Wii U - General Discussion Thread

[quote name='Blaster man']
I think the biggest reason it's doing poorly (and this seems obvious) is because of low demand. People simply don't want it.
[/QUOTE]

I think a fair amount of people don't know it exists. I think that hurts even more.
 
I'm still not buying into the mantra that "not sold out til march" = "doing poorly". Nintendo is replenishing stock. That isn't a bad thing. I'm sure some people enjoy early console launches because they like to have the console nobody can find and call it no big deal. But I really doubt any Nintendo console that isn't the virtual boy is going to sell poorly.

That being said, a small part of me hopes it does. Then perhaps, out of desperation, Nintendo will release a Pokemon main series Wii U game.
 
[quote name='Drclaw411']I'm still not buying into the mantra that "not sold out til march" = "doing poorly". Nintendo is replenishing stock. That isn't a bad thing. I'm sure some people enjoy early console launches because they like to have the console nobody can find and call it no big deal. But I really doubt any Nintendo console that isn't the virtual boy is going to sell poorly.

That being said, a small part of me hopes it does. Then perhaps, out of desperation, Nintendo will release a Pokemon main series Wii U game.[/QUOTE]

I think it's an issue of not being sold out a few days after launch. The 360 sold what, 10 or 20 million its first year before it was widely available. If this were the 360 launch the stores would have bare shelves no matter how well it's being restocked.

[quote name='Erad30']Gee funny my wife was very excited about it, she plays it as much as I do and we are both fairly core gamers. We also own a 360 and PS3. I'd say that's at least equally telling.[/QUOTE]

Eh, my wife isn't a core gamer only I am. If say she's more representative of the population. I sense hostility and defensiveness in your post for some reason. Is it really upsetting to you if the Wii U is flopping and has a march price drop like the 3ds did?
 
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[quote name='Erad30']Gee funny my wife was very excited about it, she plays it as much as I do and we are both fairly core gamers. We also own a 360 and PS3. I'd say that's at least equally telling.[/QUOTE]

Eh, my wife isn't a core gamer only I am. If say she's more representative of the population. I sense hostility and defensiveness in your post for some reason. Is it really upsetting to you if the Wii U is flopping and has a march price drop like the 3ds did?
 
I find it pointless to speculate on how successful Wii U will be this early. Europe and Japan haven't gotten theirs yet, for crying out loud. It's like baseball...things just happen in unpredictable fashion as there are always too many variables/factors you can't fit in your calculations neatly and call it a day. Especially not this early.

I'm very happy with mine...that's good enough for now personally. I'll root for it to last a long time and look forward to what games we may get next.

In other words, try not to overthink or overanalyze this soon and just wait and see what will happen in the next few months. Just a suggestion...dismiss it if you want to.

Happy Holidays!
 
I think sales are doing fine. I never expected the Wii U to do business like the Wii because the market is very different than when the Wii was released. Fact is, many people have consoles which are "good enough", with plenty of games to keep them busy. I also don't think there is a killer app for the Wii U yet. It is a solid launch lineup, but nothing there which is a must-have for a broad crosssection of the market.

I played it, and I do want it at some point, but given my backlog everywhere, I'm in no hurry.
 
[quote name='Lyth']GoNintendo says this:



It's not a Pro Controller apparently. It's hardware is a combination of the Wiimote and classic controller. What a let down. If the game doesn't support classic controller, then it may not support this.[/QUOTE]

Did they have an actual hands on with this controller? The pre-order write-ups I've seen make it seem like it doubles as a Wii U pro controller and original Wii Classic controller pro. If it doesn't support all of the new Wii U pro controller functionality, this will be a huge let down... and I was planning on getting 4 of them.
 
[quote name='soonersfan60']Did they have an actual hands on with this controller? The pre-order write-ups I've seen make it seem like it doubles as a Wii U pro controller and original Wii Classic controller pro. If it doesn't support all of the new Wii U pro controller functionality, this will be a huge let down... and I was planning on getting 4 of them.[/QUOTE]

. The images thus far are renders, until some website gets a demo, this has all the makings of vapourware.
 
[quote name='Lyth']GoNintendo says this:



It's not a Pro Controller apparently. It's hardware is a combination of the Wiimote and classic controller. What a let down. If the game doesn't support classic controller, then it may not support this.[/QUOTE]

That's a bummer. Oh well, I'll just get around to getting a pro controller one of these days.
 
[quote name='Batcave Dweller']I find it pointless to speculate on how successful Wii U will be this early. [/QUOTE]

You find it pointless because that's the correct thing to do. We won't know about the success of the Wii U for two years minimum. To say otherwise just shows bias.
 
[quote name='Blaster man']
Eh, my wife isn't a core gamer only I am. If say she's more representative of the population. I sense hostility and defensiveness in your post for some reason. Is it really upsetting to you if the Wii U is flopping and has a march price drop like the 3ds did?[/QUOTE]

Only because yours seemed fairly arrogant. Your wife doesn't like the tablet and doesn't want it so the casual Wii fan must not want it. You a "core" gamer don't want it at this time so apparently that's a good indicator of general attitude for it. And by the way, 360 did 326,000 in it's launch in roughly the same time period. I don't think anyone was expecting this to be same out of nowhere smash the Wii was but it's already beating the 360 which you just compared it to out the gate.
 
[quote name='Erad30']Only because yours seemed fairly arrogant. Your wife doesn't like the tablet and doesn't want it so the casual Wii fan must not want it. You a "core" gamer don't want it at this time so apparently that's a good indicator of general attitude for it. And by the way, 360 did 326,000 in it's launch in roughly the same time period. I don't think anyone was expecting this to be same out of nowhere smash the Wii was but it's already beating the 360 which you just compared it to out the gate.[/QUOTE]

The 360 sold over 10 million before it was widely available. The Wii sold 400k before that happened.
 
The 3DS had plenty of units available after launch and it is doing just fine. So Wii U is doing fine as well.

I kinda want Zombie U now. At first I thought it would be the Red Steel of this era but it seems fun. I will wait for the sale though.
 
The Wii U has been just over a week, that's all I'm comparing it to. That's what the 360 did in it's first week or so in sales. Also, there's a still a very long waiting list of people at gamestop, about a quarter of a million long. Also, you are again assuming poor sales just because it's available in a few places and that might have nothing to do with Nintendo having a better supply chain this time? 360 were hard to find for a bit yes, but supply was very constrained as well. A lot changes in 7 years. Nintendo repeatedly swore the supply chain would be better this time around.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']The 3DS had plenty of units available after launch and it is doing just fine. So Wii U is doing fine as well.

I kinda want Zombie U now. At first I thought it would be the Red Steel of this era but it seems fun. I will wait for the sale though.[/QUOTE]
I thought Zombie U sounded fun then I found out it was some kind of super hard roguelike game where you don't maintain the same character after death (permadeath)...

[quote name='Erad30']The Wii U has been just over a week, that's all I'm comparing it to. That's what the 360 did in it's first week or so in sales. Also, there's a still a very long waiting list of people at gamestop, about a quarter of a million long. Also, you are again assuming poor sales just because it's available in a few places and that might have nothing to do with Nintendo having a better supply chain this time? 360 were hard to find for a bit yes, but supply was very constrained as well. A lot changes in 7 years. Nintendo repeatedly swore the supply chain would be better this time around.[/QUOTE]

I agree that everything I'm pointing out is anecdotal. I've said as much. Until the NPD numbers come out all we have is anecdotal talk of personal experiences to go by.
 
I think the permadeath bit of ZombiU, and how those dead characters remain in the game (dead), is one of the more appealing aspects of it. But I like rogue-likes. I definitely want to get it, but am hoping for a price drop, at least somewhat, before xmas, so I don't feel like I missed out on my opportunity to pre-order at a discount from newegg, which I did. :)

As far as how well the Wii U is doing, like others said, it's too early to tell. I certainly hope it does well. If sales drop off and they are forced to price drop it early, I just hope they give us some good stuff like they did with the 3DS. :)
 
I'm personally attempting to wait until March at the earliest. By then, Nintendo's financial reports should be trickling out, and they'll either make a drastic decision or uphold the existing price.

It would also be nice if there ends up being a situation where Ambassador stuff occurs, but someone is selling the system at a reduced price prior to the official price drop (i.e., what happened with the 3DS, where Best Buy dropped it to $180 but you could still buy it and get Ambassador status locked in).

Guess we'll find out.
 
[quote name='Strell']I'm personally attempting to wait until March at the earliest. By then, Nintendo's financial reports should be trickling out, and they'll either make a drastic decision or uphold the existing price.

It would also be nice if there ends up being a situation where Ambassador stuff occurs, but someone is selling the system at a reduced price prior to the official price drop (i.e., what happened with the 3DS, where Best Buy dropped it to $180 but you could still buy it and get Ambassador status locked in).

Guess we'll find out.[/QUOTE]

What is ambasador status and is it for Wii U?
 
[quote name='bjstucker']What is ambasador status and is it for Wii U?[/QUOTE]

It was for original 3DS owners. (Free downloadable games.)
 
Sales figures don't mean much to me, it's just a launch. As long as third parties keep supporting it, and Nintendo keeps putting out awesome AAA first party titles, I'll be much happier than if the WiiU sells more units than the next Xbox or PS.

I realize that theoretically better sales equals more households with a WiiU, which means more developers that are willing to put out titles for that system, but that wasn't exactly true for the first Wii, which was sorely lacking in the third party department despite selling incredibly better than MS and Sony.
 
[quote name='bjstucker']What is ambasador status and is it for Wii U?[/QUOTE]

Ambassador status was a freebie for early buyers of the 3DS that bought one prior to the big price drop. It gave those people (me) several free digital games.

I don't see the same thing happening for the Wii U, it's far too successful to need it. I've already bought 7 games since launch, whereas it was a struggle to find more than one good game for the 3DS when it launched.

360 game sales are dropping off a cliff and PS3 was dead on arrival which just has the late-buyers of those systems throwing a hissy fit that everyone's got something new and shiny that they don't have. :booty:
 
[quote name='jedi0077']Games can only get so pretty. Frame rates so high. The way we play is what needs to change. Even MS and Sony realize this. Kudos to Nintendo for being the curve. If not being ahead of it.[/QUOTE]

not really lol most people still want to play with the normal game pads why do you think nintendo made a big deal about the pro controller they know that if they want people from microsoft/sony base they need that controller. I will not use my wii u other then first party nintendo systems. After messing with wii u for a day i still think 360 has a better online experance and community and i have all systems so i can judge it. I could careless what is used to play the game i just want good gameplay.
 
[quote name='ZForce915']I think a fair amount of people don't know it exists. I think that hurts even more.[/QUOTE]

i would agree. Some reason nintendo has never been great at get hype up for a system or it being well knowing. I see wii u ads here and there but nothing like 360 and ps3 ads.
 
[quote name='pjarvi']Ambassador status was a freebie for early buyers of the 3DS that bought one prior to the big price drop. It gave those people (me) several free digital games.

I don't see the same thing happening for the Wii U, it's far too successful to need it. I've already bought 7 games since launch, whereas it was a struggle to find more than one good game for the 3DS when it launched.

360 game sales are dropping off a cliff and PS3 was dead on arrival which just has the late-buyers of those systems throwing a hissy fit that everyone's got something new and shiny that they don't have. :booty:[/QUOTE]

most multiplatform games are purchased for 360 so that is falls that their sales are droping when it comes to ps3 3rd party titles have never outsold 360 copys. For me ps3 is great for ps3 only games online games i get for 360.
 
I am going to say that a new way to play is what I look for in a new system, not the same stuff with shinier graphics. Granted, I'm sure as a huge gamer I will pick up on Xbox 720/PS4 eventually but if all they have to offer is shinier graphics they won't be a launch day buy and probably not until they have something I really want like the next Uncharted or Mass Effect or whatever.

I picked up the nerf armor and the write and protect pack. The nerf armor feels nice and fits pretty comfortably. Haven't really tried out how well it protects my Gamepad, but I'm not going to throw it on the floor to test it out either. The screens included with the write & protect pack are kind of useless, they get air bubbles really easy and i couldn't use the touch pad with them on. It does come with a cleaning cloth and a couple extra styluses though.
 
[quote name='wasabi5858']I use the hori screen protector and it is nice. easy to apply[/QUOTE]

Cool, my order from Gamestop shipped yesterday. Hope to have it tomorrow.
 
I'm also going to wait until the end of the launch window, but my decision is going to be the TVii, the expanded games library, and newly announced games for 2-tablet play. I've assumed that if I want to buy a WIIU in the next 2 years, it costs $300. Given what we know, the possibilities of a price drop are so remote as to be highly improbable:
  • N's already said -- to many outlets -- that they're selling the WIIU at a loss, or rather, that it becomes "profit positive" once the adopter buys a WIIU game. Hence, there's already not much wiggle room on that MSRP.
  • Furthermore, manufacturing costs historically take a while to result in lowered MSRPs, and those potential drops are further complicated by the tablet. They take up a good chunk of the overall cost, they're apparently the bottleneck in overall production. Given their trickiness, it seems further unlikely that there will be production efficiencies to drive those costs down.
I can't imagine it being cheaper in Holiday 2013, much less the conclusion of the Launch Window (March 2013), and if MSRP reduction in either case occurs, it may be a symptom of a dire situation. Perhaps I'm being wishful, but for N's sake I hope the MSRP doesn't go anywhere.
 
[quote name='dothog']
[*]N's already said -- to many outlets -- that they're selling the WIIU at a loss, or rather, that it becomes "profit positive" once the adopter buys a WIIU game. Hence, there's already not much wiggle room on that MSRP.[/QUOTE]

Hmmm. Does the Deluxe set fall under this category?

Either way, I'm in no rush. Either a big incentive needs to show up, a big sale of some kind needs to show up (some retailers sidestep this, such as Target giving store gift cards for Apple products), I get it as a gift from someone, or some serious game announcements occur relatively soon.
 
People are assuming (wrongly, I think) that there might be a Wii U price drop sooner rather than later just because the 3DS got a price cut rather quickly. In addition to the points that dothog makes aboue Wii U cost to build, people also forget that Nintendo pretty much admitted pricing the 3DS at a premium because of positive press at E3 and other shows. I definitely got the impression that Nintendo was going to price the 3DS at $199 until they saw the reaction to the technology and got greedy. Even when they cut the price, I believe they were still making money on 3DS hardware. Nintendo won't take an even bigger loss on Wii U hardware, at least not until the competitor's machines are out and vying for consumer dollars.
 
[quote name='cheapbrokegamer']Yeah wii u is doomed! Ohh no! Yay!

Anyways, what games can be completely played on the wii u gamepad besides New super Mario's bros[/QUOTE]

ACIII is another.
 
[quote name='soonersfan60']People are assuming (wrongly, I think) that there might be a Wii U price drop sooner rather than later just because the 3DS got a price cut rather quickly. In addition to the points that dothog makes aboue Wii U cost to build, people also forget that Nintendo pretty much admitted pricing the 3DS at a premium because of positive press at E3 and other shows. I definitely got the impression that Nintendo was going to price the 3DS at $199 until they saw the reaction to the technology and got greedy. Even when they cut the price, I believe they were still making money on 3DS hardware. Nintendo won't take an even bigger loss on Wii U hardware, at least not until the competitor's machines are out and vying for consumer dollars.[/QUOTE]

I believe that there will DEFINITELY be a price drop prior to the next holiday season. No way this can compete with the nextbox without it.
 
This can't get out soon enough:

Nyko preparing GamePad battery extender, doubles play time

November 29th, 2012 Posted in News, Posted by Valay, Wii U | No Comments »
Nyko is working on an accessory for the Wii U GamePad – known as “U Boost” – which promises to extend the battery life of the controller. Supposedly, the new rechargeable lithium polymer battery doubles the GamePad’s play time.
Amazon UK lists a November 30 release date for U Boost. You’ll be able to use the existing Wii U GamePad AC adaptor with the new battery.


-I checked amazon's US sited and while it's listed, it just says it's unavailable.
 
[quote name='Strell']Either way, I'm in no rush. Either a big incentive needs to show up, a big sale of some kind needs to show up (some retailers sidestep this, such as Target giving store gift cards for Apple products), I get it as a gift from someone, or some serious game announcements occur relatively soon.[/QUOTE]

Well, games will ultimately drive sales. As I said, they have a pretty solid launch lineup, but no killer app yet. Once they find that game, it will probably do gangbusters.

[quote name='Blaster man']I believe that there will DEFINITELY be a price drop prior to the next holiday season. No way this can compete with the nextbox without it.[/QUOTE]

Assuming Microsoft actually does release something during the next holiday season. So far, all we have are vague rumors.
 
[quote name='Erad30']This can't get out soon enough:

Nyko preparing GamePad battery extender, doubles play time

November 29th, 2012 Posted in News, Posted by Valay, Wii U | No Comments »
Nyko is working on an accessory for the Wii U GamePad – known as “U Boost” – which promises to extend the battery life of the controller. Supposedly, the new rechargeable lithium polymer battery doubles the GamePad’s play time.
Amazon UK lists a November 30 release date for U Boost. You’ll be able to use the existing Wii U GamePad AC adaptor with the new battery.


-I checked amazon's US sited and while it's listed, it just says it's unavailable.[/QUOTE]

If it's somewhere in the $10-$20 range, I'll definitely pick one up. If it's more expensive than that, I can deal with the semi-minor inconvenience of plugging it in while I play, or taking a little break while it charges. Looks like the UK listing is for £20, so heres hoping that it eventually comes stateside for $20...
 
[quote name='TheLongshot']
Assuming Microsoft actually does release something during the next holiday season. So far, all we have are vague rumors.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I doubt we will see anything congeal by 2013, perhaps 2014 at the earliest, for both Microsoft and Sony. Their software and hardware are still selling well, and other than the Wii U reclaiming the market lost in the past two years for Nintendo, I don't see a reason why either the PS3/360 would want to (or even need to) have a new console launch in 2013.

Also, if there were to release a new console next year, wouldn't they of advertised it this year to prevent people from buying the Wii U? Or perhaps they don't think it's strong enough competition to warrant the press releases on the successors, which circles back again to why they would want to release a new console now anyways.

Long story short, with no new competition, I think the Wii U price will hold for next year, but we'll probably see some value bundles at B&M stores.
 
[quote name='Billytwoshoes']Yeah, I doubt we will see anything congeal by 2013, perhaps 2014 at the earliest, for both Microsoft and Sony. Their software and hardware are still selling well, and other than the Wii U reclaiming the market lost in the past two years for Nintendo, I don't see a reason why either the PS3/360 would want to (or even need to) have a new console launch in 2013.[/QUOTE]

I could see Microsoft because they have priorities other than just gaming. Given everything with Windows 8 and WP8 and Surface, I could see them developing a new console to tie into all of that.
 
I just bought a BF PS3 today, because out of the blue my kids asked for a PS3 (or Wii U). Well they are only going to get one and I must admit that the $200 I paid for the PS3 (with 4 games!) is a pretty big draw vs. $350 for the Wii U with 1 game and a launch (i.e. "small") library. So the Wii U might be getting returned. But I'm really undecided anyway. I'd like the Wii U, but then I'd also like a PS3. Darn. On the other hand we have the 360 and so the PS3 is largely redundant, but there are some good exclusives....

Either way we'll end up with a Wii U at some point. Maybe it won't be until a price break, though.
 
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I think it's fair to assume good 3rd party support won't last more than 2 years like with the Wii, Gamecube, &N64. We all know the Xbox 3 comes out next year but there is no word yet on if the PS4 comes out next year. 4 games for $200 is good. I'd wait on the Wii U. In fact I am waiting on it. Try to get exclusives for the PS3. Go get the Uncharted games. Also consider the Wonderbooks thing if your kids are at the right age or if they aren't and you want it. -)
 
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[quote name='crunchewy']I just bought a BF PS3 today, because out of the blue my kids asked for a PS3 (or Wii U). Well they are only going to get one and I must admit that the $200 I paid for the PS3 (with 4 games!) is a pretty big draw vs. $350 for the Wii U with 1 game and a launch (i.e. "small") library. So the Wii U might be getting returned. But I'm really undecided anyway. I'd like the Wii U, but then I'd also like a PS3. Darn. On the other hand we have the 360 and so the PS3 is largely redundant, but there are some good exclusives....

Either way we'll end up with a Wii U at some point. Maybe it won't be until a price break, though.[/QUOTE]

I totally understand the reasoning behind buying a $200 PS3, especially with so many games, but I spent $350 on a WiiU (with game) that I'll hopefully be able to use for 4-6 years. The PS3's life will be effectively over in a year or two. Same reason why I get that people will wait a year or two for a price drop on the WiiU, but the extra $50 (or $100, whatever) I'll lose by buying full price on launch day is worth it for me getting that extra year or two of time with the console.
 
[quote name='pseudonem']Just dropped by to say that I'm glad Nintendo is pretty much keeping up with demand. Hopefully some flippers get burned in the process. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-Wi...0823257707?pt=Video_Games&hash=item43b66abe6b :)

Also, I can't wait till my kid opens the Wii U on Christmas Day! Too bad Nintendo decided to push Pikmin 3 back to March. He really wants that one.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Blaster man']WTF. What a bitch.[/QUOTE]
lol, serously...

...making the kid wait...:bouncy:
 
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Hi, folks. I have a question for you - I apologize if it has been asked, but a quick cursory search seems to indicate that it hasn't been.

I'm holding onto this for Christmas for my family, but this evening, my wife and I got it out and looked everything over to make sure everything APPEARS to be in working order, for whatever it's worth.

Everything looks great, except that the gamepad screen seems to have a sort of oily-looking splotch on some of the right side of the screen. Whatever it is looks like it's either part of the surface or part of some built-in protector; it appears to be very close to the surface, but not on the surface itself, as nothing wipes away. What's more, if you move your finger around on the touch screen (this is all while it's off - we didn't power anything on), you can see this same affect temporarily appear on other parts of the screen that have recently been pushed on with even a moderate amount of pressure.

My question is, is this normal? Does everyone see this?

I actually have a second unit I'm planning on returning, so I got that out and took a look. While the area is slightly smaller, this appearance also appears to be present on that gamepad, which gives me hope that they're all this way.

Thanks in advance.
 
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