Wii U

[Jbo]

You know what you are going to get with Nintendo.

You are going to get some of the best first-party games available. Nintendo could survive strictly alone off these franchises alone.

They also have never worried to much about graphics and performance. Remember when everyone said the 3DS was a failure? It has now moved 6+ million units.

However, Nintendo continues to be stubborn. The OS for the Wii U is painful, sometimes taking 15-25 seconds between apps. On-line is still not as good as an Xbox live or PSN.

The good? Great controller. Good graphics (for now). Excellent Price point at $300-350. It is a fun system, and I couldn't help get excited like a little kid when opening it up. At 28 years old, nintendo still has a way to sucker me in.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

In addition, if you don't already have Wii motion plus remotes, or 4 other remotes at all, be prepared to spend a ton of cash just to play something like Nintendoland with friends.

That's the exact same gripe people had with the Wii. Replace Nintendoland with Wii Sports. The Wii didn't end up suffering because of that.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

That's the exact same gripe people had with the Wii. Replace Nintendoland with Wii Sports. The Wii didn't end up suffering because of that.

No, I understand that.

But before motion plus came out, I already have 4 wiimotes. I haven't touched my Wii since they released motion plus. I have to suspect that not everyone has it.

Most of the games need it now, so now I need 3 more additional motion plus remotes.

[Jbo]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

No, I understand that.

But before motion plus came out, I already have 4 wiimotes. I haven't touched my Wii since they released motion plus. I have to suspect that not everyone has it.

Most of the games need it now, so now I need 3 more additional motion plus remotes.

Ya I understand the gripe for sure. I ended up paying 50 Bucks to pick up a wiimote plus for Zelda, because I did not pre-order. Having one and then the gamepad seems good for my gaming needs with the G/F.

[DownhillGoat]

Wait so the basic wiimotes don't work? I honestly only used my wii for the first year. I don't even know what this motion plus thing is.

[Mazrim]

Motion plus is more accurate sensing of where the controller is pointing and especially when it comes to tilting/turning the remote. It's actually a big difference when you're doing anything more than pointing at an icon on the Wii menu, and Skyward Sword and Wii Sports Resort make good use of it.

[Raekwon]

The normal wiimote works for some games like Super Mario as there isn't any need for motion controls but Nintendoland needs them. I just got 4 wiimotes the other day now i'm searching for the motion plus addon cheap. So far cheapest I found was $20 which i'm guessing is as good as it gets.

[Ashasx]

You can get the addon, but I think the extra 2 inches on the remote is awkward as hell. I'd have to buy the version with it built in.

[Kavvy]

Anyone know where you can get one of these devices before the holidays? My boss is looking for the "Wii U Console - Deluxe Set" for his kids.

[DownhillGoat]

Future shop in Medicine Hat had a ton left last week if he feels like a road trip.

[J Diddy]

Kijiji has a ton and for reasonable prices.

[SportsJunky]

I picked the white 8gb up at Best Buy yesterday. Last one they had. I'm not sure if my 3 year old will like it but we'll give it a try.

[stang]

Bought the deluxe along with the new Mario... Kids will love it. They love the wii.

This thing better stream media...

[J Diddy]

It will after an 8 hour update.

[Superflyer]

So really big bump. After the wiiu being out for a while, what are people's impressions? There are some good deals out for it and it got me thinking.

[Roast Beef]

Personally I love it. The system has some really amazing games that are very polished and of very high quality, but be warned they are pretty much all Nintendo first and second party games, or indie games. If you want the Call of Duty games, Grand Theft Auto games etc, NHL, NBA, Madden, MLB or any sport or third party game for that matter, then this is not the system for you. It's more powerful than the 360 or PS3, but it is based on last gen technology so the PS4 and Xbox One blow it out of the water in graphic capabilities. I've never been an online multiplayer style of gamer, but I can tell you that the online offerings of PS+ and XBox Live are far superior to what Nintendo has.

The system can't play DVD's or Blu-Ray's, but it can do slow versions of YouTube, Netflix etc, but not in 5.1 surround. Odds are you have something else that can do it better. If you are looking for a mutimedia hub then look elsewhere because it's pretty shoddy at it. You can run Plex, but it's slow as it has to run through the systems crappy web browser, plus it suffers from the lack of 5.1 as mentioned above.

Now I realize that I started out by saying I loved the system and then spent a while dissing it, but this system is about one thing, the games. The games like Mario 3D World, Zelda Windwaker 3D, Donkey Kong Country, Mario Kart 8, Hyrul Warriors, Super Smash Bros, Bayonetta 2, Pikmin 3, etc are all stellar AAA titles. The Gamepad is an interesting controller, the battery life blows (3 - 4 hours max), but I'm right next to a plug so keeping it plugged in is not a problem for me. The controller also acts as a second screen or a mirrored screen, so you can play most games on the Gamepad while the TV is otherwise occupied. (Do not discount this feature, it's more handy than you would think) The caveat is that it's done via direct connection to the console, so it doesn't work if you are out of range, or have a lot of objects providing interference. The controller has a touch screen and accelerometers so there are some games that offer interesting control schemes, but so far no one has hit on that magical eureka moment that changes everything.

I have a PC for games like Arkham, Tomb Raider, Assassins Creed etc. I don't really care too much about the Xbox or PS exclusive games so those aren't a draw for me. I just find the games that Nintendo offers to be damn fun, and well worth my money. The system is also backwards compatible with the original Wii. (You will need Wii controllers though, like the Wii Remote, Nunchuck and Classic Controller, I already had all of those, plus some Wii games so it was no big deal for me.)

The Nintendo exclusive games are more than enough to cancel out any negatives for me. I can play Netflix or Youtube on other devices that I own. I can stream media from a NAS to my TV with other devices. Other games that I'm interested in can usually be bought on the PC. This system is not for everyone, some people just don't care for a Nintendo style of game, but if you do like that sort of thing, then this system is amazing.

[OutOfTheCube]

It's really nothing special, pretty much the same thing as the Wii. Mediocre hardware, gimmicky controller that's never used in an interesting way, zero ghird party support, but a great first party exclusive every six months to make it worth keeping around.

I'm curious where Nintendo plans to go from here as it's been a failure.

[Yellefan]

I like mine. Not a hardcore gamer so I like the games that I don't have to commit a bunch of time to. If I feel like playing mario kart, or super mario 3d for 20 minutes I can without getting too involved. It's a fun system, but it's certainly not for everyone I'm sure.

[Resolute 14]

What Nintendo and the WiiU does well that the other two consoles don't is social multi-player gaming. It is simply more fun to have people around you in SSB and Mario Kart.

[Finger Cookin]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

I'm curious where Nintendo plans to go from here as it's been a failure.

Nintendo marches to the beat of its own drum. Sometimes that path coincides with what mass audiences want, sometimes it doesn't. And it marches on.