Wii U Launches On November 18th Priced At $299 and $349

[Leo_A]

We have a bunch of the wii u nunchuck and controllers in hiding already at my store. Kinda like how they're smaller than the standard wii controllers.

Nunchucks and Wiimotes are identical to the existing accessories. So they're certainly not any smaller than what we've been using for the past 6 years.

And to even further illustrate just how unchanged they're going to be, they aren't even branded as Wii U accessories except on the packaging itself.

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2012/09/wii-u-PackShot_WRP_Blue.jpg

http://www.xpressgames.co.uk/images/pictures/products/wii-u/wii-nunchuk-in-new-wii-u-packaging-black-(page-picture-large).jpg

[WCP]

It's a pretty big list and they've come along way from the N64's baffling two game launch. But for me personally ZombiU is the only launch game I have any real interest in.

Yeah, the N64 may have only launched with two games, but one of them will go down in history as one of the best launch games in existence. Super Mario 64 was not only a launch game, but other developers basically looked to that game as the formula for how to make a 3D platform game. It's influence was seen on 3D platformers for the next 10 years. I'm just not seeing anything even remotely similar to that in this lineup.

Like you, the only game I'm interesed in is Zombi U, and while I do have some interest in it, it's not like I'm dying to play the game or anything. It's just one of maybe 10 or 15 games I'd like to play this holiday. Certainly nothing to be buying a console over.. I don't think I'm going to feel like I'm missing out on anything until Pikmin 3 comes out. The Lego game might be cool, and Rayman on Wii looks pretty good.

I honestly think this is the worst launch since PS2. PS2 only had SSX, Smuggler's Run and Madden. This is just as lackluster imo.

[Bojay1997]

Yeah, the N64 may have only launched with two games, but one of them will go down in history as one of the best launch games in existence. Super Mario 64 was not only a launch game, but other developers basically looked to that game as the formula for how to make a 3D platform game. It's influence was seen on 3D platformers for the next 10 years. I'm just not seeing anything even remotely similar to that in this lineup.

Like you, the only game I'm interesed in is Zombi U, and while I do have some interest in it, it's not like I'm dying to play the game or anything. It's just one of maybe 10 or 15 games I'd like to play this holiday. Certainly nothing to be buying a console over.. I don't think I'm going to feel like I'm missing out on anything until Pikmin 3 comes out. The Lego game might be cool, and Rayman on Wii looks pretty good.

I honestly think this is the worst launch since PS2. PS2 only had SSX, Smuggler's Run and Madden. This is just as lackluster imo.

Actually, I think the PS2 had a great launch line-up. Timesplitters, Tekken Tag, Kessen, DOA2 Hardcore (yes, I know the DC version was better), Armored Core 2. It is the only real console launch I am aware of that had a good share of niche titles on day one. I do agree with you that the WiiU launch titles are pretty uninspiring, especially with several of the titles like Pikmin 3, Lego City and Rayman being pushed off to later in the launch window or even into 2013.

[WCP]

especially with several of the titles like Pikmin 3, Lego City and Rayman being pushed off to later in the launch window or even into 2013.

I think all 3 of those games are March 2013 at the earliest. Pretty far from launch if you ask me...

[Lady Jaye]

I tried the Wii U today at a media even here in Montreal. I tried out three games: Epic Mickey 2 (really like it but will get it for 360), Nintendoland (played a 5-player game of Luigi's Mansion where I controlled the ghost on the gamepad, while the others tried to catch me with their flashlight before I caught them -- great game for 4-5 players, not so much for 2-3), and NSMB U, rush mode (similar to the coin rush mode). No confirmation yet whether Dragon Quest X will come out here for the Wii U and whether it'd be distributed by Nintendo or Square Enix or if playing it would be fee-based or not. But the rep did confirm that there will be some connectivity planned but yet unannounced between the Wii U and the 3DS.

[Bojay1997]

I think all 3 of those games are March 2013 at the earliest. Pretty far from launch if you ask me...

I think Rayman is now projected for a December release. You're right about Pikmin 3 as that could be as late as mid 2013 and Lego is probably early to mid 2013 as well.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Held the controller in GameStop yesterday. It only had video demos running on it, but I actually like the size/shape/feel of the thing.

I'll probably outfit it with one of the ineivtable silicone sleeves that they make for controllers to give it a bit more texture, but it's not bad at all ergonomically considering it's basically a tablet.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

Held the controller in GameStop yesterday. It only had video demos running on it, but I actually like the size/shape/feel of the thing.

I'll probably outfit it with one of the ineivtable silicone sleeves that they make for controllers to give it a bit more texture, but it's not bad at all ergonomically considering it's basically a tablet.

was it heavy? could you see yourself holding it comfortably for about 2 hours while playing?


also how do you think it would work with shooters? the thumbpads dont seem like they would be as tactile and responsive as regular sticks when playing something like cod or battlefield

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

was it heavy? could you see yourself holding it comfortably for about 2 hours while playing?


also how do you think it would work with shooters? the thumbpads dont seem like they would be as tactile and responsive as regular sticks when playing something like cod or battlefield

It's light. Feels sturdy, but not at all heavy.

About the same weight as a 360 controller with the battery in I'd say. There might be some potential fatigue based on the larger diameter that you have to hold your hands apart in comparison to normal controllers, but I've played Atari LYNX and iPad games for extended periods and that's about as long without much in the way of strain.

The analogs feel okay to me. Should be okay for FPS'es, probably no better/worse than a 360 controller or Dual Shock, but possibly better than the original Wii Classic Controller (haven't tried the Pro version).

[The 1 2 P]

I now have three of these damn things preordered and I still haven't even had a chance to try it out yet. I aleady got to hold the controller in my hand at Best Buy as the Nintendo rep was installing it one morning. I need to go back and play around with it.

[YoshiM]

Best Buy might have displays of them? Hmm... I hope the BB in my city, as crappy as it is, gets it. I'd like to see the controller for myself. At first I laughed at the idea of transferring a game to your controller to play off TV but with my wife wanting to watch the tube, my daughter also wanting control and now a friend's teenager is living with us who watches stuff when wife and child go to bed, this is now sounding like a desirable feature.

As long as the controller is comfy-that's my biggest thing. I don't play the Wii too much because some games are just uncomfortable to play after a while.

[treismac]

I have now held the Wii U controller in my hand. While it was regrettably tethered to the Best Buy display with a thick retracting cord, I could still get a pretty good feel for it. Once the cord's resistance was negated, the controller felt light yet substantial in my hands like Frankie said in the post above. As wide as it is, I suppose the controller feels as comfortable as can be reasonably expected. Without a doubt, having a non-tethered controller in my hands would have made the experience better. The only game that had an actual demo on the display unit rather than a video was a Rayman game. The game played well and used the touchscreen charmingly enough that it almost made me believe for a second that the future library of the Wii U won't necessarily be cluttered entirely with gimmicky shovelware. Here's hoping.

[The 1 2 P]

I also finally got to play the Wii U at Best Buy today, which means I played Rayman. It played ok but I honestly didn't look down at the screen until the end of the level so if there was anything important on there during my play thru I hadn't noticed. The controller is light but still feels awkward in your hands, almost as much as an N64 controller. But I will probably just get used to it. However, I wonder how it will feel after a long sitting playing a game for 1-3 hours. Thats what concerns me right now.

[WCP]

I now have three of these damn things preordered and I still haven't even had a chance to try it out yet. I aleady got to hold the controller in my hand at Best Buy as the Nintendo rep was installing it one morning. I need to go back and play around with it.
Are you hoping to flip a couple of them ?

I think there are TONS of people hoping to flip Wii U's on Craigslst and Ebay to big fame and fortune, but I wonder if it's really going to work like that. I can forsee the whole PS3 launch happening again. In other words, better have that thing up on ebay with a 24 hour auction,and the auction ending about 10am Eastern time on that Sunday of launch. Otherwise, you'll have to settle for about 50 bucks profit, or less when considering tax.

[The 1 2 P]

I preordered at Gamestop once the Deluxe sold out within 24 hours, thinking that would be the only place I could preorder since it usually is. I had no idea Best Buy and later Walmart would open up preorders for Deluxe systems. So thats how I ended up with three. I'm canceling my Gamestop preorder but I will be flipping my other two. And with the money I make off of those I will buy my own Wii U.....eventually.

[LimitedEditionMuseum]

I preordered at Gamestop once the Deluxe sold out within 24 hours, thinking that would be the only place I could preorder since it usually is. I had no idea Best Buy and later Walmart would open up preorders for Deluxe systems. So thats how I ended up with three. I'm canceling my Gamestop preorder but I will be flipping my other two. And with the money I make off of those I will buy my own Wii U.....eventually.

Why not cancel 2 and keep one since you plan on buying one anyways?if you have enough money to pay for 2, then why resort to flipping?

[Bojay1997]

Are you hoping to flip a couple of them ?

I think there are TONS of people hoping to flip Wii U's on Craigslst and Ebay to big fame and fortune, but I wonder if it's really going to work like that. I can forsee the whole PS3 launch happening again. In other words, better have that thing up on ebay with a 24 hour auction,and the auction ending about 10am Eastern time on that Sunday of launch. Otherwise, you'll have to settle for about 50 bucks profit, or less when considering tax.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Walmart in many locations is still taking preorders and I know Best Buy, Toys R Us, Target and Gamestop were pretty conservative in how many preorders they took. At the same time, looking purely at Nintendo's estimates, they are only going to sell as many WiiUs by March 2013 as they did Wiis in the first five months, roughly 5.5 million worldwide. I am curious to see if demand will be as heavy as it was for the Wii at launch as the supply will be about the same. The hype is clearly less than it was for the Wii and the price is higher as well. In any event, I have two preorders, but I am only going to pick up one. I know a lot of people did the same thing and many of them aren't flippers, so it's quite possible there will be a good supply on launch day or shortly thereafter.

[The 1 2 P]

Why not cancel 2 and keep one since you plan on buying one anyways?if you have enough money to pay for 2, then why resort to flipping?

Zombi U is the only game I want for the Wii U currently, so I'm not in a rush to get a system for myself just yet. As for why I'm flipping it, this is no different than everything else I've been flipping for the past several years. It's just another way to add more income to the money I make from my real job.

[Overbite]

I played one at Best Buy today and there was no one even giving it a second glance and the ones who did notice it said it was a new controller for the Wii. Nintendo really needs to start advertising this thing if they want to sell it to the general public.

[Bojay1997]

I played one at Best Buy today and there was no one even giving it a second glance and the ones who did notice it said it was a new controller for the Wii. Nintendo really needs to start advertising this thing if they want to sell it to the general public.

They just started TV ads on November 1st, so those will likely ramp up. Having said that, pre-orders are pretty much sold out everywhere, so I'm not sure how much they want to hype this since the supply is about the same as the Wii was.

[BetaWolf47]

Zombi U is the only game I want for the Wii U currently, so I'm not in a rush to get a system for myself just yet. As for why I'm flipping it, this is no different than everything else I've been flipping for the past several years. It's just another way to add more income to the money I make from my real job.
There's nothing I really want either. Don't get me wrong, it looks like one of Nintendo's best console launches in a long time. There's maybe three games on launch that I'm mildly interested in, but I can't see myself rushing in to buy a console for them.

[kupomogli]

The Wii U does not include ethernet. Anyone who wants to play with a wired connection is forced to buy an optional accessory that enables the option. Now we know why the system is as cheap as it is. You're given a bare bones product and are forced to buy every single upgrade separately. If there was anything previously making this not be an only exclusive system, they've definitely won that spot now.

[Bojay1997]

The Wii U does not include ethernet. Anyone who wants to play with a wired connection is forced to buy an optional accessory that enables the option. Now we know why the system is as cheap as it is. You're given a bare bones product and are forced to buy every single upgrade separately. If there was anything previously making this not be an only exclusive system, they've definitely won that spot now.

I would hardly call a lack of an Ethernet port "bare bones". The only system where I ever use the Ethernet port currently is my launch PS3 and that's because the wireless is simply too slow. The iPad doesn't have a built-in Ethernet port and neither does the Vita, so why should a console come with one when most people that have high speed Internet would likely have wi-fi at home anyway?

[Leo_A]

How do two small portable devices lacking an ethernet port somehow prove that it's unnecessary to include one on a stationary game console?

[kupomogli]

I would hardly call a lack of an Ethernet port "bare bones". The only system where I ever use the Ethernet port currently is my launch PS3 and that's because the wireless is simply too slow. The iPad doesn't have a built-in Ethernet port and neither does the Vita, so why should a console come with one when most people that have high speed Internet would likely have wi-fi at home anyway?

With the 360 and PS3, especially the PS3 with how crappy the wireless is, a wireless connection is hardly going to cut it on most games. Most developers online is less than satisfactory, even when wired, so why would I want to have an almost guaranteed worse experience when running wireless?

I'm not an FPS fan, but you know how it is with Modern Warfare 3. You'll sometimes be blasting someone only to have the replay show your character not shooting at all. Just think of how much worse that would be on wireless, especially when there's those other people that paid the extra money to have it wired. Automatic disadvantage.

I've been playing Resident Evil 5 online since one of my friends got it free with Playstation Plus this week. Plays like we're in the same room. The data transfer on this game is constant though, as I've played with another friend, and he might shoot a zombie in the head only for it to take half a second later to get hit backwards or critical. Playing wireless would be worse in both of those situations.

[Bojay1997]

With the 360 and PS3, especially the PS3 with how crappy the wireless is, a wireless connection is hardly going to cut it on most games. Most developers online is less than satisfactory, even when wired, so why would I want to have an almost guaranteed worse experience when running wireless?

I'm not an FPS fan, but you know how it is with Modern Warfare 3. You'll sometimes be blasting someone only to have the replay show your character not shooting at all. Just think of how much worse that would be on wireless, especially when there's those other people that paid the extra money to have it wired. Automatic disadvantage.

I've been playing Resident Evil 5 online since one of my friends got it free with Playstation Plus this week. Plays like we're in the same room. The data transfer on this game is constant though, as I've played with another friend, and he might shoot a zombie in the head only for it to take half a second later to get hit backwards or critical. Playing wireless would be worse in both of those situations.

I guess I must just have really good wi-fi from my $60 router as I play plenty of FPS games over XBL and I rarely have an issue. I'll admit I rarely play FPS games on my PS3, but the connection speed of my newer slim seems on par with my 360, so I doubt it would be much of an issue.

[Bojay1997]

How do two small portable devices lacking an ethernet port somehow prove that it's unnecessary to include one on a stationary game console?

It's simply evidence that plenty of people already have wi-fi and that not having an on-board Ethernet port is not going to be much of a burden.

[kedawa]

Wifi is laggy, inefficient, and insecure.
You're just wasting electricity blasting radio waves in all directions, making your network vulnerable to attacks and interference, and adding to your ping.
I currently use wifi since it's the only option for connecting to my landlord's network, and it just murders the online experience for fighting games.

I'm not surprised it's not built in, though, and I'm sure usb ethernet adapters will be an option.
I'm more disappointed by the half-assed backward compatibility. You can't even use the Pro/tablet controllers as a classic controller for Wii games. It's GC BC all over again.

[kupomogli]

I'm more disappointed by the half-assed backward compatibility. You can't even use the Pro/tablet controllers as a classic controller for Wii games. It's GC BC all over again.

With the Wii, it's understandable since there are many more buttons on a Gamecube controller, even if it shows Nintendo was too lazy to allow people to customize Wiimote controls if not very many buttons were required.

Maybe there will be a patch to allow the tablet to work with Wii games though. I don't want to be forced to buy another controller just to play my Wii games. I don't own a Wii, so only games, no controller.

[Leo_A]

It's simply evidence that plenty of people already have wi-fi and that not having an on-board Ethernet port is not going to be much of a burden.

It's evidence that Nintendo is cheap. WiFi wasn't nearly as common back in 2006 yet it was absent then, too.

Anyways, he wasn't complaining that it was a burden, he was complaining that a standard option for non mobile hardware has been omitted on two generations of Nintendo consoles now and that you have to buy an accessory to accomplish it. Paying extra for something that should be standard always sucks and I think it's a valid complaint even if it doesn't personally bother me (I don't even use my adapter on my Wii anymore, no ethernet wires is too convenient to ignore for me these days). That's why people complain about this, that's why people complained that the early 360's lacked built in WiFi, etc.

If Nintendo wanted to save production cost on a feature many of their customers wouldn't use in today's WiFi world, they should've omitted it but included a voucher for the WiFi adapter for those that do desire a wired broadband connection.


With the Wii, it's understandable since there are many more buttons on a Gamecube controller, even if it shows Nintendo was too lazy to allow people to customize Wiimote controls if not very many buttons were required.

Maybe there will be a patch to allow the tablet to work with Wii games though. I don't want to be forced to buy another controller just to play my Wii games. I don't own a Wii, so only games, no controller.

They had the Classic Controller which had everything necessary for GameCube games (Four face buttons, a d-pad, dual analog sticks, two shoulder buttons, and Z buttons). So it was stupid then just like how it's stupid now to not allow the Wii U tablet gamepad and the Pro Controller to function as Classic Controller substitutes in Wii software.

You're going to have to buy Wii controllers to play Wii games. There's no way around not buying a Wiimote and Nunchuck if you want to enjoy the Wii library on your Wii U (Which I imagine will be necessary controllers in the occasional Wii U release as well, such as with future Zelda games). And you may as well toss in a Classic Controller Pro for the occasional Wii game with gamepad support when you purchase both of those other accessories so you'd be all set for Wii gaming.

[Bojay1997]

Wifi is laggy, inefficient, and insecure.
You're just wasting electricity blasting radio waves in all directions, making your network vulnerable to attacks and interference, and adding to your ping.
I currently use wifi since it's the only option for connecting to my landlord's network, and it just murders the online experience for fighting games.

I'm not surprised it's not built in, though, and I'm sure usb ethernet adapters will be an option.
I'm more disappointed by the half-assed backward compatibility. You can't even use the Pro/tablet controllers as a classic controller for Wii games. It's GC BC all over again.

You're complaining about security when you're using someone else's wi-fi? Give me a break. I only turn on my router when I'm using it, it's super secure and it's fast. Even if you leave a router and modem on 24/7 the annual energy cost would be about $20 in most urban US areas. I don't know what it costs in Canada, but I'm guessing it's not much more expensive. As for compatibility, it would be nice, but I can understand why they wouldn't want to spend the time and money adapting the tablet controller for older games, especially when virtually everyone who buys a WiiU probably already has a Wii. Heck, it's not even designed to be the primary controller on many WiiU games.

[Leo_A]

You're complaining about security when you're using someone else's wi-fi? Give me a break.

You make it sound like he's illegally leaching off someone else's WiFi. To me, his post reads like he's utilizing what his landlord has provided his tenants with for their use.


As for compatibility, it would be nice, but I can understand why they wouldn't want to spend the time and money adapting the tablet controller for older games, especially when virtually everyone who buys a WiiU probably already has a Wii. Heck, it's not even designed to be the primary controller on many WiiU games.

It doesn't strike me as exactly rocket science or needing of millions in research & development expenditure to get a controller that is already connected to your console with all the necessary inputs available on it to function in software that's already playable on the console.

[kedawa]

Nintendo has always been fucking horrible at utilizing their own hardware.
My Gamecube has a Gameboy Player attached, and yet if I want to transfer save data between a GBA game and a GC game, I can't do it without a GBA and a special cable.
They're just greedy and /or lazy and can't be bothered to make things work in the way that they obviously should. They'd rather sell you a kludge of cables and redundant accessories.

[Bojay1997]

You make it sound like he's illegally leaching off someone else's WiFi. To me, his post reads like he's utilizing what his landlord has provided his tenants with for their use.



It doesn't strike me as exactly rocket science or needing of millions in research & development expenditure to get a controller that is already connected to your console with all the necessary inputs available on it to function in software that's already playable on the console.

No, I didn't imply or state that at all. All I'm saying is that if you're concerned about security, you shouldn't share a Wi Fi connection with other people that have access to the same password or worse, an unprotected router. That's a recipe for getting your private information hacked.

I think their goal is to move as many Wii Us and Wii U games as possible. I doubt their target market is people who never owned a Wii that will buy a Wii U unit but Wii software. People that owned a Wii and want to use their older software on the Wii U aren't going to care that they have to use their old controllers with the games rather than the tablet. Like I said, it would have been a nice touch, but it's hardly going to increase sales or drive more Wii game sales at this point.

[kedawa]

For the record, I use wifi because I get unlimited internet for $10/month from my landlord, and nobody is going to steal my personal info because I'm not a chump and I know how to secure my shit. Most people don't.

If I didn't have my current arrangement for internet access, I wouldn't even own a wifi adapter.

[Cloud121]

Well, just a few days to go. What all are you getting?

I was originally just going to get Mario U and ZombiU, but I just said screw it and decided to go all out. It's gonna feel good knowing I'm getting everything I need for launch, with no regrets later (I didn't buy a couple games at Wii launch and thus felt a little unfulfilled afterwards). Had to sell my PS3 Slim (I will die before I part with my beloved 20GB) and 360, just about maxed out a credit card, and even had to use a little bit of my student loans, on top of the out of pocket cash I'm putting towards it. Console launches only happen every few years, so this is a big deal to me. I can re-buy my PS3 in the spring.

Wii U Deluxe
Wii U Pro Controller
Super Mario Bros. U
ZombiU
Assassin's Creed III
Call of Duty Black Ops II
Ninja Gaiden III: Razor's Edge
Madden NFL 13
Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed

Though I must say the glossiness of the Pro controller is very disappointing to me. Also the fact that the GamePad only has a 3 - 5 hour battery, and has a resistive touch screen, as opposed to capacitive. I guess I've just been spoiled by my smart phones the last few years.

[Bojay1997]

Well, just a few days to go. What all are you getting?

I was originally just going to get Mario U and ZombiU, but I just said screw it and decided to go all out. It's gonna feel good knowing I'm getting everything I need for launch, with no regrets later (I didn't buy a couple games at Wii launch and thus felt a little unfulfilled afterwards). Had to sell my PS3 Slim (I will die before I part with my beloved 20GB) and 360, just about maxed out a credit card, and even had to use a little bit of my student loans, on top of the out of pocket cash I'm putting towards it. Console launches only happen every few years, so this is a big deal to me. I can re-buy my PS3 in the spring.

Wii U Deluxe
Wii U Pro Controller
Super Mario Bros. U
ZombiU
Assassin's Creed III
Call of Duty Black Ops II
Ninja Gaiden III: Razor's Edge
Madden NFL 13
Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed

Though I must say the glossiness of the Pro controller is very disappointing to me. Also the fact that the GamePad only has a 3 - 5 hour battery, and has a resistive touch screen, as opposed to capacitive. I guess I've just been spoiled by my smart phones the last few years.

I'm sorry, but you may need some counseling. If you have disposable income, great. Maxing out your credit card, selling other items and going into more student loan and personal debt to buy a system and games that are worth a fraction of what you paid five minutes after you leave the store is just plain stupid.

[rob black]

i'm sorry, but you may need some counseling. If you have disposable income, great. Maxing out your credit card, selling other items and going into more student loan and personal debt to buy a system and games that are worth a fraction of what you paid five minutes after you leave the store is just plain stupid.

agree 100%

[InsaneDavid]

I'm sorry, but you may need some counseling. If you have disposable income, great. Maxing out your credit card, selling other items and going into more student loan and personal debt to buy a system and games that are worth a fraction of what you paid five minutes after you leave the store is just plain stupid.

Agreed as well.

[Cloud121]

Yeah, I know where you guys are coming from. I've thought long and hard about this. Came very close on numerous occasions to canceling the reserve. The stuff I'm selling I can easily get back later. I paid for all my bills with my student loans through the end of the year in advance back in September, so I had a tiny bit left over and decided to use it. As for the credit card thing, after two car accidents over the summer, it was close to being maxed anyway. Still got a few hundred left on it though. At least 2/3 of the total was paid in income from work.

This may sound very stupid, but one reason why I'm doing this is to feel better about myself. I've had a very long, frustrating, depressing, and lonely year. Been one major learning experience day after day. This may bite me in the ass in the long term, but for now this is just the perk up I need.

[Johnny Nintendo]

I'm with you Cloud. I've never bought a console on launch day. Now I'm going to splurge a little. Getting the deluxe model with Nintendoland, Black Ops II, New Super Mario Bros U, WiiU Pro Controller, and probably ZombiU. I got my preorder at Walmart and they're doing a midnight release, but I have Black Ops II preordered at Gamestop. Does anyone know if Gamestop is doing a midnight release also? I hope so, because I plan on going to Walmart to pick up my WiiU, then going to Gamestop to get some games, but I'm not sure if they'll be open to sell the games at midnight. Anyone have any info?

[InsaneDavid]

This may sound very stupid, but one reason why I'm doing this is to feel better about myself. I've had a very long, frustrating, depressing, and lonely year. Been one major learning experience day after day. This may bite me in the ass in the long term, but for now this is just the perk up I need.

I can understand that as well.

[WCP]

Is the Wii U a guaranteed sellout on day 1 ? Reason I ask, is that I was at a Best Buy the other day and nobody seemed to care at all about the Wii U demo station. It just seemed strange that nobody would be interested in it. I'm wondering if there is a lack of buzz around this thing, and the only people really up on it are the Ebayers/Craigslist cronies, and the hardcore Nintendo failthful. Are there enough of those people to assure a sellout at every Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, etc, etc?

[Bojay1997]

Is the Wii U a guaranteed sellout on day 1 ? Reason I ask, is that I was at a Best Buy the other day and nobody seemed to care at all about the Wii U demo station. It just seemed strange that nobody would be interested in it. I'm wondering if there is a lack of buzz around this thing, and the only people really up on it are the Ebayers/Craigslist cronies, and the hardcore Nintendo failthful. Are there enough of those people to assure a sellout at every Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, etc, etc?

Just spending time on Cheapassgamer, reports are pretty consistent that when people ask their local BB, Walmart, Target, Gamestop and TRU, all of the stores report very heavy preorders. While it could be that a lot of these are from flippers and speculators, there seems to be pretty strong interest from the general public as well. I know several parents at work who have the WiiU preordered and several others who plan to get one on Sunday if they can find it. While it's purely anecdotal, there is pretty clearly interest in it beyond hardcore gamers and speculators.

[kupomogli]

This is a joke article about the Wii U's round edges on the discs. Not laugh out loud funny, but kind of humorous since this is usually a Nintendo fanboys reaction when Nintendo does anything different.


SHEEP: Are Wii U Rounded Discs The Greatest Gaming Innovation Ever?

Move over, motion controls! Move over, touch screen gaming! Move over, force feedback! Move over, analogue sticks! Move over, D-Pads! And move over, electrical currents!

There’s a new big thing in town: Wii U Rounded Discs.

That’s right, Nintendo has innovated yet again and invented a new thing that will revolutionize gaming yet again! Wii U games are coming out on a brand new amazing technology called ‘optical discs’. It sounds like the same stuff that games have been put in for decades, but it’s not.

Wii U’s game discs have rounded edges.

http://systemwarsmonthly.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/comic-23.png?w=470&h=264

For years, normal discs have been a bane of existence, their sharp un-round edges cutting people’s hands and leaving them without fingers. It’s true, look it up on Google.

Now, if you did look it up on Google and it said “that’s not true”, that’s because Google is part of the anti-Nintendo media and only wants to hide any news that shows Nintendo’s true spot as the leader of the game industry.

That means Nintendo can once again hold the crown of “best storage format” on the game industry. They lost their way with the Wii, but they have always been king of this field ever since the N64 days when the extremely durable and super-fast cartridges were used by Nintendo while the dunces over at Sony and Sega used the extremely slow and fragile CD technology.

Of course, the brainwashed masses that bought the PS1 over the N64 would say that “CD’s could hold hundreds of times more data than a cartridge”, or that “CD’s were much cheaper for the consumer, publisher, and developer”, or even that “Nintendo lost their lead spot because of their stupidity to not use CD’s”.

But Nintendo isn’t in the business of doing things that are “cheap” or “smart”…they are in the business of doing things that are round.

http://systemwarsmonthly.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/comic-31.png?w=470&h=264

Even the Wii U itself has rounded edges! And so does the Wii Classic Controller, and the Gamecube controller, and the Game Boy Advance, and the N64 system and controller, and the Super Famicon system and controller, and….Nintendo’s own logo!!!!

Now I bet Sony will also start doing things with round edg…

http://systemwarsmonthly.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/playstation-vita1.jpg?w=470&h=264

…THEY’VE ALREADY STARTED DOING IT!!!! DARN YOU SONY, STOP COPYING!!!!!

http://systemwarsmonthly.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/sheep.png?w=470&h=264

http://systemwarsmagazine.com/2012/11/13/sheep-wii-u-rounded-discs-are-the-greatest-gaming-innovation-ever/

*edit*

If anyone is curious about that last picture, it's mimicking the picture of Jessica Chobot licking a PSP.

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/images/4/2012/01/9d1210ff078710a308e86422ed6b4fb2.jpg

[Bojay1997]

This is a joke article about the Wii U's round edges on the discs. Not laugh out loud funny, but kind of humorous since this is usually a Nintendo fanboys reaction when Nintendo does anything different.


In all honesty, did you think that was clever or funny in any way? I personally don't always agree with what Nintendo does as a gamer (see Virtual Boy, Wii motion control and this latest WiiU tablet), but I don't think anyone could question that they are always pushing the bounds of user interfaces for gaming products and are a lot more innovative in that respect than Sony or Microsoft. Of course, there is some question as to whether any of that innovation actually makes for better games or better gaming. In any event, that "joke" article is probably the lamest attempt at humor I have seen in a very long while.

[rkotm]

In all honesty, did you think that was clever or funny in any way? I personally don't always agree with what Nintendo does as a gamer (see Virtual Boy, Wii motion control and this latest WiiU tablet), but I don't think anyone could question that they are always pushing the bounds of user interfaces for gaming products and are a lot more innovative in that respect than Sony or Microsoft. Of course, there is some question as to whether any of that innovation actually makes for better games or better gaming. In any event, that "joke" article is probably the lamest attempt at humor I have seen in a very long while.

Yeah, especially when Nintendo isn't the first company to do this. even some ps3 and others do this with their discs from time to time.

[kedawa]

I'm a big hardware nut, and it's been far too long since a new console came out, and yet I haven't been this apathetic about a new console since the original Wii.
Nintendo joining the current generation 7 years late just doesn't do it for me.

[The 1 2 P]

I played one at Best Buy today and there was no one even giving it a second glance and the ones who did notice it said it was a new controller for the Wii.


Is the Wii U a guaranteed sellout on day 1 ? Reason I ask, is that I was at a Best Buy the other day and nobody seemed to care at all about the Wii U demo station. It just seemed strange that nobody would be interested in it.

On the one hand I think that it's because of Nintendo's lack of communicating the message to the general public that this is indeed a brand new console and many think this is just a new peripheral for the Wii. On the other hand, it could just be that the demo stations at Best Buy and Gamestop only have a single demo to play(and not a very good one at that) out of all the preview games on the tablet. Toys R Us is even worse since their demo station doesn't have any demos you can actually play. If they had atleast 4-5 different demos to try out and they were more interesting than Rayman's Legends more people would probably actually take more than a passing glance at the demo kiosk. But as it is now, the 360 and PS3 demo kiosk usually have people playing each while the Wii U one sits empty. But despite all of that I'm still pretty sure that this system will be one of the hottest sellers this holiday season, especially on black Friday.

[WCP]

I think this launch is going to be absolutely facsinating to watch, because I honestly don't know how everything is going to play out. A couple of months ago, I thought for sure that the Wii U would be sold out everywhere, and people would be flipping them on Ebay and Craigslist, and there would be huge shortages, and it would turn into one of those scavenger hunt things, where when people are lucky enough to find one somewhere, they grab it, just because it's that one item that is hard to get for Xmas.

Two months later, I'm not so sure that's how it's going to go down. In fact, I wouldn't be totally shocked if it was possible to get a Wii U on launch day at some misc Kmart or Sears or Target. I'm sure that 99 percent of GameStops will sell out of their allotment but I could see some of the other stores having some extras left over after that initial morning rush. I think it's going to still be hard to find a Wii U that Sunday, but if somebody is really dedicated, I think there is a chance they might actually get one if they check enough stores on launch day. It's certainly not going to be easy, as 9 out of 10 retailers will probably be sold out, but I still think it's going to be pretty interesting.

The other interesting thing is the whole Ebay / Craigslist thing. Will there truly be a market for the flippers to profit from ? Considering the fact that the Wii U is a bit pricer than most were expecting, plus you have to pay the sales tax, so you just have to wonder how much profit somebody flipping a Wii U is going to make. A deluxe Wii U is $349.99 plus about 8 percent sales tax (most places). That works out to $377.99. I'd guess that there are going to be some flippers that will be able to sell their deluxe Wii U's for $400, but that would only be a measly profit of 22 bucks. Hardly worth the effort involved. If somebody is able to sell deluxe Wii U's for $450, then they make $72 on the transaction, and I can see that being kinda worth it for some people but not exactly a financial windfall, lol.

[kupomogli]

In all honesty, did you think that was clever or funny in any way?

It depends on your meaning of funny, which is my opinion is laugh out loud, rather than the dry humor that you might enjoy but won't make you laugh. So clever, yes. Does it help to know that it was a Nintendo fanboy who wrote the article. Maybe you might enjoy it a bit more then.

It's slightly humorous in the fact that most hardcore Nintendo fanboys out there praise Nintendo for literally any innovation that makes an appearance, no matter how stupid that innovation is. The article is mostly dry humor, yes, but it's exactly what you'd expect from a hardcore Nintendo fanboy.

[Bojay1997]

It depends on your meaning of funny, which is my opinion is laugh out loud, rather than the dry humor that you might enjoy but won't make you laugh. So clever, yes. Does it help to know that it was a Nintendo fanboy who wrote the article. Maybe you might enjoy it a bit more then.

It's slightly humorous in the fact that most hardcore Nintendo fanboys out there praise Nintendo for literally any innovation that makes an appearance, no matter how stupid that innovation is. The article is mostly dry humor, yes, but it's exactly what you'd expect from a hardcore Nintendo fanboy.

I think we have a very different idea of what constitutes "dry humor". I just don't think the article was very intelligently written and frankly, I think the premise was a failure. I've met quite a few Nintendo fanboys here and elsewhere and I can't recall any of them extolling the virtues of every little innovation Nintendo makes. In fact, they seemed to be some of the first to criticize things like motion control and the new tablet on the WiiU despite the fact that those were actually innovations in console gaming.

[Sinteres]

First Nintendo console launching with a Mario game since I was in high school in the mid 1990s? Yes, please. Mildly annoyed Gamestop didn't do midnight launches because of not having the extra few hours to give to a couple employees because of black friday this week but whatever.

[kupomogli]

For those that need a remote control with your Wii games. You also get a free game out of it. Goldeneye 007 with Golden Classic Controller Pro for $30 at Big Lots.

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=311896

[The 1 2 P]

It was nice waking up at 1:30 pm and taking my time to get to the store and pick up my preorder Wii U deluxe system at Best Buy with no hassle and no lines. This is why consoles are the only thing I ever recommend preordering. Game are only good to preorder for the extra bonuses but they are still available regardless if you preorder them or not 99.9% of the time. But new release consoles are definitlely worth preordering.

[Cloud121]

I'll be honest, all this update crap is really annoying. I can understand a game needing a day one patch, but the actual console? The fact that Nintendo had announced it being backwards compatible at E3 2011, and not even that is available out of the box is just ridiculous. I only have 1.5 Mb internet, so it took over two hours to get the update downloaded and installed this morning.

After that was done, I went to my usual bar to watch the Cardinals game. After coming home I finish configuring the console with syncing my Wiimote to it, and touching up my Mii. Time for Nintendo Land!


Downloading update data....


WHAT?!?!?!! It's gonna take 30 minutes as well?


Also, I love the fact that I can go for a short walk, come home, and make a sandwich in the time it takes to switch between system menus.


I know it's launch, but this is all still very, very ridiculous.

[xelement5x]

I don't think that anyone in my city bought this console to actually keep. There's at least like 15-20 different ads up already on Craigslist with people offering to sell the Wii U for at least double the price.

[wingzrow]

Well I bought the Wii U (white 8gb model) and I'm not even opening it. Nothing on the system interests me (yet) so I'm keeping it sealed until Christmas time in hopes that it goes up in value for the holidays so I can make some easy eBay money.

If pikmin 3, or the new smash bros, or even the new bayonetta was out though, you bet I would be playing it right now.

[Bojay1997]

Well I bought the Wii U (white 8gb model) and I'm not even opening it. Nothing on the system interests me (yet) so I'm keeping it sealed until Christmas time in hopes that it goes up in value for the holidays so I can make some easy eBay money.

If pikmin 3, or the new smash bros, or even the new bayonetta was out though, you bet I would be playing it right now.

Good luck with that. The WiiU Deluxe seems to be the only one anyone wants as every store I visited this afternoon was sold out of Deluxes but still had several 8gb models. Even the Deluxe seemed pretty easy to find without much hassle this morning at Target, TRU, Best Buy and even Gamestop in the Los Angeles area.

[PapaStu]

First Nintendo console launching with a Mario game since I was in high school in the mid 1990s? Yes, please. Mildly annoyed Gamestop didn't do midnight launches because of not having the extra few hours to give to a couple employees because of black friday this week but whatever.


Not the reason. Reason was that supplies of systems were so constrained that there weren't enough extra systems available to justify opening the stores. Why open at midnight when the store got 2 units that weren't pre-orders.

Additionally, there were actually two stores that were given midnight openings because when the nice pre-order voice called, it told everyone that the stores would be opening early, not at midnight (as was originally planned) except those two stores. For whatever reason, those didn't get that option turned off (of course after they'd already called and told their pre-order customers not to come in till the AM).

[Leo_A]

Wii Mode is literally the Wii's original dashboard with several additional channels including a shortcut back to the Wii U dashboard (At least that's a step forward compared to last time around), a digital Wii system manual, and the transfer utility.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bz1rbmqrUM

Looking forward to hearing how backwards compatibility is in the coming days when people start to check out the secondary features of this. I keep my Wii hooked up to a standard definition Trinitron via component but there's a decent number of Wii titles I'd like to enjoy on a 16:9 HDTV which this would conveniently allow me to do without moving my Wii. And I suspect I'll also be transfering my Wii files to it to prolong the life of my WiiWare and Virtual Console purchases.

So I'm much more interested in backwards compatibility than I usually would be.

[WCP]

So it seems that the demand for Wii U isn't as high as most would expect. I've heard reports of people walking into Targets late this evening, and them still having stock. I'm pretty sure this didn't happen during the Wii or PS3 launch 6 years ago, or the Xbox 360 launch 7 years ago. Of course, this is a much different economy we are in right now. The price of the Wii U at $349 and $299, coupled with the lackluster economy and the less than amazing launch lineup has combined to produce a Wii U launch that isn't exactly blowing everybody away. I'm not sure if this thing is going to become the cabbage patch phenomenom that Nintendo was probably hoping it would be.

[Oldskool]

Oh it will catch on very very soon. Especially after Thanksgiving you will not find them anywhere. I think the Wii U is gonna be a hot item this holiday season.

[wingzrow]

Good luck with that. The WiiU Deluxe seems to be the only one anyone wants as every store I visited this afternoon was sold out of Deluxes but still had several 8gb models. Even the Deluxe seemed pretty easy to find without much hassle this morning at Target, TRU, Best Buy and even Gamestop in the Los Angeles area.

Worst case scenario I just walk into gamestop and return it, but I see what you mean.

[kupomogli]

Oh it will catch on very very soon. Especially after Thanksgiving you will not find them anywhere. I think the Wii U is gonna be a hot item this holiday season.

There are some very good sales on both the PS3 and 360. $200 360/Kinect Bundle, $200 PS3/Uncharted/Infamous bundle, $200 Vita/game/memory card bundle, $150 3DS/Mario bundle. The Wii U is going to be sitting full price with the exact same games the PS360 have and just a few exclusives. Then the massive list of games on sale for all the other consoles. Forza Horizon for $15, Tekken Tag 2, Borderlands 2, WWE 13, etc, for $25, Assassin's Creed 3 for $35. There are no black friday ads that show Wii U games on sale. Unless it's a kid specifically asked for the system or it's a Nintendo fanboy, I doubt someone would pick up the Wii U and the exact same games for a higher price if they have a chance to get one of the other consoles and the same games for cheaper. Same reason people flocked to the original Wii. It was cheap.

I'm not going to say it'll be hard to be found, as I don't know, but looking at Walmart.com and Target.com and viewing whether by zip code whether it's in stock or not, very few surrounding stores display out of stock or limited supply. Most of them display in stock. It looks like the non gamers who got burned when purchasing the Wii aren't doing anything to help with the Wii U sales.

[Leo_A]

Wii U upscales in Wii mode after all. Apparently those confirmations otherwise were just plain wrong or Nintendo was talking about it not rendering Wii software in HD instead of upscaling like everyone including media outlets thought they were talking about.

Makes backwards compatibility even more attractive on this.

[IHatedSega]

Well I bought the Wii U (white 8gb model) and I'm not even opening it. Nothing on the system interests me (yet) so I'm keeping it sealed until Christmas time in hopes that it goes up in value for the holidays so I can make some easy eBay money.

Yeah, after whats happened to people today Im thinking this is going to be dirt cheap soon. Id return if I was you honestly. People are going to want the black version real soon.


There are some very good sales on both the PS3 and 360. $200 360/Kinect Bundle, $200 PS3/Uncharted/Infamous bundle, $200 Vita/game/memory card bundle, $150 3DS/Mario bundle. The Wii U is going to be sitting full price with the exact same games the PS360 have and just a few exclusives. Then the massive list of games on sale for all the other consoles. Forza Horizon for $15, Tekken Tag 2, Borderlands 2, WWE 13, etc, for $25, Assassin's Creed 3 for $35. There are no black friday ads that show Wii U games on sale. Unless it's a kid specifically asked for the system or it's a Nintendo fanboy, I doubt someone would pick up the Wii U and the exact same games for a higher price if they have a chance to get one of the other consoles and the same games for cheaper. Same reason people flocked to the original Wii. It was cheap.

EEK. But its the only way to play the new Mario. I honestly still think they should have dropped the Wii name altogether. Nintendo should be the bigger name than Wii.

[The 1 2 P]

There are no black friday ads that show Wii U games on sale.

There is one for Toys R Us where you buy one game and get 40% off a second game. But I think that is the only black friday sale for Wii U games.

[Bojay1997]

There is one for Toys R Us where you buy one game and get 40% off a second game. But I think that is the only black friday sale for Wii U games.

Target also has a B2G1 50% off game sale for the WiiU and certain games come with $10 gift cards (I believe Scribblenauts is one).

[The 1 2 P]

Well I bought the Wii U (white 8gb model) and I'm not even opening it. Nothing on the system interests me (yet) so I'm keeping it sealed until Christmas time in hopes that it goes up in value for the holidays so I can make some easy eBay money.

It's not going to go up in value. The 32 gb is the more desirable unit. Also, you can still currently buy a new white 8 gb Wii U on Gamestop.com. Ebay and craigs list are already flooded with them(both models) and now it's only going to get more crowded.

[swlovinist]

I think that the Wii is going to not have the easiest time this year. There are just many other technology items that are competing for peoples attention this year. Between the tablet wars and competing console price drops, I just dont think this system has the wow factor the Wii had when it came out. I am one of the many that will probably wait for the system to get more Nintendo Exclusives(Metroid, Zelda, price drop) before jumping in. I am fine with waiting a couple of years if need be. The system looks interesting, but just not $350 interesting.

[Nature Boy]

It was nice waking up at 1:30 pm and taking my time to get to the store and pick up my preorder Wii U deluxe system at Best Buy with no hassle and no lines. This is why consoles are the only thing I ever recommend preordering. Game are only good to preorder for the extra bonuses but they are still available regardless if you preorder them or not 99.9% of the time. But new release consoles are definitlely worth preordering.

This is totally out of context with the thread in general, but I just had to say I agree with you 100.1%.

I stopped doing the pre-order games thing a *long* time ago (I think my last was for Wind Waker on Gamecube - where you got the bonus disc with the old Zeldas on it.) The whole process makes me angry really, especially when I hear them hawking it at EB.

I'll never forget being in Florida at an EB buying The Orange Box (because it wouldn't have any French on it :) ) and the guy trying to talk me into pre-ordering, of all things, Call of Duty: Black Ops. Like I'm not going to find a copy of that on the first day if I want one? Seriously? And what do I get for giving you $5 now besides a copy for $5 less when the game comes out?

Consoles make total sense though, as you likely won't be able to find a copy in a few days/weeks, so the value is there.

I know it's not rational, but it irks me.

[BetaWolf47]

Considering getting one. It will be my first HD console (I've been on PC for a while now). What are the best games to get on it? I'm considering Epic Mickey 2, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Darksiders 2, or Ninja Gaiden 3. I was against Ninja Gaiden 3, but heard that the Wii U version was better than the PS3/Xbox 360 versions.

Went in to a Best Buy last week and they had Wii U in stock, both models. It looks like resellers are going to lose this time around.

[Cloud121]

Ninja Gaiden III is phenomenal on Wii U. It, along with Sonic All-Stars Racing are my two favorite games of all the launch titles I got.

[IHatedSega]

I have no idea why the marketing campaign wasnt "Wii Love U", maybe theyre saving that up for Valentines Day?