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[FearMyWrench]

Adding to the whole stability discussion, I haven't encountered any lockups since the most recent update. (about a week or two ago I think?) Before the update, I had one lockup in NSMBU and a few in Nintendo Land. Zero while using any part of the OS.

 

[Fredrik]

Adding to the whole stability discussion, I haven't encountered any lockups since the most recent update. (about a week or two ago I think?) Before the update, I had one lockup in NSMBU and a few in Nintendo Land. Zero while using any part of the OS.

Maybe the update fixed the lockups? I've had the console since the EU launch when the update was already up and played on it everyday since without a single lockup.

 

[Stiflers Mom]

I have just played NSMBU, and like the system a lot so far.

Some things could be a little bit better, but for instance, somehow I don't expect console controls to be on par with my mobile phone when it comes to UI responsiveness.

And for third party games, I have a PS3.

It's all good.

 

[radioheadrule83]

I've spent £437 so far. I hope for speed improvements to the OS, but other than that I'm very happy and have no regrets whatsoever.

My 3 year old nephew loved seeing his Mii created by photo -- I know this is something they've had since 3DS, but he was tickled pink seeing his face transform on TV. Netflix and Lovefilm are both active in the UK now and Lovefilm, in a timely fashion, have gotten rid of the streaming limits/restrictions that used to be in place (I used to only get 4-5hrs a month on my subscription, its now unlimited). I love that even apps like YTube, Netflix and Lovefilm have their own Miiverse communities, I've found myself reading posts about shows I like and discovering silly/stupid youtube videos I didn't know existed. The netflix UI is great, there's an adult mode and a kids mode. In kids mode, there's this kids TV character menu, so my nephew for example can just point at Ben-10 and away he goes.

As for the games...


NintendoLand - brilliant fun, especially with others, but even alone in the case of some minigames. Some can be played off TV (DK Crash Course for example). My 3 year old nephew was able to play the Zelda minigame with me - we kept dying of course, but that gives you an idea of how simple and accessible some of the games can be... and yet some of them are quite tough too. To best the main attractions and top your leaderboards with gold trophies you will fail and fail again. I defy any group not to laugh while playing the Mario Chase, Luigi's Mansion and Animal Crossing minigames.

NSMBU - the single player game is a good standard above recent entries in this series, and modes like challenge mode are a revelation

Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing - track design and character selection is great, the transforming craft is MK7 - but done a lot better, the online is great, has the kind of battle mode that's been sorely lacking in recent MKs, and it has off TV play.

Mighty Switch Force HD - definitive HD version of the 3DS classic, great fun beating PAR times.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - single player looks beautiful, DF article was very nitpicky in my view, and the multiplayer is flawless fun once you start to stop sucking at it! Taking a guest online and both having independent views (gamepad + TV) is amazing. While online count is still low at the moment, it's definitely the premiere online game for Wii U at the moment if you like shooters, and you can always get a full game.

ZombiU - really striking concept. I can see why the gameplay was polarising but I love it. The sound design is great: your character gets more out of breath and crazed with panic the more you swing your cricket bat... zombie heads dent inwards on impact quite a bit before you're actually able kill one, so it feels satisfyingly violent, and different types of zombies (armoured ex army / police for example) help to keep you on your toes. It's nice to see Zombies can follow you through doors (so you can barricade them), crawl and lay in wait. Aside from scripted scares, you just find yourself nervous and constantly pinging the radar on the gamepad before turning corners. The in-game messages from devs about Survivor leaders and so forth, along with the loss of your loot and a readout of how long you lasted when you die keeps you wanting to survive... and surviving isn't easy.


I also have Puddle, which is just okay. Its a game in the vein of Fluidity / HydroAdventure, but with themed world twists (ie. the liquid changes from water to weed killer, oil etc). It seems quite tough to master later on. I think Trine 2 will be my next game purchase.

The FIFA13 demo has put me off getting the game, despite being initially interested. The gamepad management menu stuff is great, off TV play would be great, but its fundamentally lacking in things that make the other versions good (skill minigames, ultimate team etc). Touching to place a shot sounds great in theory, but it just felt a bit janky to me... nothing to do with the gamepad or the screen, just the way it overlays this giant net over the touchscreen while you're still moving... I can't say I really like it.

I'm looking forward to getting the Rayman Legends demo tonight. If its the same one they had at EuroGamer and PlayExpo, I'm going to play it as much as they'll allow me to before the game launches... it will definitely be one to show off to other people as well in 2 player, its a good laugh.

 

[Lyonaz]

I'm pretty happy with my Wii U, love NSMBU and Blops2 on the gamepad. And because of HDMI I can just hook it up to my PC monitor. Now I can start on my Wii backlog more easily.

 

[Shaheed79]

Because one is a 3.5" device and one is a 9.7" device. Screen prices dropped like a large rock not too soon afterwards pushing both of those to get replaced by models with completely superior screens at the same price or less, less than a year later. We're now almost 2 years ahead. Lets not go crazy.

It's just a cheap screen but theres nothing wrong with that. No need to overdefend. Its still plenty enough to game on and whatnot but I just can't see using the non-WiiU game functions over another device with a better screen. It'd be like watching a movie on a CRT instead of a Plasma.

No need to overly criticize either. I in no way think that the Gamepad screen is perfect, but your original criticisms were not exactly fair or accurate. I was just trying to provide some perspective that A.) It was designed to be a light weight and affordable game console controller. B.) It's ppi was still better than the Apple tablet that released in 2011.

Putting that kind of screen tech into the Gamepad would have raised the price too much. Manufacturing costs should go down over the next few years, but right now, the Gamepad is still quite an expensive piece of technology, even for a full featured game controller.

 

[TheCongressman1]

Console launches being lanches...

I probably should have waited, but I couldn't resist. I just hope the games come along soon.

 

[_woLf]

I'm mostly happy with my Wii U purchase, to be honest. I do wish there were more Nintendoland attractions and online multiplayer.

I do hope more games come, though. I have faith they will.

 

[Madouu]

Maybe the update fixed the lockups? I've had the console since the EU launch when the update was already up and played on it everyday since without a single lockup.

No lock up here since I reported my last one two weeks ago I think. (2 in total since day one launch)

I don't think the update fixes them, there have been many reports post patch.

 

[dab0ne]

I upgraded my PC instead and I'm glad I did. Long story short... my wife didn't want a Wii U so we don't have one in the house. I Might get one late 2014 if they're under $200 unless there is some amazing must have game that comes out. I'm not into most nintendo franchises (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pikmin, Pokemon, Etc...) but if there is an amazing 3rd party game that comes out I might consider getting it sooner than Late 2014 early 2015.

 

[ii Stryker]

nintendo has to put their best foot forward next holiday to stave off nextbox and ps4.

nothing at launch remotely interested me, for what the system offers me the launch price point is too high, and this being their first foray into offering more modern services I knew the post launch woud be rough.

I'm more interested in what they'll have next year. That's the real launch IMO.

 

[2+2=5]

This is what happens to anyone expecting from the wiiu something different than a new wii.

Sure we got Wonderful 101 which looks sweet but but come on. That game is going to sell zero systems

Are you a gamer or a stockholder? I know that nintendo consoles sell a lot and nintendo fans are rightly happy, but isn't it exaggerated this attention to sales? We are gamers! Don't judge a console or a game by it's sales. Look at games, not at sales, and you'll be more happy or at least you'll get consoles and games that you'll like more

 

[sakipon]

No lock up here since I reported my last one two weeks ago I think. (2 in total since day one launch)

I don't think the update fixes them, there have been many reports post patch.

I've also had 2 in total, but one was after the patch.

Still, no buyers remorse here, I was ready for launch hiccups. I do expect them to put out some more stability patches soon though.

 

[dk_]

Not yet with NSMBU, Nano and ZombiU in my library. Excellent games! I don't know about the future though.

 

[TheDrowningMan]

I'm perfectly happy so far. I have the other consoles, yet I still think it's a strong launch; just because stuff like ACIII and Black Ops 2 was playable a few weeks before on other platforms, it doesn't mean they're not great games.

NSMBU is brilliant, the best, most devious Nintendo platformer in years. Zombi U is shaping up to be a great experience.

The system UI is very slow, but in MOST areas, I think the OS is promising enough to neuter the downside. It's nice to finally have a workable store on a console.

So yes, I'm pleased. 2013 might look sparse at present, but we shall see. It's often the case with ports that the new platform isn't announced until a month or two prior to release. I don't expect amazing third-party support, but something has gone badly wrong is it's as bad as Wii. There's a big opportunity for publishers to carve a niche on Nintendo platforms going forward, particularly with software they might consider atypical for the audience. I recall a port of a two and a half year old GameCube game shifting more than a million copies on Wii before everyone decided to ignore it completely, and / or take from that success that Wii owners really wanted to see action / horror games delivered in the form of the on-rails shooter. There were opportunities to help mould the user base, but they just weren't taken.

I would suggest that this rapidly dwindling collection of publishers and developers might find it works well to nurture an audience on Nintendo platforms going forward. It would be terrible if it suddenly became an absolute necessity to have that (as it was for many now departed / deeply troubled companies last gen) only to find that they'd left it too late.

I also think that Nintendo must know they need to drop the price and advertise more / refocus before it can really take of. The biggest gaming retailers in the UK (supermarkets) are barely stocking the console as yet (most stores have nothing, not even games) so either they're snubbing Nintendo or it's an intentionally soft launch.

 

[Punisher]

I've only had it for 5 days, but I have been loving it so far. I think Mario is really good and Karaoke is also very very cool.

After I finish Mario it will just turn into a Karaoke system for a while though, until some nice titles get released. I totally don't mind this too.

Why the hell would you buy 6 games ><

The OS is indeed slow, but I can manage it. Let's hope it will get faster. But I care more for the game experiences I can have on this thing.

 

[Go319]

Bought 32GB with:

NSMBU
ZombiU
AC3
Darksiders
Sonic Racing

I can say in the week i have had it, my combined total of hours the Wii U has been switched on is well under 5 hours.

And im on leave from work at the moment so its not like i dont have time, its just so....un-interesting...i literally power the system down half way through a game cuz i feel no excitement or need to finish a level even.

Weird. Been playing my 3DS mostly.

Regret being an early adopter? sure do.

I just know Intelligent Systems is working on SOMETHING for it that i will buy and validate my purchase.

 

[Xater]

I did not have high expectations for this console and they have been kind of met. my biggest issues right now are the system stability and the slow ass OS. I never intended it to play third party games. I knew fully well ahead of time that it would end up being my Nintendo player. Anyone who did not see it coming with more powerful hardware coming is a fool.

 

[blazeuk]

I'm happy with my decision to buy one. Console launches are not the best time to buy consoles, there's always some problems and there is always a lack of game releases at first - if that's not something you want to experience, waiting a year or so before buying is always the best option (the same will apply with the 720/PS4 if we see those next year).

As for games, I had no interest in buying the Wii U to get ports of games developed for the Xbox360/PS3, I'll buy those for the consoles they were designed for - the only exceptions will be if the gamepad is put to good use. These days, I buy Nintendo consoles for the exclusive titles that are released for them, that's obviously a bit scarce right now, but it will improve.

 

[Chopper]

The only "problems " I have with the system are the time it takes for Miiverse to load, the slow eShop and the weird Friends List app. Other than that, my Wii U is perfect.

Why do you keep posting this?

Cos he's hotlinking.

 

[Always-honest]

Why do you keep posting this?

 

[dark_prinny]

Why do you keep posting this?

My bad. It was just a funny gif...

Editing it.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Why do you keep posting this?

He wants us to visit stupidgifs.com

 

[dark_prinny]

He wants us to visit stupidgifs.com

LOL xD

 

[IdreamofHIME]

I love the idea of WiiU, but there is nothing on the device right now that I want. The same was true of the 3DS at launch and now I own a XL and love it.

25 years of gaming has taught me that launch periods are tough to get through.
I think what makes it even tougher is that in the past couple of years it feels like there's a new big game out every week, so if youre sitting there with a new console with limited launch titles and the other established consoles are getting a flow of choices, that can lead to hostility against your new console.

 

[ghst]

NintendoLand - brilliant fun, especially with others, but even alone in the case of some minigames. Some can be played off TV (DK Crash Course for example). My 3 year old nephew was able to play the Zelda minigame with me - we kept dying of course, but that gives you an idea of how simple and accessible some of the games can be... and yet some of them are quite tough too. To best the main attractions and top your leaderboards with gold trophies you will fail and fail again. I defy any group not to laugh while playing the Mario Chase, Luigi's Mansion and Animal Crossing minigames.

NSMBU - the single player game is a good standard above recent entries in this series, and modes like challenge mode are a revelation

Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing - track design and character selection is great, the transforming craft is MK7 - but done a lot better, the online is great, has the kind of battle mode that's been sorely lacking in recent MKs, and it has off TV play.

Mighty Switch Force HD - definitive HD version of the 3DS classic, great fun beating PAR times.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - single player looks beautiful, DF article was very nitpicky in my view, and the multiplayer is flawless fun once you start to stop sucking at it! Taking a guest online and both having independent views (gamepad + TV) is amazing. While online count is still low at the moment, it's definitely the premiere online game for Wii U at the moment if you like shooters, and you can always get a full game.

ZombiU - really striking concept. I can see why the gameplay was polarising but I love it. The sound design is great: your character gets more out of breath and crazed with panic the more you swing your cricket bat... zombie heads dent inwards on impact quite a bit before you're actually able kill one, so it feels satisfyingly violent, and different types of zombies (armoured ex army / police for example) help to keep you on your toes. It's nice to see Zombies can follow you through doors (so you can barricade them), crawl and lay in wait. Aside from scripted scares, you just find yourself nervous and constantly pinging the radar on the gamepad before turning corners. The in-game messages from devs about Survivor leaders and so forth, along with the loss of your loot and a readout of how long you lasted when you die keeps you wanting to survive... and surviving isn't easy.


I also have Puddle, which is just okay. Its a game in the vein of Fluidity / HydroAdventure, but with themed world twists (ie. the liquid changes from water to weed killer, oil etc). It seems quite tough to master later on. I think Trine 2 will be my next game purchase.

The FIFA13 demo has put me off getting the game, despite being initially interested. The gamepad management menu stuff is great, off TV play would be great, but its fundamentally lacking in things that make the other versions good (skill minigames, ultimate team etc). Touching to place a shot sounds great in theory, but it just felt a bit janky to me... nothing to do with the gamepad or the screen, just the way it overlays this giant net over the touchscreen while you're still moving... I can't say I really like it.

I'm looking forward to getting the Rayman Legends demo tonight. If its the same one they had at EuroGamer and PlayExpo, I'm going to play it as much as they'll allow me to before the game launches... it will definitely be one to show off to other people as well in 2 player, its a good laugh.

almost everything you say about every game you played is resoundingly positive. people are going to read this and learn a lot more about your critical value than they will about the console.

 

[BrLvgThrChmstry]

Even after learning about the less then stellar technical specifications and not so great third party port performances, I figured I'd give the Wii U one of those 'benefits of a doubt'. At first, I was enamored with the gamepad... tablet -- personally, it was a unique experience, being untethered from my television and operating via a small screen in my hands. AC3 was a blast to play, while BLOPS 2 took some getting use to. Felt great but once that magic wore off, I quickly began to realize that GRANTED the gamepad introduced an alternative to playing or watching content on my TV... I've already experience almost everything it has to offer or have been over the past 5-6 years? ...and not even just taking other video game consoles currently available on the market into consideration but also the other technology that I would or do use before I would ever pick up the Wii U gamepad and endure its sluggish OS (i.e. my phone, an actual tablet... hell, a laptop) -- and seriously, fuck whoever is willing to defend this BS. There is no reason I should have to go through a loading screen to reach something as simple as my settings...

I'm sure the Wii U will be home to some really great gaming experiences. The Gamecube was, the Wii (personally) not so much. I am looking forward to it's FIRST PARTY/Exclusive titles. But that's about it. Even if it is on par or slightly better than the other platforms which have been around for 6-7 years (?); it's too little, too late.

This piece of technology does not appeal to me. It doesn't have a place that hasn't already been filled nor is it a more viable alternative. And this includes other household occupants. Over the holidays, they've spent more time with it then I did and in the end... it had no appeal, no use outside of using it just to use it. As stated before, there are already things in place that are faster and even more viable.

Great system. Just not for my household.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - single player looks beautiful, DF article was very nitpicky in my view, and the multiplayer is flawless fun once you start to stop sucking at it! Taking a guest online and both having independent views (gamepad + TV) is amazing. While online count is still low at the moment, it's definitely the premiere online game for Wii U at the moment if you like shooters, and you can always get a full game.

That DF article was on the money and they detailed and specified what visual/performance issues like they do with every face-off. SP looks great but has even more FR drops than the PS3 version -- MP is the least, if at all affected in terms of performance but has an extremely small player population (90% of player occupy TDM, the other modes are ghost towns). I'm all for looking past flaws but there is no way in hell I deny what they have proven't beyond a reasonable doubt

 

[tearsofash]

Is this your first time buying a system at launch?

Snarky but true. I'm buying one and NSMBU. Hopefully there will be a Mario Galaxy follow up.

 

[Pie and Beans]

Any UK purchasers (that didnt score an almighty Amazon hiccup price) seem almost assuredly in for an Ambassador program at this rate, with a big-ass price drop maybe by June. Could be one for the record books.

 

[Boerseun]

Wii U is barely out of the gates and already a bloodthirsty throng is lining up to murder it. Come on, people, GAF IS BETTER THAN THIS. Have some patience. Sheesh!

 

[Robin64]

I purchased a Wii U and I'm having fun. Stupid Nintendo.

 

[ashrafazlan]

Wii U is barely out of the gates and already a bloodthirsty throng is lining up to murder it. Come on, people, GAF IS BETTER THAN THIS. Have some patience. Sheesh!

You should spend more time in the Vita threads. If anything GAF gets more bloodthirsty as the console ages.

 

[nubbe]

360 is like the only system with an awesome launch.

 

[BrLvgThrChmstry]

Wii U is barely out of the gates and already a bloodthirsty throng is lining up to murder it. Come on, people, GAF IS BETTER THAN THIS. Have some patience. Sheesh!

A less than positive opinion? ...you are a monster!

 

[Teletraan1]

When system launches turned into releasing broken products with suspect quality games that were pushed out for launch, followed by a huge drought I stopped buying at launch. I think I have had buyers remorse from every system I have gotten at launch post SNES. Eventually most systems ended up paying off but I always found myself thinking "Why did I need this now?" So now I wait. There are enough products on the market to hold my interest until a sufficient number of games that I am interested in getting show up. By that time launch kinks are worked out, games are flowing, the system is possibly cheaper and all these launch problems are a distant memory.

I am never buying into anything based on what a company says. I don't buy on logical assumptions. I wait for results and make an informed buying decision at that point. Anyone buying anything on Hype have nobody but themselves to blame. Does this line of thinking help these products get off the ground. No it doesn't. But that isn't my job as a consumer. It is the manufacturers job to make an appealing product. Sadly for me, these launch strategies employed do not provide an appealing product, there is just so much competition now.

 

[Electivirus]

No problems on my end. Not a single lock-up, and I'm getting a lot of enjoyment out of the hardware (OffTV play is *godly* and Miiverse is pretty rad. Being able to multitask in a way that no other console currently can is pretty neat, too) and the launch lineup (NSMBU may very well be my new favorite 2D Mario game and Nintendo Land is far better than I expected it to be). The gamepad is an incredible little piece of tech, as well. Been using mine in place of my remote since launch and it's working out pretty well. Surprisingly comfortable to hold and use, too. Definitely my new favorite controller. For my first console launch, I'm pretty satisfied so far.

 

[Currygan]

I LOVE the controller, it's seriously becoming my favourite ever
NSMBU is glorious. best fun I've had at any launch in 28 years of gaming
Nano Assault is great
Trine 2 is beautiful
LoveFilm is a fantastic app
Miiverse rocks
NintendoLand is great fun with family

no regrets here


no regrets here

 

[PaulLFC]

Any UK purchasers (that didnt score an almighty Amazon hiccup price) seem almost assuredly in for an Ambassador program at this rate, with a big-ass price drop maybe by June. Could be one for the record books.

Do we have UK hardware sales numbers for it for last week yet, with that being its first full week? Launch weekend sales were... underwhelming.

 

[Goldmund]

I LOVE the controller, it's seriously becoming my favourite ever
NSMBU is glorious. best fun I've had at any launch in 28 years of gaming
Nano Assault is great
Trine 2 is beautiful
LoveFilm is a fantastic app
Miiverse rocks
NintendoLand is great fun with family

no regrets here


no regrets here

But how can you have fun now knowing technically more advanced consoles might be out in less than a year?

 

[kikonawa]

Should have bought a ps3 and a wii

 

[Log4Girlz]

But how can you have fun now knowing technically more advanced consoles might be out in less than a year?

How can anyone have fun on an Xbox 360 now, knowing the Wii U is already out?

 

[Goldmund]

How can anyone have fun on an Xbox 360 now, knowing the Wii U is already out?

How anyone can have fun on an Xbox360 will forever be a mystery to me.

 

[Log4Girlz]

How anyone can have fun on an Xbox360 will forever be a mystery to me.

Its like being stuck in an older generation.

 

[Goldmund]

Its like being stuck in an older generation.

You mean it's like eternally living with your parents?

 

[Log4Girlz]

You mean it's like eternally living with your parents?

Worse. Living with your grandparents.

 

[Goldmund]

Worse. Living with your grandparents.

That's the Wii.

 

[TheDrowningMan]

Any UK purchasers (that didnt score an almighty Amazon hiccup price) seem almost assuredly in for an Ambassador program at this rate, with a big-ass price drop maybe by June. Could be one for the record books.

Not convinced yet, because they're not pushing it. The supermarkets, by and large, have no mention of it whatsoever outside of select branches. These are the biggest gaming retailers in the country, and should be Nintendo's largest retail constituent.

Now, if that's because they're not interested then you'll almost certainly be proven correct; it might well take a price cut to get it on the shelves of such retailers (an ominous portent for the next Sony / MS consoles). If, on the other hand, it's Nintendo holding fire and deliberately launching soft, the dynamic is different.

 

[Manmademan]

To be fair, I remember Nintendo making a big deal about courting third parties and not making the mistake they made with the Wii.

Nintendo hasn't had decent third party support since the SNES, and even THEN there were a lot of complaints about how atrocious nintendo was to deal with as a company. A nintendo console with sony levels of third party support is basically a pipe dream

 

[radioheadrule83]

almost everything you say about every game you played is resoundingly positive. people are going to read this and learn a lot more about your critical value than they will about the console.

I went in with fairly realistic expectations of every title, and had them far exceeded in some cases... the same goes for the console generally really. I expected to like the console, because I'm a Nintendo fan through and through, but I didn't expect to like Miiverse so much, or expect that I would find some family interest and utility in things like Netflix. For me, its been a worthwhile purchase.

I own a 360 and a PS3, so to be honest, I am not enamoured with things like Batman: Armored Edition, Mass Effect 3 (given trilogy is out) or Darksiders II, all of which I've already played -- but I am able to suspend my cynicism long enough to realise that actually, maybe there are still people who didn't have those consoles or for whatever reason would prefer to buy them for this console. For some people these will be serviceable and passable ports, or even of a quality where some people won't even notice their flaws. Call them blind, stupid, whatever you want -- I think the sales of an SD console barely more powerful than a Gamecube between 2006 and 2010 prove that not everybody pays as much scrutiny to these things as GAF does. I am playing Black Ops 2 right now on Wii U, and I find that all the technical analyses posted on GAF and elsewhere have been extremely nitpicky... yes there are frame drops in single player at one or two points (I find it extremely rare), but its still a very beautiful game, and the perks of Off TV Play and having an independent screen for an online guest absolutely make up for any shortcomings. I haven't played much outside of domination and general TDM when it comes to the multiplayer yet, but I've not had any problems getting games. I really hope more people pick it up - because its good!

Regarding the matter of whether the console is worth it now for most people? -- I am keenly aware that £270+ is a lot of money. I have friends who would probably be interested were the price not so high, and if the launch software outside of NSMBU were more unique/exclusive... some of them have said as much. I happened to have the money set aside already. I definitely don't regret spending it. Being critical doesn't have to mean being negative.

 

[Pie and Beans]

Do we have UK hardware sales numbers for it for last week yet, with that being its first full week? Launch weekend sales were... underwhelming.

No direct numbers, especially none from Nintendo which is a sign in and of itself, but if the percentage of bundles bought held true for the 2nd week as it did the first, you can deduce a range of sales from Nintendolands chart placement, and it aint good. Estimates are its sold like 60k including the launch and 2nd week I believe.

There was just no must-have on the system at launch, so unless you want that new gadget launch feel or simply must own the latest Nintendo, waiting for what seems like an inevitably quick price drop just seems like the smart consumer play. Especially when the other HD platforms you own have no shortage of AAA entertainment all the way up to Q2.

If, on the other hand, it's Nintendo holding fire and deliberately launching soft, the dynamic is different.

NSMB at launch, X-Factor ads, an attempt at supply constraining to get those all important SOLD OUT headlines: Nintendo was hoping for a very different reaction to their launch than what theyve got, this isnt some Xanatos Gambit. This is the 3DS UK launch situation amplified because while you could explain handheld ambivalence in the new smartphone age, a new Nintendo home HD console should have been another kettle of fish entirely. But, overpriced and lacklustre future already spells big ol price slash in 2013. Just depends how soon they want to slam the panic button or if they are infact just willing to let the UK market slip away from them.