The Official Wii U launch thread

[purbeast0]

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.




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

inventory and sniping can be done with traditional controllers. i want to know what ground breaking new things can be done now in games with the new controller that is a leap forward from what you can do with traditional controllers. people keep talking about it but no one has given any first hand examples.

 

[torpid]

inventory and sniping can be done with traditional controllers. i want to know what ground breaking new things can be done now in games with the new controller that is a leap forward from what you can do with traditional controllers. people keep talking about it but no one has given any first hand examples.

Read some of the reviews of nintendoland. The two chase games are a good example. In one, the players using the TV can't see an overhead map, but the player with the tablet can. Similarly, in the other, players can't see where the guy with the tablet is but the guy with the tablet can see everyone.

There's also the fact that you can continue playing as you move about your house.

 

[Tweak155]

I would consider getting a Wii U if I can transfer my purchases from my Wii to Wii U and dump the Wii.

Otherwise, it will take an epic Zelda release. I loved Twilight Princess but Skyward Sword was very meh.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Hulu plus works on the tablet now.

 

[purbeast0]

Read some of the reviews of nintendoland. The two chase games are a good example. In one, the players using the TV can't see an overhead map, but the player with the tablet can. Similarly, in the other, players can't see where the guy with the tablet is but the guy with the tablet can see everyone.

There's also the fact that you can continue playing as you move about your house.

sorry i should have specified. i'm wondering more about the single player games rather than gimmicky party games.

guess i just want to know what the "wow" factor is with this console, from actual end users not review sites.

 

[ultralo]

Hulu plus works on the tablet now.

yep i saw that im about to check it out...

 

[torpid]

sorry i should have specified. i'm wondering more about the single player games rather than gimmicky party games.

guess i just want to know what the "wow" factor is with this console, from actual end users not review sites.

Ah, I see. I want to know this as well. I think chances are good that it will be like Wii Sports... very few game makers are going to make a game that makes innovative use of the tablet and instead they will just by and large port everything to the wii u.

 

[ultralo]

Ah, I see. I want to know this as well. I think chances are good that it will be like Wii Sports... very few game makers are going to make a game that makes innovative use of the tablet and instead they will just by and large port everything to the wii u.

i dont think so..zombieubis pretty cool with the pad....plus i was playing blop2 online lastnight got tired hit the button boom im playing the whole game in bed laying down chilling...same with ac3..the off tv play is just...wow

 

[purbeast0]

Ah, I see. I want to know this as well. I think chances are good that it will be like Wii Sports... very few game makers are going to make a game that makes innovative use of the tablet and instead they will just by and large port everything to the wii u.

people in this thread are claiming there is new stuff already, i just want to know what it is lol! like i'm genuinely interested. i'm a sucker for consoles regardless of how many games they have out at the time. i could see myself buying one if i just saw it on the shelf somewhere if i heard a few things that somewhat peaked my interest.

i dont think so..zombieubis pretty cool with the pad....plus i was playing blop2 online lastnight got tired hit the button boom im playing the whole game in bed laying down chilling...same with ac3..the off tv play is just...wow

that is a pretty neat feature. thing is, if i wanted to play a handheld, i'd buy a handheld. but that's just me.

 

[cmdrdredd]

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

Because the game is built around mp. Why buy it for a system with almost no online community. Common sense.

that is a pretty neat feature. thing is, if i wanted to play a handheld, i'd buy a handheld. but that's just me.

Exactly...I don't buy a console plugged into a 60" TV to play on a 6" tablet screen with an SD resolution

 

[Adrenaline]

I would consider getting a Wii U if I can transfer my purchases from my Wii to Wii U and dump the Wii.

Otherwise, it will take an epic Zelda release. I loved Twilight Princess but Skyward Sword was very meh.

From what I have read, you can transfer your purchases from the Wii to the Wii U.

 

[Doppel]

http://www.videogamer.com/wiiu/tekk...peed_is_kind_of_low_says_tekken_producer.html



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



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

LAWLS. So really it's not even as quick as the 360 and the ps3? Those things are so old Christina Aguilera was actually hot when they came out.

Why would Nintendo really care about power consumption? Who freaking cares?! I'd happily use a 1000 W system if it were fast. Happily.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Metro Last Night is going to end up being vaporware anyway the way things are going for THQ.

 

[hans030390]

Is it only certain games that allow you to play just on the GamePad?

 

[mmntech]

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

I will give it to Big N that their resistive displays aren't bad. I just see the tech as being old fashioned, but I guess it's cheaper to produce.

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

Going with slower DDR3 seems to be indicative that the Wii U is a system of compromises. Mainly to lower costs in order to keep it close to the $300-$400 sweet spot that most systems historically retail for. Though I can't imagine GDDR is that much more expensive.

It's always the problem of using integrated GPUs with shared memory. They're almost always bottlenecked compared to a dedicated setup.

 

[Imaginer]

Wow, $350 buy you a console worse than a 360 or PS3. You really have to love Nintendo games to invest in this machine. I made the mistake of buying into the Wii hype years ago, what a waste.

How does a new console perform worse than 6+ year old consoles?

I can say the same thing about the Xbox 360 and Kinect. Most titles I already started to switch over to Steam and PC just because the trackball and keyboard works alot better in the games that are primarily popular with the 360.

But I had a fun outing with the Wii. Several diamonds in the rough that utilized the controls, though in the same sense are rough because they don't seem well polished in some aspects.

But as always, I enjoyed Nintendo's first party offerings. So here is hoping they don't disappoint in that regard.

And also keep in mind, it is current gamer's mindset that pretty much drove Nintendo to do what it did because Sony and now Microsoft basically cornered them.

 

[Imaginer]

If I wanted performance, I would play a PC game anyways. The Wii U is a give and take relationship with price being the primary factor. Remember FIVE HUNDRED AND NINTY NINE DOLLARS?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

they have great 1st party games but I thought they made some of them too casual on the wii. Smash brawl lost a lot of the technical stuff that made melee fun. Mario Kart just felt like a step down in skill level coming from Mario Kart DS. Also they need some new franchises. They really need to step up their multiplayer game. Most of their stuff is single player and I might play something once and then it'll gather dust.

 

[Doppel]

If I wanted performance, I would play a PC game anyways. The Wii U is a give and take relationship with price being the primary factor. Remember FIVE HUNDRED AND NINTY NINE DOLLARS?

You might, but a lot of people (like me) have moved away from PC gaming. Not because it sucks, but because it's expensive. $200 buys me a console that plays current best games (and has for years!) and hooks up beautifully to a flat screen TV. Power is inferior to a PC, but consoles just work nicely for a lot of people. I can't see myself getting back to PC gaming any time soon, if ever. I miss parts of it (mouse + keyboard for example), but oh well.

 

[Imaginer]

You might, but a lot of people (like me) have moved away from PC gaming. Not because it sucks, but because it's expensive. $200 buys me a console that plays current best games (and has for years!) and hooks up beautifully to a flat screen TV. Power is inferior to a PC, but consoles just work nicely for a lot of people. I can't see myself getting back to PC gaming any time soon, if ever. I miss parts of it (mouse + keyboard for example), but oh well.

Any PC can do that too. Long before HDMI (some had a VGA in but HDMI made it easier and in good resolutions) And there is this thing about not having to swap discs. Media access of all kinds without being locked down. And a vast array of functionality. All one does is just move a PC to the living room. A mouse surface? Try wireless trackballs. Existed for awhile. Game controllers work fine too.

Your previous post made it sound like you expect a leap of performance with next consoles while maintaining a decent price? I wouldn't count on it. And do you expect Nintendo to turn around and pull a Cell broadband engine 2? Believe me that it would add to the cost comparable to a mid range GPU desktop with a mid end CPU. And that is not factoring in that consoles aren't containing commercial readily accessible off the shelf parts. The other major parts of the cost is designing and producing custom parts that are reliable right out to work in a small form factor. And if cost is a worrying factor in the end for consumers, expect Microsoft and Sony to do the same in ever so slightly update their hardware that isn't a quantum leap of performance.

And that cost gets subsidized in release date games and DLC. And peripherals. And pretty soon ads as I have seen on the 360.


The biggest draw on consoles and always have been is the local multiplayer. Wii U made it more interesting by adding a second reasonably large to hold display with built in controls. So much so that I hope they will officially add support for a second Wii U gamepad to work in tandum. The Radeon custom GPU's older cousin certainly can already. You may say Smart Glass but it means any tablet and all that currently exists lack a dpad, sticks, and buttons. Sony may be able but to but that is a $250 handheld married to a $249 machine.

 

[Imaginer]

I do wish that they could have upped the CPU side of things and sacrificed a bit in adding a more powerful but louder fan. Perhaps making a bigger heatspreader and adding a few cm to the sides. But I figured that Nintendo had comments from various developers and such that they came to the conclusion they did.

Now where is my Star Fox game Nintendo?! And No More Heroes 3.

 

[Doppel]

Your previous post made it sound like you expect a leap of performance with next consoles while maintaining a decent price?

I do. I expect the price of the 720/ps4 to be similar to launch price of their predecessors with approx 7-8 years newer tech...

 

[shady28]

I think folks are giving the Wii U a bad wrap here. Consider, the Wii was roughly equivalent to the original XBox when it launched. Even so, it outsold both the 360 and the PS3.

The Wii U has 3 (slightly faster) Broadway derivative cores now, vs 1 in the Wii. The GPU appears to be something the caliber of a Radeon 7610M, but with a significantly greater memory bandwidth than a normal 7610M (~75GB/s vs ~24GB/s) by virtue of using GDDR5 instead of GDDR3. This means it is similar to a PS3 GPU in capability as far as GFLOPS and texel fill rates, much better in raw pixel fill rates, and with much better codecs / decoding ability for 1080p playback of video.

I think Nintendo is taking a 'compatibility' route with the CPU, which is both its strength and its achilles heel. No matter how you slice it though, the Wii U is probably the most powerful gaming console at this moment. When the Wii was released, it couldn't say that at all. For its target market, I think it will do reasonably well.

Having said that, I never liked the Wii much and I think I will wait for the PS4. An A10 AMD part looks to be way more powerful than anything in the console area now, and with it being an x86 part I think developers will flock to it as an easy to target platform.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I think folks are giving the Wii U a bad wrap here. Consider, the Wii was roughly equivalent to the original XBox when it launched. Even so, it outsold both the 360 and the PS3.

The Wii U has 3 (slightly faster) Broadway derivative cores now, vs 1 in the Wii. The GPU appears to be something the caliber of a Radeon 7610M, but with a significantly greater memory bandwidth than a normal 7610M (~75GB/s vs ~24GB/s) by virtue of using GDDR5 instead of GDDR3. This means it is similar to a PS3 GPU in capability as far as GFLOPS and texel fill rates, much better in raw pixel fill rates, and with much better codecs / decoding ability for 1080p playback of video.

I think Nintendo is taking a 'compatibility' route with the CPU, which is both its strength and its achilles heel. No matter how you slice it though, the Wii U is probably the most powerful gaming console at this moment. When the Wii was released, it couldn't say that at all. For its target market, I think it will do reasonably well.

Having said that, I never liked the Wii much and I think I will wait for the PS4. An A10 AMD part looks to be way more powerful than anything in the console area now, and with it being an x86 part I think developers will flock to it as an easy to target platform.

Your second sentence makes me invalidate any defense of the WiiU. You cannot compare system sales from the Wii to equate that to success of the Wiiu at all. Further, you don't judge success of a system based on hardware sales. If you sell no games it doesn't matter.

 

[eelw]

Further, you don't judge success of a system based on hardware sales. If you sell no games it doesn't matter.

All 3 consoles have attachment rates between 8-9 games.