Nintendo's Wii U Will Be Sold At a Loss

another random user tips news that Nintendo will be selling its upcoming Wii U console at a loss in the hopes that spurring earlier adoption will work out for the company in the long run. This differs from the Wii, which made money from the start, but it's a similar strategy to those used with the Xbox 360 and PS3, which both lost money for their companies at release. "The Japanese firm's president revealed the news after the firm cut its profit forecast. It marks a change in the company's business strategy. The decision to abandon the prospect of immediate profits in order to maximize later earnings is part of a growing trend in the tech world. Nintendo might have altered course to take advantage of the fact that neither Microsoft nor Sony have announced their next-generation consoles yet. Its pursuit of the more casual gamer means it has also had to take account of the keenly priced tablet market which attracts a similar consumer."

Comments

Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[crazyjj]

The controller raises a lot of interesting possibilities (though it's a little bulky for my tastes). And, unlike some, I think that the $300-$350 price tag is fine (compared to the $600 debut price tag of the PS3, that's a frickin' bargain bin price!). But I haven't been hearing a lot of buzz about it, considering it's supposed to be launching next month. I know it's supposed to be as powerful as the PS3/360. And, of course, I know about the controller. But I haven't heard much about the debut game lineup. And even gamer podcasts and shows don't seem to be giving it much attention.

Frankly I think Nintendo, for all their faults (most notably, their admittedly piss-poor online support), kind of gets the short-shrift in the gaming community. Their systems may not have the cutting edge CPU's and GPU's, but they do what they do pretty well. And they offer a pretty good bargain most of the time. I think they're underrated myself and wish they got more respect. Not every console and handheld has to cater 100% to hardcore gamers, you know.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

People aren't more hyped because the console is as powerful as current gen consoles but costs more.

The special controller is crazy expensive and you are only going to get one per system. Online play is poorly supported, you can't go out and purchase all of the old school Nintendo games through an online market for the system (like literally everyone who games wants to), and the system itself doesn't have as rich a supported application set as the PS3 and the Xbox360.

That's why people aren't more excited.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[malraid]

Dude, chill... It's only a new console. Now, if Apple were to release an iPhone in a different color, that would be real news!

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

I, for one, am a Nintendo fanboy. I have really only ever purchased systems from the Big N. I agree with this author that Nintendo doesn't get the love they deserve. It is not like Nintendo made a mistake to not attract hard-core gamers with the Wii. It was an intentional business decision (which paid off huge as the Wii flew off the shelves and loved by families). The hard-core community may have felt slighted, but this is unfair.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[BagOBones]

I don't know, when the Wii U controller was announced stuff like this http://www.macstories.net/news/ipad-games-on-apple-tv-firemint-announces-real-racing-2-hd-with-ios-5-airplay-mirroring/ had already landed.

If you already own a tablet that can stream to your TV why purchase a dedicated console with a limited tablet LIKE controller?

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[TheSkepticalOptimist]

Because it sucks, Nintendo sucks, that is why. At least people over the age of 8 think so. People over the age of 8 don't need another Mario and Zelda delivery platform with a gimmick controller.

I think Nintendo burnt all their bridges with the Wii, 80 million people have the Wii collecting dust in their closet are not going to invest more money into another Wii.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

How many touch screen controllers do you want per system? and then for each one to use its features of screen switching and such? Maybe you misunderstand the point of it.

Online play is poorly supported when? It isn't. Online support is as easy as enabling a connection and gathering enough users and products to use it with that the support can come as necessary.

It has been stated that there will be online shopping for old games so people will still buy old games like they did on the Wii, or 3DS.

To say the PS3 or 360 has a rish application set is a massive joke. It has some top line games. Let's not bullshit ourselves, games.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

It should be illegal to sell at a loss, for competition and environmental reasons.

Captcha: baneful

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the Wii U isn't getting the grassroots hype because those that could be taken in by all the interesting possibilities of the control scheme were already taken in by all the interesting possibilities of the Wii, and, like many others, their Wiis are sitting there gathering dust. With the exception of how useful it becomes once soft-modded to run homebrew and run games off attached drives, the potential has been mostly squandered short of a few keynote 1st party titles. And even THOSE keynote titles are just really "Established Franchise Iteration+1: Now With Some Motion / Pointing Control".

Even the main innovation in the Wii U isn't really that innovative, IMO, considering it's merely an extension of the old GBA to GC scheme. Sure, the graphics are better, and making it standard equipment means you don't have to beg users to buy a bunch of accessories to make it a first-class experience, but does it really add anything?

Frankly I think Nintendo, for all their faults (most notably, their admittedly piss-poor online support), kind of gets the short-shrift in the gaming community. Their systems may not have the cutting edge CPU's and GPU's, but they do what they do pretty well. And they offer a pretty good bargain most of the time. I think they're underrated myself and wish they got more respect. Not every console and handheld has to cater 100% to hardcore gamers, you know.

The fact is Nintendo is still just completely arrogant. That's the only way I can describe them since they still have awful online support in the face of so many case-studies available on how to do it right. They still represent some of the highest price to cost ratio for the official development kits in the business, and that's only after they consider you worthy of releasing on their systems. This worthiness doesn't seem to improve the selection of 3rd party software, either, since so much of what comes out is shovelware or just insanely low quality. I even wonder if 3rd party developers even get the same SDK that Nintendo internal development uses.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

Over the age of 8 but under the age of 13

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

Because it sucks, Nintendo sucks, that is why. At least people over the age of 8 think so.

I'm glad you asked everyone to check!

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[demonbug]

The controller raises a lot of interesting possibilities (though it's a little bulky for my tastes). And, unlike some, I think that the $300-$350 price tag is fine (compared to the $600 debut price tag of the PS3, that's a frickin' bargain bin price!). But I haven't been hearing a lot of buzz about it, considering it's supposed to be launching next month. I know it's supposed to be as powerful as the PS3/360. And, of course, I know about the controller. But I haven't heard much about the debut game lineup. And even gamer podcasts and shows don't seem to be giving it much attention.

Frankly I think Nintendo, for all their faults (most notably, their admittedly piss-poor online support), kind of gets the short-shrift in the gaming community. Their systems may not have the cutting edge CPU's and GPU's, but they do what they do pretty well. And they offer a pretty good bargain most of the time. I think they're underrated myself and wish they got more respect. Not every console and handheld has to cater 100% to hardcore gamers, you know.

I think you've kind of answered your own questions. $300-$350 for a console with the same power as consoles that have been out for five years (and that you can get for less). A focus on casual gamers for the previous console generation (or two), which doesn't exactly attract a lot of attention in the gaming world. A control scheme significantly different from the other main consoles, which means it will only really shine with games exclusive to that console - but a worrying lack of information on launch and first-party titles doesn't exactly instill confidence that there will be a decent library.

Now news that they are going to release an under-powered console, with a limited selection of games, at a loss. That doesn't exactly help me feel confident about the future of the console (or of Nintendo, for that matter). It will probably do just fine, but I don't really see much to get excited about. I know lots of people that bought a Wii, used it for a few months, and basically gave up on it because every game that was released that made use of the unique control scheme seemed to be more of a tech demo than a game. Maybe some really cool games did eventually come out, but if so it was long after interest had waned. The WiiU seems to be a repeat of that - interesting concept, great potential, but unless they have some full-fledged, finished games at launch that make good use of the controllers, it's not going to get much attention from the gaming community.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why do I want an uncomfortably large controller with an awful quality LCD to play the same rehashed crap that was on the Wii. My Wii collected dust as is.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[nedlohs]

It's not unfair, it's an expected part of the intentional business decision. If the casual market has moved on to tablets and smartphones though that very successful short and medium term decision mightn't have been so great in the long term.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[trdrstv]

People aren't more hyped because the console is as powerful as current gen consoles but costs more.

Then why are 3rd party games running at 1080p60 instead of 720p30 like they are on the PS3 / 360 ?

The special controller is crazy expensive and you are only going to get one per system.

And it's being designed so you only have to use 1 to play the games.

Online play is poorly supported, you can't go out and purchase all of the old school Nintendo games through an online market for the system (like literally everyone who games wants to),

?? The Wii-shop from the Wii carries over to the Wii U and you can port over all your downloaded games from the Wii to the Wii U. Seriously there's hundreds of games (including most old school nintendo games) that you can download.

and the system itself doesn't have as rich a supported application set as the PS3 and the Xbox360.

Probably not right away, but they are launching with: Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, Universal remote control, and a browser. What other applications are on PS3 / 360 that you feel you'd miss ?

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[baka_toroi]

If you already own a tablet that can stream to your TV

You can't compare. I mean, I'm sure a lot of casuals won't care (And that's why Nintendo will have it much harder this generation), but playing without dedicated buttons and analog controllers is bullshit. Only a limited set of genres can successfully be played with only a touchscreen.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[baka_toroi]

Yeah! Enough of rehashes! Now let's all play another round of Call of Halo 9.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Tempest_2084]

The main reason I'm not excited about the Wii U is because none of the launch titles interest me. Sure the new Super Mario Bros game is nice, but I'm not buying a whole new console just for that. I'm sure I'll get one eventually, but at the moment I have such a backlog of games for my current-gen systems that I don't need to run out and buy another. There's just not enough of a 'wow factor' to make me grab one on launch day.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[killmenow]

I was going to down-mod you as troll or flamebait but fuck it...I'll respond instead. I'll probably regret it later. I was a Wii early adopter. Had it reserved ahead of schedule and skipped the lines to just walk in and pick it up on day one. We have probably 50 games for it. Up to that point, I'd never bought a current gen console. I've never invested so much money in a console platform. I bought a PS1 when the PS2 came out. But when the Wii was coming out, I couldn't wait. Because it was that interesting. It was a game changer. Now you've got kinect and move and you can see how this thing forced Sony and Microsoft to innovate.

And our Wii gets played almost daily. Between my kids, the wife, and me, it gets plenty of use. Still.

So you think the Wii sucks. You and your XBOX/PS3 brethren, most likely. But "sucks" isn't an objective measure, is it? It doesn't suck...for me and my family and our friends and their families because I know a lot of them that still play.

But I have ZERO interest in the Wii U. Not because it sucks. But because...well, why should I care? It's a Wii with a better CPU & GPU and a tablet controller. Okay. But people who bought the Wii in the first place aren't graphics snobs. Oh, wait. Many of them must be, right? Because 80 million people have dust covered Wiis that they don't play with any more. What a ridiculous statement. If that were even remotely true, the market for new & used Wii games would be nonexistent. Any new game released (if there were any) would be sold for $1.99. And used games would sell for a nickel. But last time I walked through a local Game Stop there were still rows and rows of shelves with new & used Wii games still selling for typical prices. Because it's still a viable market. Because people still use their Wiis.

But again, what does the Wii U offer? I don't care about super awesome triangle counts and NOW WITH EVEN MORE PIXEL SHADERS!!! Wooh, who gives a fuck?! People who just want to look at a screen and think, "sweet jesus that's a beautiful looking game." Guess what? That's what my gaming PC is for. It can drive higher than 1080p resolutions and do multi-monitor gaming and makes the power of the XBOX/PS3 look exactly like they are: years old and obsolete.

Nintendo forgot their market. The new controller is the *only* remarkable feature of the Wii U. And it's not that big of a deal, really. Sorry to say it, but there's just nothing revolutionary about it. It's an evolutionary product. It's a "Version 2.0" that should be a point release if we are honest about it. And it gets exactly the hype it deserves...which is very little.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[alen]

nothing to get hyped about

old graphics
same games
dumb tablet controller idea
no ios/android remote control app support

i have an x-box, PS3 and apple TV with ipad 2 and 2 iphone 5's in the house. gaming the x-box and iphones are my favorite. the A6 CPU is right about the xbox 360 level as well and i can take it everywhere i go and the games are CHEAP

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[bluefoxlucid]

What other applications are on PS3 / 360 that you feel you'd miss ?

ItsNotNintendo.app, the premier hard-core application for real, cool gamers who play Call of Duty and all other games almost exactly like Call of Duty but each one more awesome than the last because it has new guns and darker graphics (Doom 3 excluded, because you can't get much darker than that and we want to keep getting darker).

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[alen]

ESPN, MLB and twenty some other video apps on the x-box

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[rolfwind]

Because the system doesn't come with a progressive dumbell set to help lift that controller.

Something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Bowflex-SelectTech-Adjustable-Dumbbells-Pair/dp/B001ARYU58

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Holammer]

From the small sample size I can work with (that is my friends that do play games). I would guess nobody cares because the controller is pants taco retarded.
That's about it. Most people are semi-excited about what sort of games Nintendo might bring to the console. But any hope is crushed when one realizes that most games will have gameplay mechanics based around the controller shoehorned into them.

Also, I suspect that a majority of 3rd party titles will be a bunch of rehashed ports. Nobody will design a new exclusive title that is built around the controller for a new console with less hype surrounding it than the PS VITA.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Beardo the Bearded]

You can't get Amazon or Hulu outside the US. Netflix is seriously underpowered outside the US as well.

I have a Universal remote. It was $10 at what used to be Radio Shack.

I have a browser in everything. Even my microwave can run Chrome. The shittiest browser I've ever used, and I include the one I wrote in College using BCB+, was the whatever the fuck Nintendo has on the Wii. The browser on my WATCH is better and it doesn't even have an Internet connection.

Nintendo banks on their legacy games, and frankly their selection is terrible compared to the other consoles.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[WillAdams]

Agreed.

It doesn't help that I'm still raging about _The Last Story_ inexplicably _not_ having an _option_ for using IR pointing when aiming the crossbow or looking around. _Xenoblade Chronicles_ not using motion controls was bad enough, but at least it didn't rub it in one's face --- TLS actually makes me angry every time I encounter the Seek prompt, or need to use the crossbow.

The sad thing is, some of the games which I've enjoyed the most were on the Wii (Red Steel 2, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, 007 Goldeneye) and it seems that that style of gameplay is not being carried on for new games on the Wii U.

Announce a Motion Plus controlled RPG w/ a commitment to on-going DLC and w/ an on-line experience as good as or better than TLS and I'll buy a Wii U --- until then, I'll wait for the next Zelda (so long as it uses Skyward Sword-style Motion Plus controls).

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Custard Horse]

You're right - we need a brown iPhone...

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[sunderland56]

Nobody gets hyped about *any* game system until there is a game, exclusive to that platform, that is interesting. If a new game comes out, and I can buy it for $60 for my current console, or $60 + $300 for the Wii U, it's not hard to guess which option I'll pick.

As far as 'selling at a loss' goes - hasn't every console from every manufacturer, way back to the N64, claimed that?

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[baka_toroi]

It's a Wii with a better CPU & GPU and a tablet controller.

Even though I somewhat agree with you, bear in mind that a better CPU/GPU allows for new kinds of games. I, for instance, love my Nintendo DS but it's painfully obvious when I play a GameBoy Advance game. It's not only better graphics: GBA's gameplay is much worse than that of the DS.

Sure, it won't be a jump as remarkable as that of the SNES vs. Nintendo 64, but better hardware allows for improved gameplay.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Eponymous Coward]

People aren't more hyped because console gaming just isn't that interesting anymore. In our house we have a Wii and a PS3. My kids have iPod touches, my wife has an iPad. Lots of video games are played in my house - all of them on the handheld devices. I'm the only one who ever powers up the PS3 anymore and that's to play Rocksmith once or twice a month.

The console makers aren't just competing with each other, they are also competing with platforms that have free and very low cost games. I really have a hard time spending more than $10 for a game these days. There are just too many awesome low cost choices out there these days and I don't have enough time to take advantage of all of them.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[blahplusplus]

"Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?"

The Wii had a plethora of bad games, it ended up being Gamecube Redux in terms of software and Nintendo's first party games have been getting lower in quality every generation outside of mario. Starfox has been butchered by miyamoto, Zelda has learned nothing from other action games in how to do dungeon crawling right. Nintendo is stuck in the past.

If I were Nintendo I would split the Zelda franchise into hardcore and casual. Zelda has not grown as other gamers have grown up. The combat systems in zelda are not deep, challenging and exciting to play with. The enemies are all stuck at a childishly easy level of difficulty. Even great games like Ocarina of time have not aged well because so many lessons have been learned since then on how to make better games.

I speak as along time fan who grew up on the NES, GENESIS and SNES. The magic of nintendo is gone, other developers do same or similar games much better. I'd say the only thing Nintendo has going is inertia, Mario, Mariokart and Pokemon.

I've been doing a lot of retro gaming recently and playing older ARCADE classics. Many modern games have forgotten that challenge and designing a videogame to be a GAME first and not a really crappy movie with next to no gameplay catering to tenuous ganers or non-gamers.

The myth that videogames have gone 'mainstream' is incorrect, graphical hardware horsepower has attracted an audience that doesn't games as videogames but cinematic experiences and that means gameplay has been getting killed over the last 10 years.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Alzheimers]

Because many of us bought into the Wii hype, were bitten by poorly implemented controls and worse 3rd Party support, a flood of shovelware, plus the fact that many of us already own a console that will feature many of the games we want ported over without any loss of quality, better online support, and doesn't require us to switch HDMI cables to support another box.

Enough reasons?

How about ... it could also be the $299/349 pricetag and the raise of game prices to $59.99 in a bad economy, not having as much time to spend on games, the rise of Steam and iOS, Microsoft SmartGlass which does much of the same thing as the Wii U controller so it's not so 'revolutionary', and the lack of a new Mario (a sequel to a game on the 3DS or Wii isn't going to cut it), Zelda, Metroid, SSB, MarioKart or any other core franchise at launch.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[BakaHoushi]

Have you seen the 3DS store? The selection (at least here in the states) is abysmal. Nintendo has a huge selection of old, classic games but they're just not coming to the system and it drives me crazy.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

Because it's not a gaming console- it's a gaming oriented tablet that displays output on your TV. The Wii U targets an audience that doesn't yet exist- the serious Angry Birds player.

The people who prefer to game on a touch-based or motion-based platform as opposed to a keyboard/mouse or a gaming controller are the ones who already do that with a tablet or just with their smartphone. Why would they drop the platforms they already own and have already bought tons of games on?

More importantly- why should the target audience buy a Wii U over an iPad?

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[kwandar]

For all the lack of "hype" (I'd agree with you in North America, at least) they still seem to have sold out, and according to Fudzilla Nintendo will be hard pressed to keep up with demand. So ... how much advertising and marketing do you throw out there when you can't even keep up, as is? Kind of like throwing money away. That being said I've seen a lot about Zombi U, Nintendo Land, and some Nintendo Mario game? The major attribute that Nintendo has going for it (outside of the current large Wii audience looking for an upgrade) is that they bring about change (this time the tablet) that they put into ALL units, so there is hardware consistency. Sorry Sony, but a PS3 and PS Vita combination aren't the same; developers can't count on that hardware combination being available in all cases.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

I've used the new controller and the layout is terrible, it could just take some getting used to, but I doubt it, I think there's an ergonomic reason that the buttons on both MS' and Sony's controllers are laid out at an angle from the right analog stick, having the buttons directly below said analog stick sucks horrible ass. You literally can't get back to the stick fast enough to do anything quick and you end up having to move your hand way more to get down to the buttons.

Also, the touch screen is a cool idea, but when you come right down to it it's damned hard to target what they're hoping you can target on that little thing.

For the record, I was playing Trine 2, a great game, but it's a port with new features (and some new content). If that's any indication of how even good third party developers are going to handle that controller... yeah, I wouldn't bet on this particular horse.

The above is merely my personal opinion. I interacted with it at PAX Prime 2012.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anubis IV]

Thankfully, we don't rely on the "people" you cite for informed decisions, since clearly they are incapable of forming opinions through a rational thought process.

Also, it's only a gimmick if it's used as a gimmick. The Wiimote is not a gimmick (unlike the ridiculous number of gimmick peripherals Nintendo puts out every generation). It's what makes the platform what it is, since it defines and informs the behavior of nearly every game. That stands in contrast to the PS3's Move, which was only ever a slap-in feature that served no important purpose for the platform as a whole, or even the Kinect, which, while very impressive technologically, doesn't do much outside of a handful of games (though that sounds like it may change in the next generation with Kinect 2?).

Long story short, grow up a bit more and stop buying into marketing. Though I'll readily admit that the last few years on the Wii haven't been great for more-than-casual gamers, it still had quite a few excellent titles that came out for it in the first few years, and was well worth the purchase price. When you're mature enough to think through these things with a degree of intellectual honesty while analyzing the actual good and bad aspects of the various alternative choices, you'll be a lot happier (as will those around you, since nobody likes vitriol and rabid fanboyism).

Disclaimer: I own all three current-gen consoles and am currently not planning to pick up the Wii U since it can't act as a drop-in replacement for my Wii (lack of Gamecube support, of which I still have several games that I want to work through "soon").

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Viol8]

"I don't care about super awesome triangle counts and NOW WITH EVEN MORE PIXEL SHADERS!!! Wooh, who gives a fuck?! "

Err, people who want decent graphics? Sure , gameplay is important, but there are many 1990s DOS games with damn good gameplay. Why not go invest in a 15 year old PC for $2 and install every game from that era you can find for peanuts if you don't give a damn about the visuals?

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[rephlex]

Console-wise I'm considerably more interested in the Ouya. I think the Wii U will be completely forgotten once the next Xbox and Playstation are out. I doubt I will purchase any of them, although I think the Ouya could turn out to be very useful for non-gaming related stuff. Hopefully it will be something like a Raspberry Pi done right as I'm somewhat fed up with all of the Pi's problems. As for gaming, PC gaming has never looked better to me.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[damnbunni]

Nintendo has traditionally sold consoles at a profit. The N64 was at a loss, but to the best of my knowledge all their other consoles were profitable from day one.

They may have taken a loss on the 3DS when they drastically pricedropped it shortly after release. (Though that seems to have really jumpstarted sales, in Japan at least, so it was probably worth it.)

It's usually a fairly slim profit at launch, but it's there.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[thomasw_lrd]

Is that why all the pre-orders are sold out? If not, please post me where I can still pre-order one. I need to get one for my kids for Christmas. Plus I'm sure I'll want to play a few games on it.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

Opera. The Wii had Opera.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[kwandar]

"You can't get Amazon or Hulu outside the US. Netflix is seriously underpowered outside the US as well."

I live in Canada - actually you can. You just have to know how :)

"I have a Universal remote. It was $10 at what used to be Radio Shack."

I have one too, and it is a $200 (now $179) Harmony that configures my Sony stereo, PS3, Wii, and Pansonic TV for usage. I'd rather the TVii if it works as it has both Bluetooth and IR and currently my Harmony only supports IR

" The shittiest browser I've ever used, and I include the one I wrote in College using BCB+, was the whatever the fuck Nintendo has on the Wii. The browser on my WATCH is better and it doesn't even have an Internet connection"

Well, the one on Nintendo is Opera. Opera is miles, and miles ahead of whatever it is on my PS3. I use Chrome and I like Chrome, but I don't find that I have a major problem with Opera.

"Nintendo banks on their legacy games, and frankly their selection is terrible compared to the other consoles."

I hadn't played with the Wii for a couple years now (using PS3) but then repaired the noisy drive recently and introduced my daughter to it. I think it is a great system for a 6 year old. She LOVES making Miis, likes Donkey Konga, and Wii Sports. I don't have a lot of legacy games on the Wii beyond Donkey Konga and I'd argue the selection is only terrible because they are geared towards kids. That seems to be changing with Wii U.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[kwandar]

"Because it sucks, Nintendo sucks, that is why. At least people over the age of 8 think so"

Since you likely haven't used the Wii U, I presume you are talking about the Wii? You are so obviously not a parent; a lot of us parents over the age of 8 think it's actually pretty good.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you seen the 3DS store? The selection (at least here in the states) is abysmal. Nintendo has a huge selection of old, classic games but they're just not coming to the system and it drives me crazy.

whilst i don't have a 3ds to compare, it is much younger than the wii. the wii virtual console games trickled out with a fistful every release (monthly? i forget). i stopped buying vc games once we could make them ourselves but i would say given time the 3ds will catch up.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[kwandar]

Well as a parent I'd agree with a lot of what you said. I bought ours in 2006, and in the last couple of year our Wii has been one of those collecting dust due to it being noisy. I finally decided to do brain surgery on it, and fixed the noisy drive, and it is now being played in again.

All that being said, I preordered the Wii-U, and did so for a few reasons:

1) We have Netflix, a drive full of movies, BBC and a pile of other things (nope, no cable :), a bunch of hardware, that I'd like to consolidate and control through one remote. I don't think I'm the only one, which is why Harmony make out like bandits selling very pricey remotes;

2) I don't have to go finding disks each time and am hopeful the Wii online store will contain the games on Wii that get played regularly;

3) I'm looking forward (VERY MUCH) to the asymmetrical gameplay elements;

4) I like more "hard core" games as well, and this game allows for that (along with differentiated play types).

I don't think Nintendo forgot their market at all, but not all the market will move immediately. Wait :)

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Randle_Revar]

For me a lot of things add up. Note that I was excited about the original Wii, and still like it a lot.

The controller seems much more like a gimmick to me. I liked the motion control possibilities of the first one (and it was put to some good use, if never quite what could have been IMO), but this seems a lot less useful. Oh, there certainly are some uses, it may be very useful for a few games. But I see it being less used than the motion control.

The power I am pretty much ok with. The Wii was less powerful, and it is mostly fine for what it does. However, I am pissed that the Wii U does not upscale Wii games to HD. That is one of the biggest limits on the Wii to me. And the emulator upscales! Why the hell won't the Wii U? Yeah, it was a mistake not making the Wii HD in the first place, and yeah, upscaled will never look like native. But it is something!

Another issue is, as you noted, the online situation. Like the HD, the lack of a decent system for online play was basically inexcusable even back at release. And unlike the HD issue, the Wii U still doesn't fix it, even for new games. It sounds like there is a bit more infrastructure in place, but not enough to be worthwhile.

I haven't owned a console of my own since I was a kid, but since my brother likes his PS3 and doesn't much care for his Wii, I was thinking of getting a Wii U. But I am not sure I see the point if it doesn't upscale Wii games.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[kwandar]

The sad thing is, some of the games which I've enjoyed the most were on the Wii (Red Steel 2, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, 007 Goldeneye) and it seems that that style of gameplay is not being carried on for new games on the Wii U

Not sure this matches your style of gameplay but take a look at:

Zombi U

Fist of the North Star

Ninja Gaiden

For a launch there seems to be a good selection, but if the games don't match what you want I agree - why by the console.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Randle_Revar]

Damn, I hate sports. Or to be more accurate, I don't like sports fans. I am not a fan of playing 90+% of team sports, but a few are ok. But watching pro sports? Bleh! And the people that do are mostly just terrible.

Anyway, Sports fans will fit in much better with the Call of Modern Combat 12 fans, and as such, should stick to the Xbox or possibly the PS. Nintendo is for people that like happy, fun games.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Golddess]

GBA's gameplay is much worse than that of the DS.

I'm curious what you mean by "gameplay" here, because I'm having a hard time calling the gameplay "worse". Sure, GBA games may not be as "advanced" (for lack of a better word) as a DS game, but the FF re-releases, the Mario re-releases, Kirby, Zelda, Metroid, Megaman EXE, Megaman Zero, Harvest Moon, I can't really say that using my DS has in any way made those games less playable.

But those are just a small subset of available games, and this is just my personal experience, so perhaps yours has been different and/or with different games.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[barc0001]

I'm going to have to disagree a little here. The controller and the uprated graphics are the only really new features of the WiiU, correct. But the controller does bring a whole lot to the equation. It's like the difference between the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS. When you boil it down the only "real" functional differences between those two systems for most people is the DS has two more buttons, a more powerful processor and the addition of the touchscreen. From an experience standpoint the two systems are on different planets. The touchscreen and second display added a lot to the DS's games that take advantage of them. Some games were crappy shovelware, true, but others embraced the new abilities of the DS and literally revolutionized portable gaming.

It's my hope that the WiiU does the same for the living room.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

Okay. But people who bought the Wii in the first place aren't graphics snobs.

Just because someone may prioritize game play over graphics doesn't mean they don't care about graphics. I still regularly use the Wii I got shortly after release, but as long as game play isn't sacrificed, I would like to see better graphics for such games. Game play is why I still play some games with ASCII graphics... but doesn't meant I wouldn't mind seeing some of them done with much easier and streamlined graphical interfaces.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Randle_Revar]

>Zelda

All I want in that regard is a new isometric-view game (not on a portable)...

I never really got into the 3D ones...

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

I personally feel that the Wii U is what Nintendo should have released originally (minus the controller), so it's hard to get excited about it.

        "And our Wii gets played almost daily. Between my kids, the wife, and me, it gets plenty of use. Still. "

Well sir then you are definately in the minority in my experience. I know 6 different people with Wii's and young kids and only 1 gets any use at all. I personally haven't turned ours on in over 2 years (last game I bought was Tiger Woods 11 and that made game number 2 in our catalog).

Good for you that your family still finds it entertaining, but unfortunately the Wii (OMHO) fell into the typical Nintendo trap of flooding the market with uninspired games targeted at the sub 10y market (and most not even worthy of their attention).

The only reason I hold onto it is the same reason I keep my xbox360. I'm hoping that my 4yr old will find some things on it entertaining (the kinect is a blast for young kids) and that maybe there will be something educational/entertaining that she will enjoy.

Otherwise the last 2 nintendo systems I've purchased (Wii and N64) have been colossal waste of money in my book and I will never buy another Nintendo console.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Randle_Revar]

Because for all the Wii U's failings it isn't a pointless pile of shit?

Why the flying fuck would I want an iPad when I could buy an android tablet or an Asus transformer or something, and hack a real OS on there?

And yes, I am the Wii U's target audience, even if they are not convincing me to buy one right now.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

Didn't Microsoft make one?

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Dahamma]

One thing that has me confused about the new controller is that its design goals are completely the OPPOSITE of the Wii's controllers.

With the Wii, the goal was to de-empahasize the technology and make games controlled by natural body motions - you look at the TV and don't focus on the controller. With the Wii U they are now sticking a cumbersome tablet with display in both hands so that you are not only required, but encouraged to look down and treat it as a separate mobile device.

If that's what they think people really want, fine... but I would have expected them to be a bit more consistent. Weirdly, it almost feels like they are trying to capture the same users of the Wii in the Wii U - as in *literally* the same, like the 8-10 year olds who loved the Wii are now teenagers so whatever they do has to involve a mobile device in their hands...

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Cuddlah]

In my opinion, it's because Nintendo has cemented its status as a game platform for kids, while adult males from 30-45 are probably the most attractive segment of the gamer population because they're most likely to have a high attach rate (i.e., buy multiple accessories and software titles), and that group is more interested in the hard-core, multi-player shooter category of games that is largely lacking on the Nintendo platform, but exists in abundance on Xbox 360 and PS3. Adult males have a high disposable income compared to 10-year-old kids, but often have the impulse control of those same 10-year-olds, which is why a fairly sensible and fiscally responsible guy like me has two game consoles he practically never uses, and close to a dozen still-in-shrink-wrap games that I had to have but don't have time to play. What company in their right mind WOULDN'T target me over a 10-year-old? I personally own all three current-gen consoles (XB360, PS3 and Wii). I spend literally 99.9% of my time on the Xbox, bought the PS3 as an alternative to just getting a BD player (I admit that there are a few exclusive PS3 titles that appeal to me, but I just never make the time to put my XB360 controller down and play them), and the Wii has really been a novelty that hasn't been turned on in probably two years, except maybe when friends bring their young children to visit. As a 42-year-old guy, I have one key interest in the Nintendo brand - the Legend of Zelda franchise. I will probably eventually pick up a Wii U just to play the Wii U installment in the series... and when I finish that game, the console will sit quietly on a shelf for several years, untouched. I think highly of some of the other Nintendo licenses too, but I just don't find them compelling enough to tear me away from BioShock or Mass Effect or Borderlands or Halo or Call of Duty...

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[trdrstv]

The main reason I'm not excited about the Wii U is because none of the launch titles interest me. Sure the new Super Mario Bros game is nice, but I'm not buying a whole new console just for that. I'm sure I'll get one eventually, but at the moment I have such a backlog of games for my current-gen systems that I don't need to run out and buy another. There's just not enough of a 'wow factor' to make me grab one on launch day.

Agreed. I LOVE Nintendo games myself and am thrilled you have backwords compatibility with pretty much everything that doesn't use the GC ports, but as of right now I'm waiting for more games. I think the price is fair and they'll get my dollars at some point (once we have an HD Metroid, F-zero, Zelda / Mario / Smash Bros ) but for me to buy in I really need at least 3 games available I NEED to play before I make the jump.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[baka_toroi]

Yeah, probably. I mean, I never had a GBA, so playing those games on the DS feels as a "downgrade" for me.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Dahamma]

Have you seen the Xbox Arcade store? Or the Xbox Media Apps? Between those there are something like 600+ inexpensive/free apps to go along with the ~1000 disc based games. Seems like a pretty decent catalog to me, given it's a game console, not a tablet. Sure, they don't have 50 different types of fart app, and no one really cares.

But speaking of tablet - it will be interesting to see whether MS can make SmartGlass work. Basically use a free app on your existing tablet or phone from any manufacturer rather than buy an expensive custom controller. Having seen it in practice a bit, though, my guess is developers won't make much use of it since it's not going to be nearly as good a control mechanism as the Wii U controller, and I can't even begin to imagine how one holds an Xbox controller and tablet at the same time.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Dahamma]

Like Wii Sports?

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Cinder6]

A spec jump does something important for Nintendo. As the casual market moves on to tablets and smartphones, they need to gain back favor with "core" gamers. The Wii's low specs in comparison to the 360 and PS3 really hindered it in this area, because almost every time a game came out for all three platforms, the Wii version paled in comparison to the other two--both from a graphical standpoint and because the games weren't designed with motion controls in mind to begin with. It becomes even more obvious that Nintendo are looking to court the traditional gamers when you look at the Pro controller, which looks just like a 360 controller.

The core gamer audience wants Halo, Call of Duty, etc., and now Nintendo will not only be able to say they have them, but that they have better versions of those games. Will it pay off? Time will tell. I hope it does, because even though I've been greatly disappointed with Nintendo this last generation (both with the Wii and the DS/3DS), they're much more innovative and take bigger risks than Sony and Microsoft. The Wii helped Nintendo get a ton of cash, because it always sold at a profit. Frankly, they probably needed it after being slaughtered by Sony for two generations. They can afford to lose money for a few quarters, and I hope they'll be able to weather out the storm and come out on top. Of the three, I trust them the most not to dick around with the customer.

The real worry for Nintendo is that Sony and Microsoft will probably come out with even more powerful systems, and the Wii U will be in the same spot as the Wii: significantly weaker and receiving inferior ports.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Whatah1]

One thing to mention is that the WiiU will take advantage of the fact that you are already a original Wii owner/supporter.

Many people (maybe yourself included) bought WiiFit then a year later bought WiiFit Plus. Because you already have the Wii Balance Board and you played the heck out of the original, right?

So maybe you are not a day1 adopter but at some point you will probably justify buying the WiiU to get the next generation of first party titles that make use of the components you already own (Balance Board, Wiimotes, Motion+ accessories, Classic Controller Pro, etc)

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't tell you why others aren't hyped about Wii U, but I can tell you why I'm not.

First off, the controller. As you mentioned it's bulky. I don't honestly think it adds anything to gameplay. Touchscreens provide no tactile feedback, so to do anything at all with it, like use it as an inventory screen, I'll have to take my eyes off of the TV anyhow. What's the point? On top of being bulky and, in my view, mostly useless, it's expensive. I don't wanna pay $150 for another controller if mine breaks.

Second, I feel like I got burned on the Wii. I got it on launch day and pretty much all of the motion controlled games sucked. People who said it was a gimmick turned out to mostly be right. It was so inaccurate that the only thing you could do was shake the remote around to initiate some sort of action. In any case where the game could be played with a Game Cube controller, that was the superior way to play the game. Nintendo later fixed this with an add-on. To me personally, this sounded like, "Oh yeah, we promised you it would work really well and it didn't, but we've created an add-on that we make a profit on that fixes those problems. We're cool now, you and I, right?"

Then we have the games. There were very few "must have" games on the Wii. Brawl, Mario Kart, and New Super Mario Bros. are about the only games that I really gave a damn about on the system. Nintendo's reliance on old IP is also really frustrating. Give me something original. Something more adult themed would be nice too.

The Wii isn't for me. This is why I'm not the least bit hyped about it, and will probably never care about another Nintendo product again. If I get another gaming console, which I suspect I won't, as the PC is superior in every regard, it will probably be whatever Playstation comes out.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem is that, on a big screen, the Wii graphics are so bad it's distracting. Okay, not the graphics, but the resolution. When you overscale 480p to 1080p, you don't get an integer number of destination pixels per source pixel. It's messy. If you spend 3-4 hours watching a BD movie and then turn on your Wii, you actually feel the lack of definition.

The whole point of the new GPU is not to "increase graphical quality", it's to "use what's in the market". Just like the main point of buying a BD player instead of a DVD player is that a DVD looks like shit on your 60'' 1080p screen. It's not about "hyper-great beautiful graphics", it's about getting to a visual level where the graphics don't get in the way of the game.

Note that this could happen both ways: if a game has specially gorgeous graphics, you will be aware of them all the time. You will stop at some moments and say, "Fuck, that looks great!". In the same way, specially ugly graphics distract you. This is what the Wii U avoids.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

The simple reason is that people are getting tired of consoles.

With the Google/Vavle partnership coming up (oh did I just say that) I would bet that this upcoming generation of consoles are the last of their kind.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[CronoCloud]

That stands in contrast to the PS3's Move, which was only ever a slap-in feature that served no important purpose for the platform as a whole,

You did know about the Eyetoy on the PS2, right, which was more popular than the Network Adapter in Europe (not so much over here in America though). The thing was conceived in 1999.

And you did know that Sony demonstrated the technology behind the Move at SIGGRAPH in 2001?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKb7LlgSXwE

So Sony has been doing motion control, far longer than Nintendo has. And they first applied it to the PS2. Heck, the local Wal-Mart had a demo unit of a PS2 with an Eyetoy and Eyetoy play setup when the Eyetoy was released.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Beardo the Bearded]

Yeah, I could set up a proxy no problems. You and I can, but you can't honestly expect the Great Market to do that. I can instead get anything I want without market restrictions using my black box, which outputs full 1080p.

I'm not sure why you'd spend more on a remote than on components. That $10 job is a learning remote and controls every box I have -- my Panasonic TV and BR, my black box, the cable box, and the receiver.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[gman003]

No, they made a brown iPod, not a brown iPhone.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anubis IV]

While those are interesting (I was aware of the EyeToy but not with how early the Move was being discussed), this isn't a question of who came up with what or when. This is a question of how they are using that technology. The Move served no significant purpose in the context of the PS3 platform. It was only ever used as a gimmick peripheral. That's all I was getting at. I'm sure it's impressive technology, and I'm not surprised to learn that they were working on it years in advance of its debut, but none of that matters in the context of how they chose to actually use it in the end.

Mind you, I use my PS3 more than I use my Wii and 360 combined, but whereas the Wiimote is a core component of the system that defines the Wii as what it is, the Move is a tacked on peripheral that has no such importance in the console's ecosystem. That's the distinction I was making between a gimmick and something that isn't. A gimmick isn't based on what the technology is. It's based on how it's used.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[virgnarus]

The gamepad isn't that big of a deal, for someone that has a family? Have you ever played a game with your kids and realized that finding a compromise for making the game as challenging for you and the kids is almost impossible? Watching some Nintendo Land games and the new Super Mario Bros. demonstrated that the additional gamepad can easily break down that barrier. The idea of having to keeping the kids alive in Super Mario Bros. by placing platforms under em can be very challenging in itself. Rayman Legends also comes to mind in this regard with being a helpful sprite, or doing the opposite and letting the kid be your helper. The concept of babysitting in a game is often an awful experience dealing with AI NPCs, but when it comes with doing the same thing for your own children, it's a blast. The Wii U just makes the whole capacity of being an administrator or dungeon master in a game all that more appealing and feasible.

You can cry about Nintendo losing its touch with the demographic it was aiming to please with the Wii, but giving me more power over how a game plays out for both me and the little fellas is exactly what I'm interested in. And look, I don't even have to sacrifice a player slot to do it; the kids can have their friend over and I can still be involved!

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Then why are 3rd party games running at 1080p60 instead of 720p30 like they are on the PS3 / 360 ?"

no 3rd party games have been demonstrated at 1080p yet, nor has any 3rd party confirmed the native 1080p game resolution.

even nintendo's 1st party, non-graphically demanding games are running at 720p (demonstrated and confirmed).

i hope titles will run at a native 1080p, but im cautiously optimistic, really.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

Nintendo ...they're much more innovative and take bigger risks than Sony and Microsoft.

I'm incredulous at this outrageous claim of yours. You must be taking the piss here. :(

Have you seen the extra-ordinary games that Sony has published/released on the PSN this generation?

Here are some of them, to just name a few: fLow, Journey, The Unfinished Swan, Pain, Heavy Rain

Here's a quote from Eurogamer regarding this:

While Sony has frequently been dragged over the coals during this hardware generation - sometimes with good cause, often without - the one thing it can most definitely be praised for is its dedication to the quirkier, artier end of the gaming spectrum. Few would have thought that such a corporate Goliath would excel at shepherding these delicate projects into the limelight, but from Flower to Noby Noby Boy to Journey to Linger in Shadows, the PlayStation Network has been the only console storefront to really carve out a niche for arthouse projects.

I would go as far as to say Sony has been the biggest risk-taker this generation, with its dedication to encouraging these kinds of games.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[interkin3tic]

Maybe because the wii was as disappointing as the Obama administration. It seemed revolutionary, everything that was wrong was going to be changed, it was like nothing before it. And it had a few hits, and was generally a positive experience, but looking back it didn't quite live up to our expectations. And especially as of late, we can't remember the last time we were impressed.

If I had to do it again, I'd probably make the same choice in both categories, but I'm not jazzed up about it. And in the case of the wii, I've already made the switch to PC gaming. I guess the equivalent would be had I moved to a different country for politics.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[VGPowerlord]

The Wiimote's pointer functions are used in very few games and in some of them it's completely contrived when they do ([optional prefix] Super [optional Paper] Mario [optional suffix] [optional number] for instance).

The Wiimote's motion controls are used in very few games. Up until the launch of the Wii Motion Plus, it was implemented poorly. Example: The Legend of Zelda: Poor GameCube Port (aka Twilight Princess), which also suffers from the pointer issue previously mentioned.

Isn't that the very definition of gimmick controller? For 95% of the games on the wii, you could remove the motion controls and pointer from the controller and they'd work exactly the same as they do now!

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Cinder6]

I should have made it clear that I was specifically talking about hardware. On the software side, yes, Sony has been surprisingly good about trying new things (or allowing new things to be tried), especially compared with how they were in the PS1/2 days. For what it's worth, I have all three consoles. My Wii never gets played.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[P-niiice]

I think the problem will be Nintendo, again. The games, the franchises, the lack of mainstream game support... the problem is, it's looking like another Nintendo console.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Randle_Revar]

Wii Sports is a whole different thing than the football/basketball/baseball/etc games on 360/PS. It doesn't take itself too damn seriously for starters. And personally, my favorites in Wii Sports are tennis and bowling, hardly mainstays of the big sports franchises.

In any case, even playing those games on the console might be a bit better than watching them. The post that triggered my complaint was about the lack of apps for *watching* sports on the Wii.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Gravatron]

Asymmetrical gameplay elements = marketing speak for 'oh shit, they realized our console couldn't support more then one controller without massive resource hits.' It's a work around for a badly designed novelty. It's like shipping a wii, then forcing players 2-4 to use gamecube controllers while one player gets to use the motion controls to play like the console advertised.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Gravatron]

Hype. The wii sold a ton, despite being a fairly terrible system. The wii u is pretty simular so far: all talk of potential, little on any shortcomings or actual games.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[thomasw_lrd]

I don't know they have quite a few games on launch or thereafter. Some great ones for kids, some for adults. Darksiders 2, Ninja Gaiden 3, Mass Effect 3 (may not be the best example if you have played the other two on a different system), Batman: Arkham City (Special edition, whatever the hell that means). I think it'll be a good system, but what do I know. I just got a 360 last year for Christmas.

http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/games

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

I should have made it clear that I was specifically talking about hardware. On the software side, yes, Sony has been surprisingly good about trying new things (or allowing new things to be tried), especially compared with how they were in the PS1/2 days. For what it's worth, I have all three consoles. My Wii never gets played.

I agree - hardware-wise, Sony may not have taken the biggest risks, except for the Cell architecture (which sort of backfired on them).

Software-wise, they(Sony) have been head and shoulders above the competition as far as innovative games are concerned.

As far as the Wii is concerned though, I don't think the Wii was innovative insofar as gaming is concerned - like Apple, they managed to get their finger on the pulse of ordinary folk, who don't have much links to gaming, and got them to participate. However, as they found out to their chagrin, such folk are very fickle, flocking to the newest ooh-shiny gadget and forgetting the old one. Hence their desperate scrambling to try and get the hardcore gamers back (In my opinion, a hardcore gamer is one who will make time for gaming instead of trying to use gaming as a stop-gap or time-filler).

In my opinion, the Wiimote was nothing more than a gimmick, and nothing illustrates this more than the paucity of core games which utilize the Wiimote. The Wii's most-praised games - Mario Galaxy series, Zelda series, etc - don't really make much use of the Wiimote controls, eschewing them for the more conventional Nunchuck and Wiimote joystick controls & buttons.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

The new controller is not crazy expensive unless you consider xbox and ps3 controllers expense!! It's only 10 buck more.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[wed128]

Why? If not sold at a loss, the PS3 and 360 would not have been nearly as successful in the outset. Console gaming would look a lot more like PC gaming does, a niche market as opposed to the huge mainstream industry that it is.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[wed128]

Good luck with that. As fun as they can be, the indie market is the only place isometric games are being developed...

A new non-portable isometric zelda is something you shouldn't hold your breath for.

Give the 3d ones a chance; the two for Wii will both blow your mind; best adventure/action games that I know about...

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Randle_Revar]

Dunno, I played a bit of Wind Waker, and I liked it pretty well. But it did not seem like a Zelda game to me.

I have hope for Zelda, because look at New SMB Wii.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[LateArthurDent]

People aren't more hyped because console gaming just isn't that interesting anymore. In our house we have a Wii and a PS3. My kids have iPod touches, my wife has an iPad. Lots of video games are played in my house - all of them on the handheld devices.

Wow. I am different than other people...

I own a smartphone. Would love to have a few games on it for those times when I'm in a wait room for the dentist or something. Can't find a single that doesn't drive me nuts, except for solitaire. Touchscreens suck as a game interface, at least I think so.

The single best interface for games is a keybaord in mouse. Failing that, a joypad or joystick will do. But a touchscreen??? I honestly assumed nobody who actually played video games made the transition until I saw your post. I thought the entire market was composed of people who didn't play video games until smartphones became popular.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[deergomoo]

DualShock 3's cost the same as a game, at least in the UK, which shocked me. I guess that's the price of motion and wireless

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[timeOday]

Then why are 3rd party games running at 1080p60 instead of 720p30 like they are on the PS3 / 360 ?

Even 720p30 is stretching the truth for the XBox 360. I play Halo with my son in splitscreen, and boy is it pixellated. It appears to be upscaled from something less than 720 lines, does NOT fill the width of the screen, and seems to have no anti-aliasing. Nor does it hold a steady 30 fps. Maybe not all 360 games are like this, but it is a flagship game after all.

So there's a lot of room for improvement even at 720p. I feel the next gen is way overdue, although I won't be running out to buy one if it releases at the same price point as the PS3 did, whereas $300 for the U is a decent launch price.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[drinkypoo]

The controller raises a lot of interesting possibilities (though it's a little bulky for my tastes).

This is why: The controller. There's only one fancy controller, and everyone else is using something else. This creates an inherent imbalance between players. While there will certainly be some interesting things done with this imbalance, it will also necessarily be a limiting factor for some games, and adversely affect the gaming experience. It's nice not to be forced to buy lots of expensive controllers, but it would have been smarter to wait a generation to that, so that the prices would come down to where people could simply afford to buy more controllers.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[hairyfeet]

Bimbo Newton Crosby, you have hardware that will be playing X360 games from last year along with a SERIOUSLY confusing lineup...Bayonetta 2 an exclusive? WTF? I thought Nintendo was the family friendly one, some chick wearing her hair for clothes and doing everything as fetish fuel is a launch title?

But here is the UGLY truth Nintendo and the rest don't want to admit...in a dead economy its gonna be hard enough to sell, but the simple fact is we've gone just about as far as we can go with regards to graphics. Could you get better graphics? Sure you can, but it'll cost 100 million plus per title and one failure will torpedo the company, this is why EA is for sale and Activision is on the market. Frankly the only one that I think has a real shot is the Steambox, as it will have Valve's excellent relationship with the indies and that looks like its gonna be the future, more specialized games appealing to specific niches instead of spending 100 million to make a generic sludge that has "broad appeal" for fear of not recouping costs.

Lets face it, the ONLY thing Nintendo has really going for it is its stable of beloved characters but even there? they are just running out of ideas. Funky controllers and other gimmicks will only go so far and i have a feeling that with so many Wii units gathering dust in closets because after they played the handful of "must play" first party titles nothing else was worth playing? People are not gonna want to jump on board until they see the third parties can add something besides 3 year old X360 games and shovelware...well all except the fanbois, but they'll buy anything with the big N across the top.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[LordKronos]

It's not unfair, it's an expected part of the intentional business decision. If the casual market has moved on to tablets and smartphones though that very successful short and medium term decision mightn't have been so great in the long term.

Let's be honest here. Nintendo was getting this same sort of crap in the GameCube days, too. To say that people's reactions are based on the design/marketing of the Wii is just not true.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[LordKronos]

Try Target. Just this week they started getting the preorder cards, though in very limited quantities.

Other than that, though I hate to suggest it (because I won't shop there), Walmart is apparently still taking preorders in store, chain wide. Or course, there is some speculation on whether or not they will actually get as many consoles as they are taking preorders for.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[mea_culpa]

The controller raises a lot of interesting possibilities (though it's a little bulky for my tastes). And, unlike some, I think that the $300-$350 price tag is fine...

That is the same price as an iPad mini. It is going to be a hard sell IMO. Every single one of my nephews and nieces have ditched their DSes for an iTouch long ago. If given a choice they would take the iPad mini without a second thought.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Dahamma]

Well, you are entitled to your opinion, of course, but *live* streaming sports apps will be HUGE for consumers, since they are really the last thing keeping many people on traditional broadcast TV services like cable or satellite.

So if you knew apps like MLB at Bat and ESPN on the Xbox 360 could be the death of Comcast as we know it wouldn't that at least make you begrudgingly admit they have a purpose? ;)

But anyway, someone who would actually generalize "people who watch sports are mostly just terrible" has some issues (were you attacked by a college mascot as a child?!) so I think it may take a bit more than a "happy, fun Wii game" to get over that...

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Mister_Stoopid]

I'll be checking in on the Wii U in a year or two; if there's a nice strong catalog of "hardcore" games at that point I'll consider getting one.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Mister_Stoopid]

After reading your post I am actually a little excited for Wii U. Maybe we'll get a whole new generation of XBOX is hueg jokes! I can't wait.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Chris Burke]

The Legend of Zelda: Poor GameCube Port (aka Twilight Princess), which also suffers from the pointer issue previously mentioned.

Uh no it fucking doesn't. The slingshot, boomerang, and bow are 3 of the most used weapons and the wiimote makes them a joy to use versus analog-stick based controls. It's not quite as amazing a setup as Metroid Prime which made me completely swear off ever playing a console FPS with dual analog ever again, but still.

It does suffer from "waggle", though.

I don't know about 95% of games, but 100% of games I own would not be the same without the wiimote. Even The Godfather, to pick the weakest example -- aside from aiming, it's just amazingly fun to grab someone and throw them down a flight of stairs in a way that doing so with a button combo wouldn't be.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[evafan76]

Which version of Halo?

Halo 3 was panned for its graphics at the time, and that was 2007.

Halo Reach is a couple years old now

Halo Anniversary, the latest game, IS an upscale of the original 2001 game, runs the original graphics engine alongside the new one, and as such is buggy.

I love the series, but its not a good example to judge the graphics capability of the console as newer games tend to find ways to suck every last ounce of power out of the console

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[bedouin]

The Wii's browser is fine. The problem is that you're browsing modern websites on a machine with the processing power of an iMac from 2002.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[bedouin]

Why not go invest in a 15 year old PC for $2 and install every game from that era you can find for peanuts if you don't give a damn about the visuals?

Funny you should mention that. I have DOSBox running on my Wii with probably a thousand DOS games installed on its SD card. I play Wii titles, but emulators get plenty of love too. It's a compact, noiseless, and pretty cheap way to bring most major consoles and a handful of 8 and 16 bit computers into your living room. It's such an easy system to mod too, and Nintendo hasn't pushed out any troublemaking updates for more than a year now.

I realize the same can be accomplished (I'm assuming) with an XBox (current or previous generation) or PS3 -- but the form factor is great. Used Wiis will be showing up on Craigslist for pennies soon enough, and the most failure prone component: the optical drive, is unnecessary.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[murdocj]

Funny, I already own a computer that can stream to my tv so I never saw the point in buying a tablet... guess it's different strokes for different folks.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[tepples]

The single best interface for games is a keybaord in mouse.

Are these superior to a gamepad even for a platformer or a fighting game? Or for players 2, 3, and 4?

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[CronoCloud]

Ah, I understand you better now.

I think the Move seems more of a "gimmick" becuase it's not really aimed at the PS3's core audience. It's an add-on for an "add-on" audience of "Casuals" that sony decided they needed to focus more on wooing after the success of the Wii.

That said, I don't have a Move, My PS3 sits on a desk connected to the same screen my PC is (a small HDTV) and in fact the PS3 once had Linux on it, as did my PS2 before it. It also helps with the games that involve text chat: Home, FreeRealms, Dust514, etc.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[toolie]

Damn, I hate sports. Or to be more accurate, I don't like sports fans. I am not a fan of playing 90+% of team sports, but a few are ok. But watching pro sports? Bleh! And the people that do are mostly just terrible.

Can we figure out who was picked on by 'jocks' in school from this statement?

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

This. Being a loss leader worked for PS3 and 360 because those systems were new and not 6+ year old hardware that can be had for *much* less money (and with a full games catalog instead of a new console catalog - i.e., barely anything). Not to mention that Nintendo's attach rate with the Wii was abysmal compared to the 360 and PS3.

Rollover ad

[Anonymous Coward]

Totally off-topic but is anyone else annoyed by the Windows Server ad at the top of the page that expands when you mouse over it? Makes navigating the home page a pain!

Re:Rollover ad

[Randle_Revar]

I love having high karma!

Re:Rollover ad

[Anonymous Coward]

Fucking adblock, how does it work?

Volume!

[Tanktalus]

Oh, I get it. They'll sell each individual unit at a loss, but they'll make up for it in volume!

I think they still have the "???" step right before that "Profit!" step in their plan.

Re:Volume!

[Desler]

They make it up by their higher profit first-party games and licensing fees from third-party developers.

Re:Volume!

[trdrstv]

They make it up by their higher profit first-party games and licensing fees from third-party developers.

and don't forget all the additional controllers / adapters and add-ons they come up with!

Re:Volume!

[Tanktalus]

*sigh*

I keep forgetting that I need to use <sarcasm> tags in /. :-(

Seems expensive?

[NinjaTekNeeks]

Article mentions 250GBP for the unit which is about $ 400 US. That seems like a hefty tag for a Nintendo, which historically has been cheaper than MSFT and Sony. Game pad is another 160 $ for standalone play.

500$ buys me about 10 new video games or 15-20 sale games for my 360 or steam account, I probably won't be running out to pick this up.

Re:Seems expensive?

[Anonymous Coward]

UK to US cost conversion rarely works out favourably. I paid 250gbp for a launch Wii with maybe one extra controller. Interestingly DVD piracy became a home venture once the drives hit just below 250 each. They're what, 15 now.

Re:Seems expensive?

[Anonymous Coward]

GBP prices are usually 1:1 equivalent to US prices. They do not follow exchange rates. Therefore the Wii U will be 250-300 bucks.

Re:Seems expensive?

[Narishma]

Article mentions 250GBP for the unit which is about $ 400 US.

That's not how it works. You can't deduce the price in your country by converting from a known currency. It wouldn't surprise me if it ends up costing only $250 or $300 in the US. Consumer electronics are generally much more expensive in Europe than in the US.

Re:Seems expensive?

[tepples]

Some reasons for this price difference include different expectations of warranty, more effort needed for translation of the user interface, whether sales tax is included in the price (Europe) or not (USA), distance from the factories in China, and the like.

Re:Seems expensive?

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a fair point. As a European I have 5 years warranty on everything that is meant to to last meaningfully more than 2 years, so 3-4 years expected lifetime go to 5. Although we'd be fooling ourselves if we think that does not translate into somewhat higher prices.

Re:Seems expensive?

[hobarrera]

I'm sure the 150USD difference must be to cover the translation of the entire UI from en_us to en_gb. Imagine the amount of effort and people you need to achieve this!!

Re:Seems expensive?

[ninjacheeseburger]

That price probably includes our 20% sales tax (VAT) making it £208 or $334.

Re:Seems expensive?

[Anonymous Coward]

[Logge Ye Inn] [Abstain]

Re:Seems expensive?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sure the 150USD difference must be to cover the translation of the entire UI from en_us to en_gb. Imagine the amount of effort and people you need to achieve this!!

While I know you were being facetious, it does bug me how many companies don't bother to do an en_gb translation. It doesn't take a lot of effort, so why don't they?

Real power?

[SuperMooCow]

I've read some comments that say the Wii U is "as powerful as an Xbox360/PS3", however I've also read articles that mentioned the Wii U is two generations ahead of the other two consoles... so, which one is it?

Butthurt Xbox360 and PS3 owners spreading FUD about the new Nintendo system now that they have to comment about how gameplay is more important than graphics, or dumbass writers who will say anything to have people read their articles?

Do we even know the specifications of the Wii U's GPU to make such comparisons?

Re:Real power?

[Narishma]

It has more memory (about twice as much, if you remove the 1 GB reserved for the system) and a more modern and faster GPU than the PS360 but the CPU is lacking even compared to that of the 360. In the end it makes the console a bit faster but not by much and it will have to compete with the next generation of Sony and MS consoles which are expected in about a year or so.

Re:Real power?

[trdrstv]

I've read some comments that say the Wii U is "as powerful as an Xbox360/PS3", however I've also read articles that mentioned the Wii U is two generations ahead of the other two consoles... so, which one is it?

Butthurt Xbox360 and PS3 owners spreading FUD about the new Nintendo system now that they have to comment about how gameplay is more important than graphics, or dumbass writers who will say anything to have people read their articles?

Do we even know the specifications of the Wii U's GPU to make such comparisons?

The Wii U being "As powerful as the PS3 / 360" is FUD. It's more powerful and really that isn't hard to do on a budget, considering those consoles are both over 6 years old. One other telling factor is if you notice the 3rd party games that are multiform COD, AC3, etc... are running natively at 1080p60 on Wii U and not on the PS3 / 360. This is also with first generation non-optimized code for the Wii U, pretty safe to say it IS more powerful than it's Current gen rivals.

some specs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_u#Technical_specifications

Re:Real power?

[xero314]

The article you are referencing says that the Wii U's graphics processor could be "at least a two generations ahead" of the existing consoles. This is not the entirety of the console, and was simply refering to the "shader capabilities, shadowing and lighting effects" and only then it's considering a "generation" to being a new version of Direct X, which is not nearly the same as what a generation is in the normal console sense.

This is not only a miss leading comparison, it has no really baring of processing capability, and is only a portion of the total capabilities of a video game console.

I'm not knocking the Wii U, since I have yet to see one in use and actually think new controlled concept will have a lot more game affect than the waggle of the Wii, I'm just saying you need to understand the details of an article when you are going to use it to justify your name calling of fellow gamers.

Re:Real power?

[trdrstv]

It has more memory (about twice as much, if you remove the 1 GB reserved for the system) and a more modern and faster GPU than the PS360 but the CPU is lacking even compared to that of the 360.

Do you have a source for the CPU ? I never found anything that stated how fast it is and how many cores only that it's an IBM PowerPC chip (which isn't surprising since the Gamecube, Wii and X-Box 360 all use some derivative of that).

As for RAM keep in mind MS and Sony reserve memory for their systems as well, they just don't tell us how much.

PS3 has 256 MB of System RAM and 256 MB of GPU RAM.

X-Box 360 has 512 MB of RAM that can be used for Either.

Wii U has 2 GB of system RAM / half dedicated to games only. the other half to OS and GPU.

Re:Real power?

[badpool]

I suppose it depends on what the developers are comparing. I've read the GPU is pretty well ahead of current console hardware, but the CPU is not. The power consumption should be lower as well, which won't make games look prettier, but might factor into the whole "how advanced the hardware is" issue. The statements have been so ambiguous, it's hard to tell...

Re:Real power?

[dadelbunts]

I doubt any PS3 or Xbox360 owner really gives a shit honestly. The top selling console has rarely been the one with the most power. Xbox360,ps2,ps1. Not to mention the WiiU is a next gen console, and will no doubt be the slowest of all three next gen consoles.

Re:Real power?

[gman003]

We don't know much of anything about the hardware (besides a rough idea of the CPU and some info on the RAM), but from the little I've been able to gather, this is how it is:

The Gamecube, PS2 and Xbox were essentially the same generation. While they were slightly different in terms of power, they're close enough to be the same "generation", tech-wise. Wikipedia labels this as Gen 6.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 were a full generation advance over their predecessors. But the Wii was not - it's essentially an overclocked Gamecube with a new controller. I feel it is best labelled as a half-generation advance (Gen 6.5, not Gen 7). So while it was an advance over the older consoles, it wasn't on par with the "next-gen" consoles. This was actually a pretty savvy move by Nintendo - a Wii could basically reach the peak of graphics on a SDTV, and HDTV was not all that common at the time. So it was "powerful enough". And they took that, and used it to make a power-efficient, small, *cheap* machine. They had the appeal of Apple for the price of Android, so to speak.

The Wii U seems to be a full generation advance over the Wii, putting it about half a generation ahead of the PS3/360. But Nintendo's strategy might backfire here, because the next-gen Microsoft/Sony consoles are probably going to be a full generation advance as well. But Nintendo seems to be focusing a lot on the power of the console (at least, by Nintendo standards), which means they're competing head-to-head with the PS4/Xbox 9000 or whatever they're going to be called. It doesn't matter that those consoles haven't even been announced - people are comparing them already.

But really, I think Nintendo needs to worry more about their games. If they could launch with a new Mario as good as Galaxy or 64, a new Zelda as good as Twilight Princess or Windwaker, a new Metroid as good as Zero Mission or any of the Primes, and either a new Pikmin, new Animal Crossing, or new Smash Brothers, they would not have problems selling the console. The software sells the hardware. But right now, nobody seems to be able to launch a console with good games. The 3DS and Vita had no good new games at launch, and now the Wii U doesn't have any amazing standouts.

Re:Real power?

[Narishma]

Do you have a source for the CPU ? I never found anything that stated how fast it is and how many cores only that it's an IBM PowerPC chip (which isn't surprising since the Gamecube, Wii and X-Box 360 all use some derivative of that).

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-08-30-how-powerful-is-the-wii-u-really

As for RAM keep in mind MS and Sony reserve memory for their systems as well, they just don't tell us how much.

We do actually know that. The Xbox 360 reserves 32 MB of its unified 512 MB for the OS and the PS3 reserves 43 MB of RAM and 7 MB of VRAM.

It's not that it's underpowered...

[realmolo]

It *is* a little underpowered for a system coming out in 2012, but honestly it's powerful enough. We've reached a bit of a plateau with graphics on consoles. PS3 and 360 games look *damn good*. If the WiiU can do that, people will be happy.

The bigger problem for the WiiU is that I think the console market has changed. People have SO MANY gaming options these days that game consoles just aren't as interesting as they used to be. Especially for the price. Nintendo wants to sell this thing for $400, but that buys you an iPad.

Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft need to realize that they don't have the gaming market to themselves anymore. Not like they used to, anyway. And in this economy, cost is king. If they think they are going to be selling new consoles for $400, they are nuts.

Honestly, I think that both Sony and Microsoft should keep their current consoles alive indefinitely. I mean, why not? Keep lowering the price, and keep them alive. I'd love to be able to pick up an fully-loaded 360 with a Kinect for $100 in 2016, and still have new games coming out for it. Like I said, we've reached a bit of a plateau with consoles. Why not stay on that plateau for a while?

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[Custard Horse]

Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft need to realize that they don't have the gaming market to themselves anymore

What goes around, comes around e.g. a decade ago...

"Nintendo and Sony need to realize that they don't have the gaming market to themselves anymore"

...which is precisely how Microsoft stole the rug from under them with the 360. Now the three companies are losing ground to Apple and Google.

I wonder if there will be another cycle in the the next decade or if one or more of the companies fold or are taken over? Nintendo seems the weakest but Sony seem more likely to leave the games industry after having been caught with their hands in the till on more than one occasion.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[trdrstv]

And in this economy, cost is king. If they think they are going to be selling new consoles for $400, they are nuts.

Just a nitpick but, in the US it's $300 or $350 if you buy-up to the Black one with NintendoLand.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[tepples]

Nintendo wants to sell this thing for $400, but that buys you an iPad.

How many players can use that iPad at once? The Wii U is also compatible with Wii Remotes and Wii Remote extension controllers, such as the Classic Controller Pro, making it nice if you have friends over who don't own or didn't bring iPads.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[badpool]

I kinda wish that too, honestly, but it would probably mean losing market share to PCs as gamers (and developers) decide they want a better looking game. You'd pretty much need to stop advancement of game-oriented hardware, in all its forms, in order to make this happen.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[dadelbunts]

Id agree if videogames on consoles arent some of the highest grossing media that exists. Ipad is fine for very simple games, but cant rival anything that uses a proper controller. Thats like saying the console market was going to disappear in the 90s because of some Tiger Electronics LED power rangers game.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[DarkTempes]

Exactly how did Microsoft "[steal] the rug from under" Nintendo (or even Sony)?

The Wii has still outsold both of the other consoles by a large margin: 97 million Wii/67 million 360/64 million PS3).
I don't know the game sales statistics and I imagine Nintendo loses out there but they certainly aren't weak if they have machines in more living rooms.

I think the tablets stealing the casual gamer market concept is largely overhyped. At best I suspect it's competing with the handheld market.
I'm fairly certain that all three companies have made nice profits from the gaming industry and it would be dumb for any of them to exit the market while that holds true.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[Anonymous Coward]

The market is still there. What is not there, is the money. i.e. customers do not have the money to afford them after buying other stuff with higher priority
Cool stuff has a higher priority than a gaming console
Cool portable stuff has even higher priority.
If food prices went insanely high, I bet everything else would lose, not because customers don't wish it (i.e. there is no market), but because they can't afford it.
If people don't buy a gaming console after buying an iSh*t, it is not because said iSh*t covers the market needs, it is because they are left with not enough money for much else and people give a higher priority to the cool factor to whatever iSh*t is currently popular and cool.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[seandiggity]

N64 *is* a little underpowered for a system coming out in 1996, but honestly it's powerful enough. We've reached a bit of a plateau with graphics on consoles. PS and Saturn games look *damn good*. If the N64 can do that, people will be happy.

The bigger problem for the N64 is that I think the console market has changed. People have SO MANY gaming options these days that game consoles just aren't as interesting as they used to be. Especially for the price. Nintendo wants to sell this thing for $250.00, but that buys you a Nomad.

Nintendo, Sony, and Sega need to realize that they don't have the gaming market to themselves anymore. Not like they used to, anyway. And in this economy, cost is king. If they think they are going to be selling new consoles for $250, they are nuts.

Honestly, I think that both Sony and Sega should keep their current consoles alive indefinitely. I mean, why not? Keep lowering the price, and keep them alive. I'd love to be able to pick up an fully-loaded PS with a G Con gun for $100 in 2001, and still have new games coming out for it. Like I said, we've reached a bit of a plateau with consoles. Why not stay on that plateau for a while?

^ TFTFY :P I understand the proliferation of mobile devices and entertainment options present a new challenge to consoles, but gamers are still clamoring for them. It seems to me that consoles persist mainly due to exclusive gaming networks, exclusive content downloads, and DRM that creates entry-level barriers to modding/copying/porting. These are the same weapons that have held off the threat of beefy PCs with better specs, for at least a decade...I assume there are even more lock-in strategies I'm not aware of, since I've been out of the gaming world for a loong time. But the point is, this is not the last generation of consoles, and the console pushers have already managed to stay afloat though a lot of ground has shifted beneath them.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[hobarrera]

You can't have 3 friends over and play on a huge screen with tablets/cell-phones, and that makes a difference, especially with nintendo consoles.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[asmkm22]

We've only reached a plateau with console graphics because the consoles are all old. It's also been dragging down the PC gaming market as a result, since developers all aim for the lowest common denominator, in this case being the xbox and ps3.

So yes, the WiiU might be OK for a year or so, being a system with competitive or slightly better graphics compared to xbox and ps3, but they'll hit the same wall as before when the next gen stuff comes out. Basically, three years from now, developers will be creating games around the system specs of the xbox 720 and PS4, and if the WiiU can't handle those games, it will just get flooded with crappy stripped down ports (CoD games, for example) and a billion 3rd party pet games. Except that, as others have pointed out, Nintendo's target audience will move towards iPads and stuff for casual gaming, in the same way they have moved to phones as a replacement for the handhelds.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[Anonymous Coward]

It *is* a little underpowered for a system coming out in 2012, but honestly it's powerful enough. We've reached a bit of a plateau with graphics on consoles. PS3 and 360 games look *damn good*.

For a limited value of damned good. What really has happened is that the consoles are keeping games back now, the PC has ridiculous amounts of power available, but the games also have to run on consoles.

A console designed with a current generation high end graphics chip, dedicated ddr5 ram, and a intel cpu (just because they have incredible single thread performance) would be *damn good*. Infact I think after 4 years of polishing and optimizing for a stable platform with those components, the games would be indistinguishable from movies.

The golden time of PC games were when just released games had crappy fps because they pushed enough data to the system to make even the highend pc systems scream for air. Games like Supreme Commander and Crysis.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[MakyoDetector]

Yes, exactly. Many people think improvements in next gen, for example in graphics, will be incremental, much like the advantage PC games now have over consoles. What I'm expecting instead is a full-on revolution once the money starts flowing in. Well, at least if M$/$ony don't skimp on power. If there's some kind of saturation threshold for gaming awesomeness, then I don't think we're anywhere near that point.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[Anonymous Coward]

Theoretically, the system can handle two of those "iPads", but there won't be any such games capable of using two at launch. The games are being designed in such a way where you only need one. All other players use the other types of controllers because their role is different.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[Anonymous Coward]

That really has happened is that the consoles are keeping games back now, the PC has ridiculous amounts of power available, but the games also have to run on consoles.

Other way around. PCs are holding consoles back because there hasn't been a new Supreme Command or Crysis that pushes current PC hardware, pushing game makers to adopt that engine, which in turn prompts console makers to step up and keep up.

PCs are basically only a graphic card upgrade away from looking prettier. It's a fight consoles can't win. Consoles compete by being less complex (for devs and users) and cheaper (good graphic cards can be as expensive if not more than a whole console)

Sure, Crysis pushed PC hardware. That was 2007. Where's the next game or engine that pushed PCs like that? CryEngine 3 certainly wasn't. It was made to fit on consoles. The next one, which ought to look better, isn't out yet.

Same with Unreal. Unreal Engine 4 isn't out yet. We've been on UE3 since 2006, and a lot of games use it. Even ones coming out today. Even ones expected to come out next year.

id Tech 5 came out last year (for reference, the previous id Tech 4/Doom 3 engine was 2004). Still runs on current consoles so it probably won't tax PCs. Then again, maybe Rage isn't pushing the engine to its limits. Maybe the engine is capable of giving modern PCs a good work out, but it'll take time for new games to be made that does that... ...which may happen in the next year or so, just around the time we're expecting new consoles.

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[Anonymous Coward]

Honestly, I think that both Sony and Microsoft should keep their current consoles alive indefinitely. I mean, why not? Keep lowering the price, and keep them alive. I'd love to be able to pick up an fully-loaded 360 with a Kinect for $100 in 2016, and still have new games coming out for it. Like I said, we've reached a bit of a plateau with consoles. Why not stay on that plateau for a while?

I agree graphically we have reach a plateau, but not on the computing power. The great thing about new hardware is you can write programs that can take advantage of the increased processing power. Also add the fact that storage has become very cheap and the days of a 20GB HDD should be past us. If you factor in that more and more games are moving to downloadable only you need the increased storage. It does not take long to fill up a 320GB drive on the 360.

So my question is where is my 1TB drive?

Re:It's not that it's underpowered...

[Anonymous Coward]

If you think anything on the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360 looks "damn good", you've clearly never actually compared a game running on a PC with your HDTV to the same game running on a console platform. I love my consoles, but good looking they are not. Play Modern Warfare 2 on your console and then play it on your PC using the same display. The difference is as plain as day.

Because the technology is 5 years out of date

[Viol8]

Consoles are supposed to showcase cutting edge graphics, not simply play catch up to competitors products that are already long in the tooth. As for the controller? Its a gimmick. If I want hand held gaming I'll use a smartphone, and if I want proper HD gaming I have it on a TV/monitor thanks. Nintendo say its for 2 to play , yeah right, I'm sure one person suffering a small handheld screen is SOOOoo much better than simply split screening the TV. Not.

Can a get a gaming computer at this price?

[swan5566]

The answer was definite "no" with the Wii, but now it's much closer to a "yes" (especially if you want 2 players), and you get all the other benefits of a computer besides gaming. I personally think Nintendo misread why they did so well with the Wii - I personally don't think they'll be repeating that success.

Re:Can a get a gaming computer at this price?

[Anonymous Coward]

But all I want is to play Nintendo Exclusives. Is your budget gaming machine powerful enough to run a non existent Wii U emulator? How long will you have to wait until someone even figures out how to rip a Wii game, never mind actually play one. How long until someone figures out how to hook a Wii U gamepad to the computer?

You seem to be missing something big. I didn't buy a Wii and I didn't preorder a Wii U just to play games, I have a ton of games already on my phone and could always put some on the PC. I bought it to play Wii games and Wii U games specifically. I don't get people comparing the Wii U to an Xbox or a PS3. It isn't a fair comparison. They play completely different games. It's like comparing a boat to a car. You can't take that car out on the water, and 99.999% of people can't take a boat to get to work. It doesn't matter how many phone, tablet, pc, or even 3DS games I have. I still want the Wii U games. Games are not interchangeable. No amount of Angry Birds can scratch the itch of wanting to play the next Zelda. No amount of Halo or COD can substitute for the next Mario Galaxy (or whatever they call their next mainline 3D Mario game).

I'll buy it

[quax]

Because my kids and I still enjoy the old Wii, and I like to be able to hang on to the old games and controllers. Also my wife wants Netflix but I don't want yet another device cluttering up the TV shelf space. So the WiiU fits the bill.

Re:I'll buy it

[trdrstv]

The Wii does have a Netflix client (hulu+ also). I do however understand if you don't want to tell your wife that if you're using it for leverage to get an upgrade. :)

Re:I'll buy it

[quax]

Well there's that :-)

Then again I also don't want to pay for Netflix unless I can put out a HD signal.

a reaction to the 3DS launch

[tuffy]

The 3DS was profitable at $250, but it sold slowly so Nintendo reacted by cutting the price to spur sales and put 3rd party developers at ease. They're not going to make the same mistake twice, so launching the WiiU cheap at a temporary loss is a good way to keep sales brisk until component prices fall.

Considering Gamestop alone has ~250k people on the wait list for the console, I think its chances are pretty good.

Same Old Story

[oGMo]

The controller raises a lot of interesting possibilities

Just like the Wii! And the GameCube! And the N64! Yet, somehow, none of these "interesting possbilities" ever seem to pan out into a large library of games.

But I haven't been hearing a lot of buzz about it, considering it's supposed to be launching next month. I know it's supposed to be as powerful as the PS3/360.

Wow, it's just as powerful as the consoles I've had for the last 5 years. And it's going to cost more than they have in a long time. And guess what! Instead of one of those puny 500GB PS3-with-a-game bundles, we're going to get a whole 32GB flash, and a piece of crap. Yawn. They could try a lot harder.

But I haven't heard much about the debut game lineup.

Then you haven't been paying attention. It's going to have some games at launch: a lot of non-exclusives with a few bizarre exclusives (Bayonetta 2?) and yet more rehashing of old Nintendo franchises.

Frankly I think Nintendo, for all their faults (most notably, their admittedly piss-poor online support), kind of gets the short-shrift in the gaming community. Their systems may not have the cutting edge CPU's and GPU's, but they do what they do pretty well.

This is utter BS and I'll tell you why Nintendo is getting well-deserved apathy: games. The NES and SNES had amazing lineups of games that are still playable today. The N64 started a long line of bad decisions for Nintendo: tiny cartridges; it had Mario64 and Zelda64 that were genre-defining games, but little else that stands up. The GameCube had slightly more, but due to tiny disc size and bizarrely-different controller, the lineup wasn't huge. Still, I'd take it over the Wii, which has nothing defining, lots of rehashing (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, few of them any good), and the occasionally good third-party title Nintendo refuses to import (Xenoblade).

It's not (just) because Nintendo panned the community by repeatedly insulting the "hard-core" constituents, it's a continuing downward spiral of crap gaming library. Granted, this hasn't been the last-last generation where I packed six shelves with just the good PS2 games, but the PS3 has a solid three shelves, and the 360 has a good two shelves, and I don't give a crap where any of the Wii games are.

Now I should be excited about the Wii U, which is just now playing catchup with last gen and getting lots of ports? Sony is already pushing to have the Vita and PS3 interact to kill whatever "interesting possbilities" the WiiU wants to hold exclusive. Love or hate Sony, they can build a platform that has a game library worth playing. If Microsoft does something similar with smartphones or the Surface, say bye to any interest in the Wii U from anyone.

Re:Same Old Story

[LordKronos]

The controller raises a lot of interesting possibilities

Just like the Wii! And the GameCube! And the N64! Yet, somehow, none of these "interesting possbilities" ever seem to pan out into a large library of games.

Really? I could swear there was a MASSIVE library of games out there that would be mostly unplayable without analog controls. Remember, that was the hallmark feature of the N64 controller. Yes they didn't invent it, but they sure started a trend that everyone else followed. Not sure what you are referring to on the GameCube. I don't remember any supposedly "killer" feature of that system's controller. As for the Wii, I think the jury is still out on that. You need to wait a generation or two to see what (if any) lasting effect it has on the industry. It certainly has had a short term effect on the industry, causing the competitors to throw out their own motion control systems (even if they didn't really quite figure out how to make good use of them, and almost no games are designed with it in mind).

Flat sheet of glass

[tepples]

My kids have iPod touches, my wife has an iPad. Lots of video games are played in my house - all of them on the handheld devices.

How well do platformers and fighting games work on a device whose only input is a flat sheet of glass? I tried playing some classic games on my Nexus 7, but my thumbs kept missing the buttons on the on-screen gamepad because the screen gave me zero tactile feedback as to where my thumbs were.

Ouya vapor

[tepples]

Console-wise I'm considerably more interested in the Ouya.

If it comes out soon. I had previously put my interest behind Pandora and the nD, but Pandora was delayed to irrelevance, and the nD has had no news in the past year.

Re:Ouya vapor

[rephlex]

Console-wise I'm considerably more interested in the Ouya.

If it comes out soon. I had previously put my interest behind Pandora and the nD, but Pandora was delayed to irrelevance, and the nD has had no news in the past year.

We'll know by March next year. With the amount of money they've raised via Kickstarter and the big names in support it would be a absolute travesty if the Ouya turns out to be vapour. I'm confident it won't be. I wish they did status updates more frequently though.

Wii Sucked

[TheNinjaroach]

Because the Wii sucked. First party games were great, but the online experience universally sucked across the platform. Third party games, when released for Wii at all, were appalling compared to their competing console counterparts. The Virtual Console is one of the coolest ideas I've ever seen in a console, but Nintendo said "screw the US" and released a paltry number of games for sale.

After my incredible disappointment with the Wii, and the now completely useless PS3 I bought, I'm pretty certain I'll never buy another console again.

Re:Wii Sucked

[Whatah1]

The Lego game series (Lego Harry Potter for example) is a 3rd party cross-platform game series where imo the Wii version was excellent if not superior due to the fact that the wiimote allowed for the most innovative/natural method to stack blocks on top of each other and move built objects around on the screen.

Resident Evil 4 on the Wii is considered the best version of that multi-platform game.

If you want 2 players

[tepples]

The answer was definite "no" with the Wii, but now it's much closer to a "yes" (especially if you want 2 players)

The trouble is that there aren't enough major label PC games that support two players on one monitor. Comparatively few PC games are in genres designed around multiple players on one monitor, such as fighting games or cooperative platformers. What's the PC counterpart to New Super Mario Bros. Wii or Super Smash Bros. Brawl? Because PCs are traditionally associated with desks, not living rooms, major PC game developers have tended to concentrate on FPS, RTS, and other genres dependent on asymmetric information. So you'd need to buy two PCs for two players.

but that buys you an iPad

[future assassin]

Seriously am I suppose to hold the iPad as a controller and move it around while I play a game on my TV? How am I going to play fighting games? 10 hit combo? Is an iPad gonna have the same games? Why would I buy and iPad and have a half ass gaming experience compared to a dedicated system. I'd rather have the right tool or the job than some half ass attempt from a text and video consumption pad.

will U will be *initially* sold at a loss

[postmortem]

and later it will make good profit. All these consoles were like that. once manufacturing of these components gets full steam, they get cheaper in a mass number.

Re:will U will be *initially* sold at a loss

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not just that. They count the cost of setting up production as a part of each unit's cost. As they produce more consoles, that spreads that fixed cost out over more of them, so the individual cost becomes much less, even for the first ones out. Eventually the total cost per unit approaches the incremental cost per unit.

Re:will U will be *initially* sold at a loss

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the point is that the Wii was never sold at a loss, it was priced above cost from the start. Selling at a loss isn't traditionally a Nintendo-ish thing to do.

People Are Hyped - Try to Buy One!

[Kagato]

Hyped? Pre-sales sold out a month ago. I don't know how much more hype people expected there to be?!? The Amazon and ebay 3rd party sales are already looking to be gouging people by $50-100.

The other interesting bit here is the sale at a loss. If it's less than 10% than the loss will be made up by the the change in value of the yen versus the dollar over the next few months. Add to that manufacturing cost cutting and it will be to profit far faster than the PS3 or XBox.

The real meaning of micheling stars

[SmallFurryCreature]

People often think that michelin stars are about getting 3 stars. Everyone knows that 3 is the best but then why would anyone ever bother with 1 and 2 star restaurants? You don't bother with the silver and bronze medal winners do you?

In reality, the order is this:

1 star: Excellent restaurant of its category, worth a visit (when you are in the same area.

2 star: Excellent restaurant regardless of category, worth a detour.

3 star: First class restaurant, worth the trip itself.

This goes for games. Some games are fun if can easily get them, tablet games.

Some are very good but not worth special hardware/high price

Some are the best and worth buying special hardware or even an entire console for.

And now prove me wrong on the following:

There is not a single tablet game worth buying a tablet for.

I think history has proven that for plenty of gamers, there are games worth buying a console for.

And you can have some fine eating if all you ever do is eat at 1 star restaurants. In fact, most people will never eat as well as you.

But I can afford 3 star restaurants and games. And I will enjoy them to the max.

At least we can both sneer at people eating hamburgers from McD and they can look down at people eating microwave hamburgers.

And I will never again eat the hamburgers my mother made and those were the best of all. And the best games ever were checkers at camp with my sisters.

Who needs electronics and highly reviewed expensive stuff again? I kinda forgot my point. Maybe after all what matters is if you have fun. Regardless of how much or how little it costs. That should teach me to drink and post at the same time.

They need to just get out of the hardware biz.

[Uniquitous]

I'd love to play their franchises again, but not enough to shell out for one of their consoles with yet another nonsensical controller scheme. Just go entirely 3rd party and put those games on Steam. I'll buy 'em.

Multiple consoles and AAA titles

[phorm]

A lot of people end up with multiple consoles, as not all games are available on all consoles. However, for many there's usually a limit to where you'll go. I don't know many people who have a 360, wii, and PS3. Most people I know have only one or two of the those.
In the end, it's a combination of features and games that drive a console.
Nintendo makes a lot of fun games, but they tend to lose out on a lot of the bigger titles because of underpowered consoles. It's not that the games require high-end graphics to be fun. Nintendo has demonstrated they don't. However, many of the AAA titles *do* require powerful consoles to run.

Skyrim? Mass effect? Battlefield 3. Not on Wii. If you want to play those, you need a Wii+PS3/Xbox/PC.

However, it appears that they are coming out for the "Wii U." Hopefully it will play the coming-generation of games as well (and one must admit that those could have a lot of potential with a wii-mote type controller).

Nintendo makes a good console and good games. What they lack is third-party titles. A higher-powered console will hopefully close that gap. I bought my wii on sale about a year ago because - as much as I like Zelda and Metroid - a lot of the other games just weren't available.

If I can buy just one next-gen rig that plays all the games I want, and the wii-U does that and values to the experience (either with touchpad or wiimote), then it's actually a pretty easy sell for me.

Re:Multiple consoles and AAA titles

[Gravatron]

They said the wii had potential for motion as well. In all the years it was out, very, very few games came anywhere near that. Most used motion as little as possible. They make not good consoles, but novelty based ones, and then short change on specs to get costs low as possible. I mean, compare 3ds specs to any phone or rival handheld, it's vastly outdated. The wii was the same: push the novelty, and deflect the power arguments. I don't see anything in the wii u that makes me think anything has changed in the Nintendo camp.

Still has the same problem as the 3DS

[JustAnotherIdiot]

The 3DS was by far the worst console launch by Nintendo, possibly even of all game consoles.
The release titles were disappointing, the follow ups mostly so, and they were quick to release a second version (the 3DS XL).

I have a feeling we're going to see something similar with the Wii-U, as it's already doing the first part (horrible launch titles).
I used to be a huge Nintendo fanboy growing up, but as of late, Nintendo seems to have forgotten why we were all fans in the first place.

Re:Still has the same problem as the 3DS

[tstrunk]

The 3DS was by far the worst console launch by Nintendo, possibly even of all game consoles.

Yeah, because the 3DS did so much worse than the Virtual Boy. ^^

Re:Still has the same problem as the 3DS

[trdrstv]

The 3DS was by far the worst console launch by Nintendo, possibly even of all game consoles.

Maybe you're too young to remember, but It's going to be VERY hard to beat the Sega Saturn as the "Worst Console Launch of all". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Saturn#North_America

Re:Still has the same problem as the 3DS

[JustAnotherIdiot]

Hah! Oh man, forgot about that one, I try to block that out of my mind.

Re:Still has the same problem as the 3DS

[JustAnotherIdiot]

Huh, my cousins had a saturn, never knew it had that kind of history behind it.
Learn something new every day.

well organized blog.

[Anonymous Coward]

I have visited your blog for the first time and found it a well organized blog. Keep sharing nice stuff. Following are my blogs. You can join me there . . .

Watch Indian And Pakistani Dramas Free Online
Hd Quality Dramas
Indian Dramas Written Updates
Watch Pakistani Talk Show
Prize Bond/
Technology news
Result
Thailand Lotto

Hackers Please Buy Open

[ZombieBraintrust]

Please do not purchase a Wii U as something to hack. Buy standard hardware and duplicate the functionality. Open Source your solution. You don't make the world more open by buying closed systems and then hacking them open. Buy open stuff to begin with and then spend your time making those open system awesome.

Re:Hackers Please Buy Open

[Nyder]

Please do not purchase a Wii U as something to hack. Buy standard hardware and duplicate the functionality. Open Source your solution. You don't make the world more open by buying closed systems and then hacking them open. Buy open stuff to begin with and then spend your time making those open system awesome.

Sorry, I'm buying a Wii U to hack. I plan on running homebrew and emulators before the other consoles get released. Sure, I could spend less money on a PS3, but currently (could change though) i'd have to find one with a firmware 3.60 to run homebrew. Not sure how easy that is.

Plus I'm a poor person, and I'm betting the Wii U will be cheaper then any of the new consoles that get released over the next few years.

And I'm looking forward to some Nintendo games I don't have to use the Wiimote on, since they screwed that up with quite a few of the Wii games.