The Wii U is dead in its current form, admits Nintendo. But what now?

[Lil Frier]

Yeah, worst product launch ever. Of course, I'm not convinced that it's not second to the GB Micro as the worst handheld they're released. I'd rather get a used 3DS than a 2DS, which lacks any reasonable portability (I like pockets).

 

[Red Hawk]

Got Windwalker HD.
Its fun. Spent some time stealing piggies. Got up to the fortress and decided to call it a night. Is there ever a point where I can free roam?

I wouldn't say you're still in "tutorial mode" like dguy said, more like you're in the prologue. In any case, Windwaker opens up pretty quickly. IIRC from playing it years and years ago on GCN, after the first full dungeon (the fortress you are at now is not a full dungeon) you get an item that opens up the game world to free roaming and exploration. And there is quite a lot to explore.

Too bad the Wii U doesn't let you play 3DS games on the big screen!

I know a few people who like their 3DS's more than any other modern console, and at least one commented that he wished he could play awesome new 3DS hits (Link to the Past sequel, new Yoshi's Island, Bravely Default, etc.) on his TV.

That could move some units!

I wouldn't want to play 3DS games on the big screen. Do you know how horrible 400x240 resolution would look on something like a 50'' plasma screen now that we're all used to 1080p or the very least 720p? The games are made for the 3DS screen, they're not made for the big screen.

Wii U should have had a 3DS slot built in from the start. Would have cost 25 cents and Wii U could run 3DS in software emulation. With the success of DS they should have marketed the hell out of not only Wii U being a NEW console but also associated the dual screen asynchronous gameplay features as a home version the popular DS platform.

But then that probably would have failed too. People would think "a $350 DS that connects to the TV no thanks" which is no better than the Wii U being mistaken as a Wii peripheral.

Also now days with eShops and such nobody would ever do such a thing if they can sell you a game twice. The ability to have digital downloads and virtual consoles is a conflict of interest. I was going to add remasters but at least those add significant asset reinvestment and come in at 39.99 or less.

Nonsense. First of all, emulating the 3DS is not that simple. The Wii U doesn't even emulate the Wii, its hardware is specifically set up to run Wii software natively. The Wii U may not be powerful enough to fully emulate the 3DS, meaning they would have to spend money to adjust the hardware so it can run natively. And it's possible that they couldn't have the system set up to natively run both Wii and 3DS games.

Furthermore, run 3DS software? Would you be trying to cannibalize 3DS sales? Every Wii U sale would mean a potential lost 3DS sale then. At best, you would want to sell a peripheral 3DS slot, much like how the Gamecube had a Gameboy Advance cartridge reader peripheral. That way Nintendo still makes a separate profit on 3DS hardware in a sense. They're not bringing in as much revenue as a full 3DS, but at the same time the peripheral would cost much less to produce than the 3DS.

And I'm not sure if you're aware, but original DS games are going to be on the Wii U through the Virtual Console.

Yeah, worst product launch ever. Of course, I'm not convinced that it's not second to the GB Micro as the worst handheld they're released. I'd rather get a used 3DS than a 2DS, which lacks any reasonable portability (I like pockets).

Worst? Eh. It fills a couple niches. Budget-constrained folks who don't care about form factor or the 3D, or kids who might break the clamshell form factor more easily and won't be using the 3D anyways. The naming could have been better, but Nintendo is making sure to note on the box "Plays 3DS games" and to note "Also plays on the 2DS" on new 3DS game releases.

 

[poofyhairguy]

At best, you would want to sell a peripheral 3DS slot, much like how the Gamecube had a Gameboy Advance cartridge reader peripheral.
.

Or the Super Gameboy!

That is exactly what the Wii U needs, a modern Super Gameboy. I can think of three 3DS games I want to play worse than any Wii U game.

 

[Red Hawk]

Or the Super Gameboy!

That is exactly what the Wii U needs, a modern Super Gameboy. I can think of three 3DS games I want to play worse than any Wii U game.

And you can play them, by owning a 3DS. Making the Wii U able to play horridly upscaled 3DS games won't help, all it will do is cannibalize 3DS sales. For those who do already own a 3DS, how many people are going to be motivated to drop $300 in order to play games they already could play but with all their ugliness amplified?

 

[ViRGE]

And honestly, while I love Mario 64, I wouldn't call it a good platformer. It was more of a 3d adventure game. The platforming elements were tiny, and some levels didn't really have any. The game was really easy and lacked the challenge of a good platformer. The last level of SM3DW was more difficult than the entire game of Mario 64.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only person that feels that way. From a game mechanics perspective Mario 64 wasn't very good. "3D adventure game" is a perfect description of what it played like, which was easy platforming coupled with the inane task of hunting down hidden items. There's just too much fumbling around and backtracking. I never could finish it as it never was able to hold my attention.

SMG on the other hand I've always felt is the 3D platformer done right. The goal is still fairly linear (get to the end), but the idea of having these mini stages that you linearly progressed through I felt allowed them to laser-focus the gameplay while still moving around in a 3D space.

 

[Ichinisan]

Got Windwalker HD.
Its fun. Spent some time stealing piggies. Got up to the fortress and decided to call it a night. Is there ever a point where I can free roam?

Waker.

It's really unfortunate that the Forsaken Fortress is at the beginning of the game. I tried to start playing Wind Waker multiple times over the years after it was released for GameCube and I always got incredibly disoriented while trying to explore the Forsaken Fortress. Exploring it thoroughly was so tedious that I never played through that section. Years later, my neighbor got into the game and got past that point. The game definitely got interesting then.

 

[Ichinisan]

You left out galaxy, which is what people have been whining and clamouring for. Except, galaxy doesn't fit your descriptions...

Also, Super Mario 3D World is a sequel to Super Mario World from SNES, so I don't think it's name implies that it is a free roaming platformer.

And honestly, while I love Mario 64, I wouldn't call it a good platformer. It was more of a 3d adventure game. The platforming elements were tiny, and some levels didn't really have any. The game was really easy and lacked the challenge of a good platformer. The last level of SM3DW was more difficult than the entire game of Mario 64.

Really?

• Rainbow Ride
• Tick Tock Clock
• Any one of the 3 Bowser stages

Super Mario 64 was an amazing 3D platform game in every possible sense.

 

[purbeast0]

And you can play them, by owning a 3DS. Making the Wii U able to play horridly upscaled 3DS games won't help, all it will do is cannibalize 3DS sales. For those who do already own a 3DS, how many people are going to be motivated to drop $300 in order to play games they already could play but with all their ugliness amplified?

heh to be 100% honest, i'd probably buy a wii-u if they had a ds edition of "super gameboy".

i simply will not purchase a 3ds to play the latest zelda game but i'd definitely play it on the big screen.

Really?

• Rainbow Ride
• Tick Tock Clock
• Any one of the 3 Bowser stages

Super Mario 64 was an amazing 3D platform game in every possible sense.

sm64 is still to this date one of the best games ever made. the music on dire dire docks still gives me goose bumps to this day.

 

[sxr7171]

One other thing about the WiiU. Nintendo could get at least slightly environmentally conscious. I'm no tree hugger but I have a mound of plastic bags from the packaging. Even the manual comes in its own plastic bag. There were seriously 20 plastic bags in there.

 

[Ichinisan]

One other thing about the WiiU. Nintendo could get at least slightly environmentally conscious. I'm no tree hugger but I have a mound of plastic bags from the packaging. Even the manual comes in its own plastic bag. There were seriously 20 plastic bags in there.

Whatever. I keep all the paperwork and twist ties in the original box and take pictures or video of the unboxing. Comes in handy when you're ready to sell it years from now.

All my NES/SNES/N64 stuff still have the original boxes, bags, and paperwork.

 

[SaurusX]

Whatever. I keep all the paperwork and twist ties in the original box and take pictures or video of the unboxing. Comes in handy when you're ready to sell it years from now.

All my NES/SNES/N64 stuff still have the original boxes, bags, and paperwork.

Wow. I've tried to keep boxes and packaging before, but just the storage of all that crap is a giant pain. Moving is always when all that stuff gets tossed out.

 

[poofyhairguy]

heh to be 100% honest, i'd probably buy a wii-u if they had a ds edition of "super gameboy".

Me too. I can think of at least 3DS games I want to play more than any Wii U game. I know of at least one 3DS owner that would buy a Wii U just to play Zelda on a larger screen.

 

[dguy6789]

One other thing about the WiiU. Nintendo could get at least slightly environmentally conscious.

What about the fact that the Wii U uses only 33 watts of power at full load compared to the 150~ of the Xbone and PS4?

 

[Ichinisan]

What about the fact that the Wii U uses only 33 watts of power at full load compared to the 150~ of the Xbone and PS4?

Really? That sounds more like a spec for the original Wii. The Wii U definitely has a bigger power supply brick/transformer.

Also, the tablet controller has its own power supply / screen and goes dead very quickly. It probably uses a few watts too.

 

[Sohaltang]

Really? That sounds more like a spec for the original Wii. The Wii U definitely has a bigger power supply brick/transformer.

Also, the tablet controller has its own power supply / screen and goes dead very quickly. It probably uses a few watts too.

The console itself uses like 35 watts max. IMO that is a problem not a feature. The system is WEAK.

 

[Dumac]

Really?

• Rainbow Ride
• Tick Tock Clock
• Any one of the 3 Bowser stages

Super Mario 64 was an amazing 3D platform game in every possible sense.

...and all of those stages were extremely linear, with the exception of some parts of rainbow ride (though you are literally riding on an on-rails carpet most the stage).

And besides, none of those stages were particular difficult or tight in level design. Rainbow road in particular was a big cluster****. I love SM64, but it simply isn't particularly flawless or challenging when it comes to platforming. It focuses more on exploring, adventuring, and collecting.

 

[Dumac]

And you can play them, by owning a 3DS. Making the Wii U able to play horridly upscaled 3DS games won't help, all it will do is cannibalize 3DS sales. For those who do already own a 3DS, how many people are going to be motivated to drop $300 in order to play games they already could play but with all their ugliness amplified?

I own both a 3DS and Wii U and would enjoy that feature. IDGAF about the resolution - I play PS1, N64, and DS games on my PC.

 

[dguy6789]

Really? That sounds more like a spec for the original Wii. The Wii U definitely has a bigger power supply brick/transformer.

Also, the tablet controller has its own power supply / screen and goes dead very quickly. It probably uses a few watts too.

That is actually from Anandtech's own wall test measurement. Scroll down to about 75% of the way down. http://www.anandtech.com/show/6465/nintendo-wii-u-teardown

 

[dguy6789]

The console itself uses like 35 watts max. IMO that is a problem not a feature. The system is WEAK.

More powerful than a PS3. Power doesn't win console wars. PS1, PS2, Wii come to mind. Wii U has plenty of extremely gorgeous games by today's standards(several that run native 1080p). I maintain that Wii U's problem is a naming and marketing problem above all else.

 

[Ichinisan]

...and all of those stages were extremely linear, with the exception of some parts of rainbow ride (though you are literally riding on an on-rails carpet most the stage).

And besides, none of those stages were particular difficult or tight in level design. Rainbow road in particular was a big cluster****. I love SM64, but it simply isn't particularly flawless or challenging when it comes to platforming. It focuses more on exploring, adventuring, and collecting.

You just implied that platforming should be more linear, like Super Mario Galaxy, and there's no question that this "linear" platforming makes use of all 3 dimensions. The "analog" (progressive/procedural) thumbstick (now standard for all game systems) was specifically designed to make it possible to play that game.

You need to see how an expert player plays that game. Seriously.

 

[purbeast0]

wtf does being linear have to do with platforming?

oh, that's right ... absolutely nothing!

 

[CZroe]

One other thing about the WiiU. Nintendo could get at least slightly environmentally conscious. I'm no tree hugger but I have a mound of plastic bags from the packaging. Even the manual comes in its own plastic bag. There were seriously 20 plastic bags in there.

Plastic is a byproduct of oil production so insignificant that it's ridiculous to assert that it is funding or promoting its extraction. Switching to something else would be a waste of resources and be LESS eco-friendly... unless you are flushing them down storm drains near the ocean. :roll eyes: Leaving refineries with an excess of the stuff only drops the price more until the market find another use for it.

 

[Dumac]

You just implied that platforming should be more linear, like Super Mario Galaxy, and there's no question that this "linear" platforming makes use of all 3 dimensions. The "analog" (progressive/procedural) thumbstick (now standard for all game systems) was specifically designed to make it possible to play that game.

You need to see how an expert player plays that game. Seriously.

wtf does being linear have to do with platforming?

oh, that's right ... absolutely nothing!

People rag on SM3DW for have 'linear' level design and not being 'free roam' or 'truly 3D' (whatever the hell that means). I'm saying that is a load of bullocks.

 

[ViRGE]

People rag on SM3DW for have 'linear' level design and not being 'free roam' or 'truly 3D' (whatever the hell that means). I'm saying that is a load of bullocks.

SMW3D is definitely a fantastic game. But it's in its own little niche; it's neither a 2D platformer like Super Mario Bros, nor is it a full 3D movement game like SM64/SMS/SMG. Instead it's an isometric 3D platformer, something that exists between those two points in the spectrum. In SMW3D Nintendo has created a new type of Mario platformer altogether.

 

[Red Hawk]

SMW3D is definitely a fantastic game. But it's in its own little niche; it's neither a 2D platformer like Super Mario Bros, nor is it a full 3D movement game like SM64/SMS/SMG. Instead it's an isometric 3D platformer, something that exists between those two points in the spectrum. In SMW3D Nintendo has created a new type of Mario platformer altogether.

They created it with Super Mario 3D Land, Super Mario 3D World is just an excellent follow-up of sorts, with more features than 3D Land.