Wii U - General Discussion Thread

[quote name='Strell']Don't know if comment warrants a response that is silly or serious, Don Cochese.[/QUOTE]

Just playing around. There should have been a Keanu jpeg in there, somewhere.

Come on Strell you know me. I'm one of the biggest Nintendo fanboys around this place and I'll be importing this machine as soon as is realistically possible.
 
[quote name='Javery']The whole thing just depresses me. /rant.[/QUOTE]
This is where I am. I'd love to discuss Nintendo slowly withering from an infected gunshot wound to the foot, but with either sensitive fanboys or trolls lurking and taking things out of context, that conversation would be 90% restatement and 10% meager original content to restate again and again as it is mangled by the trolls/fanboys.

More than their being consoles/devices I don't like, what depressess me about the WIIU and 3DS is that they are clear indications that there's some fantastic breed of dipshittery at play deep within Nintendo's leadership.

I was one of the fans patting Nintendo suits on the back for the success of the Wii, thinking that some crazy plan of theirs had come to fruition. However, if the last two E3s are any indication, it turns out the trolls were probably closer to the truth back in 2006-2007, and Nintendo really did "luck into" a new audience more than they had planned it.
 
[quote name='cochesecochese']Just playing around. There should have been a Keanu jpeg in there, somewhere.

Come on Strell you know me. I'm one of the biggest Nintendo fanboys around this place and I'll be importing this machine as soon as is realistically possible.[/QUOTE]

It has been a trying 24 hours due to a wide variety of nonsense I've had to put up with lately (i.e., not just gaming related), so forgive me.
 
[quote name='Strell']The "grandpa" comment was a joke with regard to the pre-E3 Nintendo Direct movie, although I knew at the time I posted as much that some people might not get that.[/QUOTE]

Oh, I figured it had something to do with that (I didn't go back and read it). It still made me think though, after what Javery said ;).

[quote name='dothog']...restate again and again as it is mangled by the trolls/fanboys...

More than their being consoles/devices I don't like, what depressess me about the WIIU and 3DS is that they are clear indications that there's some fantastic breed of dipshittery at play deep within Nintendo's leadership.
[/QUOTE]

Um, really, you don't see the irony here? ;) While the Wii U of course is unproven at this point and could end up being an utter failure, what exactly is it about the 3DS that is so horrible? It seems to be doing pretty well to me and I say this as someone who hasn't played it in months myself (I just don't play handhelds while at home and I haven't travelled in a while). But I recognize it as a nice little machine that is doing well after some initial stumbles.

And oh, jeez, Javery, that CNN article is atrocious. I think we all knew that that was going to be a problem with the name though. Even my wife yesterday thought I was talking about an attachment for the Wii (though she could care less about gaming so it doesn't matter to her one way or another). So, uh, yeah - I guess the name is a mistake. But then again the success of the Wii painted them into a corner - call it something completely different and people may not realize it is compatible with Wii games and use their already purchased Wii controllers, etc...
 
[quote name='io']Um, really, you don't see the irony here? ;) While the Wii U of course is unproven at this point and could end up being an utter failure, what exactly is it about the 3DS that is so horrible? [/QUOTE]
Um, nope, I don't detect any irony. I only see how irony would work there if one borrows his/her definition of trollery from SuperPhillipe.

Why bother recounting the 3DS's shortcomings when Nintendo admitted them on their own? Beyond it being rushed to stores, and the franken-controls and shit battery life making it a portable that isn't a portable, my personal problem with the 3DS remains the marketing "hook" of 3D technology (not gonna say gimmick...oops).

Nintendo, who spent the Wii's lifetime reassuring us that they're looking to welcome more consumers -- across generations -- to the gaming fold, acknowledged that the 3D effect wouldn't be visible to roughly 10% of gamers no matter how they held/manipulated the device. And then you whittle that 90% down further given that you've got to hold the bastard just so to marvel at three whole dimensions.

I know it's a business, but to me that's a stupid cash grab -- it's got to be, it is antithetical to Nintendo's philosophy of "one button for everyone" to this point. The fact that the product was clearly rushed (again, N admitted this) makes it even more of a stupid cash grab. You can't even say that, at the worst, the 3DS was a DS update. It wasn't an update. It made the portable bigger, more cumbersome. It degraded battery life. It complicated control. It was just a bad idea that wasn't thought out.

The past two E3s only solidify the impression taken from the handling of the 3DS.

Plus, in going through the motions, they're not just watering down valuable IPs with more Mario Parties and now some throwaway NINTENDOLAND, they're now watering down their hardware brands. It could be argued that the 3DS damaged the reputation of the DS line somewhat. The WIIU name is confusing people on what makes a Wii. "Is Nintendo just going to release a bunch of new controls or whatever for the Wii?" This is the stuff people who don't write long posts about Nintendo think when they see the WIIU tablet. It's not just CNN.

So it's not trollery, it's a measured response to what Nintendo is doing. I'm happy to discuss it, I just feel like I'm piling on. But I'm not a troll, because I'm informed and I'm not slagging Nintendo for kicks. I'm just really disappointed in them. They've blown 2 E3s in a row, and they basically showed over the life of the Wii that they're willing to wait a full generation to support a console in earnest. That's lame.
 
[quote name='dothog']I know it's a business, but to me that's a stupid cash grab -- it's got to be, it is antithetical to Nintendo's philosophy of "one button for everyone" to this point. The fact that the product was clearly rushed (again, N admitted this) makes it even more of a stupid cash grab. You can't even say that, at the worst, the 3DS was a DS update. It wasn't an update. It made the portable bigger, more cumbersome. It degraded battery life. It complicated control. It was just a bad idea that wasn't thought out.

The past two E3s only solidify the impression taken from the handling of the 3DS. [/QUOTE]

Yet, with the botched launch and the flaws of the 3DS, it is actually doing quite well right now. As of January, Nintendo sold 4 million 3DSs in the US.

I didn't see it as a "cash grab". More like getting yourself established before your competitor gets their device in the market. The question is, would Nintendo have done as well if they had taken longer to get the 3DS to market, after the Vita was released? Reading forum reaction here before the Vita was released, it wouldn't have been a good idea.
 
I don't doubt the sales numbers, I just doubt the device (design and 3D gimmickry), the use of the "DS" brand for easy sales, and where those anti-Vita tactics suggest Nintendo is at in terms of strategizin'. IMO it qualifies as a grab given all three.
 
[quote name='dothog']the use of the "DS" brand for easy sales[/QUOTE]

That's about like saying Sony shouldn't use the Playstation brand for a new console or that Microsoft shouldn't use Xbox for a new console.

I have no problem with Nintendo using the "DS" brand on a handheld that has Dual Screens and runs DS games.
 
[quote name='TheLongshot']I have no problem with Nintendo using the "DS" brand on a handheld that has Dual Screens and runs DS games.[/QUOTE]
Well, neither does Nintendo. And it obviously didn't hurt in the near term, as they got their sales in the end. But they certainly played it fast and loose, and it's possible the DS brand is why they responded as they did with the price cut, apologies to shareholders, free games, etc. That is, not only did they want to move units, they also didn't want to erode at the use of DS any further. Whatever the cause for that damage-control reaction, it suggested to me that the release wasn't terribly calculated and was more of a "duct tape something together and let's do this" cash grab.

And to bring this around to the WIIU and a comment I made in another thread, they're going to have to put some effort into distinguishing WIIU. 3DS was easy -- it's a new DS and it's got three dimensions y'all! -- but the WIIU is a tougher sale. They don't want to mislead people on the tablet capabilities, and they also need to make it clear that the WIIU is an entirely new console. This generation may be the last time we see "Wii" slapped on a Nintendo console.
 
They really should have gone with their original name - City Boy - and blitzed commercials with Journey soundtracks.

Nintendo City Boy: Don't stop believing (that you're playing with POWER).
 
[quote name='Strell']They really should have gone with their original name - City Boy - and blitzed commercials with Journey soundtracks.

Nintendo City Boy: Don't stop believing (that you're playing with POWER).[/QUOTE]

I agree. By the time you get to three dimensions, you have the 3 City Boy. You have to buy that on name alone -- it's like owning your own personal Jpop boyband.
 
[quote name='dothog']Well, neither does Nintendo. And it obviously didn't hurt in the near term, as they got their sales in the end. But they certainly played it fast and loose, and it's possible the DS brand is why they responded as they did with the price cut, apologies to shareholders, free games, etc. That is, not only did they want to move units, they also didn't want to erode at the use of DS any further. Whatever the cause for that damage-control reaction, it suggested to me that the release wasn't terribly calculated and was more of a "duct tape something together and let's do this" cash grab.[/quote]

The reason for the damage control was pretty obvious: the handheld wasn't selling. It can be argued whether or not they planned on having weak 1st party support early, but that is probably one of the biggest reasons why it didn't sell, along with the price. They knew they needed to cut the price, so they did what they did to help satiate the early adoptors. It was an aggressive move and it ended up being the right one given the situation.

And to bring this around to the WIIU and a comment I made in another thread, they're going to have to put some effort into distinguishing WIIU. 3DS was easy -- it's a new DS and it's got three dimensions y'all! -- but the WIIU is a tougher sale. They don't want to mislead people on the tablet capabilities, and they also need to make it clear that the WIIU is an entirely new console. This generation may be the last time we see "Wii" slapped on a Nintendo console.
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Probably. Personally, I don't see it being much different than the NES/SNES comparison. I guess part of the problem is nowadays, graphics doesn't really set you apart like it did back then.

I still scratch my head at why people are confused about this, but not with other consoles. That is a mystery to me.
 
[quote name='TheLongshot']I still scratch my head at why people are confused about this, but not with other consoles. That is a mystery to me.[/QUOTE]

There's a clear delineation between one generation and the next in other cases. The focus is on big graphics, new titles, etc.

In this case Nintendo has oversold the tablet. The 2011 E3 chat was hilarious precisely because of that, even nitpicky Nintendo fans couldn't figure out if there was a new console there, we were totally lost. In the year since, Nintendo's made it clearer, but the tablet is still in the foreground.

I don't see how they expected it not to be confusing. If I'm not able to see a new and different console attached to the tablet, and you're not making a point of mentioning all the great new Nintendo titles that I can only play on the new console, it's easy to assume, "Oh, it's just a new peripheral for my Wii. It's called the WIIU, I guess it hooks up to the Wii somehow."

Maybe it's easier for me to imagine this because I field questions on this stuff from my family, who are largely Nintendo folks. I can guarantee the tablet will confuse them once the news gets to them.
 
I think it's funny that the device remains the "Wii U" after nintendo pretty much admitted that they thought 3DS sales were hurt by customers not understanding that it was a new product. They should have renamed it.

I want to like this system, but all of the strong titles they are showing are games that I played several months ago, and by the time the system launches will be nearly a year old. I'm not really sure how that makes sense to anyone. Every day that goes by where they don't have a release date makes it seem even stranger.

A few developers at E3 have made a few vague comments to the effect of "done in 6 months" which makes me think we are looking at a December/January release. Gamestop has all their games listed as a 01/01/2013 date (which is a Tuesday), but it's probably a default.
 
Ubisoft says around November, so November. Why? Because Ubisoft leaks everything.

I don't know though, I've heard some very glowing things about Nintendo Land despite the over-abundance of talking about it. There have also been several reports that Retro had their game pulled from the Conference, which added the 3DS segment, and why the Conference felt it was missing something.
 
[quote name='dothog']There's a clear delineation between one generation and the next in other cases. The focus is on big graphics, new titles, etc.

In this case Nintendo has oversold the tablet. The 2011 E3 chat was hilarious precisely because of that, even nitpicky Nintendo fans couldn't figure out if there was a new console there, we were totally lost. In the year since, Nintendo's made it clearer, but the tablet is still in the foreground. [/quote]

And I never got that. Maybe I'm more observant than most, but I got that they were talking about a new console, and that the controller was a big part of what distinguished it from other consoles.

I don't see how they expected it not to be confusing. If I'm not able to see a new and different console attached to the tablet, and you're not making a point of mentioning all the great new Nintendo titles that I can only play on the new console, it's easy to assume, "Oh, it's just a new peripheral for my Wii. It's called the WIIU, I guess it hooks up to the Wii somehow."
Click to expand...

Well, showing the box wouldn't do much, since it looks a lot like the previous console. (Which I have no complaints about. I like the sleek, simple design of the console.) Problem is, what would YOU have done to tell people what made the WiiU stand out from other consoles? You kinda need to make it about the gamepad.
 
[quote name='pacemakerguy']I just want a date and Price so I can preorder it[/QUOTE]

Don't hold your breath. We'll probably get that information in August or September...
 
[quote name='TheLongshot']And I never got that. Maybe I'm more observant than most, but I got that they were talking about a new console, and that the controller was a big part of what distinguished it from other consoles.



Well, showing the box wouldn't do much, since it looks a lot like the previous console. (Which I have no complaints about. I like the sleek, simple design of the console.) Problem is, what would YOU have done to tell people what made the WiiU stand out from other consoles? You kinda need to make it about the gamepad.[/QUOTE]

You know what's funny? My GF, the other day, just found out that the Wii U isn't a Wii add-on. And she's a gamer.

I was basically like, yep, the Wii U is doomed.
 
Anyone who had been even remotely paying attention to Nintendo prior to the Wii U announcement would have had no questions about whether or not it was a new console. There were rumors for months and months about which features would be included in Nintendo's as-of-yet unannounced new hardware. I can see how some people might have been confused if they saw Nintendo's 2011 E3 presentation without having read anything Nintendo related for the prior 6 months, but everyone who was keeping an eye on the gaming industry knew that Nintendo was about to announce a new console.
 
Iwata says Friend Codes will still be there, but you don't have to enter them in order to get friends.


I don't get it.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']Iwata says Friend Codes will still be there, but you don't have to enter them in order to get friends.


I don't get it.[/QUOTE]

maybe you can make friends while you play?

and the codes are for if you want to give it out specifically to your real world friends?
 
I think they keep using the term "friend codes" despite how bad of a connotation it has with gamers, when really it might mean something completely different now. It's just a catch-all phrase at this point with regard to the Wii U. But since Nintendo won't clarify shit, there's no way to know until it's already in execution.

This is concerning.
 
[quote name='Strell']I think they keep using the term "friend codes" despite how bad of a connotation it has with gamers, when really it might mean something completely different now. It's just a catch-all phrase at this point with regard to the Wii U. But since Nintendo won't clarify shit, there's no way to know until it's already in execution.

This is concerning.[/QUOTE]

I'm guessing what they mean is that they are using "friend codes" as a unique identifier for a user, but it won't mean anything to the general user.

Course, I could be off base on that as well. I expect, tho, that whatever we get will be better than what we have with the Wii, that finding people online will be easier and that you won't have to hand someone a code to play with them. Certainly something like Miiverse wouldn't work if the system is like what we have right now.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']Iwata says Friend Codes will still be there, but you don't have to enter them in order to get friends.


I don't get it.[/QUOTE]

Maybe "Friend Code" now means the same thing that "Gamertag" does?
 
My understanding is that you will have a Username just like on XBL or PSN(OctoG123 ring a bell?), but Nintendo is being dense and calling these usernames "Friend-codes" still, and yeah Friend Code has a negative connotation attached to it so they need to quit calling it that.
 
Even if the new system uses a gamertag-like system, I think that the numerical "friend codes" will still be underlying it, if only to allow for compatibility of original Wii games that are hard coded to use numerical codes.

Has anyone heard anything about the way backwards compatibility works? Specifically, has anyone heard whether Wii games will run in a software layer while the Wii-U OS, (with friends lists and network stuff) runs in the background or will it be like the Wii which essentially booted into a hardware compatibility mode killing all of the new console's features while running previous gen. games?
 
I think the MSRP isn't the primary concern for a successful launch right now. The main priority right now is making sure people see it as new console, and in doing that they have to feature the tablet (or "sell" it) better than they did at E3.

I know it's only natural for a CAG to be obsessed with price, but I don't see $50 in either direction making or breaking the launch while the tablet and system itself are uncertain to potential buyers.

Besides, didn't the 3DS launch teach us that N's willing to move on the MSRP if necessary? Why worry if it's "too high"?
 
[quote name='dothog']
Besides, didn't the 3DS launch teach us that N's willing to move on the MSRP if necessary? Why worry if it's "too high"?[/QUOTE]

That makes me worry more than anything. The fact that they dropped the price of the system by such a significant amount after only 5 months was ridiculous.

And sure they gave early adopters $80 worth of free games... but since I already owned all of those games (and the 3D effect is meaningless since those games weren't built around 3D), I'd rather have the actual $80 back.
 
I was just thinking.

Change the name to Wii 2U.

Still technically called the Wii U
People can understand Wii 2 is a new version
"2U" = To You = Embrace idea of social networking/bringing the game "to you"

Alternatively, call it the Wii U2.

Still technically called the Wii U
People can understand Wii U2 is a new version
Cross promotions with Bono can happen
U2 = You Too = Embrace idea of social networking/bringing you to the game too

I need to be paid for this shit.
 
WII2U is definitely more in keeping with the rationale for the original Wii name. And I like the Bono tie-in, they can put out a special edition red WII2U-4-U2 console, profits from the sales of which go directly to promoting awareness of Darfur and Nintendoland.

Jesus, you could go a step further and include a guitar sim title tie-ie based on The Edge's guitar stylings. If there's anything less musically involving than pretending a wiimote is a saxophone, it's holding a guitar and pretending you're throwing The Edge's sonic shapes. Wii Music 2!

I tuned into the Jimmy Fallon show to see Reggie present the WIIU demo. They featured the throwing star demo, and man, I'm not feelin it, Reg. It looked especially poor next to the Wii Sports demo on Conan back when. In that case, the pitchman (Reg) aspect was 86'd, and it was just Conando and one of the Williams sisters playing tennis. Product SOLD.

That to me is the critical problem with the WIIU, Reggie or Iwata or some other nosey asshole wants to keep getting between the audience and the product to explain, "This is what it does." Whereas with the wiimote they just let conando do what he do, baby.
 
[quote name='Strell']I was just thinking.

Change the name to Wii 2U.

Still technically called the Wii U
People can understand Wii 2 is a new version
"2U" = To You = Embrace idea of social networking/bringing the game "to you"

Alternatively, call it the Wii U2.

Still technically called the Wii U
People can understand Wii U2 is a new version
Cross promotions with Bono can happen
U2 = You Too = Embrace idea of social networking/bringing you to the game too

I need to be paid for this shit.[/QUOTE]

That's fucking brilliant. That would I think would work way better than just the Wii U because people would see the 2 and think oh this is a new Wii.

Also I think friend codes could be the unique identifier. On Steam if you don't choose a username for your userpage you just show up as your Steam ID code which could be the same thing as your friend code. Maybe people can now search by username but your friend code is just Nintendo's way of saying x code here is this username in our system.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']That's fucking brilliant. That would I think would work way better than just the Wii U because people would see the 2 and think oh this is a new Wii. [/QUOTE]

I dunno, it didn't work all that well for the Nintendo 3DS.
 
I don't get this thing. At all.

Played it at SDCC.

Graphics for it aren't even up to par to the PS3. In RE, the graphics are Wii HD. And maybe it's because of the demo version, but it lags -- a lot.

The Wii-U Miis aren't any better to look at than before, and you use them in games. Graphics for those are sharper Wii graphics.

In party games like mentioned above, you have one person staring at the Wii-U controller, and 3 at the identical video on the TV. There's no point not having all 4 stare at the TV.

In Scribblenauts, I never had to look away from the controller, making the cloned TV screen pointless.

The controller will probably cause fatigue in longer sessions.

This is going to be a very hard sale, imo. My GF liked it because you can watch TV while playing, but she can't come up with a reason to need the tablet controller.
 
[quote name='theflicker']I dunno, it didn't work all that well for the Nintendo 3DS.[/QUOTE]
Well the 3ds is the ds 2 not 3. Also 3D already has it's own meaning when paired with electronics negating the it's numerical meaning, on the other hand I've never heard of a 2U movie or an U2 tv.
 
[quote name='elessar123']I don't get this thing. At all.

Played it at SDCC.

Graphics for it aren't even up to par to the PS3. In RE, the graphics are Wii HD. And maybe it's because of the demo version, but it lags -- a lot.

The Wii-U Miis aren't any better to look at than before, and you use them in games. Graphics for those are sharper Wii graphics.

In party games like mentioned above, you have one person staring at the Wii-U controller, and 3 at the identical video on the TV. There's no point not having all 4 stare at the TV.

In Scribblenauts, I never had to look away from the controller, making the cloned TV screen pointless.

The controller will probably cause fatigue in longer sessions.

This is going to be a very hard sale, imo. My GF liked it because you can watch TV while playing, but she can't come up with a reason to need the tablet controller.[/QUOTE]

Oh man. All I want is to play (a good) Zelda in HD with a traditional controller. Is that too much to ask?
 
They do have the traditional xbox style controller, hopefully it will be compatible with all games. I actually think the classic controller and the classic controller pro are quite good as well, at least they both have 2 analog sticks. The tablet controller now seems to be like an add-on that is not required, since I assume every game will have to play on one screen at one point especially if they expect you to stream the game to the tablet while someone else is watching TV.

Its a good idea and everything but I am not sure if its going to catch on with the general public in America, it will probably do very well in Japan where people have limited space for TV sets and Nintendo is more popular. But here in the US at least in my area pretty much no one wants to play Wii or Nintendo stuff anymore, Xbox and Sony and Apple are the only cool things with the kids now, Nintendo is not cool anymore. Everyone also has a TV in their room here in the US so I am not sure how popular playing a game while someone else is watching TV will be.
 
[quote name='Javery']If I had to guess I'd bet that the flagship first-party titles will require the tablet controller.[/QUOTE]

They had the Wii U Mario there, but it didn't occur to me to check what they used the tablet controller for.

In RE, they did have like an alternate view when you hold up the tablet, but it seems tacked on. No reason a button press to change views wouldn't have worked as well, especially since I'm guessing the two views is what's causing the major lag.
 
Wait, if Super Smash Bros 4 is being made by Namco Bandai, will that mean there is a possibility that Dragon Ball Z characters can be in there? That would be awesome.

My opinion on the Wii U is way more positive than it was in 2011. And think about it: When the PS3 came out the graphics looked like REALLY good PS2 graphics. The Wii U will come out with games that look like REALLY good PS3/360 graphics, ergo the Assassins's Creed 3 port to the console. The Pro Controller will be what I'd use most of the time, however. Saying the Wii U is inferior to the PS3 technically is saying a high end 2012 computer is inferior to high end 2006 computer technically.
 
[quote name='ryuk1214']Saying the Wii U is inferior to the PS3 technically is saying a high end 2012 computer is inferior to high end 2006 computer technically.[/QUOTE]

That might be true if it weren't widely known and accepted that Nintendo builds on the cheap. Nintendo hasn't ever made a "high-end" anything. The closest is probably the Gamecube, as it was technically more powerful than the PS2, but even at that the Xbox eclipsed it.
 
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