Wii U: Considering buying it but so many questions!

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I don't know what to expect with a Japanese Wii U in America. How does it behave online? Does it connect to NoJ's servers or does it detect where on Earth I am and connect to NoA? What about service support such as Netflix? Basically what surprises are in store and what drawbacks are in store with this console? will NoA honour warranty on an NTSC-J system or am I shit out of luck there?

I'm not sure why you would want to get a Japanese WiiU. Yes, the system is region locked, but there aren't many (any?) WiiU games that only got released in Japan, and tracking down Japanese WiiU games will be considerably more expensive than tracking down the domestic versions.

But anyway, here's the answers to this first part: A Japanese WiiU will require you to create a Japanese Nintendo ID account. It'll ask in Japanese, which prefecture you live in, what your address is, and your credit card information for eshop access. Note that American creditcards CANNOT be used. If you don't have a Japanese creditcard, you'll need to use Japanese Nintendo Points cards. Points cards like games, are region locked. You cannot go to a store in the US, buy Nintendo Points, and then use them on a Japanese WiiU.

A Japanese WiiU will not connect to NoA, ever. The reverse is also true; American WiiUs will never connect to NoJ.

Services like Netflex will be restricted to whatever the Japanese have access to. You'll not be able to gain access to the American Netflex.

The main drawback of buying a Japanese WiiU is not being able to access anything on the North American eshop including sales and promotions.

Nintendo of America will not service a Japanese WiiU. Period.

Next question goes for Wii support. Allegedly Wii software is not 100% supported... but according to a random thread on GameFAQs (not so credible right lol) everything works aside from 1 random WiiWare game and DDR due to lack of controller inputs. Don't care about those exclusions, but I do care about INPUT LAG. It's what drove me insane trying to play the original Wii. I think before Wii U launched Iwata announced the input lag problem would be solved for Wii U. What can I expect with a Wiimote and the sensor bar via the Wii U? I tried Wii U for about 5 minutes for the very first time at a demo station at the store in town, and I used the gamepad with Mario Maker. I didn't perceive input lag but it's not a motion sensitive controller so that is expected.)

I can't speak to input lag because it's never been a problem for me, but just know that the WiiU contains a Wii inside of it so I wouldn't expect anything different from using the original Wii. But again keep in mind that the Wii is region locked as well. A Japanese WiiU will only be able to play Japanese Wii games.

Speaking of compatibility I assume all hardware that connects to the system such as ALL controllers (U pad, classic controller, wiimotes) and basics like the video output (I'd need s-video, or I could try HDMI with my new trinitron WEGA.... but I'd want s-video to keep this thing with the rest of my collection!) If all hardware is compatible, I could try to import the console by itself to reduce shipping costs and just buy the rest of the pieces domestically. Fucking region locking.

The WiiU will work with the Wiimote, Nunchuck, Wii Classic/Pro Controller, WiiU Gamepad tablet and WiiU Pro Contorller. No GameCube controller accessories or any USB controllers or controller adapters. Nintendo did offically release a GameCube adapter for the WiiU, but it ONLY works for Smash Brothers 4. Also, the WiiU tablet and Pro controller don't generally work with original Wii software, and the original Wii Classic/Pro controller don't work with WiiU software.

The WiiU is designed for widescreen modern TVs (thank god) so anything less than HDMI is shortchaning yourself, especially using a 4:3 CRT relic. You'll run into all manner of overscan and wrong resolution issues using an old tv with S-Video. My advice is don't. But yes, the WiiU carries over the same connection port as the original Wii for SD video output, so you could track down an original Wii S-Video cable. But don't. The power brick of the WiiU and the power brick of the WiiU tablet controller would be the same in Japan and North America, but buying a WiiU without the tablet just to save money is foolish, because finding replacement parts would be a massive pain in the ass.

Models: U has 8GB and 32GB. Wiki says in June 2015 the 8GB basic console was discontinued in Japan. Granted I don't want to mess with WiiWare and such, do I care about internal flash memory? I'm sure I will fill it with Mario Maker downloads eventually lol. Wiki also states SD cards are supported and external HDDs are supported. If these external media are supported equally as internal flash, I couldn't care less about going with 32GB, and save a few bucks snagging the 8GB version.

Even if you don't plan on buying many digital only games, definitely go with the 32GB model. 32GB isn't much space at all, especially considering the WiiU allocates a portion to its OS and updates. There are WiiU games and updates that exceed 8GB just by themselves. Don't shortchange yourself. SD cards are supported, but only for original Wii Virtual Console stuff since the Wii in the WiiU still has the pitiful 512 MB storage. External harddrives work for WiiU games, but accessing them is slow and Nintendo requires that external drives be formatted in FAT32 like it's 2001.

Any surprises or recalls on hardware craftsmanship? The original Famicom with square buttons comes to mind. Software firmware issues perhaps? I saw a used Wii U on a japanese auction where the seller states the fan is making strange noises. Xbox RRoD and PS3 yellow light issues come to mind as well. Seems like modern consoles tend to have catastrophic failures early in their lifespans. If Wii U failure rate is very low then I can feel better importing it should I decide to buy it.

No product is 100% fail proof, but no, the WiiU is solidly build for reasonable use. Yeah, there are "reports" of people destroying the WiiU Gamepad tablet, but then again those are much the same people who managed to piece their TVs with the Wiimotes and cause injuries to those around them. The WiiU is not something you should be worried about failing or breaking as long as you don't do something like throw the controller across the room.

Speculative questions: how long can we expect online support to be provided? What is the state of Wii's online support, as a frame of reference? Most titles I would buy should not rely on the Internet much, but most enjoyment from Mario Maker is based on going online to get maps and such, so I have to think about this aspect too. Any speculation on price drops? Rumours about the NX are rampant and I wonder if we can expect Wii U to shave off another $50 or so from the retail price sometime soon, who knows? Reference point: I saw a bundle for retail at $300 last night at the demo station that includes a black 32GB console with Mario Kart included. Japanese Amazon sells the Mario Maker bundle for about $370 after currency conversion but I'm pretty sure prices are more balanced elsewhere.

Depends on what you mean by "online support". All of the the original Wii's online functionality shut down several years ago save for the original Wii Shop channel, because that's a revenue stream for Nintendo and closing that down would be foolish. As for the longevity of individual game services on the WiiU, that should be longer than the original Wii because Nintendo essentially didn't have any idea what the hell they were doing with the original Wii. The WiiU is like the 3DS in that it has a dedicated network. How long will something like Mario Maker be supported for? Pure guess: but I'd say at least another 5 years. Maybe longer -- especially if the NX has some sort of backwards compatibility or at least cross connectivity.

The WiiU price will probably fall once the NX is released, but the WiiU isn't exactly the most expensive console on the market as it is. If you want one now, buy one now. Also, consider buying a refubished WiiU directly from Nintendo's online store. In Nintendo's case, "Refurbished" almost always means retrailer returned unsold merchandise. My "refubished" WiiU was brand new, or if it WAS used, there was no way to tell. Buying refublished saved me around $150.

Playing together with my girlfriend happens to be an important part of considering buying this console so that means understanding multiplayer support. Is it necessary to buy a 2nd game pad or is the classic controller and/or wiimote sufficient? I'm confused about input devices outright with this damn thing. Wii was almost exclusively about motion support via the wiimote -- now it seems they backpeddled a bit with Wii U, focusing on the classic style of control, correct? Hopefully the gamepad is not mandatory beyond the first player; not just because a "regular" controller should be cheaper, but because my girlfriend says the gamepad feels a little too big for the size of her hands. LMAO.

Although the firmware technically supports it, the current firmware doesn't allow two WiiU gamepad tablets on the WiiU. Just one. For the second controller, buy a WiiU Pro controller. The controller is AWESOME and I greatly prefer it the gamepad. So buy two, even. Only certain WiiU multiplayer games support the Wiimote. Some do, but you're usually better off with the Pro Controller anyway. Most games don't require the use of the gamepad tablet at all. You can just use a Pro Controller instead. Depends on the game.

I also don't understand the compatibility with the gamepad's display serving as the TV. Can this be done with any game that does not use the gamepad like the Dreamcast uses the VMU? What is the range on the gamepad e.g. can I go into another room and continue playing a game on the gamepad as if I'm holding a 2DS or something? How about the battery? They say the launch model dies in about 3 hours of play, but they added another 1000mAh or so in a revision to extend that to 5-8 hrs. (Thanks Wiki.) Is the battery swappable; how do I identify which model game pad is included if the retail box is purchased bundled with the console?.

Not every game supports the WiiU's off tv play, but yes, generally it works for any game that just mirrors the display of the gamepad and tv. The resolution of the gamepad isn't as high as an HDTV though, so you generally dont want to do this unless you absolutely have to, even if its for playing WiiU in bed.

Range of the WiiU pad is about 12 feet. You can't go to the other end of the house and expect to use the WiiU tablet. You MIGHT be able to do it in an adjacent room, but that's about it.

I get about 5 hours out of the tablet. It's not great, but it's a huge deal to charge it. Just use the dock the deluxe version comes with when you're not using it. You'll rarely be using the WiiU for more than 2-3 hours at a time anyway.

Batteries are all the same size. Don't even pay this any mind.