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WiiU - Undercooked and rushed to the market?

163027__468x_wii-u-battery.jpg

This perfectly sums up Nintendo's philosophy.

Wow, this is so obviously designed so that they can sell people a higher-capacity battery later on. Shameless.
 
Fun Fact: The PSP is a portable gaming device with an optical drive and the Wii U GamePad is a controller with a touchscreen..

The Wii U gamepad is constantly streaming online wi-fi and has a much larger screen and device inputs. I think it's safe to say the power consumption is matched, easily.
 
People seem to forget how AWFUL the HD twins launch was.

Yeah, a piss-poor battery in the game pad, terrible memory bandwidth, a CPU possibly weaker than 7-year old hardware, an OS that seems to be half complete, meh these issues should easily be rectified with a firmware update in a few days.
 
A lot of the complaints I've seen have merit.

All I know is I'm having a lot of fun with mine and I'm really glad I bought it. I had very low expectations and they've been exceeded. The rough edges can be fixed--the stuff that'd be hard to patch (like GamePad latency) all works really well. Can't believe I can play console games from bed.
 
The launch goggles do seem to be in full effect for some people though.

For Nintendo to launch a console on this state makes me wonder if anyone over there actually knows what the the competition is doing. It's like they live in a bubble, learning nothing from their competitors mistakes.

Microsoft and Sony have learned a lot over the years, and I am sure their system OS will at the least be optimised for human consumption.

This does get me so excited for next years drama with the release of the newer microsoft and sony consoles. It's going to be amazing
 
Is a lighter controller suddenly indefensible?

Seriously, I would agree the battery life isn't nearly what it should be, and I imagine they put too much priority on weight. 3 hours is stupid low. But this kind of "us versus them" attitude helps nothing at all. Because you feel strongly about something suddenly any countering opinion is null and void? Get outta here with that crap.

You are arguing the battery weighs how much? Because that is pretty fucking feeble.
 
And.. a possible option to upgrade to a bigger battery.

If Nintendo admits that it ought to have a better battery for free and issues them to day-one buyers a la the 3DS Ambassador program, then great.

The "option" to pay out the nose for a bigger battery isn't something they should get credit for, though.
 
People seem to forget how AWFUL the HD twins launch was.

Just with the difference that 360 and Ps3 were cutting edge hardware at the time of the launch. The WiiU is just more of the same, so it should be possible to release hardware and software without any problems.
 
And.. a possible option to upgrade to a bigger battery.

No need, EDRAM will fix everything.

But actually, what you said. I'm not sure how this console is going to be as popular as Wii with $100 controllers (how much will they cost?). It's like Nintendo has gone a really high margin route. Wouldn't be surprised if the next Wii is 3 years from now.
 
You are arguing the battery weighs how much? Because that is pretty fucking feeble.

From what Nintendo has said weight was the #1 delimiting factor when designing the controller. It seems reasonable to conclude that may be in part why they chose to go with a smaller battery. That's not to say I agree with the decision to sacrifice usability for comfort, because I don't (at least in this instance).
 
Was anyone here expecting it not to be rushed? We didn't hear about the fucking thing for months! We got a price and no specs or anything just a few months before it was to be launched. I wasn't surprised and I'm happy with the system. They will work it all out. I am disappointed on how weak it is though. That much is bullshit.
 
From what Nintendo has said weight was the #1 delimiting factor when designing the controller. It seems reasonable to conclude that may be in part why they chose to go with a smaller battery. That's not to say I agree with the decision to sacrifice usability for comfort, because I don't (at least in this instance).

Yeah, just because it was their concern does not mean excessive measures are defensible. The weight difference would be negligible in hand. So I suppose it is defensible, but that defence is weak as hell.
 
shuri threads: undercooked and rushed to gaming?

Possibly? Most of these issues seem like something that could be worked out in the coming weeks to months. I think people definitely underestimate the challenges that go into launching a big product, but maybe next year the other two will have perfect launches.

Also some of these "issues" are just plain bullshit.
 
I, for one, like the rushed-ness of the system.

1: Nintendo backed into a corner is BEST Nintendo

2: Would drive down prices a bit. I expect to pick it up (used) at a $50+ discount soon

3: Security seems to be lax with people literally stumbling into dev menus. That means HAX! Wireless Homebrew! Region Free! Wii forced on gamepad LCD! Linux/Android!
 
No need, EDRAM will fix everything.

But actually, what you said. I'm not sure how this console is going to be as popular as Wii with $100 controllers (how much will they cost?). It's like Nintendo has gone a really high margin route. Wouldn't be surprised if the next Wii is 3 years from now.

I think that's a bit premature. Software drives hardware and no one knows who'll catch lightning in a bottle next. If Nintendo comes up with the next Wii Sports, all of this will ultimately be meaningless in the context of sales and lifespan.
 
This launch is the worst I can remember, I hope Nintendo can somehow fix alot of this shit with firmware updates and soon. And just LOL at that fucking controller battery, shit is inexcusable.
 
Graphically games look like HD PS2 games to me.

The games look (mostly) fine, but you'll probably never play something that looks as crisp as Uncharted or Halo 4. Those games eek every ounce of power from their respective hardware. Batman looks like it's on the Wii U's back already. Epic Mickey 2 brings it too it's knees.
 
Pretty much how it feels. The Giant Bomb Live Show basically pounded that idea in. I really don't understand how the online side of it is so botched. A patch is one thing, but this is kind of ludicrous.

Prepared to be called a troll or hater for saying something about Nintendo though.

They hid the online side for a reason.
 
Was anyone here expecting it not to be rushed? We didn't hear about the fucking thing for months! We got a price and no specs or anything just a few months before it was to be launched. I wasn't surprised and I'm happy with the system. They will work it all out. I am disappointed on how weak it is though. That much is bullshit.

this is the most reasonable response. People are having fun with it and it's broken in some ways. Seems to be normal for console launches. Besides, nothing beats the mess that was the RRoD. I've owned about 7 Xbox 360's in its life cycle. That's absurd.
 
This launch is the worst I can remember, I hope Nintendo can somehow fix alot of this shit with firmware updates and soon. And just LOL at that fucking controller battery, shit is inexcusable.

3DS launch with only SF4 left me salty as fuck, this is not beating it, at least they have mario and a couple other good games. Though I gotta say the third parties are shitting on it a bit. Can't wait for more games.
 
Its easier to gloss over those mistakes when its at the sacrifice of a new graphical standard.

Well, let's say that I can forgive PS3, I didn't have my phat fail on me, but getting 4 different 360 RROD, that shit I can't pass up, RROD on launch day, fuck that.

As somebody said above, Nintendo should have learned from MS and Sony mistakes.

I'll wait to buy one of these, I tried it today with super mario wii u and I liked it a lot, really trying to not fall into hype, Steam sales are coming :)
 
This launch is the worst I can remember, I hope Nintendo can somehow fix alot of this shit with firmware updates and soon. And just LOL at that fucking controller battery, shit is inexcusable.

The 3DS launched with a much worse selection and barely any online to speak of with no online shop. It still used friend codes, and at a high markup. Does a year really seem that long ago?
 
If Nintendo admits that it ought to have a better battery for free and issues them to day-one buyers a la the 3DS Ambassador program, then great.

The "option" to pay out the nose for a bigger battery isn't something they should get credit for, though.
They probably won't do anything at all but at least some dude at hardware design thought it would be nice to give that option to users who might want to go the 3rd party route.

But GAF being GAF, this is Nintendo nickel and diming.

Can the packed-in HDMI cable be spun in a bad light too? Gosh I hope so.
 
this is the most reasonable response. People are having fun with it and it's broken in some ways. Seems to be normal for console launches. Besides, nothing beats the mess that was the RRoD. I've owned about 7 Xbox 360's in its life cycle. That's absurd.

It is funny the things we forgive retrospectively.
 
Won't matter next year when the revision comes with a price drop and Mario Galaxy 3.


Just like no one cares about 3DS's shitty launch anymore.

As it should be. No reason a crap launch should somehow invalidate or discredit a console for it's entire 5-6 year lifespan. I guess it kinda sucks for early adopters? But really, unless your console borks and becomes unplayable you're really just getting a momentarily (assuming the issues are eventually addressed) shittier version of the newest console on the market.
 
definitely, It's been a messy affair with the 360, but goddamn it's given me hours of awesomeness.

Indeed.
That will likely be where we stand with the Wii-U a year from now. Only difference is they needed all the momentum they could get to keep the new machines at bay. Its just going to make their job harder.
 
Was anyone here expecting it not to be rushed? We didn't hear about the fucking thing for months! We got a price and no specs or anything just a few months before it was to be launched. I wasn't surprised and I'm happy with the system. They will work it all out. I am disappointed on how weak it is though. That much is bullshit.

Agreed on all but the power. I have my PC as a power device, so for me the HD Nintendo exclusives will be enough. They put the money in the system into the controller, which is obvious. People talk about launch goggles, but I had a bunch of friends over and we spent hours having fun (lots of it with Tank! Tank! Tank!) So while I agree there are improvements that can be made, there wasn't anything that deterred us from having a great time today.
 
3DS launch with only SF4 left me salty as fuck, this is not beating it, at least they have mario and a couple other good games. Though I gotta say the third parties are shitting on it a bit. Can't wait for more games.

The 3DS launched with a much worse selection and barely any online to speak of with no online shop. It still used friend codes, and at a high markup. Does a year really seem that long ago?
I was thinking of console lauches which for me goes back to N64, to me Wii U seems the worst by far but I do think alot of the issues are totally fixable. As for 3DS, I never planned on buying one (my DS lite is good enough) so I didnt pay much attention.

sounds like you have a terrible memory
lulz
 
This launch seems like an unmitigated disaster just like the ps3 launch (though at least there the hardware was nice).

Nintendo seems to have rushed out a product and can't even compete with 2005 hardware. Not to mention its filled with bugs. Them being so far behind the online/OS curve is really going to bite them in the ass as their competitors have had time to go through all of the kinks for an entire gen already.

This is simply unacceptable. I will wait for a hardware revision, price drop, OS overhaul, and legit AAA games before I will consider purchasing this. Hopefully it won't take years for that to happen.
 
The games look (mostly) fine, but you'll probably never play something that looks as crisp as Uncharted or Halo 4. Those games eek every ounce of power from their respective hardware. Batman looks like it's on the Wii U's back already. Epic Mickey 2 brings it too it's knees.

I seriously doubt that. I dont know about EM2 or its performance on other systems, but wasnt the Batman Wii U version done by another team?

Wait until Retro Studios puts out its first HD game.

And as far as console problems, i've only had one so far, and that involved my Wii, not the U itself. Yes it could have been better, especially with the handling of a long day 1 patch for NA, but calling the launch a disaster, shitstorm, or whatever else seems more than a little overboard.
 
Indeed.
That will likely be where we stand with the Wii-U a year from now. Only difference is they needed all the momentum they could get to keep the new machines at bay. Its just going to make their job harder.

True, but the competitiveness will be good all around for all of the consoles and in turn us. And like I mentioned, this launch screw up will be nothing compared to Sony or Microsofts upcoming fuck ups. At least I hope so, just for pure entertainment.
 
Indeed.
That will likely be where we stand with the Wii-U a year from now. Only difference is they needed all the momentum they could get to keep the new machines at bay. Its just going to make their job harder.

Exactly! Man its good to hear some sense.

We're actually on day freaking 1 and people are calling it broken because of a few third parties with framedrops. Well this is GAF after all, but still, it hurts the hype for some. :/
 
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