if Nintendo didn't sell out all of their supply of Wii U's over the holiday season.

If Ebay is any indication, the Wii U(350-$480) isn't nearly as popular as the Wii @ launch($1000 Wii sales wat), BUT Nintendo should be able to match the demand and sell every single console they make that makes it to shelves.

[Blotus]

1.There is ZERO functional difference between the Gamepad and a PS3/Xbox 360 controller, it's all in the design. 2.Activision knew it had to shut up the CoD kids who despise any change so they designed it that way.

1. That's not entirely true - the shoulder buttons are digital vs. analog. This probably wouldn't be much of a big deal except for racing titles if you're using them as gas/break.
2. You know that's not why, you're just being dramatic. It's a standard, established with the PS2 and Xbox. And if Nintendo really does want third party support like they say they do, publishers are more likely to do so when they don't have to completely rejigger the controls and UI , or hope customers already own a peripheral not included (like the Wii's pro controller). And in relation to COD comment, you know that nobody who plays it on the 360 or PC is suddenly going to drop that in favor of the WiU with the controller it has and Nintendo's history with online play.

I briefly got hands on with the controller at an EB (the TV wasn't working). At first, it's really bulky feeling to hold, but oddly light. Second thing that irked me was the placement of the second analog stick in relation to the face buttons. I can see WHY they put the stick above the buttons (design scheme), but it is certainly not comfortable to move your thumb up and down for access to both, as it is side to side.

I think it's to Nintendo's detriment this gen that they have to do something different as opposed to relying on the strength of their brand and exclusives. Too early to make snap assumptions, but the Xbox sales numbers (7 years in) in the WiiU's launch week are NOT a good sign for Nintendo. Then again, the 3DS rebounded pretty well from a tepid launch. I think that if Nintendo had been able to hold out another year and make this thing comparable (spec wise) to what Microsoft and Sony will come out with, they may have been better off in the long run.

Buuuut Nintendo still has that Nintendo ego - occasionally taking a peek at what's going on around them, but normally acting with blinders on (I mean, no multi-touch for the touch screen? Come on). I think what Sony has (hopefully) learned this gen, is that 1. the future of UI and online is simplicity and that 2. Proprietary tech in your console is expensive and developers hate dealing with it (see: Emotion Engine, Cell Processor).
1. I originally liked the cross media bar, but (and the Xbox UI is also guilty of this) it's become so bloated with things trying to be everything to everybody, that now it's a mess. PSN has gotten way better with the kind of titles it offers and deals you can get, but they took one step back with the new store layout which launches separately as an app and takes... a minute? to load. And of course, the whole process of download and installing anything (games, software or hardware updates) is a pain compared to the 360 doing the same thing.
2. At least the rumours of them using off-the-shelf parts for their next console is a welcome idea.


What up, Dreamcast 2?

[SineSwiper]

Second thing that irked me was the placement of the second analog stick in relation to the face buttons. I can see WHY they put the stick above the buttons (design scheme), but it is certainly not comfortable to move your thumb up and down for access to both, as it is side to side.

I was going to point this out, but Zeus was pretty adamant about "ZERO functional difference" between the game pads.

Buuuut Nintendo still has that Nintendo ego - occasionally taking a peek at what's going on around them, but normally acting with blinders on (I mean, no multi-touch for the touch screen? Come on). I think what Sony has (hopefully) learned this gen, is that 1. the future of UI and online is simplicity and that 2. Proprietary tech in your console is expensive and developers hate dealing with it (see: Emotion Engine, Cell Processor).

It's impossible for Nintendo to NOT dial the "innovation" to 11, which tends to screw up their product in some fashion. This worked in the beginning, but even then, they had some sense of consistency. I mean just look at a brief history of their consoles:

NES - Worked great, but they had little competition. Sold billions.
SNES - Added on to what worked with the NES, and sold exceptionally well.
N64 - Terrible controller, terrible decision about the CD-ROM drive, terrible dealbreaker with Sony's relationship. Basically handed over an 15-year empire to Sony.
GameCube - Controller went back to sane design. Not great, but not bad. GC's mini discs were still weird, though. Still didn't make a dent in the new Sony empire.
Wii - Since they couldn't win back their original audience, they dumped them in favor of the proles. Controllers that were never designed for core gamers or any long-term play. No HDMI. No social networking or arcade worth mentioning. Sold millions, but didn't really win back a lot of their core gamer fans.
Wii U - Now that Wii remote usage is already old hat (already?), they decide to turn the controller into a tablet. Still not caring much about their core gamers. Sales are currently doing worse than 360, but it's still early.

Also, I tried out this controller in a demo in Best Buy. The way the demo worked was fucking stupid. You are playing this Rayman Legends thing, but you don't actually control Rayman. Instead, you are doing various touchpad actions with the fly, while Rayman moves automatically. This doesn't really showcase the touchpad as much as it showcases a fundamental problem with the whole idea:

The controller is two separate concepts mashed into one. Very crudely.

Rayman is moving automatically, because to not do so would mean that you would have to switch back and forth between the touchpad and the controls with your hands. I mean, unless you have four hands. I don't. They even further complicate this problem by having some "spin the tablet maze" portion of the game. Of course, you're not using the buttons, analog stick, or touchpad while you're doing this, because to do so would make the controls way too complicated. So, it ends up being THREE separate concepts mashed into one. (Sure, you could safely use analog/buttons + gyro, like a lot of other tablet games, but the demo wasn't showing me this with the gameplay.)

In fact, with the screen on the TV acting like the screen on the tablet, I failed to understand why Nintendo just wasn't trying to make tablet games or something. Since I ended up staring at the tablet half the time, there really wasn't a difference.

[Zeus]

1.There is ZERO functional difference between the Gamepad and a PS3/Xbox 360 controller, it's all in the design. 2.Activision knew it had to shut up the CoD kids who despise any change so they designed it that way.

1. That's not entirely true - the shoulder buttons are digital vs. analog. This probably wouldn't be much of a big deal except for racing titles if you're using them as gas/break.
2. You know that's not why, you're just being dramatic. It's a standard, established with the PS2 and Xbox. And if Nintendo really does want third party support like they say they do, publishers are more likely to do so when they don't have to completely rejigger the controls and UI , or hope customers already own a peripheral not included (like the Wii's pro controller). And in relation to COD comment, you know that nobody who plays it on the 360 or PC is suddenly going to drop that in favor of the WiU with the controller it has and Nintendo's history with online play.

I briefly got hands on with the controller at an EB (the TV wasn't working). At first, it's really bulky feeling to hold, but oddly light. Second thing that irked me was the placement of the second analog stick in relation to the face buttons. I can see WHY they put the stick above the buttons (design scheme), but it is certainly not comfortable to move your thumb up and down for access to both, as it is side to side.

I think it's to Nintendo's detriment this gen that they have to do something different as opposed to relying on the strength of their brand and exclusives. Too early to make snap assumptions, but the Xbox sales numbers (7 years in) in the WiiU's launch week are NOT a good sign for Nintendo. Then again, the 3DS rebounded pretty well from a tepid launch. I think that if Nintendo had been able to hold out another year and make this thing comparable (spec wise) to what Microsoft and Sony will come out with, they may have been better off in the long run.

Buuuut Nintendo still has that Nintendo ego - occasionally taking a peek at what's going on around them, but normally acting with blinders on (I mean, no multi-touch for the touch screen? Come on). I think what Sony has (hopefully) learned this gen, is that 1. the future of UI and online is simplicity and that 2. Proprietary tech in your console is expensive and developers hate dealing with it (see: Emotion Engine, Cell Processor).
1. I originally liked the cross media bar, but (and the Xbox UI is also guilty of this) it's become so bloated with things trying to be everything to everybody, that now it's a mess. PSN has gotten way better with the kind of titles it offers and deals you can get, but they took one step back with the new store layout which launches separately as an app and takes... a minute? to load. And of course, the whole process of download and installing anything (games, software or hardware updates) is a pain compared to the 360 doing the same thing.
2. At least the rumours of them using off-the-shelf parts for their next console is a welcome idea.


What up, Dreamcast 2?

1) Have you actually noticed the difference with the shoulder buttons in a racing game? I'd be interested to see if it really affects gameplay. And moving the location of the stick and the buttons don't change functionality and something you'll forget is even an issue after more than 10 minutes of use

2) Considering the same buttons exist in basically the same locations, it really is a "shut up you biased idiots" controller. There's no additional work for the developers other than figure out what to put on the screen....and they can just put a map there. And shutting them up is important enough to get rid of their image which they don't want

Nintendo is a traditional Japanese company, of course they have a "we build it and they will come" mentality. They do use off the shelf parts slightly modified (intel chip, Radeon GPU) so they ain't that bad to program for. Same with the Gamepad screen which is just a super-sized DS screen. We'll see if not having the ability to have two points of touch an issue

[Flip]

The millions of casual gamers who bought the Wii, for the novelty, already dont use it anymore and havnt for a long long time. Most people i know who have a Wii havnt touched it in forever. Maybe that group of gamers has learned their lesson and will not flock to the WiiU like they did the Wii? Really, a touch screen makes it MORE complicated than simply waving your arms around which will turn off the casual, but disinterest the core.

[SineSwiper]

1.There is ZERO functional difference between the Gamepad and a PS3/Xbox 360 controller, it's all in the design. 2.Activision knew it had to shut up the CoD kids who despise any change so they designed it that way.

Second thing that irked me was the placement of the second analog stick in relation to the face buttons. I can see WHY they put the stick above the buttons (design scheme), but it is certainly not comfortable to move your thumb up and down for access to both, as it is side to side.

I was going to point this out, but Zeus was pretty adamant about "ZERO functional difference" between the game pads.

2) Considering the same buttons exist in basically the same locations, it really is a "shut up you biased idiots" controller. There's no additional work for the developers other than figure out what to put on the screen....and they can just put a map there. And shutting them up is important enough to get rid of their image which they don't want

Selective Reading FTW.

The millions of casual gamers who bought the Wii, for the novelty, already dont use it anymore and havnt for a long long time. Most people i know who have a Wii havnt touched it in forever. Maybe that group of gamers has learned their lesson and will not flock to the WiiU like they did the Wii? Really, a touch screen makes it MORE complicated than simply waving your arms around which will turn off the casual, but disinterest the core.

Aye. I've given it a chance TWICE, which is more than a lot of gamers have. Sold it twice, and found the money more useful than having it sit in my shelf. Most definitely the least used console I have ever owned.

And yes, unless something mindblowing has come along (like, multiple times), I will not trust Nintendo to deliver something worth my money.

[Julius Seeker]

I picked up New Super Mario Bros U, and the game fixes all of the issues I had with the second one:
• Overworld map with interactivity
• Very little repetition in level design, so each level actually stands out
• The difficulty is at a good level, considerably higher than Mario World but lower than Mario 3 - probably about 40% of the way between Mario World and Mario 3. It's also not like Mario Land 3D where the difficulty only hits about halfway through the game, it hits during World 2.
• Game is about 7-8 hours to finish, and then there is an epilogue section including Star Road.

Trine 2: Director's Cut
• This game is probably the prettiest on the system, despite it being merely a 2D Platformer type game. It's also a lot of fun, and quite a bit improved with redone art and about double the content over the Beta version on PSN Plus.

The Miiverse, some additional details on posting:
• You can post screenshots with comments or drawings to the Miiverse at any time in any o the communities. These can actually drain a lot of time, I just hope that they increase posting lengths since I find Twitter sized conversations usually aren't good enough.
• The community is extremely positive, it's almost alien seeming to see such a positive community surrounding ANY type of visual or artistic media.
• Lastly, in game, you will get to points where you are asked for a sort of a response, when you reply your post will get posted to the Miiverse automatically with a special tag. That tag is called by the gaming software so that your Mii will appear in games at the appropriate time and with your response. For example: in an RPG, the game may ask you a question and your answer will be within the context of that particular place and event within the RPG - your Mii will then be imported to other players' game where it will display what you wrote in response to the question. So as a player, the towns in RPGs can be populated with user generated content.

Most of the time, I just play on the Gamepad lying back relaxing, it's like having a glorified handheld system, which means I am playing gaming consoles a lot more than usual, it feels like much less of a commitment to the living room.

Oh yeah, one thing I find a little messed up is how the YouTube app is LESS functional than viewing YouTube in the Wii U native Browser. Watching YouTube on the TV screen at this quality is luxurious.

[kali o.]

The millions of casual gamers who bought the Wii, for the novelty, already dont use it anymore and havnt for a long long time. Most people i know who have a Wii havnt touched it in forever. Maybe that group of gamers has learned their lesson and will not flock to the WiiU like they did the Wii? Really, a touch screen makes it MORE complicated than simply waving your arms around which will turn off the casual, but disinterest the core.

I notice a distinct lack of Seeker-hyped sales posts for this console... is it really tanking so bad even Seeker can't spin the numbers?!

[Eric]

lol, it's...pretty bad. He has the 3DS sales to cheer about at least!

Amusing flyer from Pax East

[Shrinweck]

BULLET POINTS ain't got nothing on CHECK MARKS... and that BLUE OH EM GEE

[Zeus]

The millions of casual gamers who bought the Wii, for the novelty, already dont use it anymore and havnt for a long long time. Most people i know who have a Wii havnt touched it in forever. Maybe that group of gamers has learned their lesson and will not flock to the WiiU like they did the Wii? Really, a touch screen makes it MORE complicated than simply waving your arms around which will turn off the casual, but disinterest the core.

I notice a distinct lack of Seeker-hyped sales posts for this console... is it really tanking so bad even Seeker can't spin the numbers?!

They project only 4 million sales by the end of March worldwide. That's slow. Others have been as slow in the past but it's still not good. What do you expect when there's been only 4 or 5 titles total released in 2013 so far? It's been amazingly slow for games (ie. nothing) so why would anyone want the system right now?

[SineSwiper]

For this being the "next generation of consoles", I am seeing a surprising lack of commercials on this. Nintendo should know better: "He who starts first loses."

[Julius Seeker]

Actually, it's more or less difficult to hype a mysteriously quiet future lineup, and with no games released for about 3 months. Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate, which just came out is the first one since about launch. Nintendo has essentially just announced that there will be announcements in the future on various games including Zelda, Mario Galaxy 3/Universe, the new Xenogears game, etc... But not really any screenshots or video of anything, aside from that really cool Xenogears video. Nintendo marketing has really taken a nose dive of late. So I will hype those games when they have things about them to hype =P

The launch sales numbers are abysmal, but that is what Nintendo gets for not showing any big games ge aside from a 2D Mario, which people buy when they get the console, but it doesn't seem to be generating hardware sales.

As was said, I do have the 3DS numbers to cheer about =D

[Eric]

Actually, it's more or less difficult to hype a mysteriously quiet future lineup, and with no games released for about 3 months. Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate, which just came out is the first one since about launch. Nintendo has essentially just announced that there will be announcements in the future on various games including Zelda, Mario Galaxy 3/Universe, the new Xenogears game, etc... But not really any screenshots or video of anything, aside from that really cool Xenogears video. Nintendo marketing has really taken a nose dive of late. So I will hype those games when they have things about them to hype =P

The launch sales numbers are abysmal, but that is what Nintendo gets for not showing any big games ge aside from a 2D Mario, which people buy when they get the console, but it doesn't seem to be generating hardware sales.

As was said, I do have the 3DS numbers to cheer about =D

Be still my heart. lol

[Flip]

Maybe Nintendo is trying to depend on downloadable games? But, are indi developers even making games for whatever WiiU store is out there?

[Eric]

Sony announced at the Game Developer's Conference they're making it a hell of a lot easier for Indie developers to release games on their platforms though. The biggest and best change is no more patch fees.

http://www.webpronews.com/gdc-2013-sony ... ta-2013-03

Does the WiiU store carry actual indi games? Or just 3rd party games and of course the Nintendo classic stuff?

[Flip]

Relevant article (and yes, i do still get some gaming news from Yahoo! so stuff it)\

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in ... 47972.html

[Blotus]

Relevant article (and yes, i do still get some gaming news from Yahoo! so stuff it)\

HOW'S THAT AOL SERVICE, GRANDMA?

[SineSwiper]

Actually, it's more or less difficult to hype a mysteriously quiet future lineup, and with no games released for about 3 months. Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate, which just came out is the first one since about launch. Nintendo has essentially just announced that there will be announcements in the future on various games including Zelda, Mario Galaxy 3/Universe, the new Xenogears game, etc... But not really any screenshots or video of anything, aside from that really cool Xenogears video. Nintendo marketing has really taken a nose dive of late. So I will hype those games when they have things about them to hype =P

The launch sales numbers are abysmal, but that is what Nintendo gets for not showing any big games ge aside from a 2D Mario, which people buy when they get the console, but it doesn't seem to be generating hardware sales.

As was said, I do have the 3DS numbers to cheer about =D

Holy shit... logical, reasonable, a good evaluation of Nintendo's problems with this console, and coming from Seeker.