Could Nintendo's next home console entice the early adopters/graphic whores?

[Icarus Moonsight]

USB HDD support - I've seen 500GB ones for $50. By the time the system launches 1TB USB drives will be $70 or less. They're PnP solutions. All this concern seems pretty silly.

[The 1 2 P]

One thing you have to keep in mind: Nintendo isn't aiming for high-end $2,000 computer enthusiasts. Instead, it's trying to find the best balance between nice 1080p graphics and consumer-friendly price.

If the Wii U ends up producing graphics that are a little bit better than the Xbox 360 and PS3, and costs less than $300, then that's perfect for 99% of the population.

This is probably exactly what Nintendo is aiming for.

[j_factor]

USB HDD support - I've seen 500GB ones for $50. By the time the system launches 1TB USB drives will be $70 or less. They're PnP solutions. All this concern seems pretty silly.

If you're talking about caching and installs, though, data transfer rates over USB are not comparable to an on-board hard drive (or SSD).

[NayusDante]

External storage is also not the most secure way to handle digital distribution...

[kupomogli]

If the Wii U ends up producing graphics that are a little bit better than the Xbox 360 and PS3, and costs less than $300, then that's perfect for 99% of the population. The hard part is having to wait and see.

The 3DS costs $250. I'm sure the Wii U would cost more, especially considering that Iwata stated the Wii U isn't going to be cheap.

The 3DS while not really weak, is much weaker than the PS Vita which is priced the exact same, which is also obviously the more expensive of the two in terms of parts I'm sure. The Wii U is a console, so it's not going to be as cheap as the 3DS, especially when it's going to be new.

[Enigmus]

If you're talking about caching and installs, though, data transfer rates over USB are not comparable to an on-board hard drive (or SSD).

Unless Nintendo decides on USB 3.0 support, which would be much closer to IHD transfer rates.
Post 1,991- same year # as SNES and Sonic the Hedgehog.

[Leo_A]

External storage is also not the most secure way to handle digital distribution...

Why is that?

It doesn't seem like it would be any extra risk involved. I can hook up a Xbox 360 hard drive or PS3 hard drive to my PC and examine it's contents with just a little effort.

A storage method using USB doesn't seem like it would suddenly be far less secure just because it can be more easily hooked up to a computer.

[WCP]

The Wii U is a console, so it's not going to be as cheap as the 3DS, especially when it's going to be new.

I'm starting to think that there is actually a legitimate chance that the Wii U could come to market as low as $249.99 . Originally, I was thinking $299 would be the absolute lowest, but the more I think of it, the more I think $249 is the right price for them. The downside, is that they won't be making much of a profit at that price (if any). However, Nintendo has to be aware of the fact that the an Xbox 360 bundle with Kinect, and a PS3 bundle with Move, will likely be in that same price range, or even cheaper, come November 2012. If they come in at $299, and there is an Xbox 360 Kinect 250 gig hard drive bundle for like $249 or even $199 at that point, it's going to be hard for people to want to pay the big $$ for a Wii U when they have other options.

I think it's definitely $249 or $299, there is no other option. No way in hell it's going to cheaper than $249, and I just can't see them charging more than $299 with a straight face.

Bank on it.

[Swamperon]

[QUOTE=kupomogli;1826951]The 3DS costs $250. I'm sure the Wii U would cost more, especially considering that Iwata stated the Wii U isn't going to be cheap.
QUOTE]

But, Nintendo admitted they inflated the 3DS price due to the excitement they saw for it at E3 and after. This has arguably backfired for them with the 3DS sales post-launch not being that impressive (it has yet to sell 1 million in NA).

It should have been retailing for $199/£160.

I imagine they'll want to avoid taking a similar path with the WiiU. If it costs more than £250, I won't be buying until a price drop.

[Swamperon]

[QUOTE=kupomogli;1826951]The 3DS costs $250. I'm sure the Wii U would cost more, especially considering that Iwata stated the Wii U isn't going to be cheap.
QUOTE]

But, Nintendo admitted they inflated the 3DS price due to the excitement they saw for it at E3 and after. This has arguably backfired for them with the 3DS sales post-launch not being that impressive (it has yet to sell 1 million in NA).

It should have been retailing for $199/£160.

I imagine they'll want to avoid taking a similar path with the WiiU. If it costs more than £250, I won't be buying until a price drop.

[Icarus Moonsight]

If you're talking about caching and installs, though, data transfer rates over USB are not comparable to an on-board hard drive (or SSD).

Ext USB hard disk is still faster than internal optical, and that's what matters most.

I wouldn't count on them going those routes either. Digital parallel releases for retail disk games are most likely - Besides the obvious VC and Wii "Under" Ware stuff. Full installs and partial installs are up in the air at this point.

[j_factor]

The 3DS costs $250. I'm sure the Wii U would cost more, especially considering that Iwata stated the Wii U isn't going to be cheap.

There's plenty of time for a 3DS price drop between now and the Wii U launch.

[Bojay1997]

I'm starting to think that there is actually a legitimate chance that the Wii U could come to market as low as $249.99 . Originally, I was thinking $299 would be the absolute lowest, but the more I think of it, the more I think $249 is the right price for them. The downside, is that they won't be making much of a profit at that price (if any). However, Nintendo has to be aware of the fact that the an Xbox 360 bundle with Kinect, and a PS3 bundle with Move, will likely be in that same price range, or even cheaper, come November 2012. If they come in at $299, and there is an Xbox 360 Kinect 250 gig hard drive bundle for like $249 or even $199 at that point, it's going to be hard for people to want to pay the big $$ for a Wii U when they have other options.

I think it's definitely $249 or $299, there is no other option. No way in hell it's going to cheaper than $249, and I just can't see them charging more than $299 with a straight face.

Bank on it.

I agree with you. Just given the fact that the hardware is slightly more powerful than the 360 or PS3 would indicate that a year from now when they start ramping up production, the component parts will probably be in the $100-$150 range. The big variable is the controller, but given that they can sell DS lites for $100 and still make a profit, I am confident they are getting a good price on those touchscreen components as well.

[WCP]

The big variable is the controller, but given that they can sell DS lites for $100 and still make a profit, I am confident they are getting a good price on those touchscreen components as well.

The thing about the controller, is that from what I understand, it doesn't really have much hardware inside it, because it's just basically acting as another screen, it's not really doing any internal number crunching. So, yes, you have the cost of the 6.2 inch screen, but remember, it's not a multi-touch screen. Also, with Nintendo able to order 10 million of those screens in bulk, they are getting them at a drastically reduced price.

I just hope that Nintendo changes those circle pad things to legitimate thumbsticks. I was listening to a podcast the other day, and the guy was talking about how he used the controller for several hours playing the various demos, and he said that while the controller is much more comfortable than you would assume it to be, he said that the "circle pad" things were pretty lame as thumbsticks, and that he would NEVER play a first person shooter using that controller.

Why isn't Nintendo putting legitimate thumbsticks on that thing? You know, thinking more about it, Nintendo has never had a "legitimate" thumbstick on any of it's hardware. It's always been some type of nub like thing. I wonder if it has something to do with not wanting to pay a fee to somebody because of a patent or something.

[RP2A03]

Why isn't Nintendo putting legitimate thumbsticks on that thing?

Probably so they can save money. Since the 3DS uses the circle pad they probably figure the the WiiU controller should too. Why make two different components that do the same thing when you can make just one? At least replacement pads for the 3DS will be easier to find in the future.

You know, thinking more about it, Nintendo has never had a "legitimate" thumbstick on any of it's hardware. It's always been some type of nub like thing. I wonder if it has something to do with not wanting to pay a fee to somebody because of a patent or something.

Um... wut?

[WCP]

Probably so they can save money. Since the 3DS uses the circle pad they probably figure the the WiiU controller should too. Why make two different components that do the same thing when you can make just one? At least replacement pads for the 3DS will be easier to find in the future.



Um... wut?

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I wouldn't consider any of those to be "legitimate" thumbsticks, in the manner that I would a DualShock thumbstick or a Xbox thumbstick. You might be able to consider those "mini" thumbsticks, but they aren't full size thumbsticks ala a DualShock or 360 pad. I would say that to varying degrees, all of those are closer to a "nub" like thumbstick.

[Leo_A]

Those are all most certainly analog thumbsticks.

Have you ever used a PSP or a 3DS? People generally use the term "nub" to refer to a analog stick mechanism that slides rather than tilts, such as how the PSP, 3DS, and apparantly the WiiU operate. The analog sticks on a N64, GCN, or Wii controller most certainly tilt just like the analog sticks on a Xbox or Playstation controller do and aren't very different beyond some styling differences.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I'd agree in regard to N64, but the rest... No. Microsoft controllers have never seemed 'legit' to me. Not N64 awkward, but in the same line. The whole Circle Pad thing is going to take some getting used to... We'll see.

[substantial_snake]

The analog nub was the first thing that stuck out to me with the new controller. I used to use a very similar replacement analog nub "top" on my original psp and although it did improve things It still was uncomfortable for long stretches of time. That and I find that true 3D movement with analog nubs is uncomfortable and awkward, something about not having that free range of motion never felt right on psp games.

Nintendo may have found a better way with their design but I'm still skeptical.

[RP2A03]

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I wouldn't consider any of those to be "legitimate" thumbsticks, in the manner that I would a DualShock thumbstick or a Xbox thumbstick. You might be able to consider those "mini" thumbsticks, but they aren't full size thumbsticks ala a DualShock or 360 pad. I would say that to varying degrees, all of those are closer to a "nub" like thumbstick.

I must disagree with that. While I will give you that the yellow C-stick on the GCN controller is certainly nubby; I can't really say the same for the other sticks. Sure, the grips are not as wide, but they are quite adequate in girth and I would not consider them to be nubs. Also, while the GCN/Wii sticks are not as long, I find their lower profile to be more pleasing as it permits greater tactile feedback.