Wii U - Thoughts & Opinions now that it's been out for awhile?

[Mattroid]

For anyone who's cool with buying digital - eShop cards are 20% off at Best Buy through the end of the month.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/promo/save-on-nintendo-eshop-cards-118793

 

[OIB1981]

Seems like a lot of people have it in for Nintendo when they call a system that's only been out for a year a flop. I was at the flea market today and salesmen I was talking to said something about Virtual Boy and I said one of Nintendo only flops then he goes well the Wii U. I just thought how can you call a system a flop when it's only been out a year with so many promising titles coming? I know it didn't sell like they projected but it ain't over till the Fat Lady sings. I imagine sales will pick up when Zelda comes out or some of the other titles.

 

[incrediblegamez]

There are Alot of awesome indie games. I think Nintendo needs to add these as exclusives. Nintendo won't compete in the fps or sports genre but they could definitely compete in the others

 

[Mattroid]

There are Alot of awesome indie games. I think Nintendo needs to add these as exclusives. Nintendo won't compete in the fps or sports genre but they could definitely compete in the others

I don't disagree, though I'd argue that most of the indie games start out on PC, so it'd be hard to claim them as exclusives unless Nintendo really went out of their way to promote developing just for them.

Also, are they doing better with keeping up with the newer indie titles at all? I haven't really paid a lot of attention as things come out now, but I know some of the indie games they do have are years old at this point, while be relatively new on the Wii U. Trine 2 and UnEpic are two that come to mind right off hand. To be fair, both of those were out long before the Wii U was on shelves, so as long as games are making it to the system close to when they make it to PC, etc, then that's good.

 

[PrairieDillo]

I've been using the Wii U with the kids and we are having fun.

Nuff Said...

 

[YieArKade]

For me there is no justification in buying the Wii U right now. I can still have way more fun playing games from my library of older systems. I want to see another price drop.

 

[incrediblegamez]

For me there is no justification in buying the Wii U right now. I can still have way more fun playing games from my library of older systems. I want to see another price drop.

Here is another observation about the Nintendo Wii U and their approach to grabbing market share.

Owners of wii u and even critics can agree that the hardware platform for the Nintendo Wii u is that such of last gen, xbox 360 and ps3. Even at the current price tag of those systems in the store, they are making a bit of a profit. Nintendo needs to scrap the controller, add 2 pro controllers and make market the LCD controller as an add on to the system. If you want a better gaming experience, make games that utilize that controller to make people buy it or better yet, how about incorporating the 3ds to replace that unit?

Although i enjoy my Nintendo Wii U, i agree it is too costly and there is no way Nintendo can keep telling us and themselves the cost is because of that controller. The PSP's were built better then that thing.

Nintendo needs to ditch that controller, make it an add on if people want to buy it and lower system down to a very little profit margin so they can sell games. I think if they do this, they can grab some market share.

 

[HunterZero]

Nintendo needs to scrap the controller, add 2 pro controllers and make market the LCD controller as an add on to the system. If you want a better gaming experience, make games that utilize that controller to make people buy it or better yet, how about incorporating the 3ds to replace that unit?

The problem with this approach is that without the touchscreen controller, then the WiiU is just a 'last gen' spec console, without any point of difference. If the WiiU touchscreen controller isn't included, it would be a very tough sell to get someone to fork out another $100+ for it. It would change the way developers design their games for the console, if they have to account for not everyone having part of the hardware. Developers would have to make games playable both with and without the touchscreen or risk losing sales to those who don't have one, which in turn removes more incentive for people to shell out extra for the fancy gamepad.

Nintendo has already tried console to handheld connectivity with the Gamecube and GBA, and it wasn't really much of a success, even though quite a few games supported it. Most people who buy the portable console do so because it's a portable console, not because it acts as a slightly less comfortable controller for their home console.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_GameCube_Game_Boy_Advance_Cable

- J

 

[SaraAB87]

I have one, and I doubt it's possible to remove the gamepad. The whole system firmware would have to be redone as well as games that use it patched. You need the gamepad to browse the E-shop for example. A few games have parts where you have to use the gamepad. I feel it was a worthwhile purchase since I paid $220 for a skylanders bundle over the holidays. That isn't bad for a Wii upgrade and I was able to sell my Wii for about $80 to cut the costs down.

I do think the gamepad is pretty bad quality but it does work. On mine there is obvious backlight bleed at the top, I can see where the led lights are placed. None of my other screens do that. They purposely put an inadequate battery in the gamepad, and it requires a bulky laptop type charger with a proprietary connector that you can't easily find elsewhere. This means you can't just charge the gamepad from any USB adapter you have laying around. Then they have nerve to charge $32 plus tax and shipping for a high capacity battery that should have been in the console in the first place. It's a good console don't get me wrong but it's one where the little things just grind your gears in the wrong way.

 

[demogo]

Reviews have been extraordinarily positive for the Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze release. 9/10, amazing, best game ever released for the WiiU, etc.

Apparently they hit the ball out of the park on this one.

 

[Mattroid]

Then they have nerve to charge $32 plus tax and shipping for a high capacity battery that should have been in the console in the first place. It's a good console don't get me wrong but it's one where the little things just grind your gears in the wrong way.

I agree with this, though they "claim" they originally intended to include the high capacity battery with the console, but later nixed it to bring the cost down to the price point they wanted.

Regardless, I'm not upset about having to pay another $32 for it. The only thing I wish is that I could keep the original battery charged up in the event I need it as a backup. Unfortunately, these things discharge themselves far too quickly with no easy way to charge outside of the gamepad, so that ain't happening.

 

[demogo]

I agree with this, though they "claim" they originally intended to include the high capacity battery with the console, but later nixed it to bring the cost down to the price point they wanted.

Regardless, I'm not upset about having to pay another $32 for it. The only thing I wish is that I could keep the original battery charged up in the event I need it as a backup. Unfortunately, these things discharge themselves far too quickly with no easy way to charge outside of the gamepad, so that ain't happening.

I'm telling you, the AA battery slots in electronic devices are the way to go. Get a good NiMH battery charger (LaCrosse), some good NiMH low self discharge batteries (Eneloop or Imedion), and rock on with far more power than you'd get otherwise and batteries that barely self discharge. That's what I use in my Wii controllers now and it works well.

I used these in my digital camera as well and had about 3x the power I get in my new Canon with the self-discharging thinner lithium rechargeable battery it comes with.

 

[blkdog7]

Reviews have been extraordinarily positive for the Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze release. 9/10, amazing, best game ever released for the WiiU, etc.

Apparently they hit the ball out of the park on this one.

The game is amazing. Best looking wiiu game and some of the best platforming I've ever played. Better than new super Mario. Great game.

 

[SaraAB87]

I'm telling you, the AA battery slots in electronic devices are the way to go. Get a good NiMH battery charger (LaCrosse), some good NiMH low self discharge batteries (Eneloop or Imedion), and rock on with far more power than you'd get otherwise and batteries that barely self discharge. That's what I use in my Wii controllers now and it works well.

I used these in my digital camera as well and had about 3x the power I get in my new Canon with the self-discharging thinner lithium rechargeable battery it comes with.

I have this setup and a canon SX150 and I agree wholeheartedly. I also have the glitter eneloops. It can be very hard to find a camera that uses AA batteries though now but I am happy with the one I have so I don't see myself needing another for quite some time. I have Duracell rechargables which some of them are just rebranded eneloops and they work just as well as eneloops. This setup is also completely necessary for the Wii controllers.

I am not sure why you would want a lithium battery in a camera, yes it makes it slightly heavier but it's also more expensive to buy another when the first one dies. You will probably be using the camera past the expected lifespan of the battery too.

My usage pattern with cameras doesn't work well with lithium either. My camera needs to be ready when I am, and eneloops work perfect for that since they are always charged and ready even when sitting in the camera. If I had a camera with lithium that discharged every 2 weeks I would be beyond annoyed with it since every time I want to take a picture the battery would be discharged and I would have to wait 3 hours for it to charge.

As for the Wii U that is another problem. Since the battery life is so short it has to be charged more often. This means more wear on the battery, which means you will need to buy another battery sooner. Most people will be keeping their Wii U more than the expected 2-3 years of the battery in the gamepad.

Something must be up with these new lithium batteries also. I remember having a DS Lite and the battery would last forever. You could leave it for 6 months, come back to it and still play for a few hours. Now the batteries discharge in a week or 2 and you can't play without plugging things in. I am not sure but battery technology seems to be getting worse, more expensive and less consumer friendly.

 

[Mattroid]

Something must be up with these new lithium batteries also. I remember having a DS Lite and the battery would last forever. You could leave it for 6 months, come back to it and still play for a few hours. Now the batteries discharge in a week or 2 and you can't play without plugging things in. I am not sure but battery technology seems to be getting worse, more expensive and less consumer friendly.

While I agree with this in terms of the Wii U, I leave my 3DS for months at a time and it's always charged up right where I left it.

Then again, I have a launch 3DS, so maybe the newer ones suck?

 

[demogo]

I have this setup and a canon SX150 and I agree wholeheartedly. I also have the glitter eneloops. It can be very hard to find a camera that uses AA batteries though now but I am happy with the one I have so I don't see myself needing another for quite some time. I have Duracell rechargables which some of them are just rebranded eneloops and they work just as well as eneloops. This setup is also completely necessary for the Wii controllers.

I am not sure why you would want a lithium battery in a camera, yes it makes it slightly heavier but it's also more expensive to buy another when the first one dies. You will probably be using the camera past the expected lifespan of the battery too.

My usage pattern with cameras doesn't work well with lithium either. My camera needs to be ready when I am, and eneloops work perfect for that since they are always charged and ready even when sitting in the camera. If I had a camera with lithium that discharged every 2 weeks I would be beyond annoyed with it since every time I want to take a picture the battery would be discharged and I would have to wait 3 hours for it to charge.

As for the Wii U that is another problem. Since the battery life is so short it has to be charged more often. This means more wear on the battery, which means you will need to buy another battery sooner. Most people will be keeping their Wii U more than the expected 2-3 years of the battery in the gamepad.

Something must be up with these new lithium batteries also. I remember having a DS Lite and the battery would last forever. You could leave it for 6 months, come back to it and still play for a few hours. Now the batteries discharge in a week or 2 and you can't play without plugging things in. I am not sure but battery technology seems to be getting worse, more expensive and less consumer friendly.

Lithium batteries are more "energy dense" so in theory batteries of equivalent sizes would favor the lithium battery because it'd keep the camera running longer.

I have a Canon SX-230 camera with the typical wimpy Lithium rechargeable "wedge" battery that is thinner than 2 AA's -- but it only has 1000 mah. Two of the AA Imedion batteries have 4800 mah and they barely self discharge and can be swapped immediately for another pair. Total cost -- maybe $10 for the 4 batteries.

Many of these proprietary Lithium batteries self-discharge quickly and are weak and wimpy.

My daughter hasn't complained about the battery in the WiiU yet - so I'm okay for the moment but not looking forward to shelling out $35-$40 for a better battery for it. That would have been a perfect controller to take 4 AA batteries. 10,000 mah from 4 LSD NiMh batteries would be perfect for it.

 

[SaraAB87]

If they just made it so I could use a standard charger it would not be an issue at all but they only give you one adapter that goes to the cradle. If you want to charge it while playing you have to take the adapter out of the cradle, unplug it and move it to the spot where you are playing. If it charged via USB then I could just plug in a cord when it gets low and keep playing.

It's ironic because the pro controller uses a regular USB cable to charge, why not the Wii U pad? Doesn't make much sense.

 

[Lukenatme]

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/vgm/4406219078.html

I fully expected not to get a Wii U, but I had been watching this for over a month. This is the original ad that had me considering it. Not bad for some pricey games and the $40 Wii U pro controller, right? It was a 45 minute drive out to the countryside so I let it go, to see if he would come down in price. It went down to $250. Great deal, but the drive still kinda doesn't add up. Last weekend, he edited it in the ad (a newer one that has been deleted) to say the price was now $200. No-brainer--I was on my way within 2 hours. I traded in Mario Party 8, did the Lego Batman hack [http://wiiubrew.org/wiki/Bathaxx] to mod the Wii section of it and now I'm good to go for Mario Kart 8 in a month.

I'm always buying & selling game systems and last year I played through Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS--the Wii U version feels very similar, but I enjoyed it on the 3DS so I'll probably keep it around. At the moment, I prefer Super Mario U over DK Tropical Freeze, but they're both fun to play and well worth what I paid for this bundle. I'm considering the high-capacity battery, but I wish that I could stream stuff on my PC to the gamepad screen. Supposedly, a few gamers have figured out how to do this, based on youtube videos.