I'm not capable of creating a worthwhile first post, but if someone wants to give it a go, this thing is WIKIFIED.

It is odd to have so little news with it coming out next year. I'm not all that interested in it. At least not near launch. At most I'll wait a few years for price drops and a solid bunch of good games to be out.

Learned my lesson on buying Nintendo consoles at launch with the GC and Wii--both got some solid games the first year or so, then had pretty long draughts until the next wave of great games hit. I'll wait for those first two waves to be out and prices on the hardware to have dropped this time!

Also worried about the hardware. I figure it will end up being around the 360/PS3 in power and be made obsolete again when MS and Sony launch their next gen consoles. And that will again dry up third part support as devs focus their core games on the most powerful machines.

But I'll probably end up with a Wii U eventually, if nothing else it will be like the Wii and provide a good diversion from the shooters and WRPGs I play on the other machines.

Originally Posted by dmaul1114 Also worried about the hardware. I figure it will end up being around the 360/PS3 in power and be made obsolete again when MS and Sony launch their next gen consoles. And that will again dry up third part support as devs focus their core games on the most powerful machines.

The Wii U will be 1080p capable, it will have comparable performance to the Big 2, I really don't see how it comes down to hardware. The development kit, maybe, but the hardware shouldn't be a factor, Nintendo seems aggressive on that point. This isn't going to be a case of Wii vs. 360/PS3, where the Wii wasn't even in the same ballpark in performance.

But that's all supposition. There's not a lot out there, and what's out there is terribly vague. The question for me remains this peripheral, I'm still uncertain how this is a legitimate direction. None of the demos I've seen give me the feeling that Nintendo has ever taken it beyond R&D, it remains a "concept" and not a product. We don't have any rumors about flagship titles using it, we've got nothing.

I still have that feeling from E3, where you say to yourself, "Well, I guess it's good?" in the hopes that they're doing something. But what they can do with it isn't as clear as motion control was when the Wii was announced.

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For the first time in my life I have little to no interest in a Nintendo console. I wasn't too excited for the Wii but I bought one anyway out of curiosity and Wii Sports + backwards compatibility seemed to initially justify the purchase. Also, more of the same with the core franchises will be fun sometime in the future for $20 a pop but I'm done paying full price for the same games over and over and over.

I'm under the impression that the Wii U will be slightly more powerful than a PS3 and Xbox 360 but will be left in the dust (again) once the Microsoft and Sony next-gen consoles launch. I hope Nintendo gets their act together and releases something on par with its competitors (including online functionality with achievements/trophies) but I'm not counting on it.

I think they unveiled Wii U before it was ready. That's just my assumption, of course. They really didn't want to focus on concrete details, either. I really have no clue what Nintendo is going to do with Wii U. Rename/rebrand it, change the form factor, etc. Online functionality? Will it launch with a major franchise? That sort of thing.

I don't know where it'll stand power-wise, but I get the assumption it'll get ports of the next Xbox/PS games because the manufacturer's saw what Big N did this generation when it comes to profit margins on hardware sales. There will be a gap, but not enough to prevent ports.

Originally Posted by Javery I hope Nintendo gets their act together and releases something on par with its competitors (including online functionality with achievements/trophies) but I'm not counting on it.

Provided they're within a year or so of the 720/PS4 releases, I don't think there will be anywhere near the performance gap that there was for the Wii vs. 360/PS3. That was one of the only points from E3 that was intelligible, that they had every intention of meeting "hardcore gamer" expectations in terms of HD and performance.

However, that could have been the voice in my head, I blacked out sometime after realizing Luigi's Mansion 2 was handheld only.

Originally Posted by dothog Provided they're within a year or so of the 720/PS4 releases, I don't think there will be anywhere near the performance gap that there was for the Wii vs. 360/PS3. That was one of the only points from E3 that was intelligible, that they had every intention of meeting "hardcore gamer" expectations in terms of HD and performance. However, that could have been the voice in my head, I blacked out sometime after realizing Luigi's Mansion 2 was handheld only.

Well, Wii U is supposed to come out 2012, and there was a story the other day that suggested no new Xbox until 2014, and a story today (see the 360 forum) suggesting the next Xbox will be about 20x more powerful than the 360....though I'd take that with a grain of salt.

In any case, unless something really changes the market I just don't see Nintendo consoles being worth much beyond owning to play the handful of great first party games each generation--at least for those of us generally not into Japanese games. Even if it's equal power, I don't see it getting enough market share to get any meaningful third party exclusives from western developers. At best it will get ports of the multi-platform games that are at least decent next gen--unlike this gen due to the power gap in consoles this go around.

Nintendo used to be my main gaming platform through the NES-N64 eras. But for me I've pretty much moved on. Didn't even own a Wii from Jan 2008 to Last week as I sold my launch Wii in early 2008 as there wasn't really anything I wanted to play at that time that I hadn't already beaten.

Nintendo is great as a second or third console for me as I still love Mario, Metroid, Zelda etc., but they just don't get enough games that are up my alley for them to be my only or main gaming platform any more and I don't see the Wii U changing that. I'll end up with a next gen Xbox or Playstation close to launch and eventually get a Wii U to play the Nintendo franchises over summer gaming droughts etc. as a fun change up from the WRPGs and FPS games I spend most of my time on.

Okay, fair enough, it may not be up to snuff in terms of performance if the Other 2 release much later, or it could be a processing beast.

That aside, what do it do? How to maek fun gamez w purrifral? Holy Broly's asking the right questions, will it launch with anything, will online be taken seriously, etc.? We're not far out from a follow-up and there's nothing out there.

The announcement was definitely rushed, another question for the thread would be why? Maybe they felt compelled to jump the next gen the way 360 did, but then they're playing a different game than MS was. It's just a strange time for them. It feels like there was no transition between itprints$$$.gif to Wii U and the 3DS mess.

It seems to me to be a regular Nintendo thing, they made the announcement, then goes quiet to let people like the OP asking where it is, then it will reveal a plethora of content in the next month or so, more likely after the Holidays (dont want to confuse people who are buying their stuff now). And from how the timing seems, Im thinking the gameplan is to build up the hype after being quiet for a few months, then ride the hype into launch day. Unfortunately Im not sold on the Wii U controller and hoping they dont overestimate the novelty of it like they did with 3DS (cool, but not a game changer).

Hopefully what they showed was just a concept.. and they make a lot of changes between then and when it releases. I hate that there's a new Nintendo console coming out soon, and I truly don't care. My childhood cries about this moment.

Originally Posted by tankass It seems to me to be a regular Nintendo thing, they made the announcement, then goes quiet to let people like the OP asking where it is, then it will reveal a plethora of content in the next month or so, more likely after the Holidays (dont want to confuse people who are buying their stuff now). And from how the timing seems, Im thinking the gameplan is to build up the hype after being quiet for a few months, then ride the hype into launch day. Unfortunately Im not sold on the Wii U controller and hoping they dont overestimate the novelty of it like they did with 3DS (cool, but not a game changer).

Originally Posted by dothog That aside, what do it do? How to maek fun gamez w purrifral? Holy Broly's asking the right questions, will it launch with anything, will online be taken seriously, etc.? We're not far out from a follow-up and there's nothing out there.

I agree those are the major questions.

1. Games. Will it just be more Nintendo sequels or will they actually get some third part support?

2. Controls. Have they learned that motion controls are great for some games, but traditional controls/controllers are best for a lot of core games? Will the console have both and be like a 360 with Kinect, or will games be too focused on motion controls (IMO) like with the wii.

3. Will online be more than an after thought this time around?

Nintendo is like a plethora of sweaters!

Originally Posted by dmaul1114 Nintendo is great as a second or third console for me as I still love Mario, Metroid, Zelda etc., but they just don't get enough games that are up my alley for them to be my only or main gaming platform any more and I don't see the Wii U changing that. I'll end up with a next gen Xbox or Playstation close to launch and eventually get a Wii U to play the Nintendo franchises over summer gaming droughts etc. as a fun change up from the WRPGs and FPS games I spend most of my time on.

+1. Sad to say but Nintendo just fills in the gaps between the games I really look forward to now. I mean when you compare games like Zelda or Mario to games like Mass Effect, Modern Warfare, Uncharted, Gears and Skyrim the difference with respect to content and production values is laughable. I mean, Zelda and Mario are excellent games/franchises but I can't help but feel that they should retail for around $30 or less if these other games are selling for $60.

I wouldn't go that far. The production values of a Zelda or Mario or Metroid type game are top notch. They just look like ass this generation on HDTVs as Nintendo made the boneheaded decision to put out an non-HD console.

That's one problem we know will be fixed with Wii U.

Aside from graphic problems, the art design, sound, gamplay etc. are all top notch in games like Zelda Skyward Sword or Mario Galaxy or Metroid Prime 3. Gameplay wise those are among the best games I've played this generation. Shame they aren't on a fully powered current gen console so they could look as good as they play!

Originally Posted by dmaul1114 I wouldn't go that far. The production values of a Zelda or Mario or Metroid type game are top notch. They just look like ass this generation on HDTVs as Nintendo made the boneheaded decision to put out an non-HD console. That's one problem we know will be fixed with Wii U. Aside from graphic problems, the art design, sound, gamplay etc. are all top notch in games like Zelda Skyward Sword or Mario Galaxy or Metroid Prime 3. Gameplay wise those are among the best games I've played this generation. Shame they aren't on a fully powered current gen console so they could look as good as they play!

While I agree the games are really great I really think they are only top-notch in production using ridiculously inferior technology.... which doesn't cut it for me for a current-gen console. They might step it up with the Wii U to HD and PS3/360 caliber graphics but I'm not convinced that will be enough to keep pace with Sony and Microsoft... and we haven't even begun discussing online content.

Some people have this idea that the Wii U will have about the same processing power as the PS3 and xbox, and then Sony and MS will release their new consoles and "blow the Wii U out of the water." I don't see that happening, mainly because as of right now, there really isn't much in the way of ugrades for the PS3 and xbox other than sheer processing power. While the Wii is still the same device that was released 5 years ago, the PS3 and xbox have had their hardware updated as the technology advanced. This leaves a huge gap between the Wii and Wii U, and narrows the gap between the other consoles and their next versions.

I don't know how people can expect a "next-gen" console to come out within the next couple years and be THAT much better than current PS3 and xbox consoles. It's starting to look like one of the biggest improvements we can expect from a new console would be gaming in 3D and the PS3 is already doing that. Graphics-wise, we won't see any major improvements until 4k resolution displays start making their way into people's homes, which probably won't happen anytime soon.

If Sony and Microsoft put out new consoles within the next 2 years, they're going to really have to add something revolutionary to give people a reason to upgrade; and if they wait to put out true next-gen consoles, it's going to be a long wait.

There's still a lot that can be done in terms of having better textures, better animation, lesser loading times, lesser slowdown and other issues etc.

Games on a top end gaming PC still look a ton smoother and overall better than 360 or PS3 games.

That said, I don't think there will be all that big a graphic gap between the Wii U and whatever else comes out. And just getting in HD will be a huge help. I'm not a huge graphics whore, but SD content looks awful on my HDTV so it does take away from the experience with Wii games.

My main concern with the Wii U is the same as with the Wii---lack of games that I'll personally want to play. I'm not big on Nintendo franchises beyond the main Mario, Metroid and Zelda games and third party support has been dreadful from the N64 on, especially from Western developers.

What can they do to fix that? That's the key question for me if a Nintendo console will every be more than a machine to play Mario/Metroid/Zelda on during gaming droughts on the other consoles. If that's not fixed, then I'll wait a few years and grab the console for $150-200 after price drops to play those great Mario/Metroid/Zelda games if nothing else.

Here's a little more taken from an interview with Reggie...

The Wii U has to deliver a differentiated experience that can only be brought to bear through the use of these two screens. If all we do is a beautiful game in HD, it's been done before. We have to take advantage of the second screen, we need to take advantage of the connectivity that the system will offer and, if we do that, we believe that we will yet again disrupt the market the same way we with DS and Wii.

I know he doesn't mean it this way, but I think it's alarming that he's grouping it with the DS and Wii, both of which took a relatively long time for their "concept" to manifest itself in games that were true to that concept. The Wii especially took a while, for all of its successes, it wasn't until Skyward Sword (IMO) that the console truly had a marquee title that could be experienced no other way than with the Wii.

Reggie's a tough read, he's always got something dynamic and business jargony to say. I really wish they'd tip their hand a little more. They're gonna have a tough launch, especially after the 3DS fiasco.

Yeah, that worries me as well. I just don't see any real gameplay innovations coming from having two screens like that.

It just all comes across that they realize they can't compete with MS and Sony for the hardcore gamer crowd by just making HD games people will want to play as much or more as the HD games on those consoles.

Thus they're again going for the peripheral gimmick to try to lure people in. I just don't see the appeal of the second screen beyond being able to use it as a monitor if you have to share the TV you have your console hooked up, or things like calling plays in a football game or having the map always displayed in a game like zelda etc. Nothing ground breaking there.

Maybe they'll shock me and come up with some great use of it. But I'm not holding my breath. I bought into the motion control hype and bought a Wii at launch and have generally ended up hating motion controls. So I'll play a wait and see game with the Wii U and definitely check one out and play some games before even thinking of buying one.


I'd much rather them just be talking about how they have great games and a strategy to attract third party developers so that they can take on Sony and MS on equal footing. But maybe that's just realistically not possible. Maybe there's not really room for three companies in the core gaming market. Time will tell I guess. *shrugs*