Wii U - 11/18 @ $300/350

[Danimal]

From an economic perspective you might be right - but I think the point of the article was to look at what enjoyment the console might bring to the people that actually have an interest in buying it! You have to remember that millions of people worldwide are very loyal to the Nintendo brand - I get that it might not appeal to everyone, but the idea of spending $300 on a console you will likely use for 6 or so years shouldn't really be so offensive that it gets people's blood boiling, should it?

Who is offended? I simply think the point about Nintendo being Pixar is off base. People are free to spend their money however they want I just don't think brand loyalty exists anymore in regards to VG consoles.

[fanatic]

From an economic perspective you might be right - but I think the point of the article was to look at what enjoyment the console might bring to the people that actually have an interest in buying it! You have to remember that millions of people worldwide are very loyal to the Nintendo brand - I get that it might not appeal to everyone, but the idea of spending $300 on a console you will likely use for 6 or so years shouldn't really be so offensive that it gets people's blood boiling, should it?

Who is offended? I simply think the point about Nintendo being Pixar is off base. People are free to spend their money however they want I just don't think brand loyalty exists anymore in regards to VG consoles.

Sorry if I misread ya...I read the Pixar thing a different way, but I take your point!

My daughter will probably break the gamepad screen within a few weeks, so maybe I will have only once console next generation.

[Danimal]

No worries I hope you enjoy the console. My daughters are wrapped up in their iPods the Wi is never turned on anymore. I wish it was, way cheaper.

[sportdan30]

No worries I hope you enjoy the console. My daughters are wrapped up in their iPods the Wi is never turned on anymore. I wish it was, way cheaper.

The price is the one thing holding me back from purchasing it. $350 for the console, $60 for a game or two, and I'd have to repurchase a Wiimote as I sold mine with the Wii. When all is said and done, you're looking at $500 plus with accessories. I'm content on waiting for a price drop or simply saving up for the next Xbox or Sony console.

[Pete1210]

I normally would feel the same way on the cost, but I'm thinking I haven't bought a new console in a long time. And it will double as a family Christmas present. My son will love it and I enjoy playing Nintendo games once in a while.

I got the call today from Gamestop that my premium Wii U is ready for pick up. I pre-ordered about a week after the day one pre-orders sold out. Looks like the demand is nowhere near the level it was with the Wii.

[TCrouch]

I got one. Haven't opened it, and won't until Christmas.

I gotta tell ya, I had no intention of getting one....until my Autistic son got a hold of that Wii-U remote in Gamestop and was absolutely in heaven. I was sold on it that minute. He plays Angry Birds and things like that, but hasn't connected with an actual controller like that at all in the past. So I'll know for sure on Xmas whether he likes it or not.

[fanatic]

Had some time with the Wii U last night (finally). Initial thoughts...

-Playing Super Mario in HD on a 55 inch screen is FUN. Although, they did drop the ball on the graphics a bit (kind of flat, without a lot of lighting effects, etc...).

-On the flip side, being able to play on the Wii U gamepad is also great - Everything seems to look and play identical. This will allow me A LOT more time with the system, which is great.

-Nintendoland is much better than I initially thought it would be. Nice presentation, variety and some glimpses as to how the gamepad might be used in future titles. It's not as easy to pick up and play as Wii Sports was, but there's some great multiplayer fun to be had.

That is all...please continue not to care.

[Sudz]

Just not sure of the staying power of the latest Nintendo consoles. The Wii was fun, still play bowling on WiiSports 2, but that is pretty much it.

[Sudz]

Just not sure of the staying power of the latest Nintendo consoles. The Wii was fun, still play bowling on WiiSports 2, but that is pretty much it.

[sportdan30]

Snagged one at Walmart this morning. I also saw a couple at Target yesterday, so they are readily available unlike the Wii was at release.

Not sure if I'm going to keep it, but Walmart does have a pretty lenient return policy. At this point, I pretty much have FPS fatigue and the serious games have been draining on me for quite a while. The first party games Nintendo tends to put out are quite fun not only to me, but the entire family. The Xbox/PS3 will always be my go to console for sports/racing/big name title, but I can see the Wii U fitting in very nicely.

[MizzouRah]

Snagged one at Walmart this morning. I also saw a couple at Target yesterday, so they are readily available unlike the Wii was at release.

Not sure if I'm going to keep it, but Walmart does have a pretty lenient return policy. At this point, I pretty much have FPS fatigue and the serious games have been draining on me for quite a while. The first party games Nintendo tends to put out are quite fun not only to me, but the entire family. The Xbox/PS3 will always be my go to console for sports/racing/big name title, but I can see the Wii U fitting in very nicely.

Not shocked you bought it Dan. When will you return it is the question?

[sportdan30]

Snagged one at Walmart this morning. I also saw a couple at Target yesterday, so they are readily available unlike the Wii was at release.

Not sure if I'm going to keep it, but Walmart does have a pretty lenient return policy. At this point, I pretty much have FPS fatigue and the serious games have been draining on me for quite a while. The first party games Nintendo tends to put out are quite fun not only to me, but the entire family. The Xbox/PS3 will always be my go to console for sports/racing/big name title, but I can see the Wii U fitting in very nicely.

Not shocked you bought it Dan. When will you return it is the question?

Got 30 days from Xmas. Will post initial impressions later but so far so good.

[sportdan30]

Just got home from the Blue Man Group. Awesome!

Ok, I had a little time with the Wii U this afternoon. First off, it's not a lie when people tell you the initial update takes a loooooong time. I have a fast connection, and it still took over an hour to update.

The menu is set up similar to the Wii interface. Of course, there are new apps, most notably Miiverse which is really cool. Each game has a chat environment, where you can post messages, make drawings, etc. The real source for Miiverse is should you get stuck in a game, you can post a question and you'll get a respone from the community. You don't have to quit your game. It brings you right back to where you left off. Really a nice addition.

I rented a couple games (Madden 13 and Zombie U). I have only played Madden 13 thus far. There's good and bad with this game. It would be far and away my favorite Madden 13 on any console if the frame rate was smooth. Unfortunately, is it not and really ruins the experience. However, the added value of the gamepad is fantastic. It's so easy to audible, change your hot routes, etc. It makes picking plays less of a chore, especially audibling. I never had any time on the 360 version. Defense is just as streamlined with the gameplay. Graphically, it's below par compared to the 360 and PS3. Cut scenes look great, but actual gameplay looks low res. Btw, the game looks stellar when looking at the gamepad. Really impressed. Of course, the infinity engine does not exist in this version....not a big deal actually. All in all, I wouldn't purchase this game, but can see the appeal if they iron the frame rate out.

I haven't had a chance to play Nintendoland yet, but my son enjoyed it quite a bit. It's deeper than Wii Sports (as a pack in game) which is nice. Of the three games he's played (I think there are around 12 total), they were all very fun. Now, as I say this, I do compare it to my iPad. It seems like all these games could essentially be played on the iPad, but I'm unsure if they'd be as fun. It's early yet, but I can see this game get a lot of play time, while Wii Sports was generally pulled out only when friends or family was over. There's enough fun to be had with these mini games as a single player.

The gamepad is more solid than I initially thought while playing at Best Buy. It's really pretty cool, although I think I'd rather play with the Pro controller or Wiimote if given the choice. The reason being it just feels a little strange with my hands spread so far apart. With that said, the gamepad could be really useful for many games, especially Madden.

Gonna play Zombie U this evening. It's not necessarily my favorite genre, but I'll give it a go. Interested to see how the graphics and gameplay is nonetheless.

At this point, if good first party Nintendo games come out, this system will have legs. From all that I have read, the CPU is pretty weak supposedly. That's disappointing. I don't see people choosing to play their third party games on the Wii U when you can play them on the 360 or PS3. But I stated in a previous post, I'm more interested in the Mario, Zelda, etc. games moreso now than I ever have. Plus, the virtual console will be very nice as well. It's really a "different strokes for different folks" kind of system. With the inclusion of HD, it feels fresh and more advanced than ever.

[sportdan30]

Strong first week for the Wii U

This is the first console I've owned that my wife actually enjoys. Very family friendly. She keeps asking me if we're going to keep it.....

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/2 ... ts-strong/

[fanatic]

This is the first console I've owned that my wife actually enjoys. Very family friendly. She keeps asking me if we're going to keep it.....

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/2 ... ts-strong/

I have the feeling that my wife will enjoy the Wii U more than the Wii simply because she doesn't have to jump around and swing anything. Like me, we are both beat by the end of the day. Nintendo Land is really fun for even solo play so far.

I'm also digging the whole Miiverse thing more than I anticipated. It's quite cool to be able to pause Mario, check the Miiverse message boards (or post with a question) on the gamepad and then continue playing.

I also think the gamepad browser is pretty decent - much like posting to Miiverse, you can simply pause your game, check YouTube for something (i.e. how to clear a certain level), watch it on the gamepad and then continue gameplay. I realize I can always check YouTube on about fifty other devices I own, but it's a nice integrated experience when you're always holding the gamepad.

[Rodster]

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/2 ... ts-strong/

I was at Walmart today and they had several on display and 1 couple seemed interested but did not buy one. When the Wii was first released they were nowhere to be found for the first 6 months. So I kind of doubt the article when it says it's sales are as strong as the Wii.

[fanatic]

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/2 ... ts-strong/

I was at Walmart today and they had several on display and 1 couple seemed interested but did not buy one. When the Wii was first released they were nowhere to be found for the first 6 months. So I kind of doubt the article when it says it's sales are as strong as the Wii.

Good thing for Nintendo is that this couple ended up just buying a Wii instead...and a DS for their niece. 1.2 million consoles (home/portable) sold last week ain't bad!

I agree about the comparison - obviously Wii was a more sought after machine. I still can't believe 300,000 were sold last week, when about only a few quality games have been released in the past couple years it seems! I guess it bodes well for the Wii U - if you think the success will transfer over. Maybe it was a Wii specific phenomenon, but I have a feeling that the Wii U will still be the family choice for gifts, kids, tweens, etc...

[sportdan30]

Hard to say if the numbers are accurate, however I think Nintendo was better prepared this time around. It's entirely possible that their supply was much greater this time and obviously wanted to get it into homes faster. They have a big head start, and I don't think they wanted to have to deal with shortages right out of the gate.

I'm not saying it's going to be my go to console (it's definitely a nice change of pace), but I was fairly burned out on the Wii within the first week (kept it around because my son loved Wii Sports and Mario Kart). I can't say that so far about he Wii U. Certainly HD helps (I was bothered greatly by the SD graphics of the Wii), but the integration of Miiverse, the gamepad (really adds to the immersion factor moreso than I thought it would), and a fun pack in game like Nintendoland sure has me excited about the possibilities of future games.

Picking up SMBU later this afternoon for $40.

[sportdan30]

Looving SMBU in HD. Really a great game. It might help that I haven't played a Mario side scroller gamer in a few years. Can't wait to get more time with it.

[wco81]

Real test is if it catches on and there are sustained sales, with people lining up for months to grab the few units that come into each store.

Wii caught on as a party gadget. Families and friends got together and a lot of nongamers caught onto the waving.

Not sure that the WiiU will have the same dynamic, since there is really only one WiiPad per system and it's expensive to get additional ones, so you can't really have many people using them at the same time.

[sportdan30]

Two freezes yesterday and one today. There is no reset button so you have to pull the plug.

[Sudz]

the white one can be bought on gamestop right now.

there just isn't a "must have" game right now....

[fanatic]

the white one can be bought on gamestop right now.

there just isn't a "must have" game right now....

I would highly recommend holding out for the deluxe model - Nintendo Land is pretty sweet and you will run out of storage space FAST with the 8GB model (only 4GB or so available after updates). If you are a heavy downloader, then the 32GB probably won't be big enough anyways, but I suspect a lot of non hardcore fans will be able to get by without the use of an external hard drive.

In terms of "must have" games - I guess a 3D Mario or Zelda will be the games that fit that moniker for a lot of folks, but I would say that both Super Mario Bros U and Zombie U are very very compelling titles. Mario, because it's the best 2D Mario in a long long time...plenty of challenge, superb off-tv play on the gamepad and amazing level design. Zombie U (I haven't played it), because it looks like a true survival horror experience that's built very specifically for the Wii U. If you're into that slow, careful, terrifying pace that the genre can provide, then you'll likely love it.

[Sudz]

Thanks for the feedback. Appreciated.

[Wilk5280]

Just got home from the Blue Man Group. Awesome!

Interesting. My wife and i just saw them last week and were less than impressed. Glad you dug it though.

** Back to your regularly scheduled Wii-U discussion **