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My first impression of a Wii U store demo unit, displeased.

A little before I launch, I saw a Wii U unit kiosk at a Target but I had no idea if it even had playable demos. I just remember a video with Reggie or something, quite possibly old Nintendo Direct footage.
 
At my Walmart there weren't even any demos. :( It was only the menu and the demos were grayed out. They don't know what the fuck they're doing (my local Walmart).

Unfortunately, it's not only Wal Mart and I was told that they were set up by Nintendo reps (not sure if this is true). Still, you would think Nintendo would be doing a much better job with the demo stations.... and the overall launch!
 

Stewox

Banned
do you stand near demo kiosks and tell everyone who uses them not to base their opinion on them as the experience is subject to change™?

I would say exactly that If i heard anyone saying something about frame-rate or a glitch. I would include the word "probably" as well. Why is this such a problem to you.

Also also I didn't yet call the local electronic chain about the demos, not sure, it's a small country here in EU and Nintendo is not directly operating here, it goes through Stadlbauer Marketing, so it may some time when stuff get focused on here, the local shop had only 1 WiiU on launch day, yes only one, and more supply wasn't going to come in for another week, and they shown me the supply computer with all the info and the supply that's coming is also one, EU has ridicolously low supply. That was an Austrian or German shop so even the upper central EU countries either don't get supply or they don't let it down.

EDIT: okay guys have to go for today ...
 
While there is a lot that sucks about he Wii U, I have to admit, playing NSMBU on the demo unit the other day made me go out and buy one, literally.

Took it home yesterday and performed the 3 HOUR UPDATE.

This would be good if all, or even most, of the demo units had NSMBU on them. I've checked 3 demo units and 2 of them didn't have a single game on them. The third only had one game...Rayman.
 
It's really hard for me to go back to non-OLED displays. Colors just ooze off of it, it's so bright and crisp. I think if I was just using the Wii U's pad exclusively I'd be ok but if I saw them side to side I think I'd see the difference. I still haven't been able to do this since I haven't gotten a Wii U but has anyone else done something like this?
 

liger05

Member
I saw a demo unit yesterday and didnt like it. I think the fact only rayman was playable is stupid. Nintendoland and NSMBU should be playable on all units.

Secondly I still think with the game pad set up as well as the wiimotes people can still mistake this for a wii with a new controller.
 
While there is a lot that sucks about he Wii U, I have to admit, playing NSMBU on the demo unit the other day made me go out and buy one, literally.

Took it home yesterday and performed the 3 HOUR UPDATE.
Seems like there is no standard to what's available to play on the wiiu demo units then.
 
it's still by far the best demo unit i've ever seen

Any demo unit that doesn't actually let you play a game (apparently most Wii U demo units -- the ones in BestBuy where you can play the sequel to the best game of last generation seems to be more the exception than the rule) is a horrible demo unit. It means that you miss the social element where people see other people playing and then want to play. It means that the demo will get less attention more of the time, because you realize you can't do anything with it and then leave after a minute of clicking around instead of sticking there for five or more minutes.

The default demo unit is horrible. At least the original Wii demo unit, which I believe was unplayable, had a video which very very clearly showed how the system is different from anything before along with a litany of quick gameplay examples from a genuine variety of different game. Here? You have to hunt and peck to see a video from each game. Boring. Crap.


Note: I just ordered a Wii U last night. I did it because I know what's coming out (and a sale appeared that I found just attractive enough to make it a value proposition — and I have a cold, which makes me weak with respect to abusing luxuries like bad food and good games). But if my only exposure to the system was the demo units, I would have put it off for a later price drop.


in before Wow, they're demoing a sequel to [GAME THAT ISN'T RAYMAN ORIGINS]?


edit:

While there is a lot that sucks about he Wii U, I have to admit, playing NSMBU on the demo unit the other day made me go out and buy one, literally.

Whoa, wait, they have playable NSMBU? Which stores?????
 

Burai

shitonmychest57
I saw a demo unit yesterday and didnt like it. I think the fact only rayman was playable is stupid. Nintendoland and NSMBU should be playable on all units.

Secondly I still think with the game pad set up as well as the wiimotes people can still mistake this for a wii with a new controller.

Indeed. The way they've set it up it makes it look like a tablet that can launch items from the Wii menu and control compatible software. Making the demo unit the same colour as 99% of Wiis in the wild rather than black to at least attempt to differentiate is really stupid too.
 

saunderez

Member
This is reminding me about my first experience with a Nintendo 64. I went to a Boat Show with my parents and at the Kawasaki stand there was some jet ski game running on a huge CRT. I quickly realised it was Wave Race running on the yet to be released in Australia Nintendo 64. I was so blown away it was all I could think of for months and I hadn't even seen Mario 64 yet. I find it hard to believe the Wii U demo station could illicit the same excitement to kids today which is a bit sad.
 
There may be a bit of crazy in this thread.

Perhaps more than a bit. Whoa.


On topic, I've run into the no-demo kiosk (WTF?), and one with the Rayman demo. It pretty much confirmed my distaste for the console. The tablet screen is sub par, and the back and forth play of Rayman is not what I'm looking for at all.
 

Nibel

Member
There is no good way to demo the Wii U since it's biggest strength is being a social console that is enjoyed the best with additional players

But how to sell that? Their marketing is completely fucked up, maybe they should put Nintendo reps next to every kiosk, dunno :lol
 

Pociask

Member
I will say my only Wii U kiosk unit was one of the early ones at Best Buy. I kept trying over and over again to play Rayman Legends before giving up. My thought at the time was the demo unit only played videos. I was mainly looking to see how the Gamepad felt in my hands, and how the screen looked, and I was impressed by both, but seriously - why couldn't I even play the game? I kept selecting a level over and over again, with nothing happening. It was very frustrating.

Also, why did Nintendo showcase their new system with a game that's not even for sale yet? Shouldn't the demo be a reason to buy now-now-now?
 

noobasuar

Banned
It's really hard for me to go back to non-OLED displays. Colors just ooze off of it, it's so bright and crisp. I think if I was just using the Wii U's pad exclusively I'd be ok but if I saw them side to side I think I'd see the difference. I still haven't been able to do this since I haven't gotten a Wii U but has anyone else done something like this?

Yeah of course OLED is going to win out over anything but I was pleasantly surprised with the Wii U screen and that might have something to do with it being bigger than the Vita screen and also because its HD visuals in your hands. Yeah Vita is pretty strong but obviously can't compare to the Wii U.
 
There is no good way to demo the Wii U since it's biggest strength is being a social console that is enjoyed the best with additional players

But how to sell that? Their marketing is completely fucked up, maybe they should put Nintendo reps next to every kiosk, dunno :lol

I think the reason that it doesn't demo well is precisely the problem with the overall vision of the platform itself. It offers lots of possibilities. And that flexibility is a strength and of itself. However, it doesn't really facilitate an easy answer to the question of "what the hell is the point of this thing?" It can do lots of different things. But it can't do them all at once.

Is the strength off-TV play via the GamePad? Or is it using the GamePad as a second touch screen that complements what's on the TV? Because it can't be both. Or is it primarily useful for asymmetrical multiplayer? Or is it a "go anywhere" multimedia device? If so, are there plans to improve the range?

The ability to be any of these things is great. But not one of these really leaps out as being truly the focal point. There's nifty possibilities. But nothing that ties it all together and brings it all together. Particularly when some of the benefits are mutually exclusive in that you can offer off-TV play, or you can offer interface innovation ala ZombiU. But you can't do both simultaneously.
 
Yeah of course OLED is going to win out over anything but I was pleasantly surprised with the Wii U screen and that might have something to do with it being bigger than the Vita screen and also because its HD visuals in your hands. Yeah Vita is pretty strong but obviously can't compare to the Wii U.

I didn't have my Vita with me so I couldn't compare directly, but the Gamepad screen wasn't bad, its definetly one of the better LCD screens Ive seen.
 

Oersted

Member
It's really hard for me to go back to non-OLED displays. Colors just ooze off of it, it's so bright and crisp. I think if I was just using the Wii U's pad exclusively I'd be ok but if I saw them side to side I think I'd see the difference.

Wait two years.
 

bachikarn

Member
There is no good way to demo the Wii U since it's biggest strength is being a social console that is enjoyed the best with additional players

But how to sell that? Their marketing is completely fucked up, maybe they should put Nintendo reps next to every kiosk, dunno :lol

So why did they call it Wii U?
 

Nibel

Member
So why did they call it Wii U?

ihq4W1PKCjrYM.png
 

DarkFlow

Banned
Exactly, his basing his OWN opinion on his OUTDATED kiosk impressions and kiosk effectiveness to OTHER casualer people. Total clusterfuck. Sorry.

And he knows better, making a big deal about something totally not important, isn't particularly healthy since it spreads false information and dilutes the internet and others may take the unnecessary bait, so I had to act accordingly.

I'm glad you were here to save all us uninformed people. What would we ever do without you, your Nintendo Holiness?
 

Moegames

Banned
Sadly I have to report a bad Wii U launch in Belgium...stacks and stacks of Wii U systems (basic+deluxe) being ignored by the shopping masses. Doesn't look good :(

I called it before the Wii U even launched and exactly what i stated was this..that the Wii U will fail in comparison of the original Wii because a big chunk of those that bought Wii's...all the mom's, dad's, uncle's, aunt's, grandma's, grandpa's, younger children and all the facilities such as retirement homes, community centers,etc were a good portion of the reason why the original Wii took off like it did..it was basically Fad more than a traditional type console..i may not be using the correct wording here but my point is is that half of all the people that jumped on the original wii bandwagon simply aren't there this time around..they had their thrill with the original wii and it *wii u* is not going to be anything like the original wii in terms of popularity..i had stated this months before the system launched. Just like i was one that stated when the original will was flying off shelves like the latest and greatest fad that it would fade away eventually...i had so many nintendo fanboys bite my head off for saying that, mocking me, calling me crazy, saying i didnt know what i was talking about ....but yet my prophetic calling came lol ... now where is the wii at in popularity? It's dead and the Wii U will only be something for the hardcore Nintendo fans...i am not saying that the average joe will not buy the Wii U...yes it'll sell some systems but its going to be small...as in GameCube type sales...this is about where i see (sales wise) the Nintendo Wii U doing in its life cycle. I am not comparing wii u to gamecube but only by sales standpoint. Heck it may not even do gamecube type sales imho

Its a shame too, Nintendo should of jumped back into really competing with the upcoming "true" next gen consoles. Everyone that buys the Wii U will get so tired of it quickly because of how long these current gen cycle consoles has been going on...longer than any generation in the past now..we are reaching..7-8 years now with these current consoles... are Wii U buyers really going to be happy with basically a current gen console for another 6-7 years?

Once next gen consoles drop - it is going to totally make the Wii U obsolete imho. Hate to say it but graphics do make a difference especially when we are talking about Wii U having graphic capabilities of consoles that are on their 7-8th year now..again, only the hardcore nintendo fanboy will buy a Wii U and you'll have some average consumer sales during holiday seasons,etc increase with the Wii U and maybe some of Nintendo's own in-house games like Mario,etc but overall its just simply not going to be popular at all.

Its time for Nintendo to go back to the drawing board when it comes with their console division..simply put, they screwed up this time by going the same route as they did with the wii for the most part besides the controller with a LCD screen on it.
 

Fox Mulder

Member
A little before I launch, I saw a Wii U unit kiosk at a Target but I had no idea if it even had playable demos. I just remember a video with Reggie or something, quite possibly old Nintendo Direct footage.

The one at the target near me didn't have any demos. It was the laziest console kiosk I've seen, and it did nothing to help push a sale. I just used the opportunity to hold the gamepad.

I bought one at launch without being able to even play a game on it.
 
How about we critique kiosks for everything? Yes, it's dumb Nintendo mostly has videos in their kiosks right now but crappy kiosks loaded with unhelpful filler are not uncommon.

Please list what we can or cannot critique for future threads.

Just because you don't like something, does not make it trolling. That is the most pedestrian complaint that honestly says "stop posting things I don't like".

Try to keep this in mind, and in the future you can choose to avoid this.
 

Azriell

Member
My only demo unit impression was a few months at a Gamestop. Rayman was already running, and I played for just a few minutes before passing it to my wife. She plays games on rare occasion, so it was important to me to gauge her reaction.

We were both a little confused as to which screen to focus on. Over the course of our very short shared demo, it didnt seem to matter (except for one moment). My wife came away impressed, but I was unsure.

I can see how OP was dissatisfied, although I'm sure I would have been more curious/intrigued than displeased. Although it's not the point of this thread, I do have to say that my wife got me one for Christmas and I'm loving it.
 

saunderez

Member
Please list what we can or cannot critique for future threads.

Just because you don't like something, does not make it trolling. That is the most pedestrian complaint that honestly says "stop posting things I don't like".

Try to keep this in mind, and in the future you can choose to avoid this.
The lengths some people go through to stifle debate on here astounds me sometimes.
 

Stewox

Banned
Well I found somemore time today.

I'm glad you were here to save all us uninformed people. What would we ever do without you, your Nintendo Holiness?

I certainly found humor in this whole thing, the way it sound, i'll admit these but bottom line is that i had nothing bad in heart, and you see most of the thread also saying demo kiosks are a joke.

We also (should) know for a fact that nintendo iwata said they won't be including all features at the launch because of effect of consumers being overwhelmed and a bunch of other reasons they probably didn't say.(saving for later)

About sales, i think the speculation-thread consensus was that it won't sell as much as wii but not as low as GCN also, taking a bigger chunk of core audience is a big difference too.
 
Well I found somemore time today.



I certainly found humor in this whole thing, the way it sound, i'll admit these but bottom line is that i had nothing bad in heart, and you see most of the thread also saying demo kiosks are a joke.

We also (should) know for a fact that nintendo iwata said they won't be including all features at the launch because of effect of consumers being overwhelmed and a bunch of other reasons they probably didn't say.(saving for later)

About sales, i think the speculation-thread consensus was that it won't sell as much as wii but not as low as GCN also, taking a bigger chunk of core audience is a big difference too.

I'm saying this not to attack but to inform.

You came off with all your responses to this as a bit crazed.
 

IrishNinja

Member
i was so happy when i saw a demo unit at best buy near my place, like a week or two before release - mostly videos, but they had the Rayman Legends demo. i was trying to tilt the pad to get past the wheel part, and multiple employees started watching me, i'm assuming they thought i was trying to jack said controller. pretty awkward at the time, but funny looking back at it

So why did they call it Wii U?

because cross-marketing with the WU, why wont you people listen
 

Donnie

Member
Unfortunately I haven't seen any WiiU demo stations here in the UK yet. Though to be fair I haven't actually walked into a proper game store for the last couple of weeks.

BTW very clever putting "displeased" in the title, you'll get many more hits that way :D Not suggesting you're a troll at all, just saying.
 
Post-purchase rationalization makes people go crazy defensive it seems...

I tried a demo kiosk pre-release. Metroid Blast using a Wiimote and Chase Mii with the pad. Metroid Blast didn't really strike me as anything special. Chase Mii was more fun and interesting - but it certainly didn't seem like system selling function.
iwata said they won't be including all features at the launch because of effect of consumers being overwhelmed and a bunch of other reasons they probably didn't say.(saving for later)
lol. It couldn't be that they just weren't ready for launch. PR hook, line, and sinker.
 

Stewox

Banned
Nah it wasn't that serious from here. It's just more that I get philosophical and want to get to the bottom of it. When I start i tend to do it wright and good, i wouldn't feel comfortable doing a half-baked explanation. There were numerous occasions when i just avoided it, didn't had enough time or research.

Don't worry though, no sleep was lost, no girlfriends pissed, no bodies left unready.

If I ever come to making games, expect commitment to quality, but im not a good story guy. I'm big on options and customization.

Post-purchase rationalization makes people go crazy defensive it seems...

Just to be sure, I didn't bought it yet.
 

Yagharek

Member
I wish we had Wii U demo pods where I live (a regional town). A lot of issues the OP raises as well as things like battery life/lockups/loading times/surround sound compatibility and PAL transfers of VC content/resolution etc all concern me, and I was/am a massive fan of what Wii did in its lifecycle.

At this stage I'm going to have to wait and see until I can either play a demo unit or at a friends place.
 
When I recently tried the Rayman Demo at a kiosk, the one thing that really stood out was the contrast of quality between the main screen and the pad. It was almost night and day, especially the color saturation. But this was because I was making a direct comparison, and because the main screen looked so good. If it was just the pad, I would think the quality was ok.

Exactly, his basing his OWN opinion on his OUTDATED kiosk impressions and kiosk effectiveness to OTHER casualer people. Total clusterfuck. Sorry.

And he knows better, making a big deal about something totally not important, isn't particularly healthy since it spreads false information and dilutes the internet and others may take the unnecessary bait, so I had to act accordingly.

You have to be a joke poster.
 

fernoca

Member
My first impressions with the demo unit were like:
-Meh!
-Rayman looks pretty
-No more demos? Just clips and pictures?
-Hmm..controller's bigger than I thought.
-Hmm..controller's more comfortable than I thought.
-Touch screen looks quite nice, sharp and clean. Barely to no pressure needed to swap pages/stuff...nice!

Flash forward to 2 weeks ago. I had a ton of games I wasn't playing, and stores around here had them in stock..so, why not? plus Gamestop had an offer on which they were giving more to PowerUp members (like $25 for the Sly Collection I paid $15 for :p) Got a deluxe with the included Nintendoland, Zombi U, Scribblenauts and digitally: Nano Assault and Little Inferno. (among other things)

Firmware update downloaded in around an hour back then (which was way faster than I was anticipating) and in no time I was creating my HD Mii. :p

Overall, I'm pleased. Ordered a shell and screen protector for the controller, slapped it on the controller yesterday and now, I'll be playing more. Miiverse's integration is cool and the overall stuff with message boards and posting pitures is really nice. Heck, I've had more people replying/liking stuff I post in there; than on my own Facebook. XD
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
I thought machine was adequate for the price. The screen on the tablet didn't really impress me, definitely nowhere near as screen on Vita or Iphone 5, but again for the price of the total machine I thought it was fine. Only thing that really felt archaic was the pressure based touch screen.
 
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