Nintendo Wii U

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

Friggin great......

I come home from work for a night of WiiU action only to find theres a new system update.

I only pressed 'update' didn't I? 3 sodding hours and counting..........

To be fair, people DID ask Nintendo to make their console more like the Playstation...

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

I want one. I knew I bloody would. I felt I got burnt with the n64, GameCube and particularly the wii and swore each and every time that I'd not get another Nintendo console, but goddamnit, they sucker me in every time. Shame I can't afford one any time soon, particularly not with my first sprog on the way!

In a way you should be glad, it gives you time to see how it develops and whether it will attract the games you want to play or turn into a(nother) dud.

[Captain Kelsten]

Yeah, you're totally right on that front.

I loved my n64 and especially my GameCube, but it always annoyed me the lack of games on them (or at least ones that interested me). I felt they were never given the proper opportunity to flourish. Really, really didn't like the wii, though.

Can I just ask - have Nintendo abandoned all waggle based shite with the wiiu?

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

Well, there's still support for the Wii controllers and all that, but the focus seems to be more on sticks and buttons and the touchscreen. I do have hope that the Wii U will be more of a spiritual successor to the N64/GC than the Wii in that regard.

[Droo]

Silly question, but people keep saying about a rayman demo? Is this available to download? I only get (the woeful) Fifa.

[Philly]

edot @ Dr. Shark. -

I hope so, not seen much waggle yet, apart from "shake to shoot" on fifa.

Stay away waggle.

[sprite]

Yeah, you're totally right on that front.

I loved my n64 and especially my GameCube, but it always annoyed me the lack of games on them (or at least ones that interested me). I felt they were never given the proper opportunity to flourish. Really, really didn't like the wii, though.

Can I just ask - have Nintendo abandoned all waggle based shite with the wiiu?

Waggle seems optional so far. The games I've got have a few different control methods, and using the wiimote does usually have something that might need waggle.. But it depends which control option you pick.

[iris]

Well, there's still support for the Wii controllers and all that, but the focus seems to be more on sticks and buttons and the touchscreen. I do have hope that the Wii U will be more of a spiritual successor to the N64/GC than the Wii in that regard.

The Wii had far more traditional software than the GC.

[Captain Kelsten]

Maybe so, but it also had a load of tacked on gimmicky waggle shite with it!

[Red Alignment]

I do have hope that the Wii U will be more of a spiritual successor to the N64/GC than the Wii in that regard.

Early days so far (literally), but to me the Wii U feels like a GameCube spiritual successor rather than a Wii Mk 2. Also, I realise that Wiimote support is there for legacy reasons, but hopefully I'll be able to use the console for years to come without ever having to touch a Wiimote ever again....

[Captain Kelsten]

I think for a lot of traditional gamers, Nintendo would have done well to distance themselves from the wii brand with this release - the seeming lack of sales would certainly suggest this - but I also understand the wii sold stupid amounts so to do so would be madness.

I do wonder, though, how well the wiiu will sell (say that ten times fast). The wii sold an unprecedented amount and particularly to the kind of people who wouldn't normally touch a console and won't, in my opinion, be all that bothered about getting the wiiu in the same way they wouldn't upgrade their pc to play the latest games. People who aren't interested in 'gaming' per se, but were caught up in the whirlwind that was the wii. Does that make sense? The 'ooh look, it's like you're really playing tennis!' crowd.

Switching focus back to a more traditional console, if that is indeed what Nintendo have done here, may alienate the people who made the wii such a huge success.

[moosegrinder]

I honestly think the Wii U will do a 3DS. It'll start of slowly, get the eventual price drop and then pick up the pace. Whether it does that before the next Xbox and Playstation cycle starts is anyone's guess.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

The main problem with the 'Ooh look, it's like you're really playing tennis!' crowd is that they stop buying games once they've got their fill of Wii Sports and Carnival Games[citation needed].

I do hope that the Wii U will be the return of Nintendo catering to gamers first and non-gamers second. Their 3DS track record so far is pretty decent, so there's hope still.

[iris]

I think for a lot of traditional gamers, Nintendo would have done well to distance themselves from the wii brand with this release - the seeming lack of sales would certainly suggest this - but I also understand the wii sold stupid amounts so to do so would be madness.

I do wonder, though, how well the wiiu will sell (say that ten times fast). The wii sold an unprecedented amount and particularly to the kind of people who wouldn't normally touch a console and won't, in my opinion, be all that bothered about getting the wiiu in the same way they wouldn't upgrade their pc to play the latest games. People who aren't interested in 'gaming' per se, but were caught up in the whirlwind that was the wii. Does that make sense? The 'ooh look, it's like you're really playing tennis!' crowd.

Switching focus back to a more traditional console, if that is indeed what Nintendo have done here, may alienate the people who made the wii such a huge success.

Traditonal gamers? Who are they? Let's not forget the majority of Playstation and Xbox owners are simply people. People who bought one of those computer game players. Core gamers, you would hope, are savvy enough to know the difference between consoles, regardless of similar sounding names.

[Steven]

Ordered premium and Zombie U (due tomorrow) earlier. Actually contemplating sending it back after that Direct. They really aren't releasing anything until next summer, are they? Are they fucking high?

[Dandy_Sephy]

They really aren't releasing anything until next summer, are they?

Thats a bit of a leap to make.

[NEG]

Traditonal gamers? Who are they?

People who can use/People who take the time to learn to use a controller and a stick/d-pad with more then one button to press to achieve goals on a screen. Also can use sticks, and triggers.

Part of the reason the DS became successful among everyday people was, too, the stylus. 'Less anyones forgotten. But it played host to all sorts of traditional games too. Thus making the system even more so popular.

Edit: Xbox and (to a slightly lesser degree this generation, PS*) demographic is mostly kids and teens that are (for the most part) into shooters.

*I say that due to feeling like the average PS3 owner is a little more tech savvy. And some kids may have not grown in a period when Sony was king so didn't get one for that purpose either. But I could be wrong.

[mdn2]

That 'Game and Wario' looks fun. It kept me entertained for the 4 minute run time, at least. Not as a replacement to any major releases, obviously, but as part of a compilation, I could see it being a laugh at Christmas with others.

[Steven]

Thats a bit of a leap to make.

I'd imagine if they haven't shown anything by now it's not coming out before Pikmin, which is Q2. Unless I'm missing something.

[Captain Kelsten]

Edit: @ John Self

I see what you're getting at, but I consider myself a 'traditional gamer' in that I've been playing games since the snes days, yet I didn't know that the wiiu wasn't just a half-jump upgrade of the wii, complete with waggly bollocks. Because of how disappointed I was with the wii, I have pretty much ignored the wiiu until today, largely because of the name association and the fact I genuinely didn't believe Nintendo would have the stones to drop waggle after how successful it proved to be for them.

[iris]

People who can use/People who take the time to learn to use a controller and a stick/d-pad with more then one button to press to achieve goals on a screen. Also can use sticks, and triggers.

Part of the reason the DS became successful among everyday people was, too, the stylus. 'Less anyones forgotten. But it played host to all sorts of traditional games too. Thus making the system even more so popular.

Edit: Xbox and (to a slightly lesser degree this generation, PS*) demographic is mostly kids and teens that are (for the most part) into shooters.

*I say that due to feeling like the average PS3 owner is a little more tech savvy. And some kids may have not grown in a period when Sony was king so didn't get one for that purpose either. But I could be wrong.

I agree, but I'd say none of those people were put off the wii by it's control scheme. They were put of by it's rubbish graphics, lack of a decent Call of Duty and Fifa. These people aren't going to be put off the Wiiu because of its name.

[Flub]

(also Funky Barn for £40, if you're a twat )

You can't handle the funk.

[Dandy_Sephy]

Edit: @ John Self

I see what you're getting at, but I consider myself a 'traditional gamer' in that I've been playing games since the snes days, yet I didn't know that the wiiu wasn't just a half-jump upgrade of the wii, complete with waggly bollocks. Because of how disappointed I was with the wii, I have pretty much ignored the wiiu until today.

At E3 2011 Nintendo made a thoroughly confusing announcement for the Wii U which made little to no mention of the console, instead talking entirely about the controller. The videos they ran had what looked to be a normal Wii in the background. Some smart arses didn't understand the confusion caused by the lack of clarification from Nintendo during that presentation and made big claims about it "obviously being a new console" even though Nintendo made no mention of it. Many of us were simply confused by the presentation and wondering what Nintendo were playing at.

Turns out that all this time after, some people still have absolutely no idea what it is. I think this is more a reflection on Nintendo than the public, the name and console design just isn't clear enough. They've basically 'done a 3DS' with the public, which is a shame, especially as they are trying to capture the cynic's who were turned off the Wii.

[macosx]

I'll pick up a console when there's a bigger raft of exclusives and a price drop. Zombi U is all I want to play atm. I wouldn't bet against a rebrand as well. They need to build momentum fast and more importantly awareness. I've dug my N64 and step down out of the loft with all the talk of wave race.

[IR354Lifeqhybot]

I'll pick up a console when there's a bigger raft of exclusives and a price drop. Zombi U is all I want to play atm. I wouldn't bet against a rebrand as well. They need to build momentum fast and more importantly awareness. I've dug my N64 and step down out of the loft with all the talk of wave race.

HARDCORE!!

[dreamylittledream]

Hmmm have does the WiiU have some kind of background download ability whilst on standby?

I turn the machine on before making my dinner ready for an evening of Mario (now its finally bloody here) to let it get the system update I'd read about on here today out of the way - but instead of downloading anything it just went straight into applying the update - which it must have downloaded in the background somewhere along the line.

I was playing Zombie U til about midnight last night but the machine never prompted me to download any data and I just powered down straight out of the game. Its not been on at all today until 7pm.

Still took over 10mins to apply said update however even if it wasn't downloading anything! Still if it can update whilst its on standby/powered off then its not going to be too painful

[DC Lemon]

I just received my £20 in Zavvi vouchers. Of course they're all for things that no one wants on sites I've never used. I won't spend any time caring because it wasn't part of the deal when I preordered.

However, my Wii U honeymoon is over. I downloaded the FIFA 13 demo today. Utter garbage. All the GamePad controls are counter-intuitive. I can't even get the shake to initiate touch screen shooting to work consistently. Not that I'd want to. Even when using the regular controls, the AI is woefully stupid. No sense to the runs made and the passing is usually off.

I didn't buy FIFA13 on other formats this year but don't recall FIFA turning into the most hateful football game of all time. The Vita launch one was fine. Graphically, it's an increasingly familiar story for Wii U ports. Graphics are good, frame rate is variable.

So I went back to Black Ops 2 multiplayer. To cut a long moan short, my Wii U copy of BO2 is getting sold.

And it's now that my mood begins to turn to the negative aspects of the console. The fan is the loudest of my three current consoles. Pikmin 3 has been delayed and there's nothing else on the horizon. Oh, and dem updates.

Best get back to ZombiU, then...

[CrichStand]

I'm yet to watch today's Nintendo Direct but it sounds like it was pretty much what i was expecting. Did they not announce anything new at all? Surely its the perfect time to announce or hint, at least a couple of new big games, to encourage some confidence in the machine, get their jaded older fans back and at the same time reward the early adopters?

I really don't understand who these Nintendo Directs are supposed to be aimed at? Core gamers already know all the info after watching in the previous 4 Nintendo presentations and i can't imagine Casual players taking the time to watch them.

[Massive Invisible Dog]

I can't believe they haven't announced any first party eShop games yet. They need to have a raft of those ready to plug any gaps in the schedule, especially the typical post-launch drought we're about the have.

[NEG]

I agree, but I'd say none of those people were put off the wii by it's control scheme. They were put of by it's rubbish graphics, lack of a decent Call of Duty and Fifa. These people aren't going to be put off the Wiiu because of its name.

Wasn't implying non-traditional gamers were put off by anything in particular. Most predictable is just the fact that the appeal wore off and except for those that came back with hard tv and magazine advertising of WiiFit and WiiSports Resort, they just stopped playing. Could have Nintendo done more? Not without even more advertising. The lengths of which Brain Training went to. Zelda Crossbow could have appealed to the masses if they pushed it more, for example. Or even something like Wario Ware.

I doubt they would have paid attention to COD. Unless COD looked like a game.*

*By that I mean: Visual style to me, matters a lot more then people might think. Whilst it might work for other consoles, the best thing Activision could have done is released a CoD with Mii's in fantasy world. (Pretty much the Metroid mini-game in Nintendo Land, then.) Not only would it have perhaps pulled the mass market in once more for a 'looks like fun' shooting game. But pulled the traditionals that like CoD back to the Wii as well.