The Official Wii U launch thread

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Is the touchpad really capacitive touch? I tried it out tonight and the response was pretty damn good. It's kind of bulky but it's actually pretty light.

[zerocool84]

Originally Posted by M0oG0oGaiPan

Is the touchpad really capacitive touch? I tried it out tonight and the response was pretty damn good. It's kind of bulky but it's actually pretty light.

No its resistive

[ImpulsE69]

Originally Posted by Doppel

I read this from time to time and what does it mean? Should a new console not be released until ever last vestige of the current console's hardware and software is exhausted, tweaking it until it's perfect? Because that's never been the case for any PC, either..

No, that's not what I'm saying, I'm just pointing out that people are talking about a systems power, when they haven't tapped everything they currently have. Do you think a more powerful system is going to be easier to code for? Each generation seems to have gotten more difficult for 3rd parties to code for, except maybe for Xbox.

[njdevilsfan87]

Originally Posted by ImpulsE69

No, that's not what I'm saying, I'm just pointing out that people are talking about a systems power, when they haven't tapped everything they currently have. Do you think a more powerful system is going to be easier to code for? Each generation seems to have gotten more difficult for 3rd parties to code for, except maybe for Xbox.

But everyone wants "Call of Duty Next Gen" !!

[cmdrdredd]

Originally Posted by Doppel

I read this from time to time and what does it mean? Should a new console not be released until ever last vestige of the current console's hardware and software is exhausted, tweaking it until it's perfect? Because that's never been the case for any PC, either.Yeah, for one player For board games I could see it, though.I cannot speak from experience certainly but something I read this morning specifically said this is NOT true; it can charge and play at the same time.I have not found many wii u vs 360 or ps3 cross comparisons--what good links are there? BTW, the Xbox 360 is now SEVEN years old. I don't think a single person in this thread can say without a straight face that it's even at all acceptable for the wii u to have similar performance. It is telling though that now Nintendo's brand new offering can have a release along with 360/ps3. That speaks a great deal about its lack of performance for a 2012 console. The 720 (?) or PS4 within 1-2 years will embarrass their predecessors and by extension the wii u in performance. Nintendo has some proprietary titles, but once those systems are out it again won't be able to play the current best games.

I still see deluxe Wii Us available locally.

I found the ninja gaiden reference in a review on IGN. Here's what they said. Granted they only mentioned it in passing I think it's worth noting. The way I heard it put from someone I know who actually own it is had the game been released on the Xbox or PS3 in the state it appears on the WiiU that people online would have been picking it apart and would have been totally unacceptable. It's getting a passing grade in the WiiU because it's the first time Nintendo gets to be in HD and it's sort of a novelty, plus the game has lots of blood so it feels different even if it's overall a bit worse.

Visually, Ninja Gaiden 3 is hardly going to make your PS3 and Xbox-owning friends envious. In fact, Razor’s Edge is arguably uglier than its cousins, with bland textures and a bad case of the “jaggies” combining to create a muddy look that would’ve been called out seven years ago during the Xbox 360’s launch.

I think that overall Nintendo is going to find this a hard sell. I mean, core gamers want more than what Nintendo is offering. They've seen the graphics that the WiiU is capable of for going on 7 years now and the casuals won't pay $300 for a game system. It's not even graphics for the core gamers, more like...WHere's the announcement of a new Metroid or Zelda? Yeah it might be coming but we need reassurance. 3D mario? Something... They need something big and so far I am not seeing that on the radar. A touch screen is nice, but I can almost guarantee that the next Xbox will integrate your tablet or phone with Xbox SmartGlass and do more than the WiiU controller can. Plus, with them not offering a controller for sale as a separate item, what do we do if the controller drops and breaks? They aren't going to warranty it for accidental falls I'm sure.

Originally Posted by Todd33

It runs games at about 35W, low power, but it shows. Just about every cross platform port is having issues. I hope the game pad gimmick is worth it, for $199 on black Friday you can purchase the PS3 with five games, huge catalog, BD playback, etc.

Amazon is selling a $270 Xbox 360 With Forza 4, Skyrim, 5 arcade games, 3 months of Live Gold plus an additional month free and a $10 instant video credit. That's a damn fine deal as well.

You're right though, Nintendo isn't doing itself any favors.

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Originally Posted by zerocool84

No its resistive

ah that's what I meant. Works really good surprisingly.

[dagamer34]

I think you can only tout Mario and Zelda games to sell a console so many times... =/

[Doppel]

I assume a second controller will be purchasable eventually, though definitely at least $100 and possibly $150 for the touch-screen one. It's reasonable to think that the significant added cost of the controller has had a direct impact on the grade of the hardware in the console itself. There's no reason a $300-350 Nintendo could not be as fast as the 360+7 years or ps3+6, but the reason it's not is due to either high margin on the unit or costs spent elsewhere (controller).

I think the thing will still sell decently because parents buying for their kids don't know or care much about hardware and Nintendo does have some games that aren't accessible elsewhere. I can't see myself buying one, but I'm admittedly very biased against Nintendos since I grew up. I just don't care for any of the games or graphics I've seen in recent memory. I have literally never played the Wii and not absolutely hated the experience and I'm not sure for me the U would be different, but I know some people love their Wiis.

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

They need to get simpsons tapped out on this machine. That game is addicting

[mmntech]

Originally Posted by zerocool84

No its resistive

Ugg. I wish we could all just agree to stop using resistive touch screens. They're garbage and have always been garbage.

Originally Posted by Gonad the Barbarian

So basically the same concept behind the Dreamcast VMU is supposed to be the cornerstone of Nintendo's new console? This is some innovation worthy of Apple right here.

I was thinking the same thing. Actually, Sony has also had this capability for years (Remote Play) but never implemented it. Which is typical Sony. Good technology but poor/limited software support.

[Axon]

So early thoughts? Is the gamepad a gimmick or more than a gimmick?

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Originally Posted by mmntech

Ugg. I wish we could all just agree to stop using resistive touch screens. They're garbage and have always been garbage.



I was thinking the same thing. Actually, Sony has also had this capability for years (Remote Play) but never implemented it. Which is typical Sony. Good technology but poor/limited software support.

I thought the same thing until I tried it out. It's actually pretty nice.

[Dumac]

Originally Posted by Axon

So early thoughts? Is the gamepad a gimmick or more than a gimmick?

I actually love it.

I wasn't sold on the motion controls for the Wii, but I really like the tablet type controller. It allows you to do a lot of new stuff in games, and lends well to interesting local co-op.

[purbeast0]

Originally Posted by Dumac

I actually love it.

I wasn't sold on the motion controls for the Wii, but I really like the tablet type controller. It allows you to do a lot of new stuff in games, and lends well to interesting local co-op.

can you give some examples?

[zerocool84]

Originally Posted by purbeast0

can you give some examples?

ZombieU seems to be one good use of it but too bad the game isn't good. I haven't played that game so I can't comment, just going by what reviews say.

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

I could see the controller being a good fit for something like a rts/fps or a moba type game. MOBA Allstars melee maybe?

[Pheran]

Here's what I don't get about the touchscreen gamepad. When I play on a typical console (Xbox for example), my attention is completely focused on the screen and the controller is operated purely by tactile feel - an extension of my hands, if you will. By introducing a touchscreen on the controller, you have to look away from the screen - either to see whatever information is being presented, or to find a control, since there's no tactile feedback at all. In fast action games, taking your attention away from the screen is reasonably likely to get you killed. This is why the whole touchscreen controller idea seems monumentally dumb to me. I'm sure it could work OK in some games, but in general it seems like a terrible idea.

[ksheets]

My Friend got the WiiU on Sunday and I played for a few hours on it. IMO this thing is worth no where NEAR $350. ZombieU was ok..I'm not really into those types of games but the controller seemed gimmicky to me. The graphics were...not very good on his 1080P LCD, shading effects seemed blocky and the black "eye" effect that circled the entire screen in ZombieU was annoying.

We also played the stupid pack in game and can I just say...the only thing I got from this was controller envy since my friend hogged the lcd controller the whole time and I was stuck with the gimp Wii motion. I can see a room full of drunk guys arguing over who gets to use the LCD and who gets stuck with regular controllers...

The ability to control the TV was nice and the social ascpects have potential. Netflix looked good, too bad no Hulu or Amazon. The screen was really responsive, I couldn't tell that it was a resistive screen. I can see the media options for the WiiU being kinda cool, eventually.

We also discussed what would happen if his four year old stepped on the screen and cracked it. It's something you have to really think about because a controller this expensive (~$150?) has never really been tied so closely to the console.

Anyhow, those are my WiiU impressions for what they're worth.

[Adrenaline]

Was at BB earlier and saw 8 deluxes and 3 non deluxes out for sale. I was tempted to buy one, but then I remembered I had not played the Wii in almost two years.

[ultralo]

im really enjoying my wii u got 3 games plus the pack in...ac3,blops2,zombieu.....they all run and look good....there is some false statements going around.....i just dont see the issue with those games

[cmdrdredd]

Originally Posted by ultralo

im really enjoying my wii u got 3 games plus the pack in...ac3,blops2,zombieu.....they all run and look good....there is some false statements going around.....i just dont see the issue with those games

The issue is on black ops 2 there are not enough mp players. And other games have been available for a while already

[crisium]

http://www.videogamer.com/wiiu/tekke..._producer.html

"As far as graphical processing and such, it's not much of an issue. But as far as the CPU goes, the clock is kinda low.

"I guess they're trying to keep power consumption down so we have to come up with creative ways to get around that and that's taking a little bit of time." Asked if the Wii U CPU was slower than that of the Xbox 360 and PS3, Harada said: "Maybe a little bit."

http://www.nowgamer.com/news/1687689...light_dev.html

In fact, some games currently scheduled for release on the 360, PS3 and PC won’t be heading to the Wii U at all because of the differences in processing power. One of these titles will be 4 A Games’ Metro: Last Light. Chief technical officer, Oles Shishkovtsov, explains why Metro’s sequel won’t be appearing. “[The] Wii U has a horrible, slow CPU,” said Shishkovtsov to NowGamer.

So, WiiU: Good memory capacity, absolutely terrible memory bandwidth, good GPU (compared to PS360), slower CPU than 2005's Xbox 360?

[purbeast0]

so no one can give any examples of how the touchpad interacts with games to do all this new stuff?

[tipoo]

At 30mm2 the CPU is about as large as a single core Atom at 45nm, and it supposedly has three cores, also at 45nm. There's only so much you can do with a certain transistor budget, I'd be surprised if the cores with 1/3rd the transistor budget of one Atom core were more powerful.

Originally Posted by purbeast0

so no one can give any examples of how the touchpad interacts with games to do all this new stuff?

Inventory, sniping, asymmetrical gameplay, etc etc. Just look at what the launch games do with it.

[ultralo]

Originally Posted by cmdrdredd

The issue is on black ops 2 there are not enough mp players. And other games have been available for a while already

how is it an issue when the whole system just came out....still yet to hit in uk and others...