WII U is the ultimate game-console

J_SNAKE:

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J_SNAKE: 2011-09-05 11:30:10 am

J_SNAKE: 2011-09-05 11:28:32 am

J_SNAKE: 2011-09-05 11:27:51 am

J_SNAKE: 2011-09-05 11:27:16 am

2011-09-05 11:24:53 am

We are in exciting times now. And one reason might be WII U. Before some think I joke around: No, I am not. It is the first time I take a Nintendo-console seriously. Let me explain why.

It looks like a superset of xbox360/PS3 in both, hardware and controls. You have 4 shoulder buttons and simultaneously 2 thumb-sticks. That pretty much sums up xbox360/ps3-play. In addition you can have virtual buttons on the screen to quickly navigate in complex menus, what would only be practicable with a mouse. So hardware-buttons plus touch-screen is a superset of the conventional controls. It means that now you can design a higher variety of games but all those xbox360/ps3 games for the WII U aswell in addition.

So Microsoft and Sony need to follow soon since from a consumer's perspective those systems will become obsolete. Since all the games can be designed with a higher fidelity on the WII U.

There might be only one weak point though. Ergonomic issues of the controller must not be significant. In that case I see no reason how WII U can fail.

I would like to know what you think about it. How do you estimate the situation?

Thread title:

We are in exciting times now. And one reason might be WII U. Before some think I joke around: No, I am not. It is the first time I take a Nintendo-console seriously. Let me explain why.

It looks like a superset of xbox360/PS3 in both, hardware and controls. You have 4 shoulder buttons and simultaneously 2 thumb-sticks. That pretty much sums up xbox360/ps3-play. In addition you can have virtual buttons on the screen to quickly navigate in complex menus, what would only be practicable with a mouse. So hardware-buttons plus touch-screen is a superset of the conventional controls. It means that now you can design a higher variety of games but all those xbox360/ps3 games for the WII U aswell in addition.

So Microsoft and Sony need to follow soon since from a consumer's perspective those systems will become obsolete. Since all the games can be designed with a higher fidelity on the WII U.

There might be only one weak point though. Ergonomic issues of the controller must not be significant. In that case I see no reason how WII U can fail.

I would like to know what you think about it. How do you estimate the situation?

Idkbutlike2:

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Idkbutlike2: 2011-09-05 11:49:50 am

2011-09-05 11:49:07 am

Everlasting Turquoise

Like all consoles, the initial release of the Wii U will depend on the quality of its launch titles more so than the hardware capabilities of the system. If it has good ones, it'll sell. If it has bad ones, it won't. Trying to judge it based on the capabilities of its controller is kind of stupid, though.

J_SNAKE:

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J_SNAKE: 2011-09-05 12:29:18 pm

J_SNAKE: 2011-09-05 12:16:29 pm

J_SNAKE: 2011-09-05 12:09:13 pm

2011-09-05 12:08:40 pm

The controller affects what titles will be on there. The controller + hardware power are the relevant factors for what games you can expect on a system. And Wii U looks like the only console that can even realise some of the game-ideas I have myself. It has that flexibility.

Don't get me wrong. I know pretty well that many won't realise how to use the given flexibility in a sense-making manner, so I expect much gimmick-stuff on there. But the important point is that devs can make all the xbox360/ps3 titles without compromises on the Wii U aswell. And with all the multiplat-trend you will get the same games on the Wii U. Why playing BF3 on xbox360 if you can play it on a more powerfull WII U with same controls? So xbox360 and ps3 might become less significant. That has consequences for microsoft and sony.

TheGreenManalishi:

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TheGreenManalishi

2011-09-05 01:34:15 pm

The flesh is spongy and bruised

The Wii U will be awful like every piece of hardware Nintendo has made since the Gamecube. It's an empirically sound assumption.

Opium:

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Opium

2011-09-05 01:41:00 pm

Servin' you realness!!

All I know is that they better not pull that shit the last time they happened to finish a console zelda title right around the time of a new console's release. I'm talking about TP and how they made GCN users wait a month to play it - or buy a wii and play it right away. If they do that, then of course I will have to buy a Wii-U because there's no way I can jones that hard for a month, or even a week for that matter.

J_SNAKE:

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J_SNAKE: 2011-09-05 02:06:34 pm

J_SNAKE: 2011-09-05 02:04:16 pm

J_SNAKE: 2011-09-05 02:02:33 pm

2011-09-05 02:02:14 pm

Quote from TheGreenManalishi:

The Wii U will be awful like every piece of hardware Nintendo has made since the Gamecube.

Is there any reasonable explanation that backs you up? Also Gamecube's controller is the reason for Metroid-Prime's restrictive design, the N-64-controller is garbage aswell, these are analytical facts.

This time nintendo is making a smart and reasonable choice. They learn from the competitors and mixing the best features of all the tech into the controller. It is like NGP, only with the added hardware power and the flexibility of using different screens, what also adds new ways of local multiplayer many are not aware of now.

If the controller works well and the hardware power is there then seriously, how can that system fail? It is the best time to get excited more than ever in the past. I am excited and I do hope they will get the hardware and the controller-ergonomics right, and I hope the third party support will be strong now, they shouldn't be afraid of loosing their nintendo-image by it.

[quote="TheGreenManalishi"]The Wii U will be awful like every piece of hardware Nintendo has made since the Gamecube.[/quote] Is there any reasonable explanation that backs you up? Also Gamecube's controller is the reason for Metroid-Prime's restrictive design, the N-64-controller is garbage aswell, these are analytical facts.

This time nintendo is making a smart and reasonable choice. They learn from the competitors and mixing the best features of all the tech into the controller. It is like NGP, only with the added hardware power and the flexibility of using different screens, what also adds new ways of local multiplayer many are not aware of now.

If the controller works well and the hardware power is there then seriously, how can that system fail? It is the best time to get excited more than ever in the past. I am excited and I do hope they will get the hardware and the controller-ergonomics right, and I hope the third party support will be strong now, they shouldn't be afraid of loosing their nintendo-image by it.

BioSpark:

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BioSpark

2011-09-05 02:10:23 pm

hʌŋ laɪk

ə hɔːrs

gamecube controller > shit > n64 controller

Idkbutlike2:

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Idkbutlike2

2011-09-05 02:37:30 pm

Everlasting Turquoise

What I'm wondering about the Wii U is how much more powerful it is compared the the 360 and PS3. If it's only marginally more powerful, chances are its gonna get ousted by whatever Microsoft and Sony have planned for the 8th gen. And no controller innovation would save it from that because even if the sales of the console remain high, Nintendo's reputation is gonna decline even further to gamers.

TheGreenManalishi:

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TheGreenManalishi

2011-09-05 02:38:26 pm

The flesh is spongy and bruised

Quote from J_SNAKE:

Gamecube's controller is the reason for Metroid-Prime's restrictive design

Gamecube controller is gold.

Prime Hunter:

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Prime Hunter: 2011-09-05 03:04:28 pm

2011-09-05 03:04:05 pm

Quote from J_SNAKE:

If the controller works well and the hardware power is there then seriously, how can that system fail? It is the best time to get excited more than ever in the past. I am excited and I do hope they will get the hardware and the controller-ergonomics right, and I hope the third party support will be strong now, they shouldn't be afraid of loosing their nintendo-image by it.

As others have said before, even if the potential is there if nobody other than Nintendo is able to utilize that potential when making their games it's not going to matter as much, sadly. Just think of how many Wii games didn't get the motion controls right in the end even after Nintendo's own first party games showed everyone how it should be done. Yeah, there are a few third party games that managed to use motion controls properly, but that number is a small percentage of the entire Wii catalog.

I do hope third party developers give the Wii U more of a chance and actually create something on par with what Nintendo is going to do with the system. I love Nintendo's games and they are the primary reason I play their consoles and handhelds, don't get me wrong, but it would be nice to see a unique experience from a third party that is up to Nintendo's quality every once in a while that can't be found on another system as well.

[quote="J_SNAKE"]If the controller works well and the hardware power is there then seriously, how can that system fail? It is the best time to get excited more than ever in the past. I am excited and I do hope they will get the hardware and the controller-ergonomics right, and I hope the third party support will be strong now, they shouldn't be afraid of loosing their nintendo-image by it.[/quote]
As others have said before, even if the potential is there if nobody other than Nintendo is able to utilize that potential when making their games it's not going to matter as much, sadly. Just think of how many Wii games [i]didn't[/i] get the motion controls right in the end even after Nintendo's own first party games showed everyone how it should be done. Yeah, there are a few third party games that managed to use motion controls properly, but that number is a small percentage of the entire Wii catalog.

I do hope third party developers give the Wii U more of a chance and actually create something on par with what Nintendo is going to do with the system. I love Nintendo's games and they are the primary reason I play their consoles and handhelds, don't get me wrong, but it would be nice to see a unique experience from a third party that is up to Nintendo's quality every once in a while that can't be found on another system as well.

tomatobob:

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tomatobob

2011-09-05 03:13:27 pm

Never stressed

Quote from Idkbutlike2:

What I'm wondering about the Wii U is how much more powerful it is compared the the 360 and PS3.

It's not. Like at all. It's pretty much a 360 with wit ha funky controller. Midway between PS3 and 360 at best most likely.

Quote from Prime Hunter:

Just think of how many Wii games didn't get the motion controls right in the end even after Nintendo's own first party games showed everyone how it should be done.

Which games were those exactly? I can only think of Corruption at the moment and that if that how motion controls are meant to be done I'm glad nobody else bothered.

tomatobob:

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tomatobob

2011-09-05 03:13:51 pm

Never stressed

Also the gamecube controller owns bones i don't even.

Idkbutlike2:

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Idkbutlike2

2011-09-05 03:14:13 pm

Everlasting Turquoise

The shoulder buttons on it are a bit weird, though.

tomatobob:

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tomatobob

2011-09-05 03:17:14 pm

Never stressed

I mean you could pretty much make this thread "Gamecube is the ultimate game-console" because why would anyone bother with the PS2 when there's this here Cube with a way better controller and more graphical power? Obviously developers were all over that shit.

TheGreenManalishi:

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TheGreenManalishi

2011-09-05 03:21:00 pm

The flesh is spongy and bruised

So true. If the GC hadn't been such arse in terms of marketing and developing it could have contended with the PS2 instead of losing out to Microsoft's great black slab of a Halo box. And Nintendo would not have gone down the shovelware route that it has with the DS and Wii and, inevitably, Wii U.

tomatobob:

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tomatobob

2011-09-05 03:23:11 pm

Never stressed

It's okay though they've totally got a bunch of third party support this time!

J_SNAKE:

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J_SNAKE

2011-09-05 03:28:20 pm

Quote from TheGreenManalishi:

Quote from J_SNAKE:

Gamecube's controller is the reason for Metroid-Prime's restrictive design

Gamecube controller is gold.

Gold is the reason why you cannot aim while running in Prime? :P Pick up Modern Warfare on the xbox360 and take a lesson about great controls;)

Opium:

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Opium

2011-09-05 03:30:38 pm

Servin' you realness!!

Just the other day my sweetie was telling me how he thought the GCN controller was crap, I told him that it was probably the best video game controller ever made so far.