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[brochiller]

Or you could control your expectations. I've played every Nintendo console since the Nintendo 64 prior to launch at stores, demo stations, events.. and it never ruined anything for me.

Yep same here. I've been debating whether or not to try it out before launch day since I did pre-order it, but it's never hurt me in the past. I still remember playing Luigi's Mansion before the Gamecube came out. That was the only time I can ever remember not wanting to leave a K Mart.

 

[ActStriker]

Just played the Rayman Legends demo at a mall. I have small-ish hands, and the controller felt great. I didn't think the controller would be as wide, but overall it felt light. Screen felt and looked good. Makes me really want a white one even though I pre ordered the deluxe

I wish there were more demos though. Kind of a waste of a button when its only lit for one game

 

[lazybones18]

Finally tried the system out at a Best Buy. The gamepad was very comfortable with my hands. I think my hands were just the right size for it. Didn't have anyone else with me so I played the Rayman demo solo.

Managed to try out both stages. Touchpad screen controls worked fine. Some areas I had trouble with when it came to tilting the gamepad itself, but it wasn't overly frustrating. Everything looked great on the HDTV and on the gamepad screen itself. Overall, fun demo.

Won't be getting the Wii U when it comes out but will be paying attention to what it has in store for the near future

 

[MiamiWesker]

Anyone see any of these in Miami? I have been out of town getting back today and I want to try one.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

tried one out the other day... I must say "DAT CONTROLLER" I instantly fell in love with it. It was super comfy and the screen was a lot better then I thought it was going to be.

I want one.

some of the funnest gaming moments from last gen came from playing NSMBwii, Kirby and DKCR with the wife.

If Nintendo can keep that up I will be in for one around Christmas. Maybe.

 

[brinstar]

I got to finally try one today. Well technically I got to play NSMBU at New York Comic Con, but I had to use the Wiimote so it was basically the same thing as NSMBW. Anywho~

After taking a sec to adjust to how BIG the controller is I gotta say I'm impressed with how light and comfy it is. Nothing felt out of reach or weird. My biggest concern was the placement of the right stick, but once you hold the pad in your hands it makes sense.

I got to play Rayman Legends which was really fun but I felt the gamepad features were kind of... unnecessary? In multiplayer I could see how they'd be really awesome, especially on harder levels. The part where you have to move and slide platforms Rayman is on while destroying the lava eyeball things was really fun. But in single player they just felt like they kind of interrupted the pacing of the stage.

But aside from that, I guess here's another positive impression to toss in. Can't wait to pick mine up.

 

[PhoenixDawn]

Still no best buys or gamestops in the area with Wii U demo stations. They all have had up posters and ads for the Wii U but still have the crappy old wii demo spots set up with little sign of removing them...

 

[abstract alien]

Still no best buys or gamestops in the area with Wii U demo stations. They all have had up posters and ads for the Wii U but still have the crappy old wii demo spots set up with little sign of removing them...

What city are you in?

 

[PhoenixDawn]

What city are you in?

Minneapolis. I kinda figured it was a major enough city for them to have displays but out but apparently not, haha. Last time I checked was this Monday, probably going to go check around on Friday to see if they've finally gotten their displays out.

 

[Smashing Drive]

for you guys who've played it. Was the controller screen good enough to play on just the controller I mean without a TV?

 

[antonz]

Still no best buys or gamestops in the area with Wii U demo stations. They all have had up posters and ads for the Wii U but still have the crappy old wii demo spots set up with little sign of removing them...

I think it comes down to the Nintendo Agent in the area. My Best Buy has like a 10 foot by 10 foot Wii U Coming Soon light up sign on the wall and the ends are in place advertising the Wii U but there's nothing hardware wise and word was Nintendo said their agent had to hook it up not best buy employees

 

[KojiKnight]

I think it comes down to the Nintendo Agent in the area. My Best Buy has like a 10 foot by 10 foot Wii U Coming Soon light up sign on the wall and the ends are in place advertising the Wii U but there's nothing hardware wise and word was Nintendo said their agent had to hook it up not best buy employees

My best buy hasn't even had that (wall o Wii U ads). Bah our gamestop doesn't have it either and neither have any clue on when it's happening.

 

[emb]

I almost got to play one earlier. I walk in and it's being set up. I'm expecting to get to play it in a few minutes. I walk around play PS All Stars and other demos for about 45 minutes, and finally have to leave. Tomorrow probably though.

The lady setting it up seemed really frustrated. Before leaving, I asked if I could mess with it while she was setting up the rest of the display stuff, and she looked all serious and said "No! If you touch it I'll have to kill myself". She laughed about it by the end of the conversation, but apparently putting it all together was a terrible experience.

*sigh*

 

[CoilShot]

I think I've decided to avoid the demo stations. I have mine paid for and I don't seem to need to worry about anything since reviews and impressions sound great so far. I'll let my first time playing it be in my living room.

I'm going to do this also

 

[Czigga]

I almost got to play one earlier. I walk in and it's being set up. I'm expecting to get to play it in a few minutes. I walk around play PS All Stars and other demos for about 45 minutes, and finally have to leave. Tomorrow probably though.

The lady setting it up seemed really frustrated. Before leaving, I asked if I could mess with it while she was setting up the rest of the display stuff, and she looked all serious and said "No! If you touch it I'll have to kill myself". She laughed about it by the end of the conversation, but apparently putting it all together was a terrible experience.

*sigh*

Haha. Yeah, I'm kind of dreading packing up the Wii U for family functions. Thing is gonna be a bitch to hookup / unhook.

 

[Preble]

So anyone know if Nintendo is gonna do a mall tour from Wii U and if so which malls?

 

[ActStriker]

Even though I have one on pre order I went out to find a demo station just to satisfy my curiosity.

for you guys who've played it. Was the controller screen good enough to play on just the controller I mean without a TV?

It looked good enough to me, but granted I was playing Rayman and not a 3D game.

 

[antonz]

So anyone know if Nintendo is gonna do a mall tour from Wii U and if so which malls?

NOA site teases a tour but its been like that since the September 13th event

 

[Preble]

NOA site teases a tour but its been like that since the September 13th event

Alright cool. Hoping one come to my mall. We got a Vita mall tour last year.

 

[walking fiend]

Apparently I have won a ticket for me and my companion [which will be myself! because I didn't know what to fill at that moment] for the demo in Koln [Germany].

For those who have tried the console, is it worth a 6 hour round trip?! Considering that probably I won't get to play Legends or Wonderful 101 at all [they weren't in the list of games that asked to say which I'd like to play]

 

[jerd]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCy_we9GEjs

Lighting, texture work, framerate: all preserved. The screen looks quite nice, lets move on

Impressed by the responsiveness of the touch screen to taps with the finger in this video. I was worried that the stylus was going to be required for any kind of accuracy or consistent input response.

 

[Comandr]

Just got home from Best Buy with my hands on impressions.

1) Rayman Legends looks astounding. It's like watching artwork in motion. I personally found the image quality to be very good. Everything is crisp and colorful.

2) The controller was much wider than I expected it to be, but it didn't feel awkwardly large at all. In fact, I was very surprised by how comfortably it fit and felt in my hands. I was a little skeptical about the XABY button placement and the right analog stick, but they worked pretty well. It DOES feel like they designed it with dual-analog first in mind, and left-analog & buttons second. While my right thumb could reach the buttons easily from their natural position while holding the controller, I did feel inclined to move right hand down slightly to hold the controller slightly asymmetrically to give myself better access towards the buttons. Overall, it was really a non issue. Before I knew it, I had adjusted in one way or another and I was running and jumping like it I'd been doing it forever.

3) For anyone still living under a rock, the ZL and ZR trigger buttons are completely digital. There is no "give" as some people have been saying. They depress because they are digital buttons. They only "give" about as much as any standard face button does on today's controllers.

4) The GamePad's touch screen is beautiful. The image is crisp and clear, and looks great. Extremely responsive with or without a stylus. I could not personally discern any input lag whatsoever in my average gameplay. Speaking of the screen, the quality difference is noticeable between the GamePad screen and the actual television that they have set up. That's because you're going from a big 1080p image and then immediately looking down at a standard definition image on the controller. Of course the difference will be jarring when you compare them side by side. However, that doesn't mean that the GamePad's screen doesn't look incredible in its own right.

5) The rumble feature in the GamePad is extremely minor. Feels like Wii Remote feedback or cell phone vibration. A far cry from the force feedback from DualShock 3 or 360 controller.

From a hardware standpoint, between the build and image quality of the controller, the ergonomics of it, I'm very impressed and excited.

 

[StickSoldier]

for you guys who've played it. Was the controller screen good enough to play on just the controller I mean without a TV?

Well when I played it, the Gamestop I was in had sun glaring all over the screen, but from what I could tell the screen on the gamepad didn't do the game justice at all compared to the TV. I mean you could see fine but the colors seemed a little washed out honestly.

 

[boiled goose]

Tried the demo station at Gamespot today.

-The pad was very nice. Definitely has that 'wow' factor that makes people want to touch it like a ipad.
-The pad was larger than expected in person (not in a bad way)
-buttons and sticks felt nice, but placement not perfect
-despite the handles, the controller does not melt in your had like the wavebird, CCpro, or 360 controller do. the handles dont quite fall in the right place for me (i have smallish-medium sized hands)
-The shoulder buttons required some slight adjustment from the most natural holding position to reach comfortably. Feel different from ccpro/360 where middle and index finger fall on the triggers and gamecube where only index falls on triggers.
-screen was very responsive to finger taps.
-screen seems nice and big, but could not test it with a game or video playing on it.
-pad seemed a bit heavy with the harness, but seems that the actual pad is very light.

The graphics of the videos and rayman demo did not seem particularly impressive or clean. Definitely on par with current gen (for the games on the station)

 

[DDayton]

I saw another demo unit today with an interesting quirk -- the demo station was running perfectly on the controller, but the main screen was black with a frozen white cursor in the bottom left corner.

Again, the demo unit was -running- on the controller, but the image to the screen was "out".

The cashier unplugged and then plugged the unit back in, and everything was fine -- I was just surprised to see the "video to TV" frozen while the system was still happily running.

 

[Shining Sunshine]

You've had a year of journalists and gaffers who have played and used the thing in person saying the screen looks amazing. Then 2 gaffers come in and go, yeah the screen was ugly and sucked, and your freaking out.

Learn to temper both the good and the bad responses and find a middle ground.

It's okay. It's not fantastic.

It's nowhere near the standards that phones are getting.

 

[abstract alien]

Was it just me, or did the demo station's display seem...I don't know, weird? At times, it was fine, but during some of the sections on the Rayman music level, it didn't seem to move as smooth, though it looked more like the set was slightly ghosting than the game itself screwing up. Could have just been me though, who knows.

 

[raven777]

I went to local gamestop today and they had the demo station. I played around 5 minutes only because I didn't have time.

Rayman looked gorgeous in big TV screen.


I noticed that gamepad's display had very poor color compared to the TV. Did anyone else feel this way? It really felt washed out. I was wondering if it was the problem with the demo I played with.

 

[ShabbadooJr]

Still no demo stations at any of my local Gamestops or Best Buys. Disheartening. I want to play it!

 

[FeedMeAStrayCat]

I almost got to play one earlier. I walk in and it's being set up. I'm expecting to get to play it in a few minutes. I walk around play PS All Stars and other demos for about 45 minutes, and finally have to leave. Tomorrow probably though.

The lady setting it up seemed really frustrated. Before leaving, I asked if I could mess with it while she was setting up the rest of the display stuff, and she looked all serious and said "No! If you touch it I'll have to kill myself". She laughed about it by the end of the conversation, but apparently putting it all together was a terrible experience.

*sigh*

Why do all the women say that to me?! sigh

 

[Hobby]

Was it known that there's a reset button on the demo stations? Apparently it takes a little over 10 seconds to reboot when you reset it.

And here's a nice shot of the menu.

 

[advancegrant]

There was a station set up at my local Target, but the screen on the Wii U controller already had 3 big scratches (deep) in it. I think they put it in yesterday....

None of the games were playable - only movies, but it was nice to hold the controller and get a feel for its weight.

 

[EvilMario]

There was a station set up at my local Target, but the screen on the Wii U controller already had 3 big scratches (deep) in it. I think they put it in yesterday....

None of the games were playable - only movies, but it was nice to hold the controller and get a feel for its weight.

I feel so bad for demo units. Especially ones like the 3DS where the screen has been scratched with nails, or quarters, or something and you can barely make anything out.. and of course the 3D doesn't work in that case. It's like some people see something shiny and must destroy it on sight.

 

[Pineconn]

Why do all the women say that to me?! sigh

 

[robertlebrone]

I noticed that gamepad's display had very poor color compared to the TV. Did anyone else feel this way? It really felt washed out. I was wondering if it was the problem with the demo I played with.

I've been able to tell from pretty much every video I've seen of the controller that it looked washed out. I thought that was pretty evident to everyone.

 

[chronos4590]

I played it at NY Comic Con as well As a gamestop today so I'll post my General Impression.
Gamepad:
As most people have said already, its a lot lighter than it looks and very comfortable. Buttons feel just right and the sticks feel just right, Way better than the Wii nunchuk sticks that's for sure. The touch screen is better than I expected. Way better than whats on the 3ds in terms of touch responsiveness and the screen itself feels very solid.There will be noticeable difference from looking at an HD tv and to the Pad screen of course but the screen looks good regardless. Certainly better than 3ds and DS like some others have said in the thread. Gamepad to TV looked 1:1. Gamepad did not look like it was lagging at all. No stutter and didn't look like it was falling behind the TV. Very impressed

Ninja Gaiden 3: Felt like a whole Different game. AI was significantly better. They were getting pretty viscous at least in comparison to OG NG3. Ryu felt way more responsive as well and combat was smoother, None of that QTE stuff for basic combat but Diving and Kunai Climbing is still the same of course. Definitely the game it should've been.

Nintendo Land: Was surprisingly Crisp visually( at least IMO)and very bright in most areas. The Ninja Star game was Cute, pretty fun arcade like game. Metroid Blast was pretty basic but also pretty neat too. I thought the game would be disastrous but it was left me with a smile on my face and a good time.

Rayman: I played as Rayman with the controller pro which felt wonderful BTW, and Played with somebody who looked like he was press from somewhere on the gamepad but anyway. Very Gorgeous looking game. Runs Smoothly and some of the puzzles we some fun and designed very well.
^ Which times into my gamestop visit today

Today I played it on the Pad. I started out as The Barbarian girl controlling her with it but as soon as a touch input was needed I couldn't switch back to Murphy. Same issuie that was apparently resolved in Nintendo Powers Last play through [ The Demo i think we get is the E3 one so hopefully that is fixed or they've made some major changes to that aspect. The idea is great but for single player, they need to give us options at the very least.
The Menu Screen they had loaded up looked nice. Games in row on the gamepad with a description on the TV with box art. When you clicked to see a trailer, the System did not stutter a beat. It went right into it lightning fast. Makes me wonder if that's a testament to the Systems OS. Same for when I went to start up the Rayman Demo. Went right into it super fast. and Going from level to level or level to menu in the game seemed insanely fast. Overall I can't wait for it. Very excited

 

[KDash31987]

I just got back a little while ago from playing the Wii U at a local GameStop in Central Florida (Hunters Creek, 2101 Town Center Blvd, Orlando, FL 32837, next to a Target).

Impressions:

Gamepad: It's incredibly light, and pretty comfortable. The button/analog stick placement seems a bit weird, but it's not a problem.
The screen was really nice. Bright, colorful, and responsive. There is a noticeable difference in resolution from the TV to the gamepad, but nothing huge, I'd say. Very nice overall. It also feels really sturdy and durable. It probably won't break easily.

Rayman Legends: Beautiful. Gorgeous 2D art, possibly better than Rayman Origins, and the little 3D parts (like that dragon) looked nice and clear. The sections with Murphy were a joy to play, more so than I was expecting. No delay in my actions, and I didn't have to put much pressure on the screen to do any of it. It was brilliant. The tilt controls took a moment to get used to, though. Hah.
The gamepad also performed well during the non-touch screen sections. I had no problem playing through the Black Betty section, which was a lot of fun by the way. Basic controls were great. It played just as well as Origins.

There was a guy at GameStop that got all excited when he saw me play it, and he turned the volume way up during the Black Betty section. It was awesome. Hah.

Pictures:

 

[Deband]

Any word about UK shops getting demo stations?

 

[Krabboss]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCy_we9GEjs

Lighting, texture work, framerate: all preserved. The screen looks quite nice, lets move on

Somebody tell the man playing that when you are playing a Mario game, you must always hold down the run button. Always. It's been a while since I've seen somebody so terrible at a Mario game.

 

[TriGen]

Somebody tell the man playing that when you are playing a Mario game, you must always hold down the run button. Always. It's been a while since I've seen somebody so terrible at a Mario game.

Just watched it -- and you're right. I'm not one to usually comment on how good someone is at a game, but still, I've never seen someone move so slow.

 

[Uncle0wnage]

I noticed that gamepad's display had very poor color compared to the TV. Did anyone else feel this way? It really felt washed out. I was wondering if it was the problem with the demo I played with.

yeah, it's really noticeable when you look from one to the other. The pad's screen is washed out and less vivid than the tv output, but the resolution is actually quite good. I wish there had been an option to watch the videos on the pad.

 

[Big Papa Husker]

I stopped by a Gamestop in Omaha over lunch and Fedex was rolling in a huge box pallet that was the WiiU demo station. I will have to check it out after work and see how it is.

 

[Jomjom]

Rayman was pretty awesome but man that gamepad felt cheap as hell. It felt like a fisher price ipad.

Also the analog sticks will definitely not do for fps or action games. Any serious gamer will have to pick up the 360 like controller.

 

[Raitosaito]

Well, someone stole the WiiU at the Cerritos gamestop.

 

[Berg]

Well, someone stole the WiiU at the Cerritos gamestop.

I'm sure it's just a brick by now.

 

[Coldnoodle]

Well, someone stole the WiiU at the Cerritos gamestop.

:loooool Nintendo probably installed a self-destruct mechanism.

 

[adroit]

Well, someone stole the WiiU at the Cerritos gamestop.

There's dumb, dumber, and dumbest. And then there's the guy who stole the Wii U demo at the Cerritos GameStop.

 

[Amir0x]

I played the WiiU extensively at NYCC, so I'll just post my impressions from there

Zombie U: First my experience was waiting on line and finally getting to a unit, only for me to have to wait 15 minutes while the attendant tried to get the system to work again as it froze like three dozen times and she kept resetting it only for it to keep getting stuck at the title screen. So I went to another line. This game looked like a mid-tier 360 title, with a pretty engaging atmosphere in motion.

The gunplay, though, seemed like a rather low level FPS without the strategic depth to really pull you back in, like a Halo or even a Left 4 Dead. That said, it's kind of difficult to know just how much thought you'll need to put into what you bring with you because there wasn't much time to play. I thought the screen utilization was as advertised, but the game wasn't very hard what I played and so I didn't get the fabled tension yet. I can see how it might be, though, later on, as things get crazy.

The multiplayer was actually the highlight, but it was only really special when you were the king of the zombies. Otherwise it just felt like a typical FPS multiplayer game but with mediocre FPS mechanics. Unfortunately this is worthless for me personally since there is no online version of this, and I won't be playing in-person with anyone. Most of my friends and family have moved on from gaming ages ago, or don't like to play Nintendo products.

Pikmin 3 - It was Pikmin. As I have said, you can definitely tell its Wii roots. It looks and feels like a hi res last gen game with a few next-gen graphical tricks/shaders. Like a first gen 360 game or something, so this remains supremely disappointing. The other thing is that I really REALLY miss the cool item descriptions/types of Pikmin 2, the humor isn't as obvious in this one and I can really feel it.

That aside, it plays like Pikmin and it plays extremely well. The Rock Pikmin are interesting but I'll have to wait and see how much they'll contribute to the depth of the series since they weren't utilized in any really special fashion during the demo. This remains my most anticipated Wii U game.

Wonderful 101 - This is like an old school arcade game with new school sensibilities. What a fun, slippery title that really makes use of all the positives of a Nintendo console but with none of the typical negatives. Just outrageous, non-stop fun. It seemed a little simplistic at the moment, but again it's hard to judge from the demo.

Controller - Was light and comfortable; screen blew. Will avoid use where possible.


That's all I played so far. I was on line for NSMB U but decided there was nothing I could possibly learn from the demo that I couldn't guess from looking. Didn't get to play Rayman.

 

[Berg]

Controller - Was light and comfortable; screen blew. Will avoid use where possible.

The screen BLEW UP? Nintendoomed

 

[thomaser]

Can someone take a photo of the whole demo station? From the front and the sides (and back too if possible)? Or just abuse me if there are such photos earlier in the thread.