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Nintendo WiiU Price and Release Date Announced
YokimaSun writes "Nintendo has revealed the release date of the Wii U: in Japan it will launch on the 8th December, and in the U.S. it will launch on November 18th. The console will ship in two versions: a basic version with 8GB of internal memory and a Deluxe version that has 32GB of internal memory and comes with a stand and docks. Both versions have 1GB of main memory and as much again for game memory. Nintendo claims the console is 20 times more powerful than the Wii and supports 1080p visuals out the box. It comes with an HDMI cable. All existing Wii accessories will work with the Wii U, but the new Tablet Gamepad will set you back around £100/$173 when you convert yen over. The price of the Deluxe SKU is $350."
Here's a list of launch titles.
in being a big flop.
The controller (the distinctive part of this box) is too expensive. You can by a PS Vita or a 3DS for the same price. And play on the go.
All that CPU power is almost irrelevant. 2x would be enough. 10x is not different from a 2x from the user perspective.
1080p is the maximum? No dual screen? What's all that power for?
You can buy a PS3 for less and still have a very good gaming experience.
In one question: is the WiiU a better gaming console than a PS3?
I don't think so.
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
Erm, I did a quick Google as the nearest thing I can find with any reliability is 2008 figures but:
"Nielsen research reveals US ranks third behind Asia and EU in consumer spending on software; 31 percent of Europeans 16-49 in primary regions actively game."
So that's probably why they have the order that they do.
That said, simultaneous release should be a given nowadays. You honestly make no more money from doing it but are likely to increase piracy.
Are you that ignorant? Where is Microsoft based? Where is Nintendo/Sony based?
Think before you type, idiot.
That's not fanboyism, but it is a pretty damning case of immature thinking. Who really cares if Nintendo releases it a week earlier in Japan. If they won't have the stock, and support to do a global release on that date, then your point only stacks up if you're basically saying they should screw their own strong market to prioritise the US which makes very little sense. The Asian, and global non-American game markets are huge. The Asian gaming market has revenues equivalent to that of North America so acting like they are cutting their nose off by not prioritising Americans over-inflated sense of self-importance is pretty naive.
173$ for the handheld bit, plus 400$ for the console? Did they not notice the problems Sony had launching the PS3 at 600$? It doesn't sound like the premium/not premium difference will account for more than 50$ in the end price.
The Yen is strong and it depends on the region, so it will likely be 250/299usd and 250/299eur. It's the same with the 3DS.
I have considered ps3 and xbox360 controllers quite expensive, but this new nintendo one seems to be way beyond those.
I didn't say they should PRIORITIZE the U.S. How about we just get beyond the bullshit regionalism altogether and have *simultaneous* release dates worldwide, so no one is left slighted?
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
I want Xbox to "win" the console wars because it means never having to see "Releases in Japan on X date, U.S./European release dates to come later, at some point, when we get around to it."
Yeah that's a much better criteria than actual functionality and genuine merit. Hey, I've got this new console called the FuckYouRaspberryPi and it's, um, got stuff with it and a RaspberryPi but don't you worry! It's going to release FIRST in the US for $1,000. I will send you all the pieces you need to kinda play, you even get to write the games yourself!
Can me an Xbox fanboy if you like
Ok show me an Xbox fanboy and I think with allot of pressure we can squeeze him into a can, however it may be a bit painful :)
There ain't no such thing as proprietary standards only proprietary formats. Standards are by definition open.
It was really, really stupid to post this article when it was posted. Given that the US and EU date/prices will be announced, err, in the next few minutes, why on earth was it necessary to post an article for the Japanese price announcement from overnight? Now you'll have to edit the post when the US price is announced, or post a second, redundant article.
Another poster brought up the situation that Sony had when they tried selling the PS3 initially for $600. If the new Wii is anywhere near that price point, they are going to seriously flounder with this one. Nintendo has taken the throne as the king of casual console gaming. People will not flock to something viewed as a secondary entertainment option if it blows half-a-month's pay to acquire just the console. I bought a Wii at launch and I think I paid around $600-$700 for the Wii, a complete set of controllers (plus classic pads) and a pile of games. Nintendo will need to hit that sort of mark to make it enticing to "upgrade."
the amazing bc
just another guy doing IT
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Because it's harder logistically?
I didn't say they should PRIORITIZE the U.S. How about we just get beyond the bullshit regionalism altogether and have *simultaneous* release dates worldwide, so no one is left slighted?
Here, I'll explain this to you so your feeble mind can understand. If they were to do that, they'd have to have their factories working for a month to make a certain number. Then they'd have to wait for those to ship to all corners of the world. Then they'd have to put them on sale on the exact same day. And then and only then on that day will you make money. And then what? Either they're gonna sell out or it's going to be a dud. If you want to survive a dud, the best way to do is to mitigate the cost. This makes phased roll-outs a better business idea. You can plan out how much to ship based on how well it's selling/being received.
You think that Nintendo should cater to Americans when the devices are being made in Asia by an Asian company? 'Me me me, I'm American, I deserve everything WHAAAAAAAAA!'
There's a thing called patience. The rest of the world has it. You do not.
Oh and to circumvent your further idiotic replies, some cursory research reveals:
The XBox could be equally criticized. Wait, let me translate it so an XBox user can understand: OMG, XBOX IS TEH SUXXORS!!! GO HOME GAY FAG!
I didn't see the Japanese video, so I can't say for sure (plus I don't understand Japanese), but from what I've read they'll be releasing in North America first to capitalize on Black Friday. There were concerns with supplies that could push the European and Japanese release dates back. All we know for sure is that the Japanese release date was announced first.
So what I'm understanding is its going to cost you $350 to play the 45th super Mario game, no thanks.
"The price is probably set just above production costs so the company won't lose money," said Tomoaki Kawasaki, a Tokyo-based analyst at Iwai Cosmo Securities. "I'm paying close attention to whether there will be innovative software." Might this be just Nintendo pricing a new product at a level where the first kid on the block to have the new toy will be willing to spend, and the usual drop in price follows. But will there be something new here in the gaming experience, as with the Wii, that will make the gamer shell out the $?
I don't think that piracy of console hardware is that big a problem. And simultaneous release isn't going to change it much anyway. Simultaneous release would however significantly increase initial production costs and inventory requirements.
let's rename them nintendoom.
FYI it ships in US on Nov 18 (according to the conference going on right now), before Dec 8 (the Japan ship date). Enjoy your crow, troll.
I didn't say they should PRIORITIZE the U.S. How about we just get beyond the bullshit regionalism altogether and have *simultaneous* release dates worldwide, so no one is left slighted?
My thought exactly when I noticed the complete lack of release dates for the Kindle Paperwhite outside of the US.
Here, I'll explain this to you so your feeble mind can understand. If they were to do that, they'd have to have their factories working for a month to make a certain number. Then they'd have to wait for those to ship to all corners of the world. Then they'd have to put them on sale on the exact same day. And then and only then on that day will you make money. And then what? Either they're gonna sell out or it's going to be a dud. If you want to survive a dud, the best way to do is to mitigate the cost. This makes phased roll-outs a better business idea. You can plan out how much to ship based on how well it's selling/being received.
Funny that Sony managed to do it.
With what? The PS3? Nope. The Vita? Nope.
What kind of fucking troll are you?!
I don't think one allot will be enough. We're going to need at least eleventy allots of pressure to squeeze an Xbox fanboy into a can. I mean, those guys can be pretty large.
Well hell, that saves me at least 99 bucks, or 1200 if I really wanted to be a true Monster hunter...
It's coming to the US first.... Nov 18: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/09/wii-u-coming-to-america-sunday-november-18/
Microsoft doesn't capitalize the second X in "Xbox". Shape up, or they won't be sending you your check this week!
I don't disagree that the "Japan first" mindset is unpleasant and wrong, but...
The PS3 was not a simultaneous world-wide launch. It wasn't even the same console that launched worldwide. Europe had to wait months to get it, and then got a stripped down version with no back compatibility. I saw the way the wind was blowing and imported a US back-compatible 60gig (my PS2 games being a mix of US and UK versions anyway). Which I had for months before the UK launch.
Meanwhile, the timing of the EU launch for the Wii-U is set to be announced in less than an hour, with the US announcement following a few hours later. So it's a little early to get upset yet.
If I were a betting man, I'd say 11 December for the US and 14 December for Europe.
I think it's less that, and more that in Japan, customer loyalty tends to be a two-way street. Giving their own populace the first shot at the console doesn't strike me as so odd in that country. I don't know if that factors into their reasoning, but I lived and worked in Japan long enough to know that "Japan, Inc." and Team Japan are extremely important concepts to a major portion of the population.
On the flip side, I remember the utterly ridiculous launch the Xbox 360 had in Japan -- the only games I could find at my local electronics shop in Osaka were Ridge Racer and Tetris, for God's sake. So it's not just Nintendo that flips the proverbial bird at a foreign gaming population.
Why not use equivalent comparisons and compare North America to Europe and Asia...
PS3 was the exception, not the rule. Prior consoles all had phased regional releases. If you count the days, they have been improving.
Even if it's a phased release, they just might be able to make it to NA/EU for the holidays (though no hard feelings if they don't)
That said, simultaneous release should be a given nowadays.
Why exactly should this be a given? Even assuming they are at least thinking ahead in their programming and have a proper localization framework in place, that still doesn't mean all content is equally ready for distribution.
Fear is the mind killer.
Don't you feel like a jerk right now, the US launch is confirmed to be BEFORE the Japanese launch:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/13/wii-u-price-date-us/
Nintendo is a japaneese company. Japan is the center of the universe for Nintendo. Releasing in Japan first makes sense. Get over it.
Well, it appears they listened to me. Good for them, for realizing I was right.
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
They were wise enough to listen to me and realize I was right. The rest of the world should be that smart.
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
...whether there's any advantage to springing for the premium console, besides the colour. Stands and charging stations will be pouring out of China PDQ. The internal storage difference means little when you factor in the SDHC card slot built into this thing. Can't say I can see anything else to fault, except perhaps the replacement price of that tablet if it gets busted. Nice it's backwards compatible with the old controllers, extends their useful life considerably (if the lifespan of this generation of consoles is anything to go by) and means any Wii'd up households are already half-way kitted out for launch day.
How to express how much I want to play Pikmin 3 without sounding like a child... hmm... can't do it. EEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeee! :(
Okay, one week apart. I would count that as pretty simultaneous.
Right. For Japan, Hong Kong, United States, Taiwan and Canada. However your original post said:
And at least Sony showed some respect with a simultaneous release of the PS3 worldwide. Nintendo acts like this is still the 90's and Japan is still the center of the gaming universe.
Did you know that there are more countries than just the United States and Japan in the world? Why don't you start looking at how badly South Korea gets hosed in these console release dates. Per capita they kill Japan and USA for gaming.
So you're nationalist bullshit post espousing respect should have an asterisk and say 'only for the one country I care about'.
It's what's stopping me simply buying a new Wii to replace my black-screened Wii. For some reason, Nintendo took this feature out.
Guess what? You're wrong!
Release date in Japan: December 8
Release date in US: November 18
See, timothy? This is why you wait until *after* the press conference to post the article.
Oh wow did I get that one wrong. 18 November for the US and 30 November for Europe.
So Japan gets it last. Take that, shrinking Japanese gaming demographic.
Dying to play some Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Yoshi...
They were wise enough to listen to me and realize I was right. The rest of the world should be that smart.
So here's the million dollar question: will you now be a blindly rapid ignorant Nintendo fanboy and burn all your Microsoft gear?
Oh boy, a new tablet pad and more power. Big fucking deal. I would nintendo rather have shown some originality, some innovation, some sign of creativity instead to be perfectly honest.
My problem with nintendo is they havent had an original idea in literally decades.
1) Wiiu. Its a wii only with a new controller and its a tablet controller which is just taken from the recent rise in tablets like the ipad and fact everyone is jumping on the tablet bandwagon. But the wiiu is just a wii with a new controller, the wii was just a game cube with a new controller. The 3ds is just a dsi only with a 3d gimmick that was getting (at the time) with the movie industry before they 3ds even came out so again it was nintendo trying to play to a popular gimmick. But the 3ds is just a dsi, which is just a ds lite, which is just a ds and the 3ds xl is just a ds xl with each one being slightly upgraded. Nintendo just plays catch up with whats popular at the time but they pretend like they are pioneers or something.
2) Games. Every single game nintendo makes can be prefaced with "Another fucking" and it will work. For example: Another fucking mario game, another fucking pokemon game, another fucking zelda game. You see? See its funny because everyone bitches at EA, activision, ubisoft and so on for only making sequel after sequel after sequel but when nintendo does it they get on their knees with money in hand crying and praising nintendo and begging them to pinch off another hot steamy mario game in their mouths. Nintendo hasnt had a creative or original game in decades, all they do is just rehash the same old stuff over and over again with just a light new coat of paint each time, but you can still see its just the same old game.
Here is another entertaining look at my point. It paticullarly mentions mario. But it still illustrates my point about nintendo as a whole. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/6147-Old-Man-Mario
Nintendo is a old, closed minded company. I grew up with the NES and gameboy when they were new and I loved nintendo. But I dont love them anymore because of simply how they are now. Ill buy a wii u in a year or so once some games have come out that are more just the same old shit and shovelware (those games will be mostly from atlus, nis I bet). So Im not writing them off, but thats too much money for yet another system based PURELY off of a gimmick and will have a shit load of terrible 3rd party games and all the 1st party games will just be the same old thing.
Im saving my money for the next playstation and xbox systems instead which wont be far behind. Ill get a wii u in a year and a half or so probablly. But I want a galaxy nexus 7, the ps3/360/pc/vita have a lot of games coming out soon I really want right and I have plenty to play still now, there is just too many other things to entertain me now that I want more than a wii u. So Ill come back in a couple years.
You are thinking of an alot. Aalots are much smaller than alots.
At least for the time being all 3 consoles are about on par which means they'll probably all enjoy the same cross-platform titles although the lack of storage space is not going to endear them to 3rd parties selling DLC or even digital copies at all. I also expect that Nintendo's usual arrogance to 3rd parties will ensure that the whiff of shovelware will haunt the platform as much as it did and does their other devices.
Say what you will, the line up of exclusive games that the Wii U will have seems pretty impressive. Nintendo looks to have pretty big names in every category of games... This could be a pretty major system.
How the hell are you, or any other nation that doesn't get it on day 0, slighted in the least? It's a simple matter of logistics and supply. They are in it for the money in the long run after all. If they could hand deliver one to every household in the world the minute of release and make money doing so you can be pretty damn sure they would. There are always shortages in supply on release of the consoles, and it isn't done purposely as it only decreases potential sales. It is directly related to how many the can produce by a given time. Don't say they should wait a week then to deliver all of them..again, it's logistics. What you are proposing simply isn't sound business sense...which is what it is all about after all.
I like video games. I have been playing since the Commodore 64. New consoles come out all the time. They cost money. Usually, at launch, they are not cheap. Competition has been good at keeping console prices in a decent range over the last 2 decades (considering inflation). That aside, much of the cost of this console can be disregarded when compared to buying most other new console releases.
Those of us who like to play video games and not just pretty (or ugly, muddy) colors and shapes probably purchased more than one system last generation. Those of us that bought a Wii will be able to use everything from the old console on the new one. That means that we don't have to buy controllers so that ALL our friends can play it with us when we bring it home. I will have an existing library of games to choose from in the Wii (from games I did not pick up yet to the ones currently in my collection) to play on this console. I will already be set to enjoy this console without spending much more than the cost of the new system and tablet package.
I will likely purchase many of the ports coming to this console, mainly because I don't have the mindset of a ravenous child and blow all my money on video games as soon as they are released (this works out great for me because then there are no "dry" periods for great games). That said, I am looking forward to playing Arkham City, AC: III, and possibly NG 3 (if they can resurrect it from the pile of trash it has been initially). There are other games that I want to get for this system but they (per normal) will have to wait (thus creating even more great games to fall back on at a later time).
I like Nintendo. I like Microsoft. At times, I can handle Sony. This is about video games. There is a good chance that your like holds no stake in the successes, failure, or image of these companies. Just play the games and quit whining about every little thing that you don't like about these different companies. If you don't like the company, don't buy the product. See how simple that is? Speak with your money. I don't want to see any of these companies stop making consoles. Want to know why? I don't want stagnated progress.
TL; DR: I don't care if you want a summary. Have fun with fun stuff. It is not serious business.
Even if it's just to have 480p with no color fringing or dot crawl, it's an easy sell to current Wii owners. A component cable wasn't a big enough upgrade
How so? When I was still playing Wii, I was using a Monster component cable that was cheaper than Nintendo's own, and I got 480p with no composite encoding artifacts. (On the other hand, several NES emulators for PC take pains to emulate the NES's composite encoding artifacts.)
I know I'm not getting any younger, but seriously the text on their website is way too small.
Funny post, since Nintendo just announced the release of the Wii U in UK on 30 November - BEFORE the Japan release.
Buying a second or more tablet controller will not be mandatory for local multiplayer experiences.
For several games, buying a second console, a second TV, and a second copy of the game is already mandatory for local multiplayer. These include Animal Crossing: City Folk and The Conduit. A lot of Slashdot users are under the impression that split-screen is on its way out in favor of online play, probably because so many of them live alone (or at least not with other gamers).
If it runs all Wii games and accepts all Wii peripherals
If the Wii Family Edition is any indication, then I don't think it takes GameCube controllers, which is a negative for people who play a lot of Brawl. Nor is it likely to support the Homebrew Channel.
Especially seeing as the last simutanious world wide release was the PS3....and does anybody besides me REALLY remember just how well that went? Hint: not at all well.
"Real gamers need zelda or mario. Everything else is trash."
How many people bought The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess just for Twilight Hack?
The original NES controllers suffered badly from sweat leaking into them. But since then their hardware is pretty indestructible.
For me, the Control Stick on the N64 and the L and R buttons on the DS and DS Lite were the first to go.
But it might be in HD for the first time ever
Not exactly for the first time. Unauthorized emulators running on PC already run Wii and even Nintendo 64 games in high definition.
Nintendo has said no such thing. Care to provide a citation for this load of bull?
I think it has more to do with Black Friday than any of what you said...
I love the Mario series, but I'm not ready to throw out my hacked Wii just yet. When I can replace my Wii with Dolphin running Wii and Gamecube games accurately on my HTPC, then I will get the Wii U for whatever the price comes down to.
I just don't want to lose out on my USB Loader vs. using actual game discs and the ability to play the two Gamecube games that I have. And I don't want to have two Wii units sitting on a shelf together.
Nintendo has said that the WiiU will be their last console.
You tricked me into reading the rest of your post, expecting to find some citation to back that completely asinine statement. I demand those few seconds of my life back, as well as the brain cells of mine that died reading that garbage.
To be completely honest, I oppose proprietary game consoles in this day and age. We no longer need a proprietary purpose built console to make gaming affordable. Modern consoles, especially those of the current generation seem to be nothing but moderate-spec'ed PCs that are locked down through various software (and hardware at times - see, X360 Hard Drives. No reason you couldn't use a "regular" SATA HDD, but you need to buy the overpriced proprietary crap). So you spend a few hundred dollars on a box that is essentially a small form factor PC that you don't really own, can't mess with or modify without being banned and everything you ever purchased deactivated (or, forced to buy another box) and that only links up to a proprietary network - you don't have the choice of saying "Sorry, XboxLive, I don't want to abide by your rules. I know, I'll connect to Bob's Xbox360 Matchmaking Extreme Network instead and play there - and paying constantly for the privilege to be locked in at every turn. The only reason to buy consoles (as opposed to other solutions) these days in my opinion, is the fact that so many titles are still "console exclusives" - basically, your games are being held hostage. If you want to play Final Fantasy, Lost Odyssey, Valkyria Chronicles etc.. you have to capitulate to the consoles. Its time for this to end.
Wouldn't it be nice if you weren't choosing which consoles you were going to buy based on which games they were expected to hold exclusive dominion over? What if every type of game was available for the PC instead, giving you the freedom to decide what hardware you wished. It would simply be a matter of recommended specs and peripherals, something that hasn't been any trouble for PC gamers for years. Those with existing computers that had the specs (CPU, GPU etc...) necessary could play the games on there, and should such a revolution occur it would revitalize the gaming PC industry with a huge infusion of cash. All those players that want "the console/TV/couch experience" would be able to build or buy a multitude of small form factor and home theater gaming PC. Peripherals would become a nice secondary market. Look at how the Xbox 360 controllers and headsets (or compatible XInput style controller) has become the "de facto" gaming controller on PC. Players just bought these controllers to play PC titles; because Microsoft was smart enough to make a USB dongle for the wireless versions and provide drivers at least on Windows (and really, make them pretty easy to implement even on Linux!) plenty of people without an X360 system buy the controllers if they want to play certain types of titles on their PC. Likewise, there are relatively simple 3rd party hacks (because the first parties lacked foresight, which is why these don't have quite the amount of presence compared to X360 pads) to use Dual Shock 3 and WiiMote+accessories on PC. In a console-less world, what if Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and others simply became peripheral manufacturers? I'm guessing there would be a lot more unified and open technologies used - it would be simple for some developer to say "Requires a Nintendo WiiUToo Tablet or compatible multitouch tablet device" for their gametype, the way that "X360 Controller for PC or compatible supported/suggested" is prevalent in PC gaming today. We just saw the launch of Steam's "Big Picture", a "console style" UI meant to be navigated with a gamepad or remote control, which despite its beta status seems to be greatly superior to Xbox Live's UI, which has tons of ads and "value added services" squirted all over its dashboard to the point that actual tasks on the unit are typically small windows that are given inferior focus! If Steam can integrate their Big Picture with XBMC and/or MythTV for instance, that pretty much makes for a better complete "console" experience than X360/PS3 offer today! You could take it one step further with a bootable Linux distribution that incorporated Steam, Desura, XBMC and other entertainment platforms, all wrapped in a "Big Pictur
Could have been comedy gold if they released it on December 7th.
A.I. Research. The peculiar science in which we know the question and we know the answer, but can't show the working
What I really want to know is two things: (1) What are the graphics capabilities and (2) What new fun input methods will there be?
Graphics: because the graphics on the current Wii are, frankly, sad. PS3 and Xbox 360 are way behind the state of the art on the PC, but that gap is small compared to the gap between either of those consoles and the Wii. I can see why a lot of game publishers wouldn't want to release for Wii: their games are going to look terrible.
Input methods: I feel this has been the great driver of success for the Wii. Where pre-Wii console gaming consisted of a joypad and maybe a gun or a steering wheel, the Wii revolutionized gaming with the Wiimote and the balance board. By now, Microsoft and Sony have copied this, and I would argue that Kinect is actually ahead of what Wii offers (though there are some things the balance board can do that Kinect can't). Is the Wii U going to offer something similarly compelling?
Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
8GB of internal STORAGE. NOT MEMORY.
8gb of memory would put consoles finally on par with PC's. Old PC's but PC's. The Wii U either has 1.5gb or 2gb of memory. Shared of course. So, less then a high end video card, slower and shared.
The internal memory isn't also a speedy SSD but a flash drive. Holy load time batman! This thing will be SLOOOOOOOOW. And don't count on it caching from DVD to make up for DVD slow load times either, not with 8GB of storage.
The more damning thing? Tablets and phones now already come with 2gb of working memory. The Wii U ain't out yet and is supposed to last for years while the average phone/tablet will be obsolete in a year or two.
The games better be amazing... I have a Wii. It had a few amazing games... :Last Story and... oh there was 1 or 2 others but I leave it up to you to list them. If you need to think for longer then 2 seconds, I made my point.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Well Nintendo and Sony are both Japanese companies, while Microsoft is American.
Could have been comedy gold if they released it on December 7th.
too soon
I haven't owned any consoles in a long time because I much prefer PC gaming. However, if I were to buy one it would probably be an Xbox because of the types of games. I really can't stand Japanese games because they always have horrible characters, corny stories and bad art styles (though, admittedly, usually pretty awesome soundtracks).
Let's have simultaneous worldwide releases. Sounds fantastic to me. But while we're at it, I'd like on-par feature sets in every country. Phone manufacturers are worse about this than game consoles, but the consoles are bad as well. Seriously, why just because I live in the US should I not be able to order a Cricket game? (Similarly, why just because they're not in one of 14 blessed countries should my grandparents' Wii not be able to get online?)
I really wanted to change my sig to something witty, but all I could come up with is this.
Especially seeing as the last simutanious world wide release was the PS3....and does anybody besides me REALLY remember just how well that went? Hint: not at all well.
Given that the PS3 wasn't released simultaneously in ANY major regions, obviously you don't remember how well it REALLY went.
First let me say I think it's a little unfair that your first post has been modded flamebait, though frankly I do think it was naive. The problem with your argument is that your assuming that Nintendo can do everything they already need to release the console in Japan at that time, while also doing a massive amount more (production, distribution, support, promotion) in all the other regions of the world at the same time. It is highly unlikely they can do that, and if they could they would, so the only way to go for a global launch would be to delay the Japanese launch until later, and also probably delay the US release to later so that they all happened at the same time as the release in the Maldives.
If you accept those constraints and still 'demand' that America is first on the release schedule then it means someone else has to be delayed.
Shh...just let him have his moment.
But only in Hawaii.
Not all SSDs are alike in speed. There are slow SSDs with one cheap memory, used in USB "key" style drives, and then there are fast SSDs with multiple memories ganged up in what amounts to a RAID 0, used in 2.5" form factor PC SSDs. The term "SSD" is used for the latter more often than the former. The flash soldered to the motherboard of the original Wii was essentially a cheap, slow 512 MB xD-Picture card; saving to it was in fact slower than saving to some DS Game Cards' flash memory. (Compare WarioWare DIY, which needs three bounces to save an added game, to WarioWare DIY Showcase, which needs nine.)
The 3DS hasn't been a success? You do realize that it's out-paced the original DS as far as sales figures when you compare their first years after release date and has already sold 19 million units worldwide as of July?
http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=169581
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/359705/3ds-sales-hit-19-million-ahead-of-3ds-xl-launch/
I wish my lawn was emo, so it would cut itself.
Those of us that bought a Wii will be able to use everything from the old console on the new one. That means that we don't have to buy controllers
Except people who bought GameCube controllers for optimal performance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
I am looking forward to playing Arkham City, AC: III
By AC: III, do you mean City Folk?
and possibly NG 3
That one already came out on Virtual Console in 2008.
There is a good chance that your like holds no stake in the successes, failure, or image of these companies. Just play the games
Which is exactly how the console makers want it. They want the people at home to just play the games, not to make them. Only a token number of console games are officially moddable to any capacity, such as LittleBigPlanet, WarioWare DIY, and the level editor of Brawl.
I hate to burst you're bubble but most of the world doesn't care about the xbox and games suck as it is because they're too American-centric. So feel free to vote for Mitt Romney and hate the rest of the world for not being baby-killing war mongers but I think you can suck it up and live with games not revolving around Amreica.
The PS3 wasn't released simultaneously worldwide. It was first released in Japan, then a week later in the USA, then four months later in the UK, then a week later in the rest of Europe.
Mada mada dane.
What if every type of game was available for the PC instead
Does this include games for which a good keyboard-and-mouse control scheme hasn't yet been devised, such as fighting games and 2.5-D platformers? And does it include arcade-style games for which part of the draw is that you're playing on one screen, such as party games and (again) fighting games? Very few games support multiple mice and multiple keyboards; the only one I can think of is Rag Doll Kung Fu.
All those players that want "the console/TV/couch experience" would be able to build or buy a multitude of small form factor and home theater gaming PC.
They can now. But most people haven't felt a need to build or buy a second PC to put next to the big monitor in the living room. To them, consoles are for the living room and PCs are for desks and never the twain shall meet. I used to believe as you do, but other Slashdot users have since told me that apart from hardcore geeks, people just don't want something perceived as "a computer" in the living room. I can cite more such comments on request.
Look at how the Xbox 360 controllers and headsets (or compatible XInput style controller) has become the "de facto" gaming controller on PC.
How many multiplayer PC games actually support multiple DirectInput or XInput game controllers, as opposed to one PC, monitor, and copy of the game per player?
I'm a little disenchanted by the fact the tablet controllers, as far as I've heard, are basically single touch resistive touch screens instead of multitouch capacitive - why toss old tech besides the new?
I assume the single-touch is 1. to keep costs down and 2. to allow for drawing games that require the precision of a stylus.
I'd much rather if I could just invest in the WiiU Tablet and Pro controller
Then have someone program a tech demo of a PC game that uses a Nexus 7 tablet as its controller.
Seriously, where is your chalkboard? Have you started blubbering yet about America's freedoms being torn apart at the hands of those Japanese socialists?
Geeks spend too much time bitching about something that hasn't even come out yet. "OMG its going to suck" or "ITS GOING TO FAIL" and you haven't even gotten your hands on the console yet, nor do you have sales figures to back up your points. BECAUSE THERE FUCKING AREN'T ANY!
You could buy a 128GB flash drive throw it on there and be reasonably ok, as well SD cards have a decent amount of storage available these days. The vast majority of Hardcorez gamers are too fat and lazy to get off their ass to change something other than the disc in their consoles. Whine, complain, rinse, repeat. Oh I am sorry its too slow, I run Mass Effect on a USB flash drive on my 360 and it runs just fine, just as well as if the disc was in the drive.
Just give it time and stop being incredibly annoying about games, bitch with your wallet instead.
Ah, but Mr Shill isn't talking about the 360, he's talking about the third, as-of-yet-unannounced Xbox. Maybe the second capitalized X means something, like we're supposed to ignore the bo* and just focus on the XX. Xtra Xtreme maybe?
"But why don't they just call it the Xbox Xtra Xtreme?"
Because then they'd be calling it the XXX! And the marketing geniuses immediately vetoed that.
*There's gotta be a Body Odor joke in there somewhere, but I can't think of it.
"I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
Not by the 22.3 year rule.
No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun
Europe had to wait months to get it, and then got a stripped down version with no back compatibility.
My first PS3 was a launch-date model, with a 60GB HDD and backwards compatibility with PS1 and PS2. You can guess where I'm from by my username.
No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun
They were wise enough to listen to me and realize I was right. The rest of the world should be that smart.
If only I could mod you -1, Self-Important Prick...
No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun
Are you a pathological liar, or just a off the meds today?
My guess is it's going to be a big hit over Xmas provided Nintendo makes enough units. Most parents that have kids, that have a Wii, will most likely upgrade to a Wii-U because it's Nintendo, it's what the kids have and what they like. Is this going to convert the older PS3/360 crowd? No. It's not aimed at them.
Nintendo is a family company, they always have been.
Will it be better then the new Xbox or the PS4? Probably not. But this coming Xmas, they are vaporware, the Wii-U won't be.
Me, I like my Wii, my only complain is that it doesn't do 720p or higher. Granted, I use it mostly for homebrew and emulators and the occasional pokemon game, and I really like it because it's really small and I can pack it up and take it somewhere, like to m parents when I'm visiting. But I'm probably going to wait to buy one, like I did with the Wii until it comes down in price.
And for the record, I have a Xbox 360 (jtagged, but not working currently), and I would love to have a PS3 but only for homebrew/hacking.
And I'm sure it will be around the $300 point. I think history has shown us this is the highest price you should go on consoles.
Be seeing you...
If by "most of the world" you mean "Asia" then you're right.
I don't know about now, but the last time I checked the sales by region, both the United States and Europe had the Xbox 360 as the best selling game console.
GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
Xbox fanboys come in a can
they were put there by a man
in a factory downtown....
and if I had my way
I'd eat fanboys every day
My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
If you feel "slighted" by not being able to take part in the first round of sales of a corporate product, I'd suggest you reevaluate your priorities in life.
Check out my world simulator thingy.
Everyone knows South Korea is the center of the gaming universe.
Jokes aside, what about the OUYA? Why are we on Slashdot talking about closed-source patent and license heaving gaming systems?
Get your Unix fortune now!
Who said some mega corp couldn't create a private closed network to hijack the internet AND CHARGE FOR IT? XBox Live is just that. It is the old AOL over DSL scheme but runs on 1 niche device.
The cell phones are only a step behind that... People will freak when Apple makes iCloud the only online network for the iPhone and charge a fee to access it.... oh wait, nobody would pay for that and the iPhone would die. So why did XBox pull it off?
Democracy Now! - uncensored, anti-establishment news
The release dates seem more based on publishers than consoles. The reason I DON'T want the Xbox to win is because... Well, have you seen the damn Dashboard lately? It's ads all the way down.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
You could do what I did an make him a foe, that way he is always -1.
Posting anon so he can't troll me for the next 6 months, he has so many foes he'll never guess which this is.
1) Why? What is so damn wrong with Nintendo Hardware? Just because they rarely put out the most powerful console on the market doesn't mean they should just pack it up. Besides, if you want power get a PC, consoles shouldn't be your game. If it is just because you want to play Nintendo games but not buy a Nintendo console, what can I tell you, video gaming is not a cheap hobby.
2) Kinect is terrible. It is horribly imprecise and it requires bright, even lighting and a large room free from obstructions. If you live in an apartment or a small house just forget it. The Original Wiimote was bad, but the Motion+ blows the Kinect and the Playstation Move out of the water. Will the Kinect 2 be better, probably, but the Kinect is a joke and I own one.
3) The 3DS has almost doubled the original DS's first year sales, and is killing the Vita, out pacing it 7:1 in Japan. I think that qualifies as a success.
You might just as well be saying that Apple should pack it in and start make Android smart phones and Windows PCs because everyone uses Windows and Android.
Slow Down Cowboy! It's been 1 hour, 47 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment
Turdles all the way down.
Simultaneous releases *is* prioritizing the lesser markets, like the US.
You in the US just aren't used to it, since most other forms of media that Americans consume come mostly from the US. This happens all the time and it makes perfect sense. Simultaneous release is harder and doesn't add value to anybody except people who feel weirdly slighted because their country wasn't first. It's not that the US would get it sooner, it would just delay release in Japan (and increase warehousing costs etc.) for no reason.
Simultaneous release makes more sense with something that can be distributed digitally, though even that faces some regional policy red-tape and language barriers etc.
I would never call you an Xbox fanboy. The fact that you prefer companies that offer their products to white people first certainly makes you something other than an Xbox fanboy.
If you care what someone else's priorities are in life, I'd suggest you reevaluate your priorities in life.
The difference being that people actually bought Wii games, while no one bought Kinect games.
They made serious money on the DS and Wii. Why would they want to stop making serious money like that?
Clever signature text goes here.
First - Yes. There is no reason why these games should have to be restricted to proprietary consoles. There are plenty of titles that are, and far more that could be developed to work just as well on PC if the "console" didn't exist. My X360 Wireless USB Dongle by itself can handle 4 controllers+headsets. I can plug in a FightStick Tournament Edition and use it for Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, or fire up MAME etc.. There is no reason why BlazBlue, Mario Kart, and other currently console only titles couldn't be released on PC. You don't have to be limited to mice and keyboards or only certain game types but for the status quo, enforced by a handful of entities, that dictates "These kind of games are for consoles, not for PC". Break that, and everything is available. Those that do break out have been shown enormous gains; especially indie titles. Take for instance how Breath of Death VIII and Cthulhu Saves the World made more in one launch weekend (or was it week) on Steam than for months on XBLA.
Second - This is a catch 22. People only put a PC in the living room if they want to do "PC stuff" on it. If all the "console" content was available on the PC, people would buy PCs; there would be many PCs that were SFF/HTPC Gaming focused that would be a better value and more flexible than currently available console. People clearly want an "entertainment box" in their living room and there is no reason that an actual PC could not fulfill that niche if the games were not limited to certain console platforms; it can easily be customized to provide a "console experience" and then expanded if users desire.
Third - This again is the problem of the type of game released. Even second-class citizen ports by Capcom offer support for multiple controllers and the like. If a game was designed with a single-screen gameplay option in mind, it would support multiple inputs. MAME for instance and associated projects all support multiple local controller inputs simply because they're replicating games that were designed nearly exclusively for local multiplayer.
Fourth - It depends on the price of the controller; If the bloody thing actually comes close to or eclipses $100, there's no reason it shouldn't be multitouch. Especially considering how much of their audience is going to be used to touch games on Android and iOS taking advantage of 5-10 point capacitive multitouch I can't see this as a good choice. If anything, this would be the thing to eat a bit of the cost upon because it is going to make the premiere "new" function of the system seem old compared to the phones and tablets people already have. As far as precision is concerned, I figure either add a multitouch digitizer (which is admittedly expensive) or simply have a high end capacitive stylus option without one. There are plenty of "drawing" games on iOS/Android that are made to be interacted with by "fingerpainting", and even art programs meant to be used with capacitive styli, that work well enough without a digitizer I can't imagine that Nintendo is going to be producing the kind of games that require professional level artistic and design precision. Thus it seems like a quality capacitive multitouch is the best way to go. Single touch resistive gaming may have been great on the NDS era, but now people are used to "mobile" games that take multitouch into account, which will only grow more dynamic as time progresses.
Lastly - I would like to see better integration with Android devices being used as secondary displays and input devices for other computers (ie. Plug in my Nexus 7 and via USB video it becomes a secondary display and multitouch controller, not unlike the kind of the USB mini-monitors sold by MIMO and whatnot. This should be possible now unless Android has locked something down... I"ll have to look into it). However, I expect that, depending on technology (ie Bluetooth) and how much the WiiU controllers are locked down, someone is going to get them working on the PC, just as the Wiimote and Dual Shoc
Not sure why I'm responding, since this is clearly spam, but:
my buddy's sister makes $61 every hour on the computer...last month her pay check was $18032 just working on the computer for a few hours.
Wait. $61/hour on the computer. Well, $18032 for just a "few hours" on the computer...What's that work out to? 295 hours. For a month, that's about 75 hours per week. Yeah. Just a "few hours".
Math fail.
what makes you suggest they're not using a NAND flash memory based SSD here with the Wii U
Nothing. I was just suggesting Nintendo was using an SSD based on one NAND flash memory, as used in the original Wii and in USB flash drives, not an SSD based on multiple NAND flash memories, as used in PCs with internal SSDs. The Wii U's chassis doesn't look much bigger if at all than that of the Wii, which makes it unlikely that the multiple flash chips typical of a 2.5" SSD are present.
I can plug in a FightStick Tournament Edition and use it for Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition
True, Super Street Fighter IV works, but as of 2012, Mortal Kombat 2011 does not. How should we convince WB to follow Capcom's lead?
or fire up MAME
There are copyright problems with marketing a PC as ideal for running classic video games in emulation. MAME comes with only twenty games as of today, and I haven't counted how many of those allow for two players at the same time. Most end users are unwilling to buy arcade PCBs and solder together the tools needed to dump them, and advertising a product for use with illegally downloaded ROMs is likely to be viewed as "inducement" under MGM v. Grokster.
etc.
The assertion of some of these other Slashdot users is that the "etc.", the collection of worthwhile games compatible with more than one gamepad on one PC, is as of 2012 large enough to make building or buying a gaming HTPC worthwhile to home users.
There is no reason why BlazBlue, Mario Kart, and other currently console only titles couldn't be released on PC.
Sure there is. They aren't released on PC because there is no track record of demand for other games in the same genre on the PC over the past several years, which in turn is because they historically haven't been released on PC.
You don't have to be limited to mice and keyboards or only certain game types but for the status quo, enforced by a handful of entities, that dictates "These kind of games are for consoles, not for PC". Break that, and everything is available.
So if a company does decide to release a "console-style" game as a PC exclusive, how will it find enough customers willing to buy the game to make it profitable? If you want, I can link posts from other Slashdot users claiming that these customers do not exist in large numbers. For example, at one point, Wii consoles were claimed to outnumber home theater PCs by a factor of over 100 to 1.
Take for instance how Breath of Death VIII and Cthulhu Saves the World made more in one launch weekend (or was it week) on Steam than for months on XBLA.
Are those single-player or multiplayer? I understand a single-player indie game doing well on PC. But multiplayer is different because as of 2012, too few people already have a PC hooked up to a large enough monitor to fit multiple adult bodies around it.
This is a catch 22. People only put a PC in the living room if they want to do "PC stuff" on it. If all the "console" content was available on the PC, people would buy PCs
Other than legislatively banning consoles, how do you recommend breaking this catch-22?
there is no reason that an actual PC could not fulfill that niche if the games were not limited to certain console platforms
One reason is the perception that PCs need far more maintenance. Unlike consoles, PCs get viruses and fake antiviruses. Unlike Wii disc games and Xbox 360 disc games, PC disc games typically need to be "installed".
If a game was designed with a single-screen gameplay option in mind, it would support multiple inputs.
The problem here is that publishers either remove the single-screen gameplay option (as explained in the Cracked article that I linked) or simply decline to port single-screen multiplayer titles to the PC. Instead, they're more likely port titles in genres associated with multiple screens, such as FPS and RTS. Again, the catch-22 needs broken by someone with enough capital to break it.
It depends on the price of the controller; If the bloody thing actually comes close to or eclipses $100, there's no re
You do realize that it's out-paced the original DS
Of course not, because while they "don't wish ill on the company", they would rather replace the reality of success with their personal fantasty of failure.
The enemies of Democracy are
...In 3...2...1...
and it will be 7th december in the usa, the anniversary of pearl harbor
From my phone, with what effort I have right now, I can't seem to find wherever i was that I read about it. I do remember it was around E3 time.
But anyway, for lack of citation, I rescind my whole point (which is leveraged mostly by that which needs citing.)
Sorry for frustrating you guys.
Would you like to back that up? According to Nintendo, Sony's PS3 is the best seller in Europe. The UK has some love for the 360 but not mainland Europe.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/345512/ps3-leading-european-hardware-sales-in-2012/
So you can imply asians are being racist but in my mind it looks like it's just Americans (and the UK) that are hating on things that don't revolve around white anglo people.