Wii U doesn't make the cut?!

[moycon]

http://news.yahoo.co...4--finance.html

 

This surprised me. As soon as I saw the title of the article I figured the Wii U would be some where on the list.

 

It isn't.

 

If you bring up the fact that this is a list of toys, and that Wii U isn't technically a toy, then why are several tablets and handhelds listed?

This comes off either as a HUGE example of people having no clue what they are writing about, or something else.

Seriously? The Wii U isn't going to be a hot item this holiday? I don't get it.

 

That said, was the Gamecube in demand when it was released? I say that because I can recall going into a Kmart a few days after the GC launch, and the dude in the video game department was trying to entice me to buy a Gamecube. At that time, that actually made me want to buy it less. I was shocked they had any and figured there was a reason! LOL

 

Is the Wii U not a hot item?

[Emehr]

Is the general public even aware of it at this point? Or is it relegated to video game news sites and forums? I really have no idea. I don't think I've seen any television ads for it yet. I'm trying to recall at what point the Wii became the sensation it did: before its release or during.

[HammR25]

Yahoo is pimping this website's list:

 

http://www.timetoplaymag.com/mostwanted/2012/holiday/

 

All the toys on that list are a lot cheaper than a Wii U.

[Pixelboy]

Okay, I think I have an explaination.

 

There was some kind of toy convention recently, and it seems the article you linked to was mostly coverage of that convention. See the video here:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/video/holiday-toys-whats-hot-season-

200948367.html;_ylt=Amk8ePw2CKLyOgPASZ.QHNGUI.p_;_ylu=X3oDMTMydDJuOGw2BG1pdANBcnRpY2xlIFJlbGF0ZWQgSUIEcGtnAzA5ZDAxZmE2LTFjZTctMzMwZi04YWMwLTE4ZGUwYjhjMTFhZQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDTWVkaWFJbmZpbml0ZUJyb3dzZQR2ZXID;_ylg=X3oDMTMyMW5yNTE4BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDZTNmZGM1ZDUtYWUxYS0zMmM1LTkyYjEtYmY0NDViZjQ4M2IzBHBzdGNhdAN0ZWNofGJlc3RpbnRlY2gEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3

 

So why wasn't the Wii U mentioned? Simply because Nintendo wasn't present at this convention, wherever it took place (the video doesn't say).

[AtariLeaf]

I can only speak personally but I'd much rather have a tablet than a Wii U. Its not something that's even on my radar.

[Metal Ghost]

I know the Wii U is on Toys R Us 'Hot Toy Reservation List', so their buyers have high hopes at least.

[Unbeliever]

I just automatically figured it would be the "hot seller" for the Christmas season. Perhaps I spoke too soon.

[Lord Helmet]

It makes me a little sad...but for the first time ever the new Nintendo console isn't on my radar. I'm just not interested. I loved the Wii for about the first year of it's existence but then got really bored with it. Now it's just an emulator box.

[Emehr]

Yeah, I'm going to sit this one out until I see something more compelling than games that looked like they could have been pulled off on the Wii. Seriously, New SMB U looks like something I could be playing on the Wii right now. Also, the fact that Wii U will play 360 ports earns a big "whoop-ti-freakin-doo" from me and it has nothing to do with graphic capabilities. Couldn't care less. If the 360 library interested me in the first place, I would have bought a 360. I don't want to see the Wii U become the Wii: 360 Take 2. All I foresee are a lot of lazy third party devs porting 360 titles for a quick cash grab.

 

Plus, and I've already mentioned this in another Wii U thread, I think Nintendo missed the boat on the tablet idea. They should have designed the 3DS to be the optional tablet controller from the start. That would have been a great selling point: use the Nintendo portable that you already own to control Wii U games. Not, buy another expensive controller that can only be used with the Wii U. Wasn't that the direction they were heading with GBA and GC connectivity? Not to mention the fact that looking at dual screens on a handheld is one thing, looking at the controller in your hands then glancing up at the TV...how long until that gets old? If people thought "waggling" was too much to handle I can only imagine the complaints of neck strain.

 

Who knows, maybe Nintendo will pull it off. Meanwhile I'll play what games I have and wait and see...

[HammR25]

I can only speak personally but I'd much rather have a tablet than a Wii U. Its not something that's even on my radar.

But Dude, the Wii-U comes with a tablet!

[onlysublime]

the Wii U has a resistive screen. that's great for the 3DS and DS/DSi. not for people who grew up on capacitive screens.

[Metal Ghost]

the Wii U has a resistive screen. that's great for the 3DS and DS/DSi. not for people who grew up on capacitive screens.

 

What....the Wii U tablet's screen isn't iPad/Xoom like? Really? Or am I not understanding the difference between resistive and capacitive screens? When I think of the DS touch screen I think of a much better version of the type of screen I sign my credit card 'slip' on at the cash register, but then again I don't own a DS, so that's not a knock or anything.

[atarian63]

I am buying one on release day. It's possibly the last console I will buy. nothing else on the horizon interests me.

[Atariboy]

If PSP Remote Play has been any indication, having to deal with a WiFi connection between the 3DS and the console would've been far from ideal from a reliability standpoint. And of course you'd of lost the right analog stick (Does the tablet gamepad have analog triggers like the Pro Controller does? If so you'd also lose those by substituting a 3DS).

 

Don't see the need to support the 3DS as an optional tablet controller. Doesn't have the hardware and the console doesn't even have any software right now that even can utilize more than one tablet controller as it is.

 

And it remains to be seen if there will ever be a Wii U release that's so amazing in local multiplayer mode with two tablet gamepads that it's going to compel anyone to even desire purchasing a second tablet gamepad down the road to take advantage of it. And if there is, whose to say that the option for the console to communicate via WiFi to a 3DS in lieu of a second tablet gamepad won't be there?

 

Hard to miss the boat when the boat hasn't even slid down the ways yet.

 

the Wii U has a resistive screen. that's great for the 3DS and DS/DSi. not for people who grew up on capacitive screens.

 

Hard to imagine great touch screen games coming to this thing anyways. So even if it's less than ideal (Never noticed the DS and 3DS having issues recognizing my inputs), it doesn't strike me as important.

 

I suspect the best uses of this screen are going to be as a second screen (Such as perhaps serving as a rear view mirror instead of pressing a button in a racer), handling inventory functions, streaming gameplay to it when not using a tv set, serving as a virtual keyboard when it's necessary to type something out, etc.

 

Don't suspect too many big hits are coming that will be utilizing the touch screen in demanding circumstances during gameplay. People are going to be buying this to play console games. If they wanted to look at a small touch screen all the time (which heavy touch screen gameplay would all but demand that you do), I suspect most people would pull out a handheld game system or their cellphone.

 

I suspect the touch screen is going to be mostly offering secondary benefits instead of being front and center. Particularly once the novelty has wore off a bit. And even in most of what I've seen shown off so far, you could've gotten by very easily without a touchscreen.

Edited September 30, 2012 by Atariboy

[xg4bx]

I am buying one on release day. It's possibly the last console I will buy. nothing else on the horizon interests me.

 

Same here. While I may eventually add a 3DS, the Wii U is the end of the line for me. The next MS and Sony consoles could come with the ability to give the owner head and I still wouldn't buy one, I just don't care anymore.While I'm being a bit flippant, I can't picture anything those 2 companies could do or feature that would possibly make me support them in their future endeavors.

Edited September 30, 2012 by xg4bx

[Emehr]

If PSP Remote Play has been any indication, having to deal with a WiFi connection between the 3DS and the console would've been far from ideal from a reliability standpoint. And of course you'd of lost the right analog stick (Does the tablet gamepad have analog triggers like the Pro Controller does? If so you'd also lose those by substituting a 3DS).

 

Don't see the need to support the 3DS as an optional tablet controller. Doesn't have the hardware and the console doesn't even have any software right now that even can utilize more than one tablet controller as it is.

 

And it remains to be seen if there will ever be a Wii U release that's so amazing in local multiplayer mode with two tablet gamepads that it's going to compel anyone to even desire purchasing a second tablet gamepad down the road to take advantage of it. And if there is, whose to say that the option for the console to communicate via WiFi to a 3DS in lieu of a second tablet gamepad won't be there?

 

Hard to miss the boat when the boat hasn't even slid down the ways yet.

 

Maybe I wasn't very clear. Here's my quote, emphasis added:

 

They should have designed the 3DS to be the optional tablet controller from the start.

 

That means they should have designed the 3DS with the bigger screen (XL), right analog, and whatever extra buttons and connectivity needed to communicate with their future Wii U from its inception. The tablet as it is should have been skipped entirely. It never should have ended up on the drawing board. The 3DS should have always been the future "tablet" controller for the Wii U.

 

I'm not talking about how thing are, I'm talking about how things should have been. It's like all of Nintendo's GameBoy Advance/GameCube connectivity R&D experience just went down the toilet. Hence the "missed the boat" comment.

[davepesc]

I have no interest in the Wii U after being totally let down by the Wii. I haven't bought a game for the system in probably 3 years.

 

I teach elementary school and haven't heard any buzz about the new console. I can't say if it will sell or not, but I'd also guess that the name is holding it back from mainstream attention. "Wii U" sounds like another expansion part, not a new console.

[Vic George 2K3]

But Dude, the Wii-U comes with a tablet!

 

I take it the other person meant he would rather have a tablet that is self-contained and ready to play games instead of one that requires a game system to use it. And from what I'm reading, it seems that Nintendo has missed the boat as far as portable and home game system connectivity like they achieved it with the Gameboy Advance and Gamecube. It would be nice if Sony's and Microsoft's upcoming home game systems could have connectivity with tablets for an additional game controller, but as with the case of motion control, they seem to be more content with playing it safe and just upping the audiovisual capabilities a little bit more while letting Nintendo have first crack at using a tablet for a game controller. Anyway, as Extra Credits seems to propose, game systems may have a few more generations before people would consider them obsolete as other forms of gaming devices will take over.

[Pixelboy]

I take it the other person meant he would rather have a tablet that is self-contained and ready to play games instead of one that requires a game system to use it. And from what I'm reading, it seems that Nintendo has missed the boat as far as portable and home game system connectivity like they achieved it with the Gameboy Advance and Gamecube. It would be nice if Sony's and Microsoft's upcoming home game systems could have connectivity with tablets for an additional game controller, but as with the case of motion control, they seem to be more content with playing it safe and just upping the audiovisual capabilities a little bit more while letting Nintendo have first crack at using a tablet for a game controller. Anyway, as Extra Credits seems to propose, game systems may have a few more generations before people would consider them obsolete as other forms of gaming devices will take over.

 

Given the lack of hype I've seen so far for the Wii U's November 18th launch, I'd say the day of the game console's obsolescence is much closer than that. Indeed, why buy a console with a tablet controller when you can just play on a stand-alone tablet? The only thing game consoles have going for them is a proper game controller, which is a big advantage for many types of games where touchscreen controls are less than adequate. But then, a lot of people play with smartphones, and I don't know about you, but when I'm done playing with a smartphone, I'm not necessarily in the mood to continue playing on a console hooked up to a TV, I'd rather do something more constructive with my free time...

 

Consoles are on their way out. There are now too many cheaper alternatives for casual gamers.

[King_Salamon]

I've been hearing places are booked up with pre-orders already. Toys R Us and EB Games have filled their allocated shipments which I was surprised to hear... it could be a location thing or it is more widespread.

 

In all honesty, I haven't seen anything related to marketing for the system yet. At this point, I'm much more interested in the Neo Geo X Gold system than the Wii U... well more interested to see what the product is actually like. I don't have much desire to play/buy the Wii U.

[Necron99]

what does yahoo know any ways? I've never trusted any news from yahoo.

 

I think Nintendo might drop the ball on this one. the "Casual" gamers they have brought in don't seem to know what the Wii U is or understand the change, and many hardcore gamers were let down by the Wii's not so stellar library of games shovelware. Biggest reason I stopped playing Wii was waiting 6 months for a decent game to come out and sifting though bins of cooking mama and horrible mini game crap that IMO are not fun or cool. I'm not sure if Nintendo realizes it, but 90% of Wii owners I know haven't touched their's in about a year. The novelty is over and it's now called a gimmick.

 

Of course hardcore Nintendo fan's will lap it up early, but I think things will taper off severely after the holidays. Nintendo will most likely try to create a false sense of unavailability like they did with the Wii. Even calling the new system the Wii U says that Nintendo intends to ride the coattail of the Wii brand.

 

Of course this is all guessing on my part. I almost hope this falls on Nintendo's face so they stop letting 3rd party developers make their turd games.

 

I know I won't be lined up for this giant DS.

[thegamezmaster]

Too bad Nintendo doesn't make an upgrade of the current Wii, given there's so many out there. But don't know if it's possible but they figure they'll make more money with a new system.

[Vic George 2K3]

What some people in here are probably thinking:

 

"I'm a complete graphics whore. I don't give a flying fart about Nintendo upgrading to Xbox 360 quality graphics. I want Sony and Microsoft to deliver me graphics that would make me crap my pants on how realistic everything is now. I don't care how expensive the PS4 and Xbox 720 are when they are launched, I just want the best graphics there is for a game system.

 

"And I don't give a flying fart about Mario or Zelda. Those games are for kids anyway. Give me more games with lots of T & A, lots of blood and gore, lots of swearing and adult themes, lots of everything that would make parents and conservatives want to ban video games, because that stuff is what makes videogaming so great.

 

"And don't make games for the casual gaming audience, and don't try to include women in any positive way, either. This hobby is a boy's club, aimed strictly at our target audience, and we'd like it to stay that way. We don't need women around except for being brainless butt-kissing sex objects for us to salivate at. And casual games aren't real games anyway. They're just simplistic loads of crap that we wouldn't even waste our time firing up the Atari 2600s to play.

 

"And screw motion control while we're at it. Real games are meant to be played with gamepads, the way Sony and Microsoft make them. Of course, they could make keyboards and mouse pads for those of us who like to play FPSes the way that PC gamers play them.

 

"In short, what would I want a Wii U for? Nintendo just isn't for me."

[Unbeliever]

I'm just curious and not to go off-topic, but, has Sony or Microsoft made ay inklings as to their next generation gaming systems?

[xg4bx]

I'm just curious and not to go off-topic, but, has Sony or Microsoft made ay inklings as to their next generation gaming systems?

 

MS seems to be going full bore with Kinect and PS4 will probably support 4k resolution. That's about it so far.