Wii U

[metallicorphan]

I just saw that the Wii U Pro Controller is £49.99...fucking ouch!!

(Xbox 360 controller is £34.99 and Playstation Dual Shock 3 is £39.99)

[The Grue]

Having played Wii U at PAX, I will say this...it is annoying choice they made to put the right stick over the buttons on the controller.  I kept moving my hand up from the stick to press buttons and kept being horribly disappointed when they weren't there.  I'm sure I will get used to it, but you have to scratch your head at that one.

[Ridah]

Does anyone see where this is available for pre-order? It's sold out at GameStop and Best Buy, at least online...

[davidrobots]

Does anyone see where this is available for pre-order? It's sold out at GameStop and Best Buy, at least online...

You might have missed the boat. I heard that premium edition pre-orders ran out yesterday afternoon at GameStop and were expecting regular edition pre-orders to run out sometime this weekend. With Amazon not taking any pre-orders, I'm not sure there are too many other options.

[Hetz]

I believe that Toys R Us is still taking preorders....at least they were yesterday in store.

I got mine preordered at Best Buy.

[HankRaptor]

Talk about surprise, I went to gamestop this weekend to order to find out that the premium was sold out on Friday.. Heck, I wasnt concerned. I didnt think anyone even wanted one. There is almost no hype for this thing. That said, I preordered the white one.. Im still not even convinced this thing will be anything to be excited about.

Could it be they are just not making enough of these?

[Destructor]

Could it be they are just not making enough of these?

It could be that the scalper market is THAT huge for this, as everyone expects this to be a blowout hit like the Wii. Or that Nintendo is playing it conservative and just isn't making enough. Which seems odd.

[The Grue]

I went to Gamestop on Friday to get a deluxe and was told they were sold out.  Ended up getting mine from Best Buy via their web site using store delivery.  From what I've heard, that is sold out now as well.

[HankRaptor]

I think you are right Destructor, rather this is people buying them for ebay. The manager of the store told me he pre-ordered 3 just to sell them later.

[Misguided]

I think you are right Destructor, rather this is people buying them for ebay. The manager of the store told me he pre-ordered 3 just to sell them later.

A few thoughts here:

First off, I hope that manager fries for it. Reselling merchandise for a profit would absolutely cost them their job if caught.

Second, GameStop got burned big time on the 360 launch and has been much more conservative with hardware preorders since then. It is likely they are taking orders only on whatever they have been absolutely guaranteed by Nintendo for day one, and maybe less than that.

Third, in all probability (and this relates to the previous) Nintendo is promising fewer units than they can actually deliver. Among other things, this makes it look like the demand is high because preorders are selling out everywhere, makes news stories etc. They could also still be assessing how many units will be needed in Japan.

[Hetz]

Talk about surprise, I went to gamestop this weekend to order to find out that the premium was sold out on Friday.. Heck, I wasnt concerned. I didnt think anyone even wanted one. There is almost no hype for this thing. That said, I preordered the white one.. Im still not even convinced this thing will be anything to be excited about.

Could it be they are just not making enough of these?

Could be. I am really not all that excited about it. Getting it mainly for the kids, though it will be kind of cool to see Super Mario Bros in HD finally!

[HankRaptor]

Hetz, Im not that excited either.. Im just getting it for the collection...and the eventual mario and zelda games. Im really not excited at all the Wii was my least favorite console ever.

[corruptrelic]

I think the lack of DVD / blu-ray playback combined with developers saying how underpowered the Wii U is and of course it's high starting price (money saved from the lack of a HD, of course!) means I'm skipping this one.

The Wii U’s CPU is slower than those inside both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, according to a Tecmo Koei developer.

Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper producer Akihiro Suzuki admitted to Eurogamer at the Tokyo Game Show that the Wii U version of his game had a lower frame-rate and fewer on-screen enemies as a result.

"One of the weaknesses of the Wii U compared to PS3 and Xbox 360 is the CPU power is a little bit less," he said.

"So for games in the Warriors series, including Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi, when you have a lot of enemies coming at you at once, the performance tends to be affected because of the CPU.

"Dealing with that is a challenge."

[CeeKay]

Gamestop has put up a Wii U Wait List.

[CeeKay]

a new breakdown of the North American launch titles:

Publisher       Title       Launch Date

505 Games
    Funky Barn       Launch Window*

2K Sports
    NBA 2K13       Launch Window

Activision Publishing, Inc.
    Call of Duty®: Black Ops II       Nov. 18
   Skylanders Giants™       Nov. 18
   TRANSFORMERS PRIME™       Nov. 18
   Wipeout 3       Nov. 18
   007™ Legends       Launch Window
   Cabela's® Dangerous Hunts 2013       Launch Window
   Rapala® Pro Bass Fishing       Launch Window

Broken Rules
    Chasing Aurora       November

Pwnee Studios
   Cloudberry Kingdom       November

D3Publisher
    Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game       Launch Window
   Ben 10 Omniverse™       Launch Window
   Family Party: 30 Great Games®: Obstacle Arcade       Launch Window

Disney Interactive
    Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two       Nov. 18

Electronic Arts
    EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 13       Nov. 18
   Madden NFL 13       November
   Mass Effect™ 3       Launch Window

Frozenbyte
    Trine 2™: Director's Cut       November

Gaijin Games
    Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien       January

WayForward
    Mighty Switch Force HD       November

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
    TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT™ 2 Wii U Edition       Nov. 18
   TANK! TANK! TANK!™       November

Nintendo
    New Super Mario Bros. U       Nov. 18
   NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor's Edge       Nov. 18
   Nintendo Land       Nov. 18
   SiNG PARTY       Nov. 18
   Game & Wario™       Launch Window
   LEGO® City: Undercover       Launch Window
   Pikmin™ 3       Launch Window
   Wii Fit™ U       Launch Window
   The Wonderful 101™       Launch Window

SEGA
    Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™       Nov. 18
   Aliens: Colonial Marines™       Launch Window

Shin'en
    Nano Assault Neo       November

Tecmo Koei America Corporation
    WARRIORS OROCHI® 3 Hyper       Nov. 18

THQ
    Darksiders® II       Nov. 18
   JEOPARDY! ®       Launch Window
   Wheel of Fortune®       Launch Window

Tomorrow Corporation
    Little Inferno       November

Two Tribes
    Toki Tori 2       November

Ubisoft
   Assassin's Creed® III           Nov. 18
   ESPN Sports Connection™       Nov. 18
   Just Dance® 4       Nov. 18
   Rabbids® Land       Nov. 18
   Your Shape®: Fitness Evolved 2013       Nov. 18
   ZombiU™       Nov. 18
   Marvel Avengers™: Battle for Earth       Launch Window
   Rayman Legends®       Launch Window

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
    Scribblenauts™ Unlimited       Nov. 18
   Game Party Champions       Nov. 18
   Batman: Arkham City™ Armored Edition       Nov. 18

I count 5 launch day titles that I want, potentially 6 depending on what they do with BlOps 2.

[metallicorphan]

Wii U gamepad mic wont support voice chat

The Wii U GamePad may have a mic on it, but it won't support voice-chat. Instead, you'll have to use a third-party headset that plugs into the tablet-like controller.

Nintendo told Kotaku that players can use licensed stereo headsets from Turtle Beach or Mad Catz (Tritton), as no official Nintendo mic has been revealed.

What's more cumbersome is that the Pro Controller doesn't even have a port for headsets, so if you want to voice-chat in a game using one, you'll have to keep a GamePad next to you just for that.

There doesn't appear to be a wireless headset option for the system either. A spokesperson for Turtle Beach confirmed to Kotaku that all of its Wii U headsets are wired, despite the potential for wireless connections. "The Wii U supports Bluetooth and can pair with its own accessories," she explained, "but the officially licensed headsets we produce and offer are wired and designed for use directly with the tablet [GamePad]."

Only select games will support voice chat also-Black Ops 2,Ass Creed 3 and Mass Effect 3 are currently confirmed

[Lordnine]

While that is a pretty dumb decision it really doesn’t bother me much.  Nintendo consoles are for playing with friends who are in the room with you.  The idea of playing with random people online makes me cringe.

[CeeKay]

While that is a pretty dumb decision it really doesn’t bother me much.  Nintendo consoles are for playing with friends who are in the room with you.  The idea of playing with random people online makes me cringe.

yeah, online play is very low on the list for the Wii U.  most of my online play is on the PC, with the occasional console game on the 360.

[PR_GMR]

I had a chance to get my hands on the WiiU last night. I now work for Best Buy, so they just installed the display model. The new Super Mario Bros looks like all sorts of fun. The controller is big and plastic-ky; takes a bit to get used to. Of course, we won't have any in stock until mid/late December.. or even January.. so I'm not even thinking about getting one with my employee discount.

[Lordnine]

I tried the demo model today at Best Buy.  I was surprised by just how large the controller really is but was generally impressed with how responsive the touch screen was in conjunction with the main game.  The only demo that was running was Rayman Legends but it was fun. 

[CeeKay]

wow, one week to go.  haven't actually pre-ordered any titles yet because there is no word as to whether Gamestop has enough inventory to cover all their pre-orders, but I figure I can get them quickly from Amazon or locally if it does arrive on time.

[Hetz]

I picked up Assassins Creed 3 and Madden 13 at Toys R Us yesterday with their $30 off two $59 games. I am really excited about being able to play Assassins Creed 3 directly on the Gamepad, while someone else is watching TV. I think that this is one of the coolest things about the WiiU gamepad. I know not every game supports it, but the ones that do are a pretty impressive list: Call of Duty: BO2, AC3, Arkham City, Darksiders 2, Super Mario Bros U...etc...

It basically makes the WiiU the most advanced portable system on the planet!

Anyway, in addition to the games I got....I will be picking up Mario and Black Ops 2 on Sunday. I also confirmed with the manager at Best Buy that my preorder is ready to go. They got the systems in yesterday and got enough to cover all preorders (all 7 of them) plus a bunch extra.

[CeeKay]

well look at that, a charge on my bank account from Gamestop that looks oddly Wii U shaped

[Laner]

...and you thought the 360 had some significant storage overhead:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/11/why-the-8gb-wii-u-can-only-store-3gb-of-downloaded-games-and-dlc/

[EddieA]

You'd think Nintendo and Sony would want to encourage digital downloads, but they seem to be actively discouraging them with the tiny Wii U storage and the overpriced Vita memory cards.  I'm sure they want to keep the cost to make the consoles as low as possible, but this doesn't seem to be a smart way to go about it.

[Lordnine]

Wii U can at-least use just about any HD.  Hitch a nice terabyte drive to it and never have to worry about space again.

[Purge]

It doesn't interest me. I got WiiBurned.

[CeeKay]

You'd think Nintendo and Sony would want to encourage digital downloads, but they seem to be actively discouraging them with the tiny Wii U storage and the overpriced Vita memory cards.  I'm sure they want to keep the cost to make the consoles as low as possible, but this doesn't seem to be a smart way to go about it.

yeah, it's like they want to sabotage themselves.

[Destructor]

Wii U can at-least use just about any HD.  Hitch a nice terabyte drive to it and never have to worry about space again.

Exactly.

Which would you rather own? A HD from the 360 that gives you 1/4 or less the space of a drive that's the same price (think about how much 1TB laptop drives cost nowadays, and realize how much Microsoft is charging for a 250GB drive), or do like the PS3 and Wii U is doing, and let you toss in just about ANY drive you want at normal drive retail?

Frankly, I don't see a reason (if I was getting it) to get the larger storage console - just buy a nice 500GB USB drive and call it good for the system's life.

[CeeKay]

let the reviews start flowing:

Nintendo Land gets 4 out of 5 from Joystiq.

[CeeKay]

from IGN:

New Super Mario Bros. U 9.1
Nintendo Land 8.7

[Hetz]

Nintendo Land seems like it will be a nice suprise game. All the reviews have been pretty positive. Glad I got the Deluxe!

[EddieA]

Wii U can at-least use just about any HD.  Hitch a nice terabyte drive to it and never have to worry about space again.

That's true, but you'd think they'd want to expand digital downloads to people who normally wouldn't do things like attach separate hard drives.  I would think most casual users would download one game, see that it takes up most of their available space, and never download another one again.

[Lordnine]

from IGN:

New Super Mario Bros. U 9.1
Nintendo Land 8.7

Wow, it sounds like I’ve finally gotten the Super Mario World 2 I’ve always wanted!

[CeeKay]

and just got shipping notification.  I'll be seeing it on Monday, which is fine because there's a bunch of family stuff going on this weekend and knowing it would be sitting at home while I was stuck elsewhere would be annoying.  I'd probably end up saying something like 'hey, we'll see them again in a month for X-Mas, so c'mon, let's go'.

[Lordnine]

I took the Walmart Delux bundle and my order is all over the place.  Mario U is supposed to arrive tomorrow, the console itself is still processing and the pro controller has been delayed until December.

[Harpua3]

I had a chance to get my hands on the WiiU last night. I now work for Best Buy, so they just installed the display model. The new Super Mario Bros looks like all sorts of fun. The controller is big and plastic-ky; takes a bit to get used to. Of course, we won't have any in stock until mid/late December.. or even January.. so I'm not even thinking about getting one with my employee discount.

Sorry to go off topic but..how do you like working for that company? I've been considering getting a job there until I can find something in my field.

[Hetz]

Watched the Gametrailers live WiiU event yesterday and other than the moron host ("WiiU games are on Dual-Layer DVD!!!" Uhhh...no they are not. They are 25GB Blu-Ray like discs. Tekken Tag 2 is a 18GB download on the Nintendo Network, so how the heck would it fit on one disc, if it was a DVD!?!?) it was pretty cool. The controler is freaking awesome. I am really impressed with the off screen play thing.

I am really nervous though about the Day 1 system update  thing. Gametrailers revealed that it was supposed to be out on Wednesday, but it still isn't out yet. It enables all the online features like Miiverse, the e-Shop, Nintendo Network online play, etc....not exactly inspiring confidence.

[CeeKay]

more from IGN.

Scribblenauts Unlimited 8.8

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge 7.6

[metallicorphan]

Kotaku article-We're already hearing complaints about Wii U visuals