Wii U - General Discussion Thread

[quote name='Friend of Sonic']That's great news. I almost blew my points just to get rid of them, but now I'll hold onto them for awesome stuff for the Wii U.[/QUOTE]

How is that going to work though? I assumed the Wii U shop would be like the 3DS one and use real money. Are they going to convert Wii Points to cash values on the Wii U shop? I have 4 or 5 Wii Points cards sitting around that I got a long, long time ago. I was eventually going to sell them. But now it seems like I should dump them on the Wii before I do the transfer. I assume I can't apply those directly to the Wii U, right?
 
Interesting. At the end there it looked like he put the regular TV on (soccer game) with a single press on the Wii U pad. I'm still not sure how that would work with cable going into your HDTV and the Wii U just being another device connected via HDMI.
 
Wii U Virtual Console games on the gamepad! You figured it was coming, but it's nice to have confirmation that it's in the works, even though it's not day one.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']And suddenly, Nintendo Direct:

http://www.youtube.com/user/nintendodirectch[/QUOTE]

Highlights:

A big thanks to cvxfreak!

Originally Posted by cvxfreak:
Parental Controls

- Nintendo realizes that some parents may fear that their children may use the Wii U's internet functionality without permission. Wii U has Parental Controls.
- Can restrict content based on user age, CERO (Japan ESRB) rating, internet functionality, internet browser, e-Shop spending, Miiverse functionality, friend registrations, videos, data management, internet settings
- Wii U keyboard input can save user input habits and predictive input in a specific database that depends on the game and user. Wii U does not save input data that you don't want other users to know into the database.
- Miiverse settings can be turned on/off depending on the save profiles per game.

USB Data Storage

- 8GB = 7.2GB, 32GB = 29GB in terms of actual save data. Wii U uses around 4.2GB when using the system for the first time.
- NSMBU is ~2GB, Nintendo Land is ~3.2GB. So, both won't fit into the Basic set at the same time.
- Wii U lets you put data onto a connected USB media drive.
- One USB drive at a time only.
- Cannot disconnect the external drive while plugged into the Wii U and receiving power.
- You can use general drives.
- In terms of powering the HDD while connecting to the Wii U, if you do not use a Y Cable Type drive (2 USB cables), then Nintendo cannot guarantee it will work properly.
- Nintendo can guarantee functionality if the HDD plugs into a power outlet.
- No games on USB Flash Memory due to games not running properly all the time (whatever this means...)
- Wii U will read up to 2TB only for external hard drives
- In Data Management, you must format the connected media drive. Note that this means you cannot use the drive with a PC.
- You can move data from internal Wii U storage to external USB media in Data Management and vice versa. Data on both internal and external media will appear in the menu.
- At launch, only 1 USB hard drive can be connected, but through a future update, more than 1 will be possible and you will be able to move data between them freely.
- SD Cards can hold PC data, Wii Virtual Console, Wii Ware, and Wii save data, but cannot be used to save Wii U game save data.

Backwards Compatibility

- Wii games, Virtual Console, Wii Ware stuff cannot be played using the GamePad screen, but only on the TV in Wii Mode
- Iwata: "We understand that there are people who were looking forward to playing Wii games, Virtual Console games, and so forth on the GamePad, but unfortunately we cannot accommodate those users' expectations."
- There are plans for a Wii U Virtual Console that WILL be compatible with the Wii U GamePad. Please look forward to it in the future.

Nintendo Network Premium

- For Premium Set buyers only
- Point service
- Make Nintendo Network ID, then login to find and user the service
- After logging in, you can see the points you have earned
- Buy with download card or download number
- Earn 10% back on purchases
- Earn back purchase points in ¥500 increments
- Points earned can be used with Wii U/3DS e-Shop, Wii Shopping Channel, DSi Shop
Click to expand...
 
I'm assuming that playing WiiWare/VC console games on the tablet is very possible, they just aren't doing it for some reason. Third party licensing or something equally draconian?
 
[quote name='Corvin']I'm assuming that playing WiiWare/VC console games on the tablet is very possible, they just aren't doing it for some reason. Third party licensing or something equally draconian?[/QUOTE]

Each game is wrapped in its' own individual emulator with individual tweaks for the sake of accuracy. Meaning they'd have to reprogram the emulator for every single game for Wii U in order to do that.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']Each game is wrapped in its' own individual emulator with individual tweaks for the sake of accuracy. Meaning they'd have to reprogram the emulator for every single game for Wii U in order to do that.[/QUOTE]

Is that first part true? I've never heard of the emulator wrapper itself being tailored to the game in question. It makes sense, as the emulation is excellent in the Virtual Console. And if that's the case, then I can lose the tiniest bit of hostility over the VC not being usable on the Gamepad out of the box, but it BETTER come out.

This also calls in question why Nintendo can't seemingly emulate SuperFX Chip games, when people on the 'net can program emulators capable of this. If the emulators are being specifically tailored, there's no reason they can't get around that hurdle.
 
[quote name='io']Interesting. At the end there it looked like he put the regular TV on (soccer game) with a single press on the Wii U pad. I'm still not sure how that would work with cable going into your HDTV and the Wii U just being another device connected via HDMI.[/QUOTE]
Most TVs nowadays have HDMI control. It's the same reason I can hook up a DVD recorder to my TV and use the DVD remote to control the volume on my TV, or make my TV automatically turn on when I hit the power button on my DVD recorder. Not saying there wasn't some gimmicky behind-the-scenes thing going on in the video (I didn't watch it), but I could see it maybe being possible.
 
With the Wii U a scant 4 days off, it's time to start making shopping plans. Those of you who pre-ordered one already know where you will pick yours up. But pre-orders ran out quickly for this item. The rest of us need to figure out which store to line up at to most likely get a Wii U at launch.

Walmart is the obvious choice, as Super Walmarts are always open at midnight. (guaranteed midnight launch) However, they are also an obvious target and might get hit by some of the longer lines.
 
I have one pre-ordered but the last go-round I did the Wii at Target. 13 hours in 30 degree weather. Not fun. I did the 360 at Sam's. Also cold, but I got there around 5am (open at 7 for business members) and there were only a dozen or so people in line. Pre-ordered the PS3 at GS.

Meijer might be a good choice for some if you have one near by. Open 24 hours and probably not the likeliest choice for most people so your odds of a small line might be better.
 
[quote name='Richard Kain']With the Wii U a scant 4 days off, it's time to start making shopping plans. Those of you who pre-ordered one already know where you will pick yours up. But pre-orders ran out quickly for this item. The rest of us need to figure out which store to line up at to most likely get a Wii U at launch.

Walmart is the obvious choice, as Super Walmarts are always open at midnight. (guaranteed midnight launch) However, they are also an obvious target and might get hit by some of the longer lines.[/QUOTE]
Have you checked out Fry's Electronics? They have typically been open on Midnight in the past for some key launches, though I don't know if they are doing that promotion for the Wii U. Worth a phone call though.
 
[quote name='Billytwoshoes']Have you checked out Fry's Electronics? They have typically been open on Midnight in the past for some key launches, though I don't know if they are doing that promotion for the Wii U. Worth a phone call though.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's not a bad idea. The closest Fry's to me is a bit of a drive, but not unreasonable. Also, there is a Best Buy near that Fry's, just in case. Might be a good starting option.

I've heard that Sam's Club and Costco are also really good options, as they are more restrained in the number of potential customers. (have to have a card to get in) So if you know someone who is okay with you borrowing their card now and then, that might be the more secure place to shop.
 
[quote name='madcatz1999']Most TVs nowadays have HDMI control. It's the same reason I can hook up a DVD recorder to my TV and use the DVD remote to control the volume on my TV, or make my TV automatically turn on when I hit the power button on my DVD recorder. Not saying there wasn't some gimmicky behind-the-scenes thing going on in the video (I didn't watch it), but I could see it maybe being possible.[/QUOTE]

Well, that's all news to me. I figured people did that sort of thing via Universal remotes. For me, personally, I have a relatively new Vizio in the living room but it came with a crap remote (Blouetooth and pull-out keyboard - nice features but fragile as hell apparently) that broke twice after just a month or two of use each time. The first time they fixed it via warranty though it was a huge hassle. The second time we didn't even bother. So I have a generic universal remote for volume/channels but it won't even change the input source for me (and can't use any of the built-in Internet apps either). We have to get up and change input manually on the side of the TV. So, yeah, that's the kind of tech I'm used to ;). I just don't see the Nintendo Tvii thing working at all for me.
 
Stopped by my local K-Mart today just to see what their situation was with the consoles. They have taken no pre-orders and have no clue how many they'll be getting in. That said, my town is ridiculously small, so I'd be willing to put money on someone being able to walk in Sunday morning and walk out with a console.

On a side-note, the woman there was 100% positive that you needed an original Wii in order to play the Wii-U. She said she found that out today. I tried telling her otherwise but she was having none of it. So yeah, I had a good chuckle.
 
[quote name='Strell']Is that first part true? I've never heard of the emulator wrapper itself being tailored to the game in question. It makes sense, as the emulation is excellent in the Virtual Console. And if that's the case, then I can lose the tiniest bit of hostility over the VC not being usable on the Gamepad out of the box, but it BETTER come out.

This also calls in question why Nintendo can't seemingly emulate SuperFX Chip games, when people on the 'net can program emulators capable of this. If the emulators are being specifically tailored, there's no reason they can't get around that hurdle.[/QUOTE]

It is true. But it's seemingly come back to bite them here, and with 3DS. If they weren't that way, then they could easily work on all platforms, be released on all platforms with no problem, and make it easier for newer games to come out faster.

Someone told me what the issue with the SFX chip, specifically for Yoshi's Island. And that was that the Fuzzy Effect didn't work properly on Wii.

They announced a Mall Tour for Wii U that'll last a month. One is near where I live, so I'll try it out.

And...Saturday...
 
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I came upon this from an Ars Technia article and it includes some vital information about Wii U storage.

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wiiu/en_na/external_usb_storage.jsp

SD Cards cannot be used to store games. "For Wii U, SD Cards can be used for saving a picture of your Mii and QR Code patterns for your Mii but not as an external storage device for Wii U software. SD Cards can, however, be used in Wii mode to save data for Wii games. This data is managed through the Data Management feature in Wii mode. SD cards are also used to transfer data from Wii to Wii U."

Also, an external hard drive used with the Wii U has to be used exclusively for Wii U stuff and there's a 2TB maximum at this time.
 
[quote name='Richard Kain']With the Wii U a scant 4 days off, it's time to start making shopping plans. Those of you who pre-ordered one already know where you will pick yours up. But pre-orders ran out quickly for this item. The rest of us need to figure out which store to line up at to most likely get a Wii U at launch.[/QUOTE]

with Nintendo's announcement that there will be more Wii U systems available throughout launch than Wii, I hope it means that people won't have to go crazy for the system like at the Wii launch. So if you don't get one at midnight launch, there should be plenty more coming shortly after. Hopefully.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']
Someone told me what the issue with the SFX chip, specifically for Yoshi's Island. And that was that the Fuzzy Effect didn't work properly on Wii.
[/QUOTE]

I find it funny that the Wii can't render a SNES game.

I know it's all technical, but it's still funny thinking a 2005 system can't render something from 1992.
 
Just an FYI for those that care, I stopped by my local Fry's in Tempe AZ, and they already have the following Wii U Games for sale:

Just Dance 4
Batman Arkham City
Assassin's Creed III
Rabbids Land

Unfortunately no NSMB Wii U, but I thought I would point that out for anyone who likes to get the software first before the console (though software is usually easy enough to find).

Also, no midnight opening for Fry's, though they will have Wii U console stock on hand for sale.
 
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My understanding, gathered mostly from the occasional article and lurking at NeoGAF, is that Nintendo switched to a universal emulator per console grouping a year or two after the Wii's release. Which is to say initially VC titles were "wrapped" in their own emulator, but later on they developed -- and even updated, though rarely -- a per-system emulator usable for all available ROMs.

Hence, the reluctance to add in certain tricky titles wasn't a desire to avoid creating a custom emulation wrapper for that title, it was a desire to avoid modifying and then verifying the universal emulator for the sake of an individual title.

Anyhow, back to KB's point, he's correct for the early going, but as of 2007 or 2008, Nintendo uses per-system emulation for VC titles. I would guess that the emulators they developed are tailored specifically to the Wii hardware, and they don't want to re-jigger it for the WIIU hardware. So they're gonna put an emulator in your emulator so you can emulate.

Dawg.
 
[quote name='dothog']My understanding, gathered mostly from the occasional article and lurking at NeoGAF, is that Nintendo switched to a universal emulator per console grouping a year or two after the Wii's release. Which is to say initially VC titles were "wrapped" in their own emulator, but later on they developed -- and even updated, though rarely -- a per-system emulator usable for all available ROMs.

Hence, the reluctance to add in certain tricky titles wasn't a desire to avoid creating a custom emulation wrapper for that title, it was a desire to avoid modifying and then verifying the universal emulator for the sake of an individual title.

Anyhow, back to KB's point, he's correct for the early going, but as of 2007 or 2008, Nintendo uses per-system emulation for VC titles. I would guess that the emulators they developed are tailored specifically to the Wii hardware, and they don't want to re-jigger it for the WIIU hardware. So they're gonna put an emulator in your emulator so you can emulate.

Dawg.[/QUOTE]

Altough, technically, the Wii isnt emulated, the hardware is binary compatible, so it reboots into the Wii OS, not unlike the Wii, booting into GCN mode for Gamecube games.

Good news, stuff should just work, bad news, nothing special gets added.
 
[quote name='foltzie']Good news, stuff should just work, bad news, nothing special gets added.[/QUOTE]

That is a bit of bad news. I would have really liked some up-scaling on my Wii titles, especially since they are going to be fed through the Wii U's HDMI output. While it will still be a touch more convenient (I currently have to feed my Wii directly into my TV, instead of through my surround sound), 480p is so last year.

I imagine that part of Nintendo's reluctance to properly upgrade their backwards compatibility lies in an experience they've already had with the Wii. Such effort would kneecap their ability to re-package previous generation titles for their new system. They did this already with several of the more popular titles on the GameCube. I imagine they will do the same for some of their better selling Wii titles.
 
[quote name='foltzie']Altough, technically, the Wii isnt emulated, the hardware is binary compatible, so it reboots into the Wii OS, not unlike the Wii, booting into GCN mode for Gamecube games.[/QUOTE]

Good point, it's an important distinction. I wonder if, between the Wii and WIIU hardware differences and the modified Wii OS, Nintendo had to do some tweaking on the VC system emulators for WIIUs running in "Wii Mode"? In an ideal world, this would assist the development of a more robust emulator that's native to WIIU. I admit I'm in a very narrow sliver of consumers on hoping for that...
 
OK I know this is going to sound like a stupid question, but since the Wii U does use the controllers from the Wii as well as the tablet controller, has anyone read anything that states which games coming out so far (if any) actually require the remotes and the sensor bar to play?

Love Nintendo games but damn I hate those. If I could use the system with just the Main Controller or the New Controller Pro I would be extremely happy.

I wound up ordering one from Kmart today anyway despite my questions.

The Rayman demo was enough to sway me even though it doesnt come out until next year.
 
Rayman/Pikmin/NSMBU are my top reasons if they get 1 good RPG like Xenoblade I think I will have to start selling crap to buy one. I played the crap out of NSMB and the new one seeming to be a new version of the SNES version makes me beyond excited for it.
 
[quote name='dothog']Good point, it's an important distinction. I wonder if, between the Wii and WIIU hardware differences and the modified Wii OS, Nintendo had to do some tweaking on the VC system emulators for WIIUs running in "Wii Mode"? In an ideal world, this would assist the development of a more robust emulator that's native to WIIU. I admit I'm in a very narrow sliver of consumers on hoping for that...[/QUOTE]

Somewhat right. Somewhat wrong. The reason why there's a modified Wii OS is blatantly obvious that has nothing to do with Virtual Console emulators.

If Nintendo were to allow Wii VC games to use the Pro Controller, they'd have to update every one of those emulators, or, a much simpler task, update the Pro Controller to act like a Classic Controller in Wii Mode. But that's just what I think is possible.

The Sensor Bar isn't required for Wii U setup, but I think it'll be required for some games. It's also still going to be required for some Wii games as well, but that's normal.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']Somewhat right. Somewhat wrong. The reason why there's a modified Wii OS is blatantly obvious that has nothing to do with Virtual Console emulators.

If Nintendo were to allow Wii VC games to use the Pro Controller, they'd have to update every one of those emulators, or, a much simpler task, update the Pro Controller to act like a Classic Controller in Wii Mode. But that's just what I think is possible.

The Sensor Bar isn't required for Wii U setup, but I think it'll be required for some games. It's also still going to be required for some Wii games as well, but that's normal.[/QUOTE]

Sensor bars are packed in the Wii U. If they were not needed they would left them out like they did the wii remotes.
 
Reviews slowly coming out, hailing NSMBU as awesome, NintendoLand as what you'd expect, and Sing Party as crap.

Kinda what I was expecting. Now I know, at least, that i'll be picking up NSMBU. Now where are those ZombiU reviews...
 
[quote name='jedi0077']Sensor bars are packed in the Wii U. If they were not needed they would left them out like they did the wii remotes.[/QUOTE]

Well, they did in Japan, but your point is noted.

Wiimotes still need a sensor bar to do that sensing thing they do.
 
[quote name='hack']Reviews slowly coming out, hailing NSMBU as awesome, NintendoLand as what you'd expect, and Sing Party as crap.

Kinda what I was expecting. Now I know, at least, that i'll be picking up NSMBU. Now where are those ZombiU reviews...[/QUOTE]

Far as I know nearly all other reviews won't pop up til Sunday.
 
What do you guys think are the chances of walking into Wal Mart on Sunday and finding NSMB U? I have my preorder from GS.com coming but since I canceled my Epic Mickey preorder, I decided to go the NSMB U route instead.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']Somewhat right. Somewhat wrong. The reason why there's a modified Wii OS is blatantly obvious that has nothing to do with Virtual Console emulators.[/QUOTE]
What are you talking about? You're going in the wrong direction. I was wondering if the per-system emulators were modified to account for the fact that they were running on slightly different hardware on a slightly different OS.

Well, I wasn't wondering that...they most likely were "tweaked" for the hardware difference. What I was wondering if those "tweaks" laid the groundwork to move the emulators to the WIIU side entirely. It's doubtful, I suppose I was just fishing for rumors.

You're generally a good egg, KB, but when it comes to hardware and software, you're a bit mixed up. This isn't the first time you've put on your authoritative voice to mask straight bullshit about software.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']What do you guys think are the chances of walking into Wal Mart on Sunday and finding NSMB U? I have my preorder from GS.com coming but since I canceled my Epic Mickey preorder, I decided to go the NSMB U route instead.[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure big box retailers like Walmart and Best Buy will have plenty of copies, I don't think software shortages were ever an issue with Wii titles.
 
[quote name='dothog']What are you talking about? You're going in the wrong direction. I was wondering if the per-system emulators were modified to account for the fact that they were running on slightly different hardware on a slightly different OS.

Well, I wasn't wondering that...they most likely were "tweaked" for the hardware difference. What I was wondering if those "tweaks" laid the groundwork to move the emulators to the WIIU side entirely. It's doubtful, I suppose I was just fishing for rumors.

You're generally a good egg, KB, but when it comes to hardware and software, you're a bit mixed up. This isn't the first time you've put on your authoritative voice to mask straight bullshit about software.[/QUOTE]

I'm not entirely sure, but I've been told those games would have to be updated for Wii U in order to play them on the Gamepad and such. I don't know how much work they'd have to put into them, nor do I know what games they'll do it for.

I've been told that it's feasible to get Pro Controller support for Wii Mode, but to what extent I don't know. But it's impossible for the Gamepad to get that support. But the reasons behind why X and Y may or may not happen is obvious once you think about it. And that's why Wii Mode is going to work the way it does.
 
Someone is going to need to make a clip or stand for two sensor bars one on top of the other, because I'm sure we won't be alone in having both a Wii and a Wii U. Going to be annoying having two sensor bars, but oh well. Better would be a single sensor bar with a y-splitting wire that goes to both consoles. The wire is just for power, so this should seem to be doable. Or does the Wii or WiiU provide sensor bar power even when asleep? If so then we wouldn't need any of that.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Someone is going to need to make a clip or stand for two sensor bars one on top of the other, because I'm sure we won't be alone in having both a Wii and a Wii U. Going to be annoying having two sensor bars, but oh well. Better would be a single sensor bar with a y-splitting wire that goes to both consoles. The wire is just for power, so this should seem to be doable. Or does the Wii or WiiU provide sensor bar power even when asleep? If so then we wouldn't need any of that.[/QUOTE]

Well the Sensor Bar has sticky tape on its' underside, so that's feasible. I'm just going to transfer my stuff put my Wii away, using my already out Sensor Bar for Wii U.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Someone is going to need to make a clip or stand for two sensor bars one on top of the other, because I'm sure we won't be alone in having both a Wii and a Wii U. Going to be annoying having two sensor bars, but oh well. Better would be a single sensor bar with a y-splitting wire that goes to both consoles. The wire is just for power, so this should seem to be doable. Or does the Wii or WiiU provide sensor bar power even when asleep? If so then we wouldn't need any of that.[/QUOTE]

Get a wireless one? I got a cheap one with an on/off switch and the batteries have always lasted a long time in it.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']Anyone got suggestions on a HDMI switcher?[/QUOTE]

I bought this one from Meritline a while ago. I'm currently using it with both a 360/PS3, and have another HDMI cord that's "loose" that I use for hooking up a laptop to view streamed shows.

It has worked flawlessly the entire time. I didn't see any loss in signal quality. It auto-switches, so all I have to do is put my TV on the 360/PS3 input and turn on the appropriate system. I've never had to use the included remote for this exact reason, and it has a button on it to switch around as needed. It's tiny, and can draw power from the HDMI out connection, so you don't even need the included AC adapter.

For how small and inexpensive it is, it works VERY well. I plan on using it with the Wii U whenever I decide to get one.
 
[quote name='advanced']Get a wireless one? I got a cheap one with an on/off switch and the batteries have always lasted a long time in it.[/QUOTE]

Hmm, I have one of those somewhere. Thanks for reminding me I need to dig it out. I recently switched to a projector so running the standard Wii sensor across the room was a no go. Haven't had shit to play on the Wii in months though so I haven't thought to grab the wireless one.
 
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