Official Wii U Discussion Thread

Having looked over most of Nintendo's first party stuff at E3 again - what concerns me about the touchscreen interface and how its integrated is simply that it's always used in such a 'bare' way. These mini-games (Nintendo land and the Wario game) have such simple dynamics - they're not a reason to buy the console. I feel like the Wii only really justified its use of motion controls toward the end with games such as Skyward Sword - the same goes for the U. Nintendo balks on about innovation and being different - but whats on show are just basic demo's of capabilities in a somewhat polished (HD) form. I've calmed down since my last posta-rant, but I still feel genuinely concerned this console is just going to bomb in its first year. It's not about any aspect of the hardware, it's about the software promises. If we only get what we saw at E3 - things are going to be really tough.

Because if these higher quality Zeldas, Metroids and whatever were being lined up for year one (and I'm assuming they're all in some phase of development now) - why the hell would you not announce them, even if its just a logo or a minute long trailer? If the Wii U tanks its introduction, growth of innovative and in-depth games could be stunted.

I definitely don't think this worry is imaginary. The 3DS and Vita have found it tough, I think the gaming market in general has changed since the Wii more than Nintendo would like to think. The Wii U isn't a sure thing, they should have come out all guns blazing. No matter whether the U goes on to be a success or not - this show was a huge disappointment to consumers and those within the industry alike.

( Edited 08.06.2012 20:16 by The Strat Man )

jb said:
I was expecting at least Mario Kart to be shown.

I don't think a simple reel of possible games would have done much... They did that for Spaceworld (2000?) and most of those games were heavily changed before release.

Now that I think about it... The GameCube had Rogue Leader, that was awesome. Just a very pretty and cool game. The only thing for WiiU that comes close is ZombiU.

The bad news just keeps pouring in a like a river with this console...

WiiU Has 8GB's of Internal Storage
(Original XBOX had 8GB HDD in 2001)

http://www.gameplox.com/2012/06/07/wii-u-has-8-gb-of-internal-storage/

The Wii U GamePad’s energy only lasts 5 hours and takes 2.5 hours to fully charge

When two GamePads are used, the frame rate drops by 50%

Miiverse messages will be delayed by 30 minutes

The system has 8 GB of internal memory

Nintendo’s stock is at a serious reactionary low

EA's "unprecedented support", fails to materialise

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has come forward to announce that the Wii U is “tremendously powerful”, and went on to question the entire existence of competing consoles, because in his eyes the Wii U is assured dominance:

“I think in the end, the consumer choice is going to be… Once I buy my Wii U, that satisfies my Nintendo cravings and my cravings for all of these other great multi-platform franchises, then what is the role of a competitive platform? It’s going to have to live on the backs of some sort of unique proposition, or unique content.”

And to me that’s the million-dollar question. Of our potential competitors down the road, who’s going to have that compelling content that’s going to say, hey, now I need to branch out and pick up this additional system? I think it’s for them to answer.”

http://www.videogamer.com/news/wii_u_is_tremendously_powerful_says_nintendo_questions_need_for_competitive_platforms.html

( Edited 09.06.2012 12:39 by Linkyshinks )

Sounds like it's a good time to buy Nintendo stock. Wasn't it also really low before Wii? That sold like crazy and stock rose.

I have no doubt that the WiiU will also sell really well.

If things continue as they are I may well sell my shares within the week. They're down for a third day running - 3.3% down yesterday. I have no doubt it will also, but as soon as the 720 and PS4 are shown, the rot will set in fast. The WiiU should eventually get reduced versions of Unreal 4 and CryEngine 4, but I doubt even that will be enough for the long term competitiveness of the console.

I don't think this console is going to appeal to the core gamer as well a Nintendo clearly hopes, you only have to look around the internet to see exactly why. It's specifications already look dire, a year or two down the line they'll look even worse.

Linkyshinks said:
They couldn't even show off a new controller properly...

Show Spoiler

So what's the story behind this? I've not been on top of gaming news the past day or two, and a quick google search didn't clearly answer my questions. I know the left Pro controller was the one in the presentation. Is the right controller one that was on the show floor? If that's right, has it been confirmed which one is going to be the final design (or which one is at least the most current design)?

The right one looks great, by the way. Like J Tangle said, it reminds of a Sega Genesis (Megadrive) controller, and that's awesome. It's thick and it looks like it'll change the position of your hands on the controller (in a good way). I hope the right one is final, because I'm excited to use it.

( Edited 09.06.2012 10:26 by TAG )

The controller on the show floor (right), is the final design. They shouldn't have shown that earlier prototype within the presentation a day earlier, the person who edited the video used the wrong image.

edit: I like the final design too.

( Edited 09.06.2012 12:04 by Linkyshinks )

It wasn't said that messages *will* be delayed by 30 minutes. Iwata stated he thought that would be the limit that people would put up with.

Yea, he gave a rough approximation of how long he thinks is acceptable. Anything near 30 minutes won't be acceptable in the eyes of those playing core game on other consoles, because It's quick and effortless on those other two.

I reckon if Nintendo surveyed the entire gaming populous and asked them what they'd prefer: A fast efficient, easy to use messaging system, or, a novelty one that's sluggish and prone to being moderated, I think I know which one's core gamers would opt for.

My own status messages can change around three times within an average 30min gaming period.

He also implied it could take longer when people are using the system heavily - *considers the amount of spam on Swapnote, and how the doodling actively encourages it*. On special days during the year, when we tend to play games with family and friends etc, any shortcomings will be even more apparent, I've seen this happen on Wii in the early years.

I'm buying WiiU, I've invested too much money in Wii not to, whether I buy one at launch is another matter though, that's all dependant on pricing. All these poor design decisions lessen in severity if the console cost is kept very low, it's the only reason Nintendo could justify such crudeness in 2012. The original XBOX had an 8GB HDD in 2001.

"It can appeal to people all ranges in terms of their gaming ability. It's hard to understand the system until you get your hands on it. A big part of our strategy has been and will continue to be trial, getting it in as many people's hands as possible."

"A combination of first and third party games... will make this system have a good launch. All these developers and publishers are making games that really take advantage of the GamePad. When a publisher creates a game experience that is custom... that's when you really see the magic happen."

- Nintendo's Charlie Scibetta

( Edited 09.06.2012 12:06 by Linkyshinks )

(20mins)

SSD's are more expensive than HDD's in general, which is a part explanation (not a complete one though). Nintendo evidently wants to prioritise size, speed etc. as they did with the Wii.

I think the idea to go with the tablet controllers is holding them back. They wanted to stay noticeably different from the competition, but lacked a particularly strong idea to do so without the same kind of change as motion controls were. Even worse is they're trying to avoid bad PR about being "casual" (as ever, I hate the term) so bolted on an ordinary controller to it rather than running with a touch screen.

I'm starting to think the idea of a locked down box for video games is starting to run its course. More and more of the features are becoming dependent on software, along with hardware so locked down you're spending the same to buy a less functional box than an every day PC.

When something advertises Youtube as a feature, I cringe. It's a web site you can visit in any standards compliant browser (Youtube now has an HTML 5 option, though doesn't work with all videos). Paying a monthly fee (Xbox) to access something that requires its own monthly fee (Netflix, Amazon video) is ridiculous.

Nintendo: Wii Will Not Sell WiiU At A Loss

http://www.zeldainformer.com/news/comments/wii-u-will-not-sell-at-a-loss

"Leaked Promo Pic"

Is that real? Strong chance of another quality launch game then.

The GameCube had Rogue Leader

I reckon if Nintendo surveyed the entire gaming populous and asked them what they'd prefer: A fast efficient, easy to use messaging system, or, a novelty one that's sluggish and prone to being moderated, I think I know which one's core gamers would opt for.

I'm buying WiiU, I've invested too much money in Wii not to

And 8GB memory is pretty pathetic really, SSD or otherwise.

Linkyshinks said:Yea, he gave a rough approximation of how long he thinks is acceptable. Anything near 30 minutes won't be acceptable in the eyes of those playing core game on other consoles, because It's quick and effortless on those other two.

I reckon if Nintendo surveyed the entire gaming populous and asked them what they'd prefer: A fast efficient, easy to use messaging system, or, a novelty one that's sluggish and prone to being moderated, I think I know which one's core gamers would opt for.

My own status messages can change around three times within an average 30min gaming period.

He also implied it could take longer when people are using the system heavily - *considers the amount of spam on Swapnote, and how the doodling actively encourages it*. On special days during the year, when we tend to play games with family and friends etc, any shortcomings will be even more apparent, I've seen this happen on Wii in the early years.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the delay for "comments" is a big deal because of what "comments" are. I don't think comments are like sending an email or text message to your friend's WiiU console (which you might expect a quick reply). Rather, when you're playing Mario Bros, you might get to world 2-1 and leave a comment at 2-1. When one of friends (or anyone?) gets to world 2-1, they will see you your comment pop up. In that scenario, a 30 minute delay is nothing. Your friend might not see the message for days after you post it, even though it's there. And in this scenario, it makes sense for comments to be moderated for obscenities and spoilers (the cause of the delay).

I think there will be another way to communicate with friends that will be near-instantaneous, similar to what Xbox 360 and PS3 offers. No need for moderation if it's just communication between friends (and thus no delay).

I could be wrong about how the comments work, but that's how I understood the presentation. Did anyone else understand it differently? If you understand "comments" working the same way I do, do you still consider a 30 minute delay a problem?

"Star Fox United"

"Fox wears a Fedora"

Linkyshinks said:

I'm buying WiiU, I've invested too much money in Wii not to,

I too am curious, in what way does investing in Wii effect whether you get a U or not?

Zombi-U looks fairly interesting. It's strange to see a HD, atmospheric grimy first person shooter on a Nintendo system. Feels like unknown territory for them these days.

He probably means his Wii has tons of Virtual Console and WiiWare games, that unless transferred to a machine with a user account will stay on there forever.

Yea, VC games.

I'm surprised Michael Pachter spoke quite positively about the Wii U. I thought he was going to be one of the people to rip into it a lot.

It was a nice change to hear him say some good stuff about it.

More positivity from Gearbox

TAG said:
The right one looks great, by the way. Like J Tangle said, it reminds of a Sega Genesis (Megadrive) controller, and that's awesome. It's thick and it looks like it'll change the position of your hands on the controller (in a good way). I hope the right one is final, because I'm excited to use it.

Yeah it's quite nostalgic looking, and I always preferred that curved look on my controllers. It's what made me choose the genesis to the snes back in the days(we still had a snes in the house though)

TAG said:
I could be wrong, but I don't think the delay for "comments" is a big deal because of what "comments" are. I don't think comments are like sending an email or text message to your friend's WiiU console (which you might expect a quick reply). Rather, when you're playing Mario Bros, you might get to world 2-1 and leave a comment at 2-1. When one of friends (or anyone?) gets to world 2-1, they will see you your comment pop up. In that scenario, a 30 minute delay is nothing. Your friend might not see the message for days after you post it, even though it's there. And in this scenario, it makes sense for comments to be moderated for obscenities and spoilers (the cause of the delay).

I think there will be another way to communicate with friends that will be near-instantaneous, similar to what Xbox 360 and PS3 offers. No need for moderation if it's just communication between friends (and thus no delay).

I could be wrong about how the comments work, but that's how I understood the presentation. Did anyone else understand it differently? If you understand "comments" working the same way I do, do you still consider a 30 minute delay a problem?

That's what I got from it aswell. If comments are going to be a more public system, then there should be some rules and boundaries set in place. You can kinda look at it as an ingame forum, but with a very large user base. Imagine if c3 had over 1 million users, just think how long it would take for mods alone to filter all the comments.

I guess if you go back and rewatch the Nintendo sitcom from the Pre-e3 show. It seems like he made a post then was redirected to similar posts like his own, but a minute after that initial post his friend calls him. But even if posts wont be seen till 30 minutes later I think the concept Nintendo is going for may still work, as long as everything else like video calls, personal messages, and voice chat can be done quickly.

So no, the 30 minute wait for a comment to be shown doesn't bother me at all.

WiiU Will Have Friend Codes

Reggie:

“There are friend codes, but it’s not the existing friend code system. What do I mean by that? Here’s what I mean: you will be able to identify people as friends and have a certain level of interaction vs. a different level of interaction for the more general population. The method by which you identify someone as a friend is a lot simpler than what’s happening today with Friend Codes.” (He declined to lay out the new Wii U friend code program just yet.)

Wiiu v PS3 Digital Foundry

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-vs-wiiu-e3-2012

edit:

WiiU $300 According to Best Buy's Network

http://www.zeldainformer.com/news/comments/wii-u-is-300-according-to-best-buy

Nintendo steals Apple slogan "Better Together"

Metro: Last Night *(WiiU version currently on hold)

Hey look guys the 30 minute limit won't be mandatory after all.

But what if, as in the example given by Nintendo when debuting the MiiVerse, I want to post a request for help for a game I’m stuck on? Do I have to wait a while for that to run?

“Let’s take that example. I need help with level so-and-so. The technical scan happens. There’s no bad words. It happens." No queue? “Correct."

This, Fils-Aime said, is when a Nintendo rep would step in: “If the community is flagging it or if there’s an issue where the consumer is continuously trying to send inappropriate content. Because this is account driven, if Stephen Totilo is continuously trying to send inappropriate content then we have the ability to message this.