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Gaming Wii U launch dated and debut line-up announced

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by brumgrunt, 14 Sep 2012.

  1. brumgrunt

    brumgrunt What's a Dremel?

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  2. Blademrk

    Blademrk Why so serious?

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    Just looked on the play site this morning, they're taking pre-orders for Nintendoland separately (for £50) and don't mention that it comes bundled with either of the WiiU packages (I'm hoping that they'll update the page to include it at some point).

    Prices on Play are £259 for Basic, £309 for Premium and £349 for Premium with ZombieU.

    Think I'll wait a bit before getting one.
     
  3. Guest-16

    Guest-16 Guest

    Anyone else just not enthused at all by the WiiU?
     
  4. dillingerdan

    dillingerdan What's a Dremel?

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    The £210/£250 price tag comes from a redacted GameStation tweet. Prices are about £250/£300/£350(ZombieU bundle).
     
  5. Kacela

    Kacela What's a Dremel?

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    Kind of, but I'll reserve judgement for now...
     
  6. theshadow2001

    theshadow2001 [DELETE] means [DELETE]

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    Definitely. If I was a console gamer I still wouldn't be looking at one of these. There's something not very exciting about under powered hardware.
     
  7. Mentai

    Mentai What's a Dremel?

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    I'm interested to see how well it will do. Whether I'll buy one or not depends on the games as always. The hardware itself/2nd screen gimmick makes no difference to me.

    I think Nintendo will do ok on this one, but I can't see it being a runaway success like the wii was. They've taken an opposite approach with the WiiU in that the controller adds complexity rather than remove it, so the casual audience is immediately lost. In addition to that, they aren't about to win a lot of the hardcore by having such an underpowered machine. However, as boring and safe the New Super Mario Brothers games are they sell consoles for Nintendo every time. In addition to that, Nintendo somehow secured an exclusive Monster Hunter at launch which all but ensures huge sales in Japan. Publishing Bayonetta 2 was a smart move to get a few hardcore console gamers on board. I know a lot of people that lap up anything that Platinum put out, so 2 exclusives from them adds well. Of course all of the ports of older games like Arkham City and Mass Effect 3 are a complete waste of time, but I don't think any game available on PC is worth touching on console anyway.

    Finally, they're going to be comparatively priced to the 360 and PS3 for the holiday season but have the advantage of being NEW. When the next gen finally comes out they'll be half the price and only a year or so old, which means a certain portion of the market will simply default to it because it'll be the cheapest "current' gaming system.
     
  8. Blademrk

    Blademrk Why so serious?

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    I'm undecided. The DS is a runaway success (not so much the 3DS, although it is slowly getting better with the release of the XL and change of focus away from the 3D and more on the games) which shows that developers have got to grips with games using a Touchscreen.

    Although, I think that shifting your eyes a few degrees from top screen to bottom on a DS is a bit easier than switching your viewpoint from the TV to the tablet and then looking back (those few seconds to adjust your focus could get you killed in a fast passed game)

    I want to see how the games implement the tablet before I bite (and I want to see what the exclusives are like too).
     
    Last edited: 14 Sep 2012
  9. GuilleAcoustic

    GuilleAcoustic Ook ? Ook !

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    That's not the hardware power that makes a game is fun or not ! Unless player prefear poor gameplay but with eyecatching graphics. Well I'm not one of those.
     
  10. theshadow2001

    theshadow2001 [DELETE] means [DELETE]

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    Well if we took that attitude why bother building a pc for games. Why not just buy some piece of crap OEM model from dell and play all the funnest games at 640x480 with low detail. Besides there's no reason you can't have both. Unless of course the system you are playing on limits the quality of graphics. Frankly the wii's games always reminded me of casual flash games that I can get for free on miniclip.com or a multitude of other sites. They never seemed to have much complexity or depth. The social aspect was only ok once in a while, when playing drunk at a friends house, but even at that never held much interest for me.
     
  11. GuilleAcoustic

    GuilleAcoustic Ook ? Ook !

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    Do not misunderstand me, I do like nice graphics .... but not if all the devel cycle went into it. Just look at the Final Fantasy series .... the better they look, the worst they are. And it is the same with many modern games. Because nice graphics cost a lot of money and takes a lot of time .... reducing then the money available for gameplay creativity. And since the ave player seams to prefear nice GFX over fun gameplay ...

    Sure you can have both, but the power do not involves the fun you can have with the game. You're mixing the wii hardware and the wii games ... the wii could have nice games, seams like dev studio just didn't spent too much time on finding a good gameplay.

    I think I should now quit this discution of "it's better coz it's bigger"
     
  12. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    The last "powerful" gaming console that Nintendo built was the SNES, and even then.. it was just a hint more powerful, and I think that was not intentions of Nintendo. Nintendo never had a problem doing this. Their recipe works: Aim for ground breaking innovations in providing a new game-play experience, done right, that you can't get anywhere else, over graphics, all at a very affordable price. They never released a 500$ console, and they never will. Heck, I highly doubt Sony and Microsoft will pull the same tricks again. Sony is in difficulty, and the PS3 didn't pick up until very late after uncountable number of price cuts. And Microsoft is more focused on media center over gaming, so while it will have better looking games than the WiiU, most of the money will be spent on Media center like features.

    Based on the specs the WiiU is actually more powerful than the current gen by a nice margin, however, because it needs to render on AT LEAST 2 screens (3 screens later on, when the price for the tablet controller will drop), the graphics needs to, obviously be lowered. So they don't look much better than the PS3/XBOx 360. It's also difficult to say. While Nintendo best strength for developer is providing them with really good developer tools compared to other consoles, and is the easiest console to develop on, the game developers aren't used to the console capabilities. And from what I am seeing, A LOT of games are ports done by another studio.. and this is the problem. As it's another company that does the port, I don't think they have higher textures or know/understand the source code, as the original developers aren't there. So the ports while works well, doesn't look any better than the XBox 360/PS3. BTW, this is the exact same story for ANY new release of console. Look at the XBox 360/PS3 early games. They look like PS2/XBox 1 game.. just in HD, and a bit more polygons. The same for the WiiU.

    So we have to wait and see over time.

    Nintendo provides the best deals
    -> Console is cheap. Considering that the tablet cost about half the price of the basic set console in Japan, it explains the price.
    -> You have a downloadable store reward system on the Premium Set
    -> Nintendo TiVii service at no extra cost
    -> Wii accessories, controllers and games all work under the WiiU
    -> Wii saves, Wiiware and Virtual Console games are all transferable on the WiiU at not additional cost
    -> No proprietary SD card. You can use you own SD card
    -> No proprietary HDD to increase the storage space of the console. Any HDD will do.
    -> Video and audio chat service
    -> All servers, including audio and video chat is free, no additional cost.

    While the Xbox 360 you need to pay per month, else you have pretty much nothing, and beats the PS3 for what you get overall overall. And this is a new next gen console.
     
  13. AmEv

    AmEv Meow meow. See yall in 2-ish years!

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    I wonder how long it would take to port something like Android onto one of those tablet-like things?

    Still, I may be getting one of these things for my family for Christmas; we already have a Wii and HD cable for it. And a boatload of accessories.

    *Not the tablet-thingy, not yet....
     
    Last edited: 14 Sep 2012
  14. fdbh96

    fdbh96 What's a Dremel?

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    I dont get why someone who has a ps3 or xbox would buy one of these? It seems to be a bit of a gimmick, compared to the wii, which really was quite fun to play. And £100 for another controller, bit of a rip off, especially as most consoles come with 2 as standard.
     
  15. Adnoctum

    Adnoctum Kill_All_Humans

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    You mean like the Wii? The Wii could always have been described as "under powered hardware" and yet it sold a ton and made Nintendo a crap-load of money. I derided both it and the monumentally stupid name until everyone was buying them and they sold out everywhere. Then my mind just boggled at the reaction.

    The Wii proved that a console isn't the hardware, it is the gameplay. Just like a game isn't its graphics but its gameplay.

    We should be reserving judgement on the console until we can see how developers use it.
    Now, having said all that I don't care about the WiiU or any other console or handheld. I don't own them, and I don't want to.

    Conflict of Interest (Fanboy) Disclosure: I do own a Nintendo 64 (so I could play Goldeneye and Perfect Dark) and an original X-Box (because it cost me $30 and I got the GTA trilogy and Halo as a bonus).
    And along the way I've somehow accumulated a box of anonymous/generic 80s/90s video game machines (I think there are a couple of PS1s in there as well) that has come with other vintage computer gear.

    But bizarrely that doesn't explain the presence of a dead XB360. Where??!! Did it arrive seeking shelter? Do they breed? Am I legally required to possess at least one dead XB360 per household? There is no controller or cables, just the console itself. Hmm. No cables so I haven't tested it....what if it works? What if it is just playing possum? What if it just wanted into the shed for some nefarious murderous completely innocent purpose?
     
  16. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    Its a new experience.

    Here are some ideas that was presented on what developer could do:
    - Now when you look at your map or inventory, the game doesn't pause. A new level of challenge.
    - Use the controller as a device in the game to look/scan/ point n shoot, etc..
    - Use the controller as a second screen and void split screen so that you can play much better, enjoy the experience much better, have more fun, and no peeking.
    - Use the controller as a chat system in a game
    - Draw, map a strategy.
    - Use as extra buttons. While I don't have the best example in my head. The screen can be used to display button to build units/building in a game or apply actions to them, kinda like a RTS style game for example.
    - My idea: In a 2 controller configuration, the players can play against each other on the tablet (it has a high resolution display) , and the TV screen can display match stats and stuff.
    and more..

    I don't see it a s a gimmick. A gimmick would be more in the line of having the screen as being useless. Like you hit the inventory or pause game button, the game pauses, and the inventory would be on the controller screen instead of on screen. Now THAT is a gimmick. Where it provide 0 purpose, other than looking somewhat cool initially, even that.

    Like some Wii games that interpreted a shake motion as a button, and nothing more. That is a gimmick.

    For me, I am all for a console that provide me with an experience that I can't get from a PC. Else... I'll just play the game my PC in the first place.

    Well clearly Nintendo is waiting for the technology to drop price, or have games that provide BIG incentive for players to buy the second one, as the price is high. Else, Nintendo would lose money due to warehouse room it would take, and retail store won't like it as it takes space form their sales and ware house about a product that doesn't sale. Yes, Nintendo should lose money on the controller, and maybe they will. But the high price of the tablet doesn't surprise me at all.

    It uses a high resolution display, using a really high quality resistive touch screen (actually, I am guessing here, as it's single touch and using the same stylus as the DS)
    It need a really good and super fast wireless Bluetooth card for streaming video non stop. It has a built-in basic processor for some tablet only mini games (this is what Nintendo the tablet COULD do, not said they will), and you have a bunch of sensors, rumble, and NFC. And let's not forget microphone, speakers, sensor bar built-in for Wii mote, and to top things over a web cam, and let's not forget a battery. All that costs money, which all adds up to the high price.
     
    Last edited: 14 Sep 2012
  17. Sloth

    Sloth #yolo #swag

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    After seeing the price tag I've lost all interest, granted there wasn't much to begin with. Both the Wii and the DS were extremely underwhelming to me, having owned both. The DS touchscreen and the Wii motion control both struck me as extremely gimmicky and were left unused whenever the game at hand allowed. But the DS was a gift, and the Wii was $150. Unfortunately, the Wii U just continues developing on my complaints from all recent Nintendo consoles and the price is too high to justify something I'd hardly use.
     
  18. SexyHyde

    SexyHyde Minimodder

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    Totally excited about this. Was a bit sceptical of the Wii when it came out but got one and an XBOX 360, the 360 was sold after a year as it was just *not very good*, yeah the graphics looked better but the Wii was just more FUN. I play on my Wii 2-3 times a week still and im a PC gamer. plus moan about the hardware but for a console it will be fine. plus it'll be beasting all 360s and ps3s for at least 12 months
     
  19. Aracos

    Aracos What's a Dremel?

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    Please tell me where this information of "under powered hardware" comes from.
     
  20. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    To answer Bindi question,

    Personally, I found more games I enjoy than other consoles. However, it must be noted that it's not the genre that I don't like... it's just that I can play the same game on the PC, and get a better experience in all aspects.

    So I found a lot of value with the Wii, granted most games are first party games, which was a disappointment (I am not disappointed about the games... I am disappointed in the lack of third party support), but it looks like the WiiU rectify that problem, or at least Nintendo is pushing to rectify that problem.

    Analysis hat:
    I think that Nintendo will need to push to get exclusives, because when the PS4 and XBox 3 will come out, Sony and Microsoft will eat the market, leaving Nintendo with about nothing. Nintendo hope, if they really pursue not buying out studios for exclusivity, is that the WiiU sales well with gamers and that hard core games also sale well before the competitors enters with their next gen. This will make developer refuse Sony/Microsoft exclusivity purchases, as they'll see that they'll gain more money by selling to the WiiU.

    Anyway, while my Wii did get a few months collecting dust here it there, it did get a nice collection of amazing games. Obviously, the collection was not as big as SNES games.. but so far no consoles beat that. I find that the Wii had something really unique: Metroid Prime 3. I think the controller was best way to play FPS games. Better than mouse and keyboard. The game with packed with customization to really adjust the controls to the way you like it. Yet, it was the only game on the Wii that had these controls so well implemented. I think WiiMotion Plus would have made it better, especially in tracking the movement of moving the controller forward, but that was a monitor thing. MotionPlus was not out at the time.

    So for the WiiU it is a wait and see, but I do think that the WiiU is sold at a good price... not the best, but not PS3 700$ price tag, which at such price the console was REALLY not worth it, especially that it didn't provide anything above the XBox 360, not even graphics. Yes some games where better on the PS3, but the price difference, and for the percentage of difference between graphic levels, its was not worth it. It took several years before Sony found the sweat spot at the <350$ range. What I am impressed is the game library. While the majority of games are nothing more than ULTRA quick ports of older games, it still has 50 games! I don't recall any previous consoles having so many game at lunch or at their lunch window.
     
    Last edited: 14 Sep 2012
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